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Sam gently let go of Jean and turned to face the Sect Master and the others.
"Since you are here,"
Sam said, holding Jean's hand.
"We can go find the Phoenixes soon. I actually know exactly where they are."
"You do?"
Jean asked, her green eyes lighting up.
"Yes,"
Sam nodded.
"In this world, there is a very large, powerful country called the Divine Phoenix Empire. A whole sect of people there worships the Phoenix fire. That is where we will find the little daughters of the Phoenix Force."
Sam suddenly paused.
He looked down at the snow, his face turning a little serious.
He looked up at Xia Qingyue, who was watching them quietly.
"Actually,"
Sam said, his voice thoughtful.
"This solves a big problem. I just remembered exactly why the calamity came to the Frozen Cloud Asgard."
Gong Yuxian and Chu Yueli tensed up immediately.
"Why, Senior Sam?"
The Sect Master asked quickly.
"Because of Xia Qingyue,"
Sam answered honestly.
Xia Qingyue's eyes went wide. She pointed a finger at herself, completely shocked.
"Me? I bring destruction to my own home?"
She asked, her voice trembling.
"Not on purpose,"
Sam explained gently.
"It is because of your special body and your hidden destiny. In the future, very greedy, powerful men will find out about you. They will try to break into this icy palace just to take you away. But... if you are not here, there is no reason for them to attack."
Sam looked at the Sect Master, then back to Qingyue.
"If Qingyue leaves the sect and travels with us,"
Sam offered.
"The danger left with her. The Frozen Cloud Asgard will be completely safe. And Qingyue will have the chance to train her new cultivation path out in the real world."
Gong Yuxian let out a long, heavy breath of relief.
"If she is traveling with you, Senior Sam, she will be safer than anywhere else in the world,"
The Sect Master said, bowing her head.
Xia Qingyue looked at Sam. Her heart fluttered.
She was going to travel with him, just like she wanted.
"I will go with you,"
Xia Qingyue promised firmly.
Sam smiled, but his eyes still looked a bit heavy.
He looked up at the dark, snowy sky.
"Are you okay, Sam?"
Jean asked, squeezing his hand.
She could feel his mind working on something deep.
"I am fine,"
Sam sighed.
"I am just feeling the Karma of this world starting to pull on me."
"Karma?"
Jean asked.
"Yes,"
Sam nodded, looking deeply into the night.
"In our path of Cultivation, changing someone's destiny creates heavy Karma. Back in Floating Cloud City, I completely changed Xiao Che's fate. I fixed his broken body and gave him a new path. He is happy now."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Xia Qingyue asked, stepping closer.
"It is,"
Sam answered, his voice deep and serious.
"But because he is safe and happy at home, he will not go out to face the terrible trials he was supposed to face. There are hidden tragedies and dark plots about to happen in the Blue Wind Empire. Xiao Che was supposed to be the one to stop them."
Sam looked at his own hands.
"Since I changed his story, the bad things will happen unchecked if I do nothing,"
Sam explained.
"I took away his heavy burden, which means that burden now belongs to me. It is my responsibility to take care of this empire."
Jean smiled.
She loved this about him.
He was incredibly powerful, but he always took responsibility for his actions.
"Then we will take care of it together,"
Jean said gently, wrapping her arm around his waist.
"We will clean up the tragedies here, take Qingyue with us, and then go find the Phoenixes."
Sam looked at Jean, feeling completely at peace with her by his side.
"Thank you, Jean,"
Sam smiled, his heart feeling perfectly light.
"Tomorrow, we will pack up. It is time to save an empire."
The next morning, the bright sun shone over the snowy mountains.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman dressed in pure white flew down from the sky.
It was Chu Yuechan, the famous Fairy of the sect.
She had been away on a long, difficult mission.
As soon as her feet touched the snow in the main courtyard, she froze.
Her body instantly tensed up.
Something was completely wrong.
For a thousand years, the Frozen Cloud Asgard was filled with a sharp, deadly, freezing energy.
The air was always heavy with a bitter chill that warned strangers to stay away.
But today, the air felt crisp, warm, and peaceful.
Chu Yuechan quickly opened her profound senses to check on her sisters.
She gasped in pure terror.
The heavy, icy auras of her Sect Master and her elders were completely missing.
"We are under attack!"
Chu Yuechan thought.
She summoned her ice sword and rushed straight into the main hall, ready to fight to the death.
But when she pushed the heavy ice doors open, she stopped in her tracks.
Gong Yuxian, the Sect Master, was sitting peacefully at a wooden table, drinking a warm cup of tea.
Several other elders were sitting with her, laughing softly.
"Yuechan,"
Gong Yuxian called out gently, waving her hand.
"You have finally returned. Come, sit down."
Chu Yuechan stared at them in absolute shock. She did not lower her sword.
"Sect Master... what happened here?"
Chu Yuechan asked, her voice shaking with panic.
"Your profound veins... I cannot feel our Frozen Cloud arts. The ice inside you... it is completely gone! Did a powerful enemy cripple you? Did someone destroy our cultivation?"
