After being chosen by the Ice Queen

From the viscous, icy sea of ​​blood, eight ferocious serpent heads, as large as mountains, rose, their scarlet vertical pupils reflecting a chilling light. The resentment from that ancient calamity nearly overwhelmed his remaining consciousness.

Just as consciousness was about to succumb, a glimmer of light quietly bloomed from the deepest part of the soul.

Unlike the deep and obscure light of the Candlelight's Breath, it possessed a majestic and righteous yet incomparably sharp radiance. It was born from the first ray of dawn at the dawn of creation, destined to sever chaos and clarify order.

The light coalesced and took shape. The phantom of a sword silently floated in the void of consciousness. The sword was long and slender, its radiance restrained, only its overwhelming aura capable of severing all things was about to burst forth—cutting through clouds and rain, severing wind and rain, determining calamities, and separating the pure from the impure.

Gu Yan grasped it.

A sense of clarity flowed through his entire body. He gently waved his hand towards the roaring phantom of Orochi.

The sword light was like a line, not vast, but it swept past with an irreversible sense of impending doom.

The soft sounds of bubbles bursting blended together. The eight imposing serpent heads shattered in the light, transforming into countless poignant, purplish-black specks of light. The churning sea of ​​blood gradually subsided, finally retreating into the corner of consciousness beneath its heavy seal, leaving only a deeper, lingering echo.

To eliminate evil spirits, one must not suppress them by force, but rather resolve them with reason.

Before I could fully appreciate this mystery, the scene suddenly changed.

Beneath their feet lay a flowing galaxy, above them an endless expanse of darkness. A figure, enveloped in the radiance of countless stars, stood silently before them. Their face was hidden, only a chilling, scrutinizing gaze emanated from them.

The starlight figure stirred slightly, and a message, or revelation, that could not be contained in words and went straight to the essence, was about to transcend the void and touch the core of Gu Yan's consciousness—

"ah--!"

The tearing pain in his abdomen, like the most brutal anchor chain, violently pulled him back from this infinitely lofty realm.

Real Loft

Gu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his rapid breathing unusually clear in the silent room. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his thin undergarment, and the wound in his abdomen throbbed with each heartbeat.

However, alongside the excruciating pain was an unusually clear consciousness—refined by the sword strike in the dream, all distracting thoughts had subsided, and the mind was clear.

He immediately focused his mind and introspected.

The wound still stung, but the lingering weakness had greatly lessened; the strange powder from Daodaosai had taken effect. More importantly, within his body: the previously scattered and restless aura of Zhuyin had now solidified like lead and mercury, its obscure and majestic aura becoming even more pronounced as it slowly circulated. The heavily sealed Orochi core, its ever-present ripples of resentment and erosion, seemed to be largely isolated by an invisible yet resilient membrane. The aura… was clear, sharp, and superior, originating from the same source as the sword shadow in his dreams.

His sense of danger was also more acute; he could even hear the faint sound of Daodaozhai slowly pacing in the tavern downstairs, and the flapping of wings of night birds in the distant mountains outside the window.

The awakening of inheritance... On the brink of life and death, amidst that strange dream, instead of retreating, it took a step forward. A blessing in disguise?

Just as he was concentrating on his meditation, a very faint but not completely concealed sound of footsteps came from the stairwell. They stopped outside the door, hesitated for a moment, and then pushed the door open and entered.

It's Chiba Rin.

Gu Yan subconsciously did not fully wake up immediately, remaining in a comatose state, only adjusting his breathing to be long and steady, while his consciousness was highly concentrated, sensing the movements of the person who came.

She walked to the edge of the bed, stood quietly for a moment, seemingly observing his condition, and then gently lifted the thin blanket covering him.

The cool air touched her skin, and Gu Yan could feel that her upper body was completely naked, with only a bandage wrapped around her abdomen. A pair of cool and soft hands carefully landed on the edge of the bandage and gently untied the knot.

Fingertips brushed against the skin on Gu Yan's waist, and the old bandages were peeled off layer by layer, exposing the wound to the air.

She leaned down, and her faint fragrance became even more pronounced. A few strands of her loosely tied hair fell down, brushing against his neck and chest.

The damp, soft cloth gently cleaned the scabs and old medicine around the wound, causing Gu Yan's abdominal muscles to tighten slightly.

"Don't move..." she whispered almost instinctively, her voice less cold and more gentle...? Her hand pressed lightly against his side with a soothing touch, her palm slightly warm.

Gu Yan's heart skipped a beat. At this moment, his senses were far sharper than usual. He could not only feel every movement of her fingertips and the warmth of her palm, but he could even hear her slightly faster heartbeat and smell a faint fragrance on her body besides the scent of medicine and soap.

Chiba Rin was wearing the loose yukata given to her by Totosai. When she bent over, the yukata was naturally loose. From Gu Yan's angle of lying on his back with his eyes closed, the breathtaking contours and a warm shadow seemed to intrude into the edge of his perception.

Even worse, after carefully cleaning the area around the wound, she picked up a new ointment, dipped it in with her fingertips, and began to gently apply it to the injury. The cool ointment and the warm touch of her fingertips moved slowly along the sensitive edges of the wound, and she gently pressed to ensure the medicine penetrated. Her movements were impeccable, yet they caused Gu Yan's blood to surge, and an uncontrollable heat rose from her lower abdomen, spreading throughout her body.

