Chapter 37 037 No one had ever cried on his back before…
Something seemed to be rapidly approaching, crushing the bushes, breaking branches, and finally stopping a few feet away from her.
Stranded in this desolate wilderness, unarmed and helpless, the approaching strange noises are not a good sign.
Lu Yuanyuan's lips trembled, and she slowly turned her neck, her body tensing like a bow, ready to jump into the river to save herself.
However, what came into view was not the stench of a beast's mouth or a demon eyeing its prey, but a familiar figure.
Following the boots, she looked up and her eyes widened: "Daojun?"
The visitor was none other than Qi Chang.
Seeing that she was all safe and sound, Qi Chang's usually stern and resolute face softened slightly: "I've found you."
The valley floor was already poorly lit, and it was now pitch black. This riverbank was low-lying and completely obscured by dense bushes; near the top, a large, crooked tree grew, adding to the darkness. Lu Yuanyuan was huddled in the shadows, a petite figure; if one were careless, they wouldn't even notice her.
Qi Chang moved with lightness and speed, leaping down the steep hillside and walking towards her: "Are you alright?"
As the distance closed, the other person's appearance became clearer in his eyes.
Lu Yuanyuan's hair was disheveled, the strands of which were wet and clung to her neck. Her face was pale, her lips were blue, and her eyes were filled with tears; she looked utterly wretched. She bent her knees and tucked them into her skirt, her arms wrapped around her knees, but the skirt didn't completely cover her body; her toes were sticking out, and a pair of dirty, blood-stained stockings lay scattered beside her.
Qi paused for a moment, then realized he had asked a pointless question.
With her appearance, anyone who isn't blind wouldn't be considered a good person.
A rare pang of guilt and reluctance welled up within him. After a moment of silence, he softened his tone and asked, "Besides your foot, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Lu Yuanyuan knew she looked disheveled. She lowered her head, buried her face in her knees, and rubbed it vigorously. She said in a muffled voice, "No, it's just that my feet hurt."
"Don't worry, I'll take you back first. We're not far from the Demon-Slaying Platform."
Qi Chang squatted down, turned his back to her, and gestured for her to climb onto his back.
After a rustling sound, Lu Yuanyuan climbed onto his back. As she stood up, her injured knee unexpectedly touched the scabbard at Qi Chang's waist. Her face paled, her arms tightened suddenly, and a tear rolled uncontrollably from her eye, landing squarely on the inside of his collar.
The tears were hot, sliding down her neck and soaking into her inner clothes.
No one had ever cried on his back before, and Qi Chang's body was noticeably stiff.
"I'm sorry, Daojun." Lu Yuanyuan wiped her face with her sleeve, her voice thick with a nasal tone. "My knee is injured on this side. Could you please move the scabbard to the other side?"
"..." Qi Chang didn't turn around, silently moving the scabbard to the other side. After she was settled, he held her knees, stood up, summoned his sword, and flew up with her on the sword.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't pick up her stockings. Fortunately, as she lay there, her skirt slipped down and covered her feet.
Qi Chang's back was broad and strong. Lu Yuanyuan clung tightly to his neck, turned her head, and looked at the riverbank she had climbed up, which was getting further and further away. Looking up, the sky was already turning a pale white; the night was about to end.
A feeling of relief washed over her. Lu Yuanyuan lowered her eyes and asked, "Daojun, how did you find me? Where are Yuanjun and Duan Lansheng?"
“I knew you had fallen into the river, so I searched downstream along the river’s course.” Qi Chang hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, “We were negligent about what happened last night. I’m sorry.”
Lu Yuanyuan's fingers, which were wrapped around his, twitched.
"After we discovered you were missing, Duan Lansheng wanted to come looking for you and asked me to take Senior Sister back, but I stopped him and suggested we switch places. Because this place is too complicated, and I have more experience, I'll have a better chance of finding you faster... As long as we use the sword, it's quick to get back to the Demon-Slaying Platform; they should have already gone back."
