Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Because I Like My Master!
Thunderbolt on a Clear Day?
This word suits Bai Lian’s mood perfectly right now.
The Previous Moment.
She hummed a tune out of tune in her heart, holding her master’s foot, scrubbing it earnestly.
The Next Moment.
All her good feelings dispersed rapidly from her master’s body along with the black lines that surfaced.
So, was it all just a "well-intentioned lie"?
Her master faked that his wounds were slowly healing on purpose, just not to make her worry.
But now, Bai Lian was more worried than before.
She thought she was standing in an open wilderness, seeing an endless black tide surging towards her. The tide was roaring with a suffocating and nauseating smell.
Bai Lian felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.
But this will definitely fall on her master, right?
This will make the already bad situation worse.
Therefore, Bai Lian could only hold on forcibly.
She took a deep breath and gently stroked her chest several times, finally calming her pounding heart.
"Master, if you don’t feel well, please rest."
She bent down and picked An Lan up.
An Lan leaned her head against Bai Lian’s chest, the words seemed to drain all her strength, so even though she was being held like this, she didn’t "cause trouble" again.
Bai Lian gently put her master on the bed.
She gazed at her master’s exposed belly gloomily.
Perhaps due to pain, her master’s body jerked occasionally, causing the circular wound to open and close, which looked quite dreadful.
Bai Lian remembered the shape and depth of that wound vividly.
With just a glance, she understood that her master’s condition had not only failed to improve these days, but had instead become even more severe than before.
If this continued, the black spirit Qi entangled in the wound would inevitably spread to the rest of her master’s body sooner or later.
The result would be…
Bai Lian dared not imagine any further.
Heavenly Lord was not invincible, and even the Faramita Immortal, who had integrated the Blank Dao, could not avoid the fate of death when their time came.
Bai Lian had never thought of chasing eternity; she just wanted to elongate the leisure of the present as much as possible.
She gently grasped her master’s right hand, afraid of hurting him like she did before.
Originally, she intended to angrily scold her master for a few words.
However, considering her master’s thick skin, like that of a city wall, Bai Lian gave up.
She lifted An Lan’s scorching hot little hand and pressed the back of her hand against her own icy forehead.
This will do.
"I will find a way."
An Lan reluctantly opened her eyes, "Don’t worry, this small injury won’t kill me."
Bai Lian didn’t argue, she just gave a gentle nod.
"Go to sleep."
She parted An Lan’s sweat-drenched hair from her forehead as a mother tending to her sick daughter.
No one spoke in the cave anymore.
Bai Lian waited until An Lan fell asleep before standing up.
Instead of leaving immediately, she condensed a new Dharma-body with her cultivation method and continued looking at An Lan. Then she cleaned the bed stained with sweat and foot-washing water.
Only after completing all these tasks did she step out of her master’s cave.
This injury is related to the Demon of the Outer Realm, so we have to start from this aspect!
Bai Lian brought Younger Martial Brother Chen Yizhi and Martial Sister He Yurou over. Last time, they cured Si Yunshang, but the result was disappointing.
"I’m sorry, Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, my strength is limited and I cannot remove the demonic power from Master An Lan’s body." Younger Martial Brother Chen looked at Bai Lian with embarrassment.
Martial Sister He Yurou held the Tai Xuan Divine Needle in her hand, also frowning, "Master An Lan’s injury is actually under control and there is no need to worry about it spreading in the short term, but…"
Bai Lian asked, "But what?"
Martial Sister He answered, "The spirit Qi in Master An Lan’s body is vast and far beyond the limit of ordinary people, like the ocean, deep and unfathomable. Now, this spirit Qi is slowly draining at an extremely slow speed, which is illogical. I’m wondering if Master An Lan’s injury is related to this?"
Bai Lian understood.
Although An Lan’s cultivation base was only at the peak of the Transcendency Stage, her true strength was definitely above that of ordinary immortals. Even now, she couldn’t fathom the depth of her master, let alone Taiyuan Divine Needle’s successor who had yet to grow.
As for Martial Sister He’s claim that Master’s spirit Qi was declining, it’s understandable since Master is currently seriously injured.
"Thank you for your trouble."
