Chapter 78 – I Won’t Let You Die!

  Shen Ruolan woke with a gasp, her lungs burning as if she had been dragged out of water after nearly drowning. Dust and leaves swirled in the air around her, and her nose was filled with the coppery smell of blood.

  Pain ran through her limbs, but it was a dull sensation. It was remote and distant, threatening to come to the forefront if she moved.

  Oddly, she was warm, and her head was resting against a man’s chest. It was a chest that rose and fell slowly, with significant effort.

  Shen Ruolan lifted her head, and her eyes widened in shock.

  “Jun De!?”

  He was still beneath her, his arms wrapped tightly around her, although they felt like dead weight now and lacked any of their previous strength. His body was a ruin, his robes were soaked in blood, and his skin was torn from where the shockwave of Xun Beiming’s spear had collided with him.

  Jun De’s breathing came in faint, gurgling gasps, and his face was pale as a ghost and covered in streaks of red blood and black soil.

  Terror gripped her as an icy feeling filled her stomach.

  “No! No, no, no!”

  Shen Ruolan moved quickly, her hands shaking as she touched his face, then his chest. He was still breathing, and his heart was still beating. She had to keep telling herself that he was still alive, and he would be well again with treatment.

  “Hold on, Jun De. I will not let you die!” Shen Ruolan whispered. She fumbled through the storage bag at her waist, her hands slippery from the blood, before drawing out a small, jade bottle. She uncorked it and tipped a small, golden pill into her palm.

  It was a high-grade healing pill that was powerful enough to heal most injuries, and it could even stabilize a cultivator's Qi.

  She raised the pill to Jun De’s mouth, but soon realized that Jun De’s jaws were clenched shut from the pain.

  “I know you’re in pain, Jun De. But you must swallow this pill.” Shen Ruolan murmured.

  She pried open his mouth gently and slipped the pill past his lips. Then, without hesitation, she placed two fingers beneath his chin and channelled a trickle of her own Qi to force the pill down his throat.

  Moments passed, but nothing changed in Jun De’s physical condition.

  Then, finally, his body twitched and a shudder ran through him. His breathing quickened, and a faint flush of colour returned to his lips.

  Relief bloomed in her chest, but vanished once more the moment she looked over his body. His injuries were doing a bit better, but something was still wrong. High-grade medicine should have knitted his flesh and restored his health in moments, but it wasn’t working as it should have.

  Shen Ruolan focused on Jun De’s wounds and sent a thread of her Qi into his body, while her limited spiritual sense scanned him for hidden injuries.

  Her Qi met immediate resistance, and whatever relief she felt at Jun De’s momentary recovery vanished in an instant.

  Thick tendrils of dark Qi had wrapped around his Dantian, leeching into his meridians like poison vines. Jun De’s own Qi was attempting to fight it, and the two conflicting energies were rampaging through his body, destroying him from the inside.

  Shen Ruolan recoiled as if burned.

  “That spear…” She whispered. It hadn’t just been meant to impale them, but had implanted something as well. It had a lingering thread of demonic intent. Xun Beiming meant to kill them at any cost and inflict an Inner Demon on her grandfather.

  Her hands clenched into fists as anger and hatred surged through her. It felt as if her heart was going to break in half.

  “You protected me. It’s my fault that you’re going through this.” Shen Ruolan cried, and tears blurred her vision.

  She almost gave in to despair, but she regained her senses a moment later.

  “This is no time to fall apart. Jun De needs me!” Shen Ruolan said with renewed determination.

  Her fingers lit up with light, and her Qi glowed softly in the darkness. Slowly, steadily, she pushed it into Jun De’s body in an attempt to suppress the Demonic Qi. Jun De’s body shuddered, and the dark energy recoiled from her touch.

  The light from her Qi flickered weakly against Jun De’s chest, but it was like trying to dam a river with a piece of cloth. The pills she had forced down his throat had done all they could, but they were no longer having much effect.

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  Jun De’s skin had taken on a faint grey tinge, while his meridians had darkened as the demonic Qi twisted through him.

  Shen Ruolan’s face was pale with exhaustion, and her hair was matted to her cheeks with sweat. She hadn’t moved in hours as she kept guiding her Qi into his body. While she couldn’t do much, it was having enough of an effect that she knew she was the only thing keeping him alive.

  Far above them, the battle continued to rage. Lightning carved through the sky, and swordlight clashed with blood-coloured spiritual energies. But Shen Ruolan ignored it all. Her world consisted only of Jun De.

  “Stay with me, Jun De. Please, just stay.” She whispered, and her voice was hoarse and shaky.

  Soon, the night began to recede and the first rays of sunlight crested the horizon. The suffocating, dreadful presence of Xun Beiming began to flee, along with all the other Demonic Cultivators.

  The battle was over.

  Footsteps soon landed nearby as a figure descended from the sky and hurried toward them. Elder Mu Yanyu’s robes fluttered in the early breeze, and her expression was full of concern and worry as she stared at Jun De.

  Shen Ruolan was shocked to see the Vice Sect Master's face, which was normally so composed, fracture. Mu Yanyu rushed forward and knelt at Jun De’s side immediately, while her hand stretched out and rested on his forehead.

