Chapter 71 Life-Nourishing Reward: Come Kiss Me.

1:15 AM (卯时一刻).

A few wisps of breeze swept across the ground, and the grass seedlings, soaked with moisture, swayed from side to side, releasing a unique fragrance.

Shen Jiuxu carried Jiang Yu up the mountain on his back, his steps light and unhurried, showing no signs of fatigue. Jiang Yu's hands tightly hugged Shen Jiuxu's neck, her head resting on his shoulder. "Is it already broad daylight?"

"not yet."

Shen Jiuxu glanced at the barely dawning sky and lifted the person up a bit. "Why did you wake up so early today?"

"have no idea."

Jiang Yu's spirits and complexion were much better than before, his face was rosy and his lips were full. When he woke up, Shen Jiuxu had not yet gotten up. He just reached out to touch Shen Jiuxu's face, but he was pulled into someone's arms.

"woke up?"

Shen Jiuxu hadn't even opened his eyes yet, but his hand touched the person next to him before his mind could process it. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

"Not sleepy."

Jiang Yu leaned against him and whispered, "I want to go out."

Shen Jiuxu stared at his innocent and harmless face for a long time. Those clear black and white eyes were shining brightly at him, and Shen Jiuxu, who was originally drowsy, immediately woke up!

It was as if a silent stone was speaking to me!

Jiang Yu wants to go out! What a huge deal this is!

He's been sullen and staying indoors these past few days. Only when I occasionally take him out to eat and get some sunshine can he be exposed to the outside world. Otherwise, he's like a mushroom burying itself in a damp corner all day.

Shen Jiuxu wiped his face, scooped the person up, sat up straight, quickly put his clothes on the person, not caring about anything else, casually gathered his hair, grabbed the person and hoisted him onto his back, then pushed open the door and left.

"Why are you in such a hurry? It's not like it's going to run away!"

Jiang Yu, his face still wet with water droplets, gave Shen Jiuxu a light glare. Although he wasn't sure if his gaze was actually directed at Shen Jiuxu, at least the meaning was clear.

"There are fewer people now, and it's cool."

I don't want you to change your mind later.

Shen Jiuxu coaxed, "Those trees on the mountain are growing exceptionally well lately, let me take you to see them."

And so, the two of them got up earlier than the roosters. Although the slippery mountain path was difficult to walk on, Shen Jiuxu had been in the mountains for a long time, and carrying the person on his back, they quickly arrived at their destination.

Which one is you?

Jiang Yu knew that Shen Jiuxu's true form was here, but he couldn't find the exact location. The spiritual power that had suddenly increased in his body these past few days made him very clear about the source of all this.

Shen Jiuxu must have done something. He wanted to touch the man's wrist, but Shen Jiuxu always deliberately avoided him, leaving him powerless.

Anxiety and panic had been lingering in his heart for the past few days. Last night, he was so tired that he lay down on the bed with his eyes closed. Shen Jiuxu probably thought he was already fast asleep. After a rustling sound, Jiang Yu smelled a distinct bloody odor.

It was strong and lingered for a long time.

Something warm and sticky touched his lips—it was Shen Jiuxu's blood. Jiang Yu's heart leaped into his throat. He knew Shen Jiuxu would do something for him.

But he didn't expect that Shen Jiuxu would be so reckless. The blood was bitter, making his tongue feel dry and painful. Jiang Yu wanted to reach out and grab him, but for some reason, he couldn't control his eyes and fell asleep again.

Shen Jiuxu, standing above, twitched his eyelashes slightly, realizing something. He wanted to erase Jiang Yu's memory, but his hand remained suspended in mid-air for a long time before he did nothing in the end.

He rolled up his sleeve to cover the scar.

"Reach out your hand."

Jiang Yu paused for a moment, then offered his hand. Immediately, a long branch climbed into Jiang Yu's palm, and the delicate flower at the tip of the branch climbed onto his sleeve.

"Follow it."

A branch led the way, its tip held by a man dressed in a crescent-white robe. As they moved slowly, the branch grew thicker, its brown and pale colors intertwining, until the third touch of emerald green appeared, and Jiang Yu touched the rustling leaves.

The leaves were very smooth, and felt like silk. He had seen Shen Jiuxu's true form a few times before, but the leaves back then were a bit rough and not nearly as tender as they were now.

These are newly sprouted buds!

Jiang Yu was led further inside by the branches. The vines that smelled his scent stood up instantly, hovering around him and tightly wrapping around his waist.

Since he couldn't see, his hands started to grope and touch things randomly. The thick branch that had been split open, which was not yet fully healed, had many sharp thorns growing on it. Jiang Yu's fingers touched them and got a cut.

This tree was split in half by someone.

The blood droplets were quickly absorbed.

But then, in the next second, he was pulled away.

Shen Jiuxu grabbed his fingers and examined them carefully. She tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his fingers, her voice tinged with anxiety, "How could you be so careless?"

"How did you get such a big wound?"

Jiang Yu let him hold her hand after bandaging her up, her anger rising until it reached its peak, but she still said in a low voice, "Don't lie to me."

The two faced each other in silence. Shen Jiuxu knew that Jiang Yu had definitely guessed something. Jiang Yu was very smart. From the moment he injured himself, this moment was bound to come sooner or later.

"I was slashed by a knife."

"Who did this?" Jiang Yu clenched his fist so tightly that his fingertips almost dug into his flesh. Shen Jiuxu lowered his gaze but could not see Jiang Yu's face. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He knew this moment would come sooner or later, but he did not expect it to arrive now.

