Chapter 66 Making Excuses: You don't trust others, but you don't trust me either? ...
The mountain walls were steep and gloomy, with withered branches and leaves covering most of the towering trees. Spiritual energy flowed rapidly from them, like a dried-up river, and a thick, viscous smell of blood quickly filled this small area.
Sickles and axes lay neatly on the ground. The flower buds had completely lost their color, withered and shriveled into a dull, yellowish mass. A hint of surprise flashed in Lian Quesheng's eyes. His fingers began to tremble the moment they touched Shen Jiuxu's pulse, which was weak and even hollow.
What did you just do?
"Who could have hurt you like this?"
"Where is Jiang Yu? Does he know?"
Lian Quesheng hurriedly helped Shen Jiuxu lean against him, holding his wrist to channel spiritual energy into him, but was stopped by someone saying, "I'm fine, don't waste spiritual energy."
"Is this what you call 'nothing's wrong'?"
"Are you out of your mind? Are you really prepared to die again?"
Shen Jiuxu stopped him, "I'm fine, really."
Do you think I'm blind?!
Even Quesheng's eyes widened as he looked at the withered branches and leaves on the ground. Remembering that his friend was a tree, he sighed and said, "Why don't you heal your wounds first? My Egret Island has a spiritual spring, which is most suitable for nourishing trees. It will definitely restore you to normal."
Thank you.
Lian Quesheng was forced to sit on the ground by him. Shen Jiuxu looked at his hands, which hadn't changed much, his eyes red, whether from the pain of his wound or something else, he didn't know. Lian Quesheng couldn't bear to look at him and threw him a handkerchief, "What's wrong? If someone bullied you, I'll go and kill them right now."
In the blink of an eye, he pulled two swords from his pouch, sharp and cold, ready to strike at any moment. "If I can't beat him, I'll just call Jiang Yu over for you. Surely he can handle it!"
"no."
Shen Jiuxu stretched out his palm, and the flower buds immediately jumped up. The withered petals turned into powder with a gentle touch. "I can manage on my own."
"Are you afraid he'll find out, or are you afraid Jiang Yu can't beat him? You're overthinking it. If he can't beat him, then there's really no one else in the world."
Seeing that Shen Jiuxu remained silent, Lian Quesheng said, "Even if you don't say anything, he'll still see you looking like this. Then you won't be able to hide anything anymore."
"He doesn't know."
“How could he not know? It’s not like he can’t see. With those two eyes, he can see everything clearly.”
"He can't see."
Shen Jiuxu covered his face with both hands, looking completely helpless. Although his voice was light and airy, Lian Quesheng could hear a sense of despair in it.
He stood there, stunned, for a long time, unable to react. But looking at Shen Jiuxu's expression, he felt that Shen Jiuxu wouldn't deliberately make such a silly joke to deceive him.
"I can't see it anymore, what does 'I can't see it' mean?"
"How could he not see? He only used his spiritual power to control Xian Chen to save people, how could he end up like this? Does he not have any spiritual power left? I do, I do! I can lose to him, and so many people have spiritual power, I can go to them for help."
A gentle breeze stirred the grass on the ground, creating ripples. Lian Quesheng pulled Shen Jiuxu away, saying, "You're out of spiritual power, but I still have it. I can manage. Come on, take me to him quickly."
"It's no use, I've tried it."
"I tried channeling my spiritual energy into him, but it was like throwing a stone into the ocean, not even causing a ripple. However, I have thought of a way to fix his eye injury, although it might leave some regrets."
"Whatever the method, as long as I can see again, I'm willing to pay any price. What does it matter? Besides, with spiritual power, everything can be rebuilt once my eyes are restored. As long as I'm alive, I'll always have something to do."
Lian Quesheng was relieved to hear that there was hope, and his pale face became a little rosy. "Do you need anything? I'll pay for everything. Use whatever precious medicinal herbs you want, don't worry about the cost. Bailuzhou may not have anything else, but these things are enough for you."
"And Xi Chuang, you didn't even tell me about such big news, making me worry for so long." Lian Quesheng said with some dissatisfaction, "Don't you guys consider me a friend? Why didn't any of you tell me? If I hadn't run into you here today, would I have been kept in the dark?"
Seeing that the person was speechless and his face had almost turned transparent, even Que Sheng stopped talking. He took out a bottle from his pocket, poured out several pills and handed them to Shen Jiuxu, "These are to replenish spiritual power, eat them."
Thanks.
After thinking for a moment, Lian Quesheng finally stuffed the whole bottle of pills into Chen Jiuxu's hands, saying, "Take them all. I have plenty more anyway. But can your spiritual power really be restored?"
"Hmm." Shen Jiuxu lowered his eyes. "Remember not to let it slip. Jiang Yu doesn't know. He's still resting inside."
"Don't worry about that, I'm very discreet."
After Lian Quesheng finished speaking, he saw Shen Jiuxu's questioning gaze, smiled awkwardly, and covered his mouth with his hand. "Really, I swear, I will never reveal a single word to anyone."
Shen Jiuxu reluctantly believed him.
"But I have another favor to ask you."
"Huh?" Lian Quesheng had never heard him speak so politely before, and he immediately became interested. "Speak, what is it!"
