One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 117 Outbreak and Treatment

A figure rushed in through the window, as fast as a bolt of blue lightning! He landed, turned around, raised his hand, and struck out with a palm!

Cloud-Dispelling Palm - Waves of Clouds!

A violent palm strike swept through the room like a tsunami! Before the three men could react, they were struck by the palm strike and sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily into the wall!

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Three mouthfuls of blood spurted out simultaneously. The three slid off the wall and collapsed to the ground, their chests caved in, countless ribs broken, their breaths instantly fading.

Nie Lingfeng stood in the center of the room, his back to Chen Duo, facing the three men lying on the ground. He didn't turn around, but coldly asked:

"Are you alright?"

Chen Duo leaned against the wall, panting, with black blood still dripping from the corner of her mouth. She looked at Nie Lingfeng's back—a back that wasn't broad, but seemed incredibly tall at that moment—and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.

She felt relieved, aggrieved, and... a trace of dependence that she herself was unaware of.

"No...it's nothing," she said softly, her voice a little hoarse.

Nie Lingfeng then turned around and glanced at her. Seeing the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth and her pale face, his eyes instantly turned cold, as if they were covered with ice.

"You," he said, looking at the three men lying on the ground, his voice calm, but beneath the calm was an barely suppressed killing intent, "who sent you?"

The man in the lead struggled to get up, but a sharp pain in his chest made him fall back down. He coughed, blood seeping from the edge of his mask, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

"Nie...Nie Lingfeng..." he hissed, "How...how could you be so fast..."

He had clearly arranged for someone to keep watch at the alley entrance, to notify them immediately upon Nie Lingfeng's return. It should take at least three minutes to get from the alley entrance to the hotel, enough time for them to subdue Chen Duo and evacuate. But from the moment Nie Lingfeng broke through the window until now, less than thirty seconds had passed!

How could he be so fast?!

"Answer my question." Nie Lingfeng took a step forward, his foot slamming onto the floor with a dull thud that shook the entire room. "Who sent you?"

The man gritted his teeth and remained silent. He knew that speaking out meant death, and remaining silent also meant death. But speaking out would lead to a far more gruesome death—Wang Ai's methods of dealing with traitors were a thousand times more terrifying than death itself.

"Not going to tell?" Nie Lingfeng raised an eyebrow, raised his right hand, palm up, "Alright, I'll ask you another way."

"puff."

A crimson flame ignited in his palm.

It wasn't large, but its color was eerie and its temperature terrifying. The moment the flame appeared, the temperature in the room soared by more than ten degrees, the paint on the walls began to curl and turn yellow, and a burnt smell filled the air.

The eyes of the three men widened simultaneously, their pupils reflecting the flickering flame, filled with terror.

"This...this is..."

"Qilin Fire," Nie Lingfeng said for them, his voice very soft, as if introducing a dish. "The temperature is around three thousand degrees, enough to instantly vaporize steel. I want to know, what would happen if it were used to burn a person?"

He paused, then added, "Don't worry, I'll control the temperature carefully. I won't burn you all to death all at once. I'll start from your feet and burn you little by little upwards, so you can watch your own bodies... disappear bit by bit."

His tone was calm, as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today." But it was precisely this calmness that sent a chill down the spines of the three men.

That was a real, deep-seated fear.

"I...I'll talk!" The youngest man broke down, screaming, "It's the Wang family! Wang Ai sent us! He said...he said if we capture Chen Duo and bring her back, there will be a huge reward! We were just following orders, spare our lives! Spare our lives!"

Nie Lingfeng glanced at him, then looked at the man in the lead: "Is what he said true?"

The man in the lead closed his eyes and nodded.

"Very good." Nie Lingfeng flipped his hand, extinguishing the flame. He walked to the three of them, squatted down, and looked into their terrified eyes. "Go back and tell Wang Ai."

"First, I'm protecting Chen Duo. If she dares to touch her again, I won't hesitate to go to the Wang family and 'talk' to her in person."

"Secondly, those five people from last night, and the three of you, are just interest. I will take Wang Bing's life sooner or later."

"Third," he paused, his voice growing even colder, "if the Wang family sends anyone else, I will not hold back. One comes, I'll kill one. Two come, I'll kill both. Do you understand?"

The three nodded vigorously.

"roll."

A single word, like a pardon. The three of them, as if granted a great pardon, scrambled out of the room, their footsteps fading away in a jumble down the corridor.

Nie Lingfeng stood up, walked to the window, and watched them escape the alley and disappear into the night. Then, he turned around and walked to Chen Duo.

"Are you badly injured?" he asked, his voice much softer.

Chen Duo shook her head, wanting to speak, but another mouthful of black blood welled up. She covered her mouth, blood seeping from between her fingers, dripping onto the ground with a hissing, corrosive sound.

Nie Lingfeng frowned, grasped her wrist, and channeled his inner energy into it. Upon examining it, his expression turned even more grim.

The backlash from the poison was more severe than expected. Cracks had appeared in the seal, and the black, violent poison was raging, trying to break free of its restraints. Chen Duo's life force was being rapidly eroded.

