Chapter 715: The Beast Suan Yu (Part 2)

Chapter 715: Chapter 437: The Beast Suan Yu (Part 2)

However, he still patiently said, “Miss Lv, you are unreasonable. I just saved you, didn’t I?”

Lv Qingzhu’s long sword remained unmoved as she coldly said, “Hiding in that tree hollow, you could not have had good intentions.”

Duan Rong replied, “Miss Lv, you are just assigning blame. I arrived first, and you came afterward. How could I have had any intentions?”

Lv Qingzhu’s face was icy cold, remaining silent.

Duan Rong suddenly sighed deeply, gazing at Lv Qingzhu and said, “Miss Lv, regarding the incident six years ago, I know I am guilty. But there was a reason behind it.”

Looking at Lv Qingzhu, Duan Rong realized she had never spoken so much to him before. Perhaps he could use this chance by the Black Fire Pool to see if he could resolve the old grievances that lingered in their hearts for six years.

At the mention of the events six years ago, Lv Qingzhu’s cold eyes suddenly flared with fire.

Duan Rong naturally noticed Lv Qingzhu’s change in emotion, but he couldn’t let such a good opportunity slip by.

“I am aware that my crime is hard to forgive. Even tiny creatures strive to survive; I do not wish to die by your sword.” Duan Rong said, suddenly raising his left hand, “I leave one finger behind as an apology. I hope you can forget the past and spare me.”

At this moment, Duan Rong spoke sincerely. Lv Qingzhu was, albeit slightly, moved.

Seeing Lv Qingzhu’s expression, Duan Rong realized her heart was touched, then suddenly gripped his saber in his right hand and sliced toward his left pinky.

With a “ding!” Lv Qingzhu’s long sword trembled, deflecting Duan Rong’s saber blade.

Duan Rong looked at Lv Qingzhu with confusion. At that moment, it was no act; he truly wanted to resolve the grievance between them, just a pinky offered without any significant harm.

The long sword in Lv Qingzhu’s hands trembled slightly as she pursed her lips, looking at Duan Rong. She, too, recognized that it wasn’t an act. Duan Rong really intended to cut off his pinky to apologize, and the force of their weapon’s clash validated her view.

“A pinky is useless! Don’t waste it!” Lv Qingzhu said, “Duan Rong, when I said six years ago I wanted to kill you, it was only because I never wanted to see you again. But today, I seek to kill you because you obstruct my path!”

“Obstruct your path?” Duan Rong said, bewildered by her words.

Lv Qingzhu said, “If you do not die, I can never enter the solitary realm where emotions and desires are nonexistent. Killing you is to focus my mind and eradicate emotions!”

As Lv Qingzhu spoke, she suddenly flicked her long sword, stabbing toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong’s saber flashed to meet hers, and at this moment, his heart was slightly irate, coldly shouting, “So, Miss Lv uses me to hone her path. However, I may lack talent but have no intention of being a stepping stone on anyone’s journey.”

“If Miss Lv can kill me, then go ahead and try!”

Their swords and sabers clashed, figures flickered, and within moments, several moves were exchanged.

Lv Qingzhu felt astonished; last time she was able to suppress Duan Rong, but in this fight, Duan Rong seemed as steady as a mountain, easily fending off her attacks.

After several moves, Duan Rong stood there without taking even a half step back.

Duan Rong had reached the Fourth Level of the Primordial Qi Realm, and in terms of cultivation, there was no longer a significant gap between them.

But in terms of mental realm, Duan Rong had surpassed Lv Qingzhu.

After three more moves, Lv Qingzhu retreated half a step.

Duan Rong’s saber edge grew even sharper.

Lv Qingzhu’s gaze turned focused, lips pressed tightly.

As they fought, their eyes occasionally met and parted with the flow of their moves.

The strange firelight from the Black Fire Pool illuminated their faces.

After several exchanges, they reached a state of unity at the edge of the Black Fire Pool.

In this state, they were not reading each other’s minds, but experiencing a tranquil unity, even though their swords and sabers clashed, their hearts remained peaceful and quiet, and this serenity merged together.

At this moment, their gazes were calm and gentle, like a spring’s source in the days of spring, occasionally staring into each other’s eyes…

As they entered into this state.

Duan Rong’s saber aura slightly heightened, becoming more solid. In this state, Duan Rong’s mental realm received better support.

Conversely, Lv Qingzhu’s sword aura began to flicker intermittently.

In this state, her mental realm seemed to be dissolving…

However, at this moment, neither of them was too concerned about their saber aura or sword aura. They were merely bewildered, gazing at one another, savoring this rare unity of heart and mind.

