Chapter 73 71, I was bitten there...
The wind and snow swelled into a sea, with the moon's reflection like a boat.
Above the endless expanse of silvery white land, two streaks of sword light darted along, swiftly arriving in front of a snowy mountain.
The sword light gradually dissipated, revealing the figures of two people.
It was Xu Yuan and Liu Ruoxue.
Inside the Sword Sect, spring had already arrived, yet outside, it was still the depths of winter.
"The only person who survived that year is here?"
Liu Ruoxue glanced at him sideways.
"Of course, this is the place I found guided by the fairy bloodline."
Xu Yuan, with an unchanged expression, reached out his hand, "Give me your hand."
Liu Ruoxue looked at the young man who had shed his disguise and restored his originally handsome appearance, and after a moment of hesitation, she still passed her hand over.
She was already a Core Formation cultivator, confident she had nothing to fear from whatever tricks he might play.
Xu Yuan paid no attention to Liu Ruoxue's thoughts but took her hand and, using a finger as a sword, lightly drew across her crystal-clear jade-like finger.
Instantly, blood flowed out like flowing crystal stones.
Xu Yuan formed a seal spell with his hand and cast it onto the freshly spilled blood.
In just a moment, Liu Ruoxue sensed a calling resonating from the mountain.
"Bloodline as a guide, so this means..."
Her mood suddenly surged with excitement.
"That's right, the person above is indeed your relative."
As if he had seen through her thoughts, Xu Yuan said blandly.
At that moment, starlight illuminated his features, and the cold wind rustled his white garments. Standing tall, he seemed to blend harmoniously with the universe.
"But didn't you say before that the person who killed my entire village had one survivor left..."
Partway through, Liu Ruoxue suddenly stopped speaking.
She understood his implication.
The person who had wiped out the entire village was her relative.
"That's why I have always been equivocal with Fairy Liu."
That was also why her master had chosen to conceal the truth.
"If that's the case, why did you tell me from the start?"
Liu Ruoxue's face remained unchanged, but her hand hanging by her side clenched involuntarily.
"Even if I didn't tell Fairy Liu, weren't you always preoccupied with this matter in your heart? Sooner or later, you would've uncovered the truth."
"Enough talk."
Liu Ruoxue said coldly, "Let's go, and show me what the truth really is."
The two ascended on their swords, flying against the snow and sand blowing in their faces.
They soon reached the mountaintop, where they came upon the so-called truth.
Atop this peak, eternally encased in ice, a resplendent crystal like a blossoming snow lotus lay at the very center.
And within it, a figure was encased.
"Your mother was an Evil Cultivator. She killed everyone in the village because she planned to use their bloodlines as a sacrifice to enhance your talents."
"..."
Liu Ruoxue's eyes began to tremble.
"That is to say, I..."
"That's right, if it must be said, in the end, all this is because of you."
Xu Yuan looked at her, his eyes neither pitying nor hostile, only ever serene and profound.
Liu Ruoxue's steps slowed.
Eventually, she stopped.
"What's wrong? So, by saying that, do you also think the same?"
Xu Yuan chuckled lightly, "That doesn't sound like the Sword Immortal Lady I know. Shouldn't your Sword Heart be indomitable? Could it really be affected by something like this?"
Liu Ruoxue bit her lip and suddenly glared at him.
"Before that, did you deliberately use ambiguous words to make me believe it was Master..."
Halfway through, she suddenly lowered her head, breathing heavily, as two clear tears slowly traced down her face.
This was the first time Xu Yuan had seen her cry.
"Why deceive yourself and others? Over the years, your master has always been cold towards you, and you must have noticed."
Xu Yuan sighed.
"What are you trying to say?"
Liu Ruoxue lifted her head, her angry expression tinged with panic.