Chiba Rin stared blankly at Gu Yan's handsome yet somewhat pained face. He could feel her gaze on his face, as if observing whether he would awaken from the pain.

Gu Yan could almost picture her slightly furrowed brows. Her other hand gently cupped his wrist, her fingertips resting on his pulse point, as if trying to confirm his vital signs. The touch between their skin was delicate and slightly cool.

This can't go on! Gu Yan's brain is overloaded.

After applying the ointment, Chiba Rin picked up a new, clean gauze, preparing to re-bandage. His fingertips touched his abdominal muscles again, seemingly trying to straighten the bandage from its starting point—

"Hiss..." Gu Yan let out a sharp cry of pain at just the right moment, his brows furrowed and his eyelids trembling, as if he was about to wake up from his coma.

The gentle pressure from the fingertips on her body suddenly froze, pausing for a full two seconds.

Gu Yan opened his eyes, his gaze carrying just the right amount of confusion and unfocus. Then, his focus sharpened, meeting the eyes that were so close to his.

Chiba Rin was leaning slightly forward, holding gauze in one hand and pressing the other against his abdomen. Her usually cold and beautiful face was now less than a foot away from him. She clearly hadn't expected him to wake up suddenly, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, meeting Gu Yan's gaze.

Gu Yan's gaze involuntarily drifted downwards. "No! Don't look!" Gu Yan cried out inwardly. The loose neckline of the yukata opened even wider as she leaned forward, revealing a patch of snow-white skin and a deep cleavage that was unmistakably exposed to Gu Yan's focused gaze.

Time seemed to stand still.

"Ah!" Chiba Rin gasped, sitting up abruptly as if burned, quickly pulling her clothes tighter. She looked away and hurriedly placed the gauze in her hand on the tatami mat beside her.

Gu Yan quickly followed suit, feigning weakness, grabbing some clothes from the side and haphazardly covering himself. At the same time, he struggled as if trying to sit up, which aggravated his wounds, causing him to grimace again.

"Don't move!" Chiba Rin's voice returned to its cold tone, even becoming a few degrees harsher. She turned her face away, no longer looking at him. "Your wound has just been dressed. If you don't want to die, lie still."

Gu Yan did not move as instructed, leaning against the pillows as she slowly put on her undergarments. A subtle, almost awkward silence filled the room, while the chirping of birds outside continued unabated.

A while later.

Chiba Rin turned her face back, her expression now calm and indifferent. Only a faint trace of pink remained at the base of her ears. She picked up the gauze and said in a businesslike tone, "Raise your hand."

Gu Yan cooperated silently. She resumed bandaging him, her movements still steady and professional. Gu Yan occasionally let out a muffled groan; this time, he was genuinely in pain. Her fingertips no longer lingered, and her movements were much faster than before. Both of them stared straight ahead, one intently at the bandage, the other at the ceiling.

"You're awake." After bandaging her up, Chiba Rin took two steps back and stated the situation calmly, as if the incident had never happened.

"Mm." Gu Yan responded briefly, trying to move his body a little. "I feel much better, thank you."

"Thank you for the medicine, Totosai," Chiba Rin corrected, walking to the window, her back to him, gazing at the deepening twilight outside. "Kito Gou's men haven't found this place yet, but not for long. You need to recover as soon as possible. Totosai gave us temporary weapons," she pointed to the Kuroame and Cicada Thin swords in the corner of the room, "but he also said that to truly counter the swords of Kuki-Kara and Kito Gou, we need special materials."

She turned around, her gaze falling on Gu Yan's face, now completely calm and sharp: "Kitou Hao has hidden a batch of things in an abandoned shrine in the western mountains, which may be related to the map clues we obtained earlier. There are forging materials we need there, and there may also be something you need... to solve the problem inside your body."

A thought flashed through Gu Yan's mind; the clarity brought on by the sword shadow in his dream subtly echoed the clues about the Kusanagi Sword. "When do we set off?"

"Until you can at least grip a knife and dodge bullets," Chiba Rin said coldly. "I don't want to drag a half-dead man on the run again. Three days, five days at most. We must act before Kito Gou's large-scale search of the mountains."

After she finished speaking, she didn't linger, picked up her black raincoat, and walked straight to the door.

"Chiba," Gu Yan suddenly spoke.

She paused, but didn't turn around.

"You're injured too, and poisoned... Rest more," Gu Yan said, his voice steady.

Chiba Rin was silent for a moment, then gave a very soft "hmm," opened the door, and disappeared at the top of the stairs.

The attic fell silent again, with only the deepening twilight and a faint fragrance in the air.

Gu Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and closed his eyes.

However, it was difficult to calm one's mind immediately.

He forcefully suppressed his chaotic thoughts and focused on his body again. Following the Mind Source Meditation Method taught by Lin Xue, his consciousness sank into the increasingly solidified Candle Shadow Breath, while carefully sensing the thin membrane that isolated the Orochi's erosion.

The injuries were slowly and continuously repaired under the power of the medicine and the circulation of her own energy, while the vague understanding about severing the shackles of clarity that she had gained in the dream began to quietly sprout in the depths of her consciousness, like a seed.