Safety

Chapter 33

"How could Wende possibly hurt me? That day you suddenly pounced on me seeking death, and when I withdrew my palm, the internal force rebounded, only cracking my tiger's mouth."

So it was because of me again...

I felt ashamed and silently bowed my head in repentance, saying, "I'm sorry." Then I asked, "But when Wen Su took me away that day, I saw Tianshuiping had been bombed on the boat. How did you get off? Are my master and the others alright?"

He gave me a cold look. I knew he didn't like me asking about my master, but lately I'd gotten used to his gaze and developed an immunity to it. I wasn't afraid at all and even pressed him for an answer, "Tell me."

“Tianshuiping was bombed and the mountain road was destroyed, but there was a secret path in the forest. I led them to a safe area and they left.”

Mo Li tossed me a few words, and I tried to deduce the truth, concluding on my own, "That day, an unknown third party wanted to blow you both up, but you saved everyone. They realized there was more to the story, that we all had a common enemy, so they left, right?"

He finally gave me a proper look, with a hint of surprise. I took it as approval and accepted it with a smile. I wanted to ask more questions, but he became impatient.

"What about the question I asked you?"

Then I remembered that he had just asked me about my experiences over the past few days, but I had spoken first.

I answered him, and when I mentioned Qingfeng, I became sad again. "That day, Qingfeng took me down to Tianshuiping. We encountered Xiaowei halfway down the road, and she killed Qingfeng and the others."

He grunted in response, his face ashen. "Go on," he said.

I told him about what had happened in the past few days, and when I mentioned Wen Su, I couldn't help but steal glances at him.

Mo Li, what exactly is your relationship with Wen Su? I'm very curious, extremely curious.

He didn't look at me, but said, "A scout reported that Wen Su has already left Lan Family Village with his men. He seems to trust those old fogies."

I knew there was something fishy about this. Mo Li asked me this because he wanted to sort things out, but for some reason, as I talked, I kept thinking about those dark-skinned knights in black. My mouth tasted bitter and my back felt cold. I just didn't want to know more.

I am now a different person, and I absolutely do not want to have anything to do with my past anymore, absolutely not!

"How did Dan Gui lead you out of Lan Family Village?" Mo Li asked again.

When he asked, I could only recount what had happened in the dungeon. My voice trembled with fear. He listened carefully, and when I told him that Dan Gui had mistaken me for a priest from the church, his brows furrowed.

I asked him, "Do you know what happened back then? Dan Gui mistook me for that high priestess. Do we look a lot alike?"

He didn't answer me; his eyes were deep, and I didn't know what he was thinking. So I didn't say anything more and just continued to follow him.

The jungle was dense, and the further we went, the more difficult it became. I had neither Dan Gui's ability to see in the dark nor Mo Li's superb martial arts skills, so walking was quite difficult. I often stumbled and bumped into protruding tree roots and low-hanging branches, and I kept groaning. He was walking in front of me, and after a while, he probably couldn't stand my noise anymore, so he suddenly reached out and took my hand.

I kicked a thick tree root protruding from the ground and almost fell over. My hand, which I had swung out in mid-air, landed in his palm. His fingers were strong, but his palm was warm. Even when I moved my fingers, he didn't let go. It was still dark in front of me, but I suddenly felt an immense joy in my heart, as if spring flowers were blooming. I couldn't help but smile, my cheeks were hot, and I blushed without realizing it.

After taking a few more steps, suddenly the branches parted in front of them, revealing a tranquil valley with a babbling brook and wildflowers blooming on both sides. Everything shimmered under the moonlight, and compared to the previous bloody horror, it felt like stepping into another world.

Mo Li stopped the moment he left the darkness. I sighed and comforted myself, telling myself that some things in this world can't be rushed. Take it slow, take it slow. When I saw the clear stream again, I was happy and rushed over to it, squatting down to wipe the dirt off my body.

Although I wasn't injured in the previous brawl, I inevitably got some bloodstains on my body and hands. Even though I wiped them off repeatedly, they still felt sticky. When I finally found a place to wash myself, I was overjoyed. As I wiped myself, I was about to turn around and call out to him when I suddenly saw his reflection in the water. It turned out that he had already walked over and was standing beside me.

I sighed contentedly—he was indeed no longer by my side.

Our reflections were mirrored in the water, the ripples washing away the traces of time. I was transported back to when I was thirteen, to the lush and verdant Imperial Garden of my memories. I was still with Jifeng, looking down at the golden koi swimming freely in the water. I kept trying to talk to him, but he stood silently with his sword in his arms. He didn't answer when I said something silly, but just smiled slightly like a child listening to his words.

