Chapter 46: White hair like snow, heart as hard as iron

The bloody odor of the East China Sea fishing village has not yet dissipated. Amidst the scorched earth and wailing, a corner of the Lotus Tower seems to have been isolated into a silent world.

Li Lianhua, or rather, the white-haired man with the childlike mind, was placed in the quietest and warmest room in the building. He curled up in the innermost corner of the bed, wrapped in a thick, soft quilt, revealing only a pale, gaunt face and eyes filled with fear and confusion. His snow-white hair, carefully combed and flowing softly across the pillow, only made him look even more fragile, like shattered glass.

Di Feisheng dismissed everyone and stood guard alone.

He changed out of his bloody clothes that were reeking of evil, washed off the blood on his hands, and even deliberately used his inner strength to dispel the remaining chill and murderous aura around him. He was only wearing a plain dark cloth and sat on a chair not far from the bed, motionless, like a silent rock.

He didn't dare get too close, fearing that the remaining scent on her body would disturb him. He also didn't dare make any sound, fearing that the slightest movement would startle him.

He just stood there, his eyes fixed on the trembling man without blinking, and in his eyes there was pain and regret that could not be described in words, as well as an almost humble caution.

"..." Li Lianhua seemed to be aware of his gaze, and timidly raised her eyes. The moment her sight met the sound of the flute, she immediately shrank back into the quilt like a frightened rabbit, and even her hair showed fear.

Di Feisheng's heart felt like it was being tightly clenched, the pain making his fingertips tremble. He tried his best to slow his voice and spoke hoarsely, each word carefully chosen with great difficulty: "...Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

The person under the quilt didn't respond, only a slight, suppressed tremor.

Di Feisheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed his turbulent emotions. When he opened them again, his eyes had managed to become calm. He stood up and walked to the table with extremely slow movements. He poured a glass of warm water and picked up a piece of soft rice cake that had just been delivered from the kitchen.

He carried the things and approached the bed again, stopped a few steps away, squatted down, placed the cup and rice cake on a small table, and gently pushed it over.

"Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice very soft and gentle, completely different from his usual cold and hard image.

The quilt shifted slightly, revealing a pair of eyes that were squinting at him. Fear was still there, but there seemed to be a hint of naive curiosity and... an instinctive desire for food.

Di Feisheng waited patiently, motionless.

After a long moment, a thin, slightly trembling hand slowly emerged from under the quilt, quickly snatched up the rice cake, and then retracted. From under the quilt came the sound of very small, rapid chewing.

Di Feisheng's tense jawline relaxed slightly, and a barely perceptible light flashed across the depths of his eyes.

The Medicine Demon walked in quietly, holding his breath and not daring to make any sound.

Di Feisheng nodded slightly, motioning him to come forward.

The Medicine Demon bowed, then approached the couch with extreme caution, extending three fingers and gently placing them on Li Lianhua's slender wrist. Li Lianhua seemed startled by the sudden touch, flinched, and raised her head in confusion.

Di Feisheng's heart also tightened, and he stared at Yao Mo's expression sharply.

The Medicine Demon closed his eyes, concentrating intently, carefully feeling the pulse beneath his fingers. His brow furrowed ever tighter, and even a fine layer of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. Time ticked by, and the room was completely silent, with only the subtle sound of Li Lianhua unconsciously fiddling with the stone.

After a long moment, the Medicine Demon slowly withdrew his hand, his face heavy as if water could drip out. He took a few steps back, facing the sound of the flute, and shook his head with great difficulty, his voice dry and trembling, "Your Excellency... The master's pulse... is seriously ill and difficult to recover. His mind is as chaotic as before... The poison and forbidden techniques have completely damaged his foundation, and no medicine can cure it... His mind... I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

The rest of the words got stuck in his throat and he didn't dare to say any more.

"What are you afraid of?" Di Feisheng's voice suddenly dropped, like the shattering of ice, carrying a chilling chill. He slowly lowered the bowl of porridge in his hand, and the bottom of the bowl collided with the table with a crisp sound, startling Li Lianhua so much that she stopped and looked over timidly.

The Medicine Demon fell to his knees with a thud, touching his head to the ground. He spoke in a desperate voice, "I'm afraid... it's difficult to recover... even if Hua Tuo were reborn... he... he..."

"Nonsense!" Di Feisheng stood up suddenly, and the terrifying internal energy in his body exploded uncontrollably! The cups on the table shattered instantly! The strong wind blew up his robes, making a rustling sound!

Li Lianhua was frightened by the sudden loud noise and murderous aura and screamed. She suddenly curled up in the corner of the couch, covered her head tightly with the blanket, and whimpered in fear.

Di Feisheng felt as if his heart had been stabbed by a sharp blade when he saw his reaction! He suppressed the surging murderous aura and spoke to the trembling man in a slow voice, "...Don't be afraid...I'm not targeting you..."

But the uncontrolled and violent aura around him still filled the entire room.

He whipped his head around, his crimson eyes fixed on the kneeling Medicine Demon. Every word he spoke seemed to be ground out from between his teeth, tinged with the smell of blood. "Difficult to recover? Ineffective medicine? I've expended countless efforts! Searched the world for rare treasures! To bring him back from the brink of death! I didn't want to hear your nonsense!"

He took a step forward, and the powerful pressure almost suffocated the Medicine Demon: "Heal him! Heal me! Use all means! Even if it means defying fate! I must make him better!"

