This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Before Nangong Yue could react, Li Daoxuan brought her to the outskirts of a city a hundred miles away.

Nangong Yue felt a blur before her eyes, a flash of golden light, and her surroundings completely changed.

She looked around blankly, her mind still reeling.

"What...just happened?"

Nangong Yue asked in a daze.

Li Daoxuan did not answer her question, but pointed to the bushes not far away and said:

"I'll take you to find your master..."

Nangong Yue was stunned for a moment, then seemed to realize what was happening.

The color drained from his face in an instant.

She pointed at the patch of grass, trembling all over, looked at Li Daoxuan, opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Li Daoxuan's eyes were heavy as he sighed:

"I'm sorry, your master... has been murdered..."

Nangong Yue shut her mouth and swallowed hard.

Then, with weak legs, I took a step and walked towards the bushes.

Li Daoxuan watched her retreating figure silently, his eyes filled with sympathy.

Finally, Nangong Yue reached the edge of the grass and slowly parted the weeds with trembling hands.

"ah..."

A piercing scream echoed across the countryside, and Nangong Yue's legs went weak, causing her to collapse to the ground.

He kept shaking his head, unable to utter a single word, only screaming incessantly.

Li Daoxuan couldn't bear it, so he stepped forward and squatted down, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but he didn't know how to start.

He could only gently rub Nangong Yue's head, using his spiritual power to soothe her soul, so as not to cause her too much of a shock.

Perhaps it was Li Daoxuan's primordial spirit power that worked, and Nangong Yue finally broke free from that immense fear.

She burst into tears.

"Master..."

Nangong Yue rushed over and lay on the corpse, which was covered by snow and only part of its body was visible. She cried until she almost fainted.

Li Daoxuan stood aside, silently keeping him company.

He could imagine how devastating this must have been for that innocent girl.

After all, her master died tragically while searching for her, and it will be difficult to resolve this inner conflict.

Nangong Yue gradually stopped crying, and then began to dig through the snow next to the corpse with her hands.

After digging out her master's body, Nangong Yue picked him up and hugged him as if he were an ice pop.

Li Daoxuan understood her thoughts, and before Nangong Yue could speak, he used his supernatural powers to take her back to Bixia Mountain.

Nangong Yue had no time to wonder what methods Li Daoxuan used, or what those methods meant.

She placed her master's body in the main hall, fetched clean water, and carefully wiped away the bloodstains from his body.

Judging from the wounds on the body, her master died from a sword piercing her heart.

Looking at the glaring wound, Nangong Yue burst into tears again.

After she helped her master wash and change his clothes, she took a hoe and went to the back of the old house to start digging a pit.

Her strength at the fourth level did play a role, making it easy for her to do these things.

However, after the pit was dug, Nangong Yue was in a dilemma. She had heard that people needed a coffin when they were buried, but there was no coffin at home.

Nangong Yue thought for a moment, then approached Li Daoxuan and pleaded:

"I want to go down the mountain to buy a coffin for my master. Could you... could you look after his body for me? I'll be back soon."

Li Daoxuan sighed and remained silent.

Turning around, he waved to the mountains and forests not far away. Ancient trees in the mountains flew up out of thin air, trimming and shaping themselves. By the time they flew to the two of them, they had transformed into a fine coffin.

Nangong Yue stared at all in disbelief. If it had been before, she would have been chattering away with questions.

But this time she was only surprised for a moment before returning to normal, and then silently picked up her master's body and put it into the coffin.

As the sun sets, a new grave appears amidst the quiet and peaceful forests of Bixia Mountain.

Nangong Yue knelt before the grave for three days and three nights without eating or drinking.

She finally collapsed from unconsciousness as the sun set on the fourth day.

Li Daoxuan was there the whole time, but he never said a word of comfort to her.

Because he knew that Nangong Yue needed to atone for her sins in this way, so that perhaps she could feel a little better.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Nangong Yue woke up, it was already the morning of the fifth day.

She hadn't eaten a single grain of rice or drunk a drop of water for five days and five nights. As a martial artist at the fourth level of cultivation, her body simply couldn't withstand it.

However, when she woke up, she still ignored the food that Li Daoxuan had placed by her bedside and continued to walk unsteadily toward the back of the old house.

As she reached the door, Li Daoxuan stopped her and asked:

"Do you think you can atone for your sins by kneeling to your death before your master's grave?"

Nangong Yue's pale face remained expressionless, her eyes dull and unfocused.

Li Daoxuan sighed helplessly:

"We met by chance, so I shouldn't meddle in other people's business."

"However, since we've met, there are some things I feel I should say."

I'll only say it once; whether you listen or not is up to you.

Nangong Yue finally reacted, looking up at him and waiting for him to speak.

Li Daoxuan said in a deep voice:

"Since you say your master is your only family, then only you can avenge her."

"If I were you, I would search to the ends of the earth to find the murderer, kill my enemy with my own hands, and avenge my master."

"As for what to do after taking revenge, that's not important."

"As a disciple, if I cannot avenge my family, what kind of person am I?"

At this point, Li Daoxuan paused for a moment before continuing:

"Since we've met, I can grant you one request."

"Alright, that's all I have to say. If you've thought it through, go eat, recover, and then come down the mountain to find me."

"I will wait for you at the foot of the mountain until sunset today."

After saying that, Li Daoxuan disappeared in an instant, like a gentle breeze.

Nangong Yue's eyes finally showed a slight change.

After standing there in silence for a long time, she came to the grave behind the house again, knelt down there and wept uncontrollably.

"Master...it's all my fault..."

"Master... I shouldn't have left secretly, I shouldn't have worried you..."

"Master...I'm sorry..."

Nangong Yue prostrated herself on the ground, repeatedly saying sorry.

However, this time, Li Daoxuan's words did have some effect.

After kowtowing three times before her master's grave, Nangong Yue staggered to her feet, returned to her room, and drank the clear water prepared by Li Daoxuan, which contained a wisp of the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

She ate all the food on the table.

After eating and drinking her fill, Nangong Yue did not rush down the mountain. Instead, she set up a stance resembling a sword in her room and began to recover her internal energy.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Li Daoxuan sat cross-legged on a large rock at the foot of the mountain.

He had a clear view of everything on the mountain.

He looked up at the sun, which was already beginning to set in the west, and sighed softly.

"Life...it's really cruel..."