Chapter 57: Was "Knowing When to Be Pragmatic" a dream about my death?

His expression seemed off, as if he were lost in thought. Shen Jiuxu pulled him into his arms, kissed him on the forehead, and changed the subject, "Did you dream about me?"

"Hmm." Jiang Yu raised his head and carefully examined Shen Jiuxu from head to toe. Only then did a trace of calm appear in his eyes. "It's alright...it's alright."

Did you dream that I died?

Shen Jiuxu felt his subordinate's shoulders trembling, and he remembered the thin and frail figure from last night, Jiang Yu crying.

He was like a broken butterfly, his beautiful and powerful wings becoming a shackle, preventing him from flying, yet he refused to relinquish his former dignity in exchange for another chance at life.

"If I die—"

Jiang Yu suddenly covered his mouth, "No, none of you will die. I can save everyone, I can save you, everything will be alright, everything will be alright."

"I will not let you die."

His expression was focused, his eyes were very dark, and he seemed to have a strange stubbornness and obstinacy. Shen Jiuxu's wrist was gripped tightly by him, and it was almost bruised.

"Jiang Yu".

Shen Jiuxu didn't pull his hand away, but instead grabbed Jiang Yu's hand and squeezed it a few times. "I'm here! They're all here."

"They still need you."

As they were talking, a series of shrill cries suddenly rang out from all around. At first, Shen Jiuxu thought it was a flock of owls, but when he turned around, he realized that the man who had been sitting by the tree had run away at some point.

"what you do?"

"ah--"

The man bit down on the person in the corner, tearing off a piece of flesh. The bluish-purple veins burst open instantly, and blood gushed out. A faint churning sound passed through the crowd and reached Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu's ears.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The sound became clearer, like something emerging from a pupa through a thin membrane.

A trace of blood, the size of a soybean, splattered on his fair face from killing the mountain demon, was visible below his right eye. It was a bright red dot that spread outwards as it brushed against his wrist with the sleeve of his robe, making him look less like a young master from a celestial family and more like a malevolent spirit descended to earth to drain the life force of others.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Yu shook his head, shaking off the unspeakable emotions deep in his heart. He picked up the Xianchen sword, grabbed the handkerchief from Shen Jiuxu's body, wiped away the bloodstains, and then walked over.

His body trembled violently, and a pain that hadn't appeared in his wrist for a long time suddenly came, a pain that pierced to the bone, making Jiang Yu stop in his tracks.

Jiang Yu's legs felt like they were filled with lead, so heavy that he couldn't lift them at all. Shen Jiuxu stood beside him and stopped the girl who suddenly ran over at high speed. Jiang Yu was just one step away from being hit by her.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Jiuxu noticed the situation and quickly went to his side, "Does your wrist hurt again?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Yu gritted his teeth and continued walking forward. In an instant, he was pulled back by Shen Jiuxu. The other party's face was obviously not good, and his voice became cold. "Just say it if it hurts. I'm here for you."

Jiang Yu couldn't pull his hand away; the other person was clearly furious. He could hide other things from him, and if he was discovered, a sweet kiss would suffice. But when it came to his own body, nothing he did could change anything.

Silence spread between the two. Jiang Yu felt a little guilty and didn't know what to say. He lowered his head and avoided looking at Shen Jiuxu's slightly angry eyes.

Seeing its master's expression, Xian Chen shrank back and dared not speak. When even Jiang Yu couldn't calm Shen Jiuxu's temper, it had to learn to read between the lines to avoid being thrown out.

The next second, Xian Chen was sent flying.

Shen Jiuxu pulled it from Jiang Yu's hand, threw it into the air, and aimed it precisely at the two people entangled in the corner of the house.

The bricks and stones in the corner of the house were already in danger of collapsing, and now, after being hit by Xian Chen, they all fell down with a "crash".

The bitten man looked terrified. He thought someone had come to save him, but instead he only saw a sword swinging wildly and tilting about, before finally falling on his forehead with a "bang".

A large bag suddenly rose up, and Xian Chen smiled smugly, lay down on the ground, and began to play dead.

Tang Ling never expected to suffer such undeserved misfortunes one after another. He had been swept to this corner by the flood with nothing to eat or drink, which was bad enough. But the wounds from being beaten by those thugs the day before yesterday hadn't fully healed yet, and then that crazy man was provoked by him again and bit him relentlessly.

Tang Ling was so angry that his teeth itched. The pain in his shoulder made his face contort with rage. The inhuman creature he had just kicked had rolled away. Once the water receded, he would find the person and have his guards beat him to death.

And those two guys on the mountain! They beat him black and blue and left, and he hasn't been able to show his face to this day.

Xian Chen heard him talking to himself, and suddenly he rose into the air and struck again, "Bang!" Tang Ling finally fell silent.

...

Jiang Yu's fingers were clenched together for a long time before he finally let go. Then he tiptoed backward until he grabbed Shen Jiuxu's patterned sleeve, stopped and pulled it down several times, like a squirrel peeking out.

His slow, hesitant movements were stopped by Shen Jiuxu.

"Jiang Yu, I have eyes and I can see."

