Chi Qing
Her consciousness seemed to be immersed in warm and cool ink, and she was enveloped in a thick and indissoluble darkness, making even her breathing difficult.
Yunxiu wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as if a black stone had fallen on them. No matter how hard he tried, he could only feel his eyelashes tremble, and then they were pulled back by a deeper heaviness.
The surroundings are quiet, but not completely dead.
Yunxiu could faintly hear the "tick-tick" sound of dripping water on the distant rock wall and the "rustling" sound of wind blowing through the vines at the entrance of the cave. These sounds seemed to be separated by a thick layer of glass, blurry and distant, giving her the illusion of being sealed in a transparent lamp.
I can sense the outside world but cannot touch it. I can only float in this endless darkness, rising and falling with the waves of consciousness.
Just when she was about to be completely swallowed by this stagnation, a warm touch suddenly came from her fingertips.
It wasn't the scorching heat of the magma in her dreams, nor the icy cold of the sea. It was the warmth of a living being, with its thin calluses. The hand gently grasped her fingertips, brushing against the fine marks on her palm from gripping the sword. The force was light, but it carried an unmistakable certainty, like an anchor, instantly pulling a tiny sliver of her consciousness back from drifting away.
Yunxiu's consciousness suddenly jolted, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood. She could clearly feel the outline of the hand—the knuckles were distinct, the palm had rough calluses from years of holding a sword, and there was a faint old scar at the base of the palm.
It’s Yan Xiu.
This realization made her consciousness clearer, and even the dull pain in her chest caused by the overdrawn divine power seemed to ease a little.
She wanted to move her fingers in response, but found that her limbs were still out of control. She could only let the hand gently wrap around her hand. The warm temperature climbed up along the fingertips, flowed through the blood vessels in her wrist, and finally fell on her heart, like a warm light, dispelling some of the chill brought by the darkness.
But this lucidity lasted only a moment. The next second, her consciousness was swept away by the tide, falling back into the thick darkness. She could feel the hand still holding her, but she could no longer muster any more consciousness. She could only let herself drift gently in the darkness like a fallen leaf.
"Senior Brother Yan Xiu, what's going on?"
It was Senior Sister Yingtang's voice. Her voice was extremely low, as if she didn't want to disturb the sleeping Yunxiu, but one could still hear the anger and worry woven into it.
"That's not what you said...why is she still so badly hurt?"
Yunxiu's consciousness stirred slightly. She could hear Yingtang's footsteps—light but quick, landing on the bluestone slabs.
Then, Wu Yi echoed angrily, also lowering his voice, but more directly than Yingtang:
"Big Brother, you're not doing this on purpose again, are you?"
The air in the cave seemed to tense instantly. The sounds of dripping water and wind grew clearer, accentuating the sharpness of their questions. Yunxiu could feel the hand gripping him tighten slightly, the warmth at his fingertips seeming to cool, a subtle stiffness taking hold.
Yan Xiu's voice rang out after a while.
"Some things were beyond my expectations."
He paused, and gently stroked Yunxiu's fingertips:
"I was exhausted... She did it for me. I... I couldn't stop her in time."
The worst thing about making excuses is half-truths. Yunxiu thought vaguely in the darkness.
Sure enough, Yingtang's voice softened:
"Even so, don't you have any other options? Are you just going to let Zhihuan take her away?"
Yan Xiu was speechless.
"I've used my spiritual power to help her stabilize somewhat. Once Yingtang, you gather some new banyan fruits and apply some herbs, she should be able to recover slowly."
"But even so..."
Wu Yi wanted to say something more, but Yingtang gently pulled him back, probably fearing that any further argument would disturb Yunxiu. Yunxiu could hear Wu Yi's unwilling hum, and he paced twice before finally suppressing his anger.
Silence spread in the cave for a moment, with only the sound of dripping water echoing repeatedly on the rock wall.
Just when Yunxiu thought the conversation was about to end, Yan Xiu's voice rang out again, this time in a much softer tone. It was as if he was speaking to Yingtang and Wuyi, but also as if he was talking to himself:
"Xiaoyou was injured, and I felt worse than anyone else."
