Chapter 616: Chapter 616

With the flying yaksha by his side, Qin Sang no longer feared even a Golden Core cultivator.

After taking a few more healing pills, he was finally able to move freely.

Worried he might frighten Mute Girl, Qin Sang ordered the flying yaksha to wait outside. Then he got out of bed, lifted the curtain, and stepped into the outer room.

Mute Girl had been working late into the night, trying to earn a little more money to support them both. Qin Sang’s movement startled her awake; her eyes were still drowsy with sleep.

She let out a faint "Ah," her cheeks flushing red. Embarrassed, she quickly got up to wash her face, then began preparing food for Qin Sang.

When she returned, Qin Sang stopped her and motioned for her to sit across from him. "Mute Girl, do you know what an immortal cultivator is?"

Seeing her utterly confused expression, Qin Sang thought of the man in the beast hide and rephrased his question. "You’ve heard of the Witch God’s emissary, haven’t you?"

Qin Sang paused, then said seriously, "I am one of the Witch God’s emissaries."

Mute Girl stared at him with her mouth agape, dazed. Then, as if she hadn’t heard anything unusual, she turned and began preparing breakfast again.

Qin Sang gave a helpless smile. He picked up a black stone from the fire pit and, right in front of her, crushed it to powder with one hand. "Now do you believe me? Before I was injured, I really was very powerful."

Mute Girl was clearly startled this time. She sat still, staring blankly at him.

Qin Sang shook his head, picked up a bowl, filled it with water, then took out two spirit pills, pinched off a tiny fragment from each, and dissolved them into the water. He handed the bowl to her.

"Mute Girl, you saved my life. I have nothing with which to repay you. Let me heal you first. These pills will cure your muteness and even remove the birthmark on your face. Once you take this, you’ll be normal again, and your future will be full of promise."

It was only because she had pulled him from the river that he’d found a safe place to recover. Had he continued drifting, who knew what danger he might have encountered.

Suddenly revealing his true identity, Qin Sang’s words left Mute Girl stunned. The news was too overwhelming for her to process. She took the bowl from him without even realizing it, standing frozen in place.

"Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you..."

Seeing her hesitation, Qin Sang spoke gently, thinking she was anxious or afraid.

But Mute Girl suddenly set down the bowl, her expression urgent. She looked around in a panic, then grabbed a stone and quickly scrawled on the ground. "Big Brother[1], are you leaving?"

The characters were pressed deep and hastily drawn.

Qin Sang froze for a moment, then nodded.

Seeing the sorrow that instantly welled up in her eyes, Qin Sang realized she had misunderstood and quickly explained, "Don’t worry. I’m only leaving temporarily to recover somewhere else. Your witch doctor mentioned that there’s a cave on that mountain across the river. It’s very safe. I can’t stay here anymore. Your grand elder already knows about me. He’ll definitely come to investigate today."

He pointed toward a mountain on the other side of the river.

It was taller and steeper, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs. It would be impossible for mortals to climb, but the flying yaksha could move there with ease.

The real reason Qin Sang chose that mountain was because its peak held the richest concentration of spiritual qi in the entire area, making it a perfect place to recover.

Moreover, he didn’t want too much involvement with the mortals of the Thousand-Household Village.

"In a few days, once I’m fully recovered, I’ll come back. Here, take this."

As he spoke, Qin Sang took out a Qingfu Coin, pressed it into Mute Girl’s hand, and said, "Keep this coin with you. If you’re ever in danger, just smash it with a stone. I’ll know instantly and come to save you."

After resolving the affairs with the Devilish Qingyang Sect, Wandering Man had returned the mother Qingfu Coin to Qin Sang. The Qingfu's blood inside still had a few uses left.

Qin Sang’s spiritual consciousness was still too weak to examine Mute Girl’s spiritual root talent, so he couldn’t teach her any arts just yet. He planned to return again after he was fully healed.