After exchanging greetings, Bai Lian escorted Younger Martial Brother Chen and Martial Sister He back.
She wandered around the cave for a while before flying straight to the Duxian Sect’s library.
Perhaps she could gain some enlightenment by studying those ancient books. On the way, she also sent messages to the eldest princess, Qingxuan Sword Master and others, requesting their assistance in finding ancient books related to the Outer Realm Devil.
"Bai Lian!"
A surprised cry suddenly echoed through the vast library.
Before the towering shelf, Bai Lian, donning a blue and white cheongsam, was perusing scrolls when Yan Yue excitedly ran over to her.
"What are you doing here?"
Yan Yue joyfully reached out her hand and tapped Bai Lian’s shoulder, which was wrapped in black translucent silk.
The girl slowly turned around, but what Yan Yue saw was a stiff face that seemed to have lost all its luster, and her bright, starry eyes had lost their luster.
"You…"
A wave of inexplicable panic surged through Yan Yue’s body.
Yan Yue’s hand became stiff.
As if something was stuck in her throat, she couldn’t even speak a complete sentence.
"Yan Yue."
Bai Lian nodded slightly as a form of greeting, then turned around and continued to look at the scroll.
Yan Yue withdrew her hand and asked, "What happened?"
Bai Lian didn’t even turn her head and said, "Master is injured."
"An Lan?"
"Yes."
Yan Yue quickly asked, "Where is she injured?"
"There is an unhealable wound on her abdomen. It’s very painful, so painful that she can’t get out of bed."
"…"
Yan Yue hesitated to speak.
She silently watched Bai Lian’s still long and straight back.
On weekdays, she always felt that Bai Lian was a support pillar that could be hugged tightly, but sometimes she also needed others to support her from below, right?
Yan Yue’s voice was muffled, "I want to hug you."
Bai Lian reinserted the completed scroll back into the bookshelf, "Then let’s hug."
Yan Yue, who received the approval, suddenly shook her head, "But I think it shouldn’t be now."
"?"
Yan Yue said, "You’re worried about An Lan, right?"
"Hmm." Bai Lian didn’t deny it.
She and Yan Yue had long since crossed the thin barriers, and there was no need to hide such things.
Yan Yue said, "Hugging you at this time feels like taking advantage of An Lan’s situation."
Bai Lian rarely laughed at this.
Truly Yan Yue, her thought process was always different from others’.
"Thank you."
Yan Yue lightly stroked the butterfly hair clip on her hair, "So many storms and waves have been overcome, An Lan will surely be fine."
"Hmm." Bai Lian nodded, "I also believe that Master will be safe."
Yan Yue stared, "I’m not comforting you, everything I said is the truth. You don’t know, An Lan has experienced so many storms and waves since childhood that she couldn’t even count them with one hand."
Bai Lian exclaimed, "Really?"
"Of course."
Leaning against the bookshelf, Yan Yue crossed her arms and narrated.
"Once, I said I wanted to see the monkeys, and she took me to see them. But on the way, we encountered a tiger demon. I was so scared that I hid my head in the bushes, but An Lan punched the tiger demon to death by herself. Her right hand was bitten off, and my father helped her reattach it later."
"Another time, she said she wanted to take me to see the clouds and the sea. When we climbed up the mountain, it suddenly started to blow the Wind of the Falling Gold, and we were both blown down. She held me and slid down the cliff with one hand, and after that, she lay in bed for half a month."
"Later, she said she had enough of me and wanted to go back to the immortal palace, so she built a thunderous magic array on the mountain, but it didn’t go as planned. The magic array malfunctioned, attracting a thunderbolt. Yet, she only broke a leg while blocking the thunder for me. I still wonder what her body is made of."
"This was not the most dangerous time. The most dangerous time was when An Lan suddenly couldn’t move for some reason. She lay in bed, just like a mortal with a terminal illness, no matter what Medicinal Pills my father fed her, she didn’t show any improvement. I could only watch her become weaker and weaker, and finally even her body began to shrink."
Yan Yue sighed.
"At that time, I thought she was done for, but she comforted me, saying she just had a stomachache and would recover after resting for a while."
"?"
Bai Lian’s ears twitched.