"I was the one who took Xiaoyou home. From Qinglan Sect to here, I have been keeping an eye on her condition, but she still got hurt so badly..."
This statement was less than half credible. Yunxiu's consciousness wavered slightly in the darkness.
She knew that Yan Xiu would indeed protect her, but the deliberately exaggerated emotions in his words always made her feel that there was something hidden, like a layer of gauze covering the deeper emotions underneath.
After a moment of silence, Yingtang seemed to have made a decision and said to Wuyi:
"I'm going to the back mountain to pick some fresh banyan leaves and spiritual fruits. The ones I brought earlier are almost gone, and Xiaoyou's injuries need continued nourishment. You go to the cave entrance and keep an eye on Zhihuan. If you can't kill him or drive him away, he will definitely come back."
"Then here..." Wu Yi's tone was full of worry.
"I'll stay here and watch over Xiaoyou."
Yan Xiu took over and tightened his grip on Yun Xiu's hand. "I'm injured and low on spiritual power right now, so this is the only thing I can do to help."
"Okay." Wu Yi responded, and his footsteps went towards the cave entrance.
Then came the sound of Yingtang's footsteps. She walked to the other side of Yunxiu and seemed to be leaning over to check on her condition. A faint green spiritual power from her fingertips gently brushed across Yunxiu's forehead, carrying the fragrance of banyan leaves.
The footsteps gradually faded away, and the cave finally returned to its original silence, leaving only the sounds of dripping water, wind, and Yan Xiu's steady breathing.
Yunxiu could clearly feel the hand holding her loosen, but not let go. Then, it gently turned over and interlocked its fingers with hers.
The thin calluses on the palms of his hands rubbed against hers, bringing a stabilizing force that calmed her drifting consciousness.
A gentle spiritual power slowly came from Yan Xiu's fingertips, along the interlocked fingers, and flowed into Yun Xiu's body bit by bit.
It was Yan Xiu's unique spiritual power, with the refreshing feeling of pine needles, which flowed slowly through her disordered spiritual veins like a stream of warm water. Wherever it passed, the pain caused by the overdraft of divine power gradually eased.
Yunxiu's consciousness relaxed slightly, and even the darkness in front of him became softer.
She could feel that Yan Xiu's spiritual power was not in a hurry to repair her wounds, but was carefully bypassing the damaged spiritual veins and slowly combing through the remaining cold white divine power in her body.
Those divine powers had become extremely agitated when fighting in the dream before, but now, under the soothing of Yan Xiu's spiritual power, they are slowly becoming calm, like tamed little beasts, no longer rushing around randomly.
"Xiao You."
Yan Xiu's voice rang in his ears, so soft that Yun Xiu was confused as to whether it was the voice of his heart or just his whisper.
His thumb gently rubbed her knuckles with a tenderness he had never felt before.
sorry.
These three words were spoken very lightly, but they entered Yunxiu's consciousness, causing her to shudder slightly.
Spiritual energy continued to flow slowly, gradually blending with the cold white divine power, forming a warm current within Yunxiu's body, repairing her damaged spiritual veins bit by bit. Yunxiu could feel Yan Xiu's hand trembling slightly as he held hers, the temperature at his fingertips rising even higher, as if with nervousness.
Yunxiu's consciousness floated gently in the darkness.
But he still didn't explain it completely. He didn't explain why he could mobilize the divine power that originated from her, nor did he explain what his connection was with the ancient gods...
But these doubts were now suppressed by the warmth coming from his palms and the warm air flowing through his body. Yunxiu's consciousness gradually became drowsy, not the heavy darkness from before, but a peaceful drowsiness.
It was like lying on the familiar bamboo couch, listening to the sound of Yan Xiu practicing sword, and slowly relaxing.
Yan Xiu seemed to notice the change in her consciousness, and he held her hand tighter, causing his spiritual power to flow even slower.
His voice grew softer and softer, like a feather falling beside his ear, carrying a soothing power. Yunxiu's consciousness finally relaxed completely, floating in the warm darkness, no longer struggling, no longer anxious.
