White-Robed Chief
chapter-170

Chu Li and Xiao Qi were eating some biscuits and dried meat while glancing casually at their two horses outside the kiosk. Both horses were in dire need of a good rest.

Chu Li could not take his eyes off the three masculine men. He seemed to be deep in thought.

The three men were extremely nervous, they could not sit or stand still. It was as if there were thorns all over their body, pricking at them. They had an uncanny feeling about Chu Li.

Xiao Qi realized the way Chu Li was looking at the men and walked over to him.

Chu Li asked, "They're not good people, do you want me to take care of the situation?"

Xiao Qi froze. She turned her glance to the three men.

Before that, the men had not grabbed her attention at all. To her, they ceased to exist. But after the reminder from Chu Li, Xiao Qi finally set her sights on them for the very first time.

"Dear Lord, we didn't do anything to offend you, right?" one of the red-faced muscular men started speaking. He gave Chu Li a fist salute, trying to appear respectful towards his captor.

Chu Li shook his head. "No, you did nothing to offend me. But what you did do, was take away the lives of many innocent people."

"What? Stop accusing us of things we didn't do!" the man with the blushed face protested. He then smiled at Chu Li and gave him another fist salute. "We are disciples of the Hornet Valley."

Chu Li raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Xiao Qi.

He knew very well, that the man was lying. They were no disciples of Hornet Valley, they were in fact, bandits.

Xiao Qi replied, "Finish them off!"

"Got it." Chu Li nodded.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Li disappeared from where he was standing, then reappeared behind the three men. With the speed of lightning, he threw three palm strikes to each of their backs respectively. The force of his strikes penetrated their torso, crushing their inner energy center. The hits rendered them no longer able to summon any of their inner energy for the rest of their lives.

"You… You…" the three men stared fiercely at Chu Li and Xiao Qi. They felt furious but fearful at the same time, struggling to come to terms with what Chu Li had just done.

Chu Li looked at them. "Do you even know how many people have died by your hands? What I just did was merely a light punishment!"

Xiao Qi added, "I can only blame the authorities for being so incompetent. How are you three not even convicted of any murders yet?"

The three men were fuming. The cursed the evil lady in front of them deep down in their hearts but dared not show their annoyance. If they said something that would piss them off, their captors might still change their minds and kill them instead.

Chu Li and Xiao Qi watched as the three men staggered back to their horses, fleeing the scene in a state of hurry. Chu Li shook his head. "You're way too kind, Lady Xiao."

Xiao Qi looked at him. "Don't I already have you to be the evil one?"

She could see that Chu Li had taken things into his own hands. He made his palm strikes look like he had only rid them of their inner energy and martial art abilities. But in truth, he had also severely damaged the men's internal organs, leaving them with what was essentially a ticking time bomb in their bodies. By her estimations, those men would not live long. They would succumb to a terrible death soon after, and nobody would come to their rescue in the wilderness they were heading to.

Chu Li smiled. "I'm more than happy to wipe outlaws like them off the face of the planet. I'm doing everybody else a great favor here."

Killing them would be like saving a thousand lives, and Chu Li was right, it was indeed a great deed. From what he could see, they had butchered at least 25 people, and among their victims were women and elderly people. Although they were not extremely skilled at martial arts, they were still devious criminals and had evaded the authorities for a long time.

The incident, however, did not hinder the two's journey, as they soon found themselves back on the road again.

The thundering of hooves split the silence, as their horses galloped through the bleak landscape. With help from Chu Li and Xiao Qi's inner energy, the horses galloped on rapidly. By noon the following day, they arrived at the foot of the Phoenix Mountains.

The Phoenix Mountains were a seemingly endless mountain range. If Chu Li and Xiao Qi were not skilled at the Light-body Technique, they would not have embarked on this arduous journey to search for someone in the mountains.

The first thing they did was to settle down their horses at one of the houses in the foothills. After that, they levitated and entered the Phoenix Mountains.

Xiao Qi's initial plan was that they split up so that they could each cover a separate area, in hopes of accelerating the manhunt. But Chu Li had insisted otherwise. He explained that by sticking together, their enemies would not have any chance of ambushing them. Plus, they were not Innate Masters, so they should take extra caution.

Xiao Qi conceded to him and agreed to his stance. Thus, the two of them scouted the area from west to east, slowly entering the deeper regions of the Phoenix Mountains.

Chu Li put his Omniscient Mirror to use. He could now see everything within a three-mile range from where they were standing. However, all he could see were endless rocky mountains. He also noticed that the peak of the mountain was not too high up, as he could already see it from halfway up the mountainside.

