“Yin Feixue?”
Xue Cuo felt extremely awkward. He was not used to such closeness. He tried to push the great tiger away, but his fingers brushed against the wounds on Yin Feixue’s body. The sticky sensation of blood and torn flesh was unmistakable.
Xue Cuo paused, startled.
When he had carried Kong Yun away, he had not known whether that talisman would be enough to protect Yin Feixue, nor whether he himself would return alive.
And when Yin Feixue covered his escape, he had probably not thought about whether he would survive either.
Both of them had acted without hesitation, regardless of victory or defeat.
Only… Xue Cuo had done it for Kong Yun. Yin Feixue had done it for Xue Cuo.
Ordinarily, seeing the person one admired risk his life for someone else would have been a sorrowful thing. Yet Yin Feixue felt no sadness, much less resentment.
Among the countless people in this world, there was only one Xue Cuo. A person like him was bound to have many friends.
Besides, Yin Feixue did not merely wish to share kindred spirit with him. What he truly wanted was to walk beside him until their hair turned white, enduring through the long years of cultivation.
But how could such a thing be achieved?
Would a simple I like you be enough?
Of course not.
Words like that Xue Cuo had likely heard countless times. Yin Feixue had no wish to become something he glanced over and forgot. Nor would he deliberately distance himself and leave only lingering regret behind.
That would be petty. If he admired him, then naturally he must become worthy of him.
He carried the inheritance of a great lineage and sought to revive the myriad paths of cultivation. Then he would do it openly and uprightly by cutting a new road forward, completing the Heavenly Dao.
He would become Xue Cuo’s one true companion upon the Great Dao, walking that road with him to the very end. If Xue Cuo wished to save people, then Yin Feixue would help him carve through every obstacle to do it. Friends, companions… whoever asked for help, others might step forward.
But Yin Feixue would not. He would be the one who helped Xue Cuo.
Those who spend their lives saving others are rarely masters of their own fate. But he was different. Yin Feixue would never allow himself to fall into a dead end. Even in the depths of despair, he would cut a path out. That was true whether facing Xue Cuo or his enemies.
His golden eyes were calm and deep, without the slightest trace of brutality. He appeared free-spirited and unrestrained, easy with laughter and conversation, carrying a natural boldness that inspired trust.
And so Xue Cuo noticed nothing at all. He simply extended his hand. “Thanks.”
That single word of thanks was for his help.
Unfortunately, when Xue Cuo flew away earlier, he had not seen Yin Feixue’s flashing blade, nor the sight of him in black armour and white robes fighting alone against a host of enemies.
Yin Feixue’s feelings were rather more complicated.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he clasped Xue Cuo’s hand. This handshake was slightly different from the one he shared with Kong Yun. Their fingers interlocked, palms pressed together.
Xue Cuo felt no discomfort whatsoever.
The atmosphere between them was like winter giving way to spring, ice and snow melting away. No words were needed. It was like two exhausted travellers finally finding a place to rest.
Around them, the demon court’s soldiers were busy clearing the battlefield, while the Tiandu Guards arranged the wounded and the dead.
Because both Xue Cuo and Yin Feixue were heavily injured, they had stopped to recuperate. Ironically, that made them the most idle of all.
Xue Cuo sat cross-legged. “Who would have thought that when we parted back then, it would be four years before we met again—more than two thousand days of spring, autumn, and winter.”
Yin Feixue said, “You and I do not grieve over parting. We only rejoice in meeting again.”
Xue Cuo laughed. “That’s true.”
Yin Feixue lifted an eyebrow. “Xue Cuo, do you remember that rain in Tiandu City?”
Xue Cuo nodded. “Of course.”
“At the time,” Yin Feixue said, “I thought that one day I would repay you with a timely rain of my own. Now I’ve finally had the chance.”
“To me, that is a great piece of good fortune.”
Xue Cuo waved it off. “We’re friends. Why bother keeping score?”
Yin Feixue replied very seriously, “I care about it.”
