Chapter 27: I Offer My Blood for the Lady
The reason he thought this way was because Chen Changsheng had come up with a method that might save her.
The Three Thousand Daoist Scriptures made no mention of this method, nor were there any records in medical texts. This method had never been used by anyone; it sounded absurd and had no logical basis. Yet he felt an increasingly strong conviction that this method might work. If his conjecture was true, then just as Xu Yourong had said earlier... if he didn't want someone to die, it would be very hard for them to die.
But it might not necessarily be effective, and his senior brother would certainly not agree.
He didn't think for long. Looking at Xu Yourong seriously, he said, "I'm going to use a method shortly. I'm telling you in advance so you won't be too surprised when it happens."
Seeing the clarity in his eyes, Xu Yourong also became serious. "What method?"
She wasn't afraid of death, which was why she could remain so calm earlier. Yet when hope suddenly appeared in the midst of despair, anyone would experience some emotional fluctuation. This couldn't be treated lightly; caution was necessary.
"Do you know how to treat a dead horse?" Chen Changsheng asked her with a smile.
This was a well-known proverb. She thought he was using it here to make a joke. Looking at him helplessly, she thought to herself, I've told you many times along the way that you have no talent for humor, why do you insist on tormenting yourself?
"You can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive. If you have no blood, then I'll give you blood."
Chen Changsheng began rolling up his sleeves. Halfway through, he found the bunched-up fabric at his cuffs troublesome, so he simply took off his clothes.
Many days ago, because Xu Yourong was afraid of the cold, his outer robe had been draped over her the entire time, leaving him only in his undergarments, which were easy to remove. Soon he had stripped off his clothes, gripped the short sword, and prepared to cut into his wrist.
A hand grasped his left wrist, blocking the path of the short sword's blade.
"You... want to give me your blood?"
She stared into his eyes and said very seriously, "Although I never told you that my bloodline is different from ordinary people's, you should know that the blood of those demonic beasts along the way was useless for me. Why bother trying again?"
Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, "It's precisely this kind of habitual thinking that made me forget some things."
"What things?" she asked.
Chen Changsheng said, "I am not a demonic beast, and my blood is not the blood of a demonic beast."
Xu Yourong's lips curled slightly—a faintly mocking smile. She wasn't mocking Chen Changsheng's wishful thinking, but mocking herself. The Heavenly Phoenix True Blood flowing through her veins was the source of all her power and glory. Yet when she lost that true blood, she realized that the Heavenly Phoenix True Blood had transformed from her pride into the cause of her death.
Chen Changsheng's blood was naturally different from demonic beast blood, but how could ordinary human blood replace Heavenly Phoenix True Blood?
A startled cry rang out in the tomb.
Chen Changsheng ignored her wishes. He directly moved her hand aside and slashed the short sword across his wrist.
In the frozen world beneath the North New Bridge well, he had bathed in dragon blood, a purification more perfect than the most flawless marrow cleansing. From then on, he possessed unimaginable strength and speed, as well as an even more unimaginable physical toughness. It was because of these that he could continuously defeat so many young prodigies in the Grand Examination, ultimately claiming the top rank.
If it were an ordinary weapon, even some divine weapons on the Hundred Weapons List, it would be difficult for him to cut his own skin. During the ambush by the lakeside, those two powerful demon beauties had nearly shattered his internal organs, yet they couldn't leave a single wound on his body's surface—this was the reason.
But the short sword in his hand could.
This short sword was a gift from his senior brother, Yu Ren, when he left the old temple in Xining Town. It looked exceptionally ordinary and common, unknown throughout the world, and not even listed on the Hundred Weapons List. Yet Chen Changsheng had never seen a sharper sword. Neither Tang Thirty-Six's Wenshui Sword nor Qi Jian's Lishan Dharma Sword could compare to it.
With a soft hiss, a straight red line appeared on his wrist. Then the line expanded to both sides at a visible speed, and blood surged from the wound, about to drip down.
He had already placed the scabbard beneath it.
Silently, his blood slowly flowed into the scabbard.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Xu Yourong was angry, angry because he wouldn't listen to her, because he was so stubborn.
Then, she caught a faint fragrance.
It was a very peculiar fragrance, lighter than the faintest floral scent, yet richer than the most intense perfume.
Once this fragrance was detected, it underwent countless changes—sometimes strong, sometimes faint, sometimes clear, sometimes rich.
Sometimes it smelled like flowers, sometimes like honey, sometimes like newly formed fruit in a garden, still green but already carrying a scent.
What was this smell?
She looked at Chen Changsheng's wrist and determined that this fragrance came from his blood.
Chen Changsheng's blood flowed more and more, and the fragrance grew stronger and stronger.
As time passed, she sensed more.
It was the most wicked temptation, yet also the purest sweetness.
The most ancient, yet the freshest.
Utterly exquisite.
It was an incredibly complex and vivid life force.
It was an unimaginably powerful vitality.
Xu Yourong stared at Chen Changsheng, too shocked to speak. Even Zhou Dufu's tomb hadn't given her such a profound shock... What kind of blood is this? Who exactly are you? Are you... human?
Thinking these thoughts, she fell into a deep sleep.
It wasn't that seeing this scene or smelling this blood caused her to suffer a mental shock, but because Chen Changsheng had silently inserted a golden needle into her Hegu acupoint beforehand.
He had explained to her what method he would use to save her, just to inform her of the matter. It didn't mean he needed her to watch him do it. To keep her in a calm state of mind, making her fall asleep was the best choice. At the same time, this ensured she wouldn't disturb the process—after all, every drop of his blood was precious.
Most crucially, he didn't know how she would react after smelling the scent of his blood.
Time passed slowly. The blood at his wrist gradually coagulated, and the wound slowly closed. He had never done this before and didn't know if the blood in the scabbard was enough. To be safe, he unhesitatingly picked up the short sword, reopened the wound, and even cut deeper... It hurt a bit, but it was still within the tolerable range.
This was repeated four times.
Blood continuously flowed from his wrist into the scabbard.
After a long time, he thought, this should be enough, right?
Suddenly, the scene before his eyes became somewhat blurry.
Was he afraid of blood? Why hadn't he noticed this before? After a moment, he sobered up a bit and realized it wasn't a fear of blood, nor was it hunger. The reason was that he had lost too much blood.
The next thing to do was to inject this blood into the young girl's body.
He tightly bound the wound on his wrist with a strip of cloth, ensuring it wouldn't affect his movements or let any more blood leak out. Then he walked over to Xu Yourong's side, unfastened the front of her clothes, revealing her fair neck and smooth shoulders. His left fingers gently stroked her skin, while his right hand held the short sword, slowly following along.
A faint vibration, no longer clear or strong, exceptionally weak, traveled from her skin to his fingertips.
Right here.
He held the short sword, pressed it against that spot with slight force, and thrust it in.
(I've been out of town these past few days, but I've managed to keep up two updates a day. I have to thank everyone for their encouragement. Also, the chapter title is nice.)