Chapter 571: Recovery
That was a battle of wills. The will of the demon sword sought to devour his will, seize dominance, and control him.
Lin Feng, how could he agree? He drove the demon sword into his own back, letting his blood dye the lake red, blade after blade piercing his own body. If the demon sword would not return to its sheath, then they would perish together.
In the end, Lin Feng's will overcame the demon sword's will. The demon sword returned to its sheath, sealed by his soul power. However, not only had he lost all his true essence power, his will had nearly collapsed, and his soul power was completely drained. His entire being was utterly exhausted, and coupled with the severe injuries on his body, he had directly fallen unconscious.
But now, he was still alive, lying on a bed.
After a moment of stillness, Lin Feng's eyes opened once more, a cold light flickering within them. Before him, the old man and the girl quietly watched him. The old man, in particular, stared at him without shifting his gaze even a fraction.
"Why did you seal my power?"
Lin Feng spat out a cold voice. He could clearly feel that the power within his body was extremely weak, as if his true essence power had been completely sealed.
"If I hadn't sealed your power, would you still be you?"
The old man spoke faintly, causing Lin Feng's gaze to freeze. Then, the cold light in his eyes gradually faded, his look losing its icy sharpness and becoming calm instead.
"I was impulsive. I'm sorry, and thank you for saving me."
Having just woken up and not yet understanding what had happened, Lin Feng had found that his cultivation seemed to be restrained, which led to his impulsiveness. Now, he felt a bit guilty. Clearly, the other party had saved his life, yet he had shouted at them.
Even so, Lin Feng's tone remained somewhat cold as he spoke.
"Do you sense any change in yourself?" the old man asked Lin Feng, causing him to pause. He looked at the old man, remained silent for a long time, and then nodded. He did indeed feel a change in himself. Right now, he felt cold—not a physical cold, but a coldness within his person, as if he had become somewhat more indifferent.
"You can't use power that doesn't belong to you anymore. This time, you were lucky, but you are still being affected, slowly eroded. Next time, you might not be so fortunate."
The old man shook his head. Lin Feng's eyes flickered. Indeed, now, with only three demon swords, their will was already so strong that he couldn't control them. If all nine swords were unleashed together, he would probably have been devoured by backlash.
Unless his power grew strong enough to suppress the demonic nature of the swords, he could not use them without being burdened by them, controlled by them instead.
Lin Feng moved his body, trying to get up, but he felt a tearing pain all over, causing his slightly raised body to fall back down.
"Do you think your injuries this time are simple? Don't think about anything now. Rest here for a few days. Apart from the power sealed by the medicine, which can only recover slowly, I will ensure your body is completely restored."
The old man glared at Lin Feng, startling him. His cultivation power had actually been sealed by medicine, not by some technique the old man had used.
The old man's skill with medicine was terrifying. If used on an enemy, wouldn't it be able to seal their cultivation and leave them at his mercy?
Having said this, the old man turned around, his body slightly hunched, and walked outside.
Lin Feng turned over, looking at the old man's back. Using his Heavenly Eye technique, his gaze froze.
The old man's cultivation seemed... not very strong. He was just an ordinary old man.
"Don't be curious. I am only a pharmacist. However, I am different from the pharmacists you imagine. I am a true pharmacist."
The old man's voice drifted over slowly, without any blame toward Lin Feng. He knew Lin Feng would be curious about him, and it was normal for him to peek at his cultivation.
"A true pharmacist." Lin Feng muttered to himself. From the old man's words, it seemed that the pharmacists he had imagined were not true pharmacists?
But the old man's skill with medicine was indeed remarkable. He had managed to save him and had sealed both his power and the demon sword's power together, preventing the demon sword from controlling him.
"Pharmacist... It seems I underestimated this profession. It is indeed different from what I imagined."
Lin Feng turned his gaze back and looked up at the girl. She was fourteen or fifteen, clean and delicate, looking at him with curiosity.
The girl didn't even understand what her grandfather was saying to Lin Feng, as if there was something inside him.
"Are you feeling better?"
Not knowing what else to say, the girl asked Lin Feng.
