awkward
As the cold spring's steam rose, Xie Linyang had just reached a crucial point in adjusting his breathing when a loud bang suddenly exploded in his ears.
"boom!"
Water sprayed skyward, reaching a height of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the icy spring water pelted down on her face, startling her so much that she opened her eyes abruptly.
In my sight, a purple figure, like a runaway wave, rushed out of the bamboo forest by the spring and plunged into the center of the cold spring with a "plop," the water instantly reaching up to her waist.
It's Jiang Cheng!
Xie Linyang's heart clenched suddenly. How could he be here? Where was Wei Wuxian?
Before she could react, the purple figure suddenly looked up. Jiang Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, with grotesque blue veins crawling across the whites of his eyes. His hair crown, which had been tied up, had broken off at some point, and his black hair was scattered around his neck, soaked by the spring water and sticking to his dark skin.
The resentment emanating from him was even more violent than when he was at Biling Lake. Strands of black mist seeped out from his pores, condensing into countless tiny black snakes in the water, writhing and baring their fangs, even staining the spiritual essence of the cold spring turbid.
Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen had already stabilized, so why did Jiang Cheng suddenly lose control again?
Like an enraged beast, he let out a low growl from his throat, completely disregarding people. He suddenly raised his right arm, and black energy condensed into sharp claws in his palm, tearing through the air with a sharp sound, and rushed straight at Xie Linyang's face!
Xie Linyang's pupils contracted sharply, and without thinking, she retreated hastily, simultaneously gathering Yang energy at her fingertips. Golden light exploded in her palm, forming a semi-transparent light shield that barely blocked the black claws.
"laugh--"
The black energy crashed into the light shield, producing a sound like flesh being burned. The light shield trembled violently and was even torn in three places. Xie Linyang was shaken so badly that his blood and qi surged, and his back slammed hard against the stone wall by the spring, letting out a muffled groan of pain.
This isn't Jiang Cheng's power! It's resentment that has completely consumed his sanity and is controlling his body!
"Brother Wanyin! Wake up! It's me! Xie Linyang!" she shouted, trying to awaken his consciousness, but Jiang Cheng only roared with bloodshot eyes. His black claws condensed again, even more violent than before, and directly tore through the light shield. The black energy surged in like a tide!
Xie Linyang gritted her teeth, her left hand pressed against her waist, where her sword should have been hanging. However, in her haste to come, she had only brought the "Blazing Radiance" gold hairpin from her hair. She raised her hand, pulled out the hairpin, and poured spiritual power into it. With a "hum," the hairpin transformed into a three-foot-long staff, its runes lighting up, and golden light instantly filled the cold spring!
"Yang energy dispels evil!"
She swung her staff, the golden blade slicing through the black mist. Wherever it passed, the black snake screamed and turned into wisps of smoke. But resentment surged endlessly from Jiang Cheng's body, impossible to kill or sever. He seemed tireless, each attack carrying a world-destroying ferocity, forcing Xie Linyang to retreat repeatedly, the pebbles beneath her feet crunching under her feet.
"This won't do..." Beads of sweat appeared on Xie Linyang's forehead. Her vital energy was being consumed extremely quickly, and she could feel her spiritual energy rapidly draining away. "I must get closer to him and find the core of his resentment!"
Seizing the opening in Jiang Cheng's attack, Xie Linyang lightly touched the water's surface with his toes and used the momentum to rush forward!
The Blazing Staff spun in her hand, layers of golden blades protecting her, forcefully tearing a path through the black mist. Jiang Cheng seemed to sense her intention, roaring as he turned, the black mist coalescing into a giant fist that slammed into her chest!
Xie Linyang dodged to the side, her giant fist slamming into the stone wall behind her, sending shards of stone flying! She seized the opportunity to pounce on Jiang Cheng, her left hand flashing out like lightning to grab his wrist, which was gathering black energy!
"!"
The moment her fingertips touched his skin, it felt like touching a red-hot iron—no, ice! A bone-chilling cold traveled up his wrist, making Xie Linyang's fingertips numb. Yet beneath his skin, a scalding resentment surged wildly, the interplay of hot and cold making her knuckles tremble.
"Jiang Cheng! Look at me!" She forced herself to meet his gaze. Her crimson pupils were a chaotic mess, devoid of any familiar features, only pure violence. But just as her gaze met his, the crimson seemed to flicker, as if touched by something.