The Medicine Demon was shaking like a leaf in the wind, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, please understand! It's not that I'm not doing my best! It's simply that the host's body is like... like a broken glass cup. Forcing it back together is a miracle. To restore it to its original state... unless... unless there is truly divine power!"

"Then find some divine means!" Di Fei growled, his voice hoarse and broken. "Nan Yin's secret technique! Forbidden technique! Life for life! I just want him to get better!"

His eyes were filled with crazy paranoia and a bottomless panic. He couldn't accept this outcome! He couldn't accept Li Lianhua living in this foolish and ignorant state forever! That would be more painful than killing him!

The Medicine Demon kowtowed profusely, "Your Majesty! I can't do this! Those forbidden and evil techniques are extremely dangerous. If you're not careful, your soul will be shattered! I can't stand any more torture now! If I force it, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will accelerate..."

"Bang!"

Di Feisheng slapped the pillar beside him! The solid redwood pillar instantly cracked and the whole building trembled!

His chest heaved violently, and he gritted his teeth to suppress the overwhelming fear brought on by the words "soul shattered". He looked at Li Lianhua, who was curled up in the corner, crying with fear, and then at the drug demon kneeling on the ground, desperate and helpless. A huge, inexhaustible feeling of grief and powerlessness almost tore him apart!

Finally, all his fury and madness dissolved into a suppressed, low wheeze, like that of a dying beast. He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only a cold, dead silence and exhaustion remained in them.

"Get out." His voice was hoarse and chillingly calm. "Keep thinking of a solution. If he does anything bad again... you can commit suicide and apologize."

The medicine demon was as if pardoned. He crawled back, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Di Feisheng stood there for a long time, not moving. Only when the sobbing in the corner gradually subsided did he slowly walk over, trying his best to restrain his breath and carefully approach the soft couch.

He reached out his hand and very gently touched the slightly trembling ball wrapped in a blanket.

"I'm sorry..." His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, with unspeakable pain, "I scared you..."

The person under the blanket didn't respond, but the trembling subsided slightly.

Di Feisheng sat silently beside the couch, guarding him like a silent, blood-stained guardian god, with unquenchable despair and a glimmer of paranoia that refused to go out in his eyes.

No matter what, he will never give up.

Di Feisheng ignored all the disturbances in the outside world and handed over all the affairs of the Lotus Tower to Wuyan and Shi Shui, while he stayed by Li Lianhua's side all the time.

He learned to feed him, even though he would always knock over the dishes because of his clumsy movements at first; he learned to help him wash, even though the body would stiffen and tremble at his touch; he learned to hum a tuneless soothing song for him at night, even though he himself found it awkward and ridiculous; he even cleared a small piece of land in the yard and learned to plant the easiest flowers and plants to survive, just because when Li Lianhua saw the wild flowers outside the window one day, a faint light flashed in her eyes.

He was no longer the powerful and feared leader of the Flute Alliance, he was just a clumsy and cautious guardian.

Li Lianhua remained naive, his mind the wit of a three- to five-year-old. Most of the time, he was quiet, curled up in his own world, filled with fear and bewilderment at everything around him. He would unconsciously repeat a few simple words: "Pain...", "Afraid...", "Ah Fu..." Sometimes, nightmares would wake him in the night, he would cry and struggle, only the clumsy soothing of Di Feisheng and the gentle influx of his inner strength could bring him some peace.

He no longer resisted Di Feisheng's approach as fiercely as he had at first, but he still maintained a kind of animal-like wariness and distance. Occasionally, under Di Feisheng's patient companionship day after day, he would reveal a very brief, ignorant smile, or when Di Feisheng turned around, he would subconsciously reach out his fingertips to hook a corner of his clothes.

Every time there was such a tiny, unconscious closeness, Di Feisheng felt like he saw a glimmer of light in the endless darkness, which was enough to support him to continue.

He no longer sought other sacrifices, nor did he concern himself with the grudges of the Jianghu. All his thoughts and energy were focused on the man with snow-white hair and the mind of a child before him.

The Medicine Demon came regularly to take Li Lianhua's pulse, each time shaking his head and sighing. His Excellency's body, from days of travel, had incurred new wounds and unhealed old ones, leaving his internal energy severely depleted. Yet, he still relentlessly nurtured Li Lianhua's meridians daily. But Li Lianhua...her physical foundation was shattered, her spiritual intelligence clouded, and recovery seemed a distant prospect.

Di Feisheng just listened silently and continued his guarding day after day.

He combed his hair, stroking the cold white hair over and over again.

He fed him medicine and patiently wiped the stains from the corners of his mouth.

He held him in his arms and basked in the sun, even though the man could only stare blankly at the sky.

He talked to him, telling him about the interesting stories of the past, about Si Gu Men, about Lianhua Tower, and the little things that only the two of them knew... although he got no response.

In the martial arts world, the "Blood Shura" seemed to have suddenly vanished. Only the people of the Lotus Tower knew that their owner, her husband, was waging a longer and more desperate war in another way.

The smoke of gunpowder cleared, and the sea of ​​blood receded. Only a solitary lamp remained in the small building, illuminating Shura's infatuated heart and reflecting his bewildered white hair.

Di Feisheng held Li Lianhua's cool hand, placed it against his cheek, and murmured softly, not knowing whether he was speaking to him or to himself:

"It's okay... It's okay if you can't remember..."

"Just like this...stay with me..."

"For a lifetime... that's fine."