On the brink of a breakup
Outside the cave, footsteps were heard again.
The cave was instantly silent. Several pairs of eyes were fixed on the swaying vines at the entrance. Mu Jin's knuckles were white from clenching. Li Bo's skinny hand pressed against the dagger at his waist. Lan Tu quietly placed her hand on the hilt of the Bingpo sword.
“Gugu——”
Xiaoliu fluttered in, landing on Lantu's shoulder. Tiaotiao calmly tucked his right arm into the shadows at his side, the wide sleeve of his plain clothes sliding down to cover the hollow in his forearm. His usual lazy smile played on his face.
The vines were suddenly pulled aside, and Hongmao strode in, his hair still stained with night dew. His eyes instantly locked onto Tiaotiao, who was sitting against the wall. "How's your injury?"
A faint smile played across Tiao Tiao's lips. "I've taken Miss Su's medicine, and I'm fine now." He even raised his hand, seemingly casually brushing away the nonexistent dust on his plain clothes. But this subtle movement brought to mind the pain, and he forced his brows, which were about to frown, to relax.
Doudou, following closely behind, looked exhausted, his eyes dark. His gaze swept across Tiaotiao's pale face, landing on her glaring gray hair. His heart sank, and without a word, he reached out to grab Tiaotiao's wrist. "Stop fooling me! Who can you fool with that look..."
Tiao Tiao unnoticeably pulled her arms to her side, tilted her chin slightly toward the corner, and said calmly, "Doctor, why don't you take a look at her first? She's taken the medicine, but the fever won't go away."
Doudou then noticed the figure huddled in the corner. Su Baiwei was wrapped in several layers of clothes, and her exposed face was even paler than Tiaotiao's. He suppressed his worry for Tiaotiao, squatted down, and turned up her sleeve. The scars on her wrists, new wounds overlapped with old scabs, were shocking. Doudou's face suddenly changed. He gently placed three fingers on her wrist pulse, and his brows were furrowed tighter and tighter, almost twisted into knots: "What's going on? The vital energy has collapsed, and the evil energy has invaded the internal organs! What medicine did she take before?"
Tiaotiao's breathing suddenly hitched, and the faint smile on her lips froze instantly. The calmness she had deliberately maintained shattered completely, and only unconcealable anxiety remained in her eyes.
Mu Jin had been guarding Su Baiwei. She looked up hurriedly, her eyes red, and she called out the names of several medicinal herbs in a crying voice, her fingers twisting the corners of her clothes.
Doudou observed Su Baiwei's complexion intently, his face solemn as he slowly withdrew his hand. "This is a sign of severe damage to the vital energy, the collapse of the positive energy. If you forcefully apply the method of dispelling cold and dispelling the cold, it will not only be useless, but will also damage the root, and even invite the evil to penetrate deeper. The most urgent task is to strengthen the vital energy and protect the remaining vital energy to prolong life..." He scratched his already messy hair irritably, frowning, "Let me think about it."
"It's all my fault for not being skilled enough..." Mu Jin's voice was nasal, her head buried deeply, her fingers twisting the corners of her clothes, "Miracles doctor! Please, you must save the young lady!" She suddenly looked up, tears rolling down her face, and she grabbed Dou Dou's sleeve as if grabbing a life-saving straw.
Doudou looked at her red eyes, his heart softening, and he slowed his voice, "Don't say that. Your young lady's body is too weak, and her pulse is weak and chaotic. This is definitely not an ordinary disease. It's understandable that I made a mistake. Don't be too hard on yourself." He gently patted the back of her slightly trembling hand, "Don't panic, I'm here, I will do my best."
Mu Jin choked up, met Dou Dou's concerned eyes, slowly let go of his sleeve, and nodded with tears in her eyes.
Sally's gaze was fixed on the glaring white hair on Tiao Tiao's forehead, her heart aching. Her gaze flickered across Su Baiwei's tightly wrapped blue shirt, then landed on Tiao Tiao's thin, plain white tunic. A surge of anger shot up her head. Suppressing her anger, she grabbed Dou Dou's arm and dragged him in front of Tiao Tiao. Her voice was cold and hard: "Look at him first!"
