As she spoke, Xiao Ling's delicate brows knit together in a rare moment of solemn contemplation.
"But whenever we mention mountain caves, Mother's cheeks always flush faintly crimson. And Aunt Ya Fei and the others… they always cast those teasing, fox-like smiles at her."
Xiao Jietian instantly understood.
That particular mountain cave—of course.
It was there, amid dripping stalactites and flickering torchlight, that the seed of affection between him and Yun Yun had first taken root. It marked the turning point when master and disciple became something far deeper, far more forbidden.
He cleared his throat lightly, cutting off further questions before they could bloom.
"Why are you two little ones prying into adult affairs? Enough chatter—help me carve that boulder into a proper bed. Or have you forgotten we're here to save a life?"
The two girls immediately straightened, eyes bright with renewed purpose. Saving someone was far more exciting than gossip.
In the blink of an eye, they summoned their Cloud Dream Phoenix Metal, the sacred alloy shimmering with iridescent light as it transformed into slender chisels and blazing phoenix flames. Working in perfect harmony, one shaped while the other tempered with Heavenly Flame.
Less than half a minute later, a smooth, wide stone bed stood ready—edges polished to a soft luster, surface warm from controlled fire.
Xiao Jietian flicked his wrist; a supple spirit-beast hide unfurled from his spatial ring and settled atop the stone. The two little ones eagerly smoothed every crease, arranging it with the care one might give a bridal bed.
Only then did Xiao Jietian lower the unconscious beauty onto the prepared resting place. Her blood-soaked qipao contrasted starkly against the pale hide, like fallen plum blossoms on fresh snow.
"Oh?"
As his soul power gently probed her meridians and dantian, Xiao Jietian's brow arched in quiet surprise.
Her internal organs had suffered displacement and rupture, yet an astonishingly vigorous life force was already at work—slowly knitting flesh, realigning bones, mending what should have taken months.
This level of regenerative vitality… he mused inwardly, can only be born from a pill that has endured at least five-colored tribulation lightning.
Such elixirs were not casually possessed. The heavenly materials required were enough to bankrupt most ancient clans.
His gaze lingered on her refined yet mature features, that thread of familiarity tugging insistently at the edge of memory. Yet no name, no face from his vast acquaintance in the Central Plains matched her.
More troubling still: a sinister, corrosive black qi coiled within her soul sea—the true culprit behind her prolonged coma. Had she possessed even an eighth-grade intermediate-grade healing pill, she could have suppressed her physical wounds long ago.
Whoever struck her soul directly… was no ordinary foe.
Xiao Jietian retrieved a pill from his ring. Blue-green light swirled within it, rich with the scent of ancient vitality—like spring rain falling upon ten-thousand-year-old ginseng.
"Daddy, what pill is that?" Xiao Meng leaned forward, swallowing reflexively. "It looks… delicious."
"Muscle Regeneration Divine Healing Pill," he answered calmly, then turned his gaze toward Xiao Ling—testing her once more.
The little girl pondered only a moment before reciting flawlessly:
"Muscle Regeneration Divine Healing Pill: eighth-grade intermediate, tempered by five-colored pill lightning. Upon consumption, it regenerates flesh and bone in moments, even revives the dying. Its greatest marvel lies in mending soul injuries—truly a supreme healing treasure."
Xiao Meng immediately continued, voice crisp and proud:
"Primary ingredients include Seven-Star Blood Lotus, Spirit Soul Flower, Jade Leaf Purple Jade Fruit, Nine-Yin Soul Ginseng…"
Xiao Jietian raised both thumbs in genuine praise.
"Not bad at all. It seems my two little scholars truly study when the time calls for it."
"Of course!" Xiao Ling planted hands on hips, chin lifted high. "Daddy always says: study seriously when it's time to learn, play freely when it's time to play!"
Xiao Meng mirrored her sister's proud stance.
If the woman lying motionless had retained even a shred of awareness, she surely would have cried out in exasperation:
Can you please save me first?! I've lain here half a day already—this is no way to rescue anyone!
Xiao Jietian gently parted her lips and placed the pill within.
The moment it touched her tongue, the elixir dissolved into twin streams of azure and verdant energy. Green light poured into her meridians, flooding wounds with life. Blue radiance surged directly into her Sea of Consciousness.
The two little girls craned their necks, eyes wide and anxious.
"Daddy, how is she? Can she still be saved?"
"Relax," Xiao Jietian said with a faint, reassuring smile. "Her life is no longer in peril."
The sisters exhaled in unison, relief washing over their small faces. This was their very first act of saving a life—they desperately wanted it to succeed.
"When will she wake up?" Xiao Meng pressed.
"Not yet. A lingering wisp of malevolent power still clings to her soul. I must help her dispel it."
"Then hurry, Daddy!" Xiao Meng urged, voice tinged with childish anxiety. "We can't delay—what if she really dies?"
She paused, then added in a pitiful tone that barely concealed her glee:
"We won't disturb you. Ling Ling and I will tidy up the cave. We… can't go home for a while anyway."
Xiao Jietian shot them a knowing look.
"You two don't mean 'can't go back'—you mean 'don't want to go back.'"
How could he not see through his own daughters? They had tasted freedom outside the palace walls; wild horses could not drag them home now.
And their sudden diligence in cleaning? Purely to forestall any suggestion of returning.
"Go on then. Make it spotless. We'll be staying here for some time."
"Hehe—Daddy is the best!" The two little girls beamed, clasped hands, and scampered off to arrange stones, sweep dust, and turn the wild cave into a cozy temporary abode.
Xiao Jietian watched their busy figures with a soft chuckle, then turned his full attention to the woman.
Her physical wounds were mending at a visible pace. Only the soul remained in peril.
A wisp of three-colored tribulation lightning sparked to life in his palm.
He could summon five-colored lightning now, but feared the sheer destructive potency might overwhelm her fragile soul body. Better to proceed with caution.
Guiding the lightning with exquisite soul control, he sent it gliding through her glabella and into the depths of her Sea of Consciousness.
Within that illusory space floated a miniature phantom of the woman herself—translucent, delicate, yet astonishingly solid.
Black mist coiled around the soul form like venomous serpents, ceaselessly eroding. Azure energy from the pill fought back valiantly, dispelling darkness and mending cracks.
Yet the two forces had reached a deadlock.
Xiao Jietian's eyes narrowed.
To manifest a visible soul body… her soul cultivation had reached at least the Spirit Realm.
The solidity of the form suggested intermediate, perhaps even advanced Spirit Realm—but not yet Heavenly Realm.
A Heavenly Realm soul could materialize soul power externally, battle without flesh, influence the material world, even guide pill refinement to resonate with the heavens and elevate quality.
This woman clearly had not crossed that threshold—otherwise she would never have fallen into such dire straits.
No longer pondering, Xiao Jietian directed the three-colored lightning to strike the black mist.
The instant they collided, recognition flashed through his mind.
He knew the nature of this sinister power.
The enemy of my enemy… is my friend.
He repeated the thought firmly in his heart.
I am definitely not saving her merely because she is beautiful. Absolutely not. It is purely because of this faint familiarity… and because her foe is also my foe. Nothing more. Nothing at all.