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Just as Hongmao put Tiaotiao to rest and left, Mujin walked in slowly with Su Baiwei.
Su Baiwei sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered to Mu Jin, "Go get the medicine box."
Mu Jin retreated in response, leaving only two people in the room.
Tiaotiao leaned against the headboard, his eyes seemingly casually sweeping across Su Baiwei's face, but they landed like a thin blade. He got straight to the point: "Have they asked about my injuries?"
"I've asked." Su Baiwei met his gaze frankly.
"How did you reply?" Tiao Tiao's voice was tense.
"I'm told that the Su family has a secret technique that uses the essence and blood of the heart as a guide, supplemented by golden needles to transfer blood, which may be able to restore 70% to 80% of your life span." Her tone was steady, but her hands were folded on her knees, and her fingertips unconsciously pinched the fabric of her clothes.
"The Su family only has a forbidden technique that involves exchanging lives for lives." Tiao Tiao's gaze remained fixed on her face, unwavering, as if trying to discern a trace of falsehood. "Dou Dou is well-versed in medicine and meticulous... and he actually believed it?"
Su Baiwei raised her hand to straighten her sleeves, which were not tangled. "It was indeed quite a hassle to keep it from him." She nodded slightly, her long eyelashes drooping, casting a light shadow under her eyes, just enough to hide the fleeting fluctuation. "Fortunately, he hasn't read the Qing Nang Book. Even if he has doubts, there is no way to confirm them." She raised her eyes again, her gaze as calm as water, and met his. "Are you assured of this response?"
Tiaotiao studied her remarkably calm face for a moment before whispering, "So, how will this end in the future?"
"It's just that I have to put on a good show." Her tone remained steady, and her gaze turned to the window, as if attracted by something outside, but also as if she didn't want to bear his extremely sharp gaze. "Don't worry, I have my own arrangements. They won't see any flaws."
Tiao Tiao couldn't see a single crack in his perfect composure, but this overly tight composure itself felt like a thin veil that only served to conceal something more. Suspicion still lingered in his heart, but he finally let out a slow breath and whispered, "Thank you."
"No need." Her response was deliberately indifferent, as if she was just stating a fact, "If you were in my place, you would definitely... do the same." There seemed to be a sound of ice cracking under the quiet lake surface, and the ending tone couldn't help but tremble slightly, "Isn't it?" As soon as she asked this, she seemed to realize that she had said something wrong, and suddenly turned her face away.
All of Tiao Tiao's unanswered questions were choked back in her throat by her momentary loss of composure. This fleeting rift was far more real than all the perfect composure that had preceded it. The last glimmer of inquiry in his eyes finally dimmed completely. He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty, and finally nodded very lightly, uttering a single word: "Hmm."
As Mu Jin retrieved the medicine box, she felt a slight difference in the atmosphere, though she couldn't quite place it. She discreetly observed the two of them, one leaning against a pillow, speechless, the other sitting quietly with eyes cast down. Both wore the same calm expression, offering no clues. She suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and carefully removed the gauze and dressing for Tiao Tiao, then wrapped the new bandages tightly, layer by layer.
"Mujin, go prepare lunch," Su Baiwei instructed softly, "Tiaotiao and I are going to practice Tongxi Guiyuan Jue."
Mu Jin responded, then couldn't help but glance back before leaving. The two men were already sitting cross-legged, their palms touching, their posture unchanged from the past. Yet, she sensed an inexplicable oppression beneath the silence, like the suffocating air before a storm. She shook her head, closed the door, and wondered.
Inside, two streams of true energy slowly merged, initially like a trickle of brooks merging, then gathering momentum. Tiao Tiao's internal energy was like a torrent bursting through a dam, its momentum radiating with weakness, a testament to the end of its strength. Su Baiwei concentrated her mind, directing it, her delicate energy like a lone boat swimming upstream, struggling to maintain its position amidst the raging current, already precarious. Fine beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her lips faded to a pale white. Tiao Tiao, too, was sweating profusely, his clothes soaking through, his brow furrowed in a frown, as if enduring excruciating pain.
Suddenly, his body trembled violently, and a countercurrent of Qi suddenly rushed back. Su Baiwei hurriedly restrained her internal energy, but it was too late. Tiao Tiao suddenly turned sideways to avoid her, and a mouthful of blood splattered out, splashing onto the ground, a shocking sight.
"Jump, jump!" Su Baiwei screamed, leaping forward to embrace him. But she was already exhausted, and her leap failed to steady him. Instead, they both fell off the bed, landing in a pool of blood. She fought back the dizziness and struggled to sit up. Her fingers, trembling but swift as the wind, tapped several large blood spots on his chest.
The silver needle sank into the acupuncture point. She looked at his pale face and tears finally fell from her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? Your mind is in chaos. Forcing your Qi is tantamount to destroying your own meridians!"
Tiao Tiao lay in her arms, with bloodstains still on the corners of his mouth, but he forced a faint smile: "I thought... at least this time... I could hold on..." Before he finished speaking, he coughed again, and blood foam dyed his pale lips red again.
"I'm sorry..." Su Baiwei burst into tears, her fingertips still firmly protecting his heart.
Tiao Tiao stared at her, his eyes deep as water, shimmering with tenderness. "Don't say you're sorry..." He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, coughing softly again. After catching his breath, he continued, "You have your choice, and I... I have mine." He paused, his voice soft as a whisper. "Since you chose to risk your life to save me, I will choose... to stay with you to the end. If possible..." A faint smile played on his pale lips. "From now on, no matter the good or bad, we will bear everything together, okay?" A glimmer flickered in his eyes. "I only hope... that I will always have you by my side for the rest of my life." His fingers moved slightly, as if to lift them, but they finally slid down powerlessly, leaving only the lingering sound in the air.
