Chapter 1985: The Sorrows of Bygone Days
"...You?" Mo Cangying raised an eyebrow.
Helian Lingzhu also looked up in surprise. Under their astonished gazes, Yun Che slowly stood up and came to the youth's side.
"Your injuries..." Helian Lingzhu instinctively reached out.
"It's fine." Yun Che smiled slightly. "It looks serious, but it's mainly external injuries. The medicinal aura here is rich, and after these few hours, I've recovered a lot."
Before Helian Lingzhu could press further, he placed his palm on the youth's right arm, and a very faint stream of profound energy slowly flowed in: "Qichuan, let me see the extent of the erosion."
His profound energy quickly covered the youth's entire right arm, sensing the presence of the corruption.
Abyssal Dust is not a poison, let alone alive. Its essence is a type of high-plane power that cannot be controlled. Therefore, its "erosion" is far, far more terrifying than any poison known in the Abyss.
In a moment, Yun Che understood everything in his heart.
"What are you going to do?" Mo Cangying stared at him. "Don't tell me you think you have a way to remove the erosion of the Abyssal Dust? Take care of yourself first."
"Removing the erosion? Of course, I don't have that ability." Yun Che said calmly, and at that moment, his hand moved away from the youth. "However, the erosion he has suffered is not severe. Directly severing his arm would be too regrettable. If I remove the eroded flesh, blood, bones, and meridians, what remains will be enough to support a full recovery."
Mo Cangying sneered, his smile carrying undisguised mockery: "Do you know what you're saying?"
Yun Che's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't explain further: "Let me try, and you'll see. At the very least, it can't be worse than cutting off his arm."
Without waiting for Mo Cangying's response, he looked at the youth and said, "Are you afraid of pain?"
The youth shook his head blankly: "No."
"Good, then hold on."
As the words fell, his five fingers pressed down on the youth's upper arm. Profound energy released, instantly transforming into countless fine streams that spread throughout his right arm.
Puff, puff, puff, bang, bang, bang...
One bloody hole after another burst open on the youth's arm, accompanied by splattering blood mist, followed by scattered fragments of bone and sinew.
In the blink of an eye, the youth's entire right arm was riddled with holes. Such torture turned the youth's face as pale as paper. His mouth opened wide, but no sound came out.
"You!" Mo Cangying shouted in a low voice. He was about to strike out when Helian Lingzhu grabbed him: "Stop! Maybe... maybe..."
Her eyes were locked onto Yun Che's movements, believing in him almost without reason.
"How could such a thing be possible?" Mo Cangying frowned deeply, his arms tensed. "He's clearly..."
Before he could finish, another dense burst of blood mist exploded from the youth's arm, and at that moment, Yun Che suddenly withdrew his hand.
The youth collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat from pain, his entire body convulsing, and hoarse cries escaping his throat.
"That's enough." Yun Che clenched his fingers and spoke calmly.
"Qichuan!" Helian Lingzhu quickly bent down to support the youth. His still-tender arm was covered with nearly a hundred bloody holes of various sizes, a shocking sight.
She released her profound energy to quickly seal the wounds that were gushing blood. But immediately, her anxious expression turned to astonishment, and then to deep shock.
"Yun Che!" Mo Cangying's face was cold with anger, his eyes blazing with fury. "He's still just a child, already pitiful enough. We have done you a kindness, not enmity, yet you actually..."
"Ninth Senior Brother." Helian Lingzhu interrupted him, her voice trembling with uncontrollable excitement. "He's not deliberately tormenting him. The eroded parts on Qichuan are all gone... and his right arm is not crippled."
"...!?" Mo Cangying turned around, his face full of disbelief. He started to speak, then quickly reached out to examine the youth's left arm.
In an instant, his stern face showed an astonishment far greater than Helian Lingzhu's.
The youth's entire right arm no longer showed any trace of Abyssal Dust erosion.
His flesh, blood, bones, and meridians were all covered with countless injuries, as if they had been subjected to a thousand cuts.
But... leaving aside the flesh and blood for a moment, despite such damage, the entire bone of his arm remained intact and connected, and the most important meridians were damaged but not severed.
Every single part that had been eroded was completely excised.
And the parts that were not eroded were almost untouched!
