Warding off Disaster
The rumor that a certain disciple surnamed Han from the Cloud Water Sect vomited blood and collapsed in front of everyone, using his last bit of strength only to call for his junior sister to see him one last time, drifted into Yingshi's room in the southern part of Wendao Peak. At that moment, she was frantically searching around her bed—her things were missing!
The storage bags, the ones she had finally managed to coax out of Xu Mingcheng, were down to just one!
Before coming here, she had specifically used a special ink-retaining pen unique to the cultivation world to draw patterns on the two storage bags to tell them apart.
Her own bag had a chibi version of her head drawn on it, while the one she intended to give to Shuangjian had a cartoon image of him.
Now only hers was left. Could the storage bag meant for Shuangjian have been lost on the way from the South Peak to the North Peak? She clearly remembered that when she parted ways with Shuangjian, she was holding one in her hand and had the other hanging from her waist...
Yingshi! This is bad! Xinmei's panicked voice came from afar. Yingshi quickly snapped out of her thoughts and walked out into the courtyard to meet her.
Hearing her voice, some female disciples in the nearby rooms also came to their doors and poked their heads out, their gazes uniformly locking onto Yingshi.
Yingshi sensed that something was wrong, but before she could ask for details, Xinmei, her face full of anxiety, grabbed her hand and turned to run, saying hurriedly, Junior Brother Han is in trouble! Come with me quickly to the North Peak to see him!
Shuangjian is in trouble?
Yingshi's mind went blank for a moment. Her first reaction was a slight resistance; Shuangjian was obviously avoiding her. Having just been shut out, perhaps she shouldn't go and bother him again.
It was like being hospitalized with an illness—if someone you disliked came to visit, you wouldn't be happy. In fact, the bad mood might even hinder your recovery.
But Xinmei's state and the curious stares of the people around them clearly meant the situation might be beyond her current imagination...
Yingshi began to panic. The loneliness caused by the one-sided cold war had completely turned into worry. Not daring to hesitate any longer, she hurriedly rushed to the North Peak with Xinmei.
...
By the time she pushed through the surrounding crowd, all the color had drained from Yingshi's face. She clearly saw Shuangjian kneeling in a pool of blood, completely covered in it. Beside him were several solemn-faced elders from the Dao One Immortal Alliance, as well as Master Xuanzhen, who was leading the Cloud Water Sect.
They were saying, His meridians are in chaos, and the affliction is internal. If we intervene now, it might cause him to explode and die...
What a bizarre occurrence. A participating disciple of the Tiangang Martial Gathering had suffered severe injuries on his very first day staying at Wendao Peak.
After examining his body, they found that the injuries were completely unprovoked. There was no external force involved, nor were there any traces of demonic or unorthodox interference. It was entirely... entirely an inside-out conflict. In other words, it was solely caused by an illness of the heart!
The reason it was called an illness of the heart rather than an inner demon was that such a fledgling disciple simply didn't have the capacity to experience qi deviation. Those with shallow cultivation who fell into a frenzy would only destroy themselves and would hardly endanger others.
However, the matter was indeed tricky to handle. Even as elders, they were powerless to intervene, because this was a battle of the individual against himself.
But despite this, no one wanted to see such a young disciple die right under their noses. Just as the elders were about to disperse the crowd and activate a heart meridian protection array for Han Shuangjian, a young girl burst out from the crowd and stumbled forward.
Shuangjian!
With absolutely no sense of propriety, she threw herself directly into the pool of blood. Ignoring how her aqua-blue dress was stained red, she knelt beside the boy, her hand touching his slightly trembling shoulder. Her voice leaked a sobbing tone, Shuangjian, what's wrong? How can I help you?
Master Xuanzhen reacted and was about to pull Yingshi away, but before he could make a move, he saw the boy—who had maintained a deathly still posture for a long time—actually move.
His hand, which had been pierced by a hairpin, clenched into a fist. Then, he raised his head incredibly slowly, staring straight at Yingshi. He lifted his other, uninjured hand to Yingshi's face, lightly and gently wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
I'm fine, he said.
Shuangjian's voice was incredibly hoarse, nothing more than a weak breath, yet his tone was exceptionally composed, even calmer than the group of elders with their complex expressions.
...He clearly should have been rejoicing.
Rejoicing that after Yingshi's appearance, he still became the pardoned one who escaped punishment.
Regardless of whether the red string had lost its efficacy due to time or some other reason, he still hadn't lost the core that brought him freedom.
Chunri
However, before his heart could even generate such a sense of relief, only one untimely thought popped up: Yingshi was very afraid of blood.
Good thing it was him bleeding... but would she find it dirty?
He had done something wrong.
And more than just one thing.
Shuangjian abruptly withdrew the hand that was wiping away her tears, because his entire body was stained with the stench of blood, and in the process, he had smeared blood all over Yingshi's face too.
