Chapter 39: Break the Ice

Li Chang appeared embarrassed and Yang Rui didn't pursue the matter further.

"I came here this time to witness how Li Lin dies," said Li Chang.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. My father has already escaped from danger," replied Li Fang.

"That's impossible."

"Brother Li is telling the truth. The old general has already been rescued with the help of White Jade Cold Ice," said Qin An.

"White Jade Cold Ice? How is that possible?" exclaimed Han Chang, the Wind-chaser Heavenly King, unable to contain his surprise despite being a King-level expert himself.

It's no wonder he was so surprised, as White Jade Cold Ice has been a legendary treasure that hasn't been seen in the world for a hundred years.

But since Blood Heavenly King Qin An said so, it must be true.

Li Chang shouted, "I'm not willing to accept this. I'll come back tomorrow at noon. Since he's not dead, I'll come and kill him myself. If gods block my way, I'll kill gods; if Buddhas block my way, I'll kill Buddhas." He turned and walked out.

Obviously, he was talking to the three King-level experts and no one else could stop him.

Han Chang smiled bitterly and said, "I'll try to persuade him." He then clasped his fist at the three Heavenly Kings and left.

The people in the hall were puzzled. They were all from the Baiyue Empire, why were the attitudes of the two so different?

Yang Rui said, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. This matter is complicated, so I'll briefly explain it to you."

"Forty years ago, the commander-in-chief of the Baiyue Empire, Ling Tian, was Li Chang's senior brother. They were more like Master and disciple than brothers, as Ling Tian passed on his skills to Li Chang. Li Chang had great respect and fear for him. Ling Tian was indeed a rare talent, and at the age of thirty, he had already cultivated King-level power, which also predetermined his arrogant and overbearing character. During wars, he never had guards outside his tent because he believed that no one could harm him.

"That's why general Li Lin and his wife were able to assassinate him with their sub-King-level strength. Even so, Li's wife was tragically killed on the spot, and general Li was seriously injured but survived."

Everyone was shocked to hear this. They never imagined that the commanders-in-chief of both sides in the war forty years ago were invincible masters, and there were indeed hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the military.

Yang Rui continued, "Li Chang learned that his senior brother Ling Tian was killed by Li Lin's hand. He rushed from the Baiyue Empire to our Qingfeng Empire to avenge Ling Tian. However, he was intercepted by the King-level experts of our empire's older generation on the way and forced to swear not to seek revenge against Li Lin within forty years, causing him to return empty-handed. Perhaps those old folks had already anticipated that general Li would not live for more than forty years."

"Forty years have passed, and it is surprising that Li Chang still remembers this matter. Li Chang can be considered a chivalrous man, who has done many good deeds and has killed many martial arts villains except for river and sea bandits. But he is only concerned about his senior brother's matter and cannot let it go."

Liu Yifei also said, "Martial arts have no borders. We three have some friendship with him, but we cannot avoid fighting him tomorrow."

Everyone listened silently. Whose fault was this? It was all the fault of war.

Inside Dugu Baitian's body, the Undead Demon technique was constantly running, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth kept entering his body from the cold ice. The damaged organs slowly repaired under the nourishment of the energy of heaven and earth, and the speed of the Undead Demon operation became slower and slower, and finally stopped.

With the absence of the attraction of the Undead Demon Power, the energy of heaven and earth gradually began to dissipate, and the entire block of hard ice began to crack.

Just then, Liu Ruyan pushed the door and entered. She had just returned to the backyard from the main hall and wanted to check on Li Lin. She saw a strange scene.

The "White Jade Cold Ice" kept cracking, while its surroundings were like immortal aura, with clouds and mist swirling above. She was surprised and opened her mouth wide. The White Jade Cold Ice, which was called indestructible by the King-level experts, was continuously breaking. She walked to the bedside and carefully observed. The white mist, like fairy aura, rushed towards her, making her feel refreshed and comfortable all over her body.

Liu Ruyan understood that this white mist might be the energy of heaven and earth that Yang Rui and the others were talking about, but she didn't understand why the White Jade Cold Ice was constantly breaking while the energy was gradually dissipating. She quickly moved Li Lin next to the "White Jade Cold Ice," allowing the dissipating energy of heaven and earth to surround him.

Just then, a large piece of hard ice completely shattered into pieces, and she was even more surprised to find a person inside the "White Jade Cold Ice." The person had a full beard and looked like he was in his mid-thirties or so, with a burly figure. This was simply incredible, and she almost screamed in shock. However, Liu Ruyan was not an ordinary woman, and she did not scream in surprise, but carefully observed the person in front of her.

She suddenly noticed that the person's eyelids were twitching, and then he opened his eyes.

Dugu Baitian slowly opened his eyes and saw many pieces of broken ice around him, with clouds and mist swirling. Suddenly, a delicate face that looked like it could be blown away appeared before his eyes. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. The woman's face was full of horror, and she turned around to run away. Dugu Baitian grabbed her and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Who are you? And where are we?" Dugu Baitian asked.

The beautiful woman whimpered in response.

Dugu Baitian cursed himself for being foolish, realizing that he shouldn't have covered her mouth and prevented her from speaking. He then put on a friendly and confident smile and said, "Don't be afraid, miss. I won't harm you."

However, the woman became even more panicked. Dugu Baitian removed his mask and said with a smile, "Now, are you less afraid of me? How about it, am I handsome?"

Liu Ruyan's face was full of shock. She thought to herself, "What's going on? How can there be someone in the midst of the White Jade Cold Ice, and a strange person at that?" After being shocked, she began to calm down.

Dugu Baitian noticed that the woman's expression had relaxed a lot and said, "Miss, I really have no malicious intent. I'll let you go, but please don't scream. Can you nod if you agree?"

Liu Ruyan nodded.

Dugu Baitian released the hand covering her mouth, but held onto her arm tightly with his other hand, afraid that she would suddenly run away.

"May I ask who you are?" Dugu Baitian said.

"I am Liu Ruyan."

"Oh, I remember you now. No wonder you look familiar. I've heard your songs, but I haven't seen you dance. I've heard that you're a good dancer, and with a figure like yours, you must dance well." He looked her up and down.

Liu Ruyan blushed, feeling embarrassed that Dugu Baitian was scrutinizing her so closely. Usually, people looked at her with respectful eyes, and even those with ulterior motives only stole glances. It was rare for someone to examine her so thoroughly.

"Have you looked enough?" she asked.

"No, such a beautiful woman like you, how can I look enough?" Dugu Baitian replied.

"you..."Liu Ruyan was speechless.

"Okay, I won't look anymore. I still have many questions for you. Where are we?" Dugu Baitian said, releasing his grip on Liu Ruyan's arm.

"In general Li Lin's mansion, this room is the general's bedroom, and the person behind you is the general."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Baitian was startled. He turned around and saw a frail old man lying on a wooden bed not far from him, as if he were asleep.

Dugu Baitian asked, "What happened to him, and how did I end up here?"

Liu Ruyan replied, "He is seriously ill and in a coma. As for how you ended up here, you should ask yourself first. How did you end up in the White Jade Cold Ice?"

Dugu Baitian said, "I don't understand what you mean by White Jade Cold Ice. Can you explain it in more detail?"

Liu Ruyan then explained how Li Fang found the White Jade Cold Ice and how three martial arts experts used it to heal general Li Lin's injuries.

Dugu Baitian was stunned to hear all of this. He had become the precious White Jade Cold Ice in the martial arts world. The broken ice on the ground was evidence of what had happened. After a long while, he realized what had happened and exclaimed, "I know! It must be that bullnose, stinky, hairy, and dead old taoist's Flying Flowers and Falling Leaves that froze me into the ice. Fortunately, my divine skill is invincible, and I was able to dissolve all of the cold air. As for how I became the White Jade Cold Ice, I don't know."

Liu Ruyan looked at the young man in front of her, full of curiosity. The people she usually interacted with were all polite and well-behaved, not like him, who spoke so rudely. "Hey, can you speak more politely?"

"Don't you find it refreshing to talk like this? Try adding a stinky word before every sentence." Dugu Baitian couldn't help but laugh, imagining how interesting it would be if this beauty in front of him also spoke with a foul mouth like he did.

Liu Ruyan remained silent for a long time.

Dugu Baitian suddenly spoke up, "Hey, beauty, am I really that handsome? Don't just stand there, hurry up and absorb more immortal energy. Don't you say that the energy of heaven and earth is concentrated here?" He then took deep breaths.

Liu Ruyan turned her face away in anger.

Dugu Baitian said, "Aren't you here to save this old man? Hurry up and feed him some of these ice cubes." He pulled Liu Ruyan to Li Lin's side.

Liu Ruyan thought for a moment and realized that it was true. She quickly fed the small ice cubes to Li Lin. It was mid-summer, and the weather was exceptionally hot. It didn't take long for the ice cubes to melt. The energy of heaven and earth also became thinner and thinner, and more and more diluted.

Dugu Baitian said, "Don't just feed him. You should also eat some yourself."

Liu Ruyan said, "How can I do that? I am not sick, and the old general is seriously ill. How can I do that?"

Dugu Baitian laughed and said, "You have fed him so much. Even if he's not sick, he will be bloated to death if you keep doing this."

Liu Ruyan blushed.

"Why aren't you eating?" Dugu Baitian asked.

Liu Ruyan blushed and said, "These ice cubes were once inside your body. Just the thought of it makes me sick. How can I eat them?"

Dugu Baitian said, "What? It's just a matter of face. Even your most respected old general ate them. What are you afraid of?" As he spoke, he grabbed the last piece of ice and handed it to her.

Liu Ruyan quickly dodged.

Seeing that she refused to eat, Dugu Baitian no longer insisted. Finally, the last piece of crushed ice also melted, and the energy of heaven and earth dissipated completely.

In fact, Liu Ruyan and Li Lin had absorbed a lot of the energy of heaven and earth. Because of his long illness, the energy did not strengthen Li Lin's physical condition, but only eliminated his old ailments. Liu Ruyan, on the other hand, was different. Although she didn't know martial arts, the energy of heaven and earth greatly strengthened her physique, and she might not get sick for the rest of her life.

Looking at the large area of melted ice water on the ground, Dugu Baitian said, "Miss Liu, I hope you don't tell anyone about my true appearance, because I am avoiding a very powerful enemy."

Liu Ruyan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, then tell me, who are you, and what happened to you?"

Dugu Baitian said, "My name is Dugu Baitian. I just came out to wander the Jianghu, and I met a rude and powerful old man who was unreasonable and wanted to kill me. Luckily, I only showed him a fake face, and I was injured by him this time." Then Dugu Baitian recounted what had happened on the river.

Liu Ruyan said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your situation."

Dugu Baitian said, "Actually, I could have made up a lie to deceive you, but for some reason, I have a feeling that you are trustworthy, so I even told you my real name." He then smiled and said, "Maybe we are destined to meet."

Liu Ruyan's face immediately turned red and she scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Dugu Baitian straightened his clothes, smiled and said, "Hey, beautiful lady, I'm leaving. Don't miss me too much, we will meet again." With that, he opened the back window and jumped out.