Su Baiwei shuddered, a flicker of surprise flashing across her eyes. Then, like ice melting, the surprise melted into a warmth, mixed with heartache, all flowing into tears. Through her tearful eyes, she gazed deeply into his, finally nodding solemnly.
"I'll go find Hongmao and the others..." Su Baiwei's voice trembled as she struggled to stand up from the pool of blood. However, she was already exhausted. She had barely raised herself halfway when she felt a sharp dizziness and fell back down.
A cold hand grasped the edge of her clothes. Tiaotiao shook his head with difficulty, his breath extremely weak. "Don't go... The war is imminent, and they've just caught their breath... If they waste more of their energy on me, what will happen to Beimang Mountain in three days?" He paused to catch his breath after every few words, and blood once again streamed from his pale lips.
"Everyone's life is a life, but yours isn't one?" Su Baiwei cried, hugging his cold body again, as if this could retain his fading warmth. "I promised you... We agreed to share the burden from now on... Tiaotiao, you can't get hurt... You can't lie to me..."
Her hot tears fell on his neck, each drop like a burning oath.
Tiaotiao looked into her tearful eyes, filled with panic and heartache. The last bit of resistance in his eyes finally melted away in her surging tears. He nodded very slowly, trying to raise the corners of his lips to reassure her, but it only brought up a hollow smile.
"Okay." He closed his eyes and spoke softly, finally handing his heavy body over to her completely. "I'll listen to you..."
Su Baiwei's heart ached. She carefully placed his head on the ground and used her last bit of strength to push herself up. Her vision was blurry, her ears were ringing, and she could barely discern the direction. She could only rely on her instincts, using her hands and feet, to crawl towards the door.
"Help...help..." She cried out with difficulty, but her voice was so weak that it dissipated in the wind as soon as it came out of her mouth. Her vision went black, and she fought hard to keep from fainting, her pale lips bitten until they bled.
Hongmao and Doudou were practicing Qigong and regulating their breathing in the room. Suddenly, Hongmao's ears twitched slightly, and he whispered, "Doudou, did you hear that?"
Doudou listened attentively. The two looked at each other, their faces changed at the same time, and they immediately stood up and rushed out the door.
Hongmao saw the pale green figure on the ground and his heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward and helped her up: "Miss Su, what's wrong with you?"
Su Baiwei opened her eyes with difficulty in his arms, her lips trembling slightly as she uttered two words: "Jump jump..." As soon as she finished speaking, her head tilted and she completely lost consciousness.
Hongmao's expression changed, and he picked her up and hurried to the room with Doudou. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Tiaotiao lying unconscious on the ground, with blood on his lips and a pale face. Doudou rushed forward, his fingers quickly touched the side of his neck, and his expression suddenly became serious: "Not good!"
He quickly pulled silver needles from his bosom, his movements swift and swift, piercing several of them into Tiao Tiao's vital points. Hongmao carefully placed Su Baiwei on a nearby couch and immediately stepped forward, pressing his palm against Tiao Tiao's back. He continuously channeled his pure internal energy into him, protecting his weakened heart meridians.
"Sally! Daben!" Doudou caught sight of the two figures not far away and hurriedly shouted, "Come and help me!"
Sally and Daben, rushing over at the sound, immediately stepped forward, palms pressed together, and poured their inner energy into them without reservation. The four of them merged their internal energy, causing the air in the room to surge. Under this combined force, Tiaotiao's previously cold body gradually warmed, and a hint of life flickered across his pale face.
After a long time, Dou Dou slowly withdrew his palm and breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally... it's stable." Everyone began to restrain their true energy, all of them breathing rapidly, with sweat on their foreheads.
Doudou carefully examined his pulse again, his expression still solemn. "Thankfully, Miss Su sealed several vital points like Tianchi and Tanzhong in time, and treated him promptly. Otherwise, with such a severe backlash of internal energy, not only would his meridians be destroyed, but his martial arts skills would also be completely crippled."
Sally looked at the two unconscious people lying side by side on the couch, feeling distressed and anxious. Her voice couldn't help but tremble slightly, "Is this Tongqi Guiyuan Jue so dangerous?"
"It shouldn't be like this," Doudou frowned, pondering for a moment. "Unless the practitioner's mind is severely impacted, causing their internal energy to lose control and backfire, only then would such a dangerous situation arise."
Hongmao's eyes were deep, and his gaze moved back and forth between Tiaotiao and Su Baiwei's pale faces: "Are they... hiding something from us?"
Sally's heart trembled when she heard this, and guilt appeared in her eyes: "She was upset that day, maybe because of me...but that day, it was far from being as serious as this."
Da Ben paced back and forth in the room anxiously: "This is really adding insult to injury! Miss Su is in this state now. How can she go to Beimang Mountain in three days? That's a life-and-death battle!"
Doudou sighed heavily and scratched his hair irritably. "Miss Su is in this condition now. Even if I use the best medicine, she won't be able to recover to the point where she can face a fierce battle within three days. Only by leveraging the special effects of the Su family's Tongxi Guiyuan Jue, combined with medication, can we have a glimmer of hope for a quick recovery. But they're in this state now... They can't even practice Qigong safely, so how can they talk about healing?" He turned to look at Hongmao, his voice full of helplessness. "Right now, you'll have to have a good talk with them. See if there's anything we can do to at least ensure they don't have any accidents the next time they practice."
Hongmao nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, I will ask for clarification. But until I am absolutely sure, this Tongqi Guiyuan Jue must not be practiced any further."
The room was silent for a while, with only the heavy breathing of a few people remaining, and a thick layer of worry covering everyone's face.
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