Chapter 72
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“Master, please, stop speaking. That woman is… you know…”
Upon his wife’s reminder, Zhang Dongming immediately calmed down, turning his gaze away. He grabbed her hand and shuffled aside, squeezing near Lu Liangsheng.
“…Young Master Lu, how is my son? Can he recover?”
Even as these words were spoken, Lu Liangsheng was already trying to find a solution. This was his first time encountering such a situation. His face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was deeply unsettled.
The clump of Yang essence in Zhang Liancheng’s body was like a scurrying mouse darting about. Several times, it nearly surged toward the heart. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, using his spiritual power to shield Zhang Liancheng’s heart meridian while sealing off several pathways the Yang essence was using to rampage.
It was an utter mess.
…Lu Liangsheng was getting anxious. At this point, he needed to figure out a way to expel the Yang essence from Zhang Liancheng’s body as soon as possible through his mouth or nose.
“Old Sun, don’t bother with those two fox demons right now. Focus on getting the Yang essence out.”
Zhang Dongming, who was so anxious that his face was drenched in sweat, leaned forward nervously. “Yes, yes, Daoist, please think of something.”
“Step aside! What do you expect me to do?!”
The Daoist wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and waved the old man off impatiently.
“Getting it out? Easy to say! How am I supposed to do that? Suck it out with my mouth?!”
Hm?
Lu Liangsheng paused and turned his head to look at the Daoist. Their eyes met for a moment, and Sun Yingxian’s mouth twitched.“Hey, hey, why are you looking at me like that?”
“The method you mentioned might actually work!”
The Daoist’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shook his head vigorously. “Why don’t you—”
“You’ve been cultivating for years and are skilled in the art of guidance. I can’t do it. Saving lives comes first. I’ll use my spiritual power to suppress it—hurry!”
“You—!”
Sun Yingxian’s breathing grew heavy as he looked at Zhang Liancheng’s pale face and cracked lips.
“Damn it… My first time, and it’s for a man.”
Grinding his teeth, he reluctantly puckered his lips and leaned down slowly. Zhang Dongming and his wife turned away in embarrassment, raising their wide sleeves to shield their faces. At the foot of the bed, the fox demon stopped sobbing, blinking her eyes as she watched the two men’s lips meet.
The Daoist sucked in sharply, his cheeks sinking inward as if they might collapse entirely.
“Don’t let go! It’s moving!”
Lu Liangsheng warned in a low voice, his fingertips pressing against Zhang Liancheng’s body, slowly guiding the Yang essence toward his mouth and nose. Beads of sweat formed on his face during this tense moment, and his fingertips pressed against the emaciated frame beneath, feeling uncomfortably bony and frail.
“Humans and demons engaging in such… acts, without any restraint.”
The scholar’s gaze stayed fixed on his fingertips as they moved, not daring to let his attention waver for even an instant. Any mistake could cost Zhang Liancheng his life. Channeling his spiritual power, he carefully pushed the Yang essence toward the throat.
On the other side, Sun Yingxian, still pouting, guided the essence upward with his own spiritual power. Wisps of white mist began to seep out of Zhang Liancheng’s mouth and nose, curling together in midair to form a swirling, mist-like sphere.
As sweat rolled down his cheeks, Lu Liangsheng quickly withdrew his hands, grabbing the yellow silk pouch hanging from the Daoist’s shoulder. With a swift motion, he captured the floating Yang essence in the pouch, pulling the red cord tight to seal it.
Phew…
Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief, tossing the bulging pouch back toward the Daoist.
“Catch!”
The yellow silk pouch sailed through the air.
Pfft, pfft…
The Daoist, after spitting several more times, reached out to catch the pouch. He took out a yellow talisman, muttered an incantation while waving it, and slapped it onto the pouch.
Seeing the situation resolved, the woman kneeling at the foot of the bed, Yan Zhi, suddenly kowtowed in gratitude.
“This humble one thanks the young master and the Daoist for their life-saving grace.”
Lu Liangsheng shook his head. “The matter isn’t over yet. His body is severely weakened, and full recovery will be extremely difficult.”
With two sudden thuds, Zhang Dongming and his wife fell to their knees behind him.