Qi Chang was speaking, but the person behind him didn't respond. Suddenly, he felt a slight weight on his shoulder as the other person's head rested weakly against him, their breathing slow and even.
Perhaps because her body had reached its limit, she couldn't help but fall asleep.
Qi Chang quieted down and stopped talking.
Unexpectedly, behind him, Lu Yuanyuan, whom he thought was asleep, actually had her eyes half-open, but simply ignored him.
Rationally, she knew she should respond with a sympathetic "It's alright," and then say something to gain his sympathy. After all, Qi Chang was a prominent figure on Danqing Peak, and today's sympathy might prove very useful in the future.
However... she is not a robot that can be completely devoid of emotions.
At this moment, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and utterly disheartened. She didn't want to say a word, and she couldn't muster the energy to say "It's okay," so she simply remained silent, pretending not to have heard what the other person said.
The sky seemed to have been washed clean, gradually transitioning towards brightness. At noon, they finally arrived at the Demon-Slaying Platform.
Lu Yuanyuan actually fell asleep in the middle of the night. When she was woken up, she saw the Shushan disciples coming and going.
The Demon-Slaying Platform is the starting point of the Heavenly Treasures Gathering, and various sects and factions take up their respective rest areas around it. Following past practice, with so many people entering together, it only takes about three days to clear the entire area. Therefore, no one has actually prepared particularly luxurious accommodations. The Shu Mountain disciples are still staying directly on the White Crane Boat.
Last night, news of the attack on Mount Shu on their way here had spread throughout all the sects of the immortal world. Many smaller sects felt uneasy, thinking that if even Mount Shu was in such a predicament, what would happen to them if they were the ones in trouble? Would they not even be able to recover their bones?
Because one of the White Crane Boats was lost, the wounded are currently being housed on one of the boats. Fortunately, most of them sustained only minor injuries. Having suffered a setback, everyone was seething with anger, and those whose spiritual power remained unaffected had already stormed into the Spirit Treasure Realm.
Qi Chang led Lu Yuanyuan to the White Crane Boat where the wounded were. On the deck, several outer disciples were busy. Lu Yuanyuan lifted her eyelids, her gaze sweeping around, and noticed that several familiar faces were missing.
After a morning, she had calmed down. She knew the most likely fate of the missing person and lowered her head.
Just then, a female cultivator carrying a medicine box ran by, saw them, and exclaimed, "Lu Yuanyuan?"
It was Zhou Que.
Zhou Que put down her things and rushed over. Seeing that Lu Yuanyuan was indeed still alive, she seemed extremely shocked. Then, belatedly noticing Qi Chang, she immediately blushed and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Daoist Lord!"
Qi Chang said, "She has an injury on her leg, let's go in first."
Qi Chang carried Lu Yuanyuan to an empty room. This place was originally a meditation spot on the sword cultivator's white crane boat, temporarily set up as a living quarters for the wounded, with several beds separated by curtains. He placed Lu Yuanyuan on the innermost bed.
Just then, another voice rang out at the door: "Senior brother, are you back? Senior sister... please go and check on her right away."
"Okay." Qi Chang replied and gave Zhou Que a few instructions. Then he looked at Lu Yuanyuan, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Get some rest."
Lu Yuanyuan slumped against the headboard, nodded listlessly, and said nothing.
After Qi Chang left, Zhou Que prepared hot water and medicine powder for treating injuries as instructed, muttering to herself—a mortal woman is just a mortal woman, so delicate. As outer disciples of Mount Shu, unless their legs are broken and they are completely unable to walk, they would never trouble a direct disciple to carry them back.
That's why Qi Daojun is so approachable.
This mortal woman was not flattered at all; her reaction was far too indifferent.
