Chapter Nine: I Owe You Thanks After All

Within the barrier, silence reigned as if in the primordial age, with only faint strands of mystical energy lingering in the air.

A woman sat immersed in meditation, seeking a trace of transcendence in her final moments.

This woman was Yao Qianqian.

She wore a flowing moon-white gauze gown, ethereal as smoke and mist, swirling gently around her. The hem was embroidered with delicate azure butterfly patterns.

At the cuffs and skirt’s edge, intricate silver threads traced out complex runes, faintly glowing with soft light, as though whispering ancient, mysterious power.

Beside her rested a skeleton in quiet repose—her former master, Yao Qiong.

Yao Qianqian had long resigned herself to the fate of being trapped within the barrier, awaiting death through endless years.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shattered the stillness inside like a thunderclap.

She snapped her eyes open.

Golden light flashed like lightning from her gaze, filled with alertness and suspicion.

“Has a descendant of the Yao family, after countless hardships, finally found the barrier’s location to rescue us? Or are those ruthless villains here again to seize the treasure?”

Her thoughts raced as Yao Qianqian moved her body, transforming instantly into a streak of light, racing toward the source of the disturbance.

Upon arrival, she saw Gu Xuan sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, blood staining the earth beneath him, his aura in chaotic disorder.

Alarmed, Yao Qianqian exclaimed,

“This young man’s injuries are so grave—an ordinary person would have perished long ago.”

But she quickly calmed herself. As a dragonkin, noble compassion coursed through her veins.

Moreover, Gu Xuan’s arrival might be the key to breaking this endless predicament.

Gently waving her hand, a soft dragon force wove around Gu Xuan like silken threads, attempting to stabilize his turbulent energy.

After a moment, Gu Xuan slowly opened his eyes. Blurred at first, he saw the graceful figure and handsome face of Yao Qianqian.

He thought himself dead.

“Fairy… sister… am I dead? Are you here to take me away?”

His voice was weak, flickering like a dying candle in the wind.

Yao Qianqian paused, then covered her face with a smile, gazing at him with a deliberately eerie and ethereal tone as she teased,

“Yes, young man, you are dead, and I have come to take you away.”

Surprisingly, Gu Xuan was not terrified. Instead, he weakly asked,

“Then… where will you take me? Honestly, I don’t want to die yet! There are so many things I haven’t done…”

Suppressing a smile, Yao Qianqian replied solemnly,

“That’s not your choice. Life and death are fated. Since you are dead, you must come with me. But rest assured, I will take you to a place you have never been.”

Though reluctant, Gu Xuan pleaded,

“Fairy sister, please be kind. Could you at least bring my body back to my father? We were separated, and they must be looking for me now.”

Unable to hold back, Yao Qianqian burst into laughter,

“All right, all right, just teasing you. Boy, you’re not dead yet!”

Gu Xuan’s eyes brightened as if renewed strength coursed through him.

“Ah? I’m not dead? Fairy sister, please don’t scare me like that—I can’t handle such ups and downs.”

Yao Qianqian shot him a glance,

“Hmph, with your puny build, I wouldn’t stoop to fool you. Look at your wounds—if I hadn’t intervened, you’d be dead already.”

Only then did Gu Xuan realize it was indeed this sister who was healing him. He slowly sat up and respectfully said,

“Thank you, sister. I’m Gu Xuan. May I know your name?”

“Yao Qianqian!”

With that, she ceased her movements.

“You’re Gu Xuan? Surname Gu?”

“Yes, sister,” Gu Xuan replied earnestly.

“That’s strange. This is the barrier my master once set. The ruthless pursuers from a thousand years ago couldn’t detect any aura here.”

Yao Qianqian crossed her arms, frowning in suspicion as she stared at Gu Xuan.

“Unless… this boy shares the same bloodline as my master? But no, his name is Gu Xuan, surname Gu, not Yao—no Yao lineage. Yet my master said only a blood descendant could activate this barrier.”

Frustrated and puzzled, Yao Qianqian stomped her foot.

“How did you get in here?”

She approached Gu Xuan again, their eyes meeting, leaving him bewildered.

Embarrassed, Gu Xuan scratched his head and quickly explained,

“I came here with my father and two friends to find the Spirit Gathering Grass in Qinglin. On the way, we encountered a third-rank high-level beast. I got separated and then faced three Wind Demon Wolves. I was too weak to fight and was chased all the way here. I don’t even know how I entered this place.”

“She’s not pretending; his cultivation is truly too low. Seems he’s telling the truth. But since he can enter, he must have some connection to the Yao family.”

Yao Qianqian shook her head helplessly.

“Fine, come with me back to the main hall. I’ll treat your wounds properly.”

With a gentle wave, a soft force steadied Gu Xuan, lifting him as they flew toward the main hall.

Lying on that force, Gu Xuan watched Yao Qianqian’s back, feeling both grateful and curious—who was this formidable woman?

As they followed her, another scene unfolded before them.

Between the mountains, clouds and mist swirled, as if forgotten by time, desolate and lonely.

The once-magnificent main hall still stood but in ruin.

Its outer walls were cracked and peeling.

Dried vines crawled over the surface like countless shriveled arms, trying to clutch the crumbling remnants.

In front of the hall lay a dead and barren wasteland.

What was once perhaps a flourishing garden or herb garden was now reduced to a few withered old trees, moaning in the wind.

Soon, they arrived inside the main hall.

Yao Qianqian gently set Gu Xuan down, where a skeleton sat upright in formal posture came into view.

“Thank you, sister…”

Gu Xuan slowly sat up, full of questions but momentarily at a loss for words.

“You’re welcome.”

Yao Qianqian smiled faintly and came before him.

With a movement of her hands, a force enveloped Gu Xuan.

Suddenly, a gentle power entered his body, gradually healing his wounds.

Looking at the woman before him who had saved his life, Gu Xuan couldn’t help but ask,

“Sister, have you been here all this time?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“How long have you been here?”

This time, Yao Qianqian did not answer. After finishing the healing, she slowly walked to the hall’s entrance.

Gazing out over the desolation, her eyes hollow, as if desperately searching for answers amid the dust of memory:

“Too long. Whether hundreds or thousands of years, I truly cannot recall. In the long years, no one else was here—only the wind, the rain, and the ever-declining ruins kept me company.”

Her voice trembled, tinged with weariness and loneliness.

Gu Xuan’s throat tightened with guilt.

“I’m sorry, sister. I shouldn’t have asked and made you recall such sorrow.”

“It’s all right. I’ve grown used to it.”

Yao Qianqian turned back, shaking her head slightly to signal it was no trouble.

“I had planned to wait here until I faded away. I never expected you to appear. I should be thanking you!”

Gu Xuan looked embarrassed.

“I haven’t done much. It’s you I must thank for saving my life!”

The two exchanged smiles, and even the vast and desolate hall seemed to brighten with their laughter.