The Sun was shining warmly in the clear blue sky. The sunlight ricocheted on the windows, lighting up the interior of the study room brightly.

Xiao Tieying was reading in his study room.

He was determined in his quest to quench more historical books so that he could improve his military strategies. The Ren Public House had been breathing down his neck of late, and he had no answer. If this situation persisted, the Yi Public House would crumble under his weak governance.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door. Then came Linquan's voice. "Master Xiao, the Second Lady has fainted!"

"What?!" The book slipped from Xiao Tieying's hands. He rushed to the door and let Linquan in. "What happened?"

"She collapsed when she was having her medicine. Elder Guo found out and asked me to notify you about it."

The color drained from Xiao Tieying's face. He exited the room in a hurry, with Linquan following closely behind him.

The two hopped onto a boat and started rowing frantically. Before long, they reached the Symphony Island. They then made their way towards the Wind Tower.

Several servant girls were standing in the main lounge of the Wind Tower, all with worried looks on their faces. When they saw that Master Xiao had arrived, they gave him a salute.

Xiao Tieying waved them off and climbed up the stairs in a swift manner. Linquan followed closely behind.

Guo Mulin was standing beside the bed with his head lowered. He was watching over Xiao Shi, who had blacked out and was laying down on the bed. Guo Mulin's face looked glum.

Upon hearing the footsteps outside, he turned his head around and made a fist salute. "Master Xiao."

"My second sister, she… ?" Xiao Tieying asked worriedly, "Is she going to be alright?"

"Doesn't look too good." Guo Mulin shook his head. "The medicine had little to no effect. I've already administered the Spirit Blessing Pill for the Second Lady, but…"

"With the Spirit Blessing Pill, she should be fine now, right?"

"Sigh…" Guo Mulin exhaled. "Even the Divine Pill would not be of much use now. The Vitality Sealing Finger's curse in the Lady's body was too overpowering. It blocked off any medications that we administered into her bloodstream. With medicine out of the picture, there won't be another way to save her!"

"There's no other way?" Xiao Tieying replied anxiously. "My Third Sister has gone out to look for 'Thunder Guiding Blade' Feng Jiuyang and will return soon. Can she hold on until then?"

"I'm afraid we don't have much time. She wouldn't make it." Guo Mulin smiled bitterly. "Unless Feng Jiuyang can arrive at once, if not… Sigh, if we delay any longer, by the time 'Thunder Guiding Blade' arrives, he would not be able to save her either."

"Sigh, how much longer will my Second Sister take?" Xiao Tieying sat down at the edge of the bed, caressing Xiao Shi's pale but beautiful face, his heart in writhing pain.

Guo Mulin sighed. "I'm afraid she won't make it through the night."

"Tonight?!" Xiao Tieying exclaimed in terror.

Guo Mulin looked down and nodded weakly. "Please forgive me for my inability!"

"What's the use of saying that?!" Xiao Tieying waved him off, and creased his eyebrows. "If we can disable the Vitality Sealing Finger now, would there still be hope?"

Guo Mulin looked at Xiao Tieying and sighed. "With her current condition, there's no way we could do that."

"Why is that so?" Xiao Tieying asked in a low voice.

Guo Mulin explained, "To disable the Vitality Sealing Finger, one would need to use a gush of energy to cleanse all the affected acupuncture points in the person's body. But at the same time, the other acupuncture points could not be hurt. Which is why no matter how precise one's inner energy is, there is no guarantee that the other acupuncture point will not be harmed. Judging by the Lady's current condition, even the slightest mistake would cost us her life!"

"Linquan, go and get Zhao!" Xiao Tieying ordered him.

"Yes, Master," Lin Quan replied swiftly, then left the place quietly.

Guo Mulin shook his head again. "Master Xiao, no use in that."

"We won't know if we don't try." Xiao Tieying shook his head in disagreement. "You want me to sit here and watch her die?!"

Guo Mulin sighed. "How's it going with Chu Li and Xiao Qi's mission then… ? Sigh, it's all my fault, I shouldn't have gambled with fate. I should have disabled the Vitality Sealing Finger earlier, not delaying the matter until now!"

"No, the fault is on me!" Xiao Tieying watched the unconscious Xiao Shi, mumbling to himself. "It is I who have failed my duties as a Big Brother. I was incapable of looking after my own sister!"

Guo Mulin remained silent.

At that moment, they could only blame God for not showing the Second Lady any mercy.

Linquan and Zhao Qingshan arrived at the room in time.

