**Chapter 183: Begonia Mark and the Severed Hair**

Lian Mu had only spent half a day inside the tower, but several days had already passed outside. When her consciousness returned to her body, a wave of intense hunger hit her like a punch to the brain.

She glanced toward the door and saw several food boxes placed there—most likely brought by Xu Xianxing. He had a knack for finding all sorts of fancy and exotic snacks. She had told them she needed a few days of quiet recuperation, and no one had disturbed her since.

Lian Mu brought the food boxes inside and fed everything to Green Bean. Lately, she had been trying out the Grain Abstinence Pill and had to abstain from regular food for a while.

It was nighttime now, and everything was quiet. Unable to sleep, Lian Mu pulled out the alchemy books Feng Tianche had given her and began to read.

She had to admit—when it came to mastery, Feng Tianche truly lived up to the title. His personally written texts were far clearer and more concise than the messy, convoluted books written by other alchemy cultivators. There wasn’t a single ounce of fluff—just pure, practical knowledge.

The book contained a wide variety of pill recipes, including some rare formulas for treating obscure regional ailments. It was clear that Feng Tianche had traveled extensively in his youth and met all sorts of people. That kind of experience was something most alchemy cultivators could only dream of.

The first half of the book seemed to have been written before he reforged his Spiritual Root. Upon closer inspection, Lian Mu discovered that in his early days, he couldn’t even afford an alchemy furnace and had been refining pills in an iron wok used for cooking.

Lian Mu: “…”

No wonder Feng Tianche had accepted her using a forging platform to refine pills so easily—he used to be even more outrageous than she was.

If a wok could be used for alchemy, then couldn’t an alchemy furnace be used for cooking?

Lian Mu found herself oddly curious about what food cooked in an alchemy furnace would taste like. She kept flipping through the pages and came across a pill formula designed to clear internal blood stasis. After taking it, the stagnant blood would be expelled naturally within an hour or two.

Thinking back to what Xuan Che had said, Lian Mu figured she could try combining this formula with water from the Rainbow Spring Stone. She immediately copied the recipe down separately.

By the time she finished writing, Green Bean had polished off all the pastries in the food boxes and was now lying on the table, belly bulging, resting like a bloated oval ball. It was so stuffed it could barely roll over.

Lian Mu had long since given up on it. Ever since she realized it was just a glutton, she stopped feeding it on a schedule. Now she only tossed it leftovers when she happened to have some.

She flicked its shell with a curled finger when suddenly there was a *thump-thump* at the window—someone was knocking.

The Crimson Sky Sect provided its disciples with rooms that stayed brightly lit all night. The entire sect glowed after dark, so it was just as bright outside her room as it was inside. She couldn’t see who was out there.

*Thump-thump*—two more knocks.

Lian Mu thought for a moment. The Illusion Realm trial had already ended, and there was no reason for the Crimson Sky Sect to mess with them again, especially when they had their own mess to deal with. They wouldn’t have the time or energy for this.

She walked to the window, lifted the pearl curtain, and opened it—only to see a snow-white bird perched on the windowsill. It looked like a goose, with its head tilted up at her and its long tail feathers twitching.

Flying Swan Sword Spirit?

Lian Mu narrowed her eyes. What was it doing here?

The white bird pecked at the windowsill like it was knocking. Its red feet twitched as if it wanted to step inside, but it hesitated halfway and pulled back, still staring up at her as though waiting for permission.

“Come in,” Lian Mu said, stepping aside to make room.

Only then did she remember—she had promised it back in the Illusion Realm that she’d come play with it afterward. She hadn’t expected it to take that seriously.

The white bird flapped its wings and flew into the room, landing on the table.

Green Bean opened its eyes and stared curiously at the bird. It didn’t recognize this newcomer.

Lian Mu closed the window and returned to her desk. The white bird fluffed its feathers, then plucked a half-withered little blue flower from its plumage and offered it to her.

“You came just to give me this?” Lian Mu picked up the little blue flower. She could still feel traces of Water Spiritual Root energy clinging to it, but it was faint—like the flower, and its owner, were both on the verge of withering away.

She immediately thought of Ying You. “He’s dying? That can’t be.”

The white bird flapped its wings and chirped twice, then flew up to perch on her shoulder.

Seeing its usual spot taken, Green Bean opened the red eye on its back and began to roll its round body toward the bird, clearly intending to sting it.

Lian Mu grabbed Green Bean and stuffed it into her sleeve. The white bird flew out, and she followed.

It flew at a steady pace, leading her down a secluded path. No one was guarding this area, and it was far from where the Azure Profound Sect disciples were staying.

Lian Mu eyed the tall walls and immediately understood. The place where the Azure Profound Sect disciples were staying was just a decoy. Ying You had actually been hidden here.

She’d been wanting to check on him anyway, so without hesitation, she climbed the wall and dropped into the courtyard.

The place was remote and styled differently from the rest of the sect, clearly designed to look abandoned. Not a single lamp was lit.

Lian Mu moved through the darkness, following the white bird to the main building. She pushed open the door.

Inside, a dim oil lamp flickered on the table. From outside, it would have been nearly invisible. The orange flame danced in the lamp, casting Lian Mu’s shadow on the wall.

A figure lay on the bed, veiled behind a thin curtain. Through the gauze, she could see Ying You’s pale face. His breathing was so faint his chest barely moved—clear signs of someone on the brink of death.

