Chapter 171: Injured
Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Huo Zaiyuan saw the welcoming and eager smile on the soldier's face disappear as he throws himself forward. A single gunshot rings out, shattering the quiet air in the military district.
Blood blossoms from the soldier's back as the bullet sinks in, followed by a maniacal shout emitting from a crazed-looking woman as she charges forward.
In the next second, a sharp pain erupts in Huo Zaiyuan's upper torso. A hot blade has carved its way through his flesh and bones, some sort of strange energy spreading from where a steel dagger rests within his body, sapping all the strength in him…
As he collapses, the woman's twisted face fills his vision, accompanied by her sharp, crazy laughter…
In the first apocalypse he experienced, he was kicking into a swarm of devil ants by this woman. At the time, she was also wearing this expression…
Ah…what did he do in both lifetimes for this woman to hate him so…?
"Little Yuan!!"
A heartbroken cry momentarily drowns out the woman's crazed laughter. Huo Zaiyuan's heart stutters as he is drawn into a warm hug. Zhanye's anguished eyes are the last thing he sees before his eyelids slide close. Huo Zaiyuan's lips tremble as he tries to talk, to soothe the despair on his face. But the only thing that comes out of his mouth is a stream of blood.
Zhan…Zhanye…
Long Zhanye grits his teeth in agony when he lay eyes on the pale-faced youth in his arms, the sight of blood flowing from his nose, mouth and chest fills him with desperation.
A relatively large group of soldiers dash towards the military hospital located not too far away. Bursting through the entrance, the soldiers in front bellow for a doctor, disregarding the rule for peace and quiet.
In no time at all, Huo Zaiyuan is transported to the emergency room. The sound of soldiers suddenly charging into the building and shouting for medical assistance alarmed not only the doctors and nurses on the first floor, but also the patients and staff on the second and third level. From amongst the crowd of people drawn to the first floor, a figure rushes out to grab Long Zhanye by the front of his blood-stained uniform.
"Older brother Long, ju - just now…was the person wheeled into the emergency room little Yuan? What the hell happened?"
"Little Qing." Qin Jun shoves through the crowd, gently pulling Li Qing away from the haggard Long Zhanye.
"But - "
Before Li Qing can protest, the doctor who entered the emergency room with Huo Zaiyuan walks out with a tensed expression, stopping before Long Zhanye.
"Senior officer Long, please come in."
Long Zhanye stiffens before following the doctor. Exchanging a quick glance, Li Qing and Qin Jun quickly tag along as well.
Within the emergency room, Huo Zaiyuan is already laid out on the operating table, tubes inserted through his oral cavity and stuck down his trachea. The bloodstained sweater has been cut down the middle, exposing his bare upper torso. A dagger sticks out the front of his chest. Most of the blade has entered cleanly, leaving only the handle. However, the strangest thing is the black-veined patterns spreading out from the wound. Even as they stare, these lines continue crawling further and further as a relatively slow speed.
"This…what is this?" Li Qing grips the end of the operating table but dares not approach any closer. Fear for Huo Zaiyuan grips his heart. Not too long ago, his childhood friend was still happily walking around. Now…
"We noticed this immediately after cutting the patient's shirt and did a test for poison. However, the indicator displayed the patient's body is clear of any poisonous or toxic substances. As this situation is very strange, we dare not remove the weapon," the doctor explains in a strained tone, clearly showing that Huo Zaiyuan is still in a critical condition.
"It is not poison but a curse. Removing the weapon without breaking the curse first will result in a horrible consequence." Dropping his coat carelessly on the floor, Long Zhanye approaches the operating table and gently lifts Huo Zaiyuan into his arms. "Qin Jun, come over and help me support little Yuan. Doctor Wang and the others, I will trouble you with monitoring the patient's condition."
As soon as he finishes directing everyone, black rays of light conjugate in his palm, causing the temperature within the emergency room to plunge sharply. However, every medical personnel in the military district's hospital is a military man or woman. Faced with this sudden change in air temperature, none of them reacts, instead focusing on their assigned task. Their current duty is to prevent any unexpected event from occurring.
Long Zhanye injects his inner spiritual energy into Huo Zaiyuan's body. The spreading black veins stop before withdrawing slowly.
Approximately ten minutes later, the black lines have disappeared from Huo Zaiyuan's skin. Li Qing beams brightly in relief, only for it to disappear when Long Zhanye curses under his breath.
"Older brother Long!" This man is always stoic and cool-headed. For panic to surface in his eyes means the situation is not good.