"Elder Zhao, please go and disable the Vitality Sealing Finger!" Xiao Tieying turned his head around and ordered, after giving him a fist salute. "I don't care what happens, we must give it a try!"

"Master Xiao, it will be futile," Guo Mulin interrupted.

Xiao Tieying gritted his teeth strongly. "She might die if we try, but the same goes if we choose to do nothing. It's better that we try if not, I won't be able to forgive myself for this!"

"Master Xiao, I…" Zhao Qingshan looked troubled.

He knew what the outcome would be. The Second Lady was beyond salvageable now. Master Xiao was just trying to beat the impossible. But if he was unable to revive the Lady, Master Xiao would surely be upset, how would he forgive him then?

Guo Mulin said, "Zhao, the Lady will not survive the night. So even if you fail, we only cut her life short by one night, no harm to give it a try."

Zhao Qingshan smiled bitterly and replied, "Elder Guo, but I don't want to be the cause of her death!"

"Don't worry." Xiao Tieying gritted hard on his teeth and said, "The earlier we end this, the earlier she can be set free. This weak body of hers has already caused her enough suffering. It's about time we end it now!"

"Master Xiao, I really couldn't…" Zhao Qingshan shook his head helplessly. "I really have no confidence."

"It wouldn't matter if you have the confidence," Guo Mulin added, "It's already too late!"

"... Right." Zhao Qingshan nodded.

He grimaced. Why would they ask him to try, if it was already hopeless?

Zhao Qingshan walked towards the bed and looked at Xiao Shi's pale face. The mere sight of it would make anyone shed tears of despair. She had a bright future ahead of her, but now... There was an old saying, that pretty girls were often destined to lead a miserable life. It was a shame that even the Second Lady could not avoid this ill fate.

When Zhao Qingshan thought of it, he steeled his heart and decided to do as he was told. It was better than not trying at all. Maybe there could still be a miracle.

He had researched on the Vitality Sealing Finger before, hence he knew precisely which acupuncture points to gush open. He pictured the scene in his mind, imagining waves and waves of inner energy surging through the acupuncture points. He stood there quietly, cultivating his inner energy, tuning his body to an optimum condition.

Xiao Tieying and the others held their breath as they watched him intently.

Suddenly, Zhao Qingshan opened his eyes. For a moment, it looked like electrical currents were emitting from his eyes. His eyebrows fluttered as if a strong wind was blowing at it. He raised his right palm and reached for the top of Xiao Shi's head.

"Pom!" a dull sound rang out, as Xiao Shi's body shuddered violently. The next thing they knew, she spurted out a mouthful of blood, her face turning even paler. But still, she remained stationary on the bed, her breath shallowing with every passing second.

"Pfft!" Zhao Qingshan too spurted out a mouthful of blood. He staggered backward, landing onto the ground in a seated posture.

Xiao Tieying moved closer to Xiao Shi's face to have a look.

Guo Mulin did the same and checked on her meridians, then proceeding to check if she had any signs of breath. His face appeared grim.

Xiao Tieying noticed his facial expression, he knew immediately that something was amiss.

"My Second Sister is she…" Xiao Tieying's voice trembled as he asked.

Guo Mulin shook his head. "Master Xiao, my condolences!"

"No! No! Impossible!" Xiao Tieying shook his head in denial, forcefully shrugging him off. "It cannot be!"

At that moment, Guo Mulin could only sigh and remain silent.

Xiao Tieying touched Xiao Shi's face. It felt warm, but when he put his finger under her nose, there were no signs of breath. His sister remained still as if she was sound asleep.

"Sister, wake up!" Xiao Tieying shook her shoulder gently, gently calling out to her. "Open your eyes and look at me!"

"Sister! Sister!" Xiao Tieying was not ready to give up just yet. He continued, "Don't ignore me, I will save you! I will never leave you alone, I will save you!"

"Master…" Linquan whispered.

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Xiao Tieying turned his head around and shouted. "Don't interrupt your Second Lady while she's resting!"

Guo Mulin stood up and gave Xiao Tieying a fist salute. He then made his way out.

Linquan hesitated for a second, looking at Xiao Tieying worriedly. Soon after, he helped Zhao Qingshan back up on his feet and then exited the room. All of them left the third floor.

Xiao Tieying held Xiao Shi's hands and kept whispering to her as if he was afraid of arousing her from her dreams. "Sister, do you still remember what mother had said when she was on her deathbed? She advised you to listen to me, listen to my every advice after she's gone. She asked me to take good care of you, sister, and protect you from getting bullied."

