Love & Redemption
Chapter 133: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 40 - Wound (2)

Chapter 133: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 40 - Wound (2)

The agonizing night was finally about to end. The pale blue dawn light filtered through the cotton paper window, cast inside the room. The candle on the low table had burned out, chunks of hardened wax sprawled on it. It took a while before He Yang remembered to replace the candle.

The young man on the bed hadn’t woken up throughout the night and did not cause any concern. At this crucial moment of dusk-to-dawn transition, if he could endure this moment safely, his life would no longer be in danger.

He found a new candle, carefully lit it, and went to check on Yu Sifeng’s condition. Unexpectedly, he met his pitch-dark and dull eyes, which startled He Yang, who softly asked, "Did you wake up?"

Yu Sifeng did not reply, merely staring blankly with his eyes. After a moment, his face grew redder, gradually resembling a drunken person, flushed as blood. His pitch-black eyes also emitted a strangely mesmerizing look.

He Yang was greatly alarmed, knowing something was wrong. He dropped the candle and grabbed his pulse. Pressing his fingers down, he felt a rapid throbbing, fast as drumbeats. Only for a moment did it fade, smooth and slow, as if it could stop at any moment.

Danger! He immediately pressed down on his shoulders, whispering, "Don’t move! Steady your breath!" His True Qi slowly infused through his fingertips, yet it sank like stones into the sea without any response. Feeling a chill in his heart, he quickly retracted his fingers and flicked twice on his forehead.

Under his flick, Yu Sifeng’s body trembled violently, his hand clutching He Yang’s arm with such strength that it almost crushed the bones. He Yang grimaced in pain but remained motionless, soothingly saying, "It’s okay, steady your breathing, calm your mind."

Before he finished speaking, he noticed Yu Sifeng’s heavy breathing. The newly changed bandage on his chest began to show bloodstains again, quickly soaking through a large area. Continuing this way, he would certainly not survive the morning, likely to die from excessive bleeding. Tiny bubbles of blood trailed down from the corner of his lips, indicating severe lung damage, choked with blood between breaths.

Just as He Yang was at his wit’s end, Yu Sifeng opened his eyes again. This time, there was some light in his eyes. His grip on the arm tightened even more, the bones making a cracking sound. He breathed heavily a few times, seemingly trying to speak. He Yang urgently said, "Don’t talk! Focus!"

As he spoke, a large amount of frothy blood flowed out, slurring his words, but He Yang still understood him.

He said, "Under the ribs... open... two seals."

"Seal," referring to those strange black beads? He Yang, in shock, lifted his arm and saw a black bead under his ribs near his waist fluctuate slightly as if alive, about to leap out. Seeing the beads on both sides half ejected, seeming about to exit the body soon, he steadied his mind, infused True Qi into his palm, grabbed the two beads, and gently pulled—not beads! Under the black beads were silver needles!

His heart filled with more horror, and he dared not pull them out quickly, only slowly applying force. The black beads were attached to silver needles, about five or six inches long, embedded in his body. The ribs were a vital part, and for ordinary people to nail silver needles here was undoubtedly seeking death, especially needles this long.

When both needles were pulled out, they bore not a single trace of blood. Looking again at his waist, there was also no sign of puncture, as though the needles had never been there. Puzzled, He Yang had to set aside those silver needles with black beads by the bed and checked his condition.

His eyes were closed, the bloodstains on his chest did not spread further, and the eerie flush on his face gradually receded, turning pale. Only his forehead was covered in sweat, it was unclear whether from pain or something else.

He Yang checked his pulse, shocked to find the bizarre throbbing had stopped. Although his pulse was weak, it was now stable. He was drenched in sweat, turned around blankly; it was already bright outside. The night was completely over, and the young man on the bed had survived the most dangerous phase, only needing quiet recuperation now.

After a long contemplation, he still decided to change his wound medicine first, adjust the bandages, and picked up the strange silver needles to scrutinize them for a while, finding no clues. Lize Palace had always been enigmatic; perhaps it was some unique, secretive technique from there. Yu Sifeng called it a "seal," opened two, and he safely passed the most dangerous stage. Could it actually be a spell to suppress some power?

He Yang thought for a long time but could not figure it out, so he had to put the silver needles back by his bedside. Suddenly, he heard a noise outside the door, followed by Chu Yinghong’s voice: "Xuanji, you’ve been hurt and didn’t sleep all night. Don’t be stubborn!"

He got up to open the door and saw Xuanji leaning against the wall outside, his wife standing helplessly next to her, trying to persuade her. Seeing him come out, Xuanji’s face instantly showed extreme hope but she remained silent, just gazing earnestly at him.

He Yang smiled gently, softly saying, "It’s okay, he has passed the critical phase, he should be asleep now. Don’t worry."

The young girl trembled, seemingly about to cry, but she held back her tears. Finally, with a faint smile, she softly said, "Then I’ll... come to see him tonight." After speaking, she turned to go back to her room.