She asked, "What happened to the master later?"
Yan Yue said, "I had even started to prepare for her funeral, but just when it was halfway through, she got up from the bed like nothing had happened, and angrily smashed everything I had prepared. ‘I told you I would be fine. You were spoiled, and needed to be taught a lesson,’ that’s what she said."
"Did my master hit you?" Bai Lian asked in surprise.
Yan Yue shook her head, "No, she just loves talking like that."
Indeed, the master is such a person.
"She definitely won’t have any problem this time, because she is An Lan."
"That’s right, she is An Lan."
Bai Lian was truly inspired by Yan Yue.
Her attention focused on the last thing Yan Yue said.
Weakness and beginning to wither, why does it sound so much like a "declining period"?
But this brings up a problem.
How did the master recover from the declining period back then?
Keep in mind that the Duxian sect was extremely poor, and old sect leader Yan Xiyi knew nothing about An Lan’s condition. He had no way of obtaining Immortal Spirit Qi to "cure" the master.
Even with the master’s own physical condition, it was impossible for her to go out and seek Immortal Spirit Qi.
Perhaps that wasn’t a period of weakness?
Or perhaps…
This is so frustrating!
There’s no point in thinking about these things now.
Bai Lian tugged at the hair at her forehead, "I’ll go back and check on my master."
Yan Yue said, "I’ll go with you."
"Okay."
The two hurriedly flew to An Lan’s cave.
An Lan was already submerged in her dreams, completely unaware of their arrival.
They stood there for quite a while before leaving, and Bai Lian carefully cleaned her master’s body before departing.
"An Lan is a good person, she surely won’t have any trouble."
Bai Lian rolled her eyes.
"Isn’t it inappropriate to give out ‘good person’ cards so bluntly?"
However, Yan Yue didn’t say anything wrong.
"The master surely won’t have any trouble."
The spring rain had passed, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.
Sitting on the tree, Bai Lian stared blankly at the white jade plate in the sky.
After a long while, she suddenly heard the rustling sound from below.
"Hmm?"
Bai Lian lowered her head and saw the jade rabbit climbing up the tree trunk lightly and comically.
She reached out to fetch the jade rabbit and asked, "Why didn’t you jump up directly? Did you get hurt?"
The ears of the jade rabbit immediately shook from side to side, and then after shaking, words were written on Bai Lian’s hand.
[I’m afraid of waking An Lan up].
Bai Lian laughed silently.
"Don’t worry, Master sleeps soundly and won’t wake up easily."
The jade rabbit continued to shake its ears, and even so, it still had to be careful!
She first stretched out her front paws to hug Bai Lian, and then wrote: [An Lan is a good woman, although sometimes she is a bad woman, most of the time she is a good woman. If it weren’t for her, I would have been eaten by other demonic beasts on the way to the Qiongming Peak, she must be fine. If there is anything I can help with, please tell me].
Bai Lian gently rubbed the jade rabbit’s head.
"Sure."
She chatted with the jade rabbit for a while, and after the jade rabbit left, about half a quarter of an hour later, the Fifth Martial Sister climbed up with a tree trunk in her arms.
"Elder Martial Sister, how is our master doing now?"
Bai Lian replied, "Our master is doing very well."
Ling Xuan seemed to let out a sigh of relief, sitting closely beside Bai Lian. "Except for Elder Martial Sister, our master is the kindest to me. She guides me in cultivation and always gives me the best things to eat. Though our master can be strict at times, I know it’s for my own good. She even told me that she’s certain I’ll be taller than her in the future. Our master is a wonderful person."
Being taller than our master is not difficult, is it?
Bai Lian grabbed Ling Xuan’s hand. "Don’t worry, our master will recover soon."
Ling Xuan clasped Bai Lian’s hand in return. "Elder Martial Sister, you must also stay strong."
Bai Lian was taken aback. "Do I seem to be in poor spirits?"
Ling Xuan replied, "The Second Elder Martial Sister said you haven’t been happy."
"Actually, I’m doing alright," Bai Lian answered earnestly.
Then, like water rushing out of a dam, several Martial Sisters departed only to be replaced by new ones.
