"I was afraid you wouldn't believe me."
Huan Changming lost his temper and changed the subject, "So what do we need to do now? Did Lan Jun give you something before he died? Is that what you're looking for?"
Lu Pianpian ruffled Huan Changming's hair. "It's late. Let's go back to the city first."
It was still unclear whether the little demon king Langxu was friend or foe. After Lu Pianpian took Huan Changming to another inn to stay, he took out the Imperial Skin Grass.
Huan Changming asked, "What exactly is the use of this white grass?"
Lu Pianpian pondered for a moment before saying, "It can help you cleanse your meridians and transform your body. Your illness will be cured, the poison will be removed, and you will also gain the cultivation and power you have always wanted."
Huan Changming stared at the Imperial Skin Grass, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Senior brother, you're not lying to me, are you?"
This tiny blade of grass has such powerful effects? It can grant him the power he's always dreamed of?
"When have I ever lied to you?" Lu Pianpian smiled at him. "However, this method might be a little painful for you, so I'll put you to sleep beforehand so you won't feel any pain."
"Isn't it enough to just eat this grass?"
“No…” Lu Pianpian touched her earlobe, “There are other ways.”
Huan Changming grasped Lu Pianpian's hand, his gaze intense, and said, "I'm not afraid of pain, I trust my senior brother!"
He didn't believe that the pain caused by the Skin-Controlling Herb could be worse than his strange illness. Even if it really was that painful, he could endure any kind of pain as long as he could obtain the powerful strength he craved!
Lu Pianpian helped Huan Changming to lie down on the bed, saying, "You should sleep for a while, you'll feel better when you wake up."
"good."
Lu Pianpian cast a spell on Huan Changming, causing him to fall into a deep sleep.
“Pianpian…” Xiao Shu’s weak voice rang in Lu Pianpian’s mind.
"Little Book, why are you awake?"
"If I don't wake up soon, am I supposed to just watch you do something foolish and give your spirit bones to Huan Changming?"
"You knew all along?"
Xiao Shu's voice, though weak, was strong: "You can't do this! You're defying the will of Heaven to change Huan Changming's fate! If he lives, what will you do? You were born with a spiritual bone; if you lose it, you'll die!"
“My master once told me that the Skin-Preserving Grass can help cultivators who have lost their spiritual bones maintain their lives.”
Therefore, the Imperial Skin Herb was not used on Huan Changming, but on himself.
"Then what about your cultivation level?!" Xiao Shu was so anxious she was about to cry. "I've watched you cultivate since you were little. You've suffered so much to gain this pure cultivation level, which is something many cultivators envy! You said that what you want to do most when you grow up is to punish evil and promote good. Without this cultivation level, how will you fulfill your wish, Lu Pianpian!"
Lu Pianpian paused for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "As for cultivation, it can be started all over again."
Without the spiritual bone, it's like ending one's path to immortality; how can one start cultivating again from scratch?
Xiao Shu felt that Lu Pianpian was not unaware of these self-deceiving truths.
Xiao Shu choked back tears as she said, "To save Huan Changming, you're willing to sacrifice yourself... Pianpian, is it really worth it?"
Lu Pianpian lowered her eyes and gazed at Huan Changming, who was fast asleep on the bed. She saw that his eyebrows were relaxed, his expression was gentle, and the corners of his lips were curved upwards.
It was faint, almost imperceptible, like a smile.
Lu Pianpian's lips couldn't help but curl upwards slightly, "I don't want to see her die."
To extend Huan Changming's life, the only option is to exchange one's own life for another.
He used his extraordinary talent to transform Huan Changming.
The moon set in the west, and the candlelight flickered inside the room.
The dim yellow light was the only color in the room, making Lu Pianpian's silhouette appear even softer than usual.
He conjured a sword aura from the tip of his left hand, slashing a gash in the center of his chest. The pain of flesh being pierced and blood gushed out simultaneously. He then temporarily withdrew the sword aura and, without daring to linger, reached his left hand into the gash, grasping the spiritual bone that grew deep within his body.
Lu Pianpian's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He covered his fingertips with sword energy again, gripped the spirit bone tightly, and pulled it out.
He was born with this spiritual bone, which was already connected to his flesh and blood. When pulled by an external force, blood gushed out and quickly stained his white shirt red.
But this strength was not enough to pull out the spirit bone.
Lu Pianpian pursed her lips tightly, not uttering a single groan of pain.
He increased his strength, and the external wound was deformed by his movements, causing more blood to flow. After a tearing sound of flesh and bone separating, a spirit bone as light as a wisp of silk, with a warm and lustrous blue light emanating from it, fell into Lu Pianpian's hands.
The pain of having bone removed is something that few people can endure.
But Lu Pianpian dug out her own bones with her own hands.
The vast spiritual power within him, like a boundless ocean, dried up in an instant. All his strength was drained away. If he hadn't been holding onto the edge of the bed, he wouldn't have been able to keep his balance. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably. He had lost his spiritual power and his cultivation. His wounds bled profusely, and pain and coldness swept over his entire body.
Lu Pianpian's teeth chattered uncontrollably. With trembling hands, he used the Imperial Skin Grass instead of the Spirit Bone to place it into his chest. The Imperial Skin Grass took effect and healed his wound, stopping the bleeding. Only then did he feel a little better.
But his laceration was too large, leaving him with an incurable scar on his chest.
After a moment's pause, Lu Pianpian took out her sword and made a tiny cut in Huan Changming's chest, so small that only a few drops of blood flowed out.
He placed the spirit bone beside the opening and said in a weak voice, "From now on... she will be your new master..."
As if it understood his words, the spirit bone spontaneously crawled inside, and the wound on Huan Changming's body immediately healed. He continued to sleep soundly, unaware of the earth-shattering changes that had taken place within his body.
