Chapter 31: Oriole Throat Mecha
But after a while, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhao Xue fell in carrying a strange old man on his back.
The old man was bleeding from all seven orifices and was breathing weakly. Zhao Xue, with a pale face, got up from the ground and dragged the old man inside. Tao Zi forced herself to get out of bed to help, and closed the door in time before the sound of the oriole's cry was heard.
Yi'er jumped down from the bed with her short legs flapping and rushed towards the old man: "Grandpa Zhou, Grandpa Zhou!"
Zhao Xue stopped him and said gently, "Yier, be good. Grandpa Zhou is not feeling well right now. Don't touch him, okay?"
Yier nodded obediently and looked at the old man eagerly.
Tao Zi leaned against the door, and Zhao Xue looked at her: "Big Sister, I have to go out again. I'll leave Grandpa Zhou and Yi'er in your care."
She looked at the weak appearance of her third junior brother and frowned: "No, you look like you can't hold on any longer."
Zhao Xue shook his head firmly and said, "If I don't go find Master, Grandpa Zhou won't survive."
Tao Zi frowned even deeper. She walked over to the old man and gave him a rough examination. Most of his meridians were broken, his heart was beating too fast, and his breathing was intermittent. Unless her master had a method to defy the will of heaven, he would definitely die.
Seeing this junior brother preparing to leave, she sighed and tried to dissuade him, "Third Junior Brother, you should be able to see that it's too late."
Zhao Xue's eyes immediately turned red, and he said stubbornly, "How can we know if we don't try?"
"Look at your current condition. Can you still get out? If you do, you'll die on the road."
"What do you know? That's my grandfather who watched me grow up!" He lost his usual gentle look, turned around and was about to open the door to go out regardless.
"Xiao Xue."
Grandpa Zhou's voice was faint and he stopped stiffly, but his hand was on the door, ready to open it at any time.
The old man raised his hand and said with his last bit of strength, "Stop! Do you want me to die with my eyes open?"
Zhao Xue turned around, tears in his eyes: "Grandpa Zhou, there is still a chance, just hold on a little longer."
He waved his hand slightly: "I can't hold on any longer. My time is up. Let it be."
However, Zhao Xue gritted his teeth, refused to listen, turned around, opened the door and was about to run out.
Grandpa Zhou looked at his actions, and his hand, which had been barely suspended in the air, dropped down.
Tao Zi closed her eyes and shouted angrily, "Zhao Xue, come back here! This old man is gone!"
He looked over in disbelief, and the faint sound of an oriole's cry was heard.
She felt a sweet taste in her throat and spat out a mouthful of blood. Yi'er also fainted.
Zhao Xue seemed to wake up from a dream, and hurriedly closed the door. His trembling voice rang out: "Senior Sister."
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said coldly: "I didn't lie to you, come and see for yourself."
He stared blankly at the old man on the ground, but didn't dare to come over. He called Grandpa Zhou again and again, but there was no response. Finally, he collapsed and leaned against the door, crying loudly.
Tao Zi picked up Yi'er and sat back on the bed. Looking at the miserable appearance of her junior fellow apprentice, her irritability gradually dissipated.
He is just a teenager. How can he weigh the pros and cons of such matters? It is normal for him to act rashly without considering the consequences.
She exhaled slowly, put Yi'er on the bed, and walked over to fulfill her responsibilities as the eldest sister.
"Xiao Xue, you've tried your best. Some things can't be stopped."
An extremely gentle voice sounded in Zhao Xue's ears. He continued crying, and Tao Zi kept comforting him, even though she was feeling very unwell.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xue finally recovered. She whispered, "Go ahead. The old man has been worried about you and hasn't even closed his eyes."
He died with his eyes wide open, truly he died with his eyes wide open.
He knelt in front of Grandpa Zhou and helped him close his eyes: "Grandpa Zhou, I'm not going out, you can go with peace of mind."
Tao Zi watched quietly from the side until he stood up.
Zhao Xue looked at her and found that she was extremely pale. Remembering that she had just vomited blood, his face changed and he said in a hoarse voice: "Senior Sister, please sit down and rest quickly."
Tao Zi looked at him with concern: "Have you recovered?"
"Senior Sister, I'm sorry, I just..."
He didn't finish his words, but she knew what he wanted to say. It was nothing more than making her vomit blood or ignoring her. However, she was angry at Xu Jiamen for the former, but she didn't care about the latter. Although she was his senior sister, strictly speaking, they were just strangers who had known each other for a short time. If he ignored the old man who had watched him grow up for someone like her, then he would most likely be the next ungrateful person.
Tao Zi helped him sit down with concern and said, "I'm fine, but you, don't be too sad."
Looking at the gentle and considerate appearance of the senior sister, Zhao Xue felt more and more ashamed. The senior sister was so considerate, but he just yelled at her.
He should have said more words of apology, but when he saw the old man lying on the ground, sadness hit his heart again, and he choked up and said, "Senior Sister, I want to carry Grandpa Zhou up."
“It should be.”
Tao Zi readily followed suit and carried Yi'er to the chair. If Zhao Xue looked back at her, he would find that the senior sister he thought was gentle and considerate was now extremely calm, with her head lowered, as if she was thinking about something.
Not long after, Yi'er opened her eyes and smiled gently: "Yi'er, are you awake?"
Yi'er held her hand and called her sister in a soft voice. Then she looked at her grandfather lying on the bed and called out anxiously, "Grandpa Zhou."
Although the child is young, he is already sensible.
Tao Zi patted him on the back and said, "Grandpa Zhou, like my father and mother, has gone to a very far place. Brother Zhao misses Grandpa Zhou very much now, so Yi'er, don't go there."
Yier asked nervously and expectantly, "Will Yier be able to see them again in the future?"
"Of course, but it will take a long time."
After Zhao Xue settled Grandpa Zhou, she tried to ask, "Junior brother, what on earth is going on?"
He whispered, "That's Asahi Kamon taming new mecha weapons."
Tao Zi frowned, looking somewhat puzzled. He further explained, "In the past, the Asahi Armor Clan's mechas were all made of materials like iron and copper. But in recent years, they've incorporated spirit beast elements into their mecha weapons. Those spirit beasts are difficult to tame, so they often attack. With the mecha's help, those attacks can travel far."
"And that cry?"
He was silent for a moment, a look of disgust on his face, and said, "As far as I know, this is a Warbler Throat Mecha. It's made by removing the parts above the throat of a Fiery Warbler, using a special method to keep them alive, and then installing them into the mecha."
Her face gradually darkened. Sure enough, it was the same old trick again. The Xujia Sect really hadn't changed and was extremely disgusting.
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