Chapter 110: Those Who Truly Cherish Flowers Love Them Most

Helian is still alive?

Hong Jian stopped in her tracks.

Back when she was in the Vermilion Bird Prison, she and the man with the compound surname Helian had barely exchanged a few words. Helian was taciturn, yet whenever he did speak, he would often strike straight to the heart of the matter. At the time, Hong Jian had quite admired him, and she could sense that compared to the biting sarcasm he directed at the other two prisoners, Helian had actually shown her a degree of kindness.

However, breaking into the Heavenly Demon Sect to rescue someone... Hong Jian felt Lu Yanchang’s proposal was nothing but a pipe dream, a reckless overestimation of their own capabilities.

She did not rush to refuse him, instead asking, "Is there any hope of survival after being captured by demonic cultivators? Tell me exactly what happened back there."

The lack of internal energy made Hong Jian feel deeply insecure, so she resumed walking along the glacier. As she walked, she cast a slightly strange glance at Lu Yanchang. "I remember, Brother Lu, you used to whisper in my ear about how he was a hypocrite, deep-scheming and difficult to get along with."

Lu Yanchang hurried to keep up, giving a self-deprecating laugh. "After you left, sister, no new prisoners came to that cell. It was just the three of us left. Compared to that old man Jing, Helian and I had more to talk about. Regardless of anything else, after being neighbors for ten or twenty years, we developed a sort of camaraderie."

Hong Jian sighed softly. Ten or twenty years, day after day—if even people as incompatible as Lu Yanchang and Helian could become friends, how much more so for her and Ji Youfeng, who were already kindred spirits?

It was only natural that she felt such grief. She wondered how long it would take to break the habit of having someone by her side for twenty years.

Lu Yanchang gauged Hong Jian's expression and said cautiously, "I feel that the Heavenly Demon Sect’s attack on the Demon-Refining Prison was extremely strange, truly bizarre."

Seeing that Hong Jian’s attention was captured, he felt a surge of energy and continued, "I don’t know how they found the weaknesses of the Demon-Refining Prison, but this time they brought many demonic insects and creatures. The guards and elders couldn't hold them off, so they opened the chains and let us out as cannon fodder. Then, for some reason, the prison suddenly fell apart. We all tumbled into the water, and it was only then that we realized the Demon-Refining Prison had been situated beneath the glacier."

"Facing the swarms of demonic insects, everyone fought for their lives, but we all thought we were doomed, just struggling to live a little longer. Helian and I relied on our martial arts to handle things better than others, and we gradually drew closer to one another. That was when we discovered something strange."

He paused for effect, but Hong Jian clearly wasn't very interested; she kept her head down and walked on without even asking for more. Lu Yanchang had to continue, frustrated. "Those demonic insects were poisonous, but not lethal. Whenever one of us was poisoned, those black vines I just killed would emerge to grab them and drag them away. Even though our numbers were dwindling, very few were actually dying. Furthermore, the demonic cultivators were focused on the fragments of the prison sinking into the deep sea. It was clear the collapse of the prison caught them off guard. I suspect they weren't there to attack the prison at all, but rather to find someone."

"Wasn't that... old man Jing a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect? Where did he go?" Hong Jian asked, only then realizing she knew the Great Uncle’s uncle was surnamed Jing, but not what his given name was.

Lu Yanchang said, "At first, I thought so too, but later I felt otherwise. Besides, I haven't seen that old man since the incident. He might have been cut down by the guards during the chaos."

Hong Jian nodded. "Go on."

Lu Yanchang’s deduction was sound. If the Heavenly Demon Sect had stirred up such trouble for the sake of that old man, Gong Teng and the others would have been holding hostages; they wouldn't have been forced to dismantle the "Demon-Refining" structure.

"Later, as more people were killed, only a dozen or so were left struggling to hold on, including Helian and me. Seeing that we were finished, we decided to fight our way out together. Helian had the highest cultivation, so he naturally took the lead. We all pushed with everything we had and managed to break through. I was standing in the back and had the good luck not to be bitten by too many insects, but Helian wasn't so fortunate."

Lu Yanchang felt a sense of gloom as he reached this point. He genuinely hoped Hong Jian would agree to help him rescue Helian—that would be the best of both worlds. If not, he feared his days as her protector were numbered, and he wasn't sure if he would ever have the chance to see Miss Fang again.

Listening to Lu Yanchang’s words, Hong Jian weighed her options. She felt she should trust his judgment. The Heavenly Demon Sect was so opportunistic; if the person they were looking for wasn't the old man named Jing, then there was a strong possibility they were searching for Ji Youfeng.

She didn't know how they had heard of Ji Youfeng, but she had to rescue Helian and grasp this rare lead.

If the Heavenly Demon Sect was indeed looking for Ji Youfeng, they likely wouldn't withdraw for a while. Given their current strength, it would be easier to act here beneath the glacier. If they waited for the sect to retreat to their base, pursuing them would be like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

The only concern was the possibility of Ji Youyun returning suddenly.

