debt
Sally listened as Hongmao recounted the story of Su Yuanshan's development of the mind-controlling Gu, and the suffering Su Baiwei endured over the years of being forced to feed it with her blood. Every word struck her heart, shaking her to the core.
She felt as if all her strength had been drained from her. Her knees gave way, and she slumped onto the stool, her face drained of all color. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word. Her eyes, once bright and radiant, were now blank, staring blankly ahead, as if the entire world were shattering before her eyes.
"You red-faced bastard!" Daben was furious, veins popping out on his forehead. He slammed his fist down on the table, making the teacup clang. "I'm going to chop him into pieces and feed them to the dogs!"
At this moment, Lan Tu walked in hurriedly, bringing Su Baiwei's decision that she was willing to use the essence of her heart and blood as a guide to perform a secret technique to prolong Tiao Tiao's life.
The room was suddenly quiet. After a short silence, a voice was heard again.
"Great!" Daben's eyebrows gleamed with joy, practically leaping for joy. "There's always a way out! Tiaotiao can be saved!" He instinctively reached out to hug Sally, but as his fingertips touched her sleeve, he caught a glimpse of her distraught expression, and his joy choked in his throat. He pulled his hand back as if burned, scratched his head sheepishly, and suppressed the urge, his grin slowly falling.
Time slipped by in silence, a pin drop audible. After a long moment, Sally's scattering gaze finally focused, a wave of shock etched in her eyes. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I actually… I actually…" Each word burned with agony. She grasped the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening as she managed to hold her limp body steady.
After a long while, the confusion, pain, and overwhelming regret that had been swirling in her eyes gradually settled. She turned abruptly and rushed out without a word.
"Sally," Rainbow Cat stood up and stopped her, "Where are you going?"
"I'll go find her!" Sally clenched her fists, trembling slightly, her nails digging into her palms. "It's my fault! I hurt her like that... I'm going to pay this debt back now!"
Lan Tu hurriedly stepped forward and said gently, "Sally, I understand how you feel. It's just that they should be practicing Qigong and regulating their breathing right now, so it's inconvenient to disturb them."
"It's okay," Sally continued walking, her back straight. "I'll wait outside her room for her to come back. One day, two days, or three days... no matter how long it takes, I'll wait."
Without waiting for Lan Tu to persuade her again, she turned around and disappeared out the door quickly.
The flickering candlelight illuminated two pale and focused faces in the jumping room.
Su Baiwei and Tiao Tiao sat cross-legged on the couch, facing each other, their palms pressed together. Two streams of internal energy slowly flowed from their palms, blending with each other. The circulation, which should have been gentle and smooth, was now incredibly difficult. Su Baiwei's energy surged left and right, repeatedly deviating from the normal path of her meridians.
Her brows were furrowed, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her lips turned pale, and she was struggling to resist the backlash of her internal energy.
Tiao Tiao's condition was equally dire. Her injuries hadn't healed yet, and forcing her to practice Qi was already a strenuous effort. Now, having to distract herself and suppress her turbulent internal energy was even worse. Sweat trickled down his delicate face and soaked into his collar. Every time he strained to recapture the uncontrolled internal energy, the old wounds in his body re-opened, excruciating pain. He clenched his teeth, not uttering a single groan. Only the tense line of his jaw betrayed the torment he was enduring.
Finally, a full cycle of energy was completed. The internal energy slowly withdrew into the Dantian, and both of them lost their energy almost simultaneously.
Su Baiwei's body softened, her vision suddenly turned black, and she fell to the side.
The expected collision didn't happen—she fell into a stiff, yet timely embrace. Just as she was about to fall, Tiao Tiao thrust his arm out, enduring the excruciating pain of his wounds, and just managed to hold her. But the sudden impact slammed hard into his wound, causing his vision to black out and his breathing to stop. His arms around her trembled, his brows knitted together in a fierce frown.
Su Baiwei regained consciousness in his arms, then struggled to stand up and escape his embrace. She raised her head and met his eyes, which were still filled with pain.
Su Baiwei's voice was weak, and there was guilt in her voice: "Did I... hurt you?"
Tiao Tiao quickly lowered her eyes, hiding the turmoil in them. When she raised them again, her expression was calm, but her voice was a little lower and hoarse than usual: "It's okay."
He endured the piercing pain, his movements slow and careful as he placed a soft pillow and thin blanket behind her. "Lie down and rest first." His gaze fell on her pale face, and he frowned slightly. "Why are you so unstable today? Your internal energy keeps going astray. The last time we practiced this 'Tongxi Guiyuan Jue', it was before the blood sacrifice, and it wasn't like this then." Seeing her eyes close tiredly, a trace of worry flashed in them, and his tone slowed down. "What happened?"
"Perhaps I'm thinking about the mother poison being broken..." Her voice was light and drifting, like a dream. "These twelve years of shackles are about to be broken... My heart is so agitated that I can hardly control myself."
“Then you’ll be free.” Tiaotiao stares at her face.
Su Baiwei's eyelashes trembled, and her fingertips curled into her palms.
Tiao Tiao's gaze fixed on the red mark on her cheek: "The wound on your face..."