The palms of her interlocked fingers were still transmitting warmth, and the airflow of spiritual power and divine power was still flowing slowly in her body. The sound of dripping water and wind in the cave gradually became distant, and finally turned into a steady background sound, accompanying her as she fell into a peaceful sleep.
Yan Xiu looked at Yunxiu's peaceful sleeping face. Her brows were still slightly furrowed, but her breathing had become much more even, and her complexion was better than before.
The spiritual energy continued to flow in, blending with the divine power within her body. Yan Xiu could clearly feel that the two forces had formed a delicate balance within her body. They no longer repelled each other as before, but instead seemed to have found a point of convergence, repairing the damaged spiritual vein together.
He looked down at their clasped hands. Yunxiu's hands were smaller than his, with slender fingertips and slightly calloused palms from years of holding a sword and running in the mountains.
A gentle rustle of wind emanated from outside the cave, like the sound of Wu Yi moving about at the entrance. Yan Xiu glanced up at the cave entrance, then down at Yun Xiu. He held her hand tightly, his spiritual energy still flowing slowly, as if guarding a fragile yet precious hope.
In the darkness, only the two people's clasped hands shone with a faint light.
Yan Xiu stared at Yunxiu's sleeping face. Seeing her breathing gradually become longer, her furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and even the unconscious tension in her fingertips relaxed, he dared to slow down his breathing a little.
He raised his hand and gently rubbed the skin under her eyes with the back of his fingertips, confirming that the slight chill caused by fatigue had been warmed by his body temperature, and even the temperature of the pendant around her neck had stabilized. Then he withdrew his hand and focused more on their interlocked fingers.
The spiritual power that was flowing before gradually slowed down its pace. It was no longer in a hurry to sort out the spiritual veins, but like a gentle guide, it slowly made way.
A cold, white divine power slowly seeped out from Yan Xiu's palm, carrying the same chilling energy as Yun Xiu's, yet with a certain degree of calmness due to his careful control. This divine power flowed through the gaps between his fingers and into Yun Xiu's veins, gently colliding with the remaining cold, white divine power within her. Without any collision, they blended naturally like a stream merging into a river.
The two divine powers emitted a blue and white halo in the interlocking palms. At first, it was just a faint light, but as the fusion deepened, the halo gradually expanded, wrapping the hands of the two people like a layer of gauze. Even the sound of dripping water in the cave seemed to be blocked by this power, leaving only the subtle humming of the divine power flowing.
Yan Xiu's eyes were always on Yun Xiu's face. He was extremely cautious every time he added divine power, for fear of disturbing her deep sleep. Only when he felt that the divine power in her body was completely stable and no longer as agitated as before did he dare to continue to increase the force of the injection.
Suddenly, the air above the cave shook slightly, and a golden light that did not belong to the two of them slowly seeped out from the void.
Golden light spread like morning mist, dispelling much of the chill within the cavern. Even the fluorescent moss on the rock walls was dyed a pale gold. As Yan Xiu's divine power continued to grow, the golden light gradually gathered three feet above the cloud cavern, condensing into a vague silhouette.
Yan Xiu was not surprised. He raised his hand and set up a barrier inside the cave.
The figure in front of me became clearer and clearer.
Silver-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, its tips adorned with tiny strands of golden light, rising and falling gently with her breathing. Her robe, a blend of moonlight white and pale gold, shimmered with a delicate shimmer. Its hem fell untouched by a speck of dust, seemingly suspended in mid-air by a gentle breeze. Her turquoise-gold eyes, still luminous in the dim light, rested on their interlocked hands.
It was the ancient god Gao.
Yan Xiu did not look up immediately, but just held Yunxiu's hand a little tighter. A wisp of divine power quietly separated from his fingertips and condensed into a barrier as thin as a cicada's wing around Yunxiu, ensuring that she would not be disturbed by the fluctuations of divinity.
Only when the figure was completely solidified, and even the lines on the robe were clearly visible, did he slowly raise his eyes. His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough to penetrate the silence of the cave:
"You're here, Gao."
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