Now!
Xie Linyang slammed his Blazing Staff into the water, the runes on the staff glowing brightly, and countless golden threads surged from the tip, wrapping around Jiang Cheng's arm like living things, and drilling into his heart along his blood vessels.
The Flawless Thread is specifically designed to capture the core of resentment!
"roar--!"
Jiang Cheng sensed the threat and struggled violently with astonishing strength. Xie Linyang was pulled so hard that he stumbled and crashed into Jiang Cheng's arms.
The two were instantly very close.
Xie Linyang's forehead rested against his chin, and he could clearly smell the cold fragrance on his body mixed with the resentful, sweet scent, as well as a faint, elusive lotus fragrance that belonged to Jiang Cheng himself.
His chest was burning hot, each breath carrying a scorching heat that tingled her neck. He gripped her wrist tightly, his knuckles almost crushing her, but his other hand unconsciously rose, not to attack, but... to grab her arm with a force as if grasping at a lifeline.
"Ugh..." Xie Linyang winced in pain, but dared not let go. The golden threads had already followed the blood vessels to the core of the resentment and were tearing at it frantically.
She could feel the resentment within Jiang Cheng violently resisting; his body began to tremble violently, and a trace of pain flashed in his crimson pupils.
Xie Lin Yang understood that it was Jiang Cheng's own consciousness, fighting against resentment!
"Give it your all..." She poured the last bit of her vital energy into the Blazing Staff, which shone brightly. The golden threads tightened abruptly, binding the core of the resentment tightly.
"break!"
With a low shout, the golden threads suddenly burst forth with intense light, the core of the resentment emitted a shrill scream, and the black energy receded like a tide.
Jiang Cheng's body stiffened abruptly, and the crimson pupils gradually lost their blood color, returning to their original inky black. However, his eyes were empty and unfocused.
He suddenly released his grip on Xie Linyang's arm and his body went limp as he fell forward.
"Watch out!" Xie Linyang instinctively reached out to support him. The two of them lost their strength and fell heavily into the water, splashing a lot of water.
Jiang Cheng rested his head on her shoulder, his breathing hot and rapid, carrying the weakness of someone who had just survived a disaster. Xie Linyang's arm still ached, and her palms were marked with red welts from his grip, but she couldn't care less. She simply raised her hand to check his pulse, which had stabilized. Her resentment was finally temporarily suppressed.
She breathed a sigh of relief, her tense body instantly relaxing as she leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. The steam from the cold spring rose again, the golden threads gradually faded, and the Blazing Staff transformed back into a golden hairpin, falling into the water with a "clink."
Moonlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, falling on their intertwined shadows. Jiang Cheng's head was still resting on her shoulder, his damp hair clinging to her neck, carrying a cool mist. Xie Lin Yang looked down at his pale profile, water droplets still clinging to his eyelashes, as if he had been crying.
Her heart was beating a little fast, not because of the danger just now, but because... she had been too close. Close enough to feel his body temperature, smell his scent, and even... feel the slight trembling of his fingertips as he unconsciously gripped her arm.
"Hey..." she gently nudged him, "Are you awake? Still pretending to be dead?"
Jiang Cheng remained still, his breathing becoming more even, as if he were fast asleep.
Xie Linyang pursed her lips, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She carefully adjusted her position to make him more comfortable, while she looked up at the moon in the sky, her fingers unconsciously rubbing her arm, which he had scratched red.
Just now... I think we were too close.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she forcibly suppressed it.
"What are you thinking about!" She patted her cheek. "Brother Wanyin has just escaped danger, he must be exhausted... Yes, he must be exhausted."
The cold spring water gradually returned to calm, leaving only the two intertwined figures nestled quietly in the moonlight, like a painting blurred by water vapor. Even the wind quietly stopped, not daring to disturb this moment of peace.
In the shadows at the end of the bamboo forest, Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks.
Moonlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, scattering like shattered silver across the cold spring. In the misty air, Xie Linyang sat half-submerged in the water, Jiang Cheng's head resting on her shoulder, his wet hair entwined around their necks. Her face was pale, yet she gently raised a hand to brush the hair that had fallen across his forehead, her fingertips carrying the warmth of yang energy, her movements so light as if afraid to disturb the moon's reflection in the water. Jiang Cheng's eyelashes drooped, his breathing shallow; all the sharp edges he usually wore had softened, leaving only a vulnerable dependence.