"I."

His voice was very soft, fleeting like the wind, yet clear enough to be heard, like a thorn piercing the softest part of one's heart, causing pain that made one's face turn pale.

Time passed second by second, but the pain did not get any relief.

"Was it to save me?" Jiang Yu's face was pale, a stark contrast to his initial appearance. His condition was improving day by day, but he was relying on the flesh and blood of his beloved.

Shen Jiuxu remained silent.

"Then what will you do? Will you die?"

"No, it's just that the spiritual energy will weaken." Shen Jiuxu held out his wrist to him. "You can touch it. When I died, it was like this too. It only took a while, and then it got better."

"But you had amnesia last time."

"You don't remember me, so what about this time?"

Shen Jiuxu remained silent for a long time, unsure how to respond. The flower buds around Jiang Yu were huddled around him, each with its petals curled up, trembling as if afraid that if the other got angry, they would be thrown out as well.

"I will never forget it."

But Shen Jiuxu himself didn't know what would happen. He was using that broken branch to nurture a new body for Jiang Yu, and the blood he used every day was to help Jiang Yu adapt to the spiritual power of the divine tree in the future.

However, this method is extremely risky. It is equivalent to Shen Jiuxu dying again to raise a third body. He does not know how many more chances he will have, nor whether he will succeed.

But this is the only way at the moment.

"If I tell you not to continue doing this, will you listen?" Jiang Yu sensed something from his long silence, but still wanted to ask, even though the answer was already obvious.

"sorry."

"I'll do whatever you say on everything else."

Jiang Yu felt an extreme sense of powerlessness. The source of everything was himself. Shen Jiuxu did everything to save him, but Shen Jiuxu was also full of guilt towards him.

Even though she was trying to save someone, he kept interrogating her.

Jiang Yu felt like a thorn, no matter how the other person hugged him, he would be pricked and bleed profusely.

"sorry."

He squatted down, burying his face in his knees, his hair scattered all around him, looking disheveled and lonely. Jiang Yu bit his lip. He didn't know how Shen Jiuxu saw him, but it was obvious that he felt he was no longer the Jiang Yu he used to be.

He looked much thinner than before, his face was pale and bloodless, his personality had lost its former cheerfulness, his health was poor, and his spiritual power was weak. Apart from the name Jiang Yu, he had no resemblance to anyone else.

Shen Jiuxu looked at the person in front of him, who was like a tiny mushroom growing from a crack in a rock after the rain, fragile and soft. His heart ached terribly, and he picked her up. Jiang Yu buried her face in his chest, with only the back of her head showing.

"I love you."

Shen Jiuxu reached out and touched Jiang Yu's hair. "There's no need to apologize, Jiang Yu. If things were reversed, you would have come to save me too."

"Shen Jiuxu's entire life is dedicated to only one person."

"My body is entirely yours, whether it's a person, a tree, or even just a branch or a leaf, it all belongs to you."

He felt the frail body in his arms trembling uncontrollably. Shen Jiuxu could touch Jiang Yu's spine. "Don't cry."

"These eyes can't cry," Shen Jiuxu comforted her. "Be good."

The sunlight gradually emerged from behind the clouds, shining warmly on people. Shen Jiuxu felt that the branch that had been separated was growing better and better, and even a few new green buds had sprouted at the top. In just a few more days, Jiang Yu's eyes should be able to see.

"Cough cough—"

Shen Jiuxu suddenly coughed several times, and once he started coughing, he couldn't stop. He pushed Jiang Yu away and turned his back, coughing one after another.

Jiang Yu is going to worry again.

However, his spiritual power became extremely weak, and he had no way to control himself. The morning breeze was still a bit chilly. Shen Jiuxu sighed, and after a while, his intermittent coughing stopped.

He turned around, intending to hug Jiang Yu, but a sharp pain shot through his head. He stopped in mid-air, gritted his teeth, and pretended to be nonchalant, saying calmly, "I'll carry you back. Grandfather should have finished cooking by now."

"Where does it hurt?"

"……No."

"come over."

Although he was shorter than Shen Jiuxu, he had a superior air about him, with a cold expression. A breeze ruffled the hem of his clothes, and he was just like the spirited young man in Shen Jiuxu's mind.

Shen Jiuxu walked up to him, placed his hand on his lips, and Jiang Yu tiptoed to kiss him. Similar scents mingled, and their warm lips touched, offering a touch of comfort to two people in pain.

They were like two fish that relied on each other through thick and thin.

Jiang Yu bit Shen Jiuxu's lips hard until the taste of blood spread. He felt the fluctuation of spiritual energy once again, like clear stream water flowing through parched land. Every pain in his body slowly calmed down under the nourishment of spiritual energy.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It hurts." Shen Jiuxu lifted him up a little so he wouldn't have to lift his feet anymore, and whispered, "A few more kisses and it won't hurt anymore."

Jiang Yu didn't know whether to believe him or not, but she still gave Shen Jiuxu face, saying, "As a reward, you'll kiss me."

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A note from the author: I'm sorry everyone, I've been on leave for a few days because I've been too busy. I'm sending you red envelopes as a way of expressing my apologies.

I was planning to just revise the paper and show it to my teacher, but I got scolded. [crying][crying][crying] Then it was a crazy pile of work, revising the paper, passing the exam, and meetings. Now it's finally temporarily over. I'll slowly make up for the updates I owe you guys. I'm working hard on the keyboard.