"I told you, I'm fine." Tiaotiao dodged Doudou's outstretched hand again, even subconsciously leaning back slightly. "I took the medicine on time, and I've cut out the rotten flesh."
Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit glanced at each other quickly, and saw doubt in each other's eyes.
Doudou's eyes swept across the glaring white hair again, and then fell back to Tiaotiao's pale face, which was trying to remain calm. He felt anxious, "Okay, even if it's okay, at least let me see the wound."
Tiao Tiao's Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and knowing that there was no way to avoid it, he had to raise his right arm very slowly.
Doudou carefully lifted the sleeve, bit by bit. Under the flickering firelight, the sunken outline was clearly revealed. Everyone's heart sank.
"Damn it!"
Daben's eyes turned red and he punched the cave wall hard.
boom!
Gravel tumbled down, leaving a clear fist mark deep in the stone wall. Daben's chest heaved violently, his teeth clenched and clattered. "Old dog, Chilian! If I don't grind you to dust and shred you into pieces, feeding your corpse to wild dogs, I'm not Daben!"
Doudou held his breath and carefully peeled back the layers of gauze. The hideous wound, covered in ointment, was revealed. He leaned in for a closer inspection, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. "The wound was cleaned very well. Thank goodness it was done in time! If it had been too late, the poison would have eaten into the bones and marrow, and even a god wouldn't have been able to save him." He pushed his sleeves up again, revealing his forearm. "It seems this medicine is effective. Otherwise, the poison would have entered the heart, and this black energy would have traveled up the arm and reached the heart."
Sally pursed her lips tightly, her voice trembling slightly. "With injuries like this, will he still be able to use a sword?"
"It's okay!" Dou Dou carefully took out a small jade bottle from his sleeve, "This newly formulated 'Regenerating Muscles and Renewing Jade Paste' will help reshape his muscles and bones and restore him to their original state!" As he said that, he unscrewed the cork and was about to start.
"She's even more anxious!" Tiao Tiao jerked his arm back, the movement straining the wounds all over his body. Cold sweat instantly seeped out of his forehead, and his Adam's apple rolled violently before he suppressed the muffled groan. His gaze passed over the crowd and pointed directly at the corner, "Divine Doctor, take care of her first!"
"I'll do it." Lan Tu took the medicine bottle in a gentle voice, squatted beside Tiao Tiao, and gently treated his wound.
Watching Lan Tu's actions, and then seeing Tiao Tiao, who had completely disregarded herself and whose eyes were filled with only Su Baiwei, Sally's suppressed anger suddenly exploded. "Even in this state, you're still only thinking about her? Which of your injuries isn't caused by her? Her father committed a sin, and rivers of blood have been shed! Even if Su Baiwei wasn't the mastermind, can she completely deny herself of any involvement?"
Tiao Tiao's brows suddenly frowned and his eyes turned cold.
"Sally!" Lantu spoke immediately, her voice still gentle, "I know you feel sorry for him. But if it weren't for Miss Su risking her life to help him, Tiaotiao would probably be..." The unfinished words weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Dada's calm voice sounded at the right moment: "Arguing is useless. The most urgent thing is to heal our wounds and prolong our lives. We can discuss right and wrong and grudges after everyone's lives are safe."
Hongmao saw Sally's face was ashen, her chest heaving violently, clearly on the verge of exploding. His heart sank, and he deliberately slowed his voice, "Sally, go outside for some fresh air and keep an eye on things. There are too many people in the cave, and if someone really follows us, we'll be blocked. Daben, stay with Sally." He signaled Daben with his eyes.
Da Ben's gaze flickered between Tiao Tiao's furrowed brow and Su Baiwei's pale face, a mixture of emotions welling up in his chest. Her words outside the Holy Fire Hall, "Life for life," were still ringing in his ears... He sighed deeply and reached out to Sally's arm. "Sally, listen to Hongmao. We'll go out and guard the place while Doudou focuses on healing."
