After Changing Her Fate, the Vicious Female Villain and the Protagonist Got an HE! - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Awakening

Early the next morning, Qin Niyun left the meditation room, regaining her usual cold demeanor.

Luo Hua, seeing that her emotions had stabilized, no longer prevented her from visiting her Junior Sister.

The Flute Spirit, Cang Lan, due to the contract, could clearly sense the true change in her Master’s mood and was deeply worried.

Qin Niyun slowly walked to the couch where her Junior Sister lay. Looking at the unconscious girl, her gentle, lingering gaze fell upon her picturesque features. She watched for a long time, as if to imprint them forever in her heart.

Cang Lan stood guard nearby, struggling to speak: “Master, you…”

Qin Niyun raised her hand, cutting off her words.

“There is one thing I want to confirm. Is it true that the Golden Core formed by the Heavenly Phoenix Spirit Body can completely cure the Ice Soul Cold Poison?”

Cang Lan was silent for a moment, then nodded in affirmation.

Receiving the confirmed answer, Qin Niyun felt much at ease. “Indeed, that person did not lie.”

Cang Lan was puzzled. “Master, who are you referring to?”

Qin Niyun did not conceal it and recounted the events of last night.

“I encountered a strange creature in the meditation room. It was it that told me the method to completely cure the Ice Soul Cold Poison.”

Cang Lan immediately grew vigilant upon hearing this. “Master, the person’s motives are unclear. It is best to be cautious.”

“Regardless of their motive, it’s fine as long as they didn’t lie to me.”

Qin Niyun was intelligent and had already guessed that the pitch-black liquid creature was related to the mastermind who had been threatening and framing her Junior Sister all along.

She was also clear that the enemy’s ultimate goal was to seize the Destiny from her.

In truth, she did not care about the strength of her own Destiny.

Before her Master went on his travels, he had said that for both cultivators and mortals, one’s Destiny in life is not immutable. What is lost can return, and what is possessed cannot necessarily be kept.

In short, the object that the enemy painstakingly sought to steal was, to Qin Niyun, dispensable.

Cang Lan, observing her Master’s demeanor, immediately guessed something, and her heart sank.

“Master, you aren’t really planning to remove your Core to save the other Master, are you?”

Qin Niyun nodded. “Only this way can Junior Sister wake up.”

Cang Lan said urgently: “But Master, once you remove your Core, it means you can never cultivate again, severing your ties with the Immortal Path forever!”

Qin Niyun smiled gently. “At least I can still live, right?”

Beside them, the Zither Spirit, Shan Hai, spoke up appropriately: “Master Qin, do you know that the Master deliberately had us conceal this matter precisely because she did not want you to learn the truth and harm yourself.”

Qin Niyun did not respond. She merely took off the Ties of Entanglement bracelet from her wrist and tied it onto the girl in green’s wrist.

“After I remove my Core, I will leave Futian Ancient City. When Junior Sister wakes up and asks about my whereabouts, just tell her that I left first, not knowing when she would awaken, to search for the Fire Spirit Pearl.”

Shan Hai shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this.

“The Master won’t believe it! The Ice Soul Cold Poison has only one cure. When the Master wakes up and senses that the Cold Poison is gone, she will surely know that you removed your Core to save her. How could I possibly deceive her?”

Qin Niyun sighed softly. “Nothing is impossible in the world. You and Cang Lan are both Innate Spirits and are privy to many unknown secrets of Heaven and Earth. As long as you intend to conceal it, you can do so. At that time, simply weave a white lie to hide the truth from Junior Sister.”

“No, I can’t do it!”

Shan Hai bit her lip hard and stamped her foot in rebuttal.

Qin Niyun issued a direct command: “Cang Lan, take Shan Hai out first. Guard this house well. Before I successfully remove my Core, do not let anyone enter!”

Cang Lan, knowing that her Master’s mind was made up, chose to obey the command despite her reluctance. Taking advantage of Shan Hai’s distraction, she cast a spell to bind her, striving to ignore her look of disbelief, and quickly carried her out of the house. At the same time, she set up restrictions all around the house to prevent outsiders from entering.

Luo Hua and Jiu Xuan both sensed the abnormality and approached the area, but were stopped by Cang Lan.

“Master has given orders not to let anyone enter the house.”

Jiu Xuan immediately reacted: “Did Junior Niece Qin learn the cure?”

Cang Lan nodded: “She is indeed aware of it.”

Luo Hua frowned and questioned: “Did you tell her?”

Cang Lan replied with a bitter smile: “I am fully aware of the consequences of removing a Core. How could I tell my Master? It was something that broke into the meditation room where the Master was staying last night and passed on the relevant information.”

