Chapter 885
The Li Family Ancestral Land Has Collapsed!
Zheng Yi lay on the stretcher, his black robe mostly torn open, revealing three layers of white cloth wrapped around his chest, each quickly soaking into a dark red. His breathing was barely perceptible, his chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly, only occasionally his Adam's apple bobbing slightly with a deep breath. The golden flames had long since died down, and he still gripped the broken sword tightly in his right hand, the dark red strip of cloth on the hilt soaked in blood and clinging to his fingers.
Shen Changyuan walked at the head of the stretcher, his white robe trailing on the ground, stained with mud and blood. His right hand remained pressed against Zheng Yi's lower abdomen, a wisp of bluish-white spiritual light seeping into it like a thin thread, maintaining that faint heartbeat. Behind the procession, twelve cave dwelling cultivators formed a semi-circle, each with a grim expression.
Master Kulian walked to the left front, his Azure Lotus Dharma Form long since withdrawn. He now held the stretcher in his hands, water droplets condensing from his palms and dripping onto the cloth strip on Zheng Yi's chest. The droplets dissolved instantly upon contact, yet carried a faint wood-elemental energy, attempting to nourish the almost parched body. His voice trembled, but he forced himself to remain calm: "My Pure Heart Jade Dew Pill… has only one left… Does anyone have a high-quality nurturing furnace? I need it now!"
Lady Bixiao followed closely on her right, her dark green dress torn in several places, revealing her forearms covered in scrapes. She held a short flute in one hand, and with the other, she pulled a small celadon bottle from her storage pouch. Three spirit-sealing talismans were affixed to the bottle's mouth. She gritted her teeth, tore off the talismans, and tilted the bottle. A drop of emerald green liquid hung in mid-air, emitting a strong, fresh herbal fragrance.
“This is the life-saving dew left by my husband, only three drops left…” Her voice trembled, “One drop to prolong life, one drop to strengthen the body, and one drop… can only keep his soul from dissipating for three days.”
Iron-Armed Marquis followed behind, his single arm gripping a black iron warhammer, its handle covered in bloody handprints. With each step he took, the warhammer left a long, bloody trail in the ground. He roared, "Who the hell has a Meridian-Regenerating Pill? I'll trade my life for it! Whoever has it, I'll give them my life!"
The Ghostly Old Man's figure appeared and disappeared intermittently. At this moment, he was pressed against the left side of the stretcher, his bone blade already retracted into his sleeve, while his hands were drawing talismans in the air, thin, eerie blue lines wrapping around Zheng Yi's severed meridians. His voice was gloomy, yet carried an unusual urgency: "My Soul-Locking Needles can temporarily seal the soul from dissipation... but it can only last for two hours... does anyone have a better method?"
Zhao Sanhuai, dragging his broken leg, limped along at the back, the scars on his face glistening with blood. He stared intently at the stretcher, his voice hoarse as sandpaper scraping against an iron plate: "Sir...you damn well can't die...if you die...who will settle the blood debt of the Zhao family?!"
Guo Tianyou walked on the right side of the stretcher, his armor chest soaked in blood. He held onto the edge of the stretcher with one hand, while the other gripped his longbow tightly, his knuckles white. His eyes were red, but he fought back tears and whispered to Shen Changyuan, "Senior... can Master... will he wake up again?"
Shen Changyuan didn't look at him; his gaze remained fixed on Zheng Yi's face, and his voice was low and deep:
"can."
"But to live well... is difficult."
The procession passed through the North Gate and entered the main street of the city.
The streets were already packed with people.
There were the Guo family members, young and old, wandering cultivators from the cave dwelling area, civilians who had crawled out of the ruins just a few days ago, women carrying children, and white-haired old men leaning on canes. They didn't make a sound, just silently watched the stretcher pass by. Some knelt down, some covered their mouths, and some silently shed tears.