Of course, he wouldn’t remain here for long, but before leaving, he had to settle the karma between them.

If Mute Girl possessed any aptitude for immortal cultivation, he would lead her onto the path, leaving behind cultivation methods, artifacts, pills, and other resources, so she could defy fate and forge her own destiny. Only then could he truly consider her life-saving kindness repaid. For origınal chapters go to novèlfire.net

Even if she lacked spiritual roots, he could still adjust her body and teach her martial arts, allowing her to become a formidable mortal martial artist, no longer vulnerable to others’ abuse.

He gave her the Qingfu Coin now because she had no means of protecting herself, and he didn’t want to risk some accident occurring while he was away.

Mute Girl clutched the coin tightly. The urgency and sorrow on her face faded slightly. Then, obediently, she picked up the bowl and drank the medicine.

Moments later, her stomach let out an unexpected growl.

Mute Girl froze, then abruptly covered her face and ran out the door in a panic.

Qin Sang waited for quite a while before he saw Mute Girl walk in, her face flushed crimson, stammering and fidgeting. His gaze shifted briefly to her face before handing her a copper mirror with a smile. "Take a look."

Mute Girl stared at her reflection in the mirror and became dazed.

To speak fairly, her appearance wasn’t stunningly beautiful—she couldn’t compare to peerless women like Chenyan or Granny Jing—but she possessed a quiet, graceful charm. Her features were delicate, her figure soft and slender, her eyes still carrying a trace of timidity. She gave off the gentle warmth of a girl-next-door.

Even so, the image before her was something she had never dared to hope for.

She had dreamed countless times of having the birthmark disappear, of becoming a normal girl no longer scorned by others, of a life filled with laughter and acceptance. But every time she awoke, she had forced herself to accept reality, never once daring to believe that such a dream could come true.

Now, she clutched the mirror tightly, staring at her reflection without blinking, afraid that a single blink would make the dream vanish.

Gradually, two streams of tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

After a while, seeing that her emotions had calmed a little, Qin Sang asked softly, "Do you have anything you want to say now?"

Out of habit, Mute Girl began to raise her hands to sign but suddenly realized something felt different in her throat. She hesitated, then, under Qin Sang’s encouraging gaze, whispered shyly, "Big Brother..."

That one simple call stunned Qin Sang.

He hadn’t expected that lifting the seal would reveal a voice so beautiful it could intoxicate.

Like an oriole’s song, like the cry of a nightingale... None of those poetic phrases could do it justice.

If Chenyan and Granny Jing were unmatched in appearance, then Mute Girl’s voice was a celestial melody—untainted, unadorned, purely natural.

Did this so-called Witch God, in some fit of petty jealousy, seal away such a divine voice?

At the break of dawn, a dark ghostly shadow moved nimbly up a sheer cliff. A person sat calmly upon its shoulder, yet it showed no signs of being burdened.

Before long, the figure reached the mountaintop. With a casual punch, the ghostly shadow blasted a hole into the green stone cliffside and stood guard at the entrance.

Qin Sang entered the cave and remained inside for an entire day.

By midnight, all the internal injuries in his body, aside from his severed arm and depleted spiritual consciousness, had fully healed.

He didn’t linger there to continue his seclusion. Instead, he rode the flying yaksha away, heading off in search of a spirit vein to cultivate in peace. His goal was to refine the Purple Cloud Fruit, form his core, and break the seal.

On the way, he also planned to retrieve the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps.

They had been released for quite some time. Moving in swarms, it would only take a few days for them to strip an entire mountain of life. Fortunately, Xijiang was sparsely populated, with endless stretches of barren hills and wilderness.

Still, whether he chose to destroy or reclaim them, he couldn’t let the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps remain loose.

Until he figured out what Xijiang truly was, every action had to be taken with extreme caution. He could not afford to leave behind any trace that might expose him.

1. It is common to refer to someone slightly older than you as "Big Brother" or "Big Sister" in Chinese culture. ☜