Chapter 81 Blood Order: All sentient beings shall have their desires fulfilled.

Blade's knuckles were slightly white. He lowered his eyes and stared at his hands, which were wrapped in strips of cloth. His fingertips gently rubbed his palms, as if recalling something taboo.

flesh.

The thought quietly surfaced in his mind, carrying a heavy shadow. At this moment, old memories also sprouted from the ground, surrounding him like vengeful ghosts, whispering their demise.

A sudden blessing...

He had once gazed at his palm in the same way, at that piece of flesh and blood that had vanished in an instant. That thing possessed the "blessing" of immortality, capable of altering the way a race reproduced, and granting the living eternal life, a state between birth and death.

The unintentional contact with the raw, gruesome flesh was like a sharp blade, severing his connection to humanity and plunging him into an abyss of utter isolation.

At that time, he pondered more than once whether this immortal body was a blessing or a curse.

Are you lucky?

He could miraculously recover from countless near-death experiences, continuing to breathe and walk on the path of "immortality" that everyone coveted, destined to have no turning back.

Is it unfortunate?

In those endless years, he lost so much. His emotions were hollowed out, his beliefs were eroded by the wind, and even his "self" was gradually devoured. Those once bright and joyful memories eventually turned to cold ashes in the relentless passage of time, scattered in the long river of years that no one cares about.

In the end, he even forgot who he was.

Forgot why we live, why we are happy, only the deepest, most intense obsession remains—

hatred.

It was the most primal emotion, naked and ferocious like a wild beast, gnawing at his bones and tearing apart his reason.

It is also entangled with another emotion, twisted and distorted, ultimately merging into an indescribable force.

He once thought that he would never hesitate for anyone again, and would never give this "gift" to anyone.

However, at this moment, his fingertips trembled slightly.

The touch of her skin still lingered on his palm from last night, burning as if it would consume everything around him, as if the flames were penetrating her flesh and burning inch by inch into the depths of his bones.

He lowered his head, gazing at Shen Mi's pale face. Her breathing was rapid, her chest heaving like a drowning person desperately grasping for their last breath, her brow furrowed, and her lips pale as if she had lost all her blood. Her eyes, which always held a light, were now tightly closed, her eyelashes trembling like feathers about to break in the wind.

Blade's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Will she die?

This thought, like a blunt nail, slowly drove into the sharp mind.

What does it feel like to die?

Heartbeat stops, breathing ceases, blood coagulates in the blood vessels, skin loses temperature, and the body slowly decays until it turns into a handful of white ash, finally returning to this primitive world created by nature.

Blade's gaze fell upon her. Chen Mi was curled up, her breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible. Each rise and fall of her breath was like a thin thread that could snap at any moment, barely holding her to the brink of life. Her face was pale to the point of being transparent, her lips were chapped, yet tinged with a sickly crimson, like a touch of blood cruelly applied to white jade.

"She looks just like everyone he's ever seen before."

He had seen too many scenes like this. At that time, he stood in the crowd, coldly watching them stop breathing, watching them sink into the river of his life, silently flowing away from the earth.

But at this moment, his hand froze in mid-air, his knuckles white, and his joints made a barely audible sound.

What if she dies?

He asked himself.

Will she go to that kind of world?

What he pursued, strived for, and longed for was a world filled with red flowers, a world where people could be reincarnated.

That was his current thought, a cold, almost desperate idea, like a dull knife, slowly crushing his remaining rationality.

Such a thought was interrupted by a faint groan.

"Go...go home, I want to go home..."

Ren froze, his brow furrowing deeply. He leaned down, pressing his ear closer to her lips, as if afraid of missing a single syllable of hers.

It was a very light, very low murmur, weak and hoarse from a fever, intermittent, but with an extremely clear meaning.

"go home……"

These two words were like a sharp crack, tearing open the hardest part of his chest, turning over the flesh inside his chest cavity, causing him numbness from the pain.

go home?

The world she wanted to return to was not the place he longed for.

The desire in her heart was never the same as the thought surging in his chest at this moment.

So, how far is she willing to go for that desire?

Will they struggle and chase with all their might, even at the cost of everything?

Ren lowered his eyes and stared at her silently, his gaze as dark as an abyss.

After a long while, the emotions surging in his eyes finally settled, solidifying into a faint smile, its curve cold and sharp, like a ray of light suddenly breaking through the hazy dawn, gently piercing this chaotic world—

Dangerous and deadly, yet it seems like a star god, like the "Pharmacist" responding to the immortals who hold the hope of eternal life.

"Don't hate me."

He whispered in Shen Mi's ear.

The next instant, he exerted force with his fingertips, his sharp nails slicing through his palm, a streak of crimson blood overflowing from his fingertips, more intense than his eyes, carrying the power flowing within him, meandering down between his fingers.