Lin Feng nodded. "Except for not being able to move, everything is normal."
"Mm." The girl showed a slight smile and comforted Lin Feng, "Don't worry. With my grandfather here, your injuries will heal. You just need to cooperate well."
Lin Feng paused for a moment, then gently nodded.
"Rest here. I'll go ask Grandpa what medicine to brew for you now." The girl ran off again, heading outside, leaving Lin Feng alone staring blankly at the wooden beams of the thatched roof.
...
A day later, still in that small hut, Lin Feng sat on the wooden bed, drinking the medicine the girl fed him. His face gradually regained a hint of ruddiness, the pain in his body lessened, and his strength recovered somewhat.
"Is that enough?"
Lin Feng shook his head slightly, looking at the bowl still full, and spoke. The medicine was too bitter. He had never tasted anything so bitter in his life; it was even harder to bear than his injuries.
"No, you have to drink it all."
The girl stubbornly insisted, continuing to bring the spoon to Lin Feng's lips. Lin Feng could only helplessly open his mouth and swallow the medicine.
Finally, after enduring the ordeal, Lin Feng downed the last bowl and breathed a sigh of relief.
Moving his body a bit, Lin Feng said to the girl, "I want to get up and walk around."
Having spent a day together, Lin Feng had learned the girl's name: Xiao Ya. She was a very innocent girl, as if she didn't know the dangers of the world.
Her clean eyes flickered. Xiao Ya nodded and said, "Alright, let me help you."
Saying this, Xiao Ya supported Lin Feng's arm and helped him off the wooden bed. This made Lin Feng smile bitterly. Since he had embarked on the path of martial arts, he had never imagined he would end up like this.
Standing on the ground, Lin Feng took a few steps and said, "It's okay. You don't need to support me. I can walk on my own."
"Oh."
Xiao Ya let go. Lin Feng looked ahead, his eyes still carrying a hint of coldness, and slowly stepped forward. It was fine, just a bit numb.
Lifting his foot, Lin Feng took step after step, walking forward firmly. Turning past the wooden door, he crossed the railing and walked out of the thatched hut. His eyes remained fixed on the distance.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Lin Feng kept walking forward, looking at the scenery ahead. After a long while, he stopped and let out a deep breath.
"So beautiful."
Outside the hut was a mountain range—a lush green mountain range, covered everywhere with intoxicating greenery, full of vibrant life.
In such an environment, it seemed as if a person would become more full of life, possessing their own aspirations and pursuits.
Right now, the place he stood was also on a mountain peak, at one corner of it. This peak was just a part of the entire mountain range.
"Walk more, look more, calm your mind to think and comprehend. Only then can you drive out the coldness in your heart."
Behind him, the old man's voice slowly drifted into Lin Feng's ears, causing his body to tremble slightly. Walk more, look more, calm your mind to observe, to think, to comprehend!
He remembered that when his cultivation was still weak, his teacher Yan Yuping had told him to calm his mind. He had gained insight, and his cultivation and state of mind had improved.
Later, his killing intent grew stronger. Yan Yuping had then helped him, using the zither to nurture killing intent, allowing him to enter the path of slaughter, killing all who stood in his way.
But now, eroded by the demon sword, his killing was no longer what it used to be. It was the coldness and slaughter from the depths of his soul. The old man was once again telling him to calm his mind.
All of this seemed like a cycle, a reincarnation.
The girl Xiao Ya quietly stayed by Lin Feng's side, also looking at the green mountains. Her eyes remained as clean and innocent as ever.
"You know, I had an older brother, the same age as you. His talent was extraordinary, his cultivation very powerful. He always liked to pinch my cheek, call my name, and show me his brightest, sunniest smile." The girl murmured softly, a look of recollection in her eyes, with a faint smile.
Lin Feng could feel how much the girl loved her brother.
"But one day, he suddenly left us, died, gone forever, leaving only me and Grandpa."
The girl spoke again, still with a faint smile, but the desolate, sorrowful meaning in her words made Lin Feng's heart tremble. Died, suddenly died.