An old man selling sesame cakes squeezed to the front, still clutching half a half-eaten cake in his hand. He shoved the cake into the hands of the Guo family members carrying the stretcher, his voice trembling, "For...for Mr. Dark Night...when he was defending the city last time...my husband said that when he stood on the city wall, he was like a mountain...we...we, the whole city, owe him..."
The young man carrying the stretcher choked up, took the sesame seed cake, and carefully placed it beside Zheng Yi.
A young woman holding a three-year-old child suddenly knelt down. The child cried in her arms, but she pressed the child's head down firmly and whispered, "Sir...you must get better...my child says that when he grows up, he wants to be like you...to be a hero..."
The procession passed through the ruins of the West Market.
What was once scorched earth has now been cleared into a passage, with newly laid blue bricks and freshly cut pine logs piled on both sides. The craftsmen stopped what they were doing and watched the stretcher pass by from afar. Some took off their straw hats, some put down their hammers, and some silently wiped their faces.
We've arrived at the city lord's mansion.
Under the ginkgo tree in the backyard, a thick medicinal mat had already been laid out, and twelve spirit-gathering lamps were lit around it. The wicks of the lamps were made of thousand-year-old agarwood, so they burned without smoke, only a very faint fragrance. The three best alchemists and two best medical practitioners in the manor were already waiting, holding medicine furnaces, silver needles, and jade bottles, their faces more and more grim than the last.
Shen Changyuan personally placed Zheng Yi on the medicinal mat.
Master Kulian immediately stepped forward, pressing his hands lightly against Zheng Yi's chest, and wisps of water vapor condensed into fine needles, which were then inserted into acupoints.
Lady Bixiao poured out all three drops of the Vitality Dew, one drop onto Zheng Yi's lips, one seeping into his brow, and the last drop directly onto his chest wound. The green liquid dissolved upon contact, yet it brought a faint flush of blood to the ashen skin on Zheng Yi's chest.
Iron-Armed Marquis stood on the outer perimeter, his one arm gripping the warhammer tightly, his knuckles white. He suddenly turned around and roared at the Guo family members who had followed him, "What are you standing there for?! Go and bring all the spiritual herbs you can find in the city! Anyone who dares to hide even one, I'll smash their ancestral grave!"
The Ghost Shadow Elder crouched beside Zheng Yi's head, the bone blade twirling between his fingertips, his voice chilling: "My Soul-Locking Needles... can only seal the soul from dissipating... but most of his meridians are shattered, and the cracks in his golden core have spread to his nascent soul... This kid... traded his life for Li Wuji's... and now his life hangs by a thread..."
Zhao Sanhuai collapsed to the ground, his broken leg dragging behind him, blood trickling down his trouser leg. Looking at Zheng Yi's pale face, he suddenly whispered, "Sir...you're not the kind of person who hides behind and gives orders...you always rush to the front...taking the heaviest burdens onto your shoulders..."
His voice choked, and he wiped his face, mixing blood and tears together.
“The Zhao family has 372 members… My life… should have been over long ago… You gave me a reason to live… If you… if you were gone… who the hell would I avenge myself with?!”
Guo Tianyou knelt on the other side of the stretcher, his hands pressed tightly against the ground, his nails digging into the cracks in the bluestone. He looked up at Shen Changyuan, his voice trembling, "Senior... is there any way... is there... even if it's just to let him live a few more days..."
Shen Changyuan remained silent.
He placed his right hand on Zheng Yi's forehead, and a bluish-white spiritual light continuously seeped into it.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice extremely low:
"Have."
"But the cost is high."
Everyone looked up at the same time.
Shen Changyuan looked at the twelve cave dwelling cultivators, then at Zhao Sanhuai and the Guo family members.
“I can use my half-step Tribulation Transcending cultivation to forcibly prolong his life... and transfer half of my origin to him.”
"But in that case... I will be unable to make any further progress for at least a hundred years... and may even... be stuck here."
Master Kulian suddenly looked up: "Senior...you..."
