A Dire Discovery at Jian River

The golden dragon phantom within Sishui Marsh circled in the sky for several days before finally dissipating. Chi Qiu had not witnessed its disappearance; it was only one day, when she stepped out to fetch water, that she was startled to realize the dragon phantom had vanished.

Having stayed in her cave abode for over a month, Chi Qiu had familiarized herself with the surrounding terrain. The abode was nestled beneath a cliff, with an endless stretch of mountains and forests behind it spanning at least a thousand li.

Several dozen li in front of the abode, a vast river flowed, hundreds of li wide and of unknown length. Chi Qiu had traveled along the river, and by observing its winding path, she finally pinpointed her location.

Chi Qiu was currently situated at the southern periphery of Sishui Marsh. This marsh was named “Sishui” because four great rivers flowed through this region. The river flowing in front of Chi Qiu’s current abode was the Jian River, also known as Jianjiang, one of these four waters.

This Jian River flowed from the north, heading south. More than a hundred thousand li upstream from Chi Qiu’s current location lay the core region of Sishui Marsh.

In these past days, relying on Sang Tea and Night Ling Flowers for aid, and by observing the Azure Lotus stalk, Chi Qiu finally comprehended the third petal of her divine ability, ‘Blooming Life.’

This third flower was the Blood Lotus, and its sole purpose was offense. Requiring the practitioner to use their own true qi and blood as a catalyst, it could bloom from nothingness. Its petals were incredibly sharp, capable of dissolving true qi and tearing through armor, making it an exceptionally potent offensive technique.

Unfortunately, though Chi Qiu had comprehended it fully, her cultivation realm was still at the Spirit Nourishing stage, and she lacked the true qi to wield it.

Throughout her cultivation journey, she had long since perfected the Spirit Nourishing Realm and had fully understood the third chapter of the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon. Yet for reasons unknown, she couldn’t break through to the Heart Scripture Realm. This left Chi Qiu incredibly frustrated.

Today, after another night of fruitless cultivation, Chi Qiu reluctantly opened her eyes. Morning light streamed in from the fields where she cultivated spiritual plants. Her body was already overflowing with spiritual energy, unable to accommodate even a trace more; further cultivation was merely a futile endeavor.

The third chapter of ‘Blooming Life’ was now fully comprehended, but without true qi, she couldn’t activate it. As for the fourth chapter of the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon, she couldn’t access it until she broke through to the Heart Scripture Realm, and her Seven Stars Step and Moonlit Sky Sword Art were already perfected.

Suddenly, Chi Qiu found herself in a predicament with nothing left to cultivate.

Chi Qiu sighed, preparing to go out for a stroll. She hadn’t stepped foot outside her abode for several days and truly needed to clear her mind. She donned a light azure ruqun, fastened her Azure Frost Sword to her waist, and slung her fishing gear over her back. Thus, she set out lightly equipped.

Chi Qiu walked all the way to the Jian River, intending to catch some large fish and gather some water to bring back to her abode for cooking. Although she was no longer mortal, the continuous, sleepless cultivation of the past days had left her mentally and physically exhausted. Hence, she went fishing by the riverbank, seeking some much-needed rest.

Chi Qiu arrived at her usual fishing spot, a concave bend in the Jian River approximately ten li long. Due to the river’s current, a large amount of debris would be washed ashore and accumulate here. Fish schools often gathered in this area, which was why Chi Qiu frequently fished there.

Chi Qiu sat quietly, fishing as usual today. For some reason, the wind was strong and the water turbulent, and after more than half an hour, she had only managed to catch a few small fry. Her cultivation showed no progress, and her fishing yielded no large catches. This only deepened her vexation. She reeled in her fishing rod and walked downstream along the riverbank, intending to try her luck at a different spot.

The sun gradually rose, marking the start of summer. A warm breeze swept across her face. Chi Qiu walked along the bank, carrying her fishing gear. A sudden shift in the wind direction tousled her blue hair. She reached up to brush aside the long strands obstructing her view when she suddenly perceived something unusual carried on the warm wind.

Was this… true qi?

Chi Qiu immediately stopped, closing her eyes to sense it carefully. Within the summer breeze, a faint wisp of true qi seemed to drift. She hadn’t detected it earlier, having been upwind, but with the change in wind direction, she immediately caught it.