“Daoist Master Sun, Young Master Lu, we beg of you—please save our son. The Zhang family has only this one child. If we lose him, it will just be the two of us, old and frail, left to live in loneliness. How could we go on?”
Lu Liangsheng quickly helped them up. His gaze shifted back to the unconscious Zhang Liancheng on the bed. They were strangers to him, not kin. To truly save the young man would likely mean sacrificing his own cultivation, just as he had once done to save Old Master Lu. The hesitation in his heart was palpable. Yet, seeing the despair on the faces of the elderly couple, compassion stirred within him.
He sighed.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Old Lu, think this through.” Sun Yingxian hurriedly grabbed his wrist, urging him. “You’ve only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage. Your cultivation is still unstable. If you proceed, there’s a high chance of backlash, and you might revert to the Qi Refinement stage. You could… never make progress again.”
The old couple looked at him with anxious, pleading eyes.
Lu Liangsheng glanced at the unconscious figure on the bed and suddenly smiled faintly.
“Is our cultivation merely for one person to live better, all alone?”
At the foot of the bed, Yan Zhi looked at him, her fingers twisting a corner of her robe’s sleeve. Her expression was conflicted, torn between hesitation and determination. Just as Lu Liangsheng extended his hand to touch Zhang Liancheng’s forehead, she suddenly spoke up.
“Young Master Lu, wait.”
Yan Zhi rose from the ground and suddenly opened her mouth. A bead emitting a green radiance flew out. At the same time, the illusion technique on her body lost its foundation and disappeared in the blink of an eye, revealing the appearance of a humanoid fox. Startled, the elderly couple exclaimed repeatedly and quickly hid behind the Daoist.
“She’s revealed her true form! Young Master Lu!”
Lu Liangsheng paid no attention, his gaze fixed on the demon core that floated slowly above the bed. It became clear what the fox spirit intended to do.
After a moment, Yan Zhi bowed slightly toward the scholar and the Daoist. Her fox-like eyes gleamed with gentleness.
“Young Master Lu, you have no ties to Liancheng, yet you’ve gone to such lengths. I, Yan Zhi, am ashamed. What remains to be done leave it to me.”
With that, she raised her arms and opened her mouth. The floating demon core began to spin before them, threads of green energy peeling away from it. These threads were drawn toward Zhang Liancheng, entering his nostrils. A brief flash of light passed through his face, and his pale, sunken cheeks began to regain a healthy, rosy glow. His breathing also became steady.
The demon core then returned to the fox spirit, re-entering her body. Suddenly, Yan Zhi wobbled, and an indescribable pain surged through her chest.
Pfft—
A mouthful of crimson blood sprayed out, the mist hanging in the air, before Yan Zhi collapsed backward.
Lu Liangsheng reacted swiftly, his wide sleeve sweeping forward as his hand reached out to catch her falling form. Two fingers pressed against her forehead as he quickly stabilized her injuries.
The elderly couple, frozen in place, looked on in bewilderment. They had seen enough to realize the fox spirit had been saving their son. Unable to contain their worry, they asked hesitantly:
“Little Daoist, this fox spirit… what happened to her?”
A sigh broke the silence, and even Sun Yingxian’s sharp, monkey-like face showed a rare trace of emotion.
“Fox spirits are passionate and loyal. She used her cultivation and gave up half of her lifespan to restore Zhang Liancheng’s damaged body… Sigh, that’s why this Daoist has always gone easy on fox spirits.”
Lu Liangsheng gently placed Yan Zhi and Zhang Liancheng side by side. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the fox spirit’s appearance shifted back into that of a beautiful woman. He and the Daoist then turned to bid farewell to the elderly couple.
“Let her rest well for the night. As for whether she stays or goes in the future, that’s your family’s matter. Farewell!”
The Daoist clasped his hands toward the elderly couple and followed Lu Liangsheng out of the room. Before leaving, he glanced back and tilted his chin slightly.
“This fox spirit, I will not take any action against her in the future—unless she does evil.”
Left behind, Zhang Dongming and his wife stood uncertainly, illuminated by the warm, golden glow of the lantern. Zhang Dongming looked at his son and the fox spirit lying on the bed together.
Slapping his thigh, he sighed bitterly.
“Ah, what a tangled mess of karma…”
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