Chapter 56

Zhou Chengwen organized his disciples to go back and heal, while Song Weizhi returned to her room. She set up a barrier in the room, took out many healing pills from her storage ring, removed the blood-stained clothes, and sprinkled powdered medicine on the wounds. One of the wounds was on her back, and Song Weizhi struggled to apply the medicine. Afterward, she used bandages to wrap up the wounded areas. 

Although these external injuries looked intimidating, with the aid of these medicines, they could heal in three to four days. What truly concerned Song Weizhi was the Soul Drawing Sect that Zhou Chengwen mentioned. If their target was her family Xia Xia, what exactly did these people want? 

On the other hand, Wei Zhao was much more comfortable than Song Weizhi. At least she didn't have to stare at her wounds. Zhou Qingxue took out more than a dozen types of medicines of all sizes. 

Wei Zhao grinned and said, "I don't need so many medicines." 

Miss, with red eyes, glared at Wei Zhao, "Why do you talk so much? Just eat if I tell you to." As she spoke, she poured five or six various pills into Wei Zhao's hand. 

Wei Zhao obediently took the pills. Seeing that her clothes were stained with blood, Miss immediately said, "Um, you, take off your clothes. I'll help you apply medicine." 

Wei Zhao nodded and, without much thought, endured the pain of removing all her clothes. She continued until she was only left with a chest wrap, but Wei Zhao wanted to continue. 

However, Zhou Qingxue blushed and stopped Wei Zhao, raising her voice slightly, "Wait, this is enough. You, as a young girl, how can you just undress completely?" 

Wei Zhao was full of question marks, wondering why Miss had asked her to undress in the first place. "Isn't this better for applying medicine?" Wei Zhao couldn't understand why it mattered when both were girls. 

"Alright, alright, no need to undress anymore. This is good enough," Zhou Qingxue's face turned red, not daring to look at Wei Zhao. She quickly applied medicine to the wounds and then tightened the bandages. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. 

"Uh, now that the medicine is applied, take your time to put on your clothes," Zhou Qingxue turned away, not looking at Wei Zhao. 

Wei Zhao, puzzled, glanced at Zhou Qingxue's red cheeks and thought, 'I'm the one being watched.' What's the big deal with Miss being shy? 

On the other side, on a cliff shrouded in black aura, there stood a mansion. The mansion was large, with pavilions and towers, but the cliff was barren, making it look out of place. 

In the center of the mansion, there was a large hall. Sitting in the central position of the hall was a young man. He held a teacup, slowly sipping tea. If not for the occasional black aura emanating from him, he would seem like a noble young master. 

At this moment, a dozen black-clothed individuals knelt in front of him. These were the same people who had just clashed with Song Weizhi. The young master, seemingly indifferent to the kneeling people, continued sipping his tea until he finished a cup. Only then did he speak with pursed lips, "Such a bunch of useless people. With Nascent Soul cultivation, you let a few Golden Core cultivators beat them like this. Do you have the face to come back?" 

The tone of the man's speech wasn't particularly harsh, but it still frightened the black-clothed individuals kneeling. The one at the forefront nervously reported, "Sect Master, those young brats are incredibly powerful. They don't seem to have the cultivation of Golden Core realm. Moreover, disciples from the Cold Mountain Sword Sect also arrived later. We had no choice but to withdraw." 

The man addressed as the master glanced faintly at the person, "Did you see that person?" 

The leader dared not raise his head and replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, those brats were guarding very tightly. I was incompetent and couldn't see the person." 

"Humph, you acknowledge your incompetence. In that case, there's no need to keep you." As he spoke, the dark aura around him intensified. 

Just as he was about to take action, a sound came from the void, "Sect Master, please hold on." 

With the sound of the voice, a masked man appeared in the hall. He bowed to the man sitting in the main position and said, "Sect Master, calm your anger. This situation can indeed be blamed on them. I didn't expect that the cultivation of those people with Song Zhixia would progress so quickly. The one called Wei Zhao has already reached the Perfection-Nascent Soul realm." 

"Heh, interesting. I remember you said her cultivation was at Perfection-Golden Core when she first arrived, and in just a few days, she reached Perfection-Nascent Soul? There must be something peculiar about this." The man glanced at the masked man and remarked. 

"The specific details are still under investigation. However, I have used the Soul-Calling Stone to detect two soul fragments of the Vermilion Bird within Song Zhixia's body. The cultivation and aptitude of her friends around her are quite high. Especially that woman who ranked first in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect's secret realm, I always feel that her cultivation is not just Perfection-Golden Core realm. Moreover, her relationship with Song Zhixia seems intimate, as if there is a mutual affection." The man eloquently reported to the one addressed as the Sect Master. 

