Chapter 56 [VIP]

Jiang Zhuochen instantly lost all feeling of pain. He stood there, stunned, until his master was face to face with him, no more than a meter away.

His pupils flashed suddenly, his heart pounded uncontrollably, and bursts of golden light erupted from his chest. Jiang Zhuochen came back to his senses, overwhelmed with immense joy.

"Master, you can move now? You don't need to rest in the longevity lamp anymore?"

Jiang Zhuochen was initially overjoyed to see his master's spirit, which was now manifesting externally, but then he opened his arms with a pitiful expression. "Master, it hurts so much."

His master simply looked at him gently, without making any further moves.

"Master, can't you speak yet?" Jiang Zhuochen's tone turned low and somber. "Then do you still remember me?"

That gentle expression seemed even more pronounced.

Jiang Zhuochen smiled, gently cupping his master's hands in his own, and murmured, "Why can't I materialize? Is it because my soul is too weak? If I try harder, will my master be able to speak to me and hug me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his soul returned to the longevity lamp.

Okay, she's still very weak and needs to go back to the lamp to rest.

Jiang Zhuochen followed the trajectory and looked over. Before he could even lift his foot, the fallen longevity lamp landed in Xu Xing's arms. Xu Xing's expression was even more terrifying than the sky had been, and a low pressure spread out from him.

He was really exhausted, and he was relieved to see that the longevity lamp was alright.

Xu Xing was unaware of this, so when he noticed Jiang Zhuochen's expression change, he slowly walked over. "Don't we look alike? Why are you so unhappy to see me?"

Xu Xing's tone was indifferent. After discovering what Jiang Zhuochen's unforgettable master looked like, an indescribable sense of irony and absurdity welled up from the bottom of his heart. The flames of jealousy churned in his chest, like withered grass after being scorched by the summer sun. A single spark could quickly spread the fire across the entire meadow, yet no one stepped forward to draw a line, so the fire burned ever brighter, almost consuming his reason.

So who was Jiang Zhuochen thinking of every time he looked at him?

"Yes, you really resemble your master."

Jiang Zhuochen was throbbing with pain from the numerous wounds on his shoulder, and he didn't notice Xu Xing's strange behavior. These words only added fuel to the fire.

Xu Xing's voice deepened: "So you had ulterior motives from the very beginning when you approached me."

“I didn’t approach you on purpose,” Jiang Zhuochen retorted instinctively. “I just wanted to find out if you were my master.”

He reached for the longevity lamp, but Xu Xing easily dodged it. Jiang Zhuochen struggled to lift his head, meeting Xu Xing's stormy expression, and asked somewhat blankly, "What's wrong with you?"

Xu Xing's gaze was fixed on Jiang Zhuochen's face, and he said, word by word, "So, have you figured it out now?"

Jiang Zhuochen looked at Xu Xing at this moment, and the image of his master from not long ago flashed through his mind. After a long while, he nodded and said softly, "I've figured it out. You are not him."

"Of course I'm not him!" Xu Xing gritted his teeth, grabbed his wrist and demanded, "Isn't he the all-powerful master who can go anywhere? Why do you still have to risk your life to save him? Are you prepared to be destroyed along with him if it happens a couple more times?"

"You!" Jiang Zhuochen frowned, a faint pain rising in his wrist. He tried to break free from the other's grip. "Master is very good. You are not allowed to say anything to him. Give me back the longevity lamp."

"Don't even think about it." Xu Xing's tone was resolute.

With his spiritual power sealed and his body injured, Jiang Zhuochen's struggles were negligible, and he was easily pulled away by Xu Xing.

"Let go of me! I don't need your help anymore!" Jiang Zhuochen said anxiously and angrily. "I'll never see you again."

These words were like adding fuel to the fire, and Xu Xing abruptly stopped. His jaw tightened, and he unconsciously increased the pressure on the other person.

Jiang Zhuochen's uninjured hand was so painful it was almost numb. Enduring the pain, he weakly punched the other person a few times with his other hand, until his eyes were red. The person in front of him didn't react.

Xu Xing was stung by the overflowing tears in the other person's eyes. He belatedly loosened his grip a little and used his other hand to steady the other person's injured arm, preventing him from moving around.

"It's too late."

"What's late..." Jiang Zhuochen was in so much pain that his head was completely fuzzy and he couldn't think straight at all.

Suddenly, he felt a lightness in his body as he was carefully carried and placed into the car. As he lay down on the seat, knowing he couldn't walk anyway, he fell into a deep sleep, utterly exhausted.

He woke up again in his usual guest room at Xu Xing's villa. His wounds had been properly bandaged and the dressing changed. He moved around and found that apart from the pain, weakness, and the fact that he still couldn't use his spiritual power, he felt fine.

He propped himself up, walked to the door, and pressed the doorknob, but to his surprise, the doorknob didn't budge.

Was he locked up?

Jiang Zhuochen was stunned for a moment, then pounded on the door. "Open the door! Is anyone home? Open the door now!"

Footsteps approached from afar, the door opened, and Xu Xing stood outside with a tray in his hand, his expression calm.

"Why are you locking me up?" Jiang Zhuochen stepped forward and asked unhappily, "And where's my light?"

Xu Xing pulled the man into the room, set out the plate, and stirred the porridge for him. "I'll keep your lamp safe for now, focus on recovering."

"Give me back the light." Jiang Zhuochen turned his face away, his voice stiff.

Silence filled the air. One stared intently, lips pressed together, the other stubbornly remained silent, a silent confrontation ensued. After a moment, Xu Xing lowered his eyes and spoke softly, "You like him, don't you?"

