Chapter 38 (Add a paragraph in the middle) Betrayal
The green leaves on the windowsill swayed, and the sunlight shone brightly, splashing like golden sand onto the boy's hair and sword sheath, reflecting a dazzling halo, but it couldn't penetrate his dark eyes.
Lu Yuanyuan was surprised that Duan Lansheng would suddenly appear, and that his first words were to apologize to her.
After a moment of silence, Lu Yuanyuan brushed her hair aside, shrugged, and said, "It's alright. I don't blame Qi Daojun, nor do I blame you."
After a morning of contemplation, she finally uttered the words "It's okay" that she hadn't said while on Qi Chang's back.
Zhou Que had just told her that Master Xugu was seriously injured, and this matched the events in her memory. It was like a bell tolling, reminding her that this was not reality, but just a novel.
The fate of every character is in the author's hands. Some characters will fall in love at a certain point, while others will die at a certain point. Everyone is controlled by invisible threads, like a sophisticated computer executing an application.
Even the incredibly skilled Master Xugu couldn't escape the program's settings in either of his two lifetimes, could he?
In what happened last night, Duan Lansheng and Qi Chang were actually no different.
Essentially, it was someone with a higher priority than her who triggered the rescue instinct programmed into them by the author.
Of course, it's all just a matter of one thing overcoming another. The author's priority for Duan Lansheng is probably that the female protagonist, Xiao Ruo, is above everything else. Once Xiao Ruo appears, Yin Xiaozhu's priority will likely drop by one level.
Originally, she was one of these characters as well.
If she had obediently followed the author's instructions, she would never have entered the sea of consciousness with Duan Lansheng, would never have become a servant by Yin Xiaozhu's side, and would not be in the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm at this moment.
The extra hardships and setbacks along the way were all because she was deliberately trying to break away from the trajectory drawn for her by the author; they were the price she had to pay for trying to take control of her own life.
She's trying to escape her own path, and inevitably her path will intersect with those of other characters. Unexpected losses are perfectly normal.
Once you understand this, calm down, and learn to manage and avoid risks in the future, it won't be a big deal.
At least now she has a worst-case scenario in mind for everything. And she knows that she can't just take any mission; it's best to avoid missions involving Duan Lansheng and the senior sister, or Duan Lansheng and the female lead Xiao Ruo, if possible. Even if she has to go, she should stay far away from them.
...
When Lu Yuanyuan answered casually that it was okay, without questioning or resentment, Duan Lansheng was taken aback.
Lu Yuanyuan said, "It's really okay. The situation was indeed chaotic and urgent at the time, and there wasn't time to discuss so much. If Qi Daojun knew that you were protecting Yuanjun, I believe he wouldn't have stood by and watched me die. If you switched places, I believe it would be the same."
Her words were perfectly worded, providing him with a flawless explanation, but they also silenced Duan Lansheng, revealing that she didn't want to discuss the matter further with him.
Duan Lansheng's fingers tightened around the sword sheath.
He didn't want to just let the topic drop.
Lu Yuanyuan had done him a favor in his sea of consciousness, and he had secretly vowed to repay her. He knew that she had no dealings with Qi Daojun, and that he was her only friend in the Shu Mountain Sword Sect. Moreover, even though many people were secretly isolating her and making things difficult for her, she did not back down and insisted on being his friend.
In the Valley of the Floating Pagoda, although he didn't abandon her, he didn't devote much attention to caring for her either. In the final moment, the choice he made without hesitation was...
He betrayed the friendship and trust of his first friend in his life.
“No, it’s related. I want to apologize to you.” Duan Lansheng’s voice was hoarse but clear: “We are friends. I should have taken better care of you back then. I didn’t do a good job.”
Lu Yuanyuan remained silent for a little longer this time.
She rubbed her fingers on the bedding before looking at him: "I really don't think it's anything. But if you feel bad about it, then next time we have the chance to go on a mission together, you must take good care of me, and share any good stuff with me."
The disciples of Mount Shu are accustomed to independence and consider it shameful to be parasites. Her request was indeed somewhat unreasonable. However, Duan Lansheng found himself not angry at all; on the contrary, he felt a little happy that she was willing to show him her true emotions.
"Okay." Duan Lansheng pursed his lips, stepped forward, and asked, "Has your injury been treated?"
"It's all taken care of, so don't worry. I can take care of myself. Now I want to rest."