"My power is incompatible with little Yuan's. The most I can do is lock the curse inside his body, but cannot remove it completely. If I try to…"
"Don't you cultivate together with little Yuan?!" Li Qing bristles in agitation.
What to do?! What to do ah!!
"We do, but I don't use the Taoist Arts!!" The sphere of energy in his palms become denser as the air temperature within plummets even lower. Long Zhanye's pupils flash gold.
Although his body is that of a human right now, his spiritual energy is a dragon's. Dual cultivating with Huo Zaiyuan allows them both to achieve better results in lesser time due to their opposing nature. He is able to obtain pure spiritual energy from Huo Zaiyuan while the other can absorb the Yang in his. But from the start, the base nature of their respective inner spiritual energy cannot be more different!
"Taoist Arts, Taoist Arts. I know! I'll go find Elder priest grandfather!" The Head priest is the strongest Taoist Li Qing knows within the 'School of Taoism'.
"No, don't look for the Head priest. Go find that Buddhist monk!"
"What monk?!" Startled by Long Zhanye's sudden yell, Li Qing slams into the door of the emergency room.
Ow, ow, ow…he must have broken his skull…
"Go to the command centre and find either Hanyang or Nuandong. Get them to send people out to search the safe zone for a young man named Lian Xiang, then bring him here! Hurry!" Long Zhanye removes the armlet displaying his rank from his sleeve and tosses it to Li Qing.
Fumbling to catch the armlet, Li Qing freezes for a second as soon as the two words 'Lian Xiang' registers. Then his face flushes in elation. "Lian Xiang, Lian Xiang…no need to find your left and right adjutant. I know where he is. Older brother Long, hold on for ten minutes while I go kidnap him!!"
Sprinting out of the room even before he finishes speaking, Li Qing hops into the nearest vehicle, drops Long Zhanye's armlet onto the passenger seat, before heading to the seventh district with the speed of a whirlwind.
In the dimmest corner of the vegetarian restaurant, two figures sit facing each other. One is clad in a long white robe, a tranquil expression on his young face. The other is short-haired and dressed in a smart, all black attire. Although the latter's base disposition make him seem like a cold and unapproachable man, the expression in his eyes as he gazes at the youth opposite him is full of gentleness.
"How is it?" Lian Xiang asks, gaze locked on the other man.
"Un, it is sweet and fragrant. However, it tastes different from the one you normally brew for me." Mo Junfan nods, placing the teacup in his hands down on the table.
"Naturally. This is a special product unique to the 'Clear Bamboo Teahouse'." Lian Xiang pours Mo Junfan another cup from the purple clay teapot.
At this moment, a Hummer screeches to a halt outside the restaurant. A moment later, the restaurant's door is slammed open, revealing a red-faced, panting Li Qing.
"Excuse me…may I know if Lian Xiang is here?" Li Qing asks in a loud voice, drawing everyone's attention.
"You…"
"Oh, it's you. Did something happen?"
Just as the workers in the restaurant prepares to drive Li Qing out, thinking that this youth is looking for trouble, Lian Xiang's voice rings out, halting the staff in their tracks.
"You're here, that's great! Quick…quickly come with me!" Li Qing grabs Lian Xiang's arm and drags him away.
"Let go of him!" Mo Junfan who was completely ignored instantly rises to his feet, expression icy as he breaks Li Qing's hold on Lian Xiang.
Already extremely worried about Huo Zaiyuan's condition and stressed out by the time he is wasting driving here and back, Li Qing's mental state is already very tensed. He completely didn't notice Mo Junfan, and is thus caught off guard by the shove.
"Junfan!" Lian Xiang scolds under his breath before hurrying towards Li Qing, helping him to his feet. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Little Yuan…little Yuan was stabbed and is in a critical condition! Older brother Long said his power is not compatible and told me to find you. Lian Xiang…I beg you, please, please save little Yuan." Li Qing drops to his knees, weeping as he kowtows to Lian Xiang.
"Little Qing!" Lian Xiang pulls Li Qing to his feet before his gaze sweeps over the startled customers to the stern-looking man standing next to him. "Let's go! Junfan, drive the car!"
"Hn." Although Junfan is annoyed by the entire event, he still follows Lian Xiang out the door.
Who asked him to fall in love with such a troublesome monk?!
(Translator’s note: Don’t ask me where that bitch of a stepmum got the cursed dagger from… Author-sama…aren’t you simply pulling things out of your behind now to make the main couple suffer…?)