Chu Yinghong sighed in relief, smiling at her husband, their anxiety from the night finally easing. He Yang suddenly said softly, "You can go see him now if you like, just don’t wake him up."

Xuanji’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, she wiped her body forcefully, and finally clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, taking a long time to say, "No... I’m afraid I’ll disturb him if I go in now... I’ll visit tonight..."

She felt sure she would cry if she entered, and she no longer wanted Yu Sifeng to see her crying. She had already cried too much that night.

*****

Yu Sifeng, who had reached the tenth day, could now speak, even though he was still weak and not constantly sleeping like at the beginning. Xuanji would squat everyday in front of the room’s door, occasionally going inside to check on him while he slept. The three adults were quite helpless against her puppy-like behavior but didn’t stop her.

Seeing that Yu Sifeng’s injuries had improved and that his life was no longer in danger, and Xuanji was recovering quickly from her internal injuries without any concerning issues, the three adults discussed returning to the Shaoyang Sect. After all, the Flower Pinning Conference was about to begin before the end of the year, and concerning the unresolved issue with the demons, key individuals couldn’t afford to stay away any longer.

"Little Xuanji, do you want to come back to Shaoyang with us?" Chu Yinghong finally asked during dinner, unwilling to leave the two children behind, "And Si Feng as well."

She thought that after having suffered so much, given Xuanji’s personality, she would certainly want to return home, but to her astonishment, Xuanji hesitated briefly and then quickly shook her head, "No, I need to stay to take care of Si Feng. His injuries are too severe for him to travel. Also... I’m not done with my cultivation experience; I don’t want to go back so soon."

Chu Yinghong, taken aback, looked back at Chu Lei and He Yang, who seemed to have anticipated her answer. Chu Lei said calmly, "You are grown now, make your own decisions. I won’t interfere. Just remember to think carefully before acting."

Xuanji nodded her head, this time genuinely, without any pretense.

He Yang chuckled, "Lessons are to be experienced, not just heard. We elders nag too much, which young people don’t like to listen to. You just have to walk your own path."

Seeing that both of them said so, Chu Yinghong worried for a while but then conceded. She touched Xuanji’s hair and said, "Be careful on your own. Your mother asked me to tell you not to worry about home; your father and mother are in good health. When you finish your cultivation journey and come back for the Flower Pinning Conference, she’ll prepare the most delicious meal for you as a celebration."

Thinking of her mother far away on Shouyang Mountain, Xuanji, recalling her sitting idly in their house missing them, felt a warmth in her eyes and silently nodded.

After the meal, Chu Lei and the other two started packing their luggage, planning to leave in a couple of days. Xuanji suddenly approached him and whispered, "Father, there are some things I need to tell you."

Chu Lei was a bit surprised as his daughter normally wasn’t very close to him. It was rare that she wanted to have a private conversation with him before their departure. Internally, he felt a pleasant surprise, yet his face did not show it as he nodded indifferently and opened the door for her to enter.

Xuanji entered, sat down slowly, and after a long time, she told him about the Xuanyuan Sect’s circumstances. Chu Lei’s expression grew more solemn as he listened, and when she finished, he had many questions but felt too shocked to ask, merely overwhelmed.

"So, the Xuanyuan Sect wasn’t exterminated? They have... allied with the demons?"

His voice trembled slightly, barely able to accept this fact. Xuanyuan, after all, was one of the Five Great Sects; it was not only their disgrace but a disgrace to all cultivators.

Xuanji softly said, "I didn’t see any of the elderly there, only some younger disciples. But it’s true that Xuanyuan has allied with the demons. I think what Wu Tong and his companions desire is not just to destroy the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain; they might have deeper motives."

In front of her stern father, she had never known how to express her care and concerns properly. It felt as if revealing her feelings would only invite reprimand. Now that she had spoken, she huddled her shoulders, looking pitifully at Chu Lei.

He was slightly startled, but then, unusually, he smiled gently and kindly.

"You don’t need to worry," he said softly for the first time, caressing the top of his little daughter’s head. "Your father isn’t going to let Shaoyang suffer at the hands of others."

Xuanji, overwhelmed by his affection, muttered a few more words to him, not even sure what she said, then she backed out of the room. Chu Lei said softly from behind, "You are what I worry about the most. Xuanji, take care."

With a lump in her throat, she felt that for the first time over many years, she could speak openly with him, her heart full of emotion. She wanted to share this feeling with someone, but turning around, the familiar smiling faces were no longer beside her.

In the corridor, she was alone, her lonely shadow stretched long by the moonlight. Long and yet unable to reach all that she missed from the past.

Xuanji stood quietly in the corridor for a long time before finally turning around and moving toward Yu Sifeng’s room, gently pushing open the door. He was usually asleep at this time. She just wanted to watch him, just to silently look for a while, as if that would gather some courage.

In the room, a small candle flickered, its light dancing. But the boy wasn’t asleep; he sat propped against the headboard, his eyes bright as stars, smiling at her.

She felt a stir in her heart, freezing in place. After a long while, she whispered softly, "Si Feng..."(To be continued, for further details please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)