C13 Luo Xia Valley

A cascade of rainbow light descended above Chu Yan, gently lowering toward the earth.

Chu Yan could now discern that the source of the seven-colored brilliance was, in fact, an enormous fan, upon which stood two figures.

One was a woman garbed in white, appearing to be in her twenties, while her companion was a young girl with her hair done up in a chignon, looking to be no more than seven or eight years old.

Witnessing this, Chu Yan made an effort to rise from the ground.

Despite their youthful appearance, these two were capable of flight, a feat said to be exclusive to the legendary immortals!

Such individuals could not possibly be assassins dispatched by Chu Xing.

Once the fan touched down, the little girl hopped off and surveyed her surroundings, seemingly unfazed by the carnage.

"Senior sister, there's definitely a surge of spiritual energy. Your intuition was correct; a battle has recently taken place here," the little girl said after a brief pause, turning to address the woman in white.

The woman in white gave a slight shake of her head. "This was not a clash between cultivators, merely the spiritual energy fluctuations from a True Essence Charm. We should move on."

"Oh," acknowledged the little girl with a nod, preparing to leap back onto the fan. Suddenly, her gaze sharpened, and she pointed excitedly to a nearby spot. "Senior sister, there's someone still alive over there!"

Before the woman in white could respond, the little girl was already bounding toward the spot. Shortly after, her voice, tinged with surprise, called out again, "Senior Sister, there's another one here, but this one... Senior Sister, you should come and see for yourself."

Chu Yan lay less than ten meters from the little girl.

With each movement, his muscles screamed in agony as if being ripped apart, the damage from the dual assaults far exceeding his expectations.

It was fortunate that he was the one enduring this; any other warrior would have been beyond saving by now.

Chu Yan watched as the little girl crouched down, examining the unconscious Xiao Pei with curiosity. He tried to rise, but his body refused to cooperate.

Both the little girl and the white-clothed woman, upon initially discovering him alive, spared him only a brief glance before shifting their attention away.

At that moment, both of their attentions were entirely focused on Xiao Pei.

"This is..." The woman in white approached, following the direction of the little girl's pointing finger, and quickly noticed a few blades of emerald green grass swaying in the wind not far from Xiao Pei's cheek.

To her surprise, these simple blades of grass seemed to emit a faint spiritual energy.

With a graceful gesture, the white-robed woman drew the grass into her hand.

After examining it closely, she gently touched the wound on Xiao Pei's forehead, then brought her fingers to her nose for a sniff. A look of grave concern washed over her face.

Looking up with excitement, the little girl asked the woman in white, "Senior Sister, is it really, is it?"

Chu Yan, though unsure of their conversation, felt certain about one thing: these two "immortals" were decidedly intrigued by Xiao Pei.

"Please... save her..." Hope flickered in Chu Yan's eyes as he spoke with difficulty.

His voice was a mere whisper due to his injuries, and it took a moment for the little girl to notice him.

When she finally turned her gaze to Chu Yan, her expression cooled noticeably. "Do you know her?"

"She's my maid. Please, save her," Chu Yan implored, his voice raspy.

The little girl gave a noncommittal hum but remained silent.

The woman in white now wore a look of solemnity. Chu Yan watched as she effortlessly flipped her wrist, conjuring a jade plate out of thin air.

Chu Yan was awestruck by the display, but he also took note of the twin triangle symbols etched on the bottom of the plate—matching the patterns on the women's cuffs.

Dabbing a drop of Xiao Pei's blood onto the plate, the woman in white watched as it began to emit a soft white glow.

She was visibly affected by the sight. The little girl peeked over, her hand flying to her mouth as a mix of shock and delight danced in her eyes. "It really is—"

"The Body of Woodflower," the woman in white confirmed with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, as if steeling herself with resolve, she conjured the vibrant fan and gently placed Xiao Pei upon it.

"It's remarkable to encounter someone with the Wooden Flower physique here. Had we not found her, she might have remained obscured like a pearl in dust. Bringing her back, I'm certain our Master will eagerly accept her as his disciple," the woman in white remarked.

Chu Yan didn't grasp the significance of the Wooden Flower physique, yet he knew for sure that Xiao Pei possessed something that caught the immortals' attention—a quality so compelling that they were willing to mentor her. It appeared to be related to her blood.

"Senior sister, what about this man? He's close to death," the young girl inquired, gesturing towards Chu Yan lying on the ground. "Should we kill him? We can't let the secret of the Wooden Body get out."

Chu Yan's heart skipped a beat at her words.

Despite her youth, the girl seemed ready to call for his death without provocation.

"No," the woman in white responded firmly. "This isn't Sunset Valley's domain. Reckless killing could leave traces for others to find, which would be to our disadvantage. Besides, given his wounds, he won't last more than half a day. Let nature take its course."

"Sunset Valley." Chu Yan etched the name and the emblem on the women's sleeves into his memory.

Surviving this long was a miracle, given his grave injuries and blood loss. Now, as Xiao Pei was taken away—possibly never to be seen again—at least she was in safe hands, esteemed by the immortals, with a promising future. And with the knowledge of the women's origins, Chu Yan felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as he released his concerns.

"Let's clean up here."

"Hmm?"

"Destroy anything that could reveal our identities. That way, even if someone realizes the Wooden Flower Body is missing, they won't be able to trace any clues back to us based on the attire and belongings found at the scene."

"Senior sister, you're incredibly skilled."

"Go take care of it quickly, and make sure you don't leave any traces."

"Senior sister, using your divine powers would make it so much faster."

"Using divine powers would cause fluctuations in spiritual energy. Have you forgotten how we found this place? Plus, any sign of divine powers being used could lead someone to recognize it as Sunset Valley's technique. Do you want to invite trouble?"

"But Sunset Valley isn't even in this northern region..."

"Exactly, because we're not from here, we can't afford to leave any clues. By coming to the northern region, we're already intruding on another sect's domain. If we get caught, even I might not be able to get away unscathed."

...

The two women seemed convinced that Chu Yan, gravely wounded, was as good as dead, so they didn't bother to whisper.

Amidst their conversation, Chu Yan felt his body being turned over. Through a haze, he saw the fan rise into the air and vanish. Time passed, and eventually, he heard a sound like distant thunder and felt a refreshing coolness on his skin, as if it had started to rain.

Slowly, Chu Yan's awareness faded, and he lost consciousness completely.

At that very moment, his blood dripped onto the echo loop.

The surface of the echo loop began to glow with that eerie purple light once again.