Chapter 84 Youthful Spring Robes (Thirty)
Whoosh!
The turbulent current was suddenly broken, splashing water everywhere. A webbed hand clung to the rocks on the shore. The bones of that hand were much thinner and longer than normal, and the black fingernails were sharp and pointed, digging deep into the stone. Soon, cracks appeared on the stone surface, and it was about to collapse.
Before the stone completely cracked open, countless black ghostly patterns broke through the water's surface, placing the person encased within onto the riverbank's rocky shore.
"Cough cough cough cough!" Wei Feng struggled to climb ashore. The shark tail and kite wings on his body slowly faded away, and the ghost face and white eyes gradually disappeared as he raised his head. The ghost patterns that had been wrapped around Jiang Gu also reluctantly left, turning into black mist and dissipating into the air.
"Master!" Ignoring his gruesome wounds and soaking clothes, he crawled to Jiang Gu's side and helped him up. "Master, Master?"
The young man leaning on his shoulder was pale and had his eyes closed. Even though he had just come out of the water, his white clothes were already stained deep red, and no spiritual energy could be found around him.
Wei Feng panicked and tried to send spiritual energy into Jiang Gu's body by taking his pulse, but as soon as his spiritual energy touched Jiang Gu, it was fiercely resisted by the other party. A sharp pain came from the upper dantian of his primordial spirit, and his primordial spirit was even on the verge of shattering. Seeing this, Wei Feng hurriedly withdrew his hand and looked at the unconscious Jiang Gu with a look of horror.
It was a mark that his master had left on his primordial spirit!
Qu Fengyu had previously warned him, both openly and secretly, that Jiang Gu had left a special mark on his primordial spirit. This mark was extremely strange, and if he tried to harm Jiang Gu or Jiang Gu perished, he would only suffer the fate of having his soul scattered... Wei Feng initially did not take it seriously, certain that Jiang Gu would not do such a thing. Later, he only tried to cover it up to avoid being tracked by Jiang Gu, and did not pay too much attention to this mark, nor did he think too much about it.
Wei Feng pursed his lips, and, not believing it, tried again. This time, before his spiritual energy could even touch Jiang Gu, he was attacked by the backlash and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He gritted his teeth, staring intently at Jiang Gu in his arms for a long time. He gave up trying to probe with his spiritual power, grabbed the back of Jiang Gu's neck and kissed him directly. But just before he touched Jiang Gu's lips, he was firmly bound by the magic array that appeared on his body. If he hadn't left some ghost patterns in the distance to help him, he would have been directly refined into that strange magic array just like last time.
Undeterred, he tried several more times, but every time he had a thought or made a move that could offend someone, it was a deadly attack. If he didn't realize what was happening and stop in time while he was in the water, he would be refined without even realizing it.
'...Jiang Gu is extremely cautious and incredibly intelligent, with unpredictable and cunning methods. Otherwise, how do you think someone with his talent and appearance could have survived until now?'
Countless people covet him, but so far no one has been heard of succeeding; quite a few have died...
'...He's simply using you. The mark on your soul is the strongest evidence. What master would place such a vicious thing on their disciple's soul...'
He trusts no one; you won't be the exception.
Qu Fengyu's words echoed clearly in his ears.
A howling wind swept across the riverbank, drying the soaked clothes only to have them drenched again by the splashing water. Wei Feng, covered in blood, slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the unconscious Jiang Gu. After a long while, he finally let out a self-deprecating laugh.
He thought to himself, "I'm used to it anyway."
When his master disguised himself as Zhou Huaiming, he was even more ruthless and merciless towards him, often leaving him barely alive. At that time, he hated him to death. Later, when he learned that his master was Zhou Huaiming, he still believed that Jiang Gu had his own "difficult reasons" for doing so. Even if he didn't, he could convince himself that Jiang Gu was doing it to train him...
What else could he do? He couldn't let Jiang Gu become his enemy.
Even if the person 'Jiang Gu' is mostly a good image he has created in his own mind, he is unwilling to let go. Even if the real Jiang Gu is ruthless, heartless, and suspicious, completely opposite to the image of the good master he once created, he will still be willing to accept it because of the slightest bit of familiar "gentleness" that Jiang Gu occasionally reveals.
It's just self-deception; anyway, he's very good at it.
Wei Feng knelt down beside Jiang Gu with difficulty, carefully pulled him back into his arms, and wiped the water off Jiang Gu's face, but accidentally stained his face with blood.
Drops of water fell onto Jiang Gu's face.
The blood-covered boy knelt alone between heaven and earth, crying silently and desperately.
He was reluctant to wake up from this bizarre and fantastical dream, yet he despairingly realized that he could no longer deceive himself—
Jiang Gu never believed him.
She doesn't love him at all.
From beginning to end, this was just a scam to make the most of resources.
——
Six hundred miles away from Yanghua Sect, there is a mountain range with barren spiritual energy. In a remote corner of the deep mountains, there is a small village with few people. For generations, people without spiritual roots have lived here. Most of them have never left the deep mountains in their lives. The farthest place they have ever been is a relatively prosperous town a few mountains away.
When Wei Feng was young, he and Xuan Zhiyan ran down the mountain and accidentally entered this place, but after Qi Fengyuan found them, they never came back.
He dared not take Jiang Gu directly back to Yanghua Sect, so he had to find another way and a place that would surprise people.
"Hey, Brother Gu, what's wrong?" A boy about the same age as Wei Feng ran over to them. "Gu Feng, I'm asking you a question!"