At the extreme limit, if he had removed a hair less, the erosion would not be eliminated; if he had removed a hair more, the meridians would be severed and crippled.
It was as if the most precise measurement and the most accurate cutting had been performed.
Perfect to the point of being hair-raising.
Mo Cangying turned to look at the flesh and bone fragments splattered on the ground. They were all a grayish, withered color from the erosion, with hardly a trace of vitality.
He suddenly raised his head and stared fixedly at Yun Che, a sandstorm raging in his heart that would not calm.
"How... how did you do it?" Helian Lingzhu blurted out. Her profound energy repeatedly flowed through the youth's arm, but she still couldn't believe it.
Yun Che still wore that gentle, watery smile: "I have a very complete medical knowledge in my mind. I think I must have been a healer before."
"A healer?" Helian Lingzhu shook her head. "The familiarity with the body and the control of profound energy to such a degree... none of the healers I know can do this. Even the chief imperial physician in our court absolutely cannot."
"..." This time, Mo Cangying did not refute.
The youth also forgot to moan in pain. He lifted his right arm, which, though in severe pain, could still be barely controlled, and said in disbelief: "My... my arm... doesn't need to be cut off?"
"Mm, no need. Heal it well, and in at most one or two months, it will be as good as new." Yun Che smiled slightly. He nodded to Helian Lingzhu: "Thank you for the excessive praise, Eldest Princess. This is a small repayment for your life-saving kindness."
He straightened his back and continued: "Since that's the case, I will not stay any longer. I take my leave here. If fate allows us to meet again, I will definitely repay your life-saving grace with all my strength."
"Ah?" This sudden farewell took Helian Lingzhu completely by surprise. "You're leaving? Why so urgent? Don't you have no memories? And your injuries..."
Yun Che said, "Although my injuries haven't healed, I can barely move. I haven't recovered my memories, but I can vaguely recall being chased. If I stay here too long, I might bring my pursuers here."
"You saved my life, and I can hardly repay you. How could I bring danger upon you?"
With that, he bowed, turned around, and walked out with clearly weak steps.
His determination and sincerity moved even Mo Cangying.
"Wait!" Helian Lingzhu quickly flickered and directly blocked Yun Che's path: "You're injured so badly, there's no way you can even walk out of here. Even the sandstorm outside could kill you."
"Didn't you say you wanted to repay our life-saving kindness?" Having already promised Mo Cangying to keep Yun Che here, she now had a perfect reason: "You don't have to wait until later. You can do it now."
"My imperial father was injured by... by someone back then. That person's power entwines his heart meridians, and we dare not forcefully expel it. We can only dissolve it extremely slowly, which has caused my father to suffer for years, and he dares not use his profound energy recklessly."
"Your medical skill is so remarkable, you might have a way." She said earnestly, "If you can cure my imperial father, even just slightly ease his pain, it will not only repay my kindness, but the Helian Imperial Clan will also remember your favor."
Facing Helian Lingzhu's gaze, Yun Che didn't hesitate too long and slowly nodded: "In that case... very well. I will do my best to try."
"That's great." Unable to suppress the overflowing joy in her heart, Helian Lingzhu smiled: "First, heal your injuries properly. Ninth Senior Brother and I will also stay here for two more days. In two days, I will take you to see my imperial father."
Mo Cangying frowned but ultimately said nothing.
...
Two days later, Yun Che followed Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying, flying toward the seat of the Helian Imperial Clan.
In just two short days, Yun Che still appeared weak, but his external injuries seemed nearly seventy to eighty percent healed. Especially on his face, the bloodstains had completely vanished, and the scars had faded. Having not been eroded by Abyssal Dust, Yun Che's true appearance stunned Helian Lingzhu, who stared for a long time before hurriedly looking away.
"Eldest Princess, if I may be so bold, what kind of power injured your imperial father?" Yun Che asked seemingly casually. "As the emperor of a realm, he should be the supreme existence. How could he be easily injured by someone? Was it a foreign enemy?"
This question made Helian Lingzhu's face flash with obvious discomfort. She sighed softly and said, "This matter... although it's somewhat hard to speak of, there's nothing to hide. Almost everyone in the Linyuan Realm knows about it."
