Chapter 25 But it hurts to look at.
The old ancestor was determined to die.
Emperor Jiang's consciousness had just returned to his body, and his five senses were still recovering. His newly awakened body was still a little sluggish, and his vision was blurry. At first, he could only see a figure picking flowers in the distance. Its general outline looked like a child, but its clothes and appearance were like an adult.
With just one glance, Di Jiang determined that the person was Duan Jiuyou.
The second thing that caught my eye was her excessively long sleeves.
The river appeared to be a clear blue, but it was actually like a pot of boiling hot soup. Duan Jiuyou was a careless person and was so focused on picking flowers that he didn't notice his sleeves. His sleeves accidentally dipped into the river, and white smoke immediately rose from them.
The smoke shot upwards and became a pillar of fire. Di Jiang saw her raise her arm, glance at it, and with an expression that showed she had seen it all, she grabbed it with her other hand, tore off the burnt material, and fed it to the river.
I really don't know how a dignified ancestor of the divine race could live such a rough life.
Di Jiang tugged at the corners of his mouth, but his smile froze as his vision cleared.
Duan Jiuyou had a wound on his chest, and half of his robe was already soaked. The reason he had just noticed it was because she loved wearing bright red and purple robes, even if they were plain, they would be embroidered with all sorts of brocade flowers. Today, her light blue robe happened to have a cluster of intricate lotus flower patterns embroidered on the front.
The amount of blood seeping onto her clothes was minimal, at least compared to the number of times she had stabbed herself. Di Jiang regained consciousness quickly this time, thawing rapidly without needing any "medicinal stewing." He was familiar with the characteristics of the Ao Clan, and with a sweet taste in his mouth, he knew without asking what had happened while he was unconscious.
The blood of the giant turtle is pure and sweet as honey, but obtaining it is extremely difficult; to save someone once, one must prick oneself at least ten or a hundred times. Di Jiang pressed his lips tightly together, suddenly finding the blood congealed on Duan Jiuyou's clothes particularly glaring!
"I'm not in pain."
Duan Jiuyou's gaze was still fixed on the Heart-Gathering Lotus; he spoke to Di Jiang.
She took off her long robe, wearing only a plain, narrow-sleeved willow-leaf dress underneath, and hooked her small feet around the roots of an old tree on the bank, bringing her fingers closer to the flower path.
She said, "Although I hope you will thank me and remember my kindness, I do not want to deceive you with 'illusions'. I am born without the ability to feel pain, and even the biggest wounds can heal on their own. There is no need to be moved by these dozens of cuts on my chest."
Di Jiang stood up after a long while and handed Duan Jiuyou a hand.
He stood with his back to the light, his silhouette outlined in gold by the sunlight. His thin, slender face was hidden in the shadows, exuding a contradictory feeling of youthful innocence and mysterious solemnity. The dark patterns on his cuffs moved with his movements, revealing the unique celestial patterns of the Wilderness Clan.
Duan Jiuyou offered his small hand, which Di Jiang held, and then released his foot from the old tree root, using Di Jiang's arm strength to pluck the Heart Lotus.
Duan Jiuyou had half of his arm "held" in his hand, and with a exertion of his left arm, he naturally aggravated the injury to his chest. As she had said, she was oblivious to it, and the two worked in perfect harmony, smoothly obtaining the Heart-Gathering Lotus with a quick extension and retraction.
Duan Jiuyou stood up with a smile and strolled along the flower path to admire the lotus flowers.
Di Jiang frowned silently, noticing that more blood was seeping from her chest.
Duan Jiuyou followed his gaze and looked at himself, then burst into laughter.
"I've already said it, I never feel pain."
—Doesn't it hurt?
Di Jiang looked at Duan Jiuyou's blood-stained boots and the hem of his skirt that had been torn by bushes.
The season at Sijiling transitions from cold to warm, but even with the rising temperatures, the mountain paths remain difficult to traverse. The ridge comprises three small hills and six gentle slopes. She carried him the entire way, occasionally injuring herself.
Di Jiang imagined that scene and said, "But it looks quite painful to me."
