"Li Xiaoman? Who is she, Senior?" Yan Ran asked.

"She’s a disciple of the Yin-Yang Sect, the daughter of Elder Li, the head of the sect’s Pill Refining Hall."

"Wow, you seem to know a lot about the Yin-Yang Sect, Senior," Lin Xia said.

"Because in the past... I was a disciple of their sect."

Yan Ran and the others gasped in shock. They had never imagined that Gu Qinghe, someone so knowledgeable and capable, had once been part of that scheming sect. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

No one knew why Gu Qinghe had joined them. Still, they could all guess that the change in his attitude and abilities must have something to do with the Yin-Yang Sect.

"Even if you were once part of the Yin-Yang Sect, why don’t I see you using any of their techniques?"

"Their techniques are trash. I don’t use them because they’re weak," Gu Qinghe replied, turning to glance behind him.

"However, Li Xiaoman is a Core Disciple. She also trained in the sect’s Winter Region. So the Yin element isn’t much of a threat to her," he added.

COUGH!

While Gu Qinghe was speaking, Lin Ru suddenly coughed and spat out blood. Lin Xia saw her condition and panicked.

"Ru’er?"

Gu Qinghe stepped forward, took her hand, and checked her pulse. His eyes closed as he channeled a bit of his golden qi into her meridians.

A violent reaction occurred, forcing Qinghe’s golden qi out of Lin Ru’s body. Her condition was quite alarming.

"Out of the 14 open meridians, 7 are frozen. If we let it reach 10, those meridians will shatter, and Lin Ru will become crippled."

"Crippled?!" Lin Xia exclaimed in shock.

"Hmm," Gu Qinghe hummed, forming a hand seal with one hand and directing his golden qi forward. "We need to do something."

Lin Xia tapped her bag of holding, pulling out all her pills and showing them to Gu Qinghe.

He shook his head, saying the Yin seals in Lin Ru’s meridians were complex and couldn’t be broken with pills alone.

"Then what can I do to save her?" Lin Xia asked, growing more frantic.

Gu Qinghe fell silent, activating his cultivation eyes to observe the surroundings. Beneath the mountain, there was a lake with an island in the middle.

The place was far from other cultivators, filled with abundant qi, though the Yin element was still strong. Gu Qinghe had a solution.

"Follow me," he said. They nodded and followed.

Gu Qinghe flew off, while Lin Ru was accompanied by Lin Xia on her flying sword. They left the main path toward the mountain peak and headed toward the calm lake, landing on the island at its center.

Once they arrived, Gu Qinghe asked Ling Jia to do something.

"Ling Jia, form a rune array and shield this place from other cultivators," Gu Qinghe said.

"Leave it to me."

Ling Jia flew into the sky. Both her hands formed seals as blue light shot upward, creating a protective dome that covered the entire island.

From the outside, other cultivators wouldn’t notice Gu Qinghe and the others on the island. It ensured their safety.

"Yan Ran, Liu Xi, stand guard with Ling Jia," Gu Qinghe instructed. The two women nodded obediently.

Seeing how firmly Gu Qinghe gave orders only made Lin Xia more curious. She asked him again about his plan, but he didn’t respond.

His hand moved to the side, tapping his bag of holding. From it, a golden Ninefold Pagoda emerged and stood majestically in the middle of the island.

A surge of golden qi spread everywhere, startling them as cultivation pressure bore down on them. But Gu Qinghe acted quickly, summoning a golden orb and directing it toward them.

Within seconds, the Ninefold Pagoda detected Qinghe’s golden qi within their bodies, and the pressure no longer affected them.

"What is that?" Lin Xia asked in shock.

Ling Jia stayed silent, staring ahead. The Ninefold Pagoda standing firmly on the island radiated a powerful golden qi aura, reminding her of the Thousand Sage Beads.

"Where did he get that pagoda?" Ling Jia asked.

"He arrived late at the altar valley of the second mountain. I’m guessing he obtained the Ninefold Pagoda from the main hall of the palace on the first peak," Yan Ran said.

The woman beside Yan Ran gasped. If what Yan Ran said was true, then Gu Qinghe possessed two King-Grade artifacts from two different palace halls on separate peaks.

Ling Jia’s attention shifted forward. She saw Gu Qinghe forming hand seals and carving a character in the air before him.

Lin Ru sat cross-legged in front of him, ready to receive the rune array that would break the Yin seal in her body.

After finishing the golden character, he shot it forward, and it entered Lin Ru’s body smoothly.

Gu Qinghe repeated this seven times, sending seven rune characters into each of the seven frozen meridians in Lin Ru’s body.

"What... are you doing, Senior?"

"There is a special technique to break Yin Meridian Freezing. But the requirements are not simple."

"The ancient runes I sent into Lin Ru’s body require a large and stable supply of qi. Once they receive enough qi, the runes will transform into Yang energy and burn away the ice within her meridians."

Gu Qinghe’s explanation was detailed, even drawing the interest of Ling Jia, the Array Master, who watched closely, curious and eager to learn.

Lin Xia didn’t understand much about ancient rune techniques, but seeing Gu Qinghe’s confident expression made her believe he could restore Lin Ru.

All seven rune arrays had entered Lin Ru’s body. Gu Qinghe stopped and waved his hand, opening the pagoda’s door connected to the first floor.

"Lin Ru," Gu Qinghe called.

She stopped and turned back, looking into his eyes.

"Your recovery... depends on your physical endurance. If you succeed, your cultivation base may even recover."

Lin Ru smiled brightly and nodded obediently despite her pale face, then stepped into the pagoda. The door closed tightly as she sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Now, only time would give the answer. It might take a very long time before Lin Ru could fully break free from the Yin Meridian Freezing.

"What do we do now?" Lin Xia asked.

Gu Qinghe remained silent, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "The time Lin Ru needs might be quite long. We can’t be held back because of it."

"We’re leaving? Leaving Lin Ru alone with your artifact, Senior?" Ling Jia asked.

"That’s the most efficient choice. We can come back later to pick her up," Gu Qinghe replied.

"Aren’t you afraid your golden pagoda will be stolen?"

"No," Gu Qinghe answered calmly. "The Ninefold Pagoda recognizes me as its master. No one else can take it from me, even with the power of the heavens."

Lin Xia fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward. "Let me stay here and watch over Lin Ru. I promise, once she comes out of the pagoda, I’ll catch up with you right away."

Gu Qinghe gave a faint smile and nodded. "Alright. Take care of yourself, Lin Xia."