Chapter 38: Hm . . . |
[August 4, 2019]
. . .
He understood the importance of apprehending the mastermind, and he knew Shěn Lí wanted him to give chase as it would help prove the Demon realm’s innocence, and yet . . .
He couldn’t walk away.
His grip unconsciously tightened as he stared at the pale face of the woman in his arms. She never painted her lips red or lived her life like other women. She was strong and never hid behind anyone’s back. She was much like the red-tasseled silver spear she wielded, forceful and unyielding.
As she said, there was no Xíng Zhǐ before, no one who could protect her. She was used to relying only on herself, to fighting alone, to guarding and bearing the burden of the Demon realm.
To see such a formidable woman in such a weakened state was both strange and distressing. She was like a cat that liked to reach out and lazily scratch at his heart with her claws. By the time he noticed her lazy scratches, it was too late, and the scratches had become painful and itchy. The feeling was hard to describe.
“This person . . . so troublesome.” The four words drifted from his lips into the empty room. He remained where he was, cradling Shěn Lí against is chest.
. . .Jǐng Xī carried the unused medicine box as she followed Fú Róng around the exterior of the temple. He had allowed her to be his personal attendant.
At her call, he turned around with a bright smile on his face. He asked, “Tired sweetie? Want to rest?”
Jǐng Xī wanted to hand the medicine box to Fú Róng. “Great immortal, I very much want to help, but I’m afraid I might accidentally change into my true form . . .”
“That won’t happen.” Fú Róng replied, still beaming as he circled around her. “This lord’s power has imprinted on your body! It is absolutely impossible for your form to shift.”
Saying as much he opened up a broken fan and teasingly toyed with Jǐng Xī by puffing a bit of wind at her legs. It was an ambiguously playful motion that was suggestively flirty.
Jǐng Xī blushed in embarrassment and took two steps back.
Fú Róng wore a carefree smile as he advanced one step toward his target, his fan still open.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jǐng Yán wedged himself in between them with a black sword pointed at Fú Róng’s chest. This made Fú Róng take two steps back.
“Great Immortal Lord Fú Róng, please conduct yourself appropriately.” Jǐng Yán only said the single sentence before grabbing the medicine box in Jǐng Xī’s hand and hurling it to the ground. Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the temple.
Fú Róng’s face turned green. “Ah! So you would let your lover touch you like that ha?”
The words stunned Jǐng Xī. She looked at Jǐng Yán only to see him barely turn his head to the side. In a cold voice he said, “I and Little Jǐng Xī have no such feelings for one another. I ask that Great Immortal not slander Little Jǐng Xī’s good name.” He tugged at Jǐng Xī’s hand to pull her back, but she refused to move. He was incredibly annoyed as he looked at her. “What are you still standing there for? Do you want to stay here and be taken advantage of?”
Jǐng Xī tucked her head down, feeling the reprimand was unfair. “You’re being too fierce.”
Jǐng Yán furrowed his brow. He was about to speak when a clamor by the temple gates caught his attention. He saw a white billowy figure hurriedly carrying a bloody figure into the temple. The man’s voice was low but it resonated loud and clear. “Where is Lord Fú Róng?”
Fú Róng also noticed the scene. He immediately became respectful and hurriedly followed behind Xíng Zhǐ into the temple. “What happened?”
Jǐng Xī was also curious. She craned her neck to see what was going on.
Jǐng Yán watched as Jǐng Xī followed Fú Róng with her eyes. It made him unhappy so he moved his body in front of her to block her view. “Do you want others to take advantage of you?”
“Great Immortal Lord Fú Róng is a good person . . .”
Jǐng Yán’s face turned extremely ugly. “Shut up.”
Jǐng Xī mumbled to herself, “I didn’t do anything wrong . . . why are you so unhappy? You’re being so hard on me for no good reason. You should just go back and take care of that other person.”
Jǐng Yán shot Jǐng Xī an uncomfortable glance. “Little Jǐng Xī . . . I do have my reasons.”
Jǐng Xī turned her head away. “Whatever Brother Yán does is right. There’s always a reason, and I’m always wrong.” She quickly walked away after saying her piece, leaving Jǐng Yán to stare blankly after her.
Meanwhile inside the temple, Fú Róng was staring at the blood covered Shěn Lí in shock. “How? How can she be so injured?”