"Let's go back quickly."
The two spoke at the same time, and Duan Jiuyou was stunned for a moment, wondering if he had misheard.
Di Jiang gently pulled with his left hand, wrapped his arm around Jiu You's waist, and cast a Wind Transformation Spell.
Crossing the river is not a good place; the river is filled with miasma and it is definitely not suitable to stay for long.
The two moved like the wind, and in a short while they returned from the riverbank to their small courtyard in Zhaozhao City.
"What did you just say?" Duan Jiuyou asked, looking up after landing.
“I said it hurts to look at,” Di Jiang repeated without dodging or avoiding the question.
"...Are you delirious from the pain?"
Duan Jiuyou stared in disbelief. She had just heard the same words, but they had been swallowed by the wind, and she thought it was just her imagination. She looked Di Jiang up and down, left and right, and no matter how she looked at him, it didn't seem like he had said those words.
The temperature inside Zhaozhao City was lower than that of Siji Ridge, and even lower than that of the river crossing they had just been in. The river water there was warmer, more like a natural bathhouse. But even a temperature like that at the river crossing was only a brief respite for the imperial territory. The cold had seeped into the bone marrow, buried too deep, and could only be "pulled out" with a medicinal bath.
Using magic is also an extremely mentally taxing task for Di Jiang. There was a worn-out bamboo chair in the courtyard. He sat down and calmed himself down for a while before saying, "Use a sound transmission spell to call Liu Tianshi over."
After saying that, she was still worried, and with a tired look in her eyes, she turned her head to look at Duan Jiuyou: "You know how to use sound transmission, right?"
That's a really insulting question.
Duan Jiuyou, with an air of "don't look down on me," made a hand gesture, muttered something, and then dragged a small stool to sit next to Di Jiang.
She covered him with a blanket. The sun was strong and felt warm on his skin. She propped her chin up for a while, then felt sleepy. She tilted her head to the side and rested her head on Di Jiang's lap.
Her hair was disheveled, and her hair bun was loose, making her look like a little beggar. Di Jiang casually stroked it, as if he had some affection for her.
Duan Jiuyou felt quite comfortable being touched by him, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. If she hadn't sensed his attempt to put his hand under her neck to cover her, she would have fallen asleep immediately.
"Cool." She tapped his knee with her small fist, her voice muffled and almost like a cat's meow, given her naturally high-pitched voice.
Di Jiang was even more drowsy than her, his slender fingers lingering between Jiu You's long hair and neck: "Didn't you say you felt no pain?"
"It's not that you don't feel pain, but that you don't feel hot or cold. You have all the normal sensations except for not feeling pain."
Di Jiang didn't speak again. After trekking through mountains and rivers, both of them were a little tired. Duan Jiuyou didn't know if she had fallen asleep or not. Anyway, after a short silence, she seemed to have taken a nap. She didn't care whether Di Jiang was asleep or awake. She opened her eyes and said.
"Are you truly heartbroken today?"
Di Jiang opened his eyes groggily, and the image of the blood-stained robe from earlier that day popped into his mind because of Duan Jiuyou's question. After a moment of reaction, he hummed in response, "It makes me uncomfortable to look at it."
Duan Jiuyou thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll be more careful next time and won't let you see it."
Di Jiang said, "Alright."
He agreed quite quickly, and Duan Jiuyou looked up a few moments later: "What do you mean 'okay'? You really are the type to think 'out of sight, out of mind'."
"Wasn't this your own suggestion?"
Di Jiang smiled casually and stroked her long hair twice as if stroking it.
Duan Jiuyou is a girl who "loves to make trouble." She likes to set traps for people with her words, and if you are not satisfied with the response, she will arrogantly cause you trouble.
Duan Jiuyou also realized the problem. She did like to use this way of picking out words to act coquettishly, but she didn't really care about the answer. She was just saying a few coquettish words. It's just that she usually used this method with her previous immortal partners. Today, she was short of someone to watch her mouth, so she inadvertently used it on Di Jiang.
