When I saw Nangong Bi lying on the ground, I was reminded of the past Ma Jian Hou.
In the rain that trickled down, she had quietly breathed her last in my arms.
Only then did I blame myself for my complacency.
While witnessing a world that could change with a single flap of a wing.
It was a sin to stand back and merely watch, not wanting to step into the flow.
If I had just stood still, this wouldnât have happened.
Though I didnât want to do anything, I knew I couldnât do nothing, so I acted in a contradictory manner.
Even after experiencing death, nothing has changed.
â...What am I doing?â
After going through a regression, what have I been walking for all this time?
Did I want to kill the Heavenly Demon?
If so, I should have given Weixuela a sword instead of making her a servant.
I knew that was the fastest and easiest way.
Knowing this, what did I do?
I watched Weixuela smile and be happy, thinking that the Sword Master had a purpose.
In reality, I just didnât want her to wield a sword.
What did I gain through this despicable excuse?
I could see Weixuelaâs smile, which I never saw in my previous life.
The hand I couldnât hold was right beside me, offering warmth as if inviting me to grab it whenever I wanted.
The hand I had to let go was now by my side, ready for me to embrace at any moment.
Do I have the right to embrace her?
That beautiful smile will also be lost when the Heavenly Demon appears.
Knowing this, do I really have the right to run away?
Even though I know the answer, I am still afraid.
âI canât fight the Heavenly Demon.â
I am afraid and donât want to fight.
âItâs fine even if itâs not me.â
It was just an excuse because I now want to rest.
Even though I committed countless sins and killings in my previous life, I cling to this life with a single excuse.
I try to console myself that I can be happy through this opportunity gained through death.
But because I donât know the true answer, I am just in pain.
Even though I reduced my sleep to practice, there was no purpose in it.
I thought of ways to escape when the flow would twist or sweep me away.
I try to change my thoughts.
Isnât this enough? Do I need to do more?
This place still felt half like a dream to me, just like the first day.
A vivid yet hazy dream, as if I hadnât woken up yet.
But actions come with responsibility.
To run away now, I had to ignore hundreds of things.
I had to take clear responsibility for what would happen in the future.
If I didnât want to give Weixuela a sword.
If I wanted to ignore Nangong Biâs feelings for me.
There were countless reasons to cut ties, like our engagement.
Because of a vile, selfish desire deep in my heart.
The burdens around me are all responsibilities I must bear alone.
I canât hide and run away forever.
If I canât let go of anything and canât lose anything.
I had to wake up from this dream.
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
A familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
An old man with white hair filled my vision.
He was a divine physician.
To see a divine physician as soon as I opened my eyes...
I was startled and tried to sit up.
A sharp pain shot through my body, and I involuntarily screamed.
It was so intense that tears welled up in my eyes.
âWhat, youâre so careless.â
âWhat... happened...â
It felt as if someone had bitten each of my joints, an unimaginable pain.
As I groaned in pain, I recalled what had happened before I lost consciousness.
âIt seems to be well resolved, so donât worry.â
The divine physician answered, reading something from my expression.
How did I lose consciousness? From the blood demon?
â...Is... Is she nearby?â
âThe woman with you is in much better condition, so donât worry and lie down.â
Fortunately, it seemed Nangong Bi was fine.
But I still hadnât asked about the blood demon.
As I was about to ask more, the divine physician spoke first.
âThere doesnât seem to be any major problem with your body, so you should be able to get up once the pain subsides.â
âI told you that using your energy recklessly could be fatal, yet you used it recklessly.â
âNowadays, people think their bodies are invincible... Why do they act so recklessly when a sword wound can still kill them?â
I felt embarrassed at his words.
It was because I had used my energy too recklessly, as he said.
â...I wasnât in my right mind.â
I seemed to have used it without thinking about the consequences.
There were definitely other ways, but for some reason, I couldnât calm down at the time.
Especially when I thought about Nangong Bi lying there.
âWhy did I lose consciousness?â
I clearly had energy left, and I wasnât physically exhausted.
Of course, at the end, I used more than necessary, which caused intense pain.
Unlike before, I could move normally.
âAt the end... I heard some voice, didnât I?â
I definitely heard something, but I canât remember it clearly.
Trying to remember it made my head throb.
The sound of a bowl being placed beside me, along with a bitter scent.
Something is being brought to my mouth.
Itâs Shen Jiege, trying to feed me with a spoon.
What should I do? I took a bite.
The bitter taste surprised me.
âItâs just a medicine to reduce the pain. Drink it all, or you wonât be able to bear it.â
I endured and drank it, hearing the divine physicianâs words.
It felt strange that Shen Jiege was feeding me.
âWait, and someone will come. Everyone has been waiting for you to wake up.â
âHow long have I been unconscious?â
âItâs been two days, and tonight will be the fourth day.â
I remembered Weixuela saying she would wait for me to return soon.
âNow that youâre awake, those kids can finally breathe a sigh of relief.â
Following his gaze, I turned my aching head.
At the far end of the room, I saw people leaning against the wall, sleeping.
âThey didnât sleep well and were waiting for you to wake up. They finally fell asleep when you did.â
Seeing this made my chest feel itchy.
