Chapter Twenty-Three: The Pure Spirit Phoenix Extinguishes the Fiery Blaze

In the end, Bai Mu could no longer bear to watch and had to pull Lingyan out from the shadows, sincerely defending Feng Zijin. Things had progressed to such a point that anyone with a bit of sense could see through it, yet Xiu Ji, stubborn as ever, refused to understand. He even accused Bai Mu and Lingyan of conspiring with Feng Zijin, as if his words could conjure accusations from thin air.

Helpless, Bai Mu decided to ignore this unreasonable man and instead gazed worriedly at the raging sea of flames before them. "Lingyan, the fire is so fierce—could it be that everyone in Dayong has perished?"

Sigh...

Senior Brother Wushang quickly took up the thread, his voice tinged with resignation. "Truthfully, there was no need for the fire. Before it even began to spread, the people of Dayong were already slaughtered by those men in white. This blaze is likely only meant to cover up their crime."

With these words, he cast a meaningful glance at Feng Zijin, his suspicious gaze suggesting he had already determined the culprit.

But Bai Mu was already familiar with the prejudices of the two disciples from the Hall of Return, knowing that trying to reason with them was futile. He ignored Wushang and turned urgently to Lingyan. "Is there any way to extinguish this fire? Even if the townsfolk have already been lost, beyond the marketplace lies the verdant Mangshan mountains. If the flames spread there, the countless spirits, flowers, and creatures within will all suffer!"

Lingyan shook her head, her delicate shoulders lifting in helplessness. "I've lost my Light Silkworm Firefly Fan. Without another artifact to control fire, I'm powerless even if I wish to help."

"And you?" Bai Mu looked hopefully at Feng Zijin, expecting the warrior with extraordinary prowess to have some method.

But Feng Zijin could only shrug, his expression awkward, indicating he was also powerless.

If even Lingyan and Feng Zijin could do nothing, those two from the Hall of Return, indiscriminate as they were, would surely be even more helpless.

Just as Bai Mu was sighing inwardly, Wushang murmured from behind, "It's not impossible to put out the fire, but we need a bit of east wind."

East wind?

Upon hearing these words, Feng Zijin's brows knit tightly.

"The fire in town is so fierce, and you wish to summon an east wind? Are you trying to burn the mountain down as well?"

Clever as Bai Mu and Lingyan were, they immediately caught the implication. "What kind of east wind do you require?" Bai Mu pressed.

Wushang turned his gaze to his junior, Xiu Ji, and calmly instructed, "Brother, take out your Pure Spirit Qi Bag and use it to extinguish the fire."

Upon hearing 'Pure Spirit Qi Bag,' Bai Mu recalled seeing a black pouch on Xiu Ji's table when dining on the second floor of the commoners' eatery. He had thought it merely mundane, paying it no mind. Who would have expected it to have such power?

While Bai Mu pondered, Xiu Ji efficiently pulled the black bag from his robe, but muttered, "Brother, while my Pure Spirit Qi Bag can absorb and release any breath of the world, the pure qi within may not be enough to quell such a raging inferno. Should I really try?"

"People’s lives are at stake—what is there to hesitate?" Lingyan urged, her tone direct. "Hurry and try. I can lend you a hand."

"You?"

Xiu Ji glanced skeptically at the beauty before him, then quickly steadied his mind, slowly opened the Qi Bag, and recited softly, "Pure qi of heaven, heed my will—transform into sweet rain, bestow mercy on the world—go!"

With his final word, the seemingly ordinary Qi Bag swelled by itself, as if someone exhaled deeply, causing the belly to ripple.

A refreshing, invigorating breeze swept forth, instantly dispelling the scorching heat of the flames.

As Xiu Ji’s Qi Bag pulsed, channeling pure qi toward the roaring blaze of Dayong, Lingyan stepped lightly forward, her palm level at her chest. With a swift grasp, she conjured a chilling, jade-green flute—the Jade Frost Flute, her personal weapon.

Bai Mu’s heart leapt with hope and anticipation upon seeing it. He had witnessed the flute’s tremendous power at White Deer Valley, where it had extinguished even the primordial fire spat by the fierce bird Bifang. Now, combined with Xiu Ji’s pure qi, quelling the raging fire at Dayong should pose little concern, though he doubted the once peach-blossom brilliance, entwined in green, would ever return.

Anger surged anew as he wondered who the reckless villain was that dared massacre an entire town.

Lingyan wielded the Jade Frost Flute, its spiritual energy instantly manifesting as a formless azure phoenix, which gracefully soared on Xiu Ji’s pure qi straight into the heart of the flames.

The azure phoenix resembled the Vermilion Bird from the illustrated compendium of spirit beasts, save for its transparent, ethereal form.

Yet its power was undiminished; wherever it flew, the cold energy it carried mercilessly suppressed the flames.

Xiu Ji’s pure qi merged with the phoenix’s absolute chill, amplifying their combined force. In moments, they circled Dayong two or three times, and signs of the fire coming under control became apparent.

Delighted, the pair gritted their teeth and increased their spiritual output, determined to extinguish the blaze in one final push.

Watching Lingyan’s concentrated expression and the delicate sweat on her exquisite face, Bai Mu was overwhelmed with emotion. Knowing such a beauty would accompany him for a long time to come filled his heart with warmth, and he couldn’t help but eagerly imagine the days ahead…

"Look! The fire’s been extinguished by the azure phoenix!" Wushang’s voice intruded at the wrong moment, shattering Bai Mu’s reverie.

He glanced ahead and saw that, at some point, the fire had vanished completely. Dayong now lay in ruins, white smoke curling in the night, the scene starkly contrasting with the bustling prosperity of daytime.