Just as the two were about to fight, Evan Chu heard Luna's voice in his mind: "Linfeng, are you a pig-brain or what? Why are you arguing with her at a time like this? If you don’t hurry up and remove the ice from Ethan's body right now, all your effort will go to waste. Even if you want to fight, do it later!"
At that moment, the Freewind Palace Lord summoned a longsword in her hand, making it clear she really intended to kill Evan Chu. Her son had died at Evan's hands—no matter how much she wanted to make peace with Frostbane Sect, that was now impossible.
"Hey, just hold off for a moment before you attack, alright? I promise you won’t regret it. Just give me a little time—one incense stick’s worth is all I ask!" Evan Chu said urgently, worried this furious woman might really lash out.
"I'm going to avenge Ethan right now—Evan Chu, prepare to die!" the Freewind Palace Lord shouted, swinging her sword directly at Evan.
Evan Chu shot a glare at the woman, then instantly activated Earthshift and dodged the Freewind Palace Lord’s attack with ease.
Seeing Evan Chu vanish in an instant, the Freewind Palace Lord grew even more furious. "Evan Chu, get out here! Aren’t you supposed to be so strong? If you’ve got guts, come fight me for real! Hiding like a coward—how can you call yourself a sect master? Get out here, you turtle!"
Her voice was so loud it nearly triggered another avalanche. Evan’s own anger was boiling over—if Luna hadn’t told him to hold back, he honestly wanted to send the Palace Lord flying with a sword strike, or just toss her into the cold pool to let her experience the chill for herself.
But then he remembered she was Serena Dream’s master. Forcing himself to calm down, Evan reappeared on the surface and said, "You really don’t get it. I’m saving your son here—aren’t you supposed to be a sect master? Don’t you even know the basics? If I don’t open up his body, how am I supposed to draw out the gu poison? Do you have any idea how much I risked my life to suck out the poison from your son, and you attack me without even figuring out what’s going on!"
Evan’s words hit the Freewind Palace Lord like a bucket of cold water, instantly snapping her out of her rage. She stared at Evan in confusion, asking, "You’re really saving him? But Ethan doesn’t have a shred of life left—he’s basically already dead!"
At that moment, the Freewind Palace Lord actually broke down in tears. The pain of losing her son made even this strong woman show her vulnerable side—a scene Evan had never expected.
"Enough. Just stay out of the way—if you keep interrupting, it really will be too late to save him. Don't bother me unless you want to fight after I've finished treating him. Honestly, you're not even close to my level." Evan Chu said, ignoring her after that.
The Freewind Palace Lord stood there in silence, seemingly lost in thought, but her eyes stayed locked on Evan Chu’s every move. Her expression looked a bit blank, a bit numb.
Evan Chu went all out, using Watershift for nearly an hour before finally removing every chunk of ice from Ethan’s body. He glanced back at the Freewind Palace Lord and asked, "Do you have any external wound medicine? Once his blood starts flowing, I’m worried his chest wound might start gushing uncontrollably."
"Yes, I have some!" the Freewind Palace Lord hurriedly pulled out a porcelain bottle from her storage ring and handed it to Evan Chu. At this moment, she looked nothing like a dignified sect master.
Evan Chu took the bottle and poured the medicine directly onto Ethan’s wound, then tore off a few strips of cloth to bind it tightly. Once he’d finished, he tried to help Ethan sit up.
But Ethan’s limbs were still too stiff, so sitting up was impossible. Evan had no choice but to lay him flat on the ground, then took several Fire Crystals from his storage ring and scattered them around.
In an instant, the temperature around them began to rise, and the snow started to melt. Evan Chu turned to the Freewind Palace Lord and said, "Stop just standing there—use your Stellar Power to lift him up. I need to get his blood circulating, and this might take a while, so hang in there."
The Freewind Palace Lord could only obey Evan Chu’s instructions. Powerful Stellar Power gathered in her palm and slowly poured outward, gently lifting Ethan off the ground.
Evan Chu ignited flames in both hands and swept them quickly over Ethan’s body. The process lasted for dozens of minutes, stopping only when fresh blood began to stain the bandage over his chest wound.
Although his eyes remained closed, Ethan’s limbs had softened. Evan Chu immediately fed him the prepared pill, then had him sit on the ground while continuously channeling wood-element energy into his body. Thanks to the Fire Crystals, the water from the melting snow evaporated before it could even flow.
After another hour, a hint of color finally returned to Ethan’s pale face, and his heart began to beat steadily. Evan Chu knew he’d managed to save him.
Evan Chu slowly withdrew his palm from Ethan’s back, then stood up and said to the Freewind Palace Lord, "Now’s the time if you still want to fight. Want to go another round?"
"You—don’t push your luck!" The Freewind Palace Lord had also seen Ethan’s response by now and realized Evan Chu really had saved him. The way he’d done it was nothing short of miraculous.
Just then, Serena Dream appeared in midair, quickly landing in front of them. She glanced at Ethan and asked Evan Chu, "Linfeng, how’s Ethan doing? Is he really going to be alright?"
"He should be fine now, though he nearly died for real." Evan Chu replied gruffly.
"What on earth happened? Did something go wrong? It’s all my fault for being late—I got here as fast as I could!" Serena Dream said.
"Ask your master. Ethan will wake up soon—you two should take him back. I’ve got things to do, so don’t come into the cave. The Glassflame Frost-Gales inside are no joke; I’m worried you’ll be in danger." Evan Chu said.
"Master, what really happened? Why does Linfeng look so angry—did you two get in a fight?" Serena Dream was clever and immediately guessed what was going on.
The Freewind Palace Lord looked a bit embarrassed. After a long sigh, she explained helplessly, "When I arrived, Ethan had a huge wound on his chest. I thought Evan Chu had killed him, so I tried to kill him in return."
"Sigh, Master, you really let your worry get the better of you. If Linfeng wanted to kill him, why would he be here? Saving Ethan must have taken a ton of effort. Never mind, I’ll help clear up this misunderstanding for you when I get a chance. What should we do about Ethan now?" Serena Dream asked.
"Let’s wait a bit. With these Fire Crystals here, Ethan won’t feel cold. Once he’s fully awake, we’ll head back. There’s no way Evan Chu is taking him—this is up to us," the Freewind Palace Lord said.
"Alright, we’ll do whatever you say. But what about Linfeng?" Serena Dream asked.
"Let him be. I know a bit about what’s inside that cave—the cold in there isn’t something ordinary people can handle. I just hope he comes back soon," the Freewind Palace Lord said…