One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 255 The Heart of the Earth's Veins

Nie Lingfeng thanked her and entered the shack. Chen Duo lay there quietly, the deathly paleness on her face fading slightly, replaced by a faint hue. Her long eyelashes cast quiet shadows beneath her eyelids, as if she were simply asleep. He held her slightly cool hand, feeling the core of the Phoenix True Fire within her. Though still weak, it was like a tempered carbon core, more solid and resilient, slowly but steadily absorbing the sparse spiritual energy in the air and the warm earth energy emanating from the animal hide beneath her, gradually repairing and strengthening itself. Her own Phoenix bloodline, after this near-sacrifice and death experience, seemed to have undergone a profound tempering and activation, its recovery ability far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"Little girl...you really scared me this time." Nie Lingfeng murmured to himself, gently stroking her slightly furrowed brow with his fingertips to smooth out her worries. "Get well soon, and...you mustn't do such reckless things again."

As if hearing his whisper, Chen Duo's eyelashes trembled slightly again, and the corners of her mouth seemed to curve upwards very slightly.

On the third day, Chen Duo woke up.

It was during the warmest part of the afternoon sun. Nie Lingfeng was holding a bowl of cooled, nourishing medicinal soup, preparing to feed her with a small wooden spoon. Just as he scooped up a spoonful and brought it to her lips, her emerald-green eyes, which had been closed for several days, slowly opened, filled with the confusion and weakness of someone just waking up.

Her gaze first fell blankly on the leaves on the roof of the shack, then slowly shifted and landed on Nie Lingfeng's face, which was close at hand, filled with surprise, exhaustion, yet incredibly gentleness.

"Nie... Lingfeng..." Her voice was weak and hoarse, like a fledgling bird that had just learned to speak, yet she clearly called out his name.

"Yes, I'm here." Nie Lingfeng's voice was extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing her. "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

Chen Duo blinked, seemingly struggling to understand his question, then slowly shook her head and whispered, "I don't feel unwell... it's just... I'm weak... I'm so hungry..." Her eyes brightened slightly at the word "hungry," but then dimmed again due to her weakness. She stared longingly at the medicine bowl in Nie Lingfeng's hand, her little nose twitching slightly before her face immediately scrunched up. "This... is so bitter..." (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)

Nie Lingfeng's heart softened at her pitiful expression of "disliking the bitter medicine" and "crying out for food," and the heaviness and fatigue of the past few days seemed to dissipate considerably. He suppressed a laugh, pushed the medicine spoon forward a little further, and said in a coaxing tone, "Good medicine tastes bitter. Drink this, and you'll have the strength to get better faster, and then you can eat delicious food. Come on, be good, open your mouth."

Chen Duo glanced at the dark, bitter-smelling medicine in the spoon, then at Nie Lingfeng's gentle yet unyielding gaze. Her lips trembled slightly, but she ultimately frowned, resignedly opening her mouth and swallowing the spoonful of medicine in small sips. With each sip, her face scrunched up more, and her emerald eyes welled with tears of grievance, making Nie Lingfeng feel both heartache and amusement.

After finally finishing half a bowl, Chen Duo refused to drink any more, shaking her head like a rattle-drum and shrinking into the animal skin, indicating with her actions that "if I drink any more, I'll cry." Nie Lingfeng knew she had just woken up and couldn't be forced, so he stopped feeding her and turned to take a bowl of fragrant and tender meat porridge made with wild fruits and dried meat from a small earthenware pot that had been kept warm nearby.

The aroma of the meat porridge instantly brightened Chen Duo's eyes. She struggled to sit up, but failed twice. Nie Lingfeng quickly helped her, letting her lean against him, and then slowly fed her the porridge spoonful by spoonful. Chen Duo ate in small sips, eating with utmost care and appreciation, as if it were some supreme delicacy. She even licked the grains of rice off the corners of her mouth with her little tongue. After finishing a bowl of porridge, her pale face finally regained some color, and her spirits improved significantly. However, she was still weak, and leaning against Nie Lingfeng, her eyelids began to droop again.

"If you're sleepy, go back to sleep for a while," Nie Lingfeng said softly.

"Hmm..." Chen Duo mumbled in response, her little hand unconsciously clutching Nie Lingfeng's sleeve. Her emerald eyes were half-open as she looked at him, and she whispered, "Nie Lingfeng... that... the stinkiest, worst bad guy... did he burn it? And... that old man in the stone house..."

"It's all burned, all burned." Nie Lingfeng gently patted her back, like coaxing a child. "Grandpa has completed his mission and gone to rest where he belongs. It's safe outside now. Focus on recovering and don't think too much."

"Oh..." Chen Duo seemed relieved. Her eyelids finally closed completely, and she fell into a deep sleep again. This time, however, her breathing was longer and more steady, and there was a slight, satisfied smile on her lips.

Looking at her sleeping peacefully, Nie Lingfeng felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. He carefully laid her down, covered her with the animal skin, and then tiptoed out of the hut.

Outside, the mountain guardian was still sitting by the stream, as if he had never left. Hearing the noise, he looked up, his dark eyes meeting Nie Lingfeng's, and asked hoarsely, "Girl...you're awake?"

"Yes, he just woke up, drank some porridge, and went back to sleep. His condition is stable, and he's recovering faster than expected." Nie Lingfeng sat down on a rock next to him, feeling the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the stream.

"The phoenix... its bloodline... is extraordinary..." the mountain guardian said slowly, his gaze fixed on the distant waterfall. "This... calamity... may not be... all bad for her... ...only through rebirth... can she... truly... spread her wings..."

Nie Lingfeng remained silent. He knew the mountain guardian was right. This trip to the altar was a life-or-death test for Chen Duo, but it could also be an opportunity to fully unleash her bloodline potential and allow her to truly begin to control the power of the phoenix. However, the process was far too dangerous, and he absolutely did not want to experience it a second time.