Lu Yuanyuan looked at him quietly with her bright eyes.
Even though they had already spoken frankly, he saw a familiar coldness in her eyes. A coolness that he couldn't decipher.
Hearing that she was trying to get rid of him, Duan Lansheng couldn't force her to stay and could only lower his eyes.
Lu Yuanyuan's eyes darted around, and she suddenly changed her mind, saying, "Wait a minute, I'm thirsty. Could you please get me a glass of water before you leave?"
During the days she was trapped in Floating Pagoda Valley, she would take advantage of breaks during her journey to absorb life points from Duan Lansheng. Although each absorption was brief, her life points remained around 40/100. The experience of that day and night had been too devastating; her life points were rapidly depleting, and now she only had 12/100 left. Now that he was in her presence, she had no reason not to replenish them.
Duan Lansheng naturally wouldn't refuse her. He stepped back from behind the screen, and a moment later, his slender fingers presented her with a porcelain cup.
"I'm a little weak, don't let go, help me hold the cup steady."
Lu Yuanyuan coughed, raised her hand, covered Duan Lansheng's hand, grasped his hand holding the cup, and offered it to herself.
As their skin touched, a familiar warmth began to flow into her body.
Steam rose from the rim of the cup, gently warming her face; it felt quite pleasant. Lu Yuanyuan blew on the water and slowly began to drink.
Sure enough, it wasn't her imagination.
Her life points were being absorbed faster, but consumed at a slower rate.
In the beginning, this body's life energy storage was like an old battery. Charging was as slow as a snail's pace, but power consumption was skyrocketing. If you had to sum it up in one word, it would be miserable.
Extremely miserable.
For her at that time, being swept away by the rushing river and being able to climb ashore on her own after being soaked for half the night was something she never dared to imagine.
But now, everything seems to have changed without us even realizing it.
During those days, when she touched Duan Lansheng while traveling, she had already sensed something was amiss. She just didn't have time to think about it carefully. But last night's terrifying experience, and the speed at which life force was being drawn into her body by drinking water, confirmed her suspicions from the Floating Pagoda Valley—the rate at which life force was being drawn into and out of this body was indeed reversed.
All of this happened after she had practiced the first half of "The Three Arts of Seduction".
Indeed, hardship... can also be an opportunity.
Lu Yuanyuan lowered her eyes, deliberately slowing down her pace, dawdling over her drink of water until it was almost cold before letting go of her hand. This time, however, Duan Lansheng didn't urge her at all, silently cooperating with her.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped when the cup was empty, thanked him softly, lay down in bed, and closed her eyes.
A moment later, she heard footsteps fading away. Duan Lansheng was gone.
Because she didn't turn around, she didn't notice that when Duan Lansheng left, he was walking backwards with his back to the door, so she never saw his back.
...
As soon as he left the room and was bathed in sunlight, Duan Lansheng's face appeared even more pale. He stood there for a moment, suppressing his slight dizziness, and walked towards an outer disciple in a corner of the deck. He remembered the man's name was Cen Fei; last night, when they had just descended into Futu Valley, he had pulled him out of the beast's jaws: "Cen Fei."
Cen Fei turned around, saw Duan Lansheng, and immediately stood up straight.
This man is a very famous figure within the sect, and there are countless rumors and speculations about him. Seeing him this close up, his face is indeed as handsome as the legends say, it's a pity he's a man. If he were a woman, who knows how devastating he would be… Stopping his imagination, Cen Fei asked awkwardly, “What’s wrong?”
Where can I find Ice-Melting Jade Cream?
"What do you need that thing for? It can only cure stings from Thunderfire Beasts." Cen Fei looked at him suspiciously, then suddenly glared at him: "Have you been stung? Where?"
As she spoke, she was about to take his pulse.
Duan Lansheng avoided the other person's touch, shook his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "No need. Just give me the medicine."
Thinking that the other party was, after all, his savior, Cen Fei sighed and said, "Hey, this is no small matter. I specialize in alchemy, so let me take a look. Come on, let's go to that room over there, I'll take care of it for you."
As he spoke, he gestured for Duan Lansheng to go with him to the room specifically for the wounded.
Duan Lansheng's expression changed slightly, and he refused him: "I'm not going there."
"What? Are you shy? Don't worry, there's a curtain separating the two sides over there."
Duan Lansheng's eyes gradually became unfocused, but he still insisted, "Let's go somewhere else."