"Sit down." He helped Chen Duo sit on the bed, then sat cross-legged behind her, placing his hands on her back. "Concentrate and follow my internal energy. I'll help you strengthen the seal."

Chen Duo nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel a warm and mellow internal energy surging into her from behind, like a clear spring flowing into a dried-up riverbed. Wherever it passed, the restless poison was temporarily suppressed, and the cracks in the seal were repaired little by little.

But this time, the repair process was very slow.

Nie Lingfeng could feel his internal energy being depleted very quickly. It wasn't that Chen Duo's Gu poison was too strong, but rather... a foreign, cold, and malicious "Qi" was interfering with his treatment.

That kind of "qi" was very hidden, like the venom of a poisonous snake, silently seeping into Chen Duo's meridians, corroding the seal, and stimulating the poison.

Was it left by those three people from earlier?

No, that's not right. This kind of "qi" has a more ancient, more sinister quality, more like... some kind of curse, or the remnant of a forbidden technique.

Nie Lingfeng's heart sank. He increased the flow of his internal energy, while simultaneously mobilizing the power of the Qilin blood—orange-red blood shimmering with golden light surged within his body, bringing with it scorching vitality and powerful purifying force.

The two forces merged, like fire meeting ice, instantly forcing back, purifying, and dispelling the cold "qi".

Chen Duo's body trembled violently, and she let out suppressed moans. Sweat soaked her hair and clothes, and her face was as pale as paper, but her breathing gradually calmed down.

The seal has been temporarily stabilized.

Nie Lingfeng withdrew his hand and let out a long breath. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his face was somewhat pale. Two consecutive high-intensity treatments, coupled with the burst of energy just now, had taken a toll on him.

"It's alright for now," he said, his voice a little weak, "but the seal can only last for three days. Within three days, we must find the reason for the sudden activity of the Gu poison, otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Chen Duo understood.

Otherwise, if the seal breaks and the poison erupts, she will turn into a pool of black water in extreme pain, and even her soul will be completely corroded.

She looked down at her left hand. The black lines on her palm were deeper than before, and there were more tiny, spiderweb-like branches at the edges, spreading towards her wrist.

"Is it because of...them?" she asked softly.

"Not entirely." Nie Lingfeng shook his head, his brows furrowed. "They are merely the triggers. The real reason is the Gu poison within your body... is 'evolving'."

"evolution?"

"Hmm." Nie Lingfeng stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deep night outside. "The primordial Gu poison is alive. It will constantly adjust, adapt, and evolve according to the host's emotions, environment, and experiences. Your emotions have fluctuated drastically over the past three months, experiencing pursuit, battles, fear, anger... These negative emotions are the best nourishment for the Gu poison."

He turned around and looked at Chen Duo: "It's growing, it's getting stronger, it's trying... to completely control you."

Chen Duo fell silent. She looked down at her hand, at the ever-deepening black line, and a chilling despair welled up inside her.

Is there no way to escape?

No matter how she escapes, no matter where she goes, this poison, this curse, will follow her like a shadow until it completely consumes her.

"Is there any way?" she asked, her voice very soft, like a thread that might break at any moment.

Nie Lingfeng stared at her for a long time. Then, he walked up to her, squatted down, and brought his gaze level with hers.

"Yes," he said firmly, "but it's difficult, dangerous, and...you'll have to do it yourself."

Chen Duo raised her head, a glint of light flashing in her emerald eyes: "I can do it myself?"

"That's right." Nie Lingfeng nodded. "The Gu poison is in your body. Sealing can only suppress it temporarily, and treatment can only relieve the symptoms. To truly solve it, you must start from the root—you must learn to control it, master it, and make it work for you, instead of being controlled by it."

He paused, then added, "But this process is painful, long, and you could fail at any time. If you fail, you will die, die a horrible death."

Chen Duo looked at him for a long time. Then she asked:

"What will happen if I don't try?"

"The poison will continue to grow and evolve until it completely spirals out of control." Nie Lingfeng didn't hide anything. "At that time, you will become a monster that only knows killing and destruction, without reason, without emotion, without a self. And I... may have no choice but to kill you."

Chen Duo's body trembled slightly.

She lowered her head, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly until her knuckles turned white. Silence fell over the room, broken only by the faint sound of the wind outside and the distant roar of vehicles.

a long time.

It took so long that Nie Lingfeng thought she wouldn't answer before Chen Duo slowly raised her head.

In the dim light, her eyes, like two emerald gems, were clear, firm, and without the slightest hesitation.

"I'll try," she said, her voice soft but each word clear. "I don't want to become a monster, and I don't want... for you to kill me."

Nie Lingfeng looked at her, at the almost resolute courage in her eyes, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him. There was relief, worry, admiration, and a touch of...heartache.

This girl, having endured so much suffering and lost so much, still did not give up. She was still struggling, still resisting, still trying to grasp that faint glimmer of light called "hope."

"Okay." Nie Lingfeng reached out and took her hand—it was cold, but he held it tightly. "I'll help you. Let's do it together."

Chen Duo nodded, a faint but genuine smile appearing on her lips.

"Um."

Outside the window, the night was deep.

Inside the room, the two looked at each other and smiled.

The road ahead is difficult and fraught with danger, but at least they are not alone.

This is enough.