Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 59

Volume 6 Chapter 59: Warmth, Surprise

Seeing Xu Qingfan so badly injured, Dongfang Qingling was shocked. Normally calm and generous, she looked at the wound on Xu Qingfan’s chest, which was the size of a fist, with blood flowing out and soaking his clothes that couldn’t hold any more blood. The pool of blood around him kept growing, and she became flustered. Ignoring the dirt and stains on her, she rushed to his side but felt helpless and didn’t know what to do.

Struggling to swallow the healing medicine, Xu Qingfan was sweating profusely, and his face grew even paler.

When Dongfang Qingling woke up and knelt beside him, looking worried and unsure of what to do, Xu Qingfan turned his head and forced a smile, saying, "Junior Martial Sister Dongfang, don’t worry, I’m fine."

While comforting Dongfang Qingling, he was also thinking about how to treat his own injuries.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Qingling’s eyes were fixed on Xu Qingfan’s chest. To her, the large wound seemed even more enormous, and her expression was a mix of panic and guilt. She unconsciously murmured, "Senior Brother Xu, it’s all my fault. I’m sorry…"

In Dongfang Qingling’s eyes, if she hadn’t been caught by Zhong Ling, Xu Qingfan wouldn’t be in this situation. Xu Qingfan was seriously injured now, and it was all her fault.

Seeing Dongfang Qingling looking like this, so different from her usual confident and sensible self, Xu Qingfan sighed quietly. No matter how graceful Dongfang Qingling seemed every day, she was still just a woman who had grown up under the care of her master and companions.

"Don’t panic." Xu Qingfan gritted his teeth in pain and said slowly, "You cannot blame yourself for this. It is my own pride that got us here. I deserve this situation. I have almost lost all my strength, and it will take a long time to heal. During this time, I will need your help. The people from the Zhong family must be searching for us all over the Southern Wasteland. The danger is not over. If you panic too, we will both be in trouble."

After saying this, the little strength Xu Qingfan had managed to gather was nearly gone again, and the brightness in his eyes dimmed even more.

"Yes, Senior Brother Xu is in this state because of me. I must not drag him down any longer."

Xu Qingfan’s voice was soft, but to Dongfang Qingling, it was very loud, instantly bringing her back to her senses. She silently resolved to herself.

She thought she would have to comfort Dongfang Qingling more to bring her back to calmness, but to her surprise, just from this one conversation, the panic on Dongfang Qingling’s face began to fade, replaced by a look of determination.

Then, Dongfang Qingling nodded gently, stopped speaking, and examined Xu Qingfan closely. His injuries were still quite severe, but her eyes no longer showed any panic.

"Rip…"

Then, a sound of tearing cloth was heard, as Dongfang Qingling took out a clean piece of clothing from her sleeve. Xu Qingfan thought she was going to wear it herself, but instead, she pulled it apart into several strips of cloth. She then took out some ointment for treating wounds and some disinfecting powder, gently applying them to Xu Qingfan’s wounds. She carefully wrapped the strips of cloth around Xu Qingfan’s chest, moving gently and cautiously, afraid of disturbing his injuries, ignoring the blood-stained fabric on her delicate hands, and her expression showed no weakness at all.

At a crucial moment, Dongfang Qingling finally showed her strong side.

Xu Qingfan had used Spirit Qi to apply pressure points and took healing medicine, but blood continued to flow from his chest. In that moment, even though the blood soaked the cloth, this clumsy method managed to stop the wound from bleeding further.

Although Dongfang Qingling’s movements were gentle, they still caused great pain to Xu Qingfan, who was covered in wounds. However, to avoid worrying her, he did not show his pain and his face only grew paler.

"Don’t talk, save your strength. I can only help with your external wounds; for the internal ones, you need to rely on yourself."

Dongfang Qingling kept moving her hands, wiping Xu Qingfan’s face as cold sweat kept flowing. Seeing his cracked lips, clearly indicating he was losing too much blood and water, she used water magic to summon a handful of clear water and gently brought it to Xu Qingfan’s lips, softly saying.

Xu Qingfan slowly nodded. At that moment, he didn’t even have the strength to speak. With Dongfang Qingling’s help, he leaned forward to drink the clear water she held in her hands.

While drinking, Xu Qingfan’s lips inevitably touched Dongfang Qingling’s hands. At that moment, both of them were too focused on the water to notice. Xu Qingfan was just drinking, and Dongfang Qingling silently watched him, a hint of tenderness passing over her worried expression.

Indeed, he had lost too much water, making his mind feel a bit foggy. After drinking three handfuls of clear water, Xu Qingfan finally regained some strength and his mind became clearer.

"Help me a little."

Xu Qingfan spoke softly and weakly.

Dongfang Qingling nodded gently and, following Xu Qingfan’s instructions, helped him up and adjusted him into a sitting position.

"I need to meditate for a while, so you must be careful."

After all the movement, Xu Qingfan felt tired and in pain, and only after a long time did he manage to speak.