Xue Cuo froze for a moment. Seeing his bewildered expression, Yin Feixue felt a faint tenderness.
When he had first met Xue Cuo, it had been in the depths of a snowy winter—a single breathtaking glimpse. Their acquaintance had been brief, yet unforgettable.
“I didn’t grow up alongside you the way the others did,” Yin Feixue said. “But the road of the Great Dao is long. The bond between us can still stretch far ahead. A hundred years is only the blink of an eye.”
Xue Cuo paused, chewing over those words. Something about them felt a little strange. But Yin Feixue quickly distracted him.
Xue Cuo burst out laughing when Yin Feixue abruptly shifted into a tiger-headed form. “Your Majesty, why is half your whisker missing?”
Yin Feixue snorted, his nose twitching. He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t ask. Don’t ask.”
Xue Cuo immediately pressed the advantage, teasing him. “Yes, yes. These whiskers of yours. Some long, some short, scattered every which way. Clearly they embody the cosmic principles of yin and yang and the five elements. Very distinctive indeed.”
Yin Feixue did not mind in the slightest. Instead, Xue Cuo was the one who grew embarrassed first. Leaning against him, he began discussing martial arts. “This time, when I used the Supreme Freedom Technique, I gained a few new insights.”
Yin Feixue was extraordinarily gifted. A single hint was enough; once he understood, everything became clear. At once he began testing the technique with Xue Cuo.
Unfortunately, Xue Cuo’s spirit altar trembled and his mind came under strain. Halfway through their exchange, both of them spat out blood and collapsed half-unconscious atop the cloud.
The Tiandu Guards stood watch around the cloud platform.
Earlier they had been locked in fierce combat with the demon court, until their king had broken through on the battlefield and forcibly reversed the situation, winning a decisive victory and forcing the enemy to return the abducted demon youths.
Yet not long afterwards the demon court had installed a new king and once again began acting arrogantly. Their king, however, did not leave.
Instead he waited until a white cloud descended from the sky, bringing with it a human cultivator. Then he greeted the man with great enthusiasm.
The commanders exchanged dark looks.
“What’s gotten into His Majesty?”
“That human fellow. He has no tail, no fur. He must’ve have cast some kind of spell to charm our king.”
“You ignorant oaf. Haven’t you heard the old opera stories? Looks exactly like that to me.”
“Brother Black Bear knows everything. Why don’t you explain what’s going on?”
The black bear demon’s eyes widened. “You don’t even know this? It’s obviously King Zhou and Daji! A fox spirit seducing the ruler and shaking the foundations of the realm!”
At this declaration, all the demons fell silent. One small demon, seeing the commanders had stopped talking, poked his head forward “Who’s King Zhou? Who’s Daji?”
The crowd of demons fell into contemplation. The black bear said in a simple, earnest tone, “Well, if we go by species, King Zhou was human and Daji was a fox. That fellow up there is human, and our king is obviously a demon, so that means…”
The little demon imagined their king playing the seductive temptress. He immediately broke out in goosebumps, his fur standing on end.
“Oh no! The king is coughing up blood!”
“What?!”
The Tiandu Guards were horrified. The demon court’s royal guards had also been assigned to protect Xue Cuo. Old grudges between the two sides nearly sparked another fight.
Fortunately the Tiandu Guards were fierce enough to hold the demon soldiers back. Between feeding pills and pouring spiritual elixirs down their throats, they finally managed to rouse the two blood-soaked cultivators.
Yin Feixue woke first. Slapping his thigh, he exclaimed with delight,
“The Golden Crow divine method and the Peacock secret art truly complement each other. Harmonious and perfectly balanced. Fascinating, fascinating! When I was young cultivating in the mountains, I defeated the demon kings of forty-nine caves and obtained a technique. I wonder if it might be useful to you.”
Xue Cuo sprang upright like a carp leaping from water. “Tell me! Tell me!”
The Tiandu Guards cried out in alarm. “Your Majesty!”
The royal guards shouted at the same time, “Master Xue!”
