Xiao He had always been the carefree, scatterbrained sort.
But Yang Kai had never seen the sorrow that now crossed her face as she spoke those words. His heart stirred, and he was about to ask more when Qu Huashang beside him suddenly let out a faint groan, her body trembling.
Yang Kai's expression shifted as he quickly looked over. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing… I'm fine!" Qu Huashang shook her head stubbornly.
But Yang Kai could already tell something was wrong. Under the moonlight, Qu Huashang's complexion was noticeably pale, her aura fluctuating erratically.
Xiao He reached out and placed her hand on Qu Huashang's forehead, gasping. "So cold!"
Yang Kai's face grew solemn. He grabbed Qu Huashang's arm and pressed two fingers against her wrist, channeling his power to probe inside.
Just as Xiao He had said, Qu Huashang's body was frigid, like a block of ice. Even just being close, Yang Kai could clearly feel the chill radiating from her.
But the cold lasted only a brief moment before vanishing entirely, replaced by a scorching, searing heat.
Qu Huashang groaned with difficulty, her eyes hazy, her face flushed deep red.
And under Yang Kai's probing, the energy inside her body was in utter disarray — the power she had cultivated was like an unbridled wild horse, rampaging through her meridians.
Yang Kai and Xiao He exchanged a look and said in unison: "The Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill!"
There were countless spirit pills and miracle medicines under heaven, but if one were to name the most evil and sinister of them all, it was undoubtedly this Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill!
This pill had been developed by the second leader of the White Lotus Sect and was a closely guarded secret passed down exclusively among the sect. Only the leader of the White Lotus Sect knew how to refine it.
It was also one of the primary tools the White Lotus Sect's upper echelons used to control their subordinates.
Those who took this pill had to consume the antidote at regular intervals. Without it, the energy in their bodies would spiral into chaos — just as Qu Huashang was now experiencing, alternating between cold and heat. Over time, the condition would worsen steadily until their bodies exploded and they perished.
The White Lotus Sect had countless followers. Setting aside the lowly foot soldiers, even the number of mid- and upper-level members was considerable. Although the White Lotus Matriarch possessed extraordinary powers, she could not guarantee the loyalty of everyone under her command.
As a result, many mid- and upper-level members of the White Lotus Sect — especially those at the hall master level and above — were kept under the control of the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill year after year. Only those who had earned the White Lotus Matriarch's complete trust were spared such treatment.
Yang Kai had assumed that someone of Qu Huashang's status — a Holy Maiden — would have earned the White Lotus Matriarch's full trust and need not be subjected to the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill.
But now, as the poison flared up inside her, he realized he was wrong. Even though Qu Huashang was one of the White Lotus Sect's rare few Holy Maidens, she too was kept under the control of the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill.
According to intelligence Haqi Hall had gathered, after taking the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill, one had to consume an antidote every three months, or the consequences would be worse than death — an existence of pure torment.
Calculating the time, Qu Huashang had been brought here by him roughly three months ago.
In other words, she must have taken the antidote before she last came to see him. Now that the time had come, the effects of the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill had manifested.
"Who is the blood catalyst?" Yang Kai asked gravely.
He didn't really need to ask — he already knew the blood catalyst could only be the White Lotus Matriarch herself.
The refinement of the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill required a person's fresh blood, and the antidote's refinement required the blood of that same person. The one who provided the blood was the catalyst. Only their blood could be used to produce the corresponding antidote.
Qu Huashang held the position of Holy Maiden in the White Lotus Sect. Only if the White Lotus Matriarch herself served as the blood catalyst to refine the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill could her loyalty be effectively guaranteed.
"What do we do? What do we do?" Xiao He asked nervously, well aware of the terrifying power of the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill. She feared Qu Huashang would simply die right then and there.
If Qu Huashang died, she would never get to see what she wanted to see.
Yang Kai hesitated only briefly before scooping Qu Huashang up in his arms. While channeling his power to protect her heart meridian, he strode outward. "Let's go!"
The only way to save Qu Huashang was to find the White Lotus Matriarch!
He had still underestimated the difficulty of this ninth cycle. He had thought that by bringing Qu Huashang here and spending day after day together — whether it took ten years or eight — eventually his persistence would win her over. But now that Qu Huashang had been afflicted with the Blood-Condensing Soul-Cleansing Pill's poison, all his previous plans had to be abandoned.
Saving Qu Huashang's life was the priority.
Haqi Hall had been locked in conflict with the White Lotus Sect for years, yet they had never managed to determine the true location of the White Lotus Sect's headquarters. This was not for lack of intelligence gathering on Haqi Hall's part — it was because the White Lotus Sect simply had no fixed headquarters.
The White Lotus Sect had countless strongholds, and wherever the White Lotus Matriarch resided was considered the headquarters. However, she relocated at regular intervals, and the pattern was known only to her most trusted confidants. Under normal circumstances, even the White Lotus Sect's hall masters had no way of finding her.
Fortunately, Qu Huashang's status was not low — a Holy Maiden certainly had the right to know the White Lotus Matriarch's location.
Qu Huashang drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes lucid, sometimes lapsing into a stupor. Yang Kai pieced together the White Lotus Matriarch's movements from her fragmented words.
It took nearly a full month before Yang Kai and Xiao He finally arrived deep within a remote mountain range.