Chapter 57
HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 57
The small inn was filled with hostility .
Terrified by the strength of Tian Yao's attack just then, the Chen Xing Mountain's disciples didn't immediately make a move . Yan Hui stood, hand clutching her stomach, by Tian Yao across the disciples . She swept her gaze over their faces . She stopped at Zi Chen . She paused and then murmured to Tian Yao: "How much inner breath do you have left after attacking Ling Fei?"
"None . "
Yan Hui grew solemn when she heard Tian Yao's words . She only said: "In a few moments, I'm going to stall them . You leave . " She took a step forward, but her collar was seized from behind .
"Come back . " Tian Yao's voice was calm . He lightly glanced upstairs: "We can leave together . "
Zhu Li had been watching from up there behind a pillar the entire time . Their eyes met . Zhu Li's gaze deepened and he stepped out .
The old servant behind Zhu Li wanted to grab him back, but Zhu Li shook off his hand . When the servant saw Zhu Li reaching to unsheathe the jian tied at his waist, the servant anxiously pressed Zhu Li's hand back down . He clenched his teeth and looked down at the disciples His eyes gleamed red and in a split second, his wrinkle-lined face became sinister .
At the same time, Zi Chen suddenly turned his head to look upstairs: "Demon magic!"
A pale fog immediately exploded from where Zhu Li and the old servant stood . In a few short moments, the fog filled the entire inn . In the chaos, Ling Fei's pain-filled yet calm voice shouted out from the midst where the disciples stood: "Don't panic . Get in position . "
At that time, Yan Hui felt a pressure on her wrist . She turned her head to look . It was that kid who was a head shorter than her, Zhu Li, who was holding onto her wrist: "Come with me . "
There was no time for Yan Hui to respond when she heard the surrounding wind start to whistle . In a blink of an eye, the fog in front of her started to curl . The wind screamed .
Yan Hui was stepping on something soft . She looked down . She wasn't standing on a cloud nor a sword, but rather it was a soft grey pelt .
Zhu Li said by her side: "Don't worry . Uncle Zhao is fast . Those people won't be able to catch up . We will definitely be able to leave safely . "
Only then did Yan Hui realized she was standing on the back of an enormous fox demon .
She didn't have time to relax when she tensed up again: "Where's Tian Yao?" She flusteredly looked around for him only to discover he was already tranquilly sitting down behind her . His eyes were closed, and he was regulating his inner breath .
Tian Yao looked up when he heard Yan Hui's call . He didn't say a word, but it was enough for Yan Hui's expression to relax back down .
It was like Yan Hui had lost all strength . She plopped down: "It hurts . . . . . . . " She rubbed her stomach and reached up to touch her face . Her fingers hadn't touched her wounded face when a hand reached out and grabbed her hand away .
Yan Hui turned to look . Tian Yao was still looking at her: "Hands are dirty . Don't touch it . "
Zhu Li also knelt down to look when he heard Tian Yao's words . He patted down his clothes and took out a white jade bottle: "I have some medicine . It won't cure you, but it at least can help . Take it orally as a painkiller or apply externally to stop bleeding . " Zhu Li looked at the wound on Yan Hui's cheek and frowned: "The cold magic on that jian is quite strong . "
"Things from Guang Han Sect are like that," added Tian Yao before falling silent again .
That jian was from Guang Han Sect? Yan Hui thought back . She didn't recall seeing Ling Fei with the flexible jian at Chen Xing Mountain . It had to have been acquired not too long ago . Could it be Ling Fei sought out her sister, Su Ying, recently for it?
Zhu Li frowned even more at what he just heard: "Your wound is already so deep, and now with the cold spell there too . . . . . . I think even if the wound heals, it'll leave a big, purple scar . "
Yan Hui waved her hand in unconcern: "What's so bad about leaving a scar? It's not going to interfere with me eating or sleeping . If it scars, then it scars . "
"You're going to leave it as a symbol that women beat you?" Tian Yao blandly interjected in . "Something you recall every time you look in the mirror?"
Yan Hui was silent . Then she side-eyed Tian Yao .
"Fuck . . . . . . "
To Yan Hui, a scar truly wasn't a big deal . But if it was a mark of humiliation, then that of course was another matter .
She snatched the bottle from Zhu LI's hand, popped off the cork, and shook out two pills . One of them she crushed and then applied to the wound on the check . The second pill she popped into ther mouth a chewed . Its bitter flavor instantly filled her mouth .
As she chewed, she endured the increasing bitterness flavour and also the bitterness in her heart .
This time she lost to Ling Fei . Although it was somewhat despicable of Ling Fei to surprise attack with the flexible jian, it a real fight there was no such thing as despicable or dirty moves . Losing was losing . Inferior skills was inferior skills . There was nothing more to explain .
Yan Hui was unwavering on that thought . Only winning meant you were superior .
Actually, Yan Hui knew that even if Ling Fei didn't take out that jian, she wouldn't have necessarily won either .
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In the month that she left Chen Xing Mountain, she was filled to her ears with things to do . She hadn't meditated nor cultivated at all . The only new thing she learned was the nine-tailed fox demon's magic, which Tian Yao was the one who taught her .
On the other hand, Ling Fei, who had lost to her, would've been the complete opposite . Ling Fei would have been diligently cultivating every single day afterwards . Not to mention, with her status, Ling Fei would have the entire library to her disposal . Even if Zhenren Qing Guang was still gone to who-know-where, Ling Fei could still ask Su Ying if she wanted to . That would for sure improve her skills a lot .
Yan Hui gritted her teeth . In comparison to her, she couldn't find any books to study techniques, and there was no one to give her pointers . . . . . . .