Blood--

His blood.

This blood, cursed and imbued with the power of "immortality," possesses a terrifying power that can make withered trees sprout and rotten flesh regenerate.

Ren leaned down, gently lifting Chen Mi's nape with his other hand, feeling the sickly heat of her skin, like a piece of ember about to burn out. His fingertips traced her slightly parted lips, the touch soft yet icy, almost imperceptible even to the faintest breath.

His breathing was slow, as if he was suppressing some kind of restlessness in his heart.

He brought that crimson blood to her lips, and the blood slowly flowed down, along her lip line, seeping between her teeth.

At first, she trembled slightly involuntarily, and a very soft sob escaped from her throat, as if she was instinctively resisting. But the next moment, the temperature of her blood and some indescribable power, like a dark red river, broke through her dying embankment and surged into her body.

Shen Mi's breathing paused for a moment, then quickened, his chest rising and falling slightly, his brows still furrowed, yet carrying an indescribable sense of dependence, as if unconsciously trying to chase that fiery passion that brought life.

Her lips began to suckle, and her whole body felt as if it were being irrigated by cool and comfortable water, washing away her heat and cold.

At first, she trembled slightly involuntarily, a very soft sob escaping her throat, as if instinctively resisting. But the next moment, warm blood, carrying some indescribable power, like a clear river, broke through her dry banks, surging in and filling the parched cracks.

Shen Mi's breathing suddenly stopped, then became rapid. His chest rose and fell slightly, and his brow was gently smoothed by invisible hands, as if unconsciously trying to chase the life-giving stream.

Her lips began to gently suck, subtle yet urgent, as if grasping at something to save her. As that heat spread through her veins, her whole body felt as if it were being slowly irrigated by a cool, soothing spring, dispelling the burning pain and easing the chill.

Ren lowered his gaze to look at her, a glint flashing in his eyes like an undercurrent hidden beneath the deep sea—cold, restrained, yet carrying a strange restlessness.

He felt her subtle movements, felt the branches of his own life growing like the branches of a tree. The power of "life" flowed from his fingertips. Instead of being angry, he gently pulled her closer, his fingertips holding the back of her neck. His palms were slightly cool, like the last piece of ice, trapping her in the flow he gave her.

Blood dripped down her lips, staining Chen Mi's chin. In this deathly silent and cold world, it bloomed like a bewitching spider lily from hell on her lips.

Eerie yet beautiful.

He wiped the blood off Chen Mi's face and sat down quietly, watching her.

The smell of blood gradually dissipated in the small tree hole.

Chen Mi's breathing was much more steady than before, her chest rising and falling slowly, no longer with that rapid, almost broken breath. The tightness between her brows also gradually relaxed, as if a taut string had finally been released, and she had finally found peace.

Ren placed his hand on Shen Mi's forehead.

—The fever has subsided.

Finally, Ren unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Morning light filtered through the gaps between the trees, casting dappled shadows on the rough tree trunks like gentle ripples on water. The air still carried a faint, damp, and bloody odor, almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention.

He sat down not far from her, leaning against the tree wall, quietly observing Shen Mi.

Seeing that she was in good condition, with no sudden withdrawal of the golden branch from her body and no painful, strange growls, they realized that she was in good health.

As Ren gazed at her, he saw a calm and contented expression on her face…

He closed his eyes and opened them again, thinking it was his imagination, but upon closer inspection, everything was real.

She seemed to be born with a constitution that resonated with his blood, without any mutations or turning into a soulless walking corpse.

Was his power, to her, a life-saving remedy?

Blade's inner thoughts were whispering a question.

*

Shen Mi slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry, as if the world before her was shrouded in mist. She was stunned for several seconds before realizing that she was lying on a wooden board. Her body no longer felt the tearing heat of the previous night, but was instead enveloped by an indescribable weakness.

"...What's wrong with me?" she muttered softly, her voice hoarse, like shards of glass rubbing against her throat.

A faint noise reached her ears. She subconsciously turned her head and saw Ren not far away, sitting against the tree wall, his posture languid, as if asleep, or perhaps just resting with his eyes closed. Sunlight shone on the lines of his profile, cold and hard like a blade, yet a soft light fell on his brow bone, making his closed eyelashes appear long and dark.

Shen Mi stared at him, her heart skipped a beat, and her gaze slowly moved down—falling on his hand wrapped in cloth. There was another strip of cloth, as if it had been wrapped around her while she was unconscious. The blood on it had long since congealed, but the edges of the cloth strip were still white.

What happened last night?

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Author's Note: I'm here, my dear readers! Tonight I went for a walk with my mom, and halfway through, she got caught up in a traditional opera performance. I watched with her for a while, and when we got back and I took a shower, I realized it was already quite late. [starry eyes][starry eyes][starry eyes] I hope today's update is satisfactory!