I never imagined that those long, boring days would become my most cherished memories.

My heart was filled with emotion, and I couldn't help but take his hand and say to him, "Ji Feng, as long as I'm with you, even if I die right now, I'll be happy."

He stood beside me, silent under the moonlight. He didn't react when I took his hand, but after I finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed. He flung me away, his eyes fierce, and he was furious.

"Who am I? Do you know me well now!"

He flung me far away. If the chains on my feet hadn't been removed, allowing me to use my lightness skill, I would have almost crashed into a large rock by the stream and died. Even so, I landed in a sorry state. When I got up, he was already standing in front of me, blocking the moonlight. His black shadow enveloped me, and his gaze was cold, just like when he first saw me.

I was heartbroken, but I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down in silence. He stood in front of me for a long time without making a move. Finally, he suddenly turned around, started walking away, and left without waiting for me. He only said, "If you don't want to die, follow me."

I stared blankly at his retreating figure, struggling, when suddenly my dantian trembled, followed by excruciating pain, as if a thousand swords were stabbing down at once. The pain made me roll to the ground, cold sweat pouring down my face, my whole body trembling. I heard groans in my ears, intermittent and unfamiliar, not like my own, but more like a dying little beast.

...

I have a cold and cough, and my throat has turned into a hoarse, raspy voice. :(

Chapter 81

I was standing right by the stream when the excruciating pain struck and I tumbled over, about to fall into the water. Mo Li flew over and caught me, looking down and asking urgently, "Are you alright?"

I was trembling with pain and couldn't speak. He laid me flat on the ground and reached out to take my pulse. My vision was blurry and I couldn't see his face clearly. In my agony, I couldn't muster any more strength. I was afraid he would leave me. I tried to grab his clothes, but I couldn't get any strength and they slipped off each time.

He grasped my hand, then used his other hand to remove my left hand, which was tightly covering my lower abdomen. He pressed down on it, and the gentle pressure caused me excruciating pain. My vision blurred, and I almost fainted. As I stood up, he bent down and picked me up, then rushed away. Soon, we turned into a secluded spot in the valley, passed through a waterfall, and went straight into a cave. Inside, everyone stood up to greet us; it turned out that the others were waiting there.

I was in so much pain that I was barely breathing, my eyes were half open and half closed, and I couldn't speak. In a daze, I felt that everyone had surrounded me, and I could hear Mo Li speaking.

"Qingyi, come and take a look."

The man in green seemed to have some medical skills. He immediately took me and placed me on the ground, then examined me closely. After a short while, he frowned and replied, "This is the Heart-Eating Gu poison. Those afflicted will have a spiderweb-like black aura on their forehead. Your Excellency, please take a look."

Mo Li pressed my forehead with two fingers. His fingertips were warm, but he withdrew them as soon as they touched my skin. I was in so much pain that I felt weak and cold. I just wanted him to hold me and to speak, but my lips trembled and I couldn't make a sound. I heard him say, "So what? Ping An carries the sacred insect in his body and is immune to all poisons. You know that."

The woman in green responded with a "yes," but continued, "Your Excellency may not know, but the Heart-Eating Gu is different from ordinary poisons. This thing is actually a living organism, its entire body poisonous. Those who have it implanted in their bodies will lose their souls due to the poison. If one is immune to all poisons, this reaction may be suppressed, but the thing will still remain in her body. Once activated by the Gu Master, she will suffer unbearable pain, and in the end..."

"What happened in the end?" Mo Li asked.

"As the name suggests, the Heart-Eating Gu worm burrows into the heart and bites its host to death. Now the worm has been activated, traveling upwards from the dantian. Once it enters the heart, she will naturally..."

"You don't need to waste your breath, just tell me how to detoxify," Mo Li interrupted him.

“The Gu worms depend on the mother Gu to live. If we want them to leave the host’s body, we must first find the mother Gu or kill it. If Elder Lan administered the Gu poison, then we must find the elder himself first.” The woman in green hesitated as she finished speaking, while the woman in red spoke up quickly.

"Your Excellency, I believe this is a treacherous scheme by the elders to lure us in and wait for us to fall into their trap."

Although I cannot speak, my mind remains clear. Hearing what Qingyi said, and recalling Elder Bai's words, I felt extremely angry.