If it was true qi, there had to be cultivators nearby. She wondered if they were friend or foe.

Chi Qiu opened her eyes. She had now confirmed the presence of true qi lingering in the summer wind. Immediately, she activated ‘Blooming Life’, and indigo flowers instantly spread forth, extending toward the upwind direction.

Chi Qiu herself, however, found a place to hide. As the unknown cultivator might be either friend or foe, she naturally needed to exercise caution.

Soon, the sea of indigo flowers extended several hundred zhang away, where a dilapidated black treasure ship, over ten zhang long, lay overturned on the riverbank. The ship was severely damaged, its keel broken and deck shattered, presenting a truly wretched sight.

Hiding in the reeds, Chi Qiu saw the utterly ruined black treasure ship and found it incredibly familiar. After pondering for a few breaths, she suddenly realized.

That’s the Jade Sand Skiff! Su Hanxing’s flying magic treasure… how could it be in such a state of disrepair?

Chi Qiu’s heart tightened with alarm. She immediately rose and headed toward the crash site. The Jade Sand Skiff was a top-grade magic treasure. Though it was of the same rank as Chi Qiu’s Azure Frost Sword, its value far surpassed her sword by a hundredfold.

For most cultivators, flying magic treasures served as essential artifacts for travel, escape, and self-defense. The most crucial aspects were two-fold. Firstly, speed was paramount; Chi Qiu’s previous victories against Su Hanxing had yielded nothing precisely because she couldn’t catch the Jade Sand Skiff. Secondly, it needed to be exceptionally sturdy, forged from precious steel and divine iron. Consequently, the price of a flying magic treasure far exceeded that of offensive artifacts of the same grade.

And now, this incredibly fast and sturdy Jade Sand Skiff had been destroyed to such an extent. Su Hanxing’s fate was likely dire.

Chi Qiu covered the several hundred zhang distance in mere breaths. She found the Jade Sand Skiff broken into two halves, its spirit-gathering array destroyed, and unconsumed spiritual jade scattered within the exposed furnace. The treasure ship was utterly ruined.

Chi Qiu circled the wreck but found no trace of Su Hanxing. Her heart sank slightly. She then closed her eyes, continuing to sense the faint true qi drifting in the summer wind to locate the cultivator emitting it.

After a thorough search, she finally found the source: the true qi was emanating from the river itself.

Chi Qiu rushed to the riverbank, where she saw a black-robed man floating on the water’s surface, rising and falling with the waves, slowly bumping against the moss-covered rocks on the bank. That wisp of true qi was indeed coming from him.

Without hesitation, Chi Qiu jogged to the river’s edge and dragged the man onto the bank. She brushed aside the waterlogged hair covering his face, revealing a handsome, pallid face, swollen from prolonged immersion. It was Su Hanxing.

Su Hanxing’s face was shockingly pale, and his chest rose and fell with an extremely faint rhythm. Had it not been for the true qi still emanating from him, Chi Qiu would have thought him long dead.

Gazing at his wretched state, Chi Qiu was assailed by a whirlwind of emotions. After squatting beside him and pondering for a moment, she finally reached out and lifted him. After some effort, she hoisted him onto her back.

There was a height difference of about two chi between them. As Chi Qiu stood up with Su Hanxing on her back, his legs still dangled, touching the ground. She had to lift him higher, then tore a strip from her skirt to bind him securely to her back, preventing him from slipping. Then, Chi Qiu picked up her fishing rod and the few fry she had caught, and hurried toward her abode.

Before long, Chi Qiu returned to her dwelling. She set down the fishing rod and the fry, then carefully unstrapped Su Hanxing and laid him on the ground. She checked his breathing and felt a measure of relief upon finding he was still alive.

Chi Qiu retrieved a spiritual pill from her satchel. This item contained a vast amount of true qi, suitable only for those above the Heart Scripture Realm. Chi Qiu had never consumed it herself, but now she intended for Su Hanxing to take it.

She pried open his lips and slipped the spiritual pill into his mouth, waiting for it to slowly dissolve. Next, Chi Qiu drew her Azure Frost Sword, cut the ribbons of Su Hanxing’s black robe, and loosened his clothes.

Tsk, tsk, tsk…

Chi Qiu removed his black robe, revealing copious bloodstains on his white undershirt. Having been soaked in river water and trapped for so long, a strong, damp stench emanated from it. Chi Qiu frowned slightly, enduring the odor as she cut open the undershirt, pulled it off, and tossed it aside.