The man referred to as the Sect Master showed a smile, "Interesting, such a deep romantic connection. I wonder if one of them falls into the demonic path, will the other still be so infatuated?" 

"Sect Master, the Martial Arts Tournament among the four major sects in Ji Mo City is about to begin. I've gathered information from the palace that the first prize in this competition is the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird. Instead of immediately dealing with Song Zhixia's matter, why don't we wait? If Song Zhixia or Song Weizhi manages to win, we won't need to exert much effort to obtain three Soul fragments." The masked man explained. 

The man addressed as the Sect Master said, "No rush. As long as we know the whereabouts of the Soul fragments, those things will be mine sooner or later. Now, let's have some fun with these kids." He then looked at the people kneeling on the ground, "Leave a few of you alive. Get lost." 

"Yes, yes, we'll leave, we'll leave." The black-clothed individuals quickly rolled away. 

The man referred to as the Sect Master was none other than Lu Ming, the Sect Master of the demonic Soul Drawing Sect. For him, the Soul fragments of the Vermilion Bird could rapidly enhance his cultivation speed. Alternatively, dual cultivation with someone possessing the Vermilion Bird's Soul fragment could achieve the same effect. Lu Ming pondered the words of the masked man. Since Song Zhixia had someone she liked, he lost interest in directly snatching the Soul fragments. 

Several days later, Song Zhixia slowly woke up, and Song Weizhi and the others had also recovered from their injuries. However, Song Weizhi still had lingering fears about what happened that day. The dispatched individuals were not the top-notch experts from the other side, but she, along with Wei Zhao and Zhao Xuankun, couldn't have resisted them if Zhou Qingxue hadn't come to their rescue. 

When Song Zhixia woke up, she had already reached Perfection-Golden Core realm. Due to the blessing of the soul fragments within her, her cultivation speed far surpassed others. The moment she opened her eyes, she couldn't wait to share the joy of her improved cultivation with Song Weizhi. 

"Senior Sister, I've advanced two small realms again." Song Zhixia forgot to knock on the door and rushed into Song Weizhi's room. 

Song Weizhi reached out and embraced the girl who threw herself into her arms, "Good, my Xia Xia is the best." 

The little girl affectionately rubbed her head against Song Weizhi's shoulder, "What about you, Senior Sister? Have you already finished cultivating? " 

Song Weizhi's lips lightly touched the girl's forehead as she whispered, "A few days earlier than you. Xia Xia, from now on, when you go out, make sure to call me or Wei Zhao. In the past few days, some mysterious people in black came. We need to be extra cautious." 

As soon as there was danger, Song Zhixia immediately asked, "Senior Sister, how about you? Did you get hurt?" 

Song Weizhi hugged the little girl, "Look, am I not standing here fine? Don't worry, I'm fine. However, those people had unknown origins, so we need to be more careful." 

The following days returned to calm, as if the incident with the people in black never happened. Song Weizhi and the others gradually became familiar with various places in the Cold Mountain Sword Sect. 

After another day's morning class, Qi Yingzhe, having finished teaching the disciples, announced the news of the Martial Arts Tournament between the four sects. The disciples started discussing it fervently. 

Qi Yingzhe glanced at everyone and continued, "The first prize of this competition is the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird. I hope everyone can prepare well and bring glory to our sect." 

"The soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird? What is that?" 

"It's said to be the soul fragment left by the ancient mythical beast, the Vermilion Bird. For cultivation, it's like a rocket. Oh, but the first place is impossible for us." 

"True, I don't know why the reward is so generous this year. Senior Brother Qi, are you participating? If you participate, it's yours." 

"Yeah, the competition this time is probably going to be intense." 

"Well, we'll just watch the excitement when the time comes. I guess I'll be eliminated in the first round." 

In the main hall of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, there were only Zhou Yeran and Qi Yingzhe. Zhou Yeran set up a restriction in the hall. 

After pondering for a while, he spoke, "Yingzhe, over these years, your Master has placed high hopes on you, and you have lived up to it, becoming the foremost disciple of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect. You have always been steady. This time's Martial Arts Tournament, as you know, the royal family has put up the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird as a reward. This item is extremely rare and will greatly benefit our Cold Mountain Sword Sect. I hope that after winning the championship, you can hand over the soul fragment to me. By then, the treasures of our Cold Mountain Sword Sect will be at your disposal." Zhou Yeran spoke grandly, but in fact, he wanted to claim the Vermilion Bird's soul fragment for himself. 

However, Qi Yingzhe remained expressionless, showing no signs of disobedience. "Master, your words are too serious. Everything Yingzhe has is given by the sect. If, by some stroke of luck, I can achieve first place, I will offer the soul fragment with both hands." 

Zhou Yeran smiled and nodded, "Indeed, you are the outstanding disciple I have the highest expectations for, Yingzhe, your future prospects are limitless."