Sally shook off Daben's hand with all her might, her scorching eyes sweeping across every face in the cave, finally settling on the streak of white hair on Tiaotiao's forehead. "Look, open your eyes and take a good look at his hair! Every time that Gu forcibly heals his wounds, it's eating away at his lifespan, not to mention the incident with the Blood Soul Bell. How many more years can he survive this? Who's the source of all this?" She suddenly raised her hand, her trembling fingers pointing directly at the unconscious Su Baiwei. "It's her! She's the cause of all this trouble!"
Everyone's face changed drastically!
Tiao Tiao's left fingernail dug deep into his palm, and a sharp pain spread from his palm, but it was far less than the excruciating pain that was pierced into his heart by the word "trouble".
Clang!
The jade bottle in Lan Tu's hand slipped out of her hand, her eyes fell on the white hair on Tiao Tiao's forehead, and her body shook slightly.
Hongmao's pupils constricted, and his clenched fists cracked. The blood drained from his face, and pain and anger surged in his eyes.
Dou Dou shook his head weakly and let out a heavy sigh.
Dada stumbled back half a step, his usually calm face filled with shock and disbelief, muttering to himself, "How could this be..."
Daben's eyes widened, and he stood there stunned. The next moment, his boundless grief and anger transformed into a low roar, and he slammed his fist into the ground. With a loud bang, gravel flew everywhere, and a deep pit suddenly appeared at his feet.
Mu Jin's thin body trembled slightly as she stood in front of the unconscious Su Baiwei. Her lips trembled violently, and she finally burst out in tears, "Miss... she didn't mean it! To get rid of that damned Gu, she tested the medicine on herself and went through the gates of hell several times!"
Uncle Li's face was filled with grief. He took a half step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mu Jin, protecting Su Baiwei even more closely behind him. "Alas, such injustice... This is the bitter fruit sown by the previous generation. She's also a poor soul dragged into this quagmire. How can I blame her?"
"Don't blame her?" Sally sneered, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. The rage burning in her eyes grew even more intense. "Then who should be blamed?" She pointed at Tiao Tiao. "Blam him? Or blame those poor people whose families were destroyed by the mind-controlling insect?"
"I'm responsible for my own life." Tiao Tiao's cold voice suddenly rang out. He didn't even look at Sally, his eyes glued to Su Baiwei's face. "I know what's going on with her. You don't need to worry about it."
"You..." Sally's pupils constricted, as if pierced by the alienation. She stared at Tiao Tiao in disbelief, stumbling back a step, her face pale. Past images of life-or-death encounters flashed before her, finally settling on the aloof profile before her.
She laughed bitterly. "What a 'don't bother'! That rainy night, you carried me through the mud to find a doctor at the Six Wonders Pavilion... and now, you're willing to sacrifice your life for a demonic cult witch! Tiaotiao, from now on, whether you live or die, I, Sally, will never ask a single question!"
After saying that, she turned away and rushed towards the cave entrance without looking back.
"Sally! It's dangerous outside!" Rainbow Cat shouted in a deep voice and stretched out his hand to stop it.
"Leave me alone!" Sally suddenly shook his hand off, pushing aside the vines at the entrance. The vines left a red mark on her cheek, burning with pain, but not even a fraction of the pain she felt in her heart.
"Sally!" Daben's heart tightened and he quickly chased after her, "Wait for me!"
"Rainbow Cat, go quickly!" Blue Rabbit urged urgently.
Hongmao's eyes moved quickly between the white hair on Tiaotiao's forehead and the cave entrance where Sally disappeared. His Adam's apple rolled violently and turned into a low shout: "Sally!" Before he finished speaking, he shot towards the cave entrance like an arrow, and rushed in the direction of Daben.
The cave suddenly became quiet.
Tiaotiao's clenched left fist trembled slightly, and a flash of pain flashed in his eyes. Under the flickering firelight, Su Baiwei's pale cheeks seemed to lose some of their vitality. A single crystal tear slipped from the corner of her tightly closed eye and soaked into her messy hair. Tiaotiao felt a sharp pain in his heart.
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