The next day, Rong Shu left Qianjin Tower with Jiang Fei.
After learning from the system that Rong Shu had taken her to Baiming Spring and that a blood transfusion could restore him to human form, Jiang Fei could only scoff at the "dog of a man" in her heart and diligently follow by his side.
Rong Shu was not in a hurry to travel, and even rarely used magic. The two of them either rode on horseback or walked for a distance. Unless they encountered dangerous mountains and rivers, he would use magic to get through them. The journey was really like a trip.
The closer Rong Shu got to Baiming Spring, the more silent she became.
Especially at this moment, Jiang Fei nestled calmly in Rong Shu's arms, letting him embrace her as they leaped into the air. Beneath their feet were rugged, barren mountains, with no sign of greenery for miles ahead. And the Hundred-Ming Spring was right there in that desolate landscape.
The wind on the mountaintop carried a chill. Jiang Fei thought for a moment, then reached out from Rong Shu's embrace and tightened his robes, before taking his other hand and holding it tightly in his warm palm.
Rong Shu felt a warmth on the back of her hand, paused slightly, and looked down at the woman in her arms.
Jiang Fei leaned close to his chest, and just then looked up, her expression a mix of joy and shyness, her eyes bright and full of pleasure: "The mountain wind is strong, this will be better, it won't be too cold."
Rong Shu was stunned for a moment, and a sudden wave of irritation welled up in her heart.
Throughout the journey, Jiang Fei stayed by his side without ever complaining of being tired or suffering. Her eyes were always bright as she followed him, unaware of what lay ahead or what might happen.
It seems that as long as I'm by his side, everything is fine.
But he would rather she complain than go with him.
In this way, his anxiety might be greatly relieved.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Fei asked, her eyes filled with worry when she saw him remain silent. She then wrapped her other arm around his waist.
Rong Shu snapped out of her daze and pursed her lips: "It's nothing."
Jiang Fei looked at him, but ultimately said nothing more.
As night fell, the boundless desolate mountains finally came to an end, and a town was located only a hundred miles away from Baiming Spring.
This place is very strange. It is clearly devoid of any spiritual energy, yet all things here are more vibrant than those in the cultivation world, making it seem like a paradise forgotten by the three realms.
As night fell, the two found the only tavern or inn in town. The wine flag at the entrance was already faded and white, indicating that it had been there for many years.
The innkeeper was the only one there, working on an abacus behind the counter. When he saw the two people, he quickly pulled his hands back into his sleeves, his eyes lighting up as if he hadn't seen any customers in a long time: "How many rooms would you two like?"
Rong Shu didn't speak, but just stared at the shopkeeper's hand that had just been withdrawn.
Jiang Fei turned and looked at him with a puzzled expression, then smiled and said, "He's a little tired, so one room will be fine."
The shopkeeper nodded with a smile and gestured towards the key hanging on the wall: "Upstairs, turn left, room number 'Di'."
Jiang Fei took the key and turned to look at Rong Shu, who was still staring at the shopkeeper's hand.
Jiang Fei frowned, stepped forward and took his hand.
Rong Shu suddenly snapped back to her senses, her fingers trembling slightly.
He had seen it clearly just now: the shopkeeper's hands were made of wood.
Previously, he still thought that Baiming Spring only existed in rumors, and whether it was true or not was still unknown. But now, the shopkeeper, who was a wooden figure, has become an ordinary person with joy, anger, sorrow and happiness.
The rumors about Baimingquan are true.
But he felt inexplicably empty inside.
It wasn't joy, but unease.
Entering the guest room, Jiang Fei looked at Rong Shu, whose expression was complicated, and sneered inwardly, but still approached him with worried eyes, waving her hand in front of him: "Rong Shu, are you alright?"
Rong Shu's eyes suddenly cleared, and she looked at the woman in front of her, gently shaking her head.
Jiang Fei's eyes were full of disbelief, but she didn't say anything more. She turned around, lit the candlestick in the room, and asked the innkeeper for hot water: "This place is too simple, and it's a bit cold at night. Would you please make do for the night?"
Rong Shu looked at her, her gaze becoming increasingly complex.
"Huh?" Jiang Fei looked at him, puzzled.
Rong Shu nodded.
Jiang Fei laughed, hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, and then lay down on the inside of the bed.
Rong Shu watched her movements until she could no longer hear any sound, then slowly walked to the bedside.
This wasn't the first time they had shared a bed, but Rong Shu had never felt so uneasy before.
He forced himself to calm down, and his breathing gradually became more even.
Jiang Fei, standing beside him, stirred slightly: "Rong Shu?"