Upon hearing this, Jiu Xuan immediately looked at the woman beside her.

“It seems to be that person’s doing. There were restrictions set up in the meditation room. Under normal circumstances, no one could approach silently. Sect Leader, should we go in and stop her?”

Luo Hua’s thoughts cycled through several possibilities. In the end, her myriad thoughts coalesced into a long sigh.

“Forget it. Let her be. This is their mutual tribulation. As outsiders, we can stop it for a moment, but we cannot stop it for a lifetime.”

The demon race had only recently retreated, and there were still many matters in Futian Ancient City that needed to be addressed.

After making her decision, Luo Hua turned and left the area without hesitation.

Jiu Xuan followed her departure, heading to the shrine to inform Yue Lan of the news.

The method of removing a Core, once performed, subjects the practitioner to extreme pain.

Although Qin Niyun was mentally prepared, when she actually performed it, she realized she had underestimated the agony.

In just a few breaths, her entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

Due to the unbearable pain, her lip was bitten until it bled, yet the movements of her hands performing the spell never stopped for a moment.

This process lasted for a short while.

The instant the Golden Core was successfully removed, the entire house was filled with a dense scent of blood.

Qin Niyun’s all-white dress was thoroughly stained with blood.

With the Golden Core separated from her body, her cultivation instantly dissipated. Unable to hold herself up, she dropped to her knees with a thud, her face as pale as paper.

Cang Lan, who was guarding outside, sensed her Master’s condition, immediately pushed open the door, rushed to her Master’s side, and quickly fed her a healing elixir.

Shan Hai’s binding spell had long been lifted. She followed them in, and upon seeing the tragic scene in the room, instinctively averted her eyes, unable to bear the sight.

If she were facing an enemy, no matter how bloody the scene, she would remain indifferent. However, the girl lying in a pool of blood in the room was the Senior Sister whom her Master cared for the most.

It was said that for cultivators to become immortal, they must undergo several extraordinary hardships, but… with the Golden Core already removed, was there truly still a possibility of achieving immortality?

Both she and Cang Lan came from the Canghai Realm. In their knowledge, the Canghai Realm had no divine artifact that could repair a Dantian. Would the Xuan Yuan Realm be an exception?

Shan Hai did not know the answer, but she hoped a miracle would occur.

Otherwise, when her Master woke up and learned the truth, she feared she would be consumed by self-reproach for the rest of her life.

On the other side, after Qin Niyun took the healing elixir, the wound from removing her Core finally stopped bleeding.

The round Golden Core was currently held in her right hand, emanating a golden light.

She moved with difficulty to the couch, carefully pried open her Junior Sister’s lips, and fed the Golden Core to her.

The incomparably hard inner core melted upon entering the mouth. Carrying the unique spiritual power of the Heavenly Phoenix Spirit Body, it instantly surged through Wen Shurong’s meridians. The Ice Soul Cold Poison disappeared at a visibly rapid speed.

Qin Niyun monitored her Junior Sister’s pulse. The moment the toxins were completely cleared, she revealed a relieved smile.

She took one last look at the girl lying on the couch, then instructed Cang Lan: “Take me out of Futian Ancient City immediately.”

“Master, you just removed your Core. Please rest for a while before moving.”

Cang Lan’s eyes were filled with distress, but Qin Niyun did not heed her advice.

“I said it again: take me away immediately!”

She did not want her Junior Sister to see her in such a pathetic state when she woke up.

Cang Lan could not defy her Master and agreed with tears in her eyes.

Before leaving, she glanced at Shan Hai. Everything was said without words.

Half a zhuxiang later, Wen Shurong awoke from her coma.

Her consciousness returned, and she felt a little lost.

She… was still alive? And where was this place?

The Zither Spirit, Shan Hai, had already cleaned up the bloodstains and scent in the room. Seeing her Master awake, a hint of joy appeared on her face, and she quickly stepped forward.

“Master, this is the Futian Ancient City City Lord’s Mansion. You were ambushed by the enemy on the city wall and have been unconscious for a long time.”

Wen Shurong looked around, not seeing a familiar figure.

“Where is Senior Sister? She wasn’t injured, was she?”

“Master Qin… she…”

Seeing Shan Hai hesitating to speak, Wen Shurong immediately became anxious.

“What happened to Senior Sister?”

“Master, Master Qin… she said she didn’t know when you would wake up, so she left first to search for the whereabouts of the Fire Spirit Pearl.”

“Is that so? Shan Hai, look me in the eyes and say that again!”

“I…”

Shan Hai stamped her foot in distress. She had promised Qin Niyun not to reveal the truth, but she really didn’t want to deceive her Master.

What should she do?