"The one who injured my imperial father is named Mo Beichen."
Yun Che showed surprise: "That name... the Abyss Knight Qichuan mentioned before? Isn't he from your Linyuan Realm? He's regarded as supreme honor and pride, so why would he injure your imperial father?"
Mo Cangying tightened his brow.
Helian Lingzhu smiled bitterly: "He was indeed born here. Although he came from a small clan, he was a genius that appears once in ten thousand years in the entire history of the Linyuan Realm."
"His talent was extremely high, he feared nothing, and once ventured deep into the Mist Sea alone in pursuit of breakthroughs. His ambition was also extraordinarily lofty; he aspired to reach the 'Pure Land' where the Abyss Emperor resides. After having a daughter, he even vowed to bring his wife and children to the Pure Land."
"And he indeed acted on that. He followed an Abyss Knight who recommended him to the Pure Land, undergoing the brutal trials to become an Abyss Knight."
"Then there was no news for several years. Later, word came that he had died in the trials of the Pure Land."
Helian Lingzhu took a long breath and continued: "His two daughters were both of mediocre talent, considered 'worthless' people who should be discarded. But with his outstanding strength and status, his clan naturally dared not mistreat his family. When he left for the Pure Land, our imperial clan and his clan both assured him countless times that they would do everything to protect his wife and daughters, so he need not worry."
"But when news of his death came..." Helian Lingzhu paused, speaking with great difficulty, "his two daughters lost their protection."
"What 'lost their protection' meant was that the imperial clan and his clan, who had made the promise, both mercilessly abandoned their protection of his daughters."
Extremely limited resources and harsh survival laws laid out nothing but the most brutal reality.
"Without protection, not long after, his two daughters died one after another from Abyssal Dust erosion."
"His wife, after losing her husband and both daughters, lost all will to live and took her own life."
These were no different from what Chi Wuyue had told Yun Che.
"And less than a month after his wife's death, he returned... as an Abyss Knight, wearing the armor bestowed by the Divine Officials of the Pure Land."
What happened afterward was easy to imagine.
"The name 'Beichen' was changed because of this. He willingly became a 'pioneer,' harboring a heart ready to die under great sorrow."
"So Mo Beichen took his anger out on your imperial father and injured him?" Yun Che asked.
Helian Lingzhu nodded, then quickly shook her head, saying bitterly, "With his noble status as an Abyss Knight, even if he had killed him, our Helian bloodline would have nothing to say."
The tragedy had long been set. Even now, mentioning it pained Helian Lingzhu deeply.
How noble was an Abyss Knight? The Helian Imperial Dynasty had never dared to hope to touch such a concept.
It should have been a divine light bestowed by heaven upon the Helian, a turning point in the fate of the Helian Dynasty.
But they had destroyed it with their own hands, turning a heavenly star into a calamitous light.
Yun Che looked at Mo Cangying, who had been silent all along: "Brother Mo also uses the surname 'Mo.' Is there some connection?"
"From the same clan." Mo Cangying's voice was devoid of emotion. "But the clan has already dissolved. There's no point in mentioning it!"
Yun Che smiled faintly: "If you want to be an eagle, do not chirp with the sparrows. Since Brother Mo named himself 'Cangying,' he must not be content to dwell among sparrows. As a member of the same clan, since it produced one Mo Beichen, there's no reason it cannot produce a second."
Mo Cangying's pupils shook slightly, and he gave Yun Che a deep look.
His name indeed came from the saying, "If you want to be an eagle, do not chirp with the sparrows."
And his ambition lay in the Pure Land.
These words dispelled the gloom from Helian Lingzhu's brow, and she smiled: "With those words, Ninth Senior Brother might consider you a kindred spirit."
"Hmph!" Mo Cangying snorted.
"I also believe that Ninth Senior Brother will one day become a second Mo Beichen... no, even more formidable than Mo Beichen."
Within the Helian Imperial City, there was no sandstorm, but it was still gray and hazy. Filling every space here, besides Abyssal Dust, was also dust and sand.
The buildings of the imperial city were all made of rock, their withered yellow light reflecting the majesty of the dynasty.
Only, that majesty carried a hint of weakness, as if lacking in confidence.
.