Even when alone, Xiao Jinse and Yu Ying, who have had deep interactions with Bai Lian, didn’t do anything inappropriate.
They all gave An Lan compliments in front of Bai Lian.
After speaking for two hours in a row, Bai Lian’s somewhat depressed heart miraculously calmed down.
Although the cushion under her buttocks was clearly a cold, hard wood, she felt a warmth that penetrated deep into her soul.
Although her master usually appears aloof to strangers, she is essentially a warm-hearted person.
She could tell that the other Martial Sisters also saw this.
Bai Lian sat in the tree all night.
The eldest princess and Qingxuan Sword Master sent all the information they could find related to the Demon of the Outer Realm to Bai Lian the next morning.
Bai Lian spent half a day searching for what she wanted.
As she expected, most of the information was quite old, and she could not find anything related to curing An Lan’s injuries.
"There is only one path left to take."
"The injury was caused by the Demon of the Outer Realm, so we just need to look for the Demon of the Outer Realm."
Although the master said that the strength of the Demon of the Outer Realm far exceeded her imagination, she could not just stand by and don’thing.
"Some paths, even if known to be dangerous, still need to be taken."
That is not necessarily due to courage, but it may also be due to principles.
Bai Lian jumped down from the tree and hurried to her master’s side.
This is farewell.
After this, she still had to entrust her Martial Sisters to take care of her master when she left.
Rice should be eaten one bite at a time, and matters should be handled one by one.
After finishing all the tasks, Bai Lian went to Qingyu Peak, Yunluo Peak and the Zhuyan peak one by one.
"In these days, I will take a trip and bring back gifts for you when I come back."
"Really?"
Tong Yao, Qing Luan and Yan Yue’s reactions were all different.
However, Tong Yao was the most boastful in comparison.
"As long as you persist in licking, someday you will lick what you want!"
At dusk, Bai Lian returned to her own room.
At this moment, the setting sun was going down, the curtain of night was falling, birds were returning in flocks, and the melodious sound of the bell echoed in the mountains.
"If we divide an era into twelve hour periods, then the East Divine Land is also in at dusk now."
But, unlike a normal day, the following few "hours" would be dazzlingly fast.
The long night had come, and the ghosts and monsters were going to come out and make their presence known.
Bai Lian closed the window, locked it, and tidied up the dressing table before stowing away the Future Mirror into the storage pendant.
As she passed the bookshelf, she picked up the jade fan. She had intended to put it away, but after a moment of hesitation, she put it back.
Let it be a simple reminder.
She placed another teaching cane, which she had used for a long time, beside the folding fan.
"Puff~"
At the head of the bed, Bai Lian blew out the oil lamp with a breath, and the once bright room instantly plunged into darkness.
She took off her clothes and changed into a light outfit.
After drawing dozens of circles around her navel with her index finger, she walked confidently toward the door.
"I will be back soon… I’m sure of it!"
Glancing back for the last time, Bai Lian gently pushed open the door.
And then…
She stood still, stunned.
Next to the pillar outside the door, her master supported herself with one hand while clutching her stomach with the other.
The pain made her sweat profusely, and one of her eyes even narrowed.
"Master."
An Lan smiled weakly. "You want to go find the Demon of the Outer Realm?"
Bai Lian honestly admitted, "Yes."
An Lan said, "Do you remember what I told you before?"
"I do."
"Then why are you still going?"
"Because…"
Bai Lian gave a bunch of reasons, such as the Demon of the Outer Realm’s target being the Sansheng Stele, she might have two and a half on her, and sooner or later, the Demon of the Outer Realm will come looking for her.
Instead of waiting, it’s better to take the initiative and solve these two things at once.
An Lan kept panting, "With me here, they can’t hurt you."
She stared straight at Bai Lian, even stretching out the hand that was covering her stomach to block Bai Lian’s path.
"You can’t go!"
The evening breeze blew over them.
Bai Lian stared at her master for a long time, finally taking a step forward and embracing her.
"Because to me, master is not just a master, but also a dear friend, a relative, the person I… love most!"
An Lan stiffened completely, allowing Bai Lian to hold her.
Afterwards, she only heard Bai Lian whispering in her ear, "So I must go."