Left with no other option, Cen Fei led the man to his temporary resting room. When Duan Lansheng took off his outer garment, Cen Fei gasped in shock. He saw that Duan Lansheng's back was covered in charred, cracked skin, as if struck by lightning, a truly horrifying sight.
Thunderfire Beasts are monstrous creatures that lurk in the earth's veins, possessing immense strength and appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Being stung by them is like being struck by lightning, causing excruciating pain. Anyone who isn't a Golden Core cultivator might experience cardiac arrest on the spot.
Cen Fei pointed at his back with trembling hands: "What happened to you? You didn't have this when you brought Yuan Jun back today, did you? It was just now... no, no, I should say, you didn't faint from the pain? You should have come back to apply the medicine immediately. Sigh, never mind, I'll apply the medicine for you now. You really courted death."
The powder landed on his skin, and cold sweat instantly seeped from Duan Lansheng's temples. But after a moment of patience, he repeated, "Don't tell anyone."
He searched along the river in the Valley of the Buddha, but found nothing. Only when he passed one place did he see a corpse.
The corpse was mangled, half-eaten by the Thunderfire Beast. But the clothing… resembled Lu Yuanyuan's. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. To get a better look, he forcefully snatched the corpse back. Snatching food from a tiger's mouth naturally invites a relentless, all-or-nothing attack.
But he didn't want Lu Yuanyuan to know.
He felt that he was using his own pain to alleviate his guilt and to tell Lu Yuanyuan that he had also paid a price to find her, thus gaining her sympathy and coercing her to calm down.
This is utterly shameless.
Finding her was what he should do. The pain he endured while searching for her doesn't erase the suffering she went through. What seems like an equal exchange is actually unfair.
Meeting Duan Lansheng's gaze, Cen Fei raised a finger and assured him, "I understand. I promise I'll keep it a secret and won't tell anyone."
Thank you.
...
On the other hand.
The area where the wounded were housed was both mobile and open. After staying there for a while, Lu Yuanyuan was moved to a private room.
Because her feet had turned into pig's trotters, she used this as an excuse to stay indoors, sleeping all day and meditating when she woke up.
Sufficient sleep is indeed beneficial for stabilizing one's mental state. After staying indoors for three days in a row, she felt her sluggish heart regain its usual strength.
She spent several days interacting exclusively with Zhou Que, and successfully became familiar with her. This was probably her first same-sex friend since joining the Shu Mountain sect.
That day, she had just finished lunch when she learned that Yin Xiaozhu had woken up.
As the other party's servant, she had to show herself at this time. Besides, Yin Xiaozhu's coma was most likely related to her secret, and Lu Yuanyuan was also curious whether anyone had noticed anything unusual.
The medicine from Mount Shu was very effective; Lu Yuanyuan's foot wound was already healing, though it was still a little swollen. To make herself more comfortable, she asked Zhou Que to get her a pair of large shoes. Walking was much more comfortable, but her feet would inevitably slap against the floor with a clattering sound when she took a step.
Arriving outside Yin Xiaozhu's room, she explained her purpose to the person outside. The disciple went in to ask a question, then let Lu Yuanyuan go in by herself.
Lu Yuanyuan stepped inside, and the two doors closed behind her. Her first thought was—as expected of the senior sister, even a temporary rest room is so luxurious. Looking through the screen at the bed inside, she could vaguely see a person sitting there.
"Yuanjun, I heard you've woken up, so I've come to visit you."
She walked around the screen and saw Yin Xiaozhu leaning against the headboard with her hair down. The room was not cold because it was not well-ventilated. The blanket only covered her abdomen, revealing her legs. One leg was raised and the other was straight, and she was barefoot.
A sour feeling welled up in Lu Yuanyuan's heart.
The injured player who disconnected at the start of the dungeon seemed to be in much better condition than her. The only odd thing was that, although she was lying in bed, the other person was dressed very warmly.
Is she afraid of the cold?
No way, if you're really that afraid of the cold, why don't you cover yourself with a blanket?
Yin Xiaozhu naturally heard the sound of shoes hitting the floor. She tilted her head, glanced in the direction of the sound, saw the ill-fitting shoes, and actually chuckled: "If you hadn't said anything just now, I would have thought a duck had entered my room."
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Yin Xiaozhu leaned back, shifting to a more comfortable position, and said lazily, "I heard you hurt your foot? Come here, let me take a look."
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