This made Duan Jiuyou a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly, sat up, and scratched his brow uncomfortably. Just as he was reflecting on his actions, he saw Liu Tianshi running towards him.
"My benefactor, have you obtained the Heart-Gathering Lotus?"
Liu Tianshi's eyebrows and eyes lit up with joy, so much so that his eyes were almost closed.
Duan Jiuyou took out the Heart-Gathering Lotus from his robes and showed it to her. Liu Tianshi reached out to take it, but Duan Jiuyou pulled his arm back and put it back in his robes.
This is something that comes in exchange. They risked their lives for Liu Tianshi, and it's time for Liu Tianshi to reciprocate.
Liu Tianshi wanted to inspect the goods again, but due to Duan Jiuyou and Di Jiang's tempers, she suppressed the suggestion. She said "No problem," but her eyes were fixed on Duan Jiuyou's chest. Half a flower was visible there, its color a deep purple, its stem brown, and its heart a golden yellow—the very same Heart-Gathering Lotus that Qi Xinghe had described to her, the one she had longed for day and night.
As Liu Tianshi looked at the screen, he rolled up his sleeves and stretched his arm straight forward, revealing his skin to be visibly darkened and gray.
"Since you picked the flowers for me, my promise to you will naturally remain unchanged."
She petrified half of her arm and handed it to Duan Jiuyou. Duan Jiuyou buried his head, opened his Qiankun bag, grabbed a small dagger with rolled edges, and began to rub it against Liu Tianshi's arm.
Liu Tianshi let her do as she pleased, and reached out with his other hand toward Duan Jiuyou's chest, still wanting to take the flowers.
This time, Duan Jiuyou ignored her. The two of them, one sharpening the knife and the other pulling the flower stem outward, worked together. Liu Tianshi's arm was very useful. After Duan Jiuyou sharpened it a couple of times, the blade of Lingtian Bairen regained its sharpness.
Duan Jiuyou touched the gleaming blade with his thumb, revealing an expression of extreme satisfaction.
Liu Tianshi looked at the brightly colored Heart Lotus and also showed an expression of ecstasy.
After both parties were satisfied, the transaction was completed, and they turned and walked in different directions.
Duan Jiuyou walked back to Di Jiang's side, preparing to help him up. The people from Yuan Dan could not be left in Zhao Zhao City, and Di Jiang's health could not be delayed any longer; she needed to take him back as soon as possible.
This seemingly smooth transaction was shattered by a scream from behind.
"Duan Jiuyou!"
Liu Tianshi suddenly hit a high note, which made Duan Jiuyou frown.
"Who gave you the right to call me by my full name?"
It was still daytime, and even though not many people in Zhaozhao City knew the name "Duan Jiuyou," it was still a dangerous situation. Moreover, she realized that she had forgotten to cast the "Forgetfulness Spell" on Liu Tianshi. Turning around to greet him, she understood why Liu Tianshi had screamed.
The lotus in her hand was withering. The petals, which were originally a bright, deep purple, were gradually turning gray, first in brightness, then in color, and were almost completely withered and gray.
Duan Jiuyou had never encountered this kind of spiritual herb before and didn't know what special properties it had, so he pressed Liu Tianshi for an answer, "What's going on?"
Picking the Heart-Gathering Lotus was Liu Tianshi's request, so she should have been very familiar with this spiritual herb.
Liu Tianshi had gone "crazy," squatting on the ground, putting it down and picking it up again. She suspected that this thing couldn't be touched with her hands, and that she only changed after she caught the Heart-Gathering Lotus.
The lotus plant placed on the ground did not stop withering; in fact, it was withering at an even faster rate.
"Did you actually take the Heart-Gathering Lotus?!" In his panic, Liu Tianshi could only go and cause trouble for Duan Jiuyou.
Duan Jiuyou didn't speak, his gaze sweeping halfway over Liu Tianshi before landing on an uninvited figure at the door.
The newcomer was dressed as a young master, wearing a long robe that exuded elegance and refinement. Duan Jiuyou looked beyond his appearance to see what was inside him.
It is a stone covered with ancient runes.
His identity is self-evident; he is Qi Xinghe.
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