Instead of answering, Xíng Zhǐ carefully laid Shěn Lí on the ground. Then he held her right wrist, listening to her pulse. “Hold her left wrist and perform the divine purification spell.”
Fú Róng didn’t dare be slow. He immediately complied and held Shěn Lí’s left hand. He was shocked the moment he touched her skin. Her body temperature was perilously low. On top of that there was something indescribable rushing around inside her body mixing with her blood. He couldn’t tell if it was poison or some kind of spell. He muttered apprehensively, “It was only a while ago that you left. How did this happen? It may be better to wait and confer with someone better versed in this matter.”
“She doesn’t trust your people.” Xíng Zhǐ spoke softly. He knew Shěn Lí wouldn’t trust Fú Róng or anyone from the Immortal realm. Had her injury not been so severe, he knew she would have chased after the mastermind with a tenacious stubbornness.
Fú Róng ground his teeth. Even though the divine purification spell was already initiated, he couldn’t help but grumble. “This guy is not the least bit feminine. She’s not loveable. I have no sweet feelings for her at all. Is there anyone who would dare marry and take such a crazed warrior woman home?!”
Xíng Zhǐ glanced up at Fú Róng. His words left a sour mark in Xíng Zhǐ’s heart. He had bestowed the marriage as a gift after all. He curled his lips as he tilted his head down to look at Shěn Lí.
In the quiet of the temple Fú Róng thought he heard someone softly say, “There is.” He stared up at Xíng Zhǐ confused, but Xíng Zhǐ’s expression was the same benign one he always wore. The other didn’t dodge his gaze so Fú Róng wondered if he misheard, after all, Xíng Zhǐ was an unfeeling god that even his sister, Luò Tiān, couldn’t tempt. How could someone like that have any feelings of tenderness toward a woman as masculine as Shěn Lí?
Shěn Lí’s injury was more serious than Fú Róng initially thought. It took them all afternoon just to stop the bleeding and bring some color back to her skin so she wouldn’t look like she was knocking on death’s door.
Fú Róng relaxed as things improved. He asked, “High God, what kind of monster had the ability to injure the Azure Sky king like this?” as he directed the qi in Shěn Lí’s body.
Fú Róng’s impression of the king was that of a bloody monstrous general that no one could take down. It really shocked him to see her in such a vulnerable state.
“This matter with the immortals may be more complicated than expected . . .” Xíng Zhǐ muttered. “The mastermind behind it all is still loose. Furthermore, I don’t know if there are any other conspiracies. Shěn Lí is severely poisoned. It’s not a good idea for her to return to the Demon realm in her current condition. The best course of action is to rest for tonight. Early tomorrow morning you should go to the Demon realm and tell the emperor about the situation so he can mentally prepare himself. After that, you must return to the Immortal realm. This is a grave matter so you should not delay.”
Fú Róng blinked. “Me? Go?” He was somewhat unwilling. “It was with great difficulty that we resolved the matter with Yáng Zhōu . But . . . I didn’t have any time to play . . .”
Xíng Zhǐ looked Fú Róng in the eyes. With a smile he said, “Your Lordship wishes to have some fun? Would you like me to call forth two divine creatures for you to play with?”
Divine creatures from beyond the Celestial realm were not to be trifled with; people – even immortals – couldn’t handle them, much less survive “playing” with them.
Fú Róng quickly nodded his head. “I will leave tomorrow, however there are still many in Yáng Zhōu who have inhaled the miasma. What should be done about them?”
“I have already cut off the miasma’s origin. The four cardinal seals have also been restored to their proper state.[notes] The miasma will eventually peter out on its own. As for those sick patients, I have a solution.” Xíng Zhǐ checked on Shěn Lí’s complexion before continuing. “There is no other issue here to resolve. Go and prepare to leave early tomorrow morning.”
Fú Róng curled his lips unhappily. He turned away and left looking for Jǐng Xī. The sound of his voice drifted inside as he called for her.
. . .“Catch,” Shěn Lí whispered. She opened her eyes with difficulty. She was awake and coherent.
Xíng Zhǐ raised her up and held her against his shoulder so she would be more comfortable. “Are you hurting anywhere?”
Shěn Lí tugged at Xíng Zhǐ’s clothes. “Fú Shēng, did you capture him?”
“Fú Shēng?”