Those old men were indeed insidious, poisoning me with such a vicious Gu poison. They knew Mo Li would definitely come to rescue me, so they made several preparations in advance. They first locked me in the dungeon, waiting leisurely for Mo Li to come. Even if I was rescued, as long as they activated the Gu worms, no matter where I was, if Mo Li wanted me to live, he would have to turn back. And they must have arranged an even more insidious trap.

The more I thought about it, the colder my heart became. Did they want me and Mo Li to repeat the same mistakes that Dan Gui and Cheng Feng made in Lan Family Village? The blood-red Soul-Stealing Flower in the dungeon, Dan Gui's sixteen years of misery underground, and his madness when he heard that Cheng Feng was dead were all flashing before my eyes. No—!

I almost screamed, but only fragmented, hoarse sounds came out. Suddenly, I was lifted off the ground as Mo Li hugged me again, saying only one sentence.

"I see."

I was terrified. What did he understand? What was he going to do? I was about to ask him when a sharp pain shot up from my lower abdomen, making my internal organs churn. I couldn't bear the torment. I curled up, my forehead pressed against his chest, and I even had thoughts of biting my tongue and committing suicide.

Mo Li moved with lightning speed, clamping two fingers around my chin, his eyes flashing with cold light, "What are you doing?"

My tears finally streamed down my face, half from pain and half from anxiety. I struggled to speak, but my jaw was clamped, and the sentences I uttered were indistinct and broken.

I said, "No, don't go, I can still handle it, I can handle it..."

The cave was deathly silent. He glanced at me silently, then his lips suddenly tightened and turned down slightly. This subtle change made his whole face look sharp. If it were any other day, I would have been so frightened that I would have taken three steps back on the spot.

"Shut up." He only said those two words, then pointed his finger at an acupoint on the side of my neck. My vision went black, and I immediately lost consciousness and knew nothing more.

...

To everyone:

I received a message from the editor today that the sample copy of "How Much Love Can Be Relived" can be sent to me. For those who have written long reviews of more than 600 words, please write to my Weibo account and send your address. I will send you a copy. :) My Weibo address is in the collection of articles, or you can find it on Baidu.

I've been coughing for days, and it's made my stomach ache. I'm trying to comfort myself by saying that I'm building muscle.

Chapter 82

I was jolted awake by waves of excruciating pain. My body felt like it was trapped in an endless vortex, with sharp objects tearing me apart from all sides, endlessly repeating the cycle. The pain was so intense that I just wanted to faint again and never wake up again. But then a warm current flowed into my back, slowly passing through my limbs and meridians, finally converging at my heart. Where the warm current passed, the pain was temporarily suppressed, allowing me to catch my breath for a moment. Finally, I had the strength to open my eyes.

The first thing that appeared before my eyes was a familiar face, right above me. Looking up from my angle, her lips were thin as a knife, and her features were sharp and defined.

Seeing that he was still by my side, I felt relieved. Unexpectedly, a voice suddenly rang out, sounding familiar.

"Why bother Right Envoy with all this trouble? Right Envoy is an honored guest of our manor today. What is the life or death of this little girl? Why trouble Right Envoy to waste his inner strength? Such a trivial matter is better left to us to handle."

The voice was old and slick, and I was deeply impressed by it. It was Elder Huang, the lecherous old man I first met when I arrived at Lan Family Village.

Have I returned to Lanjiazhuang again?

I was startled and looked again. Sure enough, the hall in front of me was spacious and brightly lit. Three old men of different builds were sitting in the hall. Where else could it be but Lan Family Village!

Mo Li held me in the center of the hall, her palms pressed tightly against my back. There was no one around us, not even those in green or red robes, not even the little shrimps.

I understand he's using his internal energy to suppress the Heart-Eating Gu within me, but in this situation, surrounded by powerful enemies, in such a critical moment, for him to act like this... makes me want to grab his collar, shake him, and yell: They've set a trap for us to fall into! What did you bring me here for? Since you're here, why didn't you bring some helpers to fight? What kind of hero are you playing all by yourself? Besides, since you're playing the hero all by yourself, why are you worried about whether I'm in pain?

His internal energy circulated within me, and although the acupoints had been released, I couldn't speak even with my eyes open. I didn't know what was wrong, and I tried several times without success. I could only try my best to open my eyes wide and look at him, trying to convey every word I wanted to say with my eyes. He looked down at me, and when our eyes met, he must have understood everything I meant. But what was infuriating was that he showed no intention of changing his mind. He still had one hand on my back and looked up to speak, pretending not to see my eyes.

"It's been many years since I last saw Elder Huang. He looks even more vigorous than before, with a healthy complexion."