Wen Shurong, seeing Shan Hai’s behavior and noticing the newly tied red string on her wrist, felt her heart sink deeper and deeper.

She and her Senior Sister originally each wore one of these Ties of Entanglement. Once worn, they could sense each other’s location. Now her Senior Sister had tied her own to her wrist as well, the intention was very clear.

Not only that, Wen Shurong also realized that her own condition was wrong.

Originally, she was afflicted with Cold Poison. Even when the toxins were not acting up, she could clearly sense the hidden threat. However, upon waking today, she felt completely light, as if the Cold Poison had never existed.

Realizing this, Wen Shurong’s face instantly turned white. She quickly used her spiritual consciousness to inspect her body, confirming that the Ice Soul Cold Poison had disappeared without a trace. Far from feeling any joy, she was instead enveloped by a huge sense of panic.

She swiftly jumped off the couch, ignoring the need to put on shoes and socks, and rushed out of the house. In less than half a zhǎncha of time, she ran through the entire City Lord’s Mansion, blood blisters forming on the soles of her feet, yet she never saw that familiar figure.

“Senior Sister…”

Wen Shurong leaned against the wall, large tears dripping non-stop from her cheeks.

Shan Hai chased after her from the room. Seeing her Master’s state, she couldn’t bear it and was about to offer comfort. In the next instant, she saw the girl look up, staring at her with dull, lifeless eyes.

“Where is Senior Sister?”

Shan Hai instinctively reassured her: “Master Qin didn’t say where she was going when she left. Master, please don’t worry. Cang Lan is with Master Qin. With her there, nothing will happen to Master Qin.”

Wen Shurong’s hands, hidden in her sleeves, gradually clenched.

“The enemy is very powerful, and ambushes are hard to guard against. Didn’t I still get ambushed when fighting the demon race, even though you and Cang Lan were both present? Tell me, where exactly is Senior Sister? You and Cang Lan are co-dependent, both formed from the Canghai Realm’s World Origin Power. You must be able to sense each other’s location!”

“I…”

“Shan Hai, if you still acknowledge me as your Master, tell me Senior Sister’s whereabouts!”

“Yes… judging by their current route, they should be heading to Ghost Howl Ridge.”

Wen Shurong had heard the name Ghost Howl Ridge from Su Tianyue of the Taiyi Sect.

Su Tianyue had mentioned at the time that during her sect experience trip, she passed through this area and, while battling a ghost cultivator, accidentally fell into a spatial pocket. There, she saw the Fire Spirit Pearl.

However, Ghost Howl Ridge has had another moniker since ancient times: the Resting Place of Cultivators.

Cultivators who died could not enter the six paths of reincarnation. Therefore, many people would go there before death, utilizing the Yin energy of Ghost Howl Ridge to resist the Soul Killing Light and increase the possibility of becoming a ghost cultivator.

Realizing this, Wen Shurong immediately moved, packed her clothes, and planned to chase after her Senior Sister.

However, just as she was about to leave the City Lord’s Mansion, she was intercepted by Luo Hua.

Looking at the commanding woman not far away, Wen Shurong fell to her knees, speaking sincerely: “Your disciple is deeply indebted to my Senior Sister. I earnestly request the Sect Leader’s permission to leave and search for her.”

Luo Hua frowned deeply: “And after finding her? How do you plan to face Junior Niece Qin? Do you have a way to restore her?”

Wen Shurong instantly fell silent.

Before, her only thought was to find her Senior Sister. She hadn’t seriously considered the Sect Leader’s question.

Then Luo Hua continued: “Legend has it that there is a divine medicine in the Kunlun Mountains named the Spirit Restoration Divine Flower. This flower blooms once every thousand years, and its resulting fruit has the miraculous effect of reshaping the Dantian.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Shurong immediately looked up at the woman in the black robe. Her previously dim, lifeless eyes instantly filled with hope.

“Sect Leader, do you know how to find this flower?”

Luo Hua stated directly: “The Spirit Restoration Divine Flower is mostly invisible and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Whether one can encounter it depends entirely on their individual Destiny. Even if one can see it, for the divine flower to bear fruit, it must be cared for by a person of Utmost Passion and Sincerity, watered with fresh blood day and night, and moved by true emotion.”

Pausing slightly at this point, she added: “The place where the divine flower grows is extremely perilous. Any cultivator, regardless of their cultivation level, who enters will face certain death, with only a slim chance of survival.”

Hearing this, the hope in Wen Shurong’s eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

“Thank you, Sect Leader, for informing me of this news. As long as there is hope of curing Senior Sister, your disciple is willing to go through any danger, be it a mountain of knives or a sea of fire. I will never give up!”

Support