She hoped that, just as Ji Youfeng had analyzed for Gong and Ding at the bottom of the sea, there had been an accident involving the half-volume of the "Great Calamity Sutra" that had fallen into the demonic cultivators' hands, keeping Ji Youyun occupied.

Thus, Hong Jian said, "Brother Lu, why don't you teach me that 'Eight Steps to Catch the Toad'? We should quickly find spiritual energy to restore our internal energy, then hurry back to see what’s going on."

Lu Yanchang was overjoyed. He taught her as they walked, and the two moved faster and faster across the glacier, gradually becoming two small black dots in the vast white snow.

This far-northern glacier was vast, and the Demon-Refining Prison had only occupied a small portion of it. After walking several miles, they likely passed out of the range where the soul of the monstrous beast had been devouring energy. The surrounding spiritual aura grew, becoming increasingly abundant.

Further out, there would be many more savage beasts. If not for the prison being hidden here, after the death of that Divine Transformation stage beast and thousands of years of recovery, this place would have long ago become an excellent cultivation site.

They quickly set about restoring their internal energy.

Lu Yanchang sighed with emotion. "Back in the day, I went deep into the Tenth Cave of Xianxia to find some high-quality materials and bribed a craftsman with a pair of sea-blue eagle-feather bracelets to forge a top-tier flying sword for me. It was fast and didn't consume much internal energy. It’s a pity they took all my treasures when they locked me up. Otherwise, I could use that sword to carry you, fly a circle around the glacier, and we'd likely find the tracks of those demonic cultivators. It would be easy, safe, and you could enjoy the beautiful scenery of the glacier from the sky."

Hong Jian had already learned of these things from Ji Youfeng, so she didn't react much, only saying, "If the Heavenly Demon Sect is carrying prisoners, their party will be large. If we are careful, we should be able to detect them from a great distance."

Lu Yanchang nodded repeatedly. He was simply resentful that after decades of cultivation, he had ended up a pauper, unable to offer the lady anything to make her happy. Even if he hadn't given away those bracelets, it would have been nice to be able to make her smile now.

As this thought crossed his mind, he remembered the insatiable greed of that craftsman, his cold-hearted master who had framed him, and that viper of a junior sister, Wen Xuejing.

A real man should be clear about his debts and grudges. How could he leave such wrongs unavenged?

He took a deep breath and said to Hong Jian, "I'll scout the path ahead in a moment, Miss Fang. Stay a bit behind me. If I am accidentally discovered by the demonic cultivators, you must judge the situation for yourself. If you aren't sure, do not come near; not only would it be a senseless death, but it would also tie my hands."

Hearing this, Hong Jian looked at Lu Yanchang with a new sense of respect. He wasn't belittling her or putting on a show; he was genuinely intending to stand in front and face all the danger alone.

Rarely, she smiled and said, "Don't worry. I treasure my life quite a bit now; I will certainly act according to my ability."

The beautiful, cold, and distant girl had suddenly smiled, despite him not having said a single sweet word. Lu Yanchang’s heart skipped a beat, and a look of irrepressible joy spread across his face.

Seeing Hong Jian looking over, he suddenly felt his expression was foolish and off-putting. He coughed quickly to shift her attention and said, "Sister, you really are a cultivation prodigy. When you said you had just built your foundation, I thought it was the truth. Who knew you were being so modest? I have never seen a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in their early twenties. If you hadn't been delayed all these years, you would certainly be a renowned figure among the Daoist cultivators by now."

Hong Jian felt a pang of pain and frowned subconsciously.

Lu Yanchang, unaware that he had inadvertently touched upon a painful memory, continued, "I don't know much about water-based cultivation. I didn't see you use any techniques at the bottom of the sea earlier. What techniques did you practice after establishing your foundation?"

Hong Jian pulled herself together. "I'm truly sorry. I’m afraid I have the cultivation but cannot be of much help to you. I practice the 'Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source'."

Lu Yanchang did not know much about water cultivators. He only knew that the most outstanding ones were gathered at the Dan Ya Sect, and none of the few he knew practiced this specific technique. Curious, he asked, "What kind of technique is that, and why would it be of no help?"

Hong Jian explained, "When facing an enemy, this technique can instantly absorb the water from their spells. It’s quite useful against water-based spells, but against demonic cultivators, it has no effect at all."

Lu Yanchang was surprised and said regretfully, "How can that be?"

Since they were about to face the demonic cultivators together, it was necessary for Lu Yanchang to know her true capabilities, so Hong Jian did not hide anything. "That's how it is at the entry level. After the technique advances, it gains the ability to absorb Metal-type internal energy as well. Try casting a small Metal-type spell."

Lu Yanchang recited a mantra and pointed his finger to the side. A ray of light, sharp and whistling, flew out. But as Hong Jian, who was meditating nearby, waved her hand, the ray of light suddenly vanished into thin air halfway through its flight.