"What I want to say, you already know in your heart, don't you? Your master's thoughts are exactly what I just said. She too believes it's your fault, or rather, she thinks you're a cursed child. Otherwise, why would she let you become a cultivator with a false core? You haven't completely refined someone else's false core, but such things are inherently harmful to oneself. If it weren't for your high talents..."
"Shut up!"
Liu Ruoxue trembled all over, glaring furiously at him.
"I believe my master is not that kind of person! She didn't consider me a tool."
"Whether it is or it isn't, you should have a clearer understanding of that in your heart than I do. Even if she didn't treat you like a tool, she still considered your actions as nothing more than atonement."
Xu Yuan's gaze finally took on a hint of pity.
"You're lying to me!"
Liu Ruoxue's hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her beautiful face shadowed with killing intent.
She couldn't accept such a truth.
"Whether I'm lying to you, you should be more aware of that than I am in your heart."
Xu Yuan said indifferently.
"I need... to have it clear."
Liu Ruoxue's eyes fell upon the ice sculpture.
"Don't go; your Master has set a restriction there. The moment you touch it, it will self-destruct."
Xu Yuan said in a deep voice.
"Why?"
"This person, she prepared in case you grew too strong later and might slip out of her control. So, tell me, why do you think that is?"
"I don't believe it!"
Liu Ruoxue said with loathing. Without delay, as if frightened Xu Yuan might stop her, she fluttered her sleeve, crashing into it like a moth to a flame.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Xu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly; he hadn't expected Liu Ruoxue to be so impulsive.
A restriction left by a Primordial Spirit True Person, he wasn't completely certain he could survive it either.
But...
In the original game's storyline, Sword Immortal Lady Liu Ruoxue didn't die from this restriction after falling into the Demonic Dao but survived and told them this story.
He had to risk it.
Without much hesitation, Xu Yuan tightly grasped the Thunderfire Sword.
Realizing that Xu Yuan hadn't left but had followed her, seemingly to stop her, a wild joy surged through Liu Ruoxue's heart.
Indeed! He's been lying to me.
If it were true, he would have already fled. How could he possibly have followed?
With that thought in mind, Liu Ruoxue touched the crystal stone.
The next moment, a powerful destructive force clearly emerged in front of her.
How... could it be true?!
Her eyes widened in shock.
Suddenly, she closed her eyes in resignation.
Well, this was probably for the best.
After losing her Master, she no longer knew how to go on living.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound that pierced heaven and earth, the snowy mountain collapsed tumultuously.
Waves surged through the sea of snow.
...
For a long while, only after the avalanches had calmed down did two figures, small as ants, gradually appear on the snowy plains.
"Why... did you save me?"
Liu Ruoxue stared blankly at the pale youth before her and asked with a trembling voice.
At the last moment, she saw him rush up recklessly, using his body to shield her.
"Haven't I told you?"
Xu Yuan coughed lightly, inwardly shouting how lucky he was.
The restriction set by Liu Ruoxue's Master was aimed less at killing the one who triggered it and more at preventing someone inside from escaping.
Even if he hadn't intervened, Liu Ruoxue would have just been seriously injured at most.
"I like..."
Liu Ruoxue bit her bloodless lips. Raising her hand, she covered his mouth, shook her head, and said, "Stop, let me be alone for a while, alright?"
"Alright, but... since we've used up our Spiritual Power to block the aftereffects, we should find a place to rest as soon as possible to avoid encountering any Demon Beasts."
Xu Yuan smiled.
"...Alright."
After a brief silence, Liu Ruoxue nodded.
Thus, the two supported each other and walked toward a cave on the mountain. As they reached the entrance, Liu Ruoxue suddenly staggered.
Then, she fell straight down.
"Fairy Liu?!"
"I... seem to have been bitten by something."
"Where were you bitten?"
"..."
Lying on the ground, Liu Ruoxue's face radiated a delicate beauty, flushed red as if with blood, her gaze unfocused and unwilling to meet his, yet her legs were unconsciously clamped together, her hand covering the inside of her thigh as if to protect something precious.