Qin Chu gripped the iron bars of the cage with both hands, then used the strength of his arms to bend them apart, before entering the cage.
"Uncle Qingyi, what's wrong with your body? I've brought Medicinal Pills, let's fix this quickly!" Qin Chu said.
Qingyi looked at Qin Chu in surprise, calling him 'Uncle'... he had no relatives, so where did this nephew come from?
"Qingyi, he is the son of my elder brother and Sister-in-law Xueyan, the child from back then. Quickly tell us what's wrong with you!" Qin Lingxi introduced Qin Chu, then also inquired about his condition.
Qingyi examined Qin Chu, then explained his problem: his Meridians had been severed. He had tried to heal himself over the years, but they hadn't recovered.
Qin Chu took out Medicinal Pills for treating Meridians, then also a jar of wine. "There's no water, drink it with wine."
At this point, Qingyi saw Qin Lingxi and Qin Chu's determination to rescue him, so he no longer refused or tried to send them away. He drank the wine and took the Medicinal Pills. Afterward, Qin Chu gave him more Medicinal Pills to restore his Origin Qi.
While Qingyi was healing, Qin Lingxi took out a corpse from her Storage Ring, then pulled down Qingyi's tattered outer robe, dealt with the corpse, and then took out the robe she had prepared for Qingyi.
A quarter of an hour passed, and Qingyi's Aura and Qi began to change.
"We can't waste time here, let's go quickly!" Qingyi said after putting on the robe Qin Lingxi had prepared.
Qin Lingxi put away the wine jar, checked it for any flaws, and then the three of them exited the cage.
Qin Chu exerted force with both arms, restoring the bent iron bars to their original state.
Seeing Qin Chu fix the cage, Qin Lingxi grabbed Qin Chu with one hand and supported Qingyi's arm with the other. They then flew out of the Profound Ice Dungeon, reached its entrance, and then infused energy into the hexagram array on the door.
After the hexagram array absorbed the energy, a creaking sound was heard, and the stone door rose. Qin Lingxi led Qin Chu and Qingyi out of the Profound Ice Dungeon, then left the dungeon area without looking back.
After traveling some distance, Qingyi looked at Qin Lingxi. "I've recovered some, you don't need to carry me anymore. Don't expend your energy, a battle could break out here at any time."
Hearing Qingyi's words, Qin Lingxi let go of him. The three of them followed the route they came in, hurrying towards the outside of Profound Martial Saint Mountain.
An hour later, the three of them left Profound Martial Saint Mountain.
"We're safe!" After leaving the Profound Martial Saint Mountain area, Qin Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief. For a while, she had been in a state of high tension. This operation not only involved rescuing Qingyi but also considering Qin Chu's safety.
Qingyi tidied his robe, then bowed to Qin Chu. "Qingyi greets the Young Lord."
"Uncle Qingyi, please don't do this. If it weren't for your desperate protection back then, there would be no Qin Chu today!" Qin Chu reached out to help Qingyi up.
"Propriety cannot be abandoned. Qingyi has met Princess Lingxi." Qingyi then clasped his hands towards Qin Lingxi.
"Brother Qingyi, back then our elder brother and sister-in-law didn't treat you as an outsider, and the Qin Clan certainly won't now," Qin Lingxi said.
The three continued their journey, arriving at Zhen Xuelin's manor. They could leave now, but retreating without seeing Zhen Xuelin safely return would seem a bit disloyal.
After waiting for three hours, as it was getting dark, Zhen Xuelin returned.
Seeing Qingyi, Qin Lingxi, and Qin Chu, Zhen Xuelin breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that everyone is safe."
"Many thanks, Law Enforcement Xue Lin!" Qingyi clasped his hands towards Zhen Xuelin.
"You're welcome. You must help the Princess take good care of the Young Lord, and also think of a way to rescue the Princess," Zhen Xuelin said.
"Don't worry, I will. My life belongs to the Princess!" Qingyi nodded.
"Then you all should go! Princess Lingxi, if I get any information here, I will send word to you," Zhen Xuelin said to Qin Lingxi and the others.
After expressing their gratitude to Zhen Xuelin once more, Qin Chu and Qin Lingxi took Qingyi and left the manor. After the three of them rendezvoused with Qin Longfeng, they rode a beast carriage towards the territory ruled by the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan.
"Uncle Qingyi, how do you feel now?" Qin Chu asked Qingyi.
"Young Lord, please don't call me that. Calling me Qingyi, your subordinate, is fine. My Meridians have been reconnected. Although not fully, I can fight now," Qingyi said.
"You've suffered these years. If you had compromised back then, you wouldn't have had to endure nearly twenty years of imprisonment. The Qin Clan is very grateful to you!" Qin Lingxi said.
"Princess Lingxi, please don't say that. My lord said back then that I must take good care of the Young Lord. It was Qingyi who failed to complete his mission." As he spoke, Qingyi kept looking at Qin Chu. He felt a bit emotional inside; the child in the swaddling clothes back then had already grown into an adult, which made him feel that his nearly twenty years of imprisonment were not in vain.
During their journey, Qin Lingxi spoke about Zhen Xueyan's situation.
"The Profound Martial Saint Clan dared to harm my lord, they must pay the price. I, Qingyi, will not let them off. After I recover, I will settle accounts with them. What about Lord Zhanye?" Qingyi asked.
Qin Lingxi shook her head; Qin Zhanye's whereabouts remained a mystery.
"Qingyi, you should still recover first. Next, our Vermilion Bird Saint Clan will fight across the world again, and it won't do without fighting power," Qin Longfeng said.
Old acquaintances meeting had much to talk about, and Qingyi was particularly interested in Qin Chu's affairs.
Because Qingyi needed to meditate and recover, their traveling speed was not very fast. It took them six days to return to the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan's territory.
Upon returning to the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan, Qingyi had mostly recovered. Back then, he was one of the top experts under the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan. His return now added another expert to the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan.
Qin Longhan was also very happy; he had greatly admired Qingyi back then.
After meeting his acquaintances and freshening up, Qingyi came to the courtyard where Qin Chu resided.
"Uncle Qingyi, you should rest first, then Qin Chu will visit you!" Qin Chu, who was practicing sword techniques, put away his sword and invited Qingyi to sit down.
"Young Lord, you were just a small child back then, and in a blink of an eye, you've grown into an adult." Looking at Qin Chu, Qingyi's eyes were filled with relief. He never regretted everything he had done for the Qin Clan. In the Profound Martial Saint Clan, he had no status and was looked down upon, but in the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan's Qin Clan, he gained respect.
"This was earned by Uncle Qingyi's desperate efforts, thank you, Uncle Qingyi," Qin Chu said.
"Young Lord, you don't need to be so polite. Being able to protect you, paying some price is well worth it," Qingyi said.
"When I had someone deduce the heavenly secrets, I saw Uncle Qingyi with a battle halberd, sweeping broadly and powerfully. I want to learn from Uncle Qingyi in the future," Qin Chu said.
A look of disappointment appeared in Qingyi's eyes. "The battle halberd broke, destroyed by the Profound Martial Saint Clan Chief."
"It doesn't matter, Qin Chu will find a way to help Uncle Qingyi forge a new battle halberd. Uncle will regain his former might," Qin Chu promised.
"Good, then I will accompany the Young Lord to fight across the world again, killing anyone who stands in our way!" Qingyi's eyes blazed with Battle Intent.