Chapter 60: As Long as I Live, I Will Protect You!

Hearing these words, Xiao Rou collapsed to her knees with a heavy thud. Tears streamed down her face. “Senior Sister, I truly didn’t know; Senior Brother Pan Yan forced me to administer the medicine. I… I had no choice!”

Xiao Rou was a very ordinary disciple within Carefree Valley, a fact Long Xiwei understood well. She reached out and helped the girl to her feet. “It is fine. I have brought back superior medicinal pills; Shifu will be alright.”

Xiao Rou finally stopped her wailing, though her expression remained one of aggrieved sorrow.

“Pan Yan, that bastard. He is the only son of the Grand Elder; that father and son pair have always harbored ill intent, plotting to take over as Valley Masters! Now that Shifu is heavily injured, they certainly won’t let this opportunity pass. But I never imagined they would go so far as to poison her!” Long Xiwei gritted her teeth in fury.

Despite her rage, she forced herself to remain calm. She retrieved a pill from the spatial ring and carefully fed it to her master. Her Shifu, Yun Chaomu, had been in a deep coma. After consuming Pan Yan’s pill, her sleep had only seemed to grow heavier.

Fortunately, the spatial ring contained a wide variety of medicines, including the specific antidote. This allowed Long Xiwei to let out a long breath of relief.

The Huangque Pharmacist truly lived up to his reputation as a veteran alchemist. After the pill was swallowed, barely half an hour had passed before Yun Chaomu’s complexion began to regain its healthy glow. Her previously motionless eyelids trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

“Shifu! You’re awake!” Seeing this, Long Xiwei was overjoyed; her beautiful eyes were instantly brimming with tears.

Yun Chaomu was in her fifties, yet she looked no older than someone in her thirties. The Carefree Scripture she practiced allowed her to maintain a carefree disposition, making her appear much younger than ordinary people. Seeing Long Xiwei weeping so piteously, she actually sat up directly from the bed.

“Disciple, you… You found the medicine?”

Long Xiwei nodded. She embraced her master and cried for a short while before recounting everything that had transpired. However, she decided to keep the matter of the Thunder-Devouring Mist Demon as a surprise for later.

Upon learning that Pan Yan had poisoned her, Yun Chaomu’s gaze shifted instantly. She did not speak. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the bed and closed her eyes.

“My injuries are no longer a major concern. After consuming this Thousand-Transformation Origin-Returning Pill, my combat strength should recover significantly. Disciple, protect me for half an hour. After that, I will personally settle the score with those Pan father and son!”

Long Xiwei nodded and stood guard alongside Xiao Rou.

However, they did not expect that after half an hour, as Yun Chaomu’s power was returning, a disturbance would break out before she could even begin cleaning house.

“This matter has nothing to do with the rest of you! Tell Long Xiwei to get her ass out here!”

A thunderous roar echoed through the valley. The disciples guarding the entrance had already been suppressed by a powerful aura, forced to their knees. Some who tried to resist had even vomited blood and died on the spot.

Chaos erupted within Carefree Valley. Several figures shot out from the interior: they were the various elders of the sect.

Ji Yaoyue stood suspended in the air above the open ground before the valley, her flying beast hovering regally beneath her. With a 6th-grade Jindan cultivation, she felt no fear toward a sect like Carefree Valley.

The elders who flew out felt the weight of her oppressive aura. The leader among them was the Grand Elder, Pan Changhe. “May I ask who Your Excellency is? Why have you come to my Carefree Valley?”

Pan Changhe was only at the 4th-grade Jindan realm. Facing Ji Yaoyue, his heart was filled with trepidation; his voice lacked even a hint of steel.

“You do not need to know the reason. Simply hand over Long Xiwei, or Carefree Valley will be exterminated!”

Her words sent shivers through the crowd. No one dared to be defiant.

“You are looking for Long Xiwei?” Pan Changhe’s expression shifted. The other experts of Carefree Valley began to whisper among themselves.

“I recognize him! Isn’t that the Song family elder, Song Qian, whom the expert brought with her?”

“Yes! If Song Qian is here, then the Song family must have hired this expert to come and seek revenge on Long Xiwei!”

“But I don’t understand; why is Elder Song Qian bound so tightly?”

It made no sense to them. The conflict between Long Xiwei and the Song family was known to everyone in the valley. The fact that Valley Master Yun Chaomu and Song Family Head Song Heming had both been injured was due to the trouble between Long Xiwei and Song Wen. It was logical for the Song family to seek revenge, but the treatment of their own elder was bizarre.