Rong Shu paused, then remained silent.
Jiang Fei pursed her lips, moved a little closer to him, and then reached out to hug him.
Rong Shu's body suddenly stiffened.
The two were separated only by a thin undergarment; her hand went around his waist and grasped his hand.
Rong Shu could even feel the continuous warmth emanating from her body flowing towards him, and even the hot breath she exhaled was particularly noticeable. Her cheek gently brushed against his arm, stirring his heartstrings.
Rong Shu's breath hitched, and a familiar warmth surged in her chest, even more intense than before.
A few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead, and even though his limbs were cold, they couldn't hide the rising heat.
That night, Rong Shu didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, it was already bright outside.
Jiang Fei was sitting at the table with a smile, holding a bowl of hot porridge, looking at him: "I borrowed the shopkeeper's woodshed. Hurry up and finish your porridge, we still have to travel."
Rong Shuben's dazed expression paused slightly, a shadow falling over his heart.
She had no idea what she meant by "on the road".
The path she was rushing towards was clearly her death trap.
Baiming Spring is located in a cave in a desolate mountain. The mountain is barren and lifeless, but the cave where Baiming Spring is located is lush with trees, and the stone walls are even embedded with luminous stones, which make Baiming Spring shine with colorful light, as if it were the light of the sky.
For some reason, Rong Shu did not fly on the wind, but instead suggested that the two of them come on foot.
Jiang Fei had no objections. They traveled along the way, stopping frequently, and arrived at Baiming Spring in the evening.
Inside the cave, it's impossible to tell day from night; once inside, it's like entering a bizarre and fantastical dream world.
There was only a stone at the entrance with four characters engraved on it: "Exchange life for life".
In the dazzling cave, that simple stone was particularly inconspicuous.
Jiang Fei glanced at the stone and then looked into the cave, letting out a soft exclamation as she gazed in amazement at the scene inside.
On the contrary, Rong Shu rarely spoke all day, and mostly walked silently beside Jiang Fei.
"It's so beautiful inside!" Jiang Fei's excited voice came from ahead.
Rong Shu looked up and saw Jiang Fei's white robes fluttering beside the Hundred Cry Spring, as if he would soon drift away with the mist rising from the spring.
Rong Shu felt a sudden unease and instinctively reached out to grab Jiang Fei's arm, pulling her to her side.
Jiang Fei was startled by his sudden movement and almost stumbled: "What's wrong?"
Rong Shu seemed startled by her own actions, looked down at her hand, and hurriedly released her arm: "The more beautiful it is, the more dangerous it is. This cave is unusual."
Jiang Fei tilted her head to look at his expression, then burst out laughing: "Does that include you too?"
Rong Shu looked at her: "What?"
“The prettier you are, the more dangerous you are,” Jiang Fei blinked. “Are you dangerous because you’re so beautiful?”
Rong Shu's throat tightened, and she could no longer speak. In the end, she walked around her as if trying to escape and headed towards Baiming Spring: "I'll go scout ahead."
Jiang Fei watched his somewhat flustered back and sneered.
A person who brought her here just to replace her blood is certainly dangerous.
Rong Shu approached Baiming Spring and discovered that the spring was extremely clear, with a thin stream flowing slowly from the mountain wall beside it, but the outside was empty, so it could not possibly be warm water from the desolate mountain.
Baiming Spring is truly a heavenly spring.
The spring water is eternally warm, its warmth like an alluring poppy, drawing people ever closer.
Rong Shu squatted down, scooped up a handful of spring water, and felt the warmth in his palm. Just as the water was flowing from his fingertips and he was about to stand up, his hand suddenly trembled.
His hands, which had just touched the spring water, were no longer icy cold; instead, they had a warm, cool body temperature.
This feeling is incredibly captivating.
Perhaps the rumors are wrong, and Baimingquan doesn't actually need to change blood to make people feel like human again.
Perhaps this spring water was a gift from heaven to the three realms.
"Rong Shu?" Jiang Fei called out to him worriedly from his side.
Rong Shu snapped out of her daze, turned her head and looked up at her.
Jiang Fei's eyes were full of unease as she stood nervously beside him, looking down at him.
Rong Shu froze, her body stiffening. After a long while, she heard her own tense and frightening voice: "What?"
Jiang Fei paused for a moment: "It's nothing, it's just that I suddenly felt... like you were about to leave."
Rong Shu paused for a moment, then reached out and touched her cheek.
Jiang Fei was initially puzzled, then her eyes widened in surprise as she grasped his hands in both of them: "Your hands are warm!"
