Chapter 117

Chapter 117: After Fifty Years Apart

Xiao Huo suddenly gave a vigorous shake. All its long hairs moved in perfect unison. Though no sound was made, Lou Yun and Leng Cangqiong seemed to hear the swishing noise of the hairs retracting.

But then a sound truly reached their ears—an extremely faint series of soft pops. The noise came from the hairs disentangling from Leng Qianrou’s pores, releasing the Five-pointed Golden Fires they had held.

Almost simultaneously, all of Xiao Huo’s long hairs withdrew completely from Leng Qianrou’s body. Its appearance at this moment was truly spectacular.

The tip of each long hair was wrapped around a flickering, miniature Five-pointed Golden Fire. Viewed from a distance, Xiao Huo resembled a golden-red fire rat engulfed head to toe in wondrous flames.

Leng Cangqiong and Lou Yun both gasped in shock. Not a single trace of the Five-pointed Golden Fire remained inside Leng Qianrou now!

If Xiao Huo hadn’t still remained perched on Leng Qianrou’s body, Leng Cangqiong likely would have rushed forward already. As it was, he forcefully suppressed the tumultuous mix of ecstatic hope and gnawing fear within him, waiting for Xiao Huo to finally detach.

Xiao Huo shook its body once more. Its long hairs stirred abruptly again, but this time they weren’t extending outward. Instead, they uniformly brought the tips, each holding a small Five-pointed Golden Fire, right up to Xiao Huo’s mouth.

Xiao Huo opened its mouth. As if currying favor, the long hairs scrambled over each other to feed the Five-pointed Golden Fires they held into its maw.

In the blink of an eye, all the Five-pointed Golden Fires vanished into Xiao Huo’s mouth. Xiao Huo closed its jaws, a distinctly satisfied expression spreading across its face. Another shake rippled through its body, and all the long hairs retracted with incredible speed, swiftly returning Xiao Huo to its ordinary, familiar appearance.

Its small, beady eyes rolled in their sockets for a moment. Then Xiao Huo gave a light leap, springing onto Lou Yun’s shoulder. Letting out a contented yawn, it closed its eyes, clearly settling in for a nap.

At this point, Leng Cangqiong finally snapped out of his daze. He lunged to Leng Qianrou’s side in one swift step. Extending his hands, which trembled visibly, he reached towards his sister’s body. Yet, uncertain whether lifting her now was advisable or might cause unforeseen harm, his hands froze in mid-air.

Lou Yun stroked Xiao Huo lightly, while simultaneously casting his Spiritual Sense over Leng Qianrou’s body once more for a thorough examination.

Leng Qianrou’s body was now clean. Every last trace of the Five-pointed Golden Fire had been sucked out by Xiao Huo!

Lou Yun finally allowed himself a long, deep sigh of relief. Xiao Huo had successfully completed its task. The rest now depended solely on Leng Cangqiong.

However, his admiration for Xiao Huo was now heavily seasoned with intense curiosity. Just how many unknown abilities did this little creature still possess?

Leng Cangqiong hesitated a moment longer. Finally, his hands gripped Leng Qianrou’s body. He carefully raised her into a sitting position. A soft white glow emanated from his palms as streams of the purest spiritual energy flowed continuously from his hands into Leng Qianrou’s form.

Leng Qianrou had been unconscious for far too long, and her body had endured the constant agony between icy cold and fiery heat. Consequently, it would be reckless and potentially harmful to flood her with vast quantities of spiritual energy to force her awake immediately. He had to proceed methodically: letting her body gradually acclimate to the spiritual energy, then slowly increasing the influx.

This would be a lengthy process. Lou Yun watched for a while, deeply impressed by the sheer volume and purity of Leng Cangqiong’s spiritual energy. Finding nothing else he could contribute, he retreated to a corner, found a spot, and sat down. Naturally, it wouldn’t be polite to leave now. At the very least, he needed to stay until Leng Qianrou had fully regained consciousness before taking his leave.

It was then that Chang Xiang’s voice rang out in Lou Yun’s mind, “Kid, have you noticed? Xiao Huo’s own power seems to be gradually increasing too. It seems every time it devours a Heavenly Fire, it gets a little stronger. Or perhaps, its abilities are emerging and progressing sequentially like a magical weapons master’s magical weapon advances with rank, based on the kinds of Heavenly Fires it consumes.”

With Chang Xiang bringing it up, Lou Yun recalled something. Just moments before, after swallowing the Five-pointed Golden Fire, Xiao Huo had effortlessly leaped directly from Leng Qianrou’s body all the way to his shoulder. That distance wasn’t short! The Xiao Huo from before could never have managed such a jump.

Xiao Huo’s strength really did increase each time it devoured a Heavenly Fire!

“Hmm, I noticed, Brother Chang. Do you think… if it were to swallow all Eighteen Known Heavenly Fires… just how might it change?” Lou Yun mused.

Chang Xiang was silent for a moment. “Unknown. But it’s an interesting idea. Maybe you should give it a try one day!”

Lou Yun shrugged dismissively. “I was just thinking aloud. Where could I possibly find the other fifteen Heavenly Fires? Still, how many more hidden secrets does Xiao Huo hold? Sigh, if only there was someone who knew its exact origins and nature…”

“There is!” Chang Xiang’s response took Lou Yun by surprise. “But you won’t see that person yet. Don’t rush. The time hasn’t come. Just wait a little longer.”

Time passed a little more quickly for Lou Yun as he chatted idly with Chang Xiang. It was already the fourth day when Leng Qianrou finally let out a low groan and regained consciousness!

At the sound of her voice, both Lou Yun and Leng Cangqiong started, jolted to alertness. Lou Yun shot to his feet, poised to walk over, but after a moment’s thought, he sank back down onto his seat.