To her surprise, Gong Yuxian did not look sad or angry.
Instead, the Sect Master let out a soft, happy laugh. It was a sound Chu Yuechan had never, ever heard before.
"Put your sword away, Yuechan. No one attacked us,"
Gong Yuxian smiled warmly, standing up from the table.
"My cultivation is not gone. It has just changed into something else."
Chu Yuechan frowned, her mind completely confused.
"Changed?"
She asked softly.
"But I feel no cold inside your body at all."
Gong Yuxian walked closer to her.
She gently pushed Chu Yuechan's ice sword down.
Then, the Sect Master took Chu Yuechan's cold hand and placed it directly over her own chest.
"Feel it,"
Gong Yuxian whispered.
Chu Yuechan's beautiful eyes went completely wide.
In the past, touching the Sect Master's chest felt like touching a dead, frozen glacier.
But now, she felt a powerful, warm, beating heart. It was full of pure, healthy life force.
And hidden just beneath that warmth, she felt a new kind of ice energy.
It was incredibly deep, like a vast ocean, and it was far stronger than anything their sect had ever practiced.
"What is this?"
Chu Yuechan breathed out, taking a step back in awe.
"We are cured, Yuechan,"
Gong Yuxian said.
"The terrible pain in our chests is gone. The curse that stole our lifespans has been broken. We do not have to freeze our own hearts just to be strong anymore."
Chu Yuechan looked around the hall.
She looked at the elders. Their gray hair was black again.
Their pale, sick skin was flushed with healthy pink. They were truly alive.
"How is this possible?"
Chu Yuechan asked, her voice dropping to an amazed whisper.
"Who did this?"
"A traveler from another universe,"
Gong Yuxian answered respectfully.
"He came last night. He healed our bodies and gave us a completely new path."
Chu Yuechan felt her own cold, isolated heart skip a beat.
Chu Yuechan quickly left the main hall.
She needed to see her sister, Chu Yueli, to make sure this was all real.
She walked down the icy hallway and gently pushed the door to Chu Yueli's room open.
Inside, Chu Yueli was helping Xia Qingyue pack a small travel bag.
Just like the Sect Master, both of them looked incredibly healthy.
The pale, sickly look of the frozen curse was completely gone from their faces.
"Yueli,"
Chu Yuechan said softly, stepping into the room.
Chu Yueli turned around and smiled brightly.
"Big sister! You are back safely."
Chu Yuechan walked closer.
She looked at the clothes folded on the bed, and then looked at Xia Qingyue.
"Where are you going, Qingyue?"
Chu Yuechan asked.
"Are you leaving the sect?"
"Yes, martial aunt,"
Xia Qingyue answered, bowing respectfully.
"I am going to travel the world. I am leaving with Senior Sam and Senior Jean."
Chu Yuechan looked at her sister with deep, questioning eyes.
"The Sect Master told me a traveler cured us,"
Chu Yuechan said softly.
"He gave us a completely new path."
Chu Yueli nodded happily.
"Yes, sister. He is amazing. He gave us miraculous pills and a flawless ice technique."
"But why are you two going with him?"
Chu Yuechan asked, her old protective instincts flaring up.
"Is this the price we have to pay for his help? Did he demand you and your disciple?"
"No, not at all,"
Chu Yueli shook her head quickly.
"He did not force us."
Chu Yueli explained why.
Chu Yuechan frowned.
She had hated men her entire life.
"Are you sure he is safe?"
Chu Yuechan asked deeply, holding her sister's shoulders.
"Men are full of lies and greed. How can you trust a complete stranger?"
Chu Yueli smiled softly.
She reached up and held her sister's cold hands.
"I understand why you are worried, sister,"
Chu Yueli said gently.
"I felt the exact same way yesterday. But he is not like any man we know. He is completely different."
"How?"
Chu Yuechan asked.
"He brought his wife with him,"
Chu Yueli explained.
"She is a powerful being made of pure fire. When you see how they look at each other, you will understand. They have a bond built on pure respect and deep love. He treats us like equals, not like tools or objects."
Xia Qingyue stepped forward and nodded.
"He even refused me, martial aunt,"
Xia Qingyue admitted quietly.
Chu Yuechan's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
"He refused you?"
Chu Yuechan asked.
"Any man in this world would go crazy for your beauty."
"He didn't care at all,"
Xia Qingyue smiled a little.
"I offered myself to him to pay for his teachings. But he got upset. He told me I have to become a fully grown adult first. He said I have to actually fall in love with him naturally, because I want him, not because I want his power."
Chu Yuechan was completely speechless.
Her mind simply could not process what she was hearing.
A powerful man who gave away miracles for free, protected their sect, and strictly refused a beautiful girl just to respect her feelings?
"He sounds... like a dream,"
Chu Yuechan whispered, looking out the ice window.
"He is very real, sister,"
Chu Yueli smiled.
"Come. Let me take you to meet him."