Dongfang Qingling continued to nod while silently wiping the cold sweat from Xu Qingfan’s face.

Seeing Dongfang Qingling like this, Xu Qingfan finally felt at ease. He struggled to circulate the Spirit Qi in his body and used the "Sleeve Space" technique to take out the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," placing it between his chest and abdomen. After all this effort, the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" finally regained its energy.

As soon as the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" appeared, a golden-white light radiated outward, wrapping around Xu Qingfan’s body. For a moment, Xu Qingfan felt a wave of comfort, and the previous pain and fatigue seemed to lessen significantly, while his various wounds were greatly relieved.

Most importantly, the "Corpse Refining" curse was greatly suppressed under the power of the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic." The numbness that had been spreading throughout his body suddenly stopped and began to shrink very slowly.

Xu Qingfan sighed helplessly. The power within the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was too pure and immense for him to fully use; he could only slightly harness its power. However, even so, being surrounded by this golden-white light made both healing and dispelling the curse much easier for Xu Qingfan.

Everything finally got back to normal. Letting out a deep breath, Xu Qingfan slowly closed his eyes and entered deep meditation.

Although the biggest threat to Xu Qingfan at that moment was the "Corpse Refining" curse set by the Eleventh Brother of the Zhong family, the first thing Xu Qingfan did after meditating was to heal the internal injuries he had suffered from continuous heavy blows. If these injuries did not heal, the efficiency of the Spirit Qi in his body would greatly decrease, making it very difficult to get rid of the "Corpse Refining" curse. Moreover, forcing the Spirit Qi to move with such severe injuries could worsen his condition and might even leave lasting problems that needed careful handling.

Fortunately, surrounded by the light of the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," the spread of the "Corpse Refining" curse slowed down greatly.

…

When a cultivator enters seclusion to heal or practice, they often lose track of time. They may close their eyes and when they open them again, a year or even several years could have passed.

After consuming a large amount of spiritual medicine and receiving help from the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," Xu Qingfan’s healing process was still slow.

But the first step finally came to an end.

It took nearly a month for his internal injuries to fully heal. However, with the powerful medicinal effects and the golden-white glow helping him, along with Xu Qingfan’s supernatural ability "Way of Life and Death," the injury on his chest gradually began to heal.

When Xu Qingfan opened his eyes, it was nighttime, and the first thing he saw was Dongfang Qingling staring at him in shock.

Dongfang Qingling did not know how long she had been like this. When Xu Qingfan first sat down to meditate, she was still watching her surroundings cautiously, just in case. But as time passed, everything around her remained calm and peaceful. Dongfang Qingling gradually began to feel a bit bored, so she sat in front of Xu Qingfan, looking at him surrounded by a golden halo, and unknowingly fell into a daze.

This was her first time openly watching Xu Qingfan. Before, she was used to hiding in a corner to do this.

After two hundred years, the world had changed, yet their faces remained the same. Xu Qingfan still looked handsome but had gained a bit of weariness, while Dongfang Qingling still looked charming; her past stubbornness had transformed into today’s grace and reason. In essence, she had changed.

Silently following Xu Qingfan, quietly watching his perseverance and fatigue, it had already been two hundred years. As her understanding deepened, Dongfang Qingling realized that she was gradually sinking into this, quietly trailing behind Xu Qingfan, watching his joys and sorrows, secretly sharing his emotions, as if it had become a habit.

At that moment, looking at Xu Qingfan before her, Dongfang Qingling suddenly thought of many things; various emotions surged in her heart, yet it seemed she thought of nothing at all, feeling an unprecedented calm and peace within.

But in any case, Dongfang Qingling suddenly discovered that, at this moment, she felt so fulfilled; she had something to wait for, something worthy of her to rely on.

There are two kinds of love for women; one loves because of understanding, and the other loves because they are understood.

Dongfang Qingling belonged to the first kind.

Watching Xu Qingfan’s face grow rosy as he meditated brought her joy. When Xu Qingfan furrowed his brow during meditation, she felt worried for a long time. The Southern Wasteland was windy, so Dongfang Qingling silently sat above the wind, blocking it for Xu Qingfan. Sometimes she would smooth his hair, which had been tousled by the wind, or wipe the dirt from his face left by the breeze, striving to keep Xu Qingfan in his best condition.

She waited for the moment when Xu Qingfan would wake up again, hoping for his recovery, but strangely thought that it might be nice to just continue like this, silently guarding him and watching over Xu Qingfan.

As she looked, it felt like meditation; she forgot about the passing of time, watching the sun rise and set, until Xu Qingfan slowly opened his eyes.

When she saw Xu Qingfan open his eyes, Dongfang Qingling suddenly snapped back to reality, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink, looking particularly charming.

However, Dongfang Qingling knew this was not the time for daydreaming; she quickly gathered her emotions, her gaze shifting from shy to concerned. Without knowing if it was on purpose or not, she moved closer to Xu Qingfan and softly asked, "Senior Brother Xu, how are you feeling?"