Yingshi froze for a moment, but her tears rolled down even faster. Whimpering, she used her sleeve to wipe the blood from the corners of Shuangjian's lips while frantically looking back up at the stunned elders, pleading, Can you please save him? If he keeps bleeding like this, he'll die!
Master Xuanzhen coughed lightly and frowned at her. Yingshi, get up first.
Then he exchanged a glance with an elder from the Dao One Immortal Alliance, only to hear the other man muse, Let me take a look.
Yingshi prepared to move aside to make room for this elder, but Shuangjian gripped her hand tightly, his gaze closely following her as well.
So she stopped, merely shuffling backward. Teary-eyed, she squeezed his hand back, only realizing belatedly that Shuangjian was using the hand that had been pierced through by the hairpin!
She was terrified, not daring to shake it off nor daring to hold it tightly. She could only carefully support it in her palm, waiting for the elder to treat Shuangjian.
...How do you feel now? The white-browed elder took two steps closer. A faintly bitter scent of medicine emanated from him. As he spoke, he leaned down in a very approachable manner, hovering two fingers over Shuangjian's pulse.
This disciple is fine, Shuangjian said with absolute clarity. I just need to rest for a moment. I apologize for causing trouble for everyone.
If it weren't for the fact that he was practically a bloody mess, these incredibly calm words might have actually held some persuasive power.
But right now, the white-browed elder merely stared intently at his face, his lips pressed together in silence, as the spiritual energy overflowing from his fingertips gently probed into the boy's meridians.
A moment later, the elder frowned slightly—the spiritual aura that should have been in utter chaos had mostly calmed down. The boy's heart meridian, which had been on the verge of collapse just a moment ago, was now restored to its original state... It was just that his spiritual altar...
A sigh flashed through the elder's eyes. He looked back up at Shuangjian and said thoughtfully, To be able to return to clarity from within chaos is quite fortunate... Have you ever had an episode like this before?
Shuangjian raised his eyes, his expression as plain as usual.
Yes, he said. This disciple's temperament is flawed. Making no progress in cultivation has given rise to an illusionary barrier.
...
The old man swallowed the question, "Do you wish to withdraw from the Tiangang Martial Tournament," that was on the tip of his tongue. He nodded, took out a slender porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and hesitantly handed it to Yingshi, who stood nearby.
"Since it is an illness of the mind, you must cultivate your heart from now on. Do not rush for quick success or seek the impossible. Your spiritual altar is unstable. If this happens again, you will suffer from chaotic qi at best, and lose your life at worst." He said, "This is the Dragon Blood Revitalizing Pill. It can restore blood, generate fluids, and replenish qi. Rest for a few days before making any further plans."
As for a few days later, the Tiangang Martial Tournament would have long since begun.
How far he could go would depend on his fortune, though in all likelihood, he would stop at the preliminaries.
A cultivator with a loose and fragile spiritual altar could not go far. If he remained arrogant, his suffering would only multiply.
When one has obsessions in their heart but lacks the strength to achieve them, the resulting void can ultimately only be filled by one's own lifespan...
The old man shook his head and said no more.
Shuangjian respectfully complied, his face showing not a trace of panic.
"This disciple will keep it in mind."
The white-browed old man walked back. The several elders exchanged a few glances and seemed ready to leave.
Master Xuanzhen, standing to the side, glanced at the terrified Yingshi, and silently called Wei Kai, who was lingering and watching from dozens of meters away, to come over.
"Take him back to his room to rest," he instructed.
Wei Kai hurried over and was about to help Shuangjian up, but Yingshi pressed his arm down. Meeting Master Xuanzhen's eyes, she asked anxiously, "What about his hand?"
Master Xuanzhen's gaze fell upon Shuangjian's palm, which was still pierced through by a hairpin. His brow twitched, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why resort to such extreme measures?"
Shuangjian did not look up. After a few seconds of silence, he replied, "...This disciple is foolish, merely attempting to use pain to suppress pain."
Hearing this, Yingshi stared at Shuangjian in disbelief. Under her teary, shocked gaze, Shuangjian could not help but gently close his eyes. He let go of the hand tightly holding Yingshi's and decisively, cleanly pulled the hairpin out.
"Hiss—"
The tip of the hairpin brought out a blur of bloody flesh. The sight was enough to make onlookers feel phantom pain. Wei Kai gasped, but the person involved remained expressionless, as if the pain did not belong to him.
Because Shuangjian had intentionally turned away, Yingshi did not see this scene with her own eyes. By the time she recovered her senses, the hand with the gruesome bloody hole had already been covered by his sleeve.
"Does it hurt a lot? Let me see!" she said anxiously, tugging at Shuangjian's arm.
Shuangjian did not yield to her pulling. He merely shook his head at her and comforted her, "I am fine..."
Master Xuanzhen looked at them with a complex expression. After a long while, he sighed, threw over a packet of topical medicinal powder, gave some brief instructions, and ordered them to leave.
