Chapter 21: Young People Are Certainly Open-Minded

"Little girl!"

By her side, the Grand Elder hurriedly supported Yun'er. Even through her clothes, he could feel the bone-chilling cold radiating from her body. Despite his strength as a peak Martial Warrior, he could not help but shiver involuntarily, taken completely by surprise.

"This little girl's Martial Soul is truly too powerful! It actually broke through my suppression and awakened ahead of schedule!"

The Grand Elder's expression changed drastically. He had never expected that in less than a month, Yun'er's Martial Soul would break through his containment and begin to awaken at this very moment.

The awakening was fierce and aggressive. Even with the combined efforts of soul power, spiritual elixirs, and internal flames, there was no way to stop it; any intervention only increased her agony. Sensing her body growing colder, the Grand Elder stood by, anxious and helpless.

"Little girl, you must hold on!"

The Grand Elder spoke to her incessantly, trying to capture her attention. As long as she did not fall unconscious and kept a shred of clarity, she might be able to resist the awakening process for a little while longer. At this moment, no one could help her but herself.

Having spent a month with her, the Grand Elder knew Yun'er to be a sweet, sensible, and kind-hearted girl. He was deeply fond of her and could not bear to see her body burst from the sheer force of her own Martial Soul.

At first, Yun'er's lips only turned purple, her teeth chattered, and her gaze grew heavy, but she could still hear the Grand Elder’s words of encouragement.

Half an hour later, as the cold drove the warmth from her body, her face turned deathly pale. Her nerves felt numb, and she could no longer hear the Grand Elder.

An hour later, her face was a bruised, purplish-blue. She could no longer even feel the numbness; it was as if she had sunk into a vast, frozen lake, surrounded by nothing but biting cold and absolute silence. She was now in a deep coma, and her long eyelashes were coated in frost.

The Grand Elder knew that within a quarter of an hour, the fully awakened Martial Soul would surge, causing Yun'er to explode and leave nothing behind. Unless, within this quarter-hour, he could find the Celestial Ice Flower! But the odds of that were astronomically slim.

"Yun'er!"

Just as even the Grand Elder had fallen into despair, a figure rushed in like a gale. It was Qin Lang, who had just returned from Tianfeng Mountain, his face etched with concern as he looked at Yun'er. Seeing her in a coma and shivering with cold, Qin Lang’s brows knit together, and he immediately pulled the Celestial Ice Flower from his robes.

"Grand Elder, this is the Celestial Ice Flower! Please, you must save her!"

Qin Lang handed the flower to the Grand Elder, his worry plain for all to see.

"Hiss! You brat, you're actually still alive! And you really found the Celestial Ice Flower!"

Seeing the flower, which bloomed like blades of ice, the previously hopeless Grand Elder’s eyes lit up with joy. He hadn't expected Qin Lang to return with the cure at this crucial final moment. Looking at the luster of the petals, he realized it had matured less than three days ago—it was perfect for tempering Yun'er's body.

He hadn't even been sure he could do it himself, yet this young man had succeeded. The Grand Elder looked at Qin Lang with a mixture of surprise and admiration. This boy was truly remarkable.

"Hah!"

The Grand Elder let out a long breath and, without another word, rushed into the stone chamber of the Martial Arts Pavilion with the flower and Yun'er in tow. He had to race against death to reclaim her life.

"Yun'er, you must hold on!"

Staring at the closed door of the stone chamber, Qin Lang slowly clenched his fists. *I hope I wasn't too late.*

Yun'er felt very strange. One moment, she was in a frozen lake, the biting cold drilling into every pore, chilling her very soul. The next, she stood in a sea of fire, her skin and cells scorched by searing flames, her bones feeling as if they were being chewed by a thousand ants. The intense, contradictory pain of fire and ice was etched deep into her soul.

Suddenly, unable to bear it any longer, Yun'er woke up. Her white dress was soaked through with sweat, pearls of moisture clung to her temples, and her hair was damp, as if she had just been pulled from a river.

Opening her eyes, she saw a handsome, delicate youth. Her clear eyes brightened. *Young Master Qin Lang! I can actually see him! I must be missing him so much that I'm hallucinating in my final moments!* A whirlwind of emotions—reluctance, excitement, longing, and regret—swirled within her.

"Young Master!"

She lunged into Qin Lang's arms and began to sob, pouring out her heart. "Even if this is an illusion, I am content to hold you one last time before I die! I can't serve you anymore, Young Master... please, take good care of yourself!"

She mumbled through her tears. Since it was just a hallucination, she let out all the words she never dared to speak and the feelings she never dared to show.

Qin Lang couldn't help but chuckle. The little girl thought she was dead and that all of this was a dream. He let her cry in his arms, a soft smile on his face, his gaze filled with tenderness and self-reproach. He had never realized how much weight he held in her heart, and he had neglected this girl who had always cared for him so meticulously.

"Ahem! Young people these days are certainly bold. Cuddling right in front of an old man like me, without a hint of shame!"

The Grand Elder stood nearby, watching them, and let out a deliberate cough with a sly grin.

"Grand Elder?" Yun'er finally noticed him. She blinked in confusion, then realization dawned on her. "Wait, am I not hallucinating?"

"You silly girl, the Grand Elder saved you. None of this is a dream," Qin Lang said, stroking her damp hair.

"What? It's real?"

Yun'er froze. Once she was certain, her face turned bright red. She wanted to find a hole to hide in. She had been clinging to Young Master Qin Lang, crying and making a scene—where was her modesty? And the Grand Elder had seen it all! It was too, too humiliating!

She pulled a blanket up to cover herself, blushing to the roots of her hair, not daring to look at either of them.

"It's a good thing you brought the flower back in time, boy. Otherwise, even I couldn't have saved this little girl," the Grand Elder said, stroking his white beard with a smile. "With the Celestial Ice Flower to temper her body, she has successfully awakened her Martial Soul. You should take her to the Soul Testing Pagoda to determine the type and star level; this girl's Martial Soul is definitely extraordinary."