‘What a captivating little enchantress!’

Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat as he was swayed by her syrupy sweet voice. He quickly said, “Speak properly, don’t use that tone.”

“Seductress,” Li Mochou, who was nearby, also felt her heart flutter and couldn’t help but curse inwardly with a term she never thought she’d use.

“Fine, I won’t,” Zhao Min replied, a sly glint flashing in her eyes upon seeing Song Qingshu’s reaction. However, under the gaze of other women, even someone as bold and fiery as her, born on the Mongolian plains, felt slightly embarrassed to use such a tone. She quickly returned to normal. “Am I beyond saving now?”

Zhao Min still had many aspirations unfulfilled and much left to accomplish. If she had perished earlier alongside the Ming Zun, she might have accepted it. But now, with Ming Zun escaping successfully, dying silently here on Blackwood Cliff felt utterly unsatisfying.

“Ming Zun inflicted severe injuries on you to buy enough time for himself. However, he couldn’t afford to let you die outright, so he held back slightly. Because he restrained his strength, I may be able to heal your internal injuries…” Song Qingshu had already evaluated her condition and briefly explained the treatment.

“Oh?” Zhao Min’s face suddenly flushed, revealing an odd smile. “I thought you were going to suggest that… method again.” With Li Mochou present, she felt too embarrassed to say “dual cultivation” directly.

Song Qingshu straightened his face. “Do I look like someone who would take advantage of others?”

Zhao Min tilted her head, scrutinizing him for a moment before laughing. “You do! Didn’t you trick me like that last time?”

With Song Qingshu’s current knowledge, he understood that there were four miraculous healing methods in the world: the healing chapter of the Nine Yin Scripture, the Divine Brilliance Scripture, Southern Emperor Yideng’s One Yang Finger, and the dual cultivation method from the Tantric Sect. Each had its strengths and weaknesses, but all could achieve miraculous results. Song Qingshu had mastered three of these methods. Unfortunately, due to his previous cultivation of the Tantric Sect’s techniques, his Nine Yin True Qi and Divine Brilliance True Qi had completely dissipated. For a long time, dual cultivation was his only option.

However, during his time in Kaifeng, he had a flash of insight while saving Bing Xue’er and developed a virtual meridian system. This allowed him to circulate Divine Brilliance True Qi and Nine Yin True Qi through these virtual pathways to heal others.

Recently, his martial arts skills had been improving by leaps and bounds, partly thanks to these virtual meridians. Unlike others who had only one set of meridians and a dantian, he now had three systems, each cultivated with top-tier techniques.

Hearing his explanation, Zhao Min spat lightly, “So you admit that method was improper.”

Li Mochou, who had been eavesdropping, was instantly enraged. She jumped up and said, “If you knew other healing methods, why did you lie to me before?”

Remembering the times he had proposed dual cultivation and practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together in a rather exposed manner, Li Mochou trembled with anger.

Song Qingshu quickly clarified, “Fairy, please don’t misunderstand. The methods I know are effective against injuries caused by external forces. For injuries caused by internal deviations like yours, I genuinely had no other options.”

Li Mochou’s face turned alternating shades of blue and white, as though trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.

Awkwardly, Song Qingshu smiled and quickly changed the subject. “Both of you need time to recover. Although this place is secluded, my earlier actions to obtain the Cosmic Absorption Technique alerted Ren Woxing. It won’t be long before someone finds us here. We should descend the mountain quickly.”

“Alright!” Zhao Min regained her composure upon hearing this. However, she soon remembered the Three Corpse Brain Pill and frowned. “But…”

Knowing her concerns, Song Qingshu assured her, “Don’t worry. I’ll escort you down the mountain and then return to retrieve the antidote.”

“That’s too dangerous. Although your martial arts are formidable, this is the stronghold of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. It’s not easy to come and go repeatedly,” Zhao Min said with a frown.

“That’s why I need to get you off the mountain first. Only then will I have no worries,” Song Qingshu replied with a smile. Suddenly, his expression changed. “Someone’s here.”

With his skills, he should have detected them earlier. However, his energy had been drained while treating Zhao Min, and he had been focused on explaining things to the two women to maintain his reputation. It was only when the intruders reached the courtyard gate that he noticed their presence.

“Hahahaha!” A burst of laughter came from the gate. “I was wondering which esteemed guest had come to Blackwood Cliff. So, it’s the new Golden Serpent King.”

A tall middle-aged man in a green robe entered. His long, pale face, devoid of any blood, made him look like a corpse just risen from the grave. It was none other than Ren Woxing, the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Beside him stood the Saintess Ren Yingying, whose expression was complex as she observed Song Qingshu and the two women.

A group of Sun Moon Holy Cult experts followed, surrounding the trio.

Song Qingshu subtly positioned himself to shield the two women and smiled faintly. “Long time no see, Sect Leader Ren. You’re as radiant as ever.”

Internally, he was concerned. Though he could escape, his energy was depleted, Zhao Min was gravely injured, and Li Mochou needed time to recover. Protecting them both could be challenging.

“Thanks to the Golden Serpent King’s blessings, I’m doing well,” Ren Woxing replied, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Min and Li Mochou. Seeing their conditions, his confidence surged. He remained wary of Song Qingshu’s skills but was emboldened by the advantage of having the trio cornered in his stronghold.

Zhao Min, aware of Song Qingshu’s predicament, quickly devised a plan. With a bright smile, she said, “Greetings, Cult Master Ren. We have no ill intentions in coming to Blackwood Cliff. My sisters recently heard about Song Lang’s private engagement to your daughter. Worried about her temperament causing future household discord, they sent me and Sister Li to accompany him here to assess things.”

This is 3/16 chapters sponsored by Sixth.

Check out my other projects: Dual Cultivation with a Fox Demon, Ask the Mirror (recommended), and Immortal Divine Tribulation, The Way of Restraint