Naked Sword Art

Chapter 478: Heavenly Fate Conclusion

’Clever girl.’

As extraordinary as the power of fate seemed, it could be dodged if one purely relied on their swordsman’s instincts.

Noticing Xiao Fang’s smirk, Xun Wei looked at him strangely,

"Fang?"

"You fought very well, you should be proud of yourself. For you to do what you did against an opponent like that is beyond exceptional."

As glad as she was to hear it, a part of her couldn’t shake the feeling of being a failure. Xiao Fang understood how she felt, but decided to leave it alone. Perhaps what happened here today would encourage her to train harder.

...

As they reached the edge of the trees, Xiao Fang slowed to a stop, glancing around the misty forest.

"Where exactly did you leave her?" he asked.

"Uhm... she should be around here somewhere," Xiao Hei said uncertainly, scanning the shadows.

"Let me down. I’ll find her," Xun Wei sighed, wincing as she pushed herself off his arms.

Xiao Fang helped her down gently, then watched as she steadied herself and began to move ahead. She closed her eyes for a moment, then crouched low, studying the ground. Her movements were practiced and precise — the kind she had learned from her master, Supreme Elder Yao Wu of the Disciplinary Department.

"This way," Xun Wei said, pointing down a narrow path winding through the forest.

Although Xiao Fang was more than capable of tracking someone himself, he knew Xun Wei was trying to prove her worth. So he simply nodded, letting her lead while he carried Xiao Hei and allowed his thoughts to drift back to the fight.

"The Heavenly Fate methods really are something," he muttered quietly. "No wonder their sect’s been at the top for so long."

Xiao Hei rested her head lightly on his shoulder, listening in silence before mumbling, "Mm... even so, controlling fate? That shouldn’t be possible."

"I thought the same," Xiao Fang replied. "But they make it look real. If I could understand how they do it... I might be able to create an attack that can’t be avoided either."

Xiao Hei blinked, then gave a small shrug. "You’d find a way. You always do."

Before he could respond, Xun Wei’s voice called out from ahead.

"Hey, she’s over here."

Walking toward where Xun Wei was pointing, Xiao Fang finally spotted Li Xiang lying unconscious in the mud. Her robes were soaked through, her hair plastered to her face, and the rain hadn’t stopped pouring.

Xun Wei pointed toward a nearby boulder with a faint sigh.

"Her cultivation’s still pretty low," she said. "That shockwave from earlier must’ve knocked her out during the fight."

Xiao Fang gave Xun Wei a strange look. The way she spoke made it sound like Li Xiang’s cultivation was far below hers — even though they were in the same realm.

"How much of the fight do you think she saw?" Xiao Hei asked quietly, worried she might’ve seen her transformed into a black panther at the end of the fight.

"I don’t know," Xun Wei replied. "You’ll have to ask her when she wakes up."

Xiao Hei pouted, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.

"Let’s get out of this rain first," Xiao Fang said, bending down to lift Li Xiang into his arms. "There’s a city not far from here."

He adjusted his grip on her before glancing over his shoulder. "Hei, you can still run, can’t you?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, tightening her arms around his neck, "but I’d rather stay up here."

Xiao Fang exhaled, unamused. "You want to get out of this rain quickly, don’t you? Transform and let Xun Wei ride. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can rest."

Xiao Hei frowned for a moment, then gave in with a sigh.

"Fine..."

In an instant, Xiao Hei’s form shimmered and expanded — fur rippling out as she transformed into a black panther standing over two meters tall at the shoulder.

Xun Wei stared up at her nervously before muttering,

"You... got bigger."

{"Impressed?"} Xiao Hei replied smugly as if it were her own accomplishment.

"Just don’t go too fast, I’m still injured, remember?"

{"You’re an even bigger scaredy cat than me. Hop on,"} Xiao Hei said smugly, her voice rumbling through the panther’s chest.

"Scared? Who said I was scared? I swear..." Xun Wei muttered, shaking her head. As calm and collected as she usually was, no one managed to get under her skin quite like Xiao Hei did.

"Alright, follow me," Xiao Fang said, taking a step forward — but before he could take another, a sharp jolt of pain shot through his body, forcing him to his knees.

"Fang?" Xun Wei’s voice snapped with alarm.

{"What’s wrong?"} Xiao Hei asked, her tone shifting from playful to worried.

"My legs..." Xiao Fang winced, his expression tightening. "I’m experiencing a backlash."

The pain radiating through his body was sharp and relentless — perhaps even worse than what he endured while using the [ Celestial Step ] technique.

"I’ve got you," Xun Wei said, slipping under his arm to steady him before helping lift both him and Li Xiang onto Xiao Hei’s broad back.

Once everyone was secured, Xiao Hei surged forward, racing through the forest with astonishing speed — even faster than most Divine Realm cultivators could run.

Xiao Fang rested his head on Xun Wei’s lap as she carefully fed him a few Backlash Recovery pills. The bitter taste spread across his tongue, and though the pain dulled slightly, his legs remained useless. Not even his Golden Beast Core could mend him this time; his body was simply too exhausted.

"What can I do?" Xun Wei asked softly, worry slipping into her usually composed tone.

"You’ve done more than enough," Xiao Fang murmured, his eyes closed. "I just need a little rest."

Xun Wei obediently stayed quiet, gently cupping his face as she channeled a soft stream of restorative Qi into his body. It wasn’t particularly effective — her cultivation couldn’t mend backlash of that magnitude — but she did it anyway. She simply wanted to comfort him.

And truthfully, Xiao Fang appreciated it. The warmth he felt from her trying to help him was enough to let him rest more comfortably.

{"Thank you, Wei’er,"} Xiao Fang said through [ Spirit Transmission ], his voice echoing faintly in her mind.

Xun Wei blinked in mild surprise, then her expression softened. Leaning down, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Mn," she murmured softly, her voice tender and low.