But then, when Zhou Que lifted Lu Yuanyuan's skirt, she knew why Lu Yuanyuan had been carried back—Lu Yuanyuan's shoes and socks were gone, and her delicate soles were covered in more than a dozen blisters, large and small, which had all broken open. Her heels were bleeding, and the skin was peeling off. Her knees were bruised and swollen, as if she had hit something hard.
It certainly doesn't look like I can walk.
Zhou Que swallowed hard: "I... I'm starting to clean your wounds now, please don't kick me."
Lu Yuanyuan nodded.
Zhou Que grabbed Lu Yuanyuan's leg, immersed it in hot water, and gently cleaned it. Then, she sprinkled medicinal powder on it and bandaged the wound. After she finished, Zhou Que looked up and noticed that Lu Yuanyuan's fingers, which were gripping the edge of the bed, were white, and she was biting her lip, clearly enduring pain.
Zhou Que asked curiously, "Why don't you cry out in pain?"
Lu Yuanyuan lifted her legs onto the bed and glanced at her: "It doesn't matter whether you scream or not. If you scream, you might be startled and your hand might tremble, which could hurt even more."
Zhou Que blushed: "Who do you think you are? I wouldn't."
She secretly thought more highly of Lu Yuanyuan. She had assumed Fan Nu was the type who couldn't handle even the slightest scratch. But she hadn't expected…
Honestly, if she were in that situation, she might not be able to suppress her emotions as well as the other person.
"Oh, right, I noticed there were a few people missing outside." Lu Yuanyuan read out the names of several outer sect disciples: "Where are they?"
Zhou Que's expression darkened: "They... they've all disappeared, and we haven't found them yet."
The missing outer sect disciples were all servants who had already formed their Golden Cores and could fly on swords. A whole night had passed; if they were capable of returning, they would have done so long ago. It's safe to assume they encountered some trouble, and their fate is likely grim.
really.
These people can also be considered as those who died unjustly because of some of Yin Xiaozhu's secrets.
Lu Yuanyuan tapped her fingernails on the edge of the bed and asked, "What about the others? How are Master Xugu and Yuanjun?"
"After Master Xugu fell off the cliff, she was injured while protecting the dozen or so disciples who were with her... I don't know the specifics, but she was probably seriously injured. Yuanjun has not yet woken up."
Injuried?
Master Xugu is still alive?
Lu Yuanyuan frowned, and after a while, she understood.
Indeed, Master Xugu's cultivation level is more than a level higher than Yin Xiaozhu's; killing her would be no easy task. Besides, doesn't this match her impression from her previous life?
Master Xugu's later years were mostly spent in seclusion, most likely due to this accident.
She recalled the conversation she overheard that night. The person who knew puppetry said that Master Xugu had become suspicious of Yin Xiaozhu and had even questioned the latter in the main hall.
Perhaps Yin Xiaozhu's goal was never to kill the other party, but simply to shut up Master Xugu.
At this moment, Zhou Que suddenly remembered something: "That's right! Yuanjun was brought back by an outer disciple named Duan Lansheng. He looked very unwell at the time. After handing Yuanjun over to me, he immediately went to look for you. Didn't you and Daojun run into him?"
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback and shook her head.
Seeing this, Zhou Que didn't ask any more questions. He helped her change her outer clothes, tidied up her scattered belongings, and said, "Never mind, you should rest for a while. It's very busy outside. I'll go help Daojun and find you a pair of shoes while I'm at it."
Lu Yuanyuan thanked him, sat on the bed wrapped in the quilt, and stared blankly for a while. Suddenly, she heard footsteps.
She turned her head and stared in astonishment.
Duan Lansheng returned and stood at the door.
He had already come back last night, and despite being a germaphobe, he hadn't changed his clothes; they were still the same dirty ones from yesterday. It seemed he hadn't slept all night.
They stared at each other in silence.
After a long pause, Duan Lansheng walked towards her, stopped three steps away from her bed, and suddenly spoke: "I'm sorry."
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