The Sorrowmender

Chapter 48 – Daoist Master Dongyun

Xu Qingzhou remained at the Acquired Stage, which meant he was in the Body Refining phase and naturally couldn't manipulate Qi.

Let alone refine the Flame Grass before him.

As he took out the Flame Grass, the surrounding cold retreated like timid mice seeing a cat.

When the light it emitted enveloped Xu Qingzhou, he immediately felt a warmth rising in his heart.

Though the cold weakened, Xu Qingzhou's worries deepened.

Furrowing his brows, his gaze shifted between the white-haired girl and the Flame Grass, finding himself at a loss.

"How am I supposed to refine this grass? Am I supposed to find someone in the Innate Realm? But at this late hour, where would I even look?"

He muttered to himself quietly.

[No need. The Golden Crow is the master of supreme Yang in the world. You only need to place the Flame Grass on her, and this young lady will naturally absorb it without you having to worry.]

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingzhou's eyebrows lifted, a hint of joy appearing.

"So that's how it is. Thank you, Foster Father."

Sensing the white-haired girl's weakening aura, Xu Qingzhou dared not delay. He quickly placed the Flame Grass in front of her as the system instructed.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded before his eyes.

The Flame Grass seemed to be guided by some force, slowly floating to the white-haired girl's forehead.

Soon, the ice patterns on the forehead of the white-haired girl, who had become an ice sculpture, began to crack, and the aura of her bloodline condensed into fine threads.

The Flame Grass was bound within them.

The devouring began!

Xu Qingzhou stroked his chin, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions, waves of light flickering.

"Truly miraculous, this body can actually absorb the essence fire source from the Flame Grass on its own."

The process was both magical and slow.

Xu Qingzhou kept his gaze fixed ahead, observing all the changes.

The aura of the Flame Grass weakened, its glow dimming.

Meanwhile, the aura of the white-haired girl strengthened, her temperature rising, and the ice gradually melting.

One increased while the other decreased, the balance subtly shifting.

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Qingzhou instinctively furrowed his brows, retracting his gaze and glancing behind him.

"Something's wrong!"

He hadn't heard Little Wuyou's footsteps for quite a while.

The entire world was eerily silent.

Xu Qingzhou knew very well that it shouldn't be this quiet here.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind, took a deep breath, and used the system to explore his surroundings with his divine sense.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes.

"Indeed, it has come."

With a swift movement, he tapped his waist, and an ordinary Azure Edge Sword quietly appeared in his hand. With a step, he borrowed strength from thin air, rushing out like a gust of wind.

The closed wooden door before him swung open with a "bang."

"Whoosh!"

Amidst the sword's shadow, Xu Qingzhou appeared in the main hall of the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries.

"Boom!"

The sword fell, slicing through the air, only to be blocked by an invisible wind barrier, causing a resounding boom and stirring up a gust of wind.

The Qi-Wind Channeling blew in all directions, rustling the pages of books and making the charcoal fire crackle.

Xu Qingzhou gripped the long sword tightly, lowering his brows, looking at the elderly figure seated at his usual desk.

In his eyes, there was a mix of caution and a flash of surprise.

"Acquired Realm, First Layer, such speed. It seems Mister Forgetting Worries has mastered the art of the swift sword."

The slow, somewhat aged, somewhat deep, somewhat teasing voice resonated.

It reached Xu Qingzhou's ears.

Xu Qingzhou glanced at Little Wuyou, who was asleep on the ground, his brows furrowing deeper.

His gaze swept over the elderly figure before him, noting the gray hair, gray beard, thin cheeks, well-proportioned features, and the long blue scholar's robe.

In terms of attire, he seemed ordinary; in terms of appearance, apart from the depth in his eyes, he was no different from a typical old man.

Yet, his aura was extraordinary, making it clear he was no ordinary person.

Especially after Xu Qingzhou's sword strike, he had a different view of the old man before him.

His full-force sword could kill someone at the third layer of the Innate Realm as easily as slaughtering chickens, but against this man, his sword couldn't even land.

With a protective aura extending three feet around him, ordinary weapons couldn't harm him. The person before him was at least in the Foundation Establishment stage, a powerful cultivator.

Being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Xu Qingzhou knew well where he came from.

"Senior, such skill. When did you arrive? I didn't even notice."

He responded coldly.

The old man smiled faintly, stroking his beard with one hand, squinting at Xu Qingzhou, and spoke again.

"Concealing one's presence, moving in the dark, these are just minor tricks, not worth mentioning."

Xu Qingzhou had no intention of wasting words with him. He glanced again at Little Wuyou and quickly questioned:

"What did you do to her?"

"It seems this child is very important to you."

Xu Qingzhou's grip tightened, the sword edge advancing half an inch.

"Answer me, what did you do to her?"

The old man in the blue robe's smile froze for a brief moment, but soon returned to normal. He shifted his gaze from Xu Qingzhou to the unconscious Little Wuyou on the ground.

He spoke slowly:

"I did nothing, just let the little girl fall asleep." Then he looked back at Xu Qingzhou, continuing, "I suppose, Young Friend Xu, you wouldn't want this girl to see what happens next."

Hearing this, Xu Qingzhou's brows slowly relaxed, and he withdrew his sword, stepping back half a step, facing the old man from a distance.

Though the old man in the blue robe came with ill intentions, he was polite, so Xu Qingzhou naturally couldn't lose his composure.

He lowered his sword, a calm smile appearing on his lips, and he praised:

"I didn't expect Daoist Master Dongyun to be such a principled person."

Daoist Master Dongyun showed no reaction to Xu Qingzhou guessing his identity, maintaining a kindly, straightforward demeanor.

"The rules of the world, family should not be harmed. Though I am a scholar from the mountains, my descent into the world involves worldly matters, so naturally, I must adhere to worldly rules."

"Worldly matters?"

"Yes, matters of the world."

Xu Qingzhou shook his head with a low laugh, "Indeed, worldly matters, the business of killing, the business that can't see the light of day."

"I am merely fulfilling an old promise. A worldly promise is a worldly matter, and yes, killing is part of it."

"So, from what Senior means, this fight today is inevitable."

Daoist Master Dongyun waved his hand, his wide sleeves stirring the surrounding air, his aged voice echoing in the small Pavilion of Forgetting Worries.

"No, no, no, it's not that we must fight, but rather, I must kill you."

His words were quiet yet carried an undeniable certainty, an endless chill.

Find the original at "pawread.com".

It wasn't a conversation; it was more like announcing the outcome of an event.

Xu Qingzhou felt a slight stir within. The confidence of the other party stemmed from his strength, being in the Late Foundation Establishment stage, against someone in the Acquired Realm, First Layer.

Anyone would be this confident, and if not, it would be unusual.

However, he was unafraid. Though it was his first time meeting this person, he had anticipated this encounter.

He licked his lips slightly, a hint of playfulness in his eyes, and calmly asked:

"So, Senior, do you plan to settle this worldly matter here, or shall we find another place?"