Time passed second by second. Jiang Yu remained silent, and Shen Jiuxu coldly channeled spiritual energy into him until the area on his wrist visibly turned red. At that moment, Jiang Yu's tense muscles relaxed, and Shen Jiuxu stopped.

Without saying a word, he brushed Jiang Yu's tentative hand off his sleeve and strode toward where Xian Chen was.

Jiang Yu followed behind, dawdling.

Shen Jiuxu's face was gloomy, and his tall stature made Tang Ling squint as he walked over quickly. When the face got closer and clearer, Tang Ling suddenly jumped back a few steps, but was pushed back by Xian Chen.

"It's you! It's you again! You're the one who beat me up like this last time. Sure enough, this damn sword did it on purpose. No wonder it fell on my head twice with such a heavy weight!"

Tang Ling shouted, attracting the attention of those around him. Shen Jiuxu was already in a bad mood, and when he saw that it was this person again, his face darkened, like a stormy sky.

"you--"

He pointed at the two men who looked like plague gods. Seeing that none of his servants were around, Tang Ling lowered his voice considerably, realizing that discretion is the better part of valor.

Shen Jiuxu tapped the wall, and Xian Chen wisely flew into his hand, the silver-white sword tip pressed against the bitten flesh. Just as he was about to move, he noticed that Tang Ling's body suddenly slid down and began to curl up.

His body trembled, and in a flash, it became dull and heavy. Before Jiang Yu could move much, Shen Jiuxu pulled him behind him.

Then Tang Ling's trembling stopped, and the slight sound rang out again, like a seedling breaking through the soil after being watered by rain, with two round eyes peeking out from the sides of the nose.

"Oh no, we need to lock that person up first."

Just as Shen Jiuxu was about to draw his sword, he saw a flash of silver light. When he opened his eyes again, Xian Chen had already slipped from his grasp.

A headband was pulled taut, pointing straight at the man in the crowd. It was wrapped around his neck once, and then he started to pull back. Jiang Yu moved his finger and pulled the man back.

He chopped down the surrounding trees, forming a circle that temporarily isolated Tang Ling and the others.

"And that child."

The crowd was filled with the sound of crying, one after another, which was very disconcerting. Jiang Yu looked around but did not see the mother from before.

"What...what's wrong with me?"

Tang Ling began to struggle and discovered that several blackish-gray feathers had grown on his arm. He reached out to pluck them. The feathers were very soft, but when he tried to pluck them, Tang Ling used all his strength but could not budge them an inch. He could only watch helplessly as the feathers multiplied like crazy.

Four eyes occupied most of his face, squeezing his original features to the bottom, and his nose and mouth were connected. Tang Ling looked at his reflection in the water, and before he could vent his anger, he was knocked unconscious to the ground by Xian Chen's sword.

"He was shouting too loudly."

People around saw this and began to scatter. News that this strange disease was contagious spread quickly, and no one knew if they would be the next victim.

The scene quickly descended into chaos.

The cries of young children, the fighting of men, and the cursing of women all converged on this flooded land.

"Was there another child just now... was he doing the same thing? Where is he? Where did he go?"

Zhang Xuan, who had witnessed the whole process from a corner, wrapped himself up tightly in a raincoat. He followed Shen Jiuxu closely and saw clearly what Shen Jiuxu did when he took the medicine from another man.

Zhang Xuan didn't shout. He cautiously went around the back of the house, looking at each person one by one. Especially when he encountered a woman holding a child, he would strode over, tear open the cloth, and if he found that she wasn't the person he was looking for, he would turn around and leave.

"What are you doing? Who are you?!"

The woman angrily shoved the man away, "Have you no shame? Why are you looking at other people's children? Wrapped up so tightly, are you trying to steal them? Everyone should be careful, this man is simply—"

She staggered backward. Zhang Xuan didn't intend to waste words with her. Seeing that she was already frightened by him, he went to find the next one.

Where exactly is it?

He needed to find that child, who still had a pill on him. If he could snatch it, wouldn't he be able to avoid the fate of the others, who could only sit and wait to get sick and die?

People from the immortal sects are the most cold and ruthless. Moreover, the moment Zhang Xuan saw Jiang Yu's face, he remembered why someone could beat Tang Ling into silence in Duanshiquan.

He was one of the people who bullied Jiang Yu back then. Tang Ling was in such a state, and Jiang Yu didn't even save him. Wouldn't he be in grave danger as well?

Zhang Xuan grew increasingly frightened and quickened his pace. He believed that as long as he found the mother and child, he could pull through even if Jiang Yu didn't give him the medicine.

"You don't even look where you're going when you walk, where are your eyes?"

A woman's shrill voice rang out in front of him. Zhang Xuan was annoyed and slapped her to the ground. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard crying beside him.

Caught in a red swaddling cloth and protected behind a woman, Zhang Xuan peeked out and met the eyes that had appeared out of nowhere. The black pupils were like those of a vigilant owl in the night.

Zhang Xuan walked uncontrollably toward the swaddling clothes. Those eyes told him that he could live as long as he killed the child.

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Author's note: Hehe, thank you to everyone in the comments section for passing on good luck to each and every one of you.

I'm off tomorrow, so I've decided to make a solemn pledge and write a very long chapter, or I'll become a [clown].