Lv Qingzhu’s mental realm was dissolving because, at this moment, her heart of solitude was melting…

At this moment, above the heads of the two, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out!

The sound of the creature was so piercing and terrifying that it instantly pulled the two out of that state of unity of heart and mind.

Both were startled as if waking from a dream…

Almost simultaneously, a massive shadow plummeted down from high above, fast as lightning.

A sharp claw, slender and withered, yet gleaming with a dark, cold light, suddenly extended from that mass of shadow, reaching for Duan Rong’s throat.

The speed was so fast that even with Duan Rong’s current body technique, he couldn’t evade it in time.

Seeing that he was about to have his throat torn apart by the claw, suddenly Lv Qingzhu collided with him and knocked him out of the way. The claw that originally went for Duan Rong’s throat instead tore into Lv Qingzhu’s shoulder.

The monstrous bird flashed past, then circled back around and dove again!

Duan Rong immediately grabbed the corpse of the Fire Weasel beside him and hurled it at the monstrous bird in mid-air. Then he took the opportunity to embrace Lv Qingzhu by the waist, and together they leaped into the cave on the cliff, the Fire Weasel Cave.

The monstrous bird was enormous and exceptionally fast; escape was impossible, they could only find a place to hide.

The strength of this Primordial Beast clearly far exceeded theirs.

As they dashed into the Fire Weasel Cave, they almost passed out from the fumes again.

Fortunately, they held their breath immediately.

Duan Rong glanced at Lv Qingzhu’s shoulder, seeing that her clothes were already torn and the once tender white flesh was now a bloody mess.

At that moment, if it wasn’t for Lv Qingzhu knocking him aside, he would have had his throat torn apart by that monstrous bird.

Duan Rong said, “Miss Lv, thank you for saving me just now.”

Lv Qingzhu looked at Duan Rong coldly and said, “One life for another, we’re even.”

Duan Rong’s lips moved, but he said nothing further. He took out a purple porcelain bottle and placed it at Lv Qingzhu’s feet, saying, “This is an excellent healing medicine, please use it, miss.”

Lv Qingzhu glanced at the porcelain bottle and coldly looked at Duan Rong, saying, “Apply it for me!”

Indeed, it was inconvenient for Lv Qingzhu to apply the medicine with one hand.

Only then did Duan Rong approach Lv Qingzhu’s side. He looked at her shoulder and said, “Miss, forgive me.”

Saying this, Duan Rong tore away the tattered cloth from Lv Qingzhu’s shoulder with a rip, revealing the entire bloody shoulder. Lv Qingzhu, now shy, turned her face away.

Duan Rong picked up the purple porcelain bottle and said, “Miss Lv, I’m applying the medicine now. It will hurt a bit.”

After speaking, Duan Rong sprinkled the medicinal powder from the bottle onto Lv Qingzhu’s mangled shoulder, and she let out a muffled groan.

Once Duan Rong applied the powder, he tore a strip from the hem of his clothing and bandaged Lv Qingzhu’s wound.

Throughout the process, Duan Rong’s expression remained clear, and his heart was free of other thoughts. Knowing that Lv Qingzhu was injured saving him, seeing her shoulder in such a ghastly state, he felt only gratitude and guilt.

Once Duan Rong finished bandaging, he stepped aside.

Lv Qingzhu glanced at him, with an indifferent expression.

Duan Rong quickly used two strips of cloth to wrap the Cooling Pills around their noses, to suppress the stench inside the Fire Weasel Cave.

And then he made one for Lv Qingzhu as well.

Outside the cave, the cries of the monstrous bird could be heard intermittently.

For one, the massive bird was too large to enter the cave; for another, it seemed to fear the stench inside the cave, only letting out threatening calls outside.

Duan Rong hid in the shadows at the cave entrance, looking outside, seeing by the Black Fire Pool that the monstrous bird was feasting on the corpses of the Fire Toad and Fire Weasel.

Watching the monstrous bird, Duan Rong suddenly remembered the entry in the Exotic Beast Manual.

“There is a bird, its form like a snake, with four wings, six eyes, and three legs, named Suanyu. Its call is a shriek, and its appearance brings terror to the region.”

According to the Exotic Beast Manual, this Primordial Beast is named Suanyu.

It has six eyes on its body, not only allowing night vision but also offering extremely far sight.

The Suanyu must have seen the two corpses from high altitude before swooping down in attack.

This bird is extremely fast and powerful. Even if Duan Rong and Lv Qingzhu combined their strength, they could hardly defeat it, especially with Lv Qingzhu injured.