Lian Mu lifted the curtain. He wore only a thin inner robe, his face gaunt and furrowed with pain. His long black hair spilled across the pillow, but a section of white hair near his temples had been cut off and hadn’t grown back yet.

A talisman had been placed on his wrist, covering the Begonia Mark.

Lian Mu hesitated, then decided not to touch the talisman. He was already in such a fragile state—if she accidentally killed him, it would be a huge problem.

He was still a member of the Azure Profound Sect. If something happened to him, they’d definitely come after her.

She cautiously extended a finger and pressed it to the center of his brow. The moment her fingertip touched him, Ying You’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly—but he didn’t wake.

Lian Mu sent her spiritual energy into his body and found that he really was on the verge of death. He was hanging on by a thread, teetering between life and death. But strangely, there wasn’t a single visible injury on him.

All that had been done was cutting off a bit of his hair—was that really enough to do this?

Surely Ying You’s heart wasn’t located in his hair.

Judging by his current condition, it looked like that Sword Contract wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.

Lian Mu withdrew her finger. Ying You, who had been lying with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly coughed a few times. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his pale lips red.

Lian Mu: “?”

The white bird perched among the many bottles and jars on the table tapped one of them. Lian Mu immediately understood, took out a pill from within, and slipped it into his mouth.

Ying You’s coughing gradually subsided. Lian Mu quickly wiped the blood from his lips, erasing all traces.

He hadn’t woken up today, and the Begonia Mark was sealed. She had no way of probing further and could only wait until he regained consciousness to make her next move.

The matter of the Sword Contract was crucial to her. If he died, she might never be able to undo it.

Lian Mu thought for a moment, then pulled out a lock of white hair tied with red thread from her sleeve and placed it beside his pillow.

This strand of hair had been cut from him by her. After leaving the Illusion Realm, she had kept it for research. Though it held no clues about breaking the Sword Contract, she was now returning it to its rightful owner.

It might not help, but she didn’t want him to die just yet. All she could do was try her best to make amends, returning what she could.

Still, she didn’t feel she owed him anything. Their relationship wasn’t deep. The only thing she owed him was this lock of hair.

Lian Mu suspected his current condition was likely tied to her and the Sword Contract. The contract recognized a master, and perhaps being closer to its master might ease his suffering.

After a moment’s thought, she drew the Flying Swan Sword from beside the bed.

The white bird turned to look at her, unsure of what she intended.

Lian Mu cut off a lock of her own hair, then lifted his hand and tucked it into his sleeve.

Ying You’s pained expression visibly relaxed. In his unconscious state, his fingers twitched slightly, brushing against her wrist.

Suddenly, Lian Mu remembered something. If he bore the Sword Contract’s mark, why didn’t she?

She rolled up her sleeve to check her wrist—clean and unmarked.

“…”

Maybe it was somewhere else on her body, and she just hadn’t noticed. After all, Ying You’s Sword Contract mark sometimes shrank into a tiny vermilion mole, and she’d never paid much attention to such things.

Lian Mu let the gauze curtain fall and decided she couldn’t stay any longer. She retraced her steps and slipped out the way she came.

Scaling walls was her specialty. With no guards around, it was no different from walking through her own home.

But as she climbed over the wall, high above, someone was watching her every move.

“Not going to stop her?” The Azure Profound Sect’s Alchemy Cultivator Elder stood atop a silver kite, turning to ask Shang Liu.

A concealment barrier surrounded them both—no one could detect their presence.

Shang Liu watched Lian Mu’s retreating figure with a blank expression. “Flying Swan insisted on bringing her in. What could we do to stop it?”

Looking down, they saw that all the cultivators stationed near the courtyard had collapsed—courtesy of the Flying Swan Sword Spirit.

It was a spirit of a famed sword, powerful enough to crush many sword cultivators even without a master’s command.

The Azure Profound Sect’s Alchemy Cultivator Elder frowned. “No idea what she came here for… But she learned Xiao You’s weakness in the Illusion Realm. If she could injure him this time, next time she might use it to threaten him.”

Still, neither of them was worried she’d done anything extreme just now. No matter how much the Flying Swan Sword Spirit liked her, it had already recognized a master. In a critical moment, it would protect Ying You.

“Our Sect Master is already on the way to Crimson Sky Sect. This time, Crimson Sky Sect won’t be able to dodge responsibility.”

Shang Liu sighed. “Dealing with Crimson Sky Sect isn’t that simple. Yin Chongyang is no longer the man he once was. Now that he sits as the Sect Master of Crimson Sky Sect, even Shen Minglu would have to tread carefully around him.”

“No matter how arrogant he is, he wouldn’t dare act out in front of our Sect Master,” said the Alchemy Cultivator Elder. “As long as we get Xiao You back to the sect quickly, he’ll be fine.”

“We really can’t afford any more delays.” A worried look crossed Shang Liu’s face. “That child’s had a hard life since birth. He finally made it this far… if he were to fall now…”

He sighed again.

“Speaking of which, that mark on his body is strange. Xiao You was frail as a child, but he’s been nursed back to health. By now, he should be able to bear the Sword Bone inheritance. But that mark keeps suppressing him—it’s too sinister.”

Shang Liu fell silent for a long while, then said slowly, “The Second Elder is already working on a way to remove that mark. Let’s hope it happens soon, so he doesn’t have to suffer like this any longer.”