Chapter Twenty: Waiting for the Child

The Blue Flame Bird landed in the courtyard. Ji Jiuhuo, with his fiery red hair and gray robe, strolled down and reached the door of the house in just two steps.

"Yichuan." Ji Jiuhuo's smile brought peace to one's heart. Legend had it that Ji Jiuhuo was also extremely hot-tempered in his youth, but since he had lived for nearly four hundred years, and the oldest person in the entire Ji Clan's Western Mansion was just over a hundred, naturally, stories about Ji Jiuhuo's youth were merely legends.

"Clan leader." Ji Yichuan looked at the clan leader, anxiety in his eyes. "Xue'er, she..."

"I've already heard from Redflower." Ji Jiuhuo nodded. "Let me take a look first."

"Mm." Ji Yichuan immediately led the way. At that moment, Yuchi Xue had already gotten out of bed and bowed respectfully: "Yuchi Xue pays respects to the clan leader."

Ji Jiuhuo said, "You are weak now. Lie down first; there's no need for formalities."

Yuchi Xue then half-reclined on the bed. Ji Jiuhuo sat down on a stool nearby, extended a finger, and placed it on Yuchi Xue's wrist. With a gentle tap... a faint red glow quickly spread, enveloping Yuchi Xue's entire body. At that moment, she seemed to be bathed in flames.

Ji Yichuan watched nervously from the side, while Ji Jiuhuo closed his eyes.

After a full quarter of an hour, the red glow covering Yuchi Xue's body faded. Ji Jiuhuo opened his eyes and, facing Ji Yichuan's expectant look, couldn't help but sigh and shake his head gently: "The root of the illness is deep; there's no cure."

"Ah." Ji Yichuan's face turned pale.

Ji Jiuhuo continued, "Your wife was at the Xiantian perfection level back then. It would have been one thing if she had only damaged her foundation in that calamity; there was still time to treat her. But she went ahead and used a secret technique that consumed vitality... on an already severely injured body, she inflicted another wound. The root of the illness is deep! Unless there is a pill suitable for mortals to extend their lifespan, there is no other way."

"A pill suitable for mortals to extend their lifespan?" Ji Yichuan looked at his wife. Yuchi Xue also looked back. Their eyes met, and Yuchi Xue said softly, "Yichuan, I know my condition."

If it were merely a pill to extend lifespan, though extremely precious, Ji Yichuan could sell everything he owned, including the thousands of subpar magic treasures Ji Ning had given him, and borrow some from the Ji Clan, perhaps he could obtain one. But with the added condition of 'suitable for mortals,' the value immediately increased severalfold.

The more potent the pill, the stronger its medicinal power. A pill that can extend lifespan is heaven-defying. And for it to be tolerable for a mortal's fragile body—its preciousness far exceeds what a tribe like the Ji Clan could aspire to.

"Yichuan." Ji Jiuhuo spoke slowly, "I have also refined some pills and will have them sent over immediately. Your wife should have about three more months to live."

"Three months!" Ji Yichuan's expression changed drastically.

Yuchi Xue, however, showed a smile and spoke, "Yichuan." Ji Yichuan quickly turned to look at his wife. Yuchi Xue smiled and said, "Having three months is better than I expected. I don't regret it. Back then, I did it so that Ning'er could be born. If I hadn't given birth to Ning'er, perhaps I could have lived twenty years. But those twenty years would have been spent in regret. Now, I have lived ten years happily. That's enough, enough. Go and have Ning'er come back. I want to see him. With him by my side, everything is fine!"

"Mm." Ji Yichuan nodded quickly. After a moment's thought, he called out, "Brother Black, Blue Flame Bird."

Immediately, a figure in black and a woman in green walked in from outside. They were the transformed forms of the black serpent and the Blue Flame Bird.

"Brother Black." Ji Yichuan said quickly, "Ji Ning can easily recognize your voice. So now, take the Blue Flame Bird and hurry to the border between our Ji Clan and the Tiemu Clan." As he spoke, Ji Yichuan produced a map. He glanced outside to confirm the direction, then carefully sensed the location of the jade sword Ji Ning carried.

Ji Yichuan looked at the map and quickly pinpointed a spot. He lightly tapped his finger on a mountain peak on the map, leaving a trace of blood: "Ji Ning's position hasn't moved. Based on my sensing, though there is some deviation due to distance, he is definitely within a hundred li of this mountain. Once you reach the sky above that mountain on the Blue Flame Bird, shout for Ji Ning, telling him his mother is critically ill and to return immediately. He will surely hear."

"Understood." The man in black responded promptly. "Rest assured, Yichuan. With one shout, given Ji Ning's extraordinary hearing, he can probably hear it from two to three hundred li away."

A voice carrying a hundred li is impossible for mortals, but it's easy for Xiantian beings. Back when Ji Ning shouted at Yishe Lake, his voice also spread across the entire lake.

"Blue Flame Bird, I'll have to trouble you once more." Ji Yichuan looked at the woman in green.

"It's nothing." The Blue Flame Bird's voice was gentle. "This matter should not be delayed. Brother Black and I will set off immediately."

"Let's go." The man in black nodded as well.

Soon, carrying the map, the man in black stood on the back of the enormous Blue Flame Bird, swiftly flying toward the border between the Ji Clan and the Tiemu Clan.

"Ning'er." Yuchi Xue looked at the Blue Flame Bird soaring past in the distant sky, her heart even more牵挂 her son. The closer she came to death, the more she wanted to see her son, her most beloved child.

...

The Blue Flame Bird was incredibly fast. In less than an hour, it had already reached the sky above that mountain.

