Chapter 92: Let Me Fight a Battle for You (Part 2)
"What is it?" Xu Yourong did not raise her head, nor did she even blink.
"Someone is trying to force their way in." Ye Xiaolian said uneasily, "It's... someone from the National Teaching Academy."
Xu Yourong knew very well that the only one who would dare to break through the Nanxi Zhai sword formation to see Chen Changsheng was Zhe Xiu. She replied expressionlessly, "Break his leg."
Ye Xiaolian asked, "What about the two Archbishops?"
She was referring to Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai. As leaders of the national religion, even Nanxi Zhai had to show them sufficient respect.
Xu Yourong said nothing, because she had already finished giving her instructions.
She simply gazed quietly at Chen Changsheng on the couch.
Ye Xiaolian stood outside the threshold, watching that beautiful figure in the distance, her mood somewhat peculiar.
She had considerable talent and had entered Cijian Temple to cultivate at a very young age.
Cijian Temple was very close to the sword training ground of Lishan, and when she was young, she often saw Qiushan Jun practicing his sword there. Like all the girls, she naturally became a devoted follower of Qiushan Jun. That was why later, on the sacred path of the Li Palace in the capital, she had spoken rudely to Chen Changsheng, only to be miserably scolded into tears by Tang Thirty-Six.
Then many things happened. She went to the Zhou Garden, and the object of her worship and admiration... gained another person named Chen Changsheng.
Perhaps for this reason, she had always harbored a faint jealousy toward Xu Yourong, but the gap between them was too vast, and there was no way to voice it.
In the spring after the Grand Examination ended that year, she left Cijian Temple for Nanxi Zhai, and she would certainly never show such emotions in front of Xu Yourong. As time passed, the jealousy buried deep in her heart had long since vanished without a trace. In the end, even the objects of her worship and admiration had shifted from Qiushan Jun and Chen Changsheng to Xu Yourong.
Just like the commoners in the capital and the senior sisters of Nanxi Zhai back then.
At this moment, watching Xu Yourong sitting by the couch, she felt she seemed incredibly noble.
If Mo Yu were present, hearing Xu Yourong's words and seeing her figure at this moment, she would surely think she was becoming more and more like Her Holiness the Empress.
Not long after Ye Xiaolian left, the area outside the building gradually grew quiet.
Xu Yourong quietly watched Chen Changsheng, noticing that he kept furrowing his brow. It seemed that even in his coma, he could feel the endless pain.
Her medical skills could not compare to Chen Changsheng's, but they were still quite good. Holding Chen Changsheng's hand for so long, silently sensing his pulse, she had long since concluded that the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man's judgment was correct.
All his meridians were severed. How could he be treated?
She turned her head to look out the window at the pitch-black night. Seeing no stars, she realized there were clouds tonight.
After confirming that no one was spying on the building from outside, she turned back and reached out to undo Chen Changsheng's clothes.
The tattered Daoist robe was thrown to the ground, and his undergarments were also removed.
Throughout the entire process, her fingers were steady, her movements decisive, without any hesitation. Her clear, beautiful, and slightly pale face showed not a trace of shyness.
Chen Changsheng's skin was very smooth, like a baby's skin, delicate enough to be broken by a breath. It indicated that he had undergone the most perfect marrow cleansing. Even after such a fierce battle and such severe internal injuries, his surface showed no problems—not even the tiniest wound. It looked like the colored porcelain popular in the Snow Old City, coated with a faint layer of pink.
Such skin might be the dream of every young girl, but Xu Yourong's expression was exceptionally grave.
Because that layer of pink was not due to tenderness; it indicated that blood was seeping beneath Chen Changsheng's skin.
The blood overflowing from his severed meridians was slowly permeating through his body, ready at any moment to stain the surface of his skin or flow from his eyes, mouth, and nose.
That blood was not ordinary blood; it was his true blood. Every drop contained his divine soul.
Xu Yourong thought of what Chen Changsheng had said to her in the Zhou Mausoleum, and her expression grew even more solemn, her face even paler. A hint of anxiety finally appeared in her clear, bright eyes.
This was the thing Chen Changsheng feared most in his life, and it was also what she feared most now.
Earlier, she had deliberately exposed the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man's intentions, even risking a direct confrontation, just to force him to leave the building.
Back in the capital, Chen Changsheng had told her that the blood he now shed no longer had the taste he feared most, but clearly, the situation had changed.
Or perhaps it was the moment he broke through his realm, drawing in countless starlight to fill his body.
Xu Yourong could not be sure if her deductions and calculations were correct, but she could not take risks. She could not let the blood inside Chen Changsheng's body flow out.
A clear light, carrying a sacred meaning, fell from her palm and covered Chen Changsheng's body.
The Heavenly Mechanism Old Man had warned her that with Chen Changsheng's meridians completely severed, any power—even the entry of holy light—would only place a greater burden on him and worsen his injuries.
Yet she still unhesitatingly used the Holy Light Technique, not because she completely disbelieved the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man, but because this holy light was somewhat different.