Wei Wuxian stroked the blade of the Casual Sword, the playfulness in his eyes slowly fading, but a hint of tenderness quietly curved his lips. He turned and quietly retreated, his robes disappearing into the deeper shadows, until the mist from the cold spring and that figure leaning against him were no longer visible.
Jiang Cheng was awakened by the stagnation in his meridians.
When I opened my eyes, the morning mist outside the window was seeping into the quiet room, carrying the unique dampness of the cold spring.
He moved his fingers, feeling weak all over, as if most of his strength had been drained away. A dull ache lingered in his chest from the impact of resentment, and the skin on his right arm felt faintly hot, where there seemed to be several shallow scratch marks...
"Awake?" Wei Wuxian's voice came from the window, a little hoarse from just waking up, but it couldn't hide his teasing. "Young Master Lan just left, leaving some medicine. He said if your body doesn't behave itself, the next time your resentment gets out of control, it won't be something you can suppress."
Jiang Cheng turned his head sharply and saw Wei Wuxian leaning against the soft couch by the bed, tossing a medicine bottle in his hand, grinning with a face that looked like he wanted to punch someone.
Nie Huaisang was sitting at the table, holding a cup of hot tea. When he saw Jiang looking over, he quickly put down the cup and gently tapped his palm with his fan: "Brother Jiang, you're finally awake. You really scared us this time."
"Out of control?" Jiang Cheng's voice was hoarse as fragments of memory flooded back: the black lake bottom, the crimson vision, the claws formed from black energy, the golden light of yang spiritual power, and... a soft, warm shoulder, and a hand gripping his arm with red marks.
“That’s right.” Wei Wuxian stopped joking and tossed the medicine bottle onto his pillow. “Lan Xichen said that the resentment core in your body suddenly broke free of its seal, and the resentment energy rushed straight to your heart meridian. If Xie Linyang hadn’t been recuperating in the Cold Spring at the time…”
"How could she be there?" Jiang Cheng interrupted him, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the quilt.
“Miss Xie said she went to the Cold Spring to fetch some spiritual spring water to make medicine, and just happened to run into you rushing out of the bamboo forest.” Nie Huaisang explained gently, pointing the tip of his fan at his right arm. “Young Master Lan came to see you this morning and said that in order to keep you calm, Miss Xie used her vital energy to wrap the resentment core, but she was afraid that you would hurt yourself. When she got close, you scratched her arm, leaving red marks all over it, and her palm was also burned by the resentment. She is still applying medicine at the medicine hut.”
Jiang Cheng looked down at his right hand, where the feeling of gripping still lingered on his knuckles. Last night, he lost his mind and only remembered something warm and cozy bumping into his arms. He grabbed it like a lifeline, so tightly that he almost crushed it... So that was Xie Linyang's arm.
"What's she showing off for?" Jiang Cheng abruptly turned his face away, his tone hard. "I myself..."
"Yourself what? You were consumed by resentment?" Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, deliberately leaning closer and lowering his voice, "Or are you actually enjoying the feeling of 'leaning on Miss Xie's shoulder'?"
"Wei Wuxian, you're asking for death!" Jiang Cheng raised his hand to punch him, but the pain in his waist made him groan.
Nie Huaisang quickly pressed him down: "Brother Jiang, calm down and let Brother Wei finish speaking first. Lan Xichen said that Miss Xie used the Zhuoyao Golden Hairpin to transform into a staff and used the Shengyang spiritual power to weave a net, forcibly sealing the resentment core back into the dantian. She was afraid that you would be unstable, so she guarded the cold spring until the middle of the night."
"You've been keeping watch all night?" Jiang Cheng's heart sank. The depletion of her Yang energy was already damaging her vitality; she had already used up most of her energy to seal the resentment core, and now she still had to guard him…
“That’s right.” Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue. “If it weren’t for Lin Yang’s intervention to remove the Water Abyss, things would have been really difficult this time.”
"Mind your own business," he muttered under his breath, but his voice lacked conviction. His chest felt constricted, as if something was blocking it, making him feel suffocated. Shame, anger, self-reproach, and a strange, inexplicable warmth all mixed together, leaving him feeling agitated.
As they were talking, the door was gently pushed open.
