Wuwangyuan-3

As Ji Wang was concentrating on the desolate wilderness outside the cave, a rustling sound, completely different from the night wind, mixed with an even stronger stench of blood, came from outside the cave.

His nerves tensed instantly, he gripped the sword even tighter, and his gaze flashed like lightning towards the source of the sound.

It was a monster larger than the previous corpses, resembling a wild boar but covered in bone armor, with tusks like hooks.

It was crouching low, its scarlet eyes fixed on the corpses of its kind in front of the cave entrance.

His nostrils twitched rapidly, as if he were sniffing the lingering smell of blood in the air.

Ji Wang's heart skipped a beat, and he wanted to turn around to look at Bu Jiu. But just as he was about to turn his head, he stopped himself.

Bu Jiu's words of delivery and his confident promises still echoed in his ears. At this moment, he could still hear Bu Jiu's even and gentle breathing behind him, seemingly undisturbed by the new threat and still immersed in a light sleep.

We can't wake him up, and we can't let Bujiu protect him forever.

Ji Wang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the panic in his chest. He flipped his wrist, the sword held horizontally in front of him, and shifted his feet slightly, moving half a step silently, perfectly blocking the monster's view into the cave, and also protecting Bu Jiu tightly behind him.

The monster had clearly noticed the person blocking its path. It let out a threatening roar, its forelegs pawing the ground restlessly, sending stones flying.

Ji Wang did not wait for it to fully launch its attack.

He knew he was at a significant disadvantage in terms of strength and size, and he had to seize the initiative.

He pushed off with his feet, channeling spiritual energy into his legs, and shot out like an arrow. Instead of a straight-line collision, he drew an arc, aiming directly at the relatively vulnerable side of the demon beast.

The demonic beast reacted extremely quickly, twisting its thick body and slamming its bone-armored shoulders and back into Ji Wang. If the impact had been solid, Ji Wang, with his physique, would likely have suffered broken bones and tendons immediately.

Ji Wang clearly realized this, but his momentum did not diminish. Just as they were about to collide, he suddenly lowered his body and slid almost along the ground. Using the momentum of his forward charge and slide, he thrust his long sword from bottom to top into the relatively soft abdomen of the monster.

"laugh--!"

The sound of the blade piercing flesh rang out simultaneously with the beast's painful howl. However, the beast's body was covered in bone armor and thick hide, and the sword failed to penetrate to a vital point, instead enraging it even more.

The beast went berserk, its massive body standing upright, its two mud-covered forehooves like giant hammers, stomping down on Ji Wang, who had just regained his footing.

Ji Wang had no time to dodge, so he gritted his teeth and held the longsword horizontally above his head, his spiritual power surging wildly into the blade.

"clang--!"

The deafening clang of metal clashing was particularly jarring in the quiet night. The immense impact nearly sent Ji Wang flying backward several meters before he finally came to a stop by crashing into the rock wall.

The monster became even more ferocious because of Ji Wang's block. It lowered its head, aimed its fangs at its target, and pushed off the ground with its hind hooves, about to launch a new round of attacks.

If Ji Wang dodges, the demonic beast will crash into the rock wall, potentially causing a collapse. If he doesn't dodge, even a god might not be able to save him.

As Ji Wang watched the massive black shadow rush towards him, in a flash, only one thought remained in his mind—he couldn't let it harm Mo Jiu!

He seemed to summon a brute force from nowhere, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

He switched the hilt to his left hand and pressed his right hand against the blade. Blood gushed out instantly, dripping onto the ground through his tightly clenched fingers and along the spine of the sword.

A certain instinct, deeply rooted in the soul and dormant for a long time, seemed to awaken. Fingertips sliced ​​through the air with sharp strokes, instantly outlining a complex and dazzling lightning pattern in the void.

"Buzz—!" A deep resonance echoed in the air.

The suspended lightning pattern suddenly lit up with a blinding light. The exhaustion caused by the frantic extraction of spiritual energy made Ji Wang's vision go black for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and held on. He pushed the lightning talisman that had been drawn out of thin air outwards towards the beast's scarlet eyes that were so close to his.

At the same time, the longsword he had been gripping tightly in his left hand finally moved. It wasn't to parry, but rather it was infused with all the remaining spiritual power, transforming into a streak of cold light that followed the thunder talisman and rushed toward the same target.

The lightning exploded before the monster's eyes. Although its power was not enough to seriously injure its thick hide, the instantaneous intense light and the numbing pain of the lightning caused it to let out a painful howl. Its charging momentum involuntarily faltered, and its head subconsciously tilted to one side.

Ji Wang seized the moment when the beast paused, and plunged his longsword deep into the relatively vulnerable side of its neck, exposed by the beast's tilted head.

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the night sky. The beast's massive body staggered, twisting wildly, trying to shake off the longsword at its neck, dark red blood gushing out like a fountain.

It struggled, trying to pounce on Ji Wang, but the loss of life and the fatal blow quickly drained its strength. Finally, it collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before it stopped moving.

Ji Wang stared in disbelief at the monster's corpse before him and the longsword impaled on its neck. He had killed one all by himself?