The clear light landed on the surface of Chen Changsheng's body but did not enter it. Instead, it remained extremely close to his skin, at a distance less than a tenth of a hair's breadth.
Xu Yourong's palm moved slowly, and the clear light followed, gradually wrapping around the surface of Chen Changsheng's body without any omissions.
Such a technique required extremely strong control, an exceptionally calm, stable, and powerful divine sense. Few people in the world could accomplish it.
Xu Yourong's Dao heart was clear and bright. After performing this Holy Light Technique, her face turned several shades paler.
The faint pink on the surface of Chen Changsheng's body, after being wrapped by that extremely thin layer of holy light, became even fainter.
Even if the scent of his true blood seeped out through his pores, it would be perfectly blocked by the holy light.
Confirming that this problem was temporarily resolved, Xu Yourong's expression finally relaxed a little.
A lake breeze blew in from the window, tousling the hair at her temples. Stuck to her pink cheeks by fragrant sweat, it looked very beautiful.
The lake breeze swept through the cold mountains. The clouds in the night sky suddenly scattered for a moment. Silver light fell, and the pine forest surged like a silver sea, very beautiful.
The beasts in the mountain forest, whether they smelled something or were startled by the sudden fall of starlight, roared at the star-filled sky with restless unease.
Deep within the silver sea-like pine forest, a rustling sound arose.
Thick leaves covered most of the creature's body, but the exposed lines were extremely graceful, and under the starlight, they shimmered with silver, appearing exceptionally sacred.
An eye appeared among the dense leaves, full of intelligence and tranquility. But when it looked toward the small building by the lakeshore at the foot of the mountain, a few traces of confusion emerged.
It had clearly smelled something earlier, so it had come from a thousand li away, ignoring those detestable upright monkeys by the lake. Why... was that scent gone now?
No one knew how much time passed. It gave up, turned, and walked deeper into the surging pine forest, using the trees to conceal all traces of its presence and body.
Under the full starry sky, only a silver horn could be seen flickering in and out of sight among the leaves.
The beasts in the cold mountains, driven by an inexplicable restlessness, roared at the starry sky.
The fish in the Heavenly Lake also became inexplicably excited, swimming ceaselessly in the water by the building.
Hundreds of small black fish surrounded the fruit pit in the shallow water and fine sand, pecking at it incessantly, as if kissing it, pushing the pit farther and farther away, until it reached the depths of the lake and was seen no more.
Xu Yourong took a cloth pouch from her sleeve, picked out a candied date, and put it in her mouth, just holding it.
It was very sweet.
Sugar, at times like this, could help calm the mind and settle the spirit. Besides, she liked sweets. The first time she was taken to Saintess Peak, she was very young. Her saintess teacher asked her how to maintain a single-minded Dao heart. Looking at the dried fruit box on the table behind her teacher, she twisted her little body and said shyly, "Only with candied dates."
Thinking of her childhood, she held the candied date and smiled happily.
Then she remembered that a few nights ago, she had sat shoulder to shoulder with Chen Changsheng by the lakeshore, also eating candied dates. But how could she maintain a single-minded Dao heart then... Her heart was slightly flustered.
Still, it was very sweet.
She looked at Chen Changsheng on the couch, thinking that although he wasn't as handsome as her senior brother, he was still quite good-looking. He was worth looking at, and he grew on you.
In his sleep, Chen Changsheng still kept his lips tightly pressed together and his brow furrowed, as if in great pain.
Xu Yourong reached out and rubbed the space between his brows. Then, her fingertip landed on his lips, touching them lightly like a dragonfly before pulling back.
"I won't let you die," she said, looking at him.
Because she was holding a candied date in her mouth, her voice was somewhat unclear, yet also very clear.
Blocking the scent of Chen Changsheng's blood only solved the first problem. Next, she had to deal with a more troublesome issue.
If Chen Changsheng continued to bleed like this, even if the blood scattered among his internal organs, he would still die from excessive blood loss.
How to stop his bleeding was a very troublesome problem, because he could not withstand the Holy Light Technique now.
And even if the bleeding stopped, how to replenish his blood was also a very troublesome problem, because he had clearly lost too much blood already, and it was impossible to rely on his body's own blood-producing mechanism.
For anyone else, this problem would be unsolvable. As the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man had said, and as Guan Bai's sword strike had subtly implied, the Heavenly Dao cannot be defied.
Was the Heavenly Dao truly undefiable?
Xu Yourong was going to fight a battle with the Heavenly Dao, just as she had blocked that sword strike for him.
She had confidence.
Because when he had saved her back then, he had also taught her.
She took out the Tong Bow and lightly drew her right index finger across her left wrist.
A trail of blood appeared on her jade-like wrist, then gradually expanded, spilling more and more blood.
The True Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix ignited upon meeting the wind, scattering countless rays of light, illuminating her brows and eyes with extreme clarity, beautiful beyond compare.
...
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(This chapter is good. I really like the romance.)