After Xu Qingfan woke up, he was thinking about how to remove the curse inside him. He didn’t notice Dongfang Qingling’s fluster. After hearing her question, he smiled reassuringly and said, "My internal and external injuries have healed, but the person from the Zhong family that I killed had cursed me once. It is a very powerful curse, and I need to find a way to remove it."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, a trace of worry flashed in Dongfang Qingling’s eyes. Curses in the cultivation world are the most mysterious and strange; once one is afflicted, unless handled properly, the only outcome is death.

But Dongfang Qingling did not want her worries to upset Xu Qingfan, so she carefully hid her concern deep inside. When she saw some dirt on Xu Qingfan’s face from the wind, she instinctively reached out to wipe it away, just like she had been doing all month, carefully taking care of Xu Qingfan and cleaning his face.

But then she suddenly remembered that Xu Qingfan could move his body now. As her hand reached halfway, it turned into a motion to tuck her hair behind her ear, as she casually asked, "Is there a way?"

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "Of course, there is a way. The Zhong family’s ‘dark’ methods may change in many ways, but they all stem from dead energy and corpse poison. My cultivation method can counter it, and I have a precious item that is a natural enemy to this cultivation method. It’s not very difficult."

In fact, every curse carries some danger when it is removed, even if done correctly. Xu Qingfan only said this to help Dongfang Qingling feel better.

But Dongfang Qingling believed Xu Qingfan’s words, her eyes shining with joy, until she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is that zombie master and those men in black all from the legendary Zhong family?"

From the beginning to the end, Dongfang Qingling had no idea who Zhong Ling and Zhong family’s Fourth Brother were.

Xu Qingfan nodded and replied, "That should be right. The zombie master asked me for a holy item from their family, and I have something that looks very much like the Zhong family’s treasure, the ‘Purgatory Staff.’ They can control death zombies, and no other family or sect in the cultivation world has this kind of power. Moreover, after you fell unconscious, I negotiated with that man in black, and he even admitted they were from the Zhong family."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan looked thoughtful, starting to consider the changes that might happen in the cultivation world after the Zhong family’s return.

Seeing Xu Qingfan deep in thought, Dongfang Qingling interrupted, "Senior Brother Xu, you should first remove the curse from your body; we can think about these matters later."

Xu Qingfan smiled and nodded, saying, "I got too anxious."

He asked Dongfang Qingling about events from the past few days, then Xu Qingfan sat down to meditate again.

This time, he focused on removing the "Corpse Refining" curse from his body.

This time, Dongfang Qingling no longer stared blankly at Xu Qingfan like before. She realized something was wrong, so after Xu Qingfan meditated, she started to watch her surroundings carefully, just in case something unexpected happened.

Besides hiding the dangers, Xu Qingfan did not lie; his "Formula of Life and Death" could indeed control the Zhong family’s "dark" techniques. "Withered Qi" could refine the corpse poison and death energy, while "Flourish Qi" could dissolve them. And the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was their greatest enemy.

At first, everything seemed to go smoothly. Xu Qingfan discovered the death energy and corpse poison hidden all over the body. As the Spirit Qi flowed, the corpse poison and death energy were either refined or expelled, and the numbness in the body gradually faded away.

After a month, just as Xu Qingfan was about to dissolve the "Corpse Refining" curse, something unexpected happened.

While Xu Qingfan was expelling and refining the "Corpse Refining" curse with Spirit Qi, a sudden chaos occurred. He felt as if his chest had taken a heavy blow, causing him great pain.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Qingling, who was guarding by his side, saw Xu Qingfan suddenly tremble and then spit out a mouthful of blood.

Then, a stream of blood shot out from Xu Qingfan’s mouth, and his body fell weakly to the ground.

In shock and disbelief, Dongfang Qingling, who had been calm, hurried to Xu Qingfan, helped him up, and looked at him with concern, hesitating whether to send Spirit Qi into his body to check.

Just then, Xu Qingfan slowly opened his eyes, a wry smile on his face, and murmured, "I miscalculated; I was too careless."

Seeing that Xu Qingfan did not seem to have a serious problem, Dongfang Qingling felt relieved and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, what is wrong?"

Xu Qingfan smiled wryly and said, "I thought I was only under one kind of curse, but unexpectedly, there are three. The Zhong family’s cultivation method is indeed mysterious. I had no idea when the other two curses hid within me. When I tried to dispel one, the other two curses suddenly attacked me, causing me to suffer a backlash from Spirit Qi."

Hearing Xu Qingfan say this, Dongfang Qingling was shocked and quickly asked, "Is it serious?"

Xu Qingfan’s smile grew even more bitter as he replied, "Don’t worry, all the curses have been expelled. It’s just that because of the backlash from Spirit Qi, I won’t be able to move for a month."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Dongfang Qingling finally felt relieved.

So, Xu Qingfan found himself helplessly needing Dongfang Qingling’s care for another month.

During this month, Xu Qingfan began to reflect on his journey to the Southern Wasteland.