Chapter 31: Recovery

Master Quan: Quan Ban is an 80 years old Master and Elder at Western Wind Ethereal Sect. Despite her age, she currently cultivates to become an immortal, so she still holds a youthful look. She has a patient attitude, always has her mind in the clouds and is loving towards all of her disciples. She was deeply moved by Silang's poem as it reminded her of a past she's trying to forget.

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Kun Shang slept for the next three days in a comatose state under the surveillance of Xiu'er. She would go in and out of his room, checking his pulse, his temperature, breathing and qi flow. In those three days that he was out, many things happened in the Western Sect.

First, Chun Yi was captured into the ice dungeons where no one rarely visited her, except for Silang who brought her food. She was rather lonely being so far from her home and everything else she knew. The first day Silang came to bring her food, she asked him if Kun Shang was saved and was amazed to find out that he was. Every day after that, she asked Silang how Kun Shang was doing and if he had awakened yet. She hadn't eaten much in the cells, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that everything was so cold. By the time she felt like eating, her food had turned to ice.

Second, Silang was very cautious about what he said to Master Quan when she asked about how he knew the poem "The Ferryman Rows the Sorrow''. He said he couldn't tell her exactly because he was acting under the permission of his sister. Without her approval, he cannot tell her anything. It would also be effortless to ask Xiu'er because she made it clear to Master Quan that she knew nothing of poetry, and that she was only acting under the permission of Kun Shang. Without him waking up, there was nothing she could do.

Finally, the Grandmaster sent word that as soon as Kun Shang woke up, they should be on their way soon. Since it had already come down to this, they would do their part as righteous people and allow a place for him to recover. When he's awake, she wants a meeting with a complete explanation as to how an outsider like Xiu'er knew about their Heart Cleansing Spring. This matter was categorized as grave importance.

In those days, Xiaogua was very quiet throughout the entire process. He stayed in his room most of the time, but did find a good spot for relaxing: the opening of a cave to watch the windy snow. There was no doubt that White Mountain had a beautiful view. The outside was just as beautiful as inside the Sect. It was majestic yet lonely, cold yet nostalgic. It almost felt as if he was staring into a live painting, and it made him feel relaxed. Some times during the day, the snow would fall heavily like sleet and the sounds of the wind would calm his mind.

Silang, on the other hand, was not as relaxed and calm as Xiaogua. He refused to sleep on his cold bed made of ice and would complain to any disciple he saw walking by. Although Western Ethereal Sect was a splendid school, everything about it was cold and dead. Their buildings were made of either two things: ice or stone. The designs of their buildings were spacious and tall, utilizing all the space in the mountain that was able to be occupied, including carving into the side of the mountain. There was barely any wood and Silang started to wonder how they stayed warm, but he did get a chance to see their kitchen so that part was answered.

He still hated that everything was cold about the place and the people were so shady. Nobody talked or greeted him when they walked past. He could tell they really don't like outsiders. He could also tell they were very strict on alcohol consumption. How was he supposed to go three days without wine? At the same time, he had never had so many beautiful females punish him when they found him sneaking around in the kitchen after curfew.

His sister came to his room on the second day and asked him if he found any information while they were in the capital. She had forgotten to ask him because of Yaoyao's death and Kun Shang suddenly being poisoned.

It's true that Silang liked to go to brothels to enjoy the girls, food, and entertainment. In fact, he may enjoy it too much. He was the living, breathing, and talking image of the sins of humankind: lust, money, and alcohol. But truthfully, he's not shameful, he actually took pride in it. Silang was a social person with a non-judgemental down to earth personality that all those who met him immediately wanted to become his acquaintances. He went to brothels mostly for leisure, but for other things as well.

Brothels are the most exclusive place for gossip to travel. It was the heart of communication among many different groups of people throughout the country.

Silang told his sister about Lady Yangyi, who was currently in a relationship with Gou Meng, the second son of the Sect Leader from Eastern Double Blade Sect, or also known as Qou Qingzhao's brother. Gou Meng and Lady Yangyi would meet once a month in a private room in the brothel, but he would never spend the night. Silang hadn't figured out what they would talk about. Maybe she was a spy of his. Most likely she would be. His judgments were never wrong.

On the other hand, Silang had the feeling that Lady Yangyi might have taken a liking to him and would eventually open up soon. He just had to be consistent with his relationship with her.

There was also a group of bandits that are closely tied with the brothel. They called themselves the Vulture Circle and would often visit. In fact, Silang recognized they were quite intimate with Gou Meng as well when he was enjoying himself just before Kun Shang sprung into the scene. It seemed like the Eastern Sect was related to too many factions, as if they were planning something big.

After the conversation with her brother, Xiu'er didn't talk to anyone else except A'Li in Kun Shang's room while she was monitoring him. A'Li was the only one she could vent her deepest emotions and thoughts to when everyone else failed to comprehend the things inside of her. It helped that A'Li couldn't tell it to her brother or anyone else in his monkey language. No one would understand. It also helped that no one from the Western Sect paid any attention to them so that she could be left to recuperate as well.

Saving Kun Shang was not an easy task. She had to use up an enormous amount of qi that left her internal energy weak and depleted at the end. On the third night, she secretly returned to the Heart Cleansing Spring and used it to replenish her own qi. She absolutely loved it. Why can't they have one back at home? After an hour, she had regained all her qi back to its original quantity.

Because of the cold, A'Li had been sick since the moment they were climbing the mountain. His internal energies were weak against the cold, thus he had been beside the fireplace most of the time, wrapped in a thick blanket and shivering. Like Silang, he absolutely hated the ice bed. It's like a giant block of ice and they were expected to sleep on it like a normal mattress. He used this chance to hoard all the fire logs in the entire Sect.

Looking at Kun Shang's chest as he breathed, Xiu'er had mixed feelings about him. She sat on the stone table in the room with her elbows down and biting her nails.

What exactly happened between Kun Shang and Chun Yi to make him trust her that much? Was he planning to make Chun Yi more than friends, or was Xiu'er thinking too much and too soon? Could he not feel her presence in his heart any more? It's as if Kun Shang didn't even notice her and only the poisonous girl.

She was running a mile a question in her head which was giving her migraines and leaving her drained. She decided to rest her head on the table on top of her arms. Her eyes suddenly felt dried and eyelids grew heavier. Before she knew it she had dozed off.