Choosing to Cultivate
“I’ll settle the score with you soon,” Mu Yu declared.
Gui Ximing stared back at Mu Yu equally hostilely, then commanded, “We’re leaving the pagoda.”
Long Xingyun protested, “But th-”
“We don’t have any more time to waste,” Gui Ximing asserted, knowing that there was no point loitering when they couldn’t overcome Reverend Xuan Jizi’s formation.
“I want to kill him!” brayed Long Xingyun, pointing to Mu Yu.
“He can’t stay in this pagoda forever. When he leaves, we will get our chance to kill him.”
“I will kill you, Mu Yu!”
Gui Ximing and company waited for a short while at the exit Mu Yu destroyed to head down to the sixtieth floor. “By the way, did you think we can’t save the lunar gods just because you stole a Divine Lunar Stone? I have another one.”
Mu Yu’s startled reaction put a hideous grin on Gui Ximing’s face. “You think we’re all careless? We prepared seven stones to save them and split them up amongst us. Whoever reaches the prison will ink on the lunar gods’ phantom.
“I’ll be waiting for you outside the pagoda. Helian Kong and Mu Mengfei sure care about you. I wonder what I will do to them using Blood Domain Demon Soul. I think you know the answer. Here’s a hint, domain abilities have no effect on it. Helian Kong lent you his soul item, so… If you want to save him, bring me Walk-in Heart Genesis.”
“We need to hurry out,” stated Mu Yu, watching Gui Ximing and company leave.
“We’re no match for them, though. It’s all my fault for not letting you kill him,” lamented Qiao Xue.
“Don’t blame yourself. Gui Ximing would’ve found another host even if Long Xingyun died. He was going to use it on Gui Yuzi if you were listening to him. If Gui Yuzi was the one who used it, we’d be in even more dire straits. We should count our blessings that only Ocean Fiend King can be revived. If the other imprisoned fiends here could be revived, not even surrender would save us.”
“All we can do now is wait for the seven-day time limit.”
“There’s no point overthinking now. We need to recover as fast as possible, or all of the souls on the island will perish,” Mu Yu expressed with a bitter undertone.
“You two all right?” inquired Long Yeli, the side character whom they all forgot was still restrained on the ground behind a pillar. Of course, he didn’t call out in case somebody remembered to kill him.
“Long Yeli, I assume you saw what Long Xingyun has done. Whose side are you going to take now?” asked Qiao Xue, getting up.
Long Yeli squirmed his way up into a sitting position owing to the ghost qi chains on him and smiled helplessly. “… I did not expect Long Xingyun to betray our race. He should never have laid his hands on Ocean Fiend King.”
“Enough drivel. Either get out of the pagoda to warn the island’s inhabitants, or wait for me to heal up and rip you apart,” Mu Yu threatened, trying not to grimace
“I don’t know how to get out.”
“I’ll give you the directions. All you have to do is follow them to the letter. I noticed Gui Ximing’s Divine Lunar Stone doesn’t have the lunar gods’ phantom imprinted on it. As such, I surmise he’s going to drop by the thirty-ninth floor. If you head straight out, you should escape before he can get outside. Inform both races, got it?”
“… Got it.”
Mu Yu taught Qiao Xue how to cross over to help Long Yeli out of his shackles and then taught Long Yeli how to get out once the other exit was restored.
“How much time do you need to recover?” Qiao Xue queried, aware that Mu Yu’s black and white spiritual energy needed time to nurse his wounds. “Casting formations to help me get across to Long Yeli has aggravated your injuries.”
“Hazarding a guess, five days, at least. My vertebras are separated thanks to Long Xingyun’s heavy blow.”
“That’s too long…” Smoke whisking from her lowered face, Qiao Xue proposed, “Will that help you heal faster…?”
“That?”
“Dual cultivation…” Qiao Xue muttered through her teeth.
Mu Yu flapped his gums silently several times before the words would come out. “Oh, that intimate stuff?”
“Who’s getting intimate? I saw Momo searching for me in my dreams. I’m really annoyed,” grouched Xiaoshuai.
“Nobody. Momo isn’t here, either,” responded Mu Yu, placing Xiaoshuai gently on the ground. “Go back to sleep. Dragon Vine, watch over Xiaoshuai for me.”
The dragon vine hauled Xiaoshuai aside, literally.
Mu Yu turned back to Qiao Xue. “But… But I thought you didn’t like doing that?”
“I never said I didn’t like doing it.”
“Huh?”
“I-I meant I don’t want to do it with you unknowingly!”
“Oh, you like having full awareness whilst d-”
“Shut it!” exclaimed Qiao Xue, hammer fisting Mu Yu’s chest.
“Relax, relax, you’re going to throw my back out. That hurts. I wasn’t the one who brought it up.”
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“Hahaha, it’s all right. It might actually help.”
Qiao Xue pouted. “Both of us will do it. Your lower body is incapacitated now, so don’t go harbouring crooked ideas; you can’t do anything. I think we should be able to expedite your recovery to an extent if our qis mix. I’m warning you, though: this is only to speed up your recovery so that we can save His Majesty, so don’t go getting ideas.”
“Yeah, this is a really bad time to be crippled down there.”
“Stop wagging your glib tongue, and get into cultivation state. Winning Fishes, Dragon Vine, please watch over Xiaoshuai while standing guard for us,” requested Qiao Xue, erecting a water barrier around herself and Mu Yu.
Qiao Xue felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched Mu Yu start meditating before she joined him. Their blue and green qis started to entwine as they exchanged qi with each other, Qiao Xue transferring hers toward Mu Yu’s damaged meridians and spine. The cold alleviated Mu Yu’s pains and induced a soothing sensation, one that he genuinely enjoyed.
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