“Grand Elder, in my opinion, since Long Xiwei caused this trouble, she should be the one to bear it. We cannot allow her to involve the entire Carefree Valley!” one elder spoke up.

These words aligned perfectly with Pan Changhe’s own intentions. “Correct! Long Xiwei is but a single disciple. Causing Shifu’s injury was already unfilial; now she wishes to drag the entire valley down with her. As the Grand Elder, I absolutely cannot allow this to happen!”

Pan Changhe spoke with an air of righteous indignation. He then turned to Ji Yaoyue. “Your Excellency, rest assured. Since you seek Long Xiwei, Carefree Valley will deliver her into your hands!”

Ji Yaoyue’s expression shifted slightly. She had learned from Song Qian that Long Xiwei could control a 9th-grade Jindan beast, the Thunder-Devouring Mist Demon. Since Long Xiwei had returned to the valley, she should have been fearless. But looking at the current situation, either the beast wasn’t that impressive, or she hadn’t brought it with her. This gave Ji Yaoyue even more confidence.

“At least you are sensible. I will wait right here. I give you half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If the person is not produced by then, Carefree Valley will become history.” Her voice was indifferent, yet it possessed a majesty that brooked no argument.

“Who dares to speak such arrogant nonsense in my Carefree Valley!”

A sharp shout rang out. The crowd watched as Valley Master Yun Chaomu emerged from the valley, flanked by Long Xiwei and other disciples.

“Huh? The Valley Master?”

“She’s awake? Wonderful!”

“What use is that? Even if she is awake, she is no match for a 6th-grade Jindan expert!”

“Her 5th-grade Jindan realm isn’t weak, but she just woke up from a heavy injury. She has no strength to resist!”

The disciples murmured. They knew Yun Chaomu treated Long Xiwei as her own daughter; there was no way she would agree to hand her over.

Pan Changhe and several other elders watched Yun Chaomu’s approach with darkening eyes. “Valley Master, this lady only wants Long Xiwei. Do you intend for the entire Carefree Valley to be buried with her?”

Yun Chaomu gave Pan Changhe a cold, sideways glance, suppressing the urge to settle their internal score for the moment. She looked up at Ji Yaoyue and spoke icily. “I do not know how my beloved disciple Xiwei has offended Your Excellency. If she truly has committed a wrong, I am willing to offer compensation.”

“However, if Your Excellency harbors ill intent, my Carefree Valley is not a soft persimmon that anyone can just squeeze!”

Boom!

As her voice fell, Yun Chaomu waved her arms. A series of roars echoed through the valley as the Mountain Protection Array was forcefully activated.

Ji Yaoyue’s gaze grew colder. Before she could speak, Pan Changhe was the first to protest. “Valley Master, you are being foolish! Even if we resist with the array, the end will be a mutual destruction. Carefree Valley should not sacrifice itself for a disciple who committed a grave error!”

“Exactly! Valley Master, you are still recovering! To sacrifice so many for one person… I, for one, do not agree!”

“The opponent is powerful and likely has backers. Valley Master, you cannot lead Carefree Valley down a path to a dead end!”

Only a small portion of the elders spoke this way. Others stood firm with the Valley Master, their faces filled with a determination to protect Long Xiwei. Hearing the opposition, Yun Chaomu’s gaze became sharp. “If you are so afraid of death, then get the hell out of Carefree Valley immediately! If anyone dares to defy my orders again, I will show no mercy!”

Pan Changhe’s expression shifted violently. His voice turned frigid as he spoke aloud. “Yun Chaomu! If you insist on having your way today, then do not blame this Elder for being impolite! You are currently weakened and are not my match. Since you are so stubborn and intent on leading the valley to ruin, then… hand over the position of Valley Master!”

The faces of many disciples changed drastically. So, this was the Grand Elder’s true intention!

Yun Chaomu’s gaze grew even colder. Just as she was about to speak, she saw another group of experts rushing toward them from behind Ji Yaoyue. The leader was surrounded by guards: it was her rival, the Song Family Head, Song Heming!

Seeing the reinforcement, Yun Chaomu, who had intended to fight to the death with the protection array, felt her heart sink. It seemed there was truly no chance for victory.

Throughout the confrontation, Long Xiwei had remained silent. Before calling out the Thunder-Devouring Mist Demon, she wanted to see clearly who in Carefree Valley was a friend and who was an enemy. As she watched the tension peak, a soft voice reached her ears that made her want to weep.

“Disciple, find an opportunity to flee! With Shifu here, as long as I live, I will protect you!”