Every step of the return journey felt like treading on shattered glass. The moment the True Buddha persona drifted into slumber, the Calamity Ash turned into a feral beast, clawing through Cang Yaochen's meridians. Spasms of agony wracked his frame, and cold sweat soaked his monastic robes, mingling with the drying blood on his chest to create a piercing chill. Driven by sheer instinct, he leaned heavily on his bamboo staff, his tall frame slumping almost entirely against Jiang Li. His breath was as thin as a flickering candle in the wind, brushing against her neck with a faint, metallic scent of iron that made her heart tighten.
Jiang Li gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat rolling down her forehead to stain her collar. Her arms trembled under his dead weight, her muscles aching to the point of numbness, yet she refused to let his balance falter. Her knuckles were white as she gripped him. The mountain path was jagged, the sharp stones bruising her soles, but she had no room for her own pain. Her eyes remained fixed on Cang Yaochen's pallid face, terrified that his next breath might be his last.
"Let me give you a hand," Lin Yuan said, stepping forward quickly to support Cang Yaochen's other side, his voice thick with concern.
Jiang Li pivoted away, her sweaty hair clinging to her temples, her gaze fierce and unwavering. "There's no need, Senior Brother Lin," she said, her voice strained but carrying a stubborn finality. "His wounds are severe. Any extra handling might reopen them. I have him." Lin Yuan's hand froze in mid-air. Seeing the raw desperation in her eyes, he slowly withdrew and trailed behind them, keeping a watchful, respectful distance.
By the time they reached Jiang Li's dilapidated shack on the outskirts of the sect, she was physically spent. Her legs felt like lead. She had just managed to lower Cang Yaochen onto the thin mattress when a soft knock sounded at the door. "Sister Jiang Li, Senior Brother Lin sent me with healing supplies."
Jiang Li felt a flicker of warmth and hurried to open the door. A disciple stood outside with a heavy sandalwood tray laden with essentials: a porcelain vial of shimmering Hemostatic Dew that smelled of crushed herbs; a pouch of "Green-Leaf Velvet," a premium sect-grown herb for rapid healing; rolls of white gauze as soft as clouds; and a bottle of "Pulse-Shielding Pills," rare treasures for stabilizing internal energy.
Most striking of all was the sprig of Clear-Calming Grass tucked in the corner. Its leaves dripped with morning dew, and its stem shimmered with a faint silvery light—the very herb she had been desperate for, rumored to neutralize a hundred poisons. She wondered if it could hold back the rot of the Calamity Ash.
"Senior Brother Lin specifically instructed that the Green-Leaf Velvet be crushed into a poultice," the disciple explained. "The Pulse-Shielding Pills should be taken every six hours. As for the Clear-Calming Grass, it must be brewed in the spirit springs of Spirit-Gathering Island for maximum effect. He says to save it for when you arrive there."
"Pass my gratitude to Senior Brother Lin," Jiang Li nodded solemnly. Lin Yuan's meticulousness—remembering her need for the herb—was unexpected. Closing the door, she rushed back to the bedside. Cang Yaochen lay there in a silence that could not mask his refined, ethereal grace. His long hair spilled across the pillow, damp strands clinging to his brow and twitching with his shallow breaths. Occasionally, his brow would knit in a faint grimace, his fingers curling as if still fighting the darkness in his sleep, possessing a heartbreaking fragility that made Jiang Li's heart ache.
Jiang Li began to clean his wounds with a reverence that bordered on the sacred. She wiped the blood from his body and hesitantly unfastened his robes. The sight of the jagged wound—flecked with the telltale black miasma of the Calamity Ash—made her breath hitch. Swallowing her sorrow, she applied the medicine and wrapped the gauze with a practiced, gentle hand. Throughout the process, Cang Yaochen remained unconscious, yet he seemed to sense her touch, letting out a soft groan but not pulling away. Jiang Li patiently used drops of warm water to moisten his pale lips until he finally swallowed the pill.
At dawn, Lin Yuan arrived with a stretcher. "It's time to head to Spirit-Gathering Island. The morning spiritual energy is at its peak." He handed her a green jade talisman carved with intricate glowing runes. "The island is protected by an ancient barrier. This is your pass. Do not lose it."
The journey by boat to the island felt like entering another world. As they approached, a dense spiritual mist enveloped them, washing away Jiang Li's fatigue. The island was a lush paradise of pink blossoms and emerald peaks, looking every bit like a celestial realm.
Once ashore, Lin Yuan led them to two elegant bamboo huts. "The left hut has the strongest spiritual flow—perfect for Brother Cang's recovery." He gave detailed instructions on using the spring water and brewing the Clear-Calming Grass before leading the other disciples away.
After Lin Yuan left, Jiang Li cleaned the hut until it was spotless. Opening the wardrobe, she found robes made of celestial silk. She picked out a moon-white set, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I'll just close my eyes. I can't see anything. It's fine," she whispered to herself. Fumbling with the fastenings with her eyes shut, her hands shook as she struggled with the knots for an age. Catching a glimpse of her own sweat-drenched reflection afterward, she scoffed. What am I wishing for? Only by becoming stronger can I survive.
She prepared the Clear-Calming Grass exactly as instructed, simmering it over a slow fire with spring water. By noon, the medicine was ready. Jiang Li propped him up against her shoulder, carefully spooning the liquid into his mouth. As the spirit-rich brew slid down his throat, Cang Yaochen's features finally relaxed, his breathing becoming rhythmic and deep.
Just as she rose to clear the bowl, a shadow flickered past the window. Instantly alert, Jiang Li crept to the door. Through the crack, she saw a slender silhouette prowling around the hut, emitting a cold aura that resonated with the Turbid Qi inside her own body. The stranger reached out to test the barrier, only to be hissed back by the invisible shield.
When the figure pulled out a talisman to bypass the ward, Jiang Li kicked the door open. "Who's there?"
The shadow turned, and the morning light caught her face. Jiang Li froze. The woman's features were a seventy-percent match to her own. More shocking was the mark on the stranger's brow—an insignia identical to the patterns on her Abyssal Mirror fragment, though darker and more malevolent.
"Who are you?" Black mist swirled around Jiang Li's arms as she prepared for a fight.
The stranger's eyes widened with a complex mix of shock and a strange, fleeting sense of kinship, but she remained silent. She bolted toward the docks, her talisman glowing as she passed through the barrier effortlessly and vanished into the bamboo forest.
Jiang Li moved to give chase, but a faint moan from Cang Yaochen stopped her cold. Fearing a distraction, she rushed back to his side. He was still asleep, his fingers twitching as if searching for something, only settling once he felt her presence. Jiang Li looked at him, then at the talisman and the mirror fragment, her mind reeling. Who was that woman? Why did they look so alike? And why did she have a pass?
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber within the sect, the elders watched the scene unfold through a water mirror.
"The other lost pass from all those years ago…" a white-haired elder murmured, his voice trembling.
"The True Buddha has descended, the Shadow Bloodline has appeared, and the Abyssal Mirror is resonating," another sighed, his gaze deep and heavy. "Stay our hand. Wait for the True Buddha to fully awaken."