Chapter 52

In the early morning, the warm sunlight bathed the mountains and forests.

Zhao Yun woke up, feeling listless. It took him most of the night to soothe his mental wounds, and his head was still dizzy. The Soul-Binding Bell was too bizarre; he didn't know how to use it properly, and it injured him while hurting the enemy. Most of the sword marks on his body had healed, but the internal martial injuries were not so easy to recover from.

Looking at Youlan, she was still tied to the tree.

A beautiful woman, bound to a tree with over twenty loops of rope, clearly not something a normal person would do. And yet, someone still wanted to tie her even more.

It was understandable; this girl could go berserk and not recognize anyone when she lost control.

At this moment, she was sleeping soundly, unable to move, let alone cause trouble.

Zhao Yun stood under the tree, hands in his sleeves, looking at her again and again.

Youlan's dominant bloodline was now hidden within her, leaving no trace. It seemed to only manifest during special periods. Youlan must have known when it would erupt, as she had locked herself up in advance last night, knowing the bloodline would backfire. It seemed she often did this.

However, last night was an accident; the chains failed to hold her.

This was something even she might not have expected, and as a result, he suffered, being chased for most of the night and sustaining numerous injuries. If not for the Soul-Binding Bell given by Niu Hong, he would have been killed.

In addition, there was the cultivation technique.

Youlan's bizarre cultivation technique was surely linked to her dominant bloodline. During the full moon, her true essence would dissipate, and then the bloodline would surge, followed by the complete depletion of her true essence.

This was a process.

At this moment, her depleted true essence was slowly returning.

Zhao Yun had never seen such a strange martial cultivator before.

As he watched, Youlan let out a low moan and slowly opened her eyes. She tried to move but couldn't. Looking at herself, she realized she was tied up, and tightly so.

"Why... are you tied up?" Youlan frowned at Zhao Yun.

"Why are you tied up? Don't you have a clue?" Zhao Yun said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his breath weak, and his face pale, clearly injured, and with internal injuries.

"Did I... hit you?" Youlan asked tentatively.

"I hit myself," Zhao Yun replied casually, still sizing her up. If not for your midnight madness, would I have been beaten to a pulp? People repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring, but you gave me a big surprise that night. If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten involved.

Youlan fell silent, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The chains were made of special iron, and even when the bloodline backfired, it was hard to break free. She had always managed to get through it this way, but last night, the chains failed to hold her. From Zhao Yun's state, it was clear he had been badly beaten.

"Has your bloodline become stronger?"

Youlan murmured, it must be the reason, strong enough to break the chains.

"That's not your innate bloodline, is it?"

Zhao Yun said, this was his conclusion. Youlan's bloodline was not something she was born with but was infused later, and it would backfire whenever she was weak.

For example, when her true essence was depleted.

Youlan remained silent, which Zhao Yun took as an acknowledgment.

Because of her acknowledgment, Zhao Yun coughed.

Knowing the full moon was coming, she should have stayed home and not gone out. He blamed himself for his excessive sympathy, getting involved and ending up beaten.

"Can you... untie me?"

Youlan looked down and spoke softly, adding, "I only go berserk during the full moon," implying that if she was released, she wouldn't go mad in the short term.

"Better tied, safer tied."

Zhao Yun wiped his nose, still heavily injured.

"I..."

Youlan's lips parted slightly, her cheeks buried deeper, and she spoke but didn't finish. Her cheeks were tinged with a light blush, indicating she had a secret.

"Need to pee?"

"Um."

"I'll go for a walk."

Zhao Yun cut the ropes, one hand holding his sword, the other clutching his waist, limping away. From a distance, his figure looked quite amusing.

If it were a certain young master, he would have whistled before leaving.

Behind him, Youlan looked quite disheveled. Perhaps due to her weakened state, she could barely walk, her cheeks flushed, seemingly embarrassed.

By the time Zhao Yun had walked far enough, he had killed a wild wolf, found an open area, and started a campfire. The smell of roasting meat soon filled the surrounding forest.

"I can't keep up, I'll have to fend for myself."

Zhao Yun muttered, thinking of Niu Hong and the others. He wanted to meet up with the little fatty, but with his severe injuries, it was hard to leave the forest, and he didn't even know where he was.

Thinking of his injuries, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.

External injuries were manageable, but internal injuries were nasty and wouldn't heal in a day or two.

As he spoke, Youlan arrived.

The girl still couldn't walk steadily, leaning on a dead tree branch, staggering. Zhao Yun was heavily injured, and so was she, her head still dizzy.

The sound of the Soul-Binding Bell was not to be taken lightly.