“The one that burned Xíng Yún’s yard that year.” Shěn Lí clenched her teeth. “I hadn’t noticed anything amiss at the time, but the events of that night were too well orchestrated. That time we went to Prince Ruì’s manor and Xiǎo Hé[notes] found out about the secret he was keeping from her, there was demonic aura in the air, but I had ignored it. It never occurred to me . . .”
At the time, Shěn Lí had felt a faint demonic aura, but dismissed it thinking that it was coming from those sent by the emperor to retrieve her.
“Now he’s even kidnapped the land gods and turned them into strange beasts. Just shameful! I don’t know how a nobody bastard like him got the audacity to use magic to commit such evil deeds, but when I catch him . . .”
Xíng Zhǐ looked thoughtful. He didn’t know what he was feeling. He patted her back and said, “First heal your wound. Everything comes later.”
Shěn Lí slowly let out a breath. It was an automatic reaction to being held by his side. The realization that she was so relaxed in his presence made her uneasy so she tried to twist her body away. “It’s better if I lie down.”
Xíng Zhǐ acted like he didn’t hear and instead moved cold air from his hand into her body. Shěn Lí assumed he was healing her so she obediently remained in his embrace and stopped trying to twist away.
“Is the poison in my body hard to purge?”
“It is somewhat difficult.” Although his words were worrisome, his voice was light and relaxed, so Shěn Lí wasn’t worried, instead she asked. “When can we return to the Demon realm?”
“In time,” Xíng Zhǐ answered absentmindedly. His voice was faint as he spoke. “Wait until I reduce the miasma concentration further and after I teach the people here how to dispel the residue.”
. . .That night, Fú Róng dismantled the barrier around the temple after the miasma stopped flowing. He took Jǐng Xī to sit on the rooftop. “Do you want to see the stars?”
Jǐng Xī blinked her large, hopeful eyes at him. “Is that possible?”
Fú Róng smiled. “If you want to see them, I can show you.” So saying he waved his hand, and a cool breeze blew across the sky. The sheet of miasma hanging above Jǐng Xī’s head disappeared to reveal a clean crisp sky dotted with stars.
Jǐng Xī gasped in admiration. “They really appeared! How pretty!”
Fú Róng gazed at Jǐng Xī affectionately. “In my eyes, you are as beautiful as the stars.”
Jǐng Xī turned to stare blankly at Fú Róng. He held her gaze as his lips slowly descended on hers.
“Jǐng Xī!” A loud voice clearly filled with anger yelled out Jǐng Xī’s name nearly breaking her ear drums.
Jǐng Xī turned to the source of the voice at once. She could see Jǐng Yán standing below them. Fú Róng shouted angrily down to Jǐng Yán before she could say anything.
“You again?!”
Jǐng Yán’s eyes were like sharp arrows stabbing straight into Fú Róng’s body. Fú Róng was the kind of person who took advantage of the weak but was afraid of those stronger than himself. He knew Jǐng Yán could kill him, but he also knew Jǐng Yán couldn’t act on that desire. In the current situation all Jǐng Yán could do was try to kill Fú Róng with his fierce glare.
“He’s always like that. Don’t pay him any mind.” Fú Róng said as he took Jǐng Xī’s hand in his.
Jǐng Xī drew back and pulled her hand out of his grasp. “I . . . I should go down.”
Fú Róng moved closer and whispered in her ear. “I know you like him, but right now he has another woman. How terrible is that? If you don’t let him be a little jealous, a little nervous, you’re going to always be in the palm of his hands.” Fú Róng smiled at Jǐng Xī with a twinkle in his eyes. “Isn’t this lord a master of love? Believe in me.”
Jǐng Xī stared like a hopeful fool at Fú Róng. “Great immortal is helping me?”
“Of course! But payment is required. You must reward this lord with a kiss.”
Jǐng Xī’s face turned beet red. Waving her hand she immediately said, “I can’t. I can’t.”
Fú Róng burst out in laughter. “You are so fun to tease.” He reached for her waist and pulled her against him in an embrace. He turned them around so even their shadows were out of sight.
Jǐng Yán was stunned as he stood below the roof looking up at them. A myriad of emotions washed over him one after the other. Astonishment was quickly replaced by anger only to by shoved aside by a growing sense of panic. It tore at his heart. This girl that had grown up beside him, that had always belonged to him, was being stolen by this guy! He couldn’t contain his panic.
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