Staring at them, the divine physician spoke to me.
âI have a question for you.â
âDo you remember when I called you a corpse?â
I couldnât forget it because it led me to search for a magic stone.
The divine physician looked at me with a strange expression, as if there was something else.
âI am a proud physician.â
Though it might sound arrogant, it was the divine physician, so I thought it was justified.
âLiving my life as a physician with such pride, this is the first time Iâve encountered such a case.â
â...Is there another problem with my body?â
Is my body a battlefield? Why do accidents keep happening?
âIs it because I keep causing accidents?â
I felt a bit dizzy from the sudden self-objectification.
To my question, the divine physician answered with a troubled expression.
â...Your energy has calmed down.â
âThe energy that was restless and couldnât be controlled is now as quiet as a mouse.â
The energy has calmed down?
It was just a few days ago that he said it could burst at any moment.
Trying to sense the energy in my body, perhaps due to fatigue, my dantian only trembled, and I couldnât easily control my energy.
Instead, a different energy swept through my body.
The eerie sensation made me stop trying to sense my own energy.
Demon energy was circulating in my body.
It was unstable and turbulent, similar to the demon energy the blood demon possessed.
âYouâre a fool, a complete fool!â
In the morning, Weixuela was scolding me for a while.
She burst into tears as soon as she saw me, and I had to calm her down urgently.
Her eyes were still moist, indicating she hadnât fully calmed down.
âWhy... Why do you always get hurt when Iâm not around?â
I had no answer to Weixuelaâs question.
âI tried not to bring her along in dangerous situations.â
That was a significant reason.
Anyway, thatâs what happened.
Weixuela wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand.
I thought about stroking her head, but my body was still recovering, making it a bit difficult to move.
âYouâre really... a fool.â
Weixuela started crying again.
Seeing her sobbing, Nangong Bi, who was sitting beside her, handed her a handkerchief.
Nangong Bi also had a bandage on one arm.
According to the divine physician, she was fine otherwise, and her arm would heal quickly since she was a martial artist.
Weixuela wiped her eyes with the handkerchief and called out to Nangong Bi in a stuffy voice.
âCan I blow my nose...?â
She asked very cautiously.
Surprised by the unexpected question, Nangong Bi hesitated for a moment but nodded.
A short âPah!â sound was heard.
I turned my head, thinking I shouldnât see it.
When I returned the handkerchief, Nangong Bi looked unsure of what to do with it.
Iâll have to pay for that handkerchief later...
After a while, the divine physician came in and frowned.
âI need to examine you, so everyone go out.â
âCanât we stay a bit longer?â
âBeing here will distract me, so all of you go out!â
Despite her usual cuteness, the divine physician scolded Weixuela without hesitation.
In the end, Weixuela and Nangong Bi left, looking disappointed.
Their lingering gazes made me feel uneasy.
Once they were gone, the divine physician naturally grabbed my arm.
âI feel much better than yesterday.â
âStill, you canât be discharged yet, so lie still.â
He must have noticed my desire to get up.
This place didnât seem to be the same hut I saw before. Is it somewhere inside Huashan Sect?
As I lay still, the divine physician suddenly spoke.
âI havenât thanked you yet.â
He suddenly said this to me, who was lying still.
I was surprised and answered.
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âYou were fighting the one who was after the hut, right?â
Was the blood demonâs goal the hut?
Honestly, I just fought out of anger, not for the grand reason the divine physician suggested.
âThe details will have to wait for Dohwa to come... but the situation is such that it will take some time.â
âBy situation, do you mean something has happened?â
âItâs not my place to say. Dohwa will tell you later.â
The divine physicianâs expression was unusually dark.
Something bad seems to have happened, but I couldnât know, which made me feel a bit suffocated.
After examining my arm for a while, the divine physician stood up.
âIt seems to have improved a lot, so you should be able to get up soon. Just stay still today, just in case.â
âI understand. Thank you.â
The divine physician left, and I quietly thought about the situation.
âThe divine physician didnât sense the demon energy.â
He must have checked my meridians just now, but he didnât mention the demon energy.
Of course, he might have deliberately not mentioned it.
But I thought that was unlikely.
I donât know why demon energy started circulating in my body, but the good thing was that it was gradually being purified.
It was the same as when I absorbed the energy from the magic stone with the Mado Chien Xigong and the Gouyan Huailun Gong purified it.
The current demon energy isnât as pure as the one from the magic stone or the Heavenly Demon.
It was similar to the murky energy the blood demon possessed.
It was as if I had taken the demonâs energy.
Did I take the blood demonâs energy?
âNot from a magic stone, but from someone elseâs energy?â
I had never heard of such an ability.
Though I absorbed the energy from the magic stone, it was different.
I also thought the calmness of the energy the divine physician mentioned was related to this.
â...No matter what, this is demon energy. Is the demon technique calming the energy?â
If so, I would need to find a magic stone and continuously consume it.
Feeling a bit melancholic about being tied to the Heavenly Demonâs demon technique in this life as well.
Now, I needed to make a proper decision.
There was one thing that bothered me.
It had been bothering me since I woke up.
I called out to Shen Noya in my mind, but there was no response.
Still, there was no answer.