"This is the mountain." The black serpent nodded. It was much easier to identify reference points from high altitude.

"Brother Black, shout now." The Blue Flame Bird urged.

"Mm." The black serpent looked down below, infused his demonic power into his voice, and shouted loudly: "Young Master Ji Ning, the mistress is critically ill. Return immediately!"

"Young Master Ji Ning, the mistress is critically ill. Return immediately!" The shout spread from the sky, soon reaching the forests for two hundred li around. Yet deep within the mountain directly beneath them... these two spirit beasts had no idea that there were actually millions of mortals here.

...

Inside the mountain belly.

Bound to the iron pillars, the Xiantian beings suffered endless torment. They were made to endure immense pain while being kept alive as long as possible. The longer the torment lasted, the greater their resentment! The stronger the resentment and hatred, the more powerful the vengeful spirits they would become.

"Young master Ji Ning, the matriarch is critically ill. Return at once." A voice came from the distant sky.

Although a great formation was concealed around the mountain, preventing the wails, groans, and curses of the million mortals within from escaping, sounds from outside could still penetrate... just like the Zifu Disciple 'Bo Zishan' in the deep密室 at the mountain's base—though not a sound could escape from the密室, sounds from outside could enter.

This was also good, allowing for clearer discernment of the external situation.

"Young master Ji Ning, the matriarch is critically ill. Return at once." The voice echoed within the mountain belly, startlingly loud.

"What a loud voice."

"Who's shouting up there?"

Six elegantly dressed men and women all looked up toward the sky outside the mountain belly. One of them, a man with a goatee, quickly said, "Fellow disciples, did you hear? They're calling for Ji Ning."

"Ji Ning, the matriarch critically ill?" The scorpion woman said in surprise, "Ji Ning's mother is critically ill?"

"Hahaha..." The most stalwart and burly man with cyan hair laughed, "That Ji Ning is also a genius like a demon. If allowed to grow, his future achievements would be unimaginably terrifying. But now he has less than three days to live and is trapped within the formation. Clearly, his mother is critically ill up above, but no matter how loudly he shouts, his voice simply cannot get out!"

"Yes." The handsome young man sighed. "I'm afraid he must be furious with rage right now."

"I have to say, this Ji Ning is quite a remarkable figure. He killed our senior apprentice brother when he was just eleven or twelve. Yet his end is so tragic—dying in despair, anger, pain, and regret. Hahaha... This is the fate of a genius!"

These fellow apprentices sighed and lamented to each other. They could all imagine Ji Ning's feelings at this moment, and it filled them with even greater satisfaction.

"The lady is critically ill?"

"Yuchi Xue is critically ill?"

Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, Wa Qiong, and others from the Ji clan's western manor were also extremely shocked, angry, and resentful. They even felt a trace of pity for Ji Ning. After all, living no more than three days, with his mother critically ill and unable to return... how piercing such pain must be.

...

Yes, just as those fellow apprentices in the mountain cavern imagined, and as Meng Yu and the others feared, Ji Ning at this moment felt a sorrow that cut to the depths of his heart.

"Mother!"

"Mother!" Ji Ning could not hold back his tears. His whole body trembled with pain, his heart wrenched as if twisted by a knife. That woman who had loved him since childhood, who regarded him as her everything... that woman who always showed him a loving, doting smile... was critically ill? Critically ill?

"Ah!!!" Ji Ning suddenly threw back his head and let out a cry of unbearable agony. The cry spread throughout the great mountain, yet could not travel beyond it.

The six men and women in the cave dwelling heard the cry and could not help but tremble in their hearts. They all sensed the boundless pain contained within that cry.

"Young master."

"Young master Ji Ning." Meng Yu even shed tears. That child who at four years old was exceptionally brilliant and had learned archery from him—how could his fate come to this? This was more painful than physical torture, more terrifying.

...

"I want to get out, I want to get out, I want to get out." Ji Ning's voice trembled. "Break the formation! I must break the formation!"

Ji Ning forcibly closed his eyes.

An overwhelmingly intense emotion flooded his entire body, flooded his entire soul. He wanted to break the formation!!! He had to get out. He wanted to see that woman who regarded him as her very life. He wanted to see her!!! Otherwise, even if he died and went to the underworld, he would be filled with eternal regret and unwillingness!

"Break the formation, I must break the formation." Ji Ning closed his eyes, his body trembling. Under this emotion so intense it transcended life and death, his soul reached its peak, frantically deducing the formation.

Blood flowed from Ji Ning's nostrils, and blood also flowed from his ears.

Clearly, this intense emotion had already injured his body.

"It's that!" The constantly shifting formation in Ji Ning's divine soul suddenly stopped. An immensely complex formation model appeared in his mind, containing all factors.

Ji Ning opened his eyes.

"Mother!" Ji Ning threw back his head and let out a frenzied howl. "I will return to see you. I will definitely return to see you! Wait for your son!"

He immediately rose and transformed into a blur, moving through the great formation. Ji Ning's movements were like a ghost's, and soon he arrived at a place still shrouded in black mist. But on the ground there was a black formation flag inserted, its runes glowing. Ji Ning reached out directly, grabbed the formation flag, and yanked it up.

Instantly, the black mist that had blotted out the sky vanished completely, revealing the clear and visible scenery of the great mountain. In the distance, many servants were staring in astonishment.

"What!" The six men and women also rushed out from the mountain's belly, staring in shock. "The formation is broken!"

Ji Ning held the formation flag, a look of madness in his eyes.

"Kill! Kill him! Kill him at all costs! Do not let him leave alive!" Suddenly, a sharp, furious voice came from deep underground.