21: Chapter 21 Xiaoyu's Accident

Ye Chen did not answer at all. His face was currently as pale as paper; the consumption from borrowing Lin Qingxue's Origin cold Qi was immense and could not be sustained.

He forced himself to stay alert, casting a cold gaze at Wang Teng, who was more than half frozen and filled with terror, and at the Black-robed Man who had been temporarily forced back.

He knew he had to take this opportunity to escape!

Otherwise, once the Black-robed Man neutralized the cold Qi, or Wang Teng broke free, he would be the one to die!

He took a deep breath, used his last ounce of strength, and pushed the remaining small half of the ice lotus in his hand forward!

The ice lotus drifted slowly toward Wang Teng and the Black-robed Man; although it was not fast, it carried a destructive chill!

The Black-robed Man's expression changed drastically; he could no longer care about Wang Teng.

He grabbed the frozen Wang Teng with one hand, while his other hand unleashed a large wave of grey-black Death Qi to block the ice lotus.

At the same time, he tapped his feet, his figure darting backward like a giant bird. With a few leaps, he vanished into the darkness deep in the alley.

He had actually been scared off by this Profound Yin ice lotus!

The half-lotus lost its target and drifted down slowly. The moment it touched the ground,

with a soft "bang," it turned into a dense mass of blue cold Qi that spread outward, freezing the ground and walls for several yards into a world of ice sculptures.

"Pfft—"

With the powerful enemy retreating, his mind relaxed, and Ye Chen could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to one knee, his entire body drained of strength.

The borrowed Origin cold Qi receded like a tide, and an intense feeling of weakness swept over his entire body.

Ye Chen glanced in the direction where the Black-robed Man had vanished, then looked at the Ice Scorpion's corpse on the ground and the chaotic alley. He knew he could not stay here for long.

He had to leave immediately!

He bit the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to stimulate his nerves, and struggled to stand up.

He staggered in the direction opposite to his small courtyard, blending into the deepening night.

Tonight's events would definitely not end here.

Wang Teng was not dead, the Black-robed Man had retreated, and the Shadow Fiend would not stop until one of them was dead...

A greater storm was likely coming.

When Ye Chen barely managed to return to the vicinity of the small courtyard in the south of the city, he saw from afar that his own courtyard gate was actually left ajar!

Inside the courtyard, there were no lights; it was deathly silent!

Little Rain! A cold chill instantly shot up Ye Chen's spine!

The courtyard gate was ajar, and a deathly darkness seeped through the crack.

Ye Chen's heart instantly leaped to his throat. A cold chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his crown, even worse than during the fight in the alley just moments ago!

He almost held his breath, forcing down the churning blood and the intense pain throughout his body.

Like a shadow, he slid silently to the base of the courtyard wall, pressed his back against the cold earthen wall, and listened intently.

Inside the courtyard, it was terrifyingly quiet.

There was no soft humming sound of Little Rain waiting for him as usual, no sound of her washing clothes, and not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Only the night wind blowing through the bare branches of the old locust tree in the courtyard made a wailing sound, like ghosts crying.

He could not panic!

Ye Chen forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath, enduring the numbness in his left arm and the emptiness in his Dantian.

He concentrated the last trace of True Qi into his ears, and his hearing was instantly amplified to the limit.

There!

Extremely faint, suppressed breathing!

Not just one! There were at least three!

They were hiding behind the door of the main room and in the shadows of the east and west wing rooms!

The breathing was long and steady, carrying a hint of bloodthirst; they were martial artists, and they had killed people!

It was definitely not Little Rain!

Where was Little Rain?

Ye Chen's heart felt like it was being gripped by a cold hand.

He dared not imagine the consequences if Little Rain had fallen into the hands of these people.

Wang Teng? Grand Elder Ye Rushan?

Or subsequent killers from the Shadow Fiend?

They had actually tracked him all the way here!

What to do? Barge in?

In his current state, going in would be suicide!

Run? Impossible!

Little Rain was still inside!

Just as Ye Chen was burning with anxiety and was on the verge of rushing in regardless of the consequences,

Creak—

A slight, almost inaudible sound of a door opening came from not far behind him.

It was the back door of Aunt Liu's house next door!

Ye Chen turned his head sharply and saw that the old, dilapidated wooden door had opened a crack, and a small hand was anxiously waving at him in the darkness.

It was Aunt Liu!

Her face was filled with terror, her lips trembling. She mouthed silently: "Brother Chen! Over here! Quick!"

Little Rain was at Aunt Liu's house!

A massive wave of relief instantly overwhelmed Ye Chen's taut nerves, leaving him almost collapsed.

He dared not delay. With a tap of his toes, he darted silently through the narrow alley like a wildcat and slipped into the back door of Aunt Liu's house.

Aunt Liu immediately bolted the door, leaned against the door panel, patted her chest, and panted heavily, her face deathly pale from fright.

"Aunt Liu, where is Little Rain?"

Ye Chen asked urgently in a low voice.

"She's... she's on the kang in the inner room, asleep."

Aunt Liu pointed to the inner room, her voice trembling.

"Just now, it scared me to death! Not long after dark, I heard movement on your courtyard wall. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw several dark shadows climbing in! I... I quickly called Little Rain over and hid her in the cellar. I just managed to coax her to sleep."

Ye Chen's suspended heart finally returned to its place, and a sense of lingering fear mixed with gratitude welled up in his heart.

"Aunt Liu, thank you! I will never forget this life-saving grace, Ye Chen will never forget it!"

He bowed deeply to this widow, who usually appeared somewhat timid.

