Chapter 24 After Meeting Comes Parting
Chapter 24: After Meeting Comes Parting
“My lady, are you sure we shouldn’t help? Young Master Luo looks like he’s in a lot of pain.”
“You said this bit of suffering is nothing to him… that’s too harsh. You shouldn’t dismiss someone’s pain just because they can endure it.”
“Well, I do know he’ll certainly be fine…”
The intermittent voice of Qingxuan drifted through Little Qing Peak, though no one was visible.
Inside the small cabin, Luo He sat leaning against the small bed, eyes tightly shut, cold sweat occasionally sliding down his neck.
Just now as he continued attempting to refine the demon seed, the black lotus—which had been as quiet as if dormant—suddenly erupted.
It broke free from a series of constraints and danced gracefully in his dantian, silently but magnificently spreading its branches and leaves.
As the black lotus bloomed, surges of demon flames immediately shot out from within, engulfing his entire body in an instant.
Thanks to the Empress’s celestial seal, the demon flames had not yet invaded his spiritual center, but the rest of his body wasn’t so fortunate.
If when he first swallowed the black lotus, there had been a somewhat restrained confrontation between it and the killing energy…
Now it was an all-out, complete war and slaughter.
The killing energy and demon flames intermingled, spreading through his already fractured meridians.
Icy cold and burning heart attacked each other, giving Luo He a profound experience of what it meant to have cold and heat intertwined.
It was similar to having a fever over forty degrees—the central temperature receptors had completely lost function.
Though even the air he exhaled was scalding, his body paradoxically felt as if it had plunged into an ice cave.
Of course, Luo He experienced even more than that.
For him, who practiced the authentic Tianzhen Sword Sect’s heart technique, these demon flames caused additional damage.
Like hot oil dripping into cold water, they continuously evaporated, consumed, and ignited the clear spiritual energy within his body.
It was uncomfortable, but merely uncomfortable—not yet life-threatening.
If there was one thing Luo He didn’t lack, it was the endurance to remain calm while tolerating pain.
The sudden eruption of the black lotus was undoubtedly the consequence of Huoxin triggering the demon seed.
This also meant they had revealed their intentions and were preparing to make their move against Luo Hongyu, and that his deception had been exposed.
This was good—now everything was out in the open.
When things were in the open, there was no question of who feared whom.
Luo He looked inward, quietly observing the progress between the killing energy, black lotus, and celestial seal.
The result was obvious: although the black lotus currently blazed fiercely, this was only a temporary situation.
The source of the demon flames was the black lotus’s self-immolation, so it would eventually burn out, and neither the killing energy, the celestial seal, nor Luo He himself could be eliminated by it.
Regarding this, Luo He needed to consider two problems.
One was time—he couldn’t let them continue consuming each other like this, as he couldn’t afford to waste time.
The other was that Luo He didn’t want the demon seed black lotus to completely disappear from his body.
The demon seed black lotus was his burden and weakness, but with Su Huanhuan’s Crescent Moon technique and the Empress’s celestial seal, it had instead become a crucial tool—a tool to deal with Huoxin.
This was why he continued staying at Little Qing Peak trying to refine the demon seed.
With this in mind, Luo He took a deep breath and began to circulate the Crescent Moon technique, carefully separating the black lotus and demon flames from his meridians…
Hiss…
Unsurprisingly, it was painful—a feeling that went to the marrow of his bones.
If what happened before was like inserting needles into the gaps between his bones, what he was doing now was pulling those needles back out.
He was like a craftsman meticulously carving with an awl and file, except his material was his own body.
But as he slowly worked, he suddenly discovered a strange phenomenon.
Under the gentle radiance of the celestial seal, he found that since he began circulating the Crescent Moon technique, the two previously warring forces… now seemed to be slowly merging with each other?
Demon flames entering the killing energy would be instantly annihilated, but when a trace of killing energy entered the black lotus, it fused into the demon flame’s circuit and began circulating.
This instantly transformed the previously flame-like demon energy into something ice-cold.
