Chapter 75 A Heavy Burden, Rather Break Than Bend

Di Feisheng and Fang Duobing set up an elaborate scheme. They spread the word that they had found the key to completely breaking the control of the Rama Cauldron, luring Jiao Liqiao and "Wuming" to seize it. Their chosen location was an abandoned martial arts training ground, open and convenient for an ambush and... a chance to settle their feud.

Jiao Liqiao fell for the trick and arrived as planned, bringing "Wuming." Dressed in a fiery red, she looked at Di Feisheng, who had come alone, and scoffed, "Master Di, are you here to die, or to offer your treasure?"

Di Feisheng's gaze passed her, fixed fixedly on the dark figure behind her. Li Lianhua (nameless) stood still as always, his white hair rustling in the wind, his eyes empty, as if nothing around him had anything to do with him.

"I'll come," Di Feisheng said in a cold voice, "take him home."

Before he finished speaking, he had already moved, but he didn't attack Jiao Liqiao, but rushed straight towards "Wuming"! He knew that only a head-on confrontation could create that tiny opportunity.

Swords flashed, and the two men engaged in a fierce battle. Di Feisheng's shoulder injury hadn't healed yet, so his movements were inevitably sluggish, but he only defended and never attacked. While dodging, he kept trying to catch Li Lianhua's eyes, whispering:

"Li Lianhua! Look at me!"

"I'm Di Feisheng!"

"Wake up!"

However, "Wuming's" sword moves were filled with pure murderous intent and coldness. The sword energy was a mixture of the mellowness of Yangzhou Man and the brutality of Beifeng Baiyang, forcing Di Feisheng to retreat repeatedly. He had several new wounds on his body and his robe was stained red with blood.

Jiao Liqiao watched with great interest, laughing from time to time: "Yes! That's it! Kill him for me!"

Finally, Di Feisheng exposed a huge flaw, and "Wuming" stabbed him with a sword, aiming straight at his heart! Di Feisheng didn't dodge, but simply turned slightly, allowing the sword to just grazed his heart and pierce his shoulder blade - the exact location of his old injury!

"puff--!"

The sharp blade penetrated the flesh, and blood splattered!

Di Feisheng groaned, his face instantly pale. But he took advantage of the pain and the closeness of the moment, desperately opened his arms, and suddenly hugged "Wuming" tightly into his arms! He ignored the sword still stuck in his shoulder and let the blood soak into their clothes.

"Wuming"'s body stiffened, and he struggled instinctively, slapping Di Feisheng's back with a fierce palm wind.

"Puff!" Di Feisheng spat out another mouthful of blood, but he tightened his embrace, as if to rub her into his bones and blood. He lowered his head and put his lips close to Li Lianhua's ear. His voice was hoarse and broken, with blood foam, but it contained an unprecedented, almost pleading pain and deep affection:

"Enough... Li Lianhua... Really enough..."

"Come back...I'm Ah Fei..."

"You promised... to stay with me... for a hundred years... and you are not allowed to change your mind..."

The two words "A Fei" were like a bolt of lightning that tore through the darkness and suddenly struck into the abyss of memory sealed by the insect!

Wuming's violent struggles suddenly paused. For the first time, a violent ripple appeared in his hollow eyes, like stagnant water after a stone is dropped, sending out chaotic ripples. His raised palm paused in mid-air, a look of extreme pain and struggle emerging from his face. His lips parted slightly, as if he were about to say something, but no sound came out.

Seeing this, Jiao Liqiao's face changed drastically and he shouted sternly, "Wuming! Kill him!"

Just as the confusion in Wuming's eyes intensified, and he seemed about to be controlled and devoured again,

Fang Duobing, who had been lurking on the side, rushed out like a gust of wind, and with his fingers as fast as the wind, he accurately hit the vital point on the back of "Wuming's" neck!

"Wuming"'s body softened, the last struggle in his eyes turned into nothingness, he fainted, and fell into Di Feisheng's arms.

Di Feisheng held the unconscious man tightly in his arms, feeling his weak breathing and cold body temperature. This man, who was always as cold as iron, suddenly had tears in his eyes. The blood on his shoulder was still flowing, staining Li Lianhua's white hair and clothes red.

Fang Duobing quickly stepped forward and sealed the blood vessels around Di Feisheng's wound to stop the bleeding. His face was solemn. "Old Di! We can't stay here for long! Jiao Liqiao won't let this go!"

Di Feisheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the surging emotions, and picked up Li Lianhua horizontally. The other party said in a sickly and solemn voice: "Let's go!"

Jiao Liqiao watched helplessly as Di Feisheng took Wuming away. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking and she screamed angrily: "Di Feisheng! I will never let you go--!"

However, her perfect "weapon" has already begun to show its first cracks. And that "Ah Fei" cry from the depths of her soul may be the first spark that awakens her dormant consciousness.

The lights in the inner room of the Lotus Tower were dim.

Li Lianhua was placed on a soft couch. The Medicine Demon carefully fed him a specially prepared tranquilizing decoction, ensuring he would fall into a deep sleep, temporarily free from the pain and struggle of being controlled. Only after Li Lianhua's breathing gradually stabilized did the Medicine Demon breathe a sigh of relief and step aside.

Only then did Di Feisheng finally have the chance to address his horrific injuries. He slowly walked to the side and took off his robe, which had long been soaked in blood and stuck to his skin.

When the scars were fully exposed under the light, even Wuyan, who was used to seeing blood, couldn't help but gasp and subconsciously turned his face to the side. Fang Duobing's throat tightened and his eyes instantly reddened.

The old sword wound hadn't healed yet, leaving a hideous bloody hole on his left shoulder. The flesh had been torn open again, bleeding profusely. New wounds covered his chest, back, and arms—sword marks so deep they revealed the bone, bruises from internal forces, and especially the sharp blows he'd endured while holding onto Li Lianhua. These left clear, black palm prints on his back, and the surrounding meridians were slightly bulging, clearly indicating significant internal injuries.

The Medicine Demon approached with his medicine box, ready to clean the wound. Tweezers touched the twitching flesh, strong liquor poured over the deep wound where the bone was visible—how excruciating must that be? However, Di Feisheng simply clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. Cold sweat instantly soaked his scattered black hair and dripped down his taut jawline. He refused to utter a sound, even trying to keep his body steady. Only the occasional, uncontrollable, extremely subtle tremor betrayed the torment this body was enduring.

Wu Yan couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he turned to face the wall, clenching his fists tightly. Fang Duobing turned his eyes away, his voice choked with suppressed sobs: "Lao Di, you..."

"It's okay." Di Feisheng interrupted him, his voice unusually hoarse and low from enduring pain, yet with an undeniable calmness, "Compared to finding him, this little injury... is nothing."

He turned his gaze to Li Lianhua, who lay unconscious on the couch. His always sharp, icy eyes now held only a near-reverent focus and a heartache as deep as the ocean. It was as if the pain, enough to make an ordinary person faint, was nothing compared to the ecstasy and relief he felt at having lost something and regained it.

As long as he could get him back, let alone the injuries he was covered in, even if Di Feisheng was torn to pieces on the spot, he would never frown.

The room returned to silence, with only the gentle clink of medicine bottles and the muffled breathing of Di Feisheng. The light stretched his shadow long, casting it on the wall. His straight spine seemed to bear a heavy burden, yet it remained unbending.