"Oh, you mustn't!"

Aunt Liu hurriedly waved her hands, still feeling lingering fear.

"Brother Chen, you... what kind of people have you provoked? That group looked very fierce and were carrying weapons! They were rummaging through your room, looking like they were searching for something."

Searching for something?

Ye Chen's eyes turned cold.

That was it. When Chen Jiu reported the news, he had said that Grand Elder Ye Rushan suspected he had some treasure obtained from the Lin Estate.

These people were here for that!

And incidentally, they were also here to take his life!

"Aunt Liu, please do not mention this matter to anyone. Just pretend you know nothing."

Ye Chen said in a deep voice.

"I cannot stay here tonight; I must leave immediately. Could I trouble you to look after Little Rain for one more night? I will come to pick her up by tomorrow at the latest."

Aunt Liu looked at Ye Chen's pale face and blood-stained clothes, knowing he must have gone through a fierce battle. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, don't worry. Little Rain will be fine with me. You... you take care of yourself!"

"Hmm!" Ye Chen nodded heavily and said no more.

He had to leave immediately; otherwise, if that group in the courtyard couldn't find him and searched the next house, both Aunt Liu and Little Rain would be in danger.

He gently pushed open the door to the inner room and, by the faint moonlight outside the window, saw Little Rain curled up on the kang.

She was covered by Aunt Liu's old quilt and sleeping soundly. There were still undried tear stains on her little face; she had clearly cried herself to sleep out of terror.

Ye Chen felt a pang in his heart. He stepped forward, gently stroked his sister's hair, and quietly placed two Low-Grade Spirit Stones by her pillow.

Then, he turned resolutely, slipped silently out through the back door again, and blended into the cold night.

At this moment, Ye Chen was covered in wounds and his True Qi was exhausted, like a stray dog.

Although Qingyun City was large, it seemed there was no place for him to stay.

Return to the Lin Estate? Not to mention how to get in late at night, would it bring trouble to Lin Qingxue?

Go elsewhere? Where else could he hide?

The cold night wind blew on his face, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Ye Chen wandered aimlessly through the alleys, avoiding the occasional night watchman and patrolling soldiers.

The numbness in his left arm was becoming stronger; Wang Teng's scorching fist power and the Ice Scorpion's yin-cold poison, having lost their suppression,

began to ravage his body, causing him to feel waves of cold and dizziness.

He had to find a place to heal!

Otherwise, he wouldn't need anyone else to finish him off; he would perish in this cold night on his own.

Just then, the jade pendant on Ye Chen's chest transmitted another faint but continuous warmth.

At the same time, the jade booklet in his Sea of Consciousness vibrated gently.

The indigo-blue bond chain representing Lin Qingxue emitted a soft light, pointing in one direction.

Was... Lin Qingxue nearby?

Or was this bond guiding him to a safe place?

Ye Chen had no other choice now.

He gritted his teeth and, following the subtle intuition in his heart, staggered toward the north of the city.

The further he walked, the more remote it became. The surrounding houses gradually became sparse, and finally, he arrived at an area of abandoned residences.

It was said that a fire had occurred here many years ago, and many people had died. It had remained abandoned ever since, and usually, even beggars were unwilling to come here.

The warmth from the jade pendant reached its strongest point here.

The bond chain pointed to one of the most dilapidated residences, which only had half a gate left.

Ye Chen hesitated for a moment but walked in anyway. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. A smell of mold mixed with a burnt odor assailed his nostrils.

The main house had collapsed halfway; only one wing room on the east side was still relatively intact.

He pushed open the ajar door, and a cloud of dust rose.

The room was empty, containing only a broken table and a crooked stool, with some rotten wood piled in the corner.

But strangely, this room seemed a bit warmer than outside, and a faint, almost imperceptible cold Qi was vaguely flowing in the air.

Ye Chen's heart stirred, and he sensed carefully.

That's right, it was pure Profound Yin cold Qi!

Although it was extremely thin and almost dissipated, it was of the same Origin as the Lin Qingxue's Origin cold Qi remaining in his body!

Could this have once been some secret stronghold of Lin Qingxue?

Or was it related to the Profound Yin Body she cultivated?

He did not have time to think too much. After confirming he was temporarily safe, he immediately moved the rotten wood in the corner, revealing a relatively clean corner behind it, and sat down cross-legged.

Then he took out the brocade pouch given by Lin Qingxue from his bosom and took one Ningyuan Pill and one Heart-Clearing Pill each.

After the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it turned into a gentle medicinal force that dispersed, beginning to nourish his dried-up Meridians and Dantian.

Ye Chen closed his eyes, operating his Cultivation Technique with all his might to guide the medicinal force while attempting to expel the virulent poison in his left arm and the foreign True Qi remaining in his body.

However, Wang Teng's Blazing Sun True Qi and the Ice Scorpion's Profound Yin virulent poison were entangled together, proving extremely difficult to deal with. In his current state, expelling them was exceptionally slow.

Especially the virulent poison, which was continuously eroding his vitality.

Just as Ye Chen felt somewhat powerless, the jade pendant on his chest lit up again with a warm, gentle light.

The indigo-blue bond chain in his Sea of Consciousness swayed gently, and a pure, peaceful Profound Yin cold Qi slowly transferred into his body.

This cold Qi was of the same Origin as his, but it carried a power of soothing and healing. Wherever it passed,

the troublesome foreign True Qi and virulent poison were slowly neutralized and dispersed, as if melting away like ice and snow!

It was the effect of the bond's telepathic connection!