Chi Qiu quickly stripped Su Hanxing bare, revealing an upper body riddled with wounds, most of them deep enough to expose bone. A massive palm print marred his chest, its source unknown. His chest was caved in, clearly indicating numerous broken bones; it was uncertain if his internal organs were also damaged.

His lower body was also severely injured. His left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, broken into multiple pieces, and on his inner thigh, there were several deep bite marks. Due to the wounds having been submerged for too long, they were devoid of color, showing only pale, granulated flesh.

Chi Qiu retrieved silk from her satchel, moved Su Hanxing onto it, and laid him down. She then picked up another piece of silk and covered him. Afterward, she started a fire to boil water. Once the water boiled, she used Lunar spiritual energy to quickly cool it. When the temperature was suitable, she began to clean his wounds.

Chi Qiu meticulously cleaned the wounds and applied golden wound medicine, quickly completing the treatment for his upper body. Next, she spread Su Hanxing’s legs apart, straightened his twisted left leg, and then began cleaning the bite marks on his inner thigh.

“Ugh…”

Perhaps it was the effect of the supreme spiritual pill, for Su Hanxing’s eyes fluttered open slightly, and he let out an indistinct sound.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. I’m treating your wounds.” Seeing him open his eyes, Chi Qiu worried he might not understand the situation and try to rise to face an enemy. She gently explained.

“Thank… thank you, fellow cultivator.” Su Hanxing’s words were slurred, likely due to the spiritual pill still dissolving in his mouth.

“No need to be so polite. Just remember to repay me once your injuries heal. For now, finish the spiritual pill.” Chi Qiu, hearing that he seemed conscious, continued treating his bite wounds.

Upon hearing her words, Su Hanxing finally realized there was something in his mouth. He swallowed, and the spiritual pill slid down his throat, instantly releasing true qi.

“Your injuries are truly severe; even your true qi struggles to remain within your body. I wonder what kind of calamity befell you,” Chi Qiu remarked, somewhat surprised by the true qi dissipating from his body.

“Miss, where are my clothes?” Though his true qi was severely dissipated, Su Hanxing managed to seize the opportunity to absorb a small amount of it, restoring some of his spirit. However, with several broken ribs, a severely injured lumbar spine, and a left leg that was almost beyond repair, he couldn’t get up. He could only lie there, allowing Chi Qiu to tend to him.

“They’re to your left, as is your storage magic treasure. Don’t worry, I haven’t reached the Heart Scripture Realm, so I can’t open it,” Chi Qiu replied, taking out clean water to rinse the bite wounds.

“Thank you so much…” Su Hanxing sighed in relief, seeing his bracelet-like storage magic treasure nearby.

“Wait, Miss, what are you doing?” Su Hanxing was just about to close his eyes to recuperate when he felt an itch on his inner thigh, startling him awake.

“You have very deep bite wounds here; the flesh is already quite rotten. Naturally, they need proper treatment,” Chi Qiu replied nonchalantly, sprinkling golden wound medicine onto the injury.

“This…” Su Hanxing’s face flushed with embarrassment. The location of the wound on his inner thigh was simply too awkward. Coupled with the fact that Chi Qiu had already removed all his clothes and spread his legs, ‘that thing’ was openly dangling there. Chi Qiu would inadvertently touch it while treating the wound, which made him extremely mortified.

“Perhaps I should handle this part myself, no need to trouble you, Miss…” A hint of red now appeared on his otherwise pallid face.

Chi Qiu turned around, seeing his slightly reddened face, and instantly understood. It seemed Su Hanxing didn’t yet know it was she who had saved him. Thinking this, Chi Qiu smiled, preparing to exact a small revenge for having been forced into a body swap.

“No need to worry about that. I’ve already checked; there are no injuries, so it won’t affect your future ability to have children.” Chi Qiu turned her face away, uttering such audacious words while reaching out to flick the limp, withered object dangling between his legs.

“Miss! You… you—” Su Hanxing’s body instantly stiffened, and his voice surprisingly gained much more vigor.

“Me? What about me?” Chi Qiu finished bandaging, then stood up and walked to his side, smiling.

“Chi Qiu?” Seeing that familiar, youthful face, Su Hanxing froze, then his face lit up with wild joy.