"Go."
Lei Xiuyuan gripped her arm tightly, his voice soft but resolute.
Li Fei froze for a moment before suddenly scooping him up and turning to flee on a cloud, leaving behind a crowd of bewildered onlookers. Why had the two of them suddenly run off?
Deng Xiguang was about to give chase when Hu Jiaping stopped him with a smirk. "Disturbing them now would bring divine retribution."
Divine retribution?! Deng Xiguang was instantly intimidated.
Su Wan snorted a laugh. "Indeed, divine retribution. Let them be alone. The match is almost over anyway."
Qin Yangling, who had fainted, was carried behind the Earth Barrier by two disciples. His earlier injuries had already been healed by his own Healing Net, and the Tickle Spell hadn’t harmed him at all. Fortunately, he was unconscious. Unfortunately, no one knew how he would face everything when he woke—though that was no longer their concern.
Everyone was eagerly discussing the intense and thrilling magical combat they had just witnessed. It had been years since such an exhilarating match, and even the elders were excited. Many came to congratulate Guangwei Zhenren—his disciple could only be described as a prodigy. This battle would likely stir even the reclusive Celestials and the sect leader in the upper ranks. This disciple would undoubtedly receive immense attention. Given time, No Moon Court might produce another formidable Celestial like Azure City’s Zhenren. Now that was truly cause for celebration.
Yet even as Guangwei Zhenren rejoiced, he couldn’t shake a quiet worry. As a Master, he was more concerned about Lei Xiuyuan’s condition. That sudden break from the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror’s restraints had seemed unnatural. The boy had always been stubborn and prideful—being humiliated like that might have pushed him beyond his limits, unleashing abilities at a terrible cost. The aftermath would surely be agonizing. He wondered if Jiang Li Fei could take proper care of him.
Li Fei was currently straining to support Lei Xiuyuan, his entire weight leaning against her. Large splashes of blood fell onto her shoulders and clothes, scalding hot. Trembling with fear, she forced herself to steady her breathing.
With a wave of her hand, a massive Healing Net enveloped Lei Xiuyuan’s body. He seemed half-conscious, barely clinging to awareness to keep from falling off the cloud. She quickly hoisted him onto her back, unsure where to take him, and raced back to Jade Fall Peak like the wind.
Ri Yan was forced to follow, his sharp nose poking and sniffing at Lei Xiuyuan, his eerie green eyes fixed on him in silence, lost in thought.
Li Fei gently laid Lei Xiuyuan on her bed and tore open his robes. Beneath, fresh blood still seeped from deep, jagged wounds—as though slashed by invisible blades. Even under the Healing Net, the injuries refused to close, gaping wide as blood continued to pour out.
Had Qin Yangling done this? It didn’t seem likely. The torn flesh around the wounds suggested they had burst from within. Steadying herself, Li Fei channeled spiritual energy into the Healing Net, but for some reason, the wounds healed at a painfully slow pace, nothing like its usual effectiveness. Frantic, she poured all her energy into the net, yet the results remained pitifully meager."This is the tearing of the flesh from uncontrolled power overflow. The Healing net is too slow—you should use the aquatic spiritual energy healing method, the Jade Snow Technique," Ri Yan suddenly spoke up. "Listen carefully: four parts aquatic spiritual energy, three parts Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy, and three parts Metal Element Spiritual Energy."
Li Fei reacted swiftly, silently calculating the required spiritual energy. Soon, a soft white glow appeared in her palm, drifting down like snowflakes onto him. She felt her perception attaching itself to these scattered specks of light, following them deep into his veins and marrow, gradually mending his injuries.
Beyond the severe wounds he had just sustained, she discovered countless old hidden wounds buried deep within his body. Strangely, her perception, dispersed through the Jade Snow Technique, could instantly discern when each injury had occurred. These hidden wounds were densely packed—some from five years ago, even some from a decade prior. Could they all be remnants of past injuries from unleashing his potential?
Li Fei focused all her energy, channeling every ounce of spiritual energy to heal these old wounds one by one. Before long, she felt an overwhelming exhaustion—the Jade Snow Technique had drained her spiritual energy far quicker than expected.
"If you're going to use Spirit Absorption, do it farther away from him," Ri Yan reminded her coolly.
Pale-faced and weak, Li Fei pushed open the door and stepped outside to perform Spirit Absorption. In just a breath's time, an immense surge of spiritual energy refilled her Alchemical Furnace. She hurried back inside and resumed using the Jade Snow Technique to heal him.
She lost count of how many times she repeated Spirit Absorption and didn’t even notice when Ri Yan went to sleep. He had been silently crouching nearby earlier, his gaze fixed intently on Lei Xiuyuan, and at some point muttered something she didn’t catch. By the time she healed the last of Lei Xiuyuan’s hidden wounds, Li Fei was utterly drained, both mentally and physically. She collapsed onto the floor beside the bed and fell unconscious.
She drifted in and out of sleep for an unknown length of time. When she awoke, she was already in bed, and daylight seemed to have broken. The bed curtains were drawn, letting in faint light. Li Fei stirred, instinctively pulling the blanket over her head, hazily aware of someone holding her, a hand gently stroking and caressing her hair. Still half-asleep, her eyelids drooped heavily as she squirmed to turn over. Lei Xiuyuan touched her face and murmured something, but she couldn’t make it out, only managing a tired hum in response.
Fingers brushed against her face, lightly tapping her forehead, eyebrows, and eyelids. Li Fei blinked open her eyes in confusion, meeting his dark gaze. Still drowsy, she whispered, "Xiu Yuan..."
Lei Xiuyuan flicked her cheek lightly, and her muddled thoughts gradually cleared. Sunlight streamed through the bed curtains—today was an unusually clear day. She shifted slightly and asked instinctively, "Does it still hurt?"
Lei Xiuyuan tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, then suddenly lowered his head to kiss the curve of her ear. "It hurts."
Li Fei’s eyes widened. She carefully examined him—his wounds had clearly healed completely, without even a single scratch left. After a long inspection, she even released spiritual energy to probe his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Finally, she frowned. "Where does it hurt? There are no injuries left—even the old wounds from years ago are all gone."
"Everywhere hurts," he said with a laugh, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Hold me tighter."Li Fei raised her hand and punched him lightly, torn between the urge to bite him and the desire to hold him tight and never let go. Her fingers tangled in his thick, soft hair, combing through it gently until she felt a patch of dried blood beneath his ear. Carefully, she picked it off with her fingertips.
The boy in her arms, who had been enjoying himself like a contented cat, suddenly looked up. "Where's my reward?"
Li Fei's face flushed crimson, burning as if about to burst into flames. Yet, for some reason, she didn’t shy away as she usually would. Instead, she asked softly, "What do you want?"
"Guess."
That infuriating catchphrase of his.
Li Fei snorted a laugh and pinched his chin, shaking it playfully. "No reward if you don’t say it."
Lei Xiuyuan opened his mouth and nipped her finger lightly, holding on as if resenting her. The sensation was ticklish with a hint of pain, making her giggle involuntarily. Then, Xiuyuan pushed up her sleeve, revealing her slender, snow-white wrist still bearing faint scars. He pressed his lips to them in a tender kiss.
Li Fei shivered with laughter at the ticklish touch, but before she could react, his arms tightened around her, and the next moment, his lips captured hers in a deep, fervent kiss.
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