Last night, Zhao Yun had shaken it desperately, resulting in a lose-lose situation. Even a True Spirit would have been able to kill them both.

Youlan sat down, head bowed, her cheeks still red.

"Can you fly when you're in a normal state?" Zhao Yun asked.

Youlan remained silent, shaking her head slightly.

The backfire of the bloodline was beyond her control. The reason she could fly was due to the bloodline infused into her, which involved an ancient race with mystical powers.

Zhao Yun didn't ask further, focusing on roasting the meat.

After the meal, the two set off, one limping, the other swaying, supporting each other. They stopped to look at the cave from last night, which, despite the severe fall, had saved their lives.

Thus, they walked and stopped.

By the second morning, they had left the forest, still in a desolate area.

Fortunately, there was a village.

Zhao Yun found a carriage and took Youlan to the nearest ancient city. Both needed healing medicine, which the small village didn't have.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, Youlan's soft voice came from the carriage, genuine gratitude. Without Zhao Yun, she would have died twice, a great favor.

"Don't forget to repay it." Zhao Yun flicked the reins.

Youlan's faint smile was somewhat hazy, occasionally glancing at Zhao Yun's back through the curtain. This was the first time she had observed him so closely. Her world was dark, but this figure seemed like a ray of light.

Hmm...

After looking, she let out a low moan, her already pale face turning even paler. She was cold, shivering, curling up, her breath icy, and occasionally moaning in pain.

It wasn't over yet.

After the cold, came intense heat, burning like a raging fire.

Indeed, she was still poisoned.

But the antidote for her poison wasn't something just anyone had.

Zhao Yun had glanced back several times.

"A flaw in the cultivation technique," Youlan forced a smile, using it as an excuse.

As night fell, a city came into view.

It was Qingfeng City, which Zhao Yun recognized. He had been there during his training years ago, and it was in Qingfeng City that he was ambushed by a mage, severing his spirit meridian for three years.

Youlan came out, wearing a black robe.

The two seemed to share a tacit understanding, and Zhao Yun also put on a black robe.

"Until we meet again."

Entering the city, Zhao Yun smiled and turned into the bustling crowd.

"Until we meet again."

Under the black robe, Youlan whispered softly.

For a long time, she gazed after him, turning her head repeatedly.

She didn't even know his name.

She didn't even know what he looked like.

The night in Qingfeng City was bustling, no less lively than the ancient city, with people bustling about, red lanterns hanging high, and vendors shouting.

Zhao Yun moved through the crowd, stopping several times.

He bought healing pills and essence-replenishing elixirs, and also prepared a set of talisman-making tools, which were useful in emergencies.

"See that? The bounty has increased."

"Five thousand taels! Tsk, tsk, tsk, the government is generous."

"Why can't they catch him?"

On the street, many people were discussing, pointing at the wanted posters.

The one being wanted was the Night Lone Wolf.

Zhao Yun couldn't help but sigh, seeing the wanted poster here. It made sense, as the major families, especially the Liu family, had been applying pressure. With their recent bad luck, they were determined to catch him to ease their anger.

After looking, he quickened his pace.

He stopped at an inn, ate dinner, and locked himself in his room.

Click! Click!

Then came the sound of two cultivation techniques running simultaneously, combined with the medicine and elixir, soothing his internal injuries. Recovery was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Youlan was still in the city, doing similar things. She bought healing medicine and found an inn, her protective true essence recovering.

However, her poison was getting worse.

The phrase "ice and fire" described her current state. Standing outside her door, one could hear her moans of pain, which might be mistaken for something else.

Suddenly, the candle flickered.

In the next moment, a black shadow, also in a black robe, entered through the window, eyes cold and sinister.

"Antidote."

Youlan seemed to recognize him, extending her trembling hand.

"Sure."

The black-robed figure laughed coldly, tossing a red pill.

Youlan caught it and quickly swallowed it.

Only then did the poison subside, her pale face regaining some color.

This was her life.

As a killer, she had mostly lived like this, needing to take the antidote regularly. If she completed a mission, she would get the antidote; if not, she wouldn't.

She hated blood and killing.

For so many years, many of the people she had killed were innocent.

"You completed the mission, and the higher-ups are very satisfied."

The black-robed figure laughed sinisterly, his eyes greedy and lecherous.

Youlan remained silent, standing like an ice sculpture.

She felt only indifference and coldness towards the black-robed figure.

"This is your next mission."

The black-robed figure waved his hand, and a piece of white paper floated out of his sleeve.

"Forget Ancient City, Zhao Yun of the Zhao family."

Youlan took it and read it softly.

"No portrait?"

After reading, she burned the paper, frowning at the black-robed figure.

"Just a nobody, not worth the effort."