  “Don’t! Please, I’m keeping the demonic Qi at bay. I can’t stop now.” Shen Ruolan hissed, and she moved closer to Jun De, protecting him with her body.

  Elder Mu’s eyes flicked to her.

  “He is my responsibility.” Mu Yanyu said firmly, but Shen Ruolan shook her head.

  “I don’t care. He protected me, and I will take care of him.”

  Elder Mu’s gaze sharpened, and she frowned. Without another word, she flicked her sleeve and a gentle wave of power expanded outward from her. Shen Ruolan felt herself being enveloped in a calm, but irresistible field of Qi.

  The world around them lurched as they swiftly rose into the sky, borne aloft by Mu Yanyu’s power. After a short flight, they arrived at the Tranquil Mountain Sect’s Flying Vessel.

  Mu Yanyu landed lightly on the deck, still holding Jun De aloft with her Qi but freeing Shen Ruolan.

  “He will need medicine.” Mu Yanyu said, issuing commands to the healers standing nearby. Jun De was soon carried to a private chamber within the ship, where he lay atop a bed inscribed with healing inscriptions. Dark veins of demonic Qi twisted across his arms and neck as the foreign spiritual energy rampaged.

  Elder Mu stood with her arms folded, surrounded by several other Elders. The entire chamber was silent save for the laboured breathing of Jun De.

  “I have tried severing the Qi directly, but it recoils and burrows deeper. It acts like a parasite that is protecting its host. If we use force, his meridians will rupture.” One of the Elders said, her expression solemn as she looked down at Jun De.

  “This demonic Qi is imbued with killing intent. Xun Beiming did not intend for him to survive.” Another added.

  “He was targeting me. Jun De did everything he could to protect me.” Shen Ruolan said softly, and her mother wrapped her arm around her.

  Shen Ruolan’s parents, along with many others from the City Lord’s ship, had managed to board after the battle.

  “He wished to cause Han Zhengwu grief in order to distract him, and possibly form an Inner Demon.” Elder Mu finished grimly.

  Mu Yanyu stood slightly apart from the others, her eyes fixed on Jun De. Her expression had regained some of its composure, but anyone who knew her well could see a flicker of emotion that threatened to break free.

  Shen Roulan watched Jun De with red-rimmed eyes, and her despair was nearly overwhelming.

  “Is there no way to save him?” Shen Ruolan whispered.

  Mu Yanyu hesitated before nodding.

  “There is, but I will require privacy. Clear the chamber. No one is to re-enter without my permission.” Mu Yanyu commanded, and the others immediately stood up and bowed, ready to leave.

  A long silence passed, and Shen Ruolan was conflicted. On one hand, she never wanted to leave Jun De’s side, especially when he was in this state. But, on the other hand, she would do anything to see him live.

  Finally, Shen Ruolan nodded and gave Jun De one last look. She stepped toward the door, pausing at the threshold.

  “Don’t you dare leave me, Jun De.” She threatened, before leaving.

  The door sealed with a soft hum, and the protective array prevented all entry and blocked external eavesdropping.

  Mu Yanyu stood still for a moment, alone in the quiet chamber, as she stared at Jun De. Eventually, she walked toward him and knelt at his side. Her hands brushed the matted hair from his forehead.

  Her heart twisted at the sight of him lying injured in front of her.

  ‘He looks so unlike himself. Where is the calm, handsome young man with the unshakable will? I should never have put you in this situation. You should stay in safety, Jun De, cultivating in peace at the Sect. This world is too harsh for someone as gentle and kind as you.’ Mu Yanyu thought sadly.

  Seeing like this shattered something in her.

  Mu Yanyu placed her palm against his forehead and gathered her Qi. Pale blue light pooled in her hand, and she pressed the Qi into his skin.

  When she placed a hand on his forehead and gathered her Qi, Jun De flinched immediately. His entire body spasmed beneath her palm. The Demonic Qi inside him roared in protest, snarling like a beast in a cage.

  Her breath caught in her throat. No purification technique or spiritual suppression she was aware of could expel this demonic Qi. Xun Beiming’s killing intent was too strong. The Sect Master may have known a method to treat Jun De, but he was too far away, and Jun De wouldn’t survive the journey back to the Sect.

  There was only one other way that she knew of. Jun De’s own Qi seemed to be effective against the Demonic energy, but it was too weak to fight it. She would need to strengthen it by forcing her own Qi to merge with his.

  It would require Dual Cultivation.

  It was the only method she could think of that could make her Qi willingly merge with his. It was an intimate technique normally reserved for Dao Companions. She had only seen mentions of it in the Sect’s library of techniques, but she had never experienced it herself.

  She had heard that it could be pleasurable, but was mostly practiced because it was mutually beneficial. If used by equals, both partners would experience an increase in their cultivation. If it were practiced by someone significantly stronger….

  Mu Yanyu couldn’t think of any other way.

  Her breath trembled as she withdrew her hand. She closed her eyes, steadying herself.

  “I will not let you die, Jun De. Forgive me for forcing this decision upon you, but there is no other way.”

  Then, with great care, Mu Yanyu gently pressed her lips against Jun De’s and allowed her Qi to begin merging with his.