He still had to deal with the aftermath of this sudden incident with the relevant people from the Daoyi Immortal Alliance—such as the pool of blood on the ground.
Master Xuanzhen's brows furrowed tighter and tighter as he stared at the retreating backs of the three.
Wei Kai originally wanted to support Shuangjian by the shoulder, but his good intentions did not seem to be accepted. The person who had been half-dead just a few incense sticks of time ago was now able to walk on his own, so he shifted his body and avoided the support.
However, he was not entirely independent either, because Yingshi was right beside him, tightly holding his arm and constantly turning her head to say something to him.
The three walked together, but two of them were pressed particularly close, intangibly creating two separate worlds.
If Xu Mingcheng saw this scene, he would surely fly into a rage. As an elder who had watched Yingshi grow up, Master Xuanzhen also felt some displeasure at this sight. Especially after this incident, it was even more apparent that this disciple surnamed Han had an extreme temperament.
...But he did not intend to intervene anymore.
Whether it was the white-browed old man from the Daoyi Immortal Alliance or himself, they both knew that Han Shuangjian would not live long.
Although there were not many who died from such illnesses of the mind, it was not entirely unheard of. Moreover, his outbreak was so severe that it had reached a terrifying level.
His qi and blood were depleted, and his spiritual altar was tottering. The pills were just a drop in the bucket and of no real help at all.
Master Xuanzhen remained silent for a moment. He did not step forward to call Yingshi back, but silently turned his head away.
A dying person should always receive what little tolerance this world has to offer.
...
"Senior Brother Wei, would it be convenient for you to go out for a walk and leave me and Shuangjian to say a few words?"
After applying the medicine and taking the pills, Yingshi earnestly requested a private conversation setting from Wei Kai.
Whether Shuangjian was willing or not, she had to force the issue now. She had desperately wanted to create a private setting to talk, but Shuangjian had been uncooperative. At that time, the topics she wanted to discuss only concerned interpersonal sensitivities, but now it was a matter of life and death. She had questions she absolutely had to ask.
"Alright... I will leave right away!" Wei Kai nodded like a pounding pestle, quickly backed away, and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
"Why did this happen so suddenly?"
Yingshi plopped down on the edge of Shuangjian's bed. Her eyes were still red, though she had finally stopped crying. "You were perfectly fine when I left. Why did you suddenly collapse and vomit so much blood? When I saw you, I thought you were going to, going to..."
She really could not bring herself to say the words that followed "going to."
Even just thinking about Shuangjian distancing himself from her made her feel like the sky was falling. If Shuangjian were to disappear from this world entirely... Yingshi quickly pulled her thoughts back, still shaken, and could only grip Shuangjian's arm tightly, staring into his eyes.
"...It was Mi Ruotian," Shuangjian said without changing his expression.
He did not need to elaborate in detail; Yingshi could form a rich association based on just a simple name.
"He still managed to play a dirty trick on you before he died?" Yingshi's eyes widened. "His methods actually remained in your body for over forty days?"
Shuangjian nodded.
"That dead man..." Yingshi burned with anger, both furious and anxious. She gritted her teeth and said indignantly, "His clone died, but he still has his main body. So what if he is one of the Eight Great Demon Kings? Wait until the later stages of the plot, we will grind his bones to dust!"
Hatred made her whole body tremble slightly. The only thing that brought her comfort was that after taking the medicine, Shuangjian's face was no longer as deathly pale as before, and his speech had recovered a bit of strength.
"Mi Ruotian left a curse lingering in my body. I discovered it too late, only realizing it the night before the sect's internal selection." Shuangjian lowered his eyes, saying calmly, "Previously, I was terrified that this curse mark would affect the people around me..."
Despicable.
Another voice at the bottom of his heart offered this contempt.
But Shuangjian no longer cared.
Having answered the question raised by that voice, he would no longer be influenced by it.
He paused for exactly half a second, and sure enough, he saw Yingshi's dazed expression, her eyes shimmering with tears. She didn't even need him to continue before she choked out, "So... so that is why you chose to distance yourself from me? I thought you hated me and never wanted to be friends with me again..."
"..."
Shuangjian's chest suddenly felt tight.
A strange sourness welled up, a feeling no better than when he fought against the rules.
He opened his mouth, and only after a long while did he manage to answer hoarsely, "That is absolutely not the case."
That is absolutely not the case.
For the first time, the voice in his heart silently echoed in agreement.
"Next time, don't shoulder everything by yourself like this. We are teammates!" Yingshi suppressed the tremor in her voice.
CR
Taking a deep breath, she asked anxiously, "Are you completely fine now? There isn't any residual poison left, is there?"
"...I am fine."
Shuangjian looked into Yingshi's eyes and slowly opened his tightly clenched palm. A blood-stained red string lay quietly upon it.
"It shielded me from disaster," he said.
Today the story is featured on the front page, so there will be an extra chapter update at 11 PM!