"I was accidentally scratched by a branch, it's nothing serious." Su Baiwei turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. Her voice was a little hurried at first, but she deliberately kept it soft.
The candlelight flickered, stretching his lonely shadow across the wall. Looking at the side profile of the person in front of him, who was deliberately avoiding him, and remembering Mu Jin's red and swollen eyes when she entered the room, he turned the words between his teeth, but in the end, he didn't say a word.
After a moment, he whispered, "Go back and rest tonight. It won't be too late to practice again when your mind is calmer."
Su Baiwei was in turmoil, truly needing solitude and quiet reflection. Adding to her unease, Tiao Tiao's gaze seemed to penetrate all disguises, seeing through the secrets she tried so hard to conceal. Unsure how much he had seen, she whispered, "...Okay."
Su Baiwei slowly opened her eyes, her gaze swept across the empty tables and chairs, and she whispered to herself, "Mu Jin should go prepare dinner."
"Just rest here."
"What about you?" Su Baiwei frowned slightly.
Tiao Tiao has sat up straight again, eyes closed, and said calmly, "I'll just practice breathing exercises and it will be fine."
Su Baiwei closed her eyes as she was told. A heavy sense of fatigue washed over her, instantly drowning out her last moments of clarity. Her remaining consciousness was only enough to sustain a vague mutter: "I'll be back when Mu Jin arrives..." Before the last syllable had even finished, it was replaced by a long, drawn-out breath.
Tiao Tiao opened her eyes, her usually sharp gaze now gentle and soft. He silently watched her sleeping face, her even breathing in his ears. He clenched his teeth, enduring the sharp pain from his wound. He took off his blue shirt and carefully placed it on Su Baiwei's shoulders, as if protecting a rare treasure.
"Jump jump..." She frowned in her dream and murmured unconsciously.
Tiaotiao's heart tightened, and he whispered back, "I'm here."
A tear slipped quietly from the corner of her tightly closed eye, slowly flowing along her pale cheek, and finally disappeared into her temple. "I'm sorry..."
The tear didn't seem to fall onto the pillow, but instead pounded deep into Tiao Tiao's heart, sending a piercing pain through her. His breath hitched, and as he raised his hand, his fingertips trembled slightly as he gently wiped away her tears. Gazing at her restless face even in her sleep, his voice was filled with pity: "I don't blame you."
Just then, Mu Jin quietly approached, carrying a prepared meal. Through the window, she caught a glimpse of Tiao Tiao gently wiping away the tears from Su Baiwei's cheek. His arm trembled slightly from the pain he was enduring, and his face turned pale. Mu Jin's heart trembled, her nose ached, and she suddenly understood—she understood why the young lady was willing to give everything for him.
When Tiao Tiao turned around, he caught a glimpse of her figure out of the corner of his eye. He immediately raised his hand and gently placed his index finger on his lips.
Mu Jin understood, and quietly pushed the door open, placing the tray gently on the table. She pointed at Su Baiwei, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch, and gave her a questioning look.
Tiao Tiao shook his head slightly, his gaze lingering on Su Baiwei's face for a moment before retracting. He gritted his teeth and tried to force himself to get out of bed.
Mu Jin hurried over, but he was covered in wounds, and she didn't know how to help him. Her hands hung in the air, unable to lower them for a long time, afraid that the slightest touch would hurt him.
Tiaotiao had barely managed to settle on the edge of the bed, so Mujin had to let him rest his left arm on her shoulder. He placed almost his entire weight on his right leg and Mujin's flimsy support, his injured left leg hanging loose on the ground. Every slight movement strained the wounds all over his body, sending tiny shivers through him. But he stepped lightly, even holding his breath, as if he were walking on fragile ice instead of bricks, afraid that even the slightest sound would disturb the occupant's peaceful sleep.
He paused until he reached the door, taking one last look back. The candlelight gently traced her sleeping face, and his eyes were filled with indescribable longing and grief, which eventually sank into ash.
The scene before the training emerged in his mind - he finally asked the question that had been lingering for a long time. She was silent for a long time, and finally just shook her head very lightly, and uttered a few words with a weak breath. The sound was as light as a sigh, but it was heavy enough to crush everything:
"Less than three months."
These five words were like a huge chasm between them. He had to leave, stay away from her, and never damage her reputation.
In this broken body and the short time left, the only thing he could do for her was to not become the shackle that bound her.
"Young Master, where are you going?" Mu Jin supported him and slowly moved him out of the door, looking embarrassed. "The side rooms are all full. My original room was given to Palace Master Lantu and Sword Master Ziyun. Now only the young lady's room is left..." His voice stopped abruptly, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face.
Tiao Tiao's eyes swept across the dark night outside the corridor, deliberately avoiding her unfinished proposal: "Isn't the clinic still empty?"
"But the bed in the clinic is hard and narrow, and it's only for temporary use for patients. How can you sleep comfortably with so many injuries on your body?" Mu Jin said anxiously, frowning.
"No problem." He said calmly, "People who travel around the world are used to it. Having a roof over your head and a place to lie down is enough."
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