"Please find a doctor and tell him that he has a way to cure Jiang Yu's eyes, but it will take some time. You can use any method you like, as long as you can keep it from him."
Upon hearing this, Lian Quesheng was dumbfounded. The straw in his hand fell to the ground, was blown away by the wind, and drifted away into the distance.
The window was half open. Jiang Yu had just woken up from her dream when she felt an itch on her face, as if something was floating there. When she reached out and touched it, she found it was a thin, long grass stalk.
He couldn't see it, but there was a faint, familiar scent on the grass stalk. Jiang Yu put it under his pillow. He didn't hear Shen Jiuxu's voice, so he knew that Shen Jiuxu must have gone out. He sat quietly on the bed with a pillow behind him.
He guessed that the flower buds had probably gone out with Shen Jiuxu, and he hadn't heard them make a sound. Until his fingers touched a fallen petal while wandering around.
The petals were soft but lacked their usual rich fragrance, just like the straw from before. Jiang Yu's eyes were dark, revealing no emotion, like a frozen lake in winter.
A slight pain came from his wrist, but it was much better than usual. Jiang Yu touched the skin with his other hand, using the same force as when Shen Jiuxu held it, only his body temperature was lower and it was no longer burning hot.
The door creaked open.
"Are you awake?"
"Hmm." Jiang Yu moved her hand away, pretending to have just woken up, and opened her arms to Chen Jiuxu. "How's the weather outside?"
Shen Jiuxu washed her hands and dried them with a handkerchief before hugging him. She glanced out the window and whispered in Jiang Yu's ear, "The sun is shining brightly."
"Take me outside to bask in the sun for a while."
"Alright, Lian Quesheng is here. You can talk outside for a while now." Shen Jiuxu picked him up and casually grabbed a cloak to drape over his arm. "It's windy outside, so cover yourself with this cloak for a bit."
Lian Quesheng looked worried, his brows furrowed and his lips downturned. He was afraid that he might accidentally expose the matter, and he was also worried that if Jiang Yu's eyes recovered in the future, he would find out that he was also involved and get angry.
Shen Jiuxu, that unreliable fellow, definitely wouldn't stand with him against the enraged Jiang Yu. Xichuang is also unreliable; his cultivation level isn't high to begin with. Even if the two of them went together, they would only be sending themselves to their deaths.
"You've all come over, why aren't you saying anything? Have you become mute?" Jiang Yu found it really strange that even someone like Lian Quesheng, who usually talks a lot, didn't say a word when he saw her.
He began to worry that something might have happened to the villagers down there, and tentatively asked, "How are they?"
"Why--"
Lian Quesheng felt like two people were fighting in his mind. After struggling for a long time, he could only stammer out a definite answer.
"Is the situation bad?" Jiang Yu was a little nervous, and gripped Shen Jiuxu's hand a little tighter. Shen Jiuxu didn't say anything, but silently draped the cloak over the two of them.
The recliner swayed gently in the yard, placed under a tree. A breeze blew, lifting the strands of hair by his ears. Lian Quesheng looked at Shen Jiuxu, who seemed like a completely different person from before, and his lips curled into a crooked smile as he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"No, they're fine."
"It's you. You didn't tell me about something so serious, like losing your eyesight. It made me so worried. But I remember there's a very skilled doctor in Bailuzhou. I just sent a message to my parents to see if we can have him come and take a look at you."
Lian Quesheng's heart pounded as he said this, his face burning. He knew Jiang Yu couldn't see him, but he still didn't dare to look up, staring intently at the empty ground. He was just too guilty.
Shen Jiuxu watched him rack his brains to come up with reasons as if nothing had happened, without saying a word. Even Quesheng rolled his eyes at him, but in the end, he swallowed his anger.
"We'll have to trouble Sect Leader Lian and the others again."
“This is no trouble at all. As long as you get better, my parents will only be happy and won’t find it troublesome.”
The sun felt really nice on his skin. Jiang Yu buried his head in Shen Jiuxu's arms and smelled a faint floral fragrance mixed with a hint of blood. He didn't say anything, but carefully shifted his position, afraid of pressing on Shen Jiuxu's wound.
"By the way, Jiang Yu, the Xianchen Sword is truly a treasure. I never heard you mention before that it could save people. But the price to pay is too high! If I had known you were... blind, I shouldn't have agreed to let you use this method."
Lian Quesheng grew angrier the more he thought about it. When the three of them were in the cave, Jiang Yu made it sound simple, leading him to believe that all he needed to do was expend some spiritual energy.
And what was the result?
Now it's a lose-lose situation. Neither Jiang Yu nor Shen Jiuxu is doing well; they both look like they're about to die. Next time, he won't believe anyone's words again.
"And even if you manage to control it now, ascension is not that simple. When you were young, it took you more than ten years, and you still failed because of the heavenly lightning. The situation is different now. I'm afraid that the pressure will be too much for you and your body will eventually break down."
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy. He was afraid that Jiang Yu would be unable to move on from the failure of his ascension three years ago, and now with so many lives lost, it would eventually break him.
"You don't trust others, but you don't trust me either?" Jiang Yu asked him with a smile.
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Author's Note: I racked my brains but couldn't come up with a chapter title. Oh well, today's title is rather awkward. [Sunglasses], the sunglasses are just hiding my tears.
After who knows how many days, I finally managed to get it right on time again.
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