He paused, looked at Hu Mazi. “The divine souls of the Hu clan were not found in the branch hall. According to the confessions of You Wuxie and others, they have already been sent to the main hall of the Evil Path Palace.”
Mo Chen, upon hearing this, a flash of understanding passed through his eyes. He then looked at Hu Mazi, his tone carrying a bit of regret. “Master Hu, this matter… has wronged you.”
Hu Mazi waved his hand, forcibly suppressing the disappointment in his heart. “Not wronged, at least I know the clan’s divine souls might still be there. As long as the main hall exists, I will have a day to find them!”
“Good words, ‘as long as the main hall exists’.”
A flash of appreciation passed through Mo Chen’s eyes. “Although the Sword Sect is small, as long as you need it, the entire Sword Sect is ready to support at any time.”
As he spoke, the surrounding Sword Sect disciples gathered around. Their gazes towards Chen Ping were full of admiration.
Some time ago, Chen Ping had guided Ling Xue at the Sword Testing Cliff, then teamed up with Hu Mazi to flatten the branch hall of the Evil Path Palace. He had already become a “legend” in the hearts of the Sword Sect disciples.
“Senior Brother Chen is mighty!”
Someone shouted, the other disciples echoed one after another, their voices resounding through the city gate.
Chen Ping smiled and nodded, his gaze swept through the crowd. Soon he found that familiar figure. Ling Xue stood at the back of the crowd, in white clothes, tightly clutching a plain-coloured package in her hand.
When she saw him, her eyes instantly lit up with light, yet with a bit of imperceptible tension. Her steps subconsciously moved forward a bit, then stopped.
Chen Ping’s heart stirred slightly, he walked towards Ling Xue.
“Senior Brother…”
Ling Xue came forward, her voice carrying a bit of joy. Her gaze fell on the bloodstains on his body, her brows instantly furrowed. “Are you injured?”
“Minor injuries, no problem.” Chen Ping raised his hand, his fingertip gently brushed over her furrowed brow. “Made you worry.”
Ling Xue’s cheeks turned slightly red, she quickly shook her head. “I wasn’t worried… just… just felt that you would definitely return safely.”
As she spoke, she handed over the package in her hand. “This is the healing medicine and immortal herbs I prepared for you these few days. Go back and use them quickly.”
The package was warm to the touch, evidently she had been keeping it close to her body.
Chen Ping took it, his fingertip touched the back of her hand, feeling that delicate warmth. A surge of warmth rose in his heart. “Good, I’ll listen to you.”
Hu Mazi watched the interaction between the two, grinned, patted Mo Chen’s shoulder. “Brother Mo Chen, we’ll go back to rest for a while first, talk to you in detail about the branch hall situation later.”
Mo Chen nodded. “That’s fine, you’ve been travelling all the way, rest well first.”
The group walked towards the Sword Sect’s residence. Sunlight sprinkled on the bluestone road of Sword Saint City, casting long shadows. The air was filled with faint spiritual power and the fresh scent of grass and trees, completely different from the bloody evil qi of the Black Wind Mountain Range. It actually gave a feeling of being in another world.
Back at the Sword Sect’s residence, Chen Ping first went to his own room. Ling Xue followed all the way, insisting on helping him treat the wounds.
“Senior Brother, you sit first, I’ll go fetch a basin of spiritual water.”
As Ling Xue spoke, she turned to walk out.
Chen Ping grabbed her wrist, said softly. “No need for so much trouble, I can just use spiritual power to sort it out myself.”
“How can that be!”
Ling Xue broke free from his hand, her tone carrying a bit of stubbornness. “Spiritual power can only stabilise the injuries, the wounds still need to be properly cleaned. You wait, I’ll be back soon.”
Watching her quickly departing back, Chen Ping smiled helplessly, yet his heart was full of warmth.
These days, Ling Xue was no longer the little girl who was only at the fourth grade of the Earth Immortal Realm. Her sword heart was increasingly pure, her cultivation also steadily improving. But in front of him, she still retained that most pure concern.
Not long after, Ling Xue returned carrying a basin of steaming spiritual water. In the water were soaked several immortal herbs emitting a fresh fragrance.
She placed the water basin on the table, took out clean cloth strips and healing medicine from the package, walked to Chen Ping. “Senior Brother, take off your outer robe, I’ll help you apply the medicine.”