Lu Pianpian brushed aside Huan Changming's messy hair, revealing his bare earlobes; he was no longer wearing those black jade earrings.
Lu Pianpian paused for a moment, then murmured, "Does that mean you don't like it anymore..."
After he finished speaking, he coughed violently. Afraid of waking Huan Changming, he hurriedly stood up and tried to go back to his room. He had just taken a step when he collapsed to the ground and fell into a coma.
In his sleep, Huan Changming vaguely felt that his body, which had been depleted for many years, was being irrigated by a vast ocean. A warm and powerful force nourished his internal organs and quickly took root and sprouted within him, and his consciousness was taken to another world.
The vibrant life here made his body feel so relaxed and comfortable for the first time since birth, like a gentle breeze on his face, calming his mind and spirit.
Huan Changming slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky before waking up.
He threw back the covers and sat up, the first thing he saw was Lu Pianpian lying on the ground.
"Senior Brother Pianpian, why are you sleeping here?" Lu Pianpian didn't answer him, so he got off the bed suspiciously. "Senior Brother?"
Huan Changming picked Lu Pianpian up and faced her, noticing that her clothes were covered in dried blood. His eyes narrowed. "Lu Pianpian, what happened to you? Who hurt you like this?!"
He held Lu Pianpian in his arms and felt that her body was ice cold, and her cheeks and lips were so pale that they were almost transparent, like a corpse that had lost all life.
"Lu Pianpian, wake up!" Huan Changming held Lu Pianpian tightly, shaking her shoulders desperately, shouting like he had lost his mind, "Who hurt you?!"
"Who is it?!"
"I won't let you die, do you hear me?!"
"I won't allow it!"
A note from the author:
She goes crazy and screams early in the morning, hahaha, and updates promptly at 9 pm every night, haha;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 26
Lu Pianpian was awakened by the shouting beside him. He frowned, opened his eyes, and saw Huan Changming's angry face.
"Lu Pianpian? What happened to you?" Seeing that Lu Pianpian was awake, Huan Changming couldn't wait to ask, "Who hurt you? Was it that man at the inn yesterday?"
Lu Pianpian waved her hand, her face pale, "I'm fine."
After being unconscious for a night, the Herbal Skin-Nourishing Grass had completely healed his wounds, and the pain had lessened considerably. However, since he was missing a spiritual bone, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and slowly stood up with Huan Changming's support.
"Are you really alright? Then what's with the blood on your clothes?"
Lu Pianpian gave Huan Changming a gentle smile, reassuring him, "I'm really fine. This blood isn't mine; it belongs to someone else."
Huan Changming asked suspiciously, "Whose is it?"
With her back to Huan Changming, Lu Pianpian lied, "After I used the Skin-Tonifying Herb on you last night, I encountered a wicked little demon and eliminated it. This blood... is all from that little demon."
It turns out that the Imperial Skin Grass is already inside Huan Changming's body. No wonder Huan Changming feels refreshed and everything in front of him looks different from before.
He suppressed his excitement, "Senior Brother Pianpian, you've gone to so much trouble for me! You look pale, you must not have slept well last night. Let me take you back to your room to rest..."
Lu Pianpian was indeed exhausted. "Okay."
After Huan Changming helped Lu Pianpian back to her room, he intended to change her blood-stained clothes, but Lu Pianpian stopped him, saying, "Men and women shouldn't touch each other, Junior Sister, you don't need to do that..."
Huan Changming blinked and obediently replied, "Then you should get some rest, Senior Brother."
Lu Pianpian nodded to him, "Okay... By the way, don't wander around while I'm resting. After all, this is demon territory, and I'm afraid you might encounter danger."
"I'll listen to my senior brother and wait in the room until he wakes up, then we'll go back together."
Lu Pianpian was relieved and fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Huan Changming stood guard over Lu Pianpian for a while, and called out "Senior Brother Pianpian" a few more times, but Lu Pianpian did not respond. He pulled down the bed curtains for Lu Pianpian, turned around and left the room.
He walked out of the city to a secluded grove, gently patted a tree, and an invisible gust of wind surged from his palm, causing the tree to crash to the ground.
Huan Changming looked at his hands, his whole body trembling with excitement. What Lu Pianpian said was indeed true!
He felt his body was filled with power, a power that not only flowed continuously through his limbs and bones, but was so strong that it made his blood boil!
If a towering tree can be broken with a single palm strike, then killing a person would be easier than crushing an ant.
If killing people is this easy, then what about demons?
A glint flashed in Huan Changming's eyes, but it would take at least several days to walk there. If Lu Pianpian woke up and couldn't find him, she would definitely become suspicious.
He recalled how Lu Pianpian usually wielded her sword, and with a thought, he began to summon his sword.
A moment later, a long sword rang out in the air, and a long sword appeared in front of him.
Huan Changming looked closely and realized that the sword was actually Lu Pianpian's natal sword.
He originally thought he would summon something else, but unexpectedly he summoned Lu Pianpian's sword instead.
Although he had doubts, he still had something he wanted to test, so he put those concerns aside for the time being, leaped onto the sword, and the sword followed his will to go where he wanted to go.
In the past, Lu Pianpian would always carry him when he flew on his sword, but this time Huan Changming controlled it all by himself, freely traversing between the clouds and mountains.
This feeling of looking down on everything and roaming freely in the world made him feel comfortable all over. He couldn't help but shiver. He had finally gotten what he wanted, and he loved this feeling!
He remained engrossed in his own world for quite some time when he noticed a market below. On a whim, he stopped at the market, bought a flowerpot, and then flew eastward on his sword again for a long time until he reached a familiar place before finally stopping.