Thinking of this, Yan Hui paused . Then she turned her head to look at Tian Yao .
From the beginning, Tian Yao had continued to stared at Yan Hui . When Yan Hui turned to look, naturally their four eyes met .
"Do you know any xian cultivation or magic?" Yan Hui bluntly asked him .
"No . "
"Then teach me demon magic . "
Tian Yao slightly raised an eyebrow: "You want to join me on the demon pathway?"
When he said that, Zhu Li's eyes also lit up: "You want to join the demon pathway?"
"Flushing out my cultivation by breaking down to my marrow is too painful . " Yan Hui declined without a second thought . "Just teach me the demon magic . I'll learn it holistically . "
Zhu Li completely disagreed: "If you want to learn demon magic, you have to break and flush and start over . If you add demon magic to xian cultivation, then one day you will lose yourself . . . . . . . "
"That's other xian cultivators . " Yan Hui's words were arrogant, but it was also true . What Zhu Li said made sense, but what he didn't know was that Yan Hui's heart had a heart protection scale . If she learned other types of demon techniques, then there may be a great danger . But if she learned what Tian Yaa's magic, then there was no problem at all .
Tian Yao stayed silent . Yan Hui took it as quiet acceptance .
Zhu Li wanted to continue to urge her to consider, but when he saw the two involved people stay silent, he also stopped for now . After a period of silence, he spoke up again: "Then are you coming back with me to Qing Qiu?"
Yan Hui was stunned for a moment . Then she remembered what happened before Ling Fei showed up . She originally . . . . . . . . planned to separate from Tian Yao! They would be far, far away from each other and no longer care about Central Plain's demon-xian conflict!
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Why still up to this point . . . . . . .
She'd been more tightly entangled in!
"They seem certain that we will stay with them . "
True . . . . . . .
Yan Hui felt a light blow to her heart . Before, there was no shred of evidence to indicate she was colluding with the demons, but now it wasn't good . . . . . . . . .
Tian Yao used demon magic to slice open Ling Fei's face . She also was saved by demons using demons magic . There was no washing away this evidence no matter how deep a river she jumped in . . . . . . . . . But if she couldn't wash it way, then she couldn't wash it away . In the end . . . . . . . the situation was already like this .
Yan Hui gritted her teeth . "We're going!"
Where else could she go besides Qing Qiu . From today forth, Central Plain's xian sects might not even leave a place for her to stand on .
Tian Yao didn't have any intention of refuting Yan Hui's words . After all, when compared to the current Central Plains, Qing Qiu was where ought to be .
Zhu Li's expression became excited for a split second at Yan Hui's words . Then he forcefully quashed it and put on a more mature air: "Entering . . . . . . . entering Qing Qiu means you have to abide by our customs . Our people have a deep grudge against xian cultivators . Don't slip up . I won't lose my face to help you!
Yan Hui didn't respond . It was hard for Zhu Li to cover up his happiness, and he ran toward the fox's head . He whispered a few sentences . into the fox's ear, which was as tall as himself . A few of the words were carried back to Yan Hui by the wind . "Waiting three days was right . I knew she would come with us . "
Yan Hui pursed her lips: "In the end, he's still a brat . . . . . . . "
Tian Yao, who had been silent, added: "A lot like you . "
Yan Hui retorted: "Aren't you also at times?"
Tian Yao didn't speak further . He turned to gazed outwards . The sun had set behind the mountains . The afterglow glittered in the southwest . When he settled down his heart, he could sense his familiar aura circulating there . The more southwest they went, the stronger he could sense it .
What part of his body was it . . . . . . .
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Tian Yao's eyes drooped down as he sank in deep thought . Was it his dragon tendons or his dragon heart buried there . . . . . .
There were quite a few hindrances as they were crossing over Qing Qiu's borders . However, with Zhu Li's status, more demons were sent as support as they got closer to the border . The gray fox demon soared on clouds past the obstacles . Below them, the demon races and the xian cultivators fought, not letting anyone block their path .
Before entering into Qing Qiu, there was one final mountain to cross - San Chong Mountain .
Yan Hui looked down from the clouds . San Chong Mountain still had a mark left from when the demons and xian fought 50 years ago . Craggy rocks, fields where not even weeds grew . There was also a long and deep gash in the mountain itself . It was like a black, bottomless scar .
50 years ago, Zhenren Qing Guang and the ruler of Qing Qiu had their last battle here . That mark was drawn then .
This gash, which can still be seen clearly in the sky, became the boundary between the two countries .
Yan Hui was looking at that "historical remain" when she saw Tian Yao, who had always been sitting, suddenly stand up .
Yan Hui blurted out: "What is it?"
There was a vague glimmer in Tian Yao's eyes: "My dragon tendons . "
Yan Hui was stunned: "What?"
The corner of Tian Yao's mouth quirked up: "My dragon tendons, there are hidden here . "
Yan Hui blinked . Then she looked down: "San Chong Mountain?" She didn't understand . "Didn't you say your dragon tendons were sealed by fire? Where in this mountain is fire . . . . . . . . "
She didn't finish because the a fiery glow suddenly leapt out of the ground, which was indiscernible due to the darkness . She was shocked by the sight .
Glowing red lava flowed out of the bottomless gash that became the boundary between countries . The magma slowly filled up the gash . Then it suddenly gushed upwards, magma spraying out . The ones that landed outside the gash slowly cooled into rock . Inside the gash, the magma continued to boil . In a few moments, that magma that filled the gash started to subside again .
The gash wasn't sealed with cooling magma . The rocks at its edge were glowing deep red . Clearly the lava that rushed out was extremely hot .
Then San Chong Mountain . . . . . . .
Was actually a living volcano .