“Great.” Bu Jiu’s voice came from beside him.

Ji Wang was leaning against the rock wall, trying to catch his breath. Hearing the praise, he turned around in disbelief.

Bu Jiu remained leaning against the spot, the slanting moonlight making his eyes appear particularly startling.

That gaze was so calm, so matter-of-fact, that it instantly made Ji Wang's initial pride and excitement at "winning on my own" feel somewhat helpless.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, such as "It was actually very dangerous," or "I don't know how I came up with this move," but in the end he just licked his dry lips and gave a slightly silly smile.

"It's...it's alright," he heard himself reply dryly, his voice a little hoarse from nervousness.

Bu Jiu didn't say anything more, but simply glanced at him, then reached out to Ji Wang and made a simple "come here" gesture.

Ji Wang looked at that slender, clean hand, then looked down at his own hands, which were covered in dust, blood, and the stench of demonic beasts, and hesitated for a moment.

Bu Jiu didn't move, he just waited quietly.

Ji Wang eventually moved over slowly, but didn't dare to put it on. He stopped when he got close and stood there awkwardly.

Bu Jiu reached forward and grasped Ji Wang's wrist. The force was light, but it pulled him in front of him in a way that left no room for refusal.

Cool fingertips gently brushed aside Ji Wang's tightly clenched fist, revealing a wound and bloodstains on his palm. Bu Jiu looked down at it, his brows furrowing immediately.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Ji Wang wanted to shake his head, but when he met Bu Jiu's gaze, he obediently hummed in agreement. It really hurt, it burned.

Bu Jiu didn't speak again, but simply used the fingertips of his other hand to lightly touch Ji Wang's wound.

Ji Wang understood his intention almost immediately—he wanted to heal his wounds again!

"No—" Ji Wang tried to pull his hand back as if he had been burned, his voice filled with panic. He couldn't forget how pale, weak, and lethargic Bu Jiu looked after healing him last time, a sight that made him feel heartbroken and guilty.

“This time it’s alright.” Bu Jiu raised his eyes to look at Ji Wang. “My essence is already flowing within you.”

Ji Wang was stunned.

Bu Jiu continued to explain, "A portion of it has already merged with your own spiritual power and settled in your meridians. They recognize you as their master and will not reject you."

He looked at Ji Wang's stunned expression, and the corners of his lips curved slightly, a very faint curve that softened his features: "So, now all we need to do is guide them to accelerate the healing of the wound. For me... the loss is negligible."

So that's how it is? Ji Wang stared blankly at his wrist, then looked at Bu Jiu. Did Bu Jiu knowingly do it last time, even knowing it would cause huge losses and might even harm himself?

This realization stirred something within him once again.

Perhaps it was the relief of surviving a close call, perhaps it was the beautiful moonlight, or perhaps it was simply a matter of speaking, but Ji Wang, on a whim, blurted out a joke he'd heard from some storyteller in a teahouse without thinking: "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so I can only..."

The words had barely left his mouth when Ji Wang stopped abruptly. Oh no! What utterly absurd thing to say!

Just as Ji Wang was racking his brains trying to come up with a more respectable way of saying it, like "I can only keep it in my heart and give my life for it," Bu Jiu suddenly chuckled. He leaned forward a little more, taking advantage of the already close distance between them.

His dark hair brushed against Ji Wang's neck, and his lips almost touched Ji Wang's burning red earlobe.

Bu Jiu's voice was extremely low, almost breathy, as he slowly whispered each word into Ji Wang's ear: "Then tell me, what...how is it supposed to be?"

Ji Wang froze on the spot, feeling as if all the blood had rushed to his head.

Too close! Close enough to count Bu Jiu's drooping eyelashes and see the smile in his eyes.

Ji Wang's mind went completely blank, and all the explanations he had come up with vanished.

His mouth was agape, his neck flushed crimson, and he stammered, "I... I just read too many storybooks and made it up on the spot!"

"In storybooks..." Bu Jiu continued, pressing on, "how are they usually taught?"

Ji Wang was on the verge of tears. He regretted it, he really regretted it! Why did he have to speak so quickly! Why did he have to make such a joke in front of Bu Jiu!

"It's all made up!" he said quickly, his eyes closed, his voice trembling slightly with embarrassment. "None of it should be taken seriously! I'll never read it again! I swear! I'll burn all those ridiculous storybooks when I get back!"

Seeing his flustered state, as if he wanted to swear to the heavens, Bu Jiu finally stopped teasing him.

"Alright." He stepped back. "If you're still full of energy, you should take this time to regulate your breathing. We won't have time for you to overthink things once we enter the Boundless Plains tomorrow."

Ji Wang felt as if he had been granted a pardon and almost immediately replied, "Yes!"

He dared not look any further, nor dared to think any more wildly. He moved aside a little, using both his hands and feet, and found a relatively flat spot next to Bu Jiu. He sat down cross-legged properly, trying his best to calm his mind and began to silently circulate his spiritual energy to regulate his somewhat disordered internal energy.