Chapter 6: The Shock of the Medicinal Bath and the Demon King's "Visit"
The Shock of the Medicinal Bath and the Demon King's "Visit"
The aftermath of the social demise storm at Lingxiao Palace lingered, and Jiang Xuelan fled back to his Snow Lodge, practically using the Lingxu Steps (though a bit unsteady due to his shoulder injury and the interference of the Heart-Slaying Contract). He bolted the door shut, leaning his back against the cool panel before his rapid breathing finally calmed. The burning heat on his face still lingered, and his mind replayed Ah Che's earth-shattering words about "dual cultivation" and the thrilling visions that Xingtong had thrust into him.
**Qing Leng Immortal Lord, three hundred years of Daoist heart, was shattered into pieces in one day and can't be put back together!**
"Xuanjia!" He growled, practically gritting his teeth. His gaze, like an icicle, shot towards the old turtle chewing the spiritual herbs in the corner. "What did you mean by that just now?"
Black Armor rolled his eyes and said slowly, "Literally. Fighting and killing is too tiring. Why not save your energy and have a deeper exchange? Maybe that broken contract can be broken." The runes on his shell gleamed faintly, with a hint of gloating wisdom. "The wound on your shoulder carries the demonic aura of Li the boy and the chilling influence of the 'God-Slaying Gu'. Tsk tsk, when gods fight, the little devil suffers."
Only then did Jiang Xuelan feel waves of piercing pain radiating from the wound on his left shoulder. This mingled sensation was mingled with the unique burning sensation of Li Jiuyou's demonic power and the cold numbness brought on by the God-Slaying Gu's forceful suppression. The complex sensation was so intense that he wanted to curse—if the immortal rules allowed it. He looked down at his bloodied shoulder. At the edge of the hideous wound, a faint, almost imperceptible scarlet-gold pattern was faintly visible beneath the flesh.
**Is it the remnant of Li Jiuyou's demonic power? Or...** A vague image from his childhood suddenly flashed through his mind: a furry black beast with a hint of red gold on the tip of its tail, nudging the unconscious him with its wet nose amidst the charred ruins... The image was abrupt and absurd, instantly shattered by the intense pain and the raging rage like magma emanating from the other end of the Heart-Slaying Contract.
"Hiss..." Jiang Xuelan pressed his forehead. Li Jiuyou's roar of "chop him up and feed him to the dogs" still echoed in his mind, making his head buzz. This damn contract, voice transmission through the air with surround sound!
"Here," Xuanjia pulled out a large bag of herbs emitting a pungent medicinal aroma from somewhere (from its shell?) and tossed it over. "Thousand-year-old Fire Lotus Root, Mysterious Ice Soul, and some of my specially made 'Shujin Huoluo Powder,' and pour it into a large tub of medicinal bath for two hours. It will dispel evil spirits, dissolve coldness, and by the way... well, strengthen the body." It glanced meaningfully at Jiang Xuelan's blushing ears. "It also has a soothing effect on some of the side effects of agitation."
Jiang Xuelan: "..." Now when he heard words like "comfort" and "side effects", he instinctively wanted to draw his sword.
**Demon Realm, Red Blood Palace.**
Li Jiuyou kicked the newly lifted throne, causing it to groan under the weight. "Xing! Tong!" He practically roared the name, his blood-red eyes scanning the empty hall. The demon woman had vanished without a trace when he'd rampaged and torn down half the dome.
In the illusion, Jiang Xuelan's blurred eyes, slightly open lips... and in reality, the pretty boy wiping tears with red ears, flashed alternately in his mind, making him upset and confused, with a rage that he had nowhere to vent.
"Wang, is...is your shoulder okay?" Man Gu, his head covered in dust, approached cautiously, his small notebook open in his hand, the ink still wet. "Wang was furious at the illusion, perhaps out of rage and shame? His shoulder pain is synchronized with the Immortal Lord, perhaps... a telepathic connection? His jealousy is skyrocketing. I advise staying away from flammable and explosive items (such as water mirrors, star pupils, and any living creature that mentions 'dual cultivation')."
Li Jiuyou snatched the small notebook away, his forehead throbbing with a vein as he gazed at the crooked handwriting. "Telepathy?! This prince and he have nothing but a blood feud! This rotten contract... these damn side effects!" He clutched his left shoulder. Though there was no wound, the sharp, tearing pain tingled with it, mixed with a forcibly suppressed chill that made him extremely uncomfortable. This feeling was even more irritating than simply being injured, as if something important had been forcibly silenced.
At this moment, the "Heart-Slaying Contract" rune on his chest suddenly jumped! An extremely strong feeling, mixed with excruciating pain, a chill, and a hint of... indescribable shame and anger, surged over him like a tidal wave! It was a hundred times clearer than before through the water mirror!
Li Jiuyou's body suddenly stiffened and his bloodshot pupils shrank instantly.
**It's Jiang Xuelan! What happened to him? Is he seriously injured? This chilling feeling... is it the "God-killing Gu"?**
An almost instinctive impulse, a mixture of the contract's forced connection and a hint of anxiety he wasn't even aware of, caused him to suddenly look up. His gaze pierced through the dome of the Red Blood Palace (the half that hadn't collapsed) and gazed far into the direction of the immortal realm. He could even vaguely "sense" a vague direction—cold and lonely, like the peak of a snowy mountain.
"Man Gu!" Li Jiuyou's voice was hoarse with a suppressed ache. "Prepare... forget it!" He interrupted himself abruptly, scratching his hair in frustration. Prepare for what? Was he really going to attack? That pretty boy must be surrounded by the Immortal Sect's men by now! But the pain and chill that belonged to Jiang Xuelan, forced upon him by the contract, made him uneasy, more uncomfortable than being stabbed!
He paced the hall furiously, his demonic energy surging uncontrollably. No, I have to do something! I can't let him be so... miserable? As this thought occurred to him, Li Jiuyou was startled. Ugh! I'm afraid he'll die, and this broken contract won't be broken!
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