Since Leng Qianrou was awake, it surely meant she was out of danger. The siblings hadn’t seen each other in over fifty years. They deserved this moment of reunion alone. What point was there for him to intrude?

True enough, Leng Cangqiong’s voice, trembling and stammering slightly, sounded out, “Qian… Qianrou? Are… are you alright?”

Anyone hearing that voice at that moment would never have guessed it belonged to the man once renowned across Spirit Weapon Star as the legendary, fearsome "White-haired God of Death".

A moment later, an exceptionally soft and gentle woman’s voice answered, “Brother… Where… where are we?”

Hearing Leng Qianrou’s voice, Lou Yun let out a long, relieved breath. He leaned back further, making himself more comfortable. Clearly, Leng Qianrou was perfectly fine now!

Leng Cangqiong, however, was different. Hearing his sister’s voice after over fifty years apart, he froze on the spot, utterly unable to utter a single word. After a long moment, a silent smile spread across his face, but tears slowly traced two lines down from his eyes!

This God of Death, who hadn’t shed a tear since coming of age, finally saw his sister awaken safe and sound. The fifty years of guilt he carried in his heart dissolved, and for the first time, tears fell.

"Brother? Why are you crying?"

Leng Qianrou hurriedly reached out, gently wiping the tears from Leng Cangqiong’s face. Having been sealed in the iceberg for so long, her fingers still held a faint chill.

Leng Cangqiong grasped his sister’s hand tightly, took a deep breath, and said with a smile, "Qianrou! You’re finally alright!"

Next, Leng Cangqiong began softly and meticulously recounting everything that had happened after she fell victim to the Heavenly Fire plot. Although Leng Qianrou felt extremely shocked, her inherently gentle nature meant she didn’t interrupt her brother once throughout the entire tale, listening patiently until the very end.

Only after Leng Cangqiong finished did Leng Qianrou speak with a smile, "Brother, what’s past is past. Let’s not mention it anymore. I’m perfectly fine now, see? By the way, you said a young brother saved me? Where is he? We should properly thank him!"

Leng Cangqiong was momentarily taken aback, only then remembering he had indeed completely forgotten about Lou Yun. He nodded. "Ah! You’re right. I was so caught up in my happiness. Come, I’ll take you to meet our lifesaver."

Lou Yun had been listening to the siblings’ conversation all along. Hearing they were coming to thank him, he quickly stood up and walked towards them.

Leng Cangqiong seemed like a changed person now, his face no longer icy but radiating a happy smile. He gestured towards Lou Yun and said to Leng Qianrou, "Qianrou, this young brother is our lifesaver. His name is Lou Yun!"

Leng Cangqiong had an excellent memory; he remembered Lou Yun’s name after hearing it just once.

Seeing Lou Yun, Leng Qianrou couldn’t help but be slightly surprised. Although Leng Cangqiong referred to him as ‘young brother’, given Leng Cangqiong’s age, she assumed the savior must also be considerably old. Yet now, meeting him, she saw he was genuinely this young, not even twenty years old.

After her moment of surprise, Leng Qianrou quickened her pace to stand before Lou Yun. She lowered her head slightly and performed a graceful curtsy, saying, "Qianrou offers her deepest thanks to our benefactor."

Leng Qianrou was undeniably, breathtakingly beautiful. Her beauty was unique. Despite her gentle character, she possessed an air of noble, unapproachable dignity, ethereal like a celestial being. It commanded admiration and banished any untoward thoughts.

Facing such thanks from a divinely beautiful woman like this, Lou Yun hastily waved his hands. "No need for thanks. I truly didn’t do much. It was all Xiao Huo’s doing."

Xiao Huo had been sound asleep. Hearing his name, he drowsily lifted his head, opened his bleary eyes, glanced at Leng Qianrou standing before him, and grumbled something under his breath. It seemed he was unhappy about Lou Yun disturbing his sleep for no reason, but then he lowered his head again and promptly went back to sleep.

This adorable expression and gesture made Leng Qianrou cover her mouth with a soft giggle. However, this little episode subtly bridged the distance between them, making things much less stiff and formal than before.

At this moment, Leng Cangqiong walked up to Lou Yun and faced him with great seriousness. "Young brother, I said earlier that if you could save my sister, I would willingly acknowledge you as my master and serve you for life. Logically, I should fulfill that promise now. But before that, please grant me some time to settle Qianrou’s affairs."

Upon hearing this, Lou Yun quickly waved his hands again, his expression equally earnest. "Elder Leng! As I told you before, you helped me first. What I did was merely repayment. Now, we are truly even. You don’t need to thank me, let alone acknowledge me as your master! Well, now that, uh… Cold, Cold… is alright too, I really should take my leave!"

Truth be told, Lou Yun was completely unsure how to address Leng Qianrou. Calling her ‘Elder’ seemed off; her appearance wasn’t much older than his. Calling her ‘Miss’ was also odd; she was Leng Cangqiong’s sister, her real age far exceeding his own. After stalling for a long time, he just couldn’t get the address out.

"Impossible! How could I go back on my word?" Leng Cangqiong’s expression was resolute.

Lou Yun also stood his ground. "No, truly, Elder Leng!" It was a joke! Having the White-haired God of Death as his servant would surely shorten his lifespan!

Seeing them both firmly clinging to their positions, Leng Qianrou smiled gently. "Young brother, brother, why don’t you both stop arguing? How about I suggest a compromise?"

"Go ahead!"

"Please do!"

Leng Cangqiong and Lou Yun, both showing Leng Qianrou some face, turned their attention to her simultaneously.

Leng Qianrou smiled and proposed, "My suggestion is this: why don’t the two of you simply become sworn brothers? Brother, you would remain the elder brother. Young brother, you would be my brother’s sworn younger brother. What do you think?"