"Senior Shanpan..." Nie Lingfeng looked at the mountain guardian, his eyes filled with inquiry.

The mountain guardian was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice even lower: "He...fulfilled...his vow...in the most thorough way...protecting...the last...peace...of this land..."

"That... rift... is the deepest... wound... left by the calamity that tore through space... back then... and its... connection to... 'over there'... is the most... direct... and... the most... dangerous... The mountain... sealed it... with itself... for countless years... and has long been... entangled... with it... and... the polluted... ley lines... indistinctly... inseparable..."

"Now... he... has chosen... mutual destruction... to completely... annihilate... the rift... and... also... take away... most of the remaining... pollution... from the earth's veins... From now on... this land... will... slowly... begin... true... self... purification... and... recovery..."

"He...is...a hero..." the mountain guardian said finally, his voice filled with respect and sorrow.

Nie Lingfeng nodded and took out the three items from his pocket—the heavy "Earth Vein Scepter," the warm and smooth fragment of the "Phoenix Nirvana Pendant," and the dark red "Earth Vein Essence" crystal containing pure earth vein energy—and placed them on the bluestone in front of the mountain guardian.

"This is what Senior Shanpan entrusted to me before he passed away," Nie Lingfeng said. "He said it was... a spark of hope, a token of the guardian."

The mountain guardian's gaze fell upon the three items, especially the "Earth Vein Scepter." A fierce light flashed in his dark pupils, as if confirming something or recalling a memory. After a long while, he slowly reached out, his withered fingers gently trembling with an almost pious devotion, stroking the strange gem at the top of the scepter and then touching the "Earth Vein Essence" crystal.

"The Heart of the Earth's Veins..." the mountain guardian murmured hoarsely, revealing the crystal's true name, "It is... the purest... energy... crystallization... of the earth's veins... containing... the earth's... vitality... and... memories... the mountain... purified... and preserved... it..."

He then looked at the fragment of the phoenix jade pendant: "The feather of rebirth...the phoenix...the token...fragment...within which...perhaps...a trace...of the phoenix's...true meaning...and...legacy..."

Finally, his gaze returned to the "Earth Vein Scepter," and his tone became even more solemn: "As for this... the Mountain Suppressor... it was... personally... bestowed... upon... the Guardian Shaman... by Lord Qilin... back then... symbolizing... the qualification... and... responsibility... to... communicate with the earth veins... and mobilize... the power of mountains and rivers..."

He looked up at Nie Lingfeng, his dark pupils seeming to pierce through people's hearts: "Shanpan... handing it over to you... means... he... acknowledges you... and... entrusts... this... responsibility... and... cause and effect... to you."

Nie Lingfeng took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "I understand. I will make good use of them and take on this responsibility."

The mountain guardian nodded, said nothing more, and simply lowered his head again to continue polishing his long knife with the black stone, making a rhythmic "shush" sound.

Nie Lingfeng put away the three tokens, walked to the stream, and washed his face with the cool water to clear his mind. He began to sort out the events of the past few days and consider his next move.

The matter at the altar has temporarily come to an end. The sacrifice of Shanpan annihilated the rift, purified the largest source of pollution, and severed a crucial clue for the "Council" here (the rift and the possible fragments of the "key"). However, the "Council" has not been crippled; their tentacles have already extended to various parts of the world, especially Southeast Asia and northern Myanmar. The "signal" that the mountain guardian mentioned earlier, which Azan Ki sensed, and the "Council's" search for the "sacred artifact" at the altar, all indicate that they still have important schemes in this area.

After this battle at the altar, his and Chen Duo's identities are likely now on the "Council's" radar. The scarred captain must have transmitted their information (possessing Qilin and Phoenix bloodlines) back before he died. The "Council's" pursuit and targeting of them will likely become even more frantic and ruthless.

They couldn't hide in this secluded valley forever. Chen Duo needed a safer place, one more suitable for her recovery and cultivation, and he also needed time to digest the gains from this battle, especially the experience of initially fusing the power of the Qilin and Phoenix, and how to use these newly acquired "tokens".

Returning to the "Company"? Perhaps that's the safest option, with the protection of "Eagle" and Chairman Zhao. But the "Company" isn't a monolithic entity, and returning would inevitably lead to more constraints on their operations, making it harder to investigate the "Council."

Continuing to operate in the border region? It's fraught with danger, but also offers more freedom and makes it easier to uncover any traces of the "parliament's" activities in the area. Furthermore, the lead Azan Ki mentioned to Kachin State in northern Myanmar has not yet been investigated.

And then there's Chen Duo… her phoenix bloodline is a tremendous treasure, but also the root of all trouble. We must help her gain complete control of her power as soon as possible, so she has enough strength to protect herself.

A series of thoughts flashed through Nie Lingfeng's mind as he weighed the pros and cons and pondered the optimal path.

As the sun gradually sets in the west, it bathes the valley in a warm golden hue. The sounds of the waterfall, the babbling of the stream, and the occasional birdsong from afar create a tranquil and peaceful symphony.

But Nie Lingfeng knew that this tranquility was just a brief respite before the storm.

He raised his head and looked up at the narrow strip of sky above the valley, his eyes calm and resolute.

No matter how treacherous the road ahead, he will carry Chen Duo, Shan Pan's entrustment, and the legacy of the Qilin and Phoenix, and walk step by step.

Uncover the shadows of the "Parliament," uncover the truth behind the "calamity," and protect what is worth protecting.

This is his path.

"Have you decided?" The mountain guardian's hoarse voice suddenly rang out from behind, interrupting Nie Lingfeng's thoughts.