"I still remember the times when I brought you out to pick lotus seeds and catch butterflies. I still remember that sweet smile on your face back then."

"From that day onwards, I swore to myself, that I would do anything to make sure my sister lived a free and happy life!"

"But I have failed my duties as a Big Brother, I was useless. I had let you suffer too many sorrows. It's all my fault, I didn't take good care of you. I'm sorry, my sister!"

"I may be the heir of the Public House, but what's the use? I can't even protect my own sister! I could only watch from the side while you endured all those sufferings!"

"I wish that I could trade you my body, sister. I am willing to take on all those sufferings for you. You don't deserve a life like this… Sister, open your eyes and look at me, don't ignore your Big Brother!"

"Ah--------!" Xiao Tieying lifted his head and howled in grief. The windows shook, as his loud wail reverberated throughout the whole island.

Linquan and the others were downstairs at the time, and they all looked at each other. They could not do anything but sigh.

Grief had consumed Xiao Tieying entirely. He looked down once more at Xiao Shi's lifeless face. He gently wiped away the blood at the edge of her mouth with his shaking hands. He then embraced her, hoping to give her some warmth so she would not feel cold.

"Pa!" two pieces of jade fell from his chest.

The jade broke into half as it fell onto the floor as if a sharp blade had sliced through it, separating it into two smaller but equally sized pieces.

"Ah------!" Xiao Tieying let out another loud cry of sorrow, just like a wolf howling at the full moon.

"Pa!" two pieces of jade fell from Xiao Qi's chest.

Xiao Qi stopped abruptly, her usually calm face turned glum. Chu Li neared himself towards her.

The two were amid levitating from one tree branch to another, searching for "Thunder Guiding Blade" Feng Jiuyang. The Phoenix Mountains were secluded and quiet, and there was not a single soul. Their search had not been met with any success thus far.

Xiao Qi jumped down from the tree and picked up the two smaller pieces of jade. She looked at them, her face looking grim.

"Lady, what is it?" Chu Li did not understand what was going on.

Xiao Qi lifted her head and gazed at him, a terrified look on her face.

"Lady Xiao?" Chu Li whispered to her.

Xiao Qi's visions blurred out, but she quickly recovered. She handed the pieces of jade to Chu Li and explained. "These are the Jades of Life. My three siblings and I each have the same set. If one of us dies, the jade will break apart."

"Death?" Chu Li creased his eyebrows. "Is it your younger brother, the Fourth Master?"

Xiao Qi shook her head. "No, it's my Second Sister."

Chu Li was shocked. "That can't be, right?... When we left, the Second Lady was still in good shape. Although her life vitality was draining, it was not completely exhausted yet!"

"Yes, I can't be wrong, it's my sister." Xiao Qi nodded slowly. "I could feel it. She's gone!"

"No way!" Chu Li could not believe it.

Xiao Qi held onto the tree beside her, trying to prevent herself from falling.

Chu Li looked up in the sky. He sighed. "Could this be fate?"

Xiao Qi proclaimed, "No need to look for Feng Jiuyang anymore. Let's go back and see my sister."

"Allow me to bring you back," said Chu Li.

"Alright, let's go," Xiao Qi replied.

Chu Li helped her up and then blinked away. They vanished from where they were standing, reappearing two miles away from that spot.

He looked at Xiao Qi. "Can you bear it?"

"Just go, don't worry about me," Xiao Qi replied.

Chu Li nodded, and once again he blinked away, reappearing another two miles away.

He felt at a loss. He had not expected this day to come so soon. Chu Li had failed to save the Second Lady's life.

Chu Li blamed himself for not being able to do better. Even if he was not entirely confident, he should have tried to help the Second Lady, by secretly disabling the curse. He did not necessarily have to listen to Master Xiao's commands. Even if he had failed in treating her earlier, the ending would still be the same as now, it would not have mattered at all!

A million thoughts flashed through Chu Li's mind. The images of Xiao Shi's beautiful smiles floated before his very eyes, like a gallery of memories. His heart was in wrenching pain.

Xiao Qi started seeing various shapes of lights and shadows, she suddenly felt like vomiting. But all she could do was to close her eyes, although it did not help at all. The nausea exacerbated, and finally, she could not take it anymore. She tapped on Chu Li's shoulder from behind.

Chu Li supported her, then walked backward for a few steps to provide her with some breathing space. Xiao Qi bent down and started throwing up.

"Lady Xiao, I shall make my move first then," Chu Li said.

Xiao Qi took out her handkerchief and wiped her mouth. She raised her head and looked at Chu Li. "No, I'm okay!"

Chu Li shook his head.