By now, the black lotus had gradually quieted down, and… could be manipulated by his Crescent Moon technique.
Luo He stared at his palm… hum.
A gray-black lotus petal with bone-chilling flames at its tip gently fell into his hand. After a moment, a small section of the black cloth wrapped around his hand was burned away.
Perhaps because the killing energy had joined as fuel, despite the black lotus having closed its flower heart, that cluster of demon flames continued burning inside him.
The areas burned by the flames felt as if covered by a layer of frost—truly a strange and even magnificent sight, though unfortunately, no one could see it.
Although Luo He had always treated his body as something other than a body, this time…
Luo He felt it might have gone a bit too far.
Creating a fire that could form ice inside his body—he’d really outdone himself.
And all this, apart from the heart technique Su Huanhuan gave him…
Was thanks to this Little Qing Peak and the celestial seal within his body.
Luo He withdrew his internal vision of spiritual energy and rose from the bed.
Honestly, after these months together, Luo He still didn’t understand why the Empress favored him.
She knew his situation perfectly well… surely she couldn’t just be pitying him?
Well… that wouldn’t be so bad either.
Rather, he actually cherished this kindness deeply, and in the future, he would find a way to repay it.
If he still had a future.
“Young Master Luo is awake?”
As he opened the cabin door, a familiar lively female voice sounded. Luo He turned to look—it was the court lady who had appeared that night alongside the divine palanquin.
Come to think of it, he still didn’t know her name.
“Hehe, this humble girl is named Qingxuan, one of those who serves at the Empress’s side. Young Master Luo need not stand on ceremony.”
“Also, the Empress had matters to attend to and left a couple days ago, so she asked me to wait here for you.”
“The Empress entrusted me to give you a message—she said you need not think about thanking her, just go directly and do what you need to do.”
“…”
Hearing Qingxuan’s words, Luo He looked once more at Little Qing Peak.
It remained as before, a small world of pleasant verdant beauty.
He had spent several months here that would have been extremely monotonous for ordinary people, but for Luo He…
No time anxiety, no life-threatening crisis, just books, cats, and the small golden bells on the cat’s tail, tinkling, speaking to him.
This might have been one of the few, perhaps even countable, truly peaceful times he had ever experienced.
Although it came shortly before he planned to face death in search of life, like a refreshing sea breeze blowing in his face before the arrival of a tidal wave.
But that was enough.
Luo He didn’t know where Little Qing Peak was, nor why it was the Empress’s heart manifestation.
He wasn’t sure if this Little Qing Peak still existed in reality, but if given the chance, he wanted to find this place at an appropriate time.
To see what it looked like beyond its existence in the Empress’s heart.
Luo He bid farewell.
The exit had already been opened for him by Qingxuan.
After giving her a slight bow, Luo He prepared to leave this place.
“Young Master Luo, please wait.”
Qingxuan called out to him from behind.
“The Water Lord Festival is held once every five years, and the Empress always comes to Gengyang City at that time.”
“You came in a hurry this time and are leaving in haste, without having seen the true splendor of the Water Lord Festival.”
“So, if you’re willing, the next time you come, remember to stay a while longer. I will come to show you the sights of this place properly.”
Luo He looked forward to it.
Gentleness flowed from the black pupils behind his mask, causing Qingxuan to stare in momentary surprise.
The young man turned and walked into the exit leading to the outside world. The world behind him began to gradually blur in his vision, transforming into countless points of light.
Suddenly, Luo He felt someone gently pat his back, seemingly saying something.
Luo He turned to look back, but only saw Qingxuan’s smiling face in the distance.
…
“My lady, Young Master Luo has left.”
“I know you didn’t want to say the word ‘goodbye’ to him, but there was no need to deliberately hide yourself.”
“Hmph, and you blame me! If not for what I just said, do you believe Young Master Luo might have completely forgotten there was an Empress in Gengyang City?”
“If you can’t seek him out, then just have him come find you—the thinking needs to be more flexible.”
“Otherwise, this reunion, so precious to you, would be wasted.”