Wei Feng looked at the round-faced boy. He didn't recognize him, but he had just used a Heaven-Rank magic weapon to alter the memories of everyone in the village. In their eyes, Wei Feng was just two brothers who had lived in the village with his older brother Gu Jiang since childhood, and they were just two ordinary mortals in the village.
"It's nothing, he got injured while hunting." Wei Feng glossed over the details.
"Brother Gu is really something. Even though he's strong, he shouldn't be doing such dangerous work." The young man reached out to help Jiang Gu, but Wei Feng dodged him.
“I can do it myself.” Wei Feng pointed to the empty storage bags by the roadside. “You can help me carry my bag.”
The boy picked up the storage bag. A storage bag containing magical artifacts would be too heavy for a mortal; this one was just an outer shell. He carried it on his back and led the way, rambling on and on. Wei Feng learned that his name was Jinzi, that he had twin siblings named Yinzi and Tongqian'er, as well as his parents, several uncles, and that his grandparents were still alive…
Wei Feng responded absentmindedly. Jiang Gu's breathing was very weak, and he couldn't use his spiritual power to help heal him. He had to stop every now and then to listen carefully to see if there was any breathing.
As they spoke, Jinzi led him to an abandoned little house at the entrance of the village. There was a dilapidated wooden door, a fence that had mostly collapsed, and a drafty thatched hut. "Quickly put Brother Gu Jiang down. I'll go find Old Man Liu from the village to come and help take a look at his injuries."
Jiang Gu's injury was to his primordial spirit, so mortal doctors naturally couldn't cure him. However, Wei Feng didn't stop him. He had found this Heavenly Rank magic treasure in Zhou Ningjiang's storage bag, but he didn't know exactly how to use it, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
While Jinzi went to fetch a doctor, he used his spiritual power to give the dilapidated thatched hut a quick cleaning, then made a soft quilt on the bed before carefully putting Jiang Gu down.
Old Liu looked to be in his seventies or eighties. He was carrying a wooden box with peeling paint on his back and was helped in by Jinzi, who was trembling.
Wei Feng used a small spell to create an external wound on Jiang Gu's leg. Jin Zi held a candle beside him, while Old Liu cleaned the wound, poured on some medicine powder, and took out a clean strip of cloth to grab Jiang Gu's ankle.
"Let me do it." Wei Feng took the strip of cloth, raised his hand to block it, and held Jiang Gu's calf, separating Old Man Liu and Jinzi from the outside.
"Alright, don't wrap it too tightly, it'll be hard to breathe." Old Liu stroked his white beard and directed him to bandage Jiang Gu's wound. "Gu Feng, it's not easy for you two brothers to depend on each other. In the future, let your brother go hunting outside less often. If he runs into those immortals, it could be terrible."
It seems they knew of the existence of cultivators.
Wei Feng nodded, lowered his eyes and carefully wrapped the strip of cloth around Jiang Gu's calf, then covered him with a quilt, and gave some loose silver to Old Man Liu and Jinzi.
"Absolutely not! It wasn't even that much medicine!" Old Liu was so angry that he bristled and grabbed him, giving him a good scolding.
Wei Feng was baffled by the scolding. Jinzi pushed his arm and told him to put the silver away, saying in a low voice, "What are you doing? You might as well help him fill the water vat tomorrow."
He saw Jinzi and Old Man Liu off, completely bewildered.
Jiang Gu still showed no signs of waking up. Wei Feng sat by the bed and saw that he was covered in blood. His master was very resistant to his spiritual power, but the ghost pattern was unaffected by the magic array. He stared at Jiang Gu for a long time with his eyes downcast. Then he brought in a basin of water from outside, wet a cloth and wiped the blood off his body little by little, and changed him into a clean set of undergarments.
Perhaps he used too much force, for when he put Jiang Gu down, the unconscious man frowned almost imperceptibly.
Wei Feng held his breath instantly, staring nervously at Jiang Gu, and whispered, "Master?"
The room was completely silent.
Wei Feng didn't know whether he was relieved or disappointed. He slumped his shoulders, carefully wiped his hair clean with a damp cloth, stared at the strands of hair in his palm for a long time with an inscrutable expression, and then slowly lowered his head and buried his face in it.
There was still a faint smell of blood, and a barely perceptible fragrance.
He took a deep breath and looked up to see the magic array inside Jiang Gu's body stirring, trying to strangle him. Wei Feng gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the sudden surge of desire, and put the strand of hair back.
"Master, please wake up." He grasped Jiang Gu's hand and carefully inserted his fingers between the other's fingers, a very intimate gesture of interlocking fingers. However, because there was no desire, the deadly magic array was not activated.
“I don’t know how long this magic artifact can last. What if they find it…” The ghostly markings on Wei Feng’s face suddenly covered his entire face, and his killing intent burst forth, but he rudely suppressed it back.
The magic array on Jiang Gu's body was only half an inch away from the tip of his nose, and the hand that was holding Jiang Gu had already been melted by blood and flesh.
Wei Feng did not let go. The ghostly runes wrapped around his body and he charged into the magic array. As the ghostly runes were dissolved, he finally bent down and boldly kissed Jiang Gu's lips. Half of his face was already a bloody mess.
The blood staining Jiang Gu's pale lips somehow gave him a semblance of color.
Wei Feng licked his lips and grinned.
"I'll hand you over and save my own life."
"Anyway, you don't care about me at all."
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