Shen Changyuan waved his hand.
"My life was saved by the opportunity he brought back from the Xuantian Sect."
"Today... I'll just return it to him."
Madam Bixiao suddenly spoke, her voice trembling: "It's not just you, senior."
She looked at the others: "Everyone... who is willing to lend a hand?"
Iron-Armed Marquis was the first to step forward, pounding his chest heavily with his one arm: "I should have died long ago! Senior, please transfer my essence, I'll give you my blood essence! I'll give you as much as you need!"
Ghost Shadow Old Man sneered, but took a step forward: "My Netherworld Ghost Qi... can suppress the chaotic remnants of Heavenly Gang power within his body... count me in."
Master Kulian sighed, and the illusory image of a green lotus reappeared in his palm: "Take my life force as well."
Lady Bixiao placed the short flute beside Zheng Yi: "The life-giving dew left by my husband... has been used up... but I still have a wisp of my own flute music... which can help him stabilize his soul."
The twelve cultivators stepped forward one after another.
Someone donated their sperm and blood.
Someone offered the original source.
Someone offered a magical artifact.
Someone offered a method of practice.
Zhao Sanhuai struggled to his feet, one leg dragging on the ground, leaving a long red trail of blood. He knelt before Zheng Yi, his voice choked with emotion:
"My lord... I have nothing of value... This life... you can take it if you want..."
Guo Tianyou suddenly stood up, walked to Shen Changyuan, and knelt down heavily.
“Senior…this junior is willing to exchange the entire Guo family fortune for your life.”
Shen Changyuan looked at him, then at the others.
Finally, he looked at Zheng Yi's face, which was so pale it was almost transparent.
"it is good."
"Tonight... let's get through this together."
Everyone acted at the same time.
Twelve different colored beams of light rose from the twelve people's bodies and converged in Shen Changyuan's palm.
Shen Changyuan took a deep breath.
He placed his right hand on Zheng Yi's chest.
The bluish-white spiritual light surged.
Like a small sun, it illuminated the entire backyard as bright as day.
The spiritual light seeped into Zheng Yi's body.
The severed meridians began to heal slowly.
The cracked golden elixir began to rotate again.
The fine cracks on the nascent soul gradually healed.
Zheng Yi's breathing... finally became more steady.
Everyone groaned in unison.
Someone had blood seeping from the corner of their mouth.
Some people turned pale.
Someone's knees buckled and they knelt down.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Shen Changyuan's forehead.
He spoke in a low voice, but everyone could hear him clearly:
"It's done."
"He... won't die."
The backyard fell silent.
Only the rustling of ginkgo leaves in the wind could be heard.
Zheng Yi's breathing returned to normal.
Zhao Sanhuai suddenly looked up at the night sky.
The moon had appeared sometime earlier.
It hangs coldly in the sky.
His voice was very low, but choked with sobs:
"My lord...look...the moon is out..."
"You...you must wake up..."
"We...we're still waiting for you to guide us...to settle the remaining accounts...one by one..."
In late autumn, the ginkgo forest at the foot of the northern mountain of Hongyun City was left with only bare branches. A gust of wind would carry away the last few withered yellow leaves, like a flock of weary birds unwilling to fall. The ginkgo leaves landed on the bluestone slabs in the backyard of the city lord's mansion, dampened by the morning dew, making a slightly sticky sound when stepped on. Under the old ginkgo tree in the center of the courtyard, a makeshift bamboo pergola had been erected, its roof covered with a thick layer of thatch. Four celadon lanterns hung from the four corners, their wicks burning very steadily, casting a small circle of orange-yellow light in the morning mist.
When Zheng Yi woke up, it was just dawn.
The first thing he felt was a heavy pressure on his chest, as if someone had stuffed a piece of red-hot iron into the gap between his ribs. When he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar bamboo roof, and a few rays of morning light shone through the gaps in the roof, illuminating the low table beside the bed. On the table was a bowl of still-steaming medicinal soup, with three bright green lotus leaves floating on the surface. The aroma of the medicine mixed with a faint smell of blood filled his nostrils.