Xie Linyang walked in carrying a black lacquered tray with a bowl of medicinal soup and a small jar of ointment on it. She was wearing a light blue robe and a crescent-shaped skirt, and her exposed wrists were bandaged. She placed the tray on the low table by the bedside with a natural movement, as if she hadn't noticed Jiang Cheng's gaze: "Young Master Lan said that you should have your medicine changed now that you're awake. This is a calming soup with honey added, so it's not bitter."
Jiang Cheng's gaze fell on her arm. His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but then he saw Xie Linyang pick up the ointment and sit down on the edge of the couch: "Mr. Lan said that although the resentment core in your heart has been sealed, there is still coldness in your meridians, so you need to apply this cold-dispelling ointment."
Just as her fingertips were about to touch his chest, Jiang Cheng suddenly turned away, saying, "I'll do it myself."
Xie Linyang's hand froze in mid-air as she looked up at him.
The morning light shone through the mist onto his face. His eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow under his eyes when he lowered them, and his expression was unreadable.
“Your spiritual energy is currently disordered; applying it yourself could easily damage your meridians. I…”
"No need." Jiang Cheng interrupted her, grabbed the ointment and smeared it on his chest. His movements were quick and hurried, but because he couldn't apply enough pressure, the ointment got all over his hands. Wei Wuxian watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh: "Jiang Cheng, are you applying ointment or smearing mud? Miss Xie isn't going to eat you."
Jiang Cheng glared at him fiercely, his cheeks burning even hotter. Xie Linyang, however, seemed not to hear him, and simply picked up a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Wipe your hands."
Jiang Cheng took the handkerchief, his fingertips touching her fingertips, warm and carrying the cool scent of ointment. He quickly wiped his hands, tossed the handkerchief back onto the tray, and gulped down the medicine in one go. The medicine was indeed not bitter; the sweet taste slid down his throat, but it did not quell the burning sensation in his heart.
Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang exchanged a glance, then stood up tactfully. "Well, Brother Jiang, you take your time to recover. We'll go see how Lan Xichen's investigation is going." With that, the two of them slipped away faster than rabbits, making sure to close the door gently as they left.
The quiet room fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the morning mist flowing and the soft clatter of the medicine bowl being placed on the low table.
Xie Lin Yang was tidying up the tray when he suddenly spoke up: "Lan Xi Chen said that although the resentment core has been sealed again, your heart meridian is damaged. You cannot use spiritual power for the next half month. I will come to give you secondary yang spiritual power every day at Chen Shi to stabilize your meridians."
"No need," Jiang Cheng said in a muffled voice, "your hand..."
"Your hand is fine," Xie Linyang interrupted him, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about the weather. "This little injury is nothing. But you, don't be so impulsive next time. If I hadn't been there when the Resentment Core broke free..."
"Who told you to be here?" Jiang Cheng suddenly looked up at her, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions—embarrassment, awkwardness, and a hint of lingering fear that even he himself didn't realize. "What if I really lost control and hurt you..."
He recalled the feeling of his shoulder against hers last night, the strength with which she gripped his arm, the blisters on her palms and the red marks on her arms… those images swirled in his mind, disturbing his peace of mind.
"Then don't pick up things randomly in the future. It's just a broken package. Now look what happened, you're being haunted by resentment."
"Hey," he suddenly said in a low voice, as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Xie Linyang paused, turned to look at him, and asked, "Hmm?"
Jiang Cheng clutched the brocade quilt, his knuckles turning white, his eyes fixed on the bedding, refusing to look at her: "Thank you... and... please save some of the ointment for me."
Xie Linyang paused for a moment, then reacted, a very faint smile curving his lips so quickly it was hard to catch: "What's the point of keeping it? You're not injured."
"I..." Jiang Cheng choked for a moment, then said stiffly, "I see the red marks on your arm haven't healed yet, so apply more."
Xie Linyang's smile deepened, but she didn't expose it. She simply picked up the jar of ointment and placed it beside his pillow: "Keep it. I'll come to transfer spiritual energy to him this afternoon around 3 PM. Don't wander off."
After saying that, she turned around, pushed open the door, and went out. The morning mist drifted in with her movements, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Who cares about her..." he muttered under his breath, but couldn't help opening the ointment and bringing it to his nose to smell it. It smelled of yang-giving herbs and poria cocos, which was very similar to her scent.
The morning mist gradually dissipated, and sunlight streamed through the window, falling on his trembling eyelids.
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