Elder Huang chuckled, “Easy, easy. The Central Plains is a beautiful place with many young and beautiful girls. And there’s a perfect one in the Right Envoy’s arms.”

"I didn't expect Elder Huang to have such a good appetite. Ping An still has the Heart-Eating Gu in his body. You want a body like that too?"

What does that mean? Does this old lecher eat people? I felt nauseous listening to him, and I couldn't understand why Mo Li had such a good interest in chatting with this kind of person.

“Mo Li, the Heart-Eating Gu in this woman’s body has already broken out of her dantian. I have examined her constitution and found that she is weak and frail. Prolonged suppression of her acupoints will inevitably damage her qi and blood. If you use your internal energy to suppress the Gu worm, you will exhaust yourself to death. I think she will die here before dawn. If you really want to spare her life, it is not difficult. The mother Gu is right here. You just need to agree to a few conditions.” Elder Lan took out a black iron box from his bosom and placed it on the table beside him. His voice was cold and hard, direct and without any beating around the bush.

The iron box creaked and groaned. The strange movements in my body that had been suppressed by Mo Li's true energy suddenly surged. My body trembled, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on my forehead due to the intense pain. However, the true energy flowing into my body also increased immediately. The two conflicted, but in the end, Mo Li's true energy was tough and domineering, and suppressed it again.

"Elder Lan, are you trying to negotiate with me?" Mo Li actually laughed, a laugh that seemed to freeze a thousand miles. I was anxious and just wanted him to withdraw his true energy immediately. Mo Li was usually cold and decisive, but I didn't expect him to be so fussy with me when we were facing such a formidable enemy. He was wasting his true energy on me at a time like this, which really made me furious.

Mo Li ignored my reaction and continued with that cold smile, "Three years ago, there was an internal strife in the main altar. After that, the successor of Priest Chengfeng suddenly appeared sixteen years later. The sect leader went into seclusion on the Holy Mountain to cultivate. Don't you elders know this?"

Elder Qing stroked his beard and nodded, "Although we four old men are stationed in the Central Plains, we still receive reports on matters within the sect."

Mo Li scoffed, "The elders have been keeping to themselves all these years, enjoying their leisure."

Boss Lan raised his face and said, "Twenty years ago, after the sudden death of the Xuanji Sect Leader, there was constant infighting within the sect over who should be the new leader. The Dingtian Sect Leader suddenly appeared, defeated us useless old bones, and took the position of leader, banishing us from the Holy Mountain. Right Envoy, you must know this."

"How could I know that after the leader ascended the throne, you all volunteered to be stationed in the Central Plains to guard against the martial arts world there?"

Elder Huang snorted from the side, "This is to give us old bones face. If we hadn't volunteered, it's uncertain whether that brat Ding Tian would have even left us with a complete corpse. That brat is extremely vicious, do you know that..."

"Fourth Brother!" Elder Qing interrupted him, then said to Mo Li, "This is an old story. In recent years, we have lived in seclusion in a corner, with little trouble. On the contrary, we feel that the world is vast and peaceful. However, we have been detached from the affairs of the sect for many years and have not paid attention to the affairs of the sect. Three years ago, there was a great upheaval in the sect, and we were unable to return in time. I heard that the Right Envoy survived the chaos and made meritorious contributions, but was misunderstood by the sect leader and expelled from the mountain. I wonder if this is true?"

Mo Li remained silent, but I was shocked by what I heard. Thinking back to three years ago, it was the time when Ji Feng and I parted ways. If what they said was true, that Mo Li was risking his life to quell the internal strife within the sect at that time, how could he possibly be in two places at once, both by my side and on that holy mountain?

Am I wrong? No! Impossible! I screamed inwardly. How could anyone in the world be so similar? That day at Fei Li Manor, when I was determined to die, Mo Li reacted strongly, exactly as my brother had said. If he wasn't Ji Feng, then who was Ji Feng?

"Ding Tian is narrow-minded and intolerant. With such outstanding talent as Right Envoy, why should you serve under a leader who doesn't trust you? Looking at the world today, wars and national upheavals are frequent. If Right Envoy could let go of his blind loyalty and find another place to realize his ambitions, he might achieve something extraordinary. It's not impossible for him to rise to the rank of general or prime minister one day." Elder Qing spoke eloquently, his voice becoming somewhat impassioned at the end.

I was stunned. Did this old man want Mo Li to go to war?

Mo Li looked up, and the eyes of the three elders were all focused on his face, and the entire hall fell silent.

"Elder Lan, do you mean that the conditions you proposed require me to seek another lord?" Mo Li asked slowly.