Chapter 66: The Dilemma of Healing and the Emotional Cognitive Disorders of Straight Men
The dilemma of healing and the emotional cognitive impairment of straight men
The atmosphere inside the stone chamber of the heart tomb was once very solemn.
Jiang Xuelan forcibly suppressed the blood boiling in his throat, attempting to circulate his skills to stabilize the remnant evil spirit and chaotic immortal energy within him, which had become agitated again due to the activation of the God-Slaying Gu. However, his efforts were minimal. His face was pale, almost transparent, and his icy blue eyes had lost their former sharpness, appearing somewhat distracted.
Li Jiuyou's condition was slightly better, but having withstood some of the blast and the brief backlash from the God-Slaying Gu, his internal energy was quite disordered. He stared at Jiang Xuelan, who seemed to be on the verge of collapse yet still maintaining a calm demeanor, and the nameless anger in his heart grew stronger, mixed with a worry that made him even more irritable.
"Hey! Ice face! Stop trying to hold on! If you die, I'll have to collect your body!" He roared in a rough voice, took a few steps forward, and wanted to check on Jiang Xuelan's condition, but his hand froze halfway, as if he didn't know how to start.
"No problem." Jiang Xuelan avoided his gaze, her voice weak but still cold, "Let's leave this place first."
As he was about to take a step, his legs went weak and he stumbled.
Li Jiuyou grasped his arm almost reflexively. It was cold to the touch and even trembling slightly.
"You call this unimpeded?!" Li Jiuyou's anger flared up, his scarlet eyes glaring at Jiang Xuelan, "Do you have any misunderstanding about 'unimpeded'?! Does it have to be completely destroyed to be considered 'impeded'?!"
Through the Heart-Killing Contract, the weakness and pain coming from Jiang Xuelan's soul at this moment impacted Li Jiuyou's perception more clearly, making his heart inexplicably tight.
"Let go." Jiang Xuelan tried to break free, but her strength was obviously insufficient.
"King, Jiang Xianjun is seriously injured and needs to be healed quickly!" Man Gu said worriedly.
Ah Che held the Jianmu fragment, which emitted a soft green light, and tried to get closer to Jiang Xuelan: "Brother, this seems to make you feel better..."
The life energy of the Jianmu fragments did ease Jiang Xuelan's tense expression a little, but it had limited effect on the shock to his soul and the hidden dangers of the God-killing Gu.
Xuan Jia sighed, "Most of the Heart Source Crystal's energy has been used to strengthen the seal. The remaining energy has just been used to temper your bodies, so it's temporarily unavailable. Jiang's injury is very troublesome... It's mainly due to the interaction between his soul and the poison. Ordinary elixirs are useless, unless..."
"Unless what?" Li Jiuyou asked immediately.
Xuanjia's green eyes glanced at the two of them and said slowly, "Unless someone possesses a power of the utmost yang, the same source as the Heretic God's, to carefully help him sort out his shattered soul and temporarily stabilize that broken Gu... well, that also requires a willing and precise control. If there's even a slight mistake, both of them are finished."
The most intense yang? The same source of power as the Heretic God? Willingly? Precisely controlled?
When these conditions are combined together, the answer is almost obvious - **Li Jiuyou's original demonic fire**!
Li Jiuyou: “…”
Jiang Xuelan: "..."
The two fell into a strange silence again.
Letting Li Jiuyou use his violent demonic fire to enter Jiang Xuelan's fragile soul sea to help him heal his injuries? This sounds much less reliable than suicide!
What's more, the words "willingly" and "precise control" seem inappropriate when applied to Li Jiuyou.
"Is there... no other way?" Jiang Xuelan's voice was dry.
"Yes," Xuanjia flicked his tail, "Wait for death, or hope for a miracle."
Li Jiuyou's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He looked at Jiang Xuelan's pale, weak, yet still stubborn profile. He felt the continuous pain and gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, "Damn it! This is so troublesome!"
He suddenly grabbed Jiang Xuelan's shoulders and forced him to sit on the edge of the stone platform (avoiding the Heart Source Crystal). He then sat cross-legged opposite him and said viciously, "Close your eyes! Relax your mind! If you dare to resist, I will twist your head off!"
A hint of surprise and hesitation flashed across Jiang Xuelan's ice-blue eyes.
"Hurry up!" Li Jiuyou urged impatiently, but deep in his eyes there was a hint of nervousness and... caution that he himself was not aware of?
Jiang Xuelan was silent for a moment, then finally closed his eyes. There really was no better choice. He tried to relax his control over his body, but his consciousness remained instinctively tense, as if covered in a thousand-year-old ice.
Li Jiuyou took a deep breath, trying to recall the method his father had taught him as a child, how to precisely control the Origin Demonic Fire (even though he'd spent most of his time smashing things). He extended a finger, and a tiny, yet incredibly concentrated, golden-red flame danced from its tip. He carefully tapped it between Jiang Xuelan's eyebrows.
The moment their fingertips touched the cold skin, both of them shuddered slightly.
Through the Heart-Slaying Contract, Li Jiuyou could "see" the solid, cold barrier beyond Jiang Xuelan's consciousness. He tried to penetrate that gentle demonic fire...
Jiang Xuelan's sea of consciousness instinctively resisted violently! The ice cone suddenly rose up and fiercely stabbed at the foreign flame!
"Hmm!" The two of them groaned at the same time!
"Relax! You ice cube! I'm saving you!" Li Jiuyou cursed angrily, but had to control the flame more carefully, as if dancing on the edge of a knife, melting the resisting ice bit by bit.
This process is extremely emotionally draining and also extremely... **intimate**.
Li Jiuyou had never "felt" Jiang Xuelan's sea of consciousness so clearly—it was a boundless, snow-covered wasteland, cold and lonely, yet possessing a startling purity and tenacity. Beneath the ice lay surging undercurrents, immense wounds, and... a deeply suppressed longing for warmth.
Jiang Xuelan was also forced to feel the emotions conveyed by Li Jiuyou's demonic fire - the clumsy anxiety hidden beneath the irritability, the nervousness of not wanting to hurt him, and the burning and domineering yet unexpectedly gentle protective feeling...
This slight touch and perception at the soul level is more direct to the heart and more disturbing than any physical contact.
Jiang Xuelan's long eyelashes trembled violently, and her ears turned red uncontrollably.
Beads of sweat appeared on Li Jiuyou's forehead and his cheeks were hot.
Man Gu, A Che and Xuan Jia, who were standing aside, didn't even dare to breathe.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Jiuyou finally managed to use the demonic fire to calm the most violent shock in Jiang Xuelan's sea of consciousness, and temporarily calmed the restless God-killing Gu.
He withdrew his fingers and breathed a long sigh, feeling more tired than after a fight.
Jiang Xuelan slowly opened his eyes. His face was still pale, but his eyes had regained some spirit, and the severe pain in his soul had eased a lot.
The atmosphere became extremely awkward again.
"Thanks..." "Hmph!"
Jiang Xuelan had just uttered a word when Li Jiuyou suddenly turned his head away as if his tail had been stepped on, stood up, and adjusted his clothes with great movements.
"Don't be so conceited! I'm just afraid that if you die, it will implicate me!" His tone was fierce, but he couldn't hide the awkwardness and...guilty feeling in his heart?
Jiang Xuelan looked at his red ears, swallowed the thank you that was on the tip of her tongue, pursed her lips, and finally just said "hmm" lightly.
However, through that damned, seemingly even more sensitive Heart-Killing Contract, both of them could clearly sense the missed beat of the other's heart.
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