He moved his fingers, his right hand still gripping the hilt of the broken sword. The dark red cloth strip on the hilt was soaked black with blood, and his fingers were stuck together, pulling painfully.
"……woke up?"
Shen Changyuan's voice came from the foot of the bed.
The old man, dressed in a plain white robe, sat on a bamboo chair, holding a yellowed ancient book in his hand, half-flipped. He looked up, his gaze falling on Zheng Yi's face. He first examined him, then breathed a sigh of relief, but his voice remained as cold as ever: "Don't move around. The crack in your golden core has just been sealed, and your meridians are only 30% reconnected. If you mess with him again, I won't have a second source of essence to replenish it for you."
Zheng Yi's throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed against his skin: "...How long has it been?"
“Three days and three nights.” Shen Changyuan closed the book, got up and walked to the bedside, pressing one hand on his lower abdomen. “Half of the Origin Transmission was completed. The twelve old guys each contributed 30% of their essence and blood. That girl Bixiao poured all the Life Dew left by her husband into it. Zhao Sanhuai almost extracted the bone marrow from his leg to make medicine… Your life was bought back with the lives of the entire city.”
Zheng Yi closed his eyes, and another dull pain shot through his chest.
He reopened his eyes, his voice soft: "How is things in the city...?"
Shen Changyuan chuckled: "What else could it be? It's even more tidy than before you fainted."
He walked to the window and pushed open the carved wooden window.
The morning light suddenly flooded in.
Outside the window was the backyard of the city lord's mansion, and further away, the newly renovated north gate city wall. The newly laid blue bricks gleamed faintly white in the sunlight, and several rows of Guo family members stood atop the wall, polishing their spears and shields. Below the city wall, the ruins of the West Market had been cleared away, replaced by neat wooden racks on which freshly dyed cloths hung to dry. The dye shop workers, shirtless, were shouting work chants. In the distance, towards the cluster of cave dwellings, spiritual energy swirled. New jade plaques bearing the inscription "Ten-Year Renewal" shimmered faintly in the morning light, adorned the entrances of all twelve cave dwellings.
Shen Changyuan had his back to him, his voice low:
"Half of the Li family's ancestral land collapsed, the Nine Nether Soul-Suppressing Tower broke in two, and the remaining clansmen scattered and fled for their lives. No one in or around the Blackwater River dared to take them in. The Han family, the Lu family, the Iron Sand Gang... they were all watching and waiting, and no one dared to make the first move. Hongyun City was unusually quiet for the past three days, like the deathly silence before a storm."
Zheng Yi listened, his gaze falling on the ginkgo tree outside the window.
Zhao Sanhuai was standing under the tree.
Zhao Sanhuai, with one leg in a splint and leaning on a thick wooden crutch, was talking to several members of the Guo family. He gestured as he spoke, the scars on his face gleaming in the morning light. When he got excited, he slapped the shoulder of the person next to him hard. The Guo family members listened intently; some nodded, some clenched their fists, and some had reddened eyes.
Zheng Yi's voice was extremely soft: "They...didn't disperse?"
Shen Changyuan turned around: "Disperse? They'd give their lives for you."
"Zhao Sanhuai hasn't slept for three days, guarding your bedside every day. Even when his leg injury became infected, he didn't utter a sound, saying he would be the first to kowtow to you when you woke up. Guo Tianyou reorganized the city guards, training them until midnight every day, shouting the slogan 'Defend the city for Master.' The twelve members of the Kulian Immortal sect emptied their cave dwellings to use as medicine stores. Madam Bixiao took out her treasured sound killing manual to teach the Guo family children, saying, 'When Master wakes up, we want him to see a city that can be fought.'"
Zheng Yi remained silent. (End of Chapter)