The questioning came out of nowhere, and the forceful tone of the statement tore away the pretense, leaving no escape. The worries, grievances, and pain of the past few days, coupled with the anger at this moment, caused Jiang Zhuochen's rationality to snap abruptly.

He gave up and yelled at him, "Yes! I like him! I like him to death, I can't live without him! Okay?! Give me back my longevity lamp!"

Xu Xing seemed to chuckle softly, placed the bowl on the bedside table, and lowered his head so that Jiang Zhuochen could not see the terrifying emotions surging in his eyes.

“Fine,” he said, his tone even sounding somewhat dismissive. “Since you’re so determined, let me see if you can keep your word.”

Xu Xing turned away, no longer looking at him. "You stay here. I'll bring you three meals a day on time. Before that, you have plenty of time to reflect on whether what you said was just said in anger."

Jiang Zhuochen finally realized what was happening and asked incredulously, "You're going to lock me up here? By what right?"

"I told you to take good care of your injury."

"I don't need you. I have my own medicine to heal myself." Jiang Zhuochen grabbed him and retorted without thinking, "If you don't want to help me, just let me go. I won't bother you again."

Xu Xing suppressed his anger and retorted, "And then, just like this time, you're left half-dead, barely clinging to life?"

Jiang Zhuochen was annoyed by his unreasonable attitude. "Why are you doing this? Just say what's on your mind."

Xu Xing turned his head and slowly said, "Then don't save your master."

Jiang Zhuochen's expression instantly turned extremely ugly: "Impossible!"

The two were locked in a stalemate, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Xu Xing suddenly spoke up: "I asked someone to find the Taoist priest who gave Li Mingtian the talisman. You don't want your spiritual power to remain unusable, do you?"

The meaning behind his words was chilling. Jiang Zhuochen was so choked by his words that he couldn't catch his breath. Coupled with his weak body, his vision went black for a moment, and he staggered back and fell onto the bed.

He closed his eyes and felt Xu Xing leaning over to help him up. He said in a hoarse voice, "Get away... I don't want to see you."

Xu Xing's outstretched hand froze in mid-air before he slowly withdrew it and took a step back. "Consider it as you agreeing to my condition. Rest here properly."

After saying that, he turned and left, locking the door again.

Jiang Zhuochen stared at the closed door, his chest heaving. He picked up a pillow and threw it hard at the door, but the force made him dizzy.

He lay on his back on the bed, gritting his teeth and muttering, "I'm so angry!"

For the next two days, he was determined to oppose Xu Xing. Every time that person came in, he would turn his head away, refusing to give him a second glance. He would only turn back after the other person left, until the next time Xu Xing came and replaced the food with the same dishes.

He couldn't tell if the other person's calm expression was feigned or genuine indifference, so he held his breath, unwilling to admit defeat, and saw who could last the longest.

But he forgot that he was a patient. With his injuries not yet healed and without food or water, Jiang Zhuochen's body rapidly weakened.

The wound on his shoulder began to swell and turn red due to emotional turmoil and lack of energy. The pain intensified, tossing and turning in bed even when he was lying down, and his face grew paler day by day.

Still half asleep, Jiang Zhuochen sat up, his head throbbing with pain. The curtains were not drawn, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night.

He was so thirsty that even his breath felt painful. He had no choice but to move to the edge of the bed. As he groped around the bedside table, the back of his hand touched something. With a crisp 'clatter,' the glass fell to the floor, spilling liquid everywhere.

...

Jiang Zhuochen couldn't even muster the energy to get angry. He glanced in the direction of the bathroom, considered for a moment, and then gave up on going there.

Well, dying of thirst is better than dying in pain.

Xu Xing brought in dinner, pressed the switch on the wall, and as the blinding light came on, he vaguely heard a low groan. He then saw Jiang Zhuochen curled up on the bed, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his lips cracked, and blood seeping from the gauze wrapped around his shoulder.

The air pressure around Xu Xing instantly dropped to freezing point.

He put down his plate, strode to the bedside, and reached out to help the other person sit up to check the wound.

"Don't touch me..." Jiang Zhuochen dodged slightly, his voice so hoarse that it was almost impossible to hear what he was saying.

Xu Xing paused, his gaze, which was deliberately avoided, held a gloomy tone, but even more so, an unconcealable heartache. "I'll leave after I change your dressing."

"I don't want you..." Jiang Zhuochen murmured, his throat aching as if it were being sliced ​​open by razor blades, but he still forced himself to finish, "Let me go, and the wound... will heal..."

Xu Xing noticed the unnaturalness in his voice, suppressed the irritation rising in his heart from the other's excessive talking, and pulled him into a tighter embrace.

He picked up the water glass and gently held it to Jiang Zhuochen's lips. "Drink some water first."

At this point, Jiang Zhuochen stubbornly refused to open his mouth again. He turned his head away from the water glass, his nose brushing against the other person's collar, catching a faint scent of cedar.

His thoughts faltered, and he thought of his master again, feeling utterly miserable. But his master was now in the hands of the other party, so he turned his head to the other side in a huff.

This turn of events shattered the anger that Xu Xing had managed to suppress over the past few days, causing his patience to crumble and vanish along with the ensuing turmoil.

Jiang Zhuochen heard a 'tsk' sound beside his ear and thought the two were about to start a new round of arguing. He braced himself on the bed and tried to sit up to get away from the other person.

The moment she moved, her lips were covered by a warm, soft covering.

His eyes widened suddenly, his mind exploded with fireworks, and the smoke enveloped all his senses, leaving him bewildered by the whiteness.

A moist tongue pried open her lips, her chin was lifted and lifted, her fingertips brushed against her burning earlobe, and then she rubbed it between her two fingers.

Jiang Zhuochen shuddered, his throat bobbed, and he swallowed the mouthful of water that had just passed through.

A note from the author: