The river smelled of wet reeds and iron. Blood swirled away in thin ribbons, darkening the current to wine. Liam Ardent wiped the Heavenly Reliquary Sword clean on a fallen Mongol's cloak, then sheathed it with a soft click as Marcus Ashford swayed where he stood, an oar still clutched white-knuckled in one hand.
Liam stepped in and caught him by the elbow. "Easy."
Two black-fletched arrows jutted from Marcus's shoulder and back. Up close, Liam saw the bruised hollows beneath his eyes, the ash-grey tint of his lips, the faint tremor in his breath—signs of poison at work. Beneath the torn tunic, a palm-shaped swelling on the chest rose nearly a thumb in height.
"You've two shafts lodged deep," Liam said, voice calm. "The tips were venom-dipped. And that bruise—your qi stumbles around it. You took a killing palm to the chest. Western origin—Severing Heart Palm."
Marcus barked a painful laugh and, with his free hand, tugged his collar aside. "From Xinyang I carried the young master south," he said hoarsely. "Met the Mongol hawks four times on the road. When they finally threw monks into the chase, one struck my chest… twice." His breath hitched. "You see me true, young master."
"Don't waste strength," Liam murmured. "Sit."
He eased Marcus down. Lilith Stormbane knelt with a linen roll, steady as ever; Rowena Sterling hovered near, pale, hands clasped, the river's mist pearling her lashes. Liam's fingers flashed—silver needles from the Meridian Scripture of Noon & Midnight slipped into points along Marcus's forearm and chest, locking the venom's spread. A damp cloth, a twist of gauze between Marcus's teeth, a breath drawn—and then Liam's left hand pinched the first arrow free in one smooth pull, the right hand following with the second. Blood welled; Lilith pressed fresh cloth without flinching.
Liam slid three needles like falling stars into Marcus's chest, then pushed his palm lightly against the swollen mark, circulating a thin thread of internal energy to scatter the stagnant qi. "The palm will leave a weakness for a time," he said. "But it will not kill you today."
Marcus's wild eyes steadied. "You… are physician as well as blade."
"Only enough to offend both professions," Liam said, mouth tilting. The humor faded as he glanced at the still forms laid side by side on the deck—the boatman father, the young boy cut down mid-flight. "There's work yet."
Marcus followed his gaze. His jaw worked. "The young master must not lie to the fish."
"And her father should not either," Lilith added gently.
They took the small boat ashore. For a spade, Liam drew the Heavenly Reliquary Sword. Its azure line hummed through the sod, carving clean blocks from the riverbank as if it were bean curd. Rowena watched in stunned silence, hands pressed to her lips.
"That sword…" Marcus whispered, awe breaking through pain. "Heaven take me—that is the Heavenly Reliquary Sword, the blade sung about in taverns from here to the frontier. And you use it to dig graves." He let out a raw, half-choked laugh. "If the bards saw this, they'd faint from poetry."
Liam's face did not change. "A sword is a tool," he said. "Today, this is the right use."
They set two graves beneath a willow whose branches trailed the current. Marcus lowered the boy with the careful strength of a father; Rowena arranged her own father's coat, smoothing wrinkles that would never trouble him again. When the earth slid home and the mounds were patted flat, Rowena knelt, her voice a bell struck under water.
"My name is Rowena Sterling," she said. "Benefactor… thank you for saving my life, for burying my father. This debt… I will never forget."
Liam took her by the elbows and raised her gently. "Grief is the tax we pay for love," he said. "Keep your father's lessons. That will repay him best."
She ducked her head, tears spilling anew.
Marcus drew a shaking breath, then turned to Liam and bowed from the waist. "Young master, forgive an ignorant man—may I know the name of the physician who heals like rain and kills like thunder?"
"Liam Ardent," he said. "I spent time in Butterfly Valley, studying the Thousand-Remedy Codex under… a healer there."
Marcus's eyes lit with sudden, fragile hope. "Then you know the Immortal of Butterfly Valley—Edric Thornwell. He is my elder uncle. If we can reach him—"
Liam held his gaze for a long, quiet moment. "Grandmother Goldenflower came for vengeance not long past," he said softly. "Edric Thornwell and his wife are gone."
The river seemed to hush. Marcus closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the grief was banked behind iron. "Then another debt is written in the book of blood," he said. "One day, it will be paid."
System Update
[Marcus Ashford's Favorability +8 → Current: 98（Loyalty）]
He straightened with effort—and Liam pressed two fingers to his wrist. "Save your oaths for when you can stand," he said. "We'll find an inn at the next market town. I'll clean the wounds again and draw out the venom properly."
Rowena glanced between them, then swallowed. "My home is the river," she whispered. "Now… I have none. If you and the lady will have me… I can cook and wash, tend the fire, carry what needs carrying. Please let me repay a drop of what I owe."
Lilith reached and squeezed her hand. "Walk with us," she said. "We will look after each other."
System Update
[Rowena Sterling's Favorability +3 → Current: 95（Admiration）]
Marcus, swaying, attempted a formal salute. "If she is under your mantle, I fear nothing for her."
"Enough ceremonies," Liam said, catching him before he toppled. "Up. That way."
They moved along the river road: Liam supporting Marcus's weight with one shoulder; Lilith guiding Rowena, who clutched a small bundle of her father's belongings to her chest as if it were a life rope. Twilight burned down to embers. The reeds whispered. From the road ahead, the din of a market town floated back—vendors calling last prices, donkeys braying, a dulled hammer clanging from a smithy closing for the night.
They entered beneath a crooked arch. Liam found an inn with a courtyard and a shuttered rear room. With Rowena's help, Lilith drew hot water; Liam laid out bandages and needles. He cut the arrow shafts clean, irrigated the wounds with wine, then drew a line of needles along Marcus's spine and wrist, murmuring the Ziwu sequence under his breath. A smear of paste from a small clay vial followed, its scent bitter-sweet—icefern and milled azurecloud to cool the poison's fire.
Marcus grunted, then slumped, half-sleeping. "If I die," he muttered, words slurring, "let me die after one more Mongol."
"You're not dying," Lilith said, tucking a blanket over him. "Not with him here."
As Liam wiped his hands, the familiar cold bell of the System chimed.
System Update
[Friend System Activated]
[Condition Met: One male ally Favorability 100（Vow of Lifelong Devotion）]
[Achievement Unlocked: Pure Fellowship]
[Reward: Mid-Grade Experience Pills ×3]
Another chime followed, like steel striking stone.
System Update
[Achievement Unlocked: Blade for the Helpless]
[Trigger: Slay invaders, bury the fallen, shelter the orphaned]
[Reward: Silver +2,000]
A faint smile ghosted Liam's lips. He stowed the pills without using them; the silver, he paid forward—two months of room and board at the inn in a single quiet exchange with the keeper. When he turned back, Rowena was watching him, eyes large, cheeks ruddy from steam and tears.
"Rest," he said. "Tomorrow we move at dawn."
"Where?" she asked softly.
"West," Liam answered, gaze going beyond the inn's thin walls to the far line of mountains the world called sacred. "Kunlun."
Rowena nodded as if she understood, though she could not. Lilith did. Her fingers found his for a moment, a brief, warm clasp.
Outside, the river ran on. In the alley beyond the courtyard wall, someone's sandal scraped stone and stilled. Liam's hand drifted toward the sword by habit—and then away. Not yet.
Tonight, they would keep watch in turns. Tomorrow, the road would rise.
System Update – Status Panel
Name: Liam Ardent
Level: 8
Internal Energy: 30,000（First-Rate Expert – Initial Stage）
Experience: 100,000 / 128,000
Storage: Growth Package ×1（Unopenable）, Golden-Silver Talisman ×1, Mid-Grade Experience Pills ×3
Silver: 12,000
Weapon: Heavenly Reliquary Sword（King-Class Divine Weapon）
Skills: Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil（Incomplete）, Snowpiercing Palm（Mastered）, Flying Serpent Duel（Golden Manual）, Meridian Scripture of Noon & Midnight（Golden Manual）, Thousand-Remedy Codex（Golden Manual）…
Glossary – Chapter 25
Heavenly Reliquary Sword – King-Class Divine Weapon, once held by Mother Clarisse Hale of Emei Sect. Its edge is peerless; in Liam's hands, it serves blade or shovel alike when duty calls.
Severing Heart Palm – A Western-region killing palm that disrupts the heart meridian and scatters qi, leaving a raised, painful swelling. Without treatment, it causes organ failure; precise acupuncture and cooling salves can disperse its harm.
Meridian Scripture of Noon & Midnight (Ziwu Acupuncture Canon) – Golden-grade medical-cultivation manual. Grants exacting control over meridian points for sealing poison, stabilizing injuries, and battlefield first aid.
Thousand-Remedy Codex – Golden-grade herbal compendium. Records properties and pairings of countless medicinal plants; used here to prepare cooling paste that suppresses venom.
Mid-Grade Experience Pill – System consumable that grants 5,000 experience instantly upon use. Weaker than the Supreme Experience Pill but valuable for fine-tuning level progression.
Friend System – New System feature unlocked when an ally's Favorability reaches 100 (Vow of Lifelong Devotion). Tracks sworn comrades and unlocks fellowship-related achievements and rewards.
Blade for the Helpless (Achievement) – System achievement earned by defending innocents, honoring the dead, and offering shelter. Rewards silver and may influence reputation in Jianghu.
Butterfly Valley – A secluded valley famed in Jianghu for medicine. Former home of the healer Edric Thornwell ("Immortal of Butterfly Valley"), recently slain by Grandmother Goldenflower (Lady Isolde).
Han River – Major central river and frequent battlefield of Jianghu pursuits and rescues; the setting for the burial beneath the willow.
Kunlun Mountains – Sacred western range tied to supreme legacies, including the Nine Suns Divine Skill and the Heaven and Earth Great Shift. Liam's next destination.
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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