Even more surprised than him.
Rong Shu nodded, and after a long while, slowly walked down the stone steps to the side into the Hundred Echoes Spring, letting the spring water submerge her ankles, calves, and knees...
He felt as if his whole body had been reborn. His cold blood gradually warmed up, and every inch of his numb limbs began to revive. His bones and muscles relaxed, as comfortable as if he were floating in warm water.
Rong Shu couldn't help but squint his eyes comfortably; he hadn't felt this way about being human for hundreds of years.
On the shore, Jiang Fei called out to him anxiously, "Rong Shu, let's leave here."
Rong Shu opened her eyes, looked at the woman on the shore, and was about to speak when a sudden, sharp pain shot through her body.
His face turned pale, and he felt as if the blood in his body was churning and surging, even breaking through his veins and trying to burst out through his skin and flesh.
Blood transfusion.
The two words almost immediately came to Rong Shu's mind. His whole body stiffened like iron, and he could no longer move an inch. The pain became more and more intense, and it was as if there were whirlpools in the spring water, restraining his limbs.
"Rong Shu, how are you?" Jiang Fei's anxious voice came, and she was about to walk towards the spring.
"No!" Rong Shu suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse and sharp.
The moment I stepped out, I was completely taken aback.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had seen too many treasures in the Three Realms, and no matter how precious they were, none could be more important than him.
Jiang Fei... was originally just one of the many medicines in Qianjinlou.
He wanted to regain human body temperature, to stop living in this world without being aware of anything. Why was he stopping her?
His thoughts were quickly replaced by excruciating pain and stiffness.
Jiang Fei was startled by Rong Shu's voice, stood rooted to the spot, her face slightly pale: "Rong Shu..."
As Rong Shu listened to her voice, her throat felt as if it were blocked by a spring, making it difficult to utter a sound. Overwhelming pain and suffocation followed.
Jiang Fei stood on the shore, her eyes slightly red, and suddenly squatted down and leaned close to him: "Rong Shu."
She murmured his name.
Rong Shu felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and a tingling and warm sensation rushed to her lips. She kissed his lips and caught her breath.
His consciousness, which had been swept away by the spring water, finally began to return. Rong Shu's fingers twitched, and he stared at her blankly from a very close distance.
My heart was pounding.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
As long as she is brought into the Hundred-Sound Spring, the centuries-old coldness will completely disappear.
However, the hand that had barely regained sensation felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and was difficult to move.
The warm feeling in his limbs after being soaked in the spring water was too wonderful to bear, but the blood transfusion...
Rong Shu looked at Jiang Fei, and after a long while, she reached out and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, deepening the kiss.
This is his only chance.
Hopefully... he won't regret it.
Rong Shu abruptly released Jiang Fei, and with all her might leaped out of the spring, her voice hoarse: "Let's go."
After saying that, he grabbed Jiang Fei and started flying towards the cave entrance.
But in the next instant, Rong Shu's body stiffened, unable to move forward even half a step. The remaining spring water on his body seemed to come to life, slowly drawing blood from his body, turning the clear spring water into a terrifying crimson.
His limbs aged rapidly due to blood loss, and his cheeks became sunken.
Rong Shu's body finally collapsed due to exhaustion.
"Rong Shu!" Jiang Fei hurriedly supported him, looking at his rapidly aging skin, her voice panicked, "How could this happen? How could this be..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Hundred-Ming Spring behind him had turned crimson, and despite the absence of wind, the spring water surged and roared like a giant wave.
Jiang Fei stared blankly at the spring water, then looked at Rong Shu in his arms.
"To exchange one's life for another..." she murmured softly.
Panic flashed in Rong Shu's eyes. She clutched Jiang Fei's sleeve, but her throat felt constricted, and she could only manage to squeeze out, "Jiang Fei... no..."
His hands were like dry twigs, and he could barely exert any force.
"So that's what it means?" Jiang Fei murmured softly.
Rong Shu's eyes seemed to bleed as she stared intently at her: "Jiang Fei..."
Jiang Fei snapped out of her daze, looked at the hand gripping her sleeve, then looked down at him and smiled: "Rong Shu, I don't think I've told you this yet."
She reached out and gently pushed his hand away.
“Jiang Fei…”
Jiang Fei stood up, looked at the surging crimson spring water, and turned to look at Rong Shu on the ground: "Actually, I like you."
She stood up and walked quickly toward Baimingquan.
Then, he jumped down.
There was only deathly silence behind me.
a long time.
"Jiang Fei?" A bewildered murmur echoed in the cave.
Rong Shu's favorability rating: 90.
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