Xiao He had always been a straightforward but crazy woman.
Yang Kai had never seen this kind of melancholic expression on her face before, and it made him think of something. Just when he wanted to ask her though, Qu Hua Shang suddenly grunted and started trembling.
With his expression changed, Yang Kai turned to look at her, “What’s wrong?”
“I-I’m fine!” Qu Hua Shang obstinately shook her head.
However, Yang Kai already realised that something was off. Under the moonlight, her face appeared slightly pale while her Internal Qi was unstable.
Xiao He placed her hand on the other woman’s forehead and exclaimed, “It’s cold!”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai took Qu Hua Shang’s wrist and placed two fingers on her pulse before injecting some of his power to check on her.
Just like Xiao He had said, Qu Hua Shang’s figure was as cold as an ice block. While being close to her, he could feel the coldness wafting from her body.
Nevertheless, the coldness soon dissipated and was replaced by scorching heat.
Qu Hua Shang gasped for breath. Her vision had turned blurry, and her face flushed.
Upon examination, he realised that her Qi was in chaos. The power she had obtained by cultivating was rampaging around her meridians like an out-of-control horse.
Yang Kai and Xiao He exchanged glances before saying at the same time, “Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill!”
There were countless kinds of pills in the world, but the wickedest of them all was the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill.
This pill was invented by the second Sect Master of White Lotus Sect, and its recipe was a top secret. Only the current Sect Master of White Lotus Sect knew how to refine it.
The pill was also one of the best ways for the leader of White Lotus Sect to control their subordinates.
The person who had taken this pill would see their aura turning chaotic if they didn’t consume the antidote at regular intervals, just like Qu Hua Shang was going through now. One would feel extremely cold or hot in a vicious cycle, and the situation would only exacerbate as time passed, eventually resulting in them exploding in a gruesome death.
There were countless disciples in White Lotus Sect. There were already a lot of disciples in the middle of the hierarchy, not to mention the grassroot disciples. Although the White Lotus Matriarch was powerful, she couldn’t ensure that her subordinates would always be faithful to her.
Therefore, many disciples in the middle of the hierarchy, especially the Hall Masters, were controlled by her using Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pills. Only by gaining the White Lotus Matriarch’s trust would they be spared from this kind of treatment.
Yang Kai initially thought that as a Saintess, Qu Hua Shang had gained the White Lotus Matriarch’s complete trust, and she didn’t have to take the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill.
It wasn’t until the poison struck her that he realised he was wrong. Although Qu Hua Shang was one of the few Saintesses of White Lotus Sect, she was still controlled by the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill.
From what those from Grand Qi Temple had gathered, after a person took the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill, they would have to consume an antidote every three months; otherwise, life would become a living Hell for them.
After some calculations, Yang Kai realised that it had been three months since Qu Hua Shang was brought to this place.
In other words, the last time they met, she must have just consumed the antidote. Since time was up now, the medicinal efficacies of the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill started taking effect.
“Whose blood was used?” Yang Kai asked with a solemn expression.
Needless to say, he knew that the White Lotus Matriarch’s blood had been used.
The refinement of the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill required Human blood, and it also took the same person’s blood to produce the antidote.
Qu Hua Shang was the Saintess of White Lotus Sect; hence, only the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill made from the White Lotus Matriarch’s blood could ensure her loyalty.
“What should we do now?” Xiao He asked anxiously. She was fully aware of the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill’s effects, so she was afraid that Qu Hua Shang would lose her life just like that.
If Qu Hua Shang died, she wouldn’t be able to see the things she had always wanted to get a glimpse of.
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai carried Qu Hua Shang up. While using his own strength to protect her meridians, he walked out and said, “Let’s go!”
In order to save Qu Hua Shang, they had to look for the White Lotus Matriarch.
He had underestimated the difficulty he had to face in the ninth life. Initially, he thought that after bringing her to this place, he just had to spend years with her, and she would eventually fall in love with him; however, since she had been struck by the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill, he had to give up on this plan.
The most important thing he had to do now was to save her life.
Although the fight between Grand Qi Temple and White Lotus Sect had been ongoing for many years, they still hadn’t found the location of White Lotus Sect’s Headquarters. It wasn’t that those from Grand Qi Temple were terrible at gathering information, it was just that those from White Lotus Sect didn’t have a fixed Headquarters.
White Lotus Sect had countless hideouts, so wherever the White Lotus Matriarch was located would be the Headquarters; however, she would always go to a different place after some time. Only the people closest to her knew the regular switching pattern. Usually, even the Hall Masters of White Lotus Sect were unable to find her.
Fortunately, Qu Hua Shang held a very important position, so she had the right to know the hiding place of the White Lotus Matriarch.
Sometimes, she was conscious, but sometimes, she would pass out. Yang Kai could only intermittently ask her about the White Lotus Matriarch’s whereabouts.
It took Yang Kai and Xiao He a month before they arrived at a certain valley.
There were some traces that suggested that there were people living here, and in the deepest part of the forest there were a number of buildings.
Apparently, this was another secret hideout of White Lotus Sect.
Certainly, the disciples of White Lotus Sect who were in the periphery had noticed Yang Kai and Xiao He’s arrival; therefore, as soon as they stepped into this place, they were surrounded by countless White Lotus Sect’s disciples from all directions.
Innumerable streams of Divine Sense had locked onto them. Some of them darted their gazes between Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang, who was in his arms, with doubtful expressions.
They definitely knew that she was a Saintess, but they had no idea why she was in a man’s arms at the moment. This prompted many of them to look resentfully at him.
Like an enraged cheetah, Xiao He growled from time to time while appearing tempted.
Since there were so many disciples of White Lotus Sect around, she had the urge to slaughter them all.
However, even though they were two of the most powerful cultivators in the world, they would be doomed if they had to deal with so many formidable enemies from White Lotus Sect.
In other words, the moment they stepped into this place, they already lost control of their own fates.
“I was wondering why the magpies were chirping early in the morning. I can understand now. There are some honoured guests here.” Someone was heard laughing as a middle-aged woman clad in white clothes emerged from the crowd.
Although she was no longer young, she was still charming. It was obvious that she must have been alluring in her youth. Despite her age, she was still pretty attractive as age didn’t seem to have left any marks on her.
Her white clothes made her look very pure, just like a lotus.