Chapter 116: Gravely Injured

Li Zhongyuan was acutely aware of the extent of his injuries. He had refused to voice his fears, clinging to the hope that his assessment was wrong—that he was merely severely wounded. He had told himself that even if he lost all his internal energy, as long as his dantian remained intact, he could eventually start over. He would have endured another ten or twenty years of grueling training without complaint. But he had not expected Xuan Yi to be so ruthless; his dantian had been utterly shattered, meaning he would never be able to practice martial arts again.

The dantian is the source of all vital energy. With it destroyed, he was left physically frail and weak—unable to practice martial arts, let alone perform manual labor. He was, in the truest sense, a broken man.

His heart felt as cold as ash, yet his mind was strangely calm. Memories flooded his thoughts: his narrow escape at the Shunfeng Inn, being brought to the Tianshan Sect by Zi Wuzhuo and Li Jiu, enduring bullying while secretly striving to improve his skills, the glory of defeating Tie Lin, and the bitter resignation of being confined to Ascension Peak. Just when he had finally mastered his divine techniques and believed he could fulfill his long-cherished wishes and change his destiny, this sudden catastrophe had struck, turning all his hopes and dreams into nothingness. Overcome by sorrow, he could not stop the tears from flowing. He whispered to himself, "Xuan Yi, why didn't you just kill me? Why force me to endure this humiliation?"

Lan Wutong threw herself into his arms, sobbing, "Brother Zhongyuan, it is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you get dragged into this mess. I am the one who ruined you!"

Li Zhongyuan shook his head gently. "It is not your fault. It was destined."

Lin Qingli sat quietly in a daze, tears rolling down to her lips without her noticing. After a long while, she seemed to have made a decision. She stood up abruptly, walked to Li Zhongyuan, and bowed to him three times.

Lan Wutong asked in astonishment, "Brother Zhongyuan has only lost his martial arts; his life is not in danger. Why are you..."

Ignoring her, Lin Qingli said softly, "Brother Zhongyuan, though we call each other brother and sister, we are in truth master and apprentice. All my Northern Sect martial arts were taught to me by you with such care. Please accept my three bows. Now that you are severely injured, please recuperate in peace; I shall not be keeping you company any longer."

Lan Wutong was horrified. "What are you saying, Sister Lin? Are you abandoning Brother Zhongyuan? If he hadn't saved us, if he had only cared for his own escape, he would never have been injured! Don't forget, those monks were all coming for you!"

Lin Qingli replied to Lan Wutong, "Sister Lan, I have no choice. For these years, my only thought has been to avenge my father’s murder, which is why I disregarded the consequences and secretly studied the Yijin Sutra. Now that Brother Zhongyuan is a broken man, it is truly inconvenient for me to travel the world with him. I have no other choice!" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Lan Wutong was furious. "You have no conscience! You and Brother Zhongyuan have been inseparable day and night; you were long ago lovers. If you didn't love him, why did you ask me for the Heart-Link Beans in the first place? When you were in danger, did he ever abandon you? Now that he has met with such a calamity, instead of offering comfort, you cast him aside. You have a heart of stone! I, Lan Wutong, have no sister like you!"

Lin Qingli lowered her head and remained silent. Li Zhongyuan, his face calm, waved his hand weakly. "Lan Wutong, please say no more. Qingli has her own hardships. Let her go." He closed his eyes and said nothing more.

Lin Qingli kowtowed heavily and whispered, "Brother Zhongyuan, Sister Lan, I will repay what you have done for me in the next life."

"You abandon him in this life, yet you speak of the next!" Lan Wutong cried out in rage.

Lin Qingli turned to leave without another word. Just as she was about to exit the cave, Li Zhongyuan suddenly spoke in a low, raspy voice, sounding like a long-neglected zither: "Qingli, be careful on your way."

Lan Wutong sighed. "Even now, you still think of her, yet she never had you in her heart." She knew that despite his heartbreak, Li Zhongyuan was still worried about Lin Qingli encountering Shaolin masters alone. She hesitated, then said, "I did not intend to concern myself with you, but I do not want Brother Zhongyuan to worry. I will lend you my protective gu, the Bone-Dissolving Poison Mantis. If you encounter those monks on the mountain path, just show it to them, and they will not dare touch you. However, this creature recognizes its master; since you are not its master and do not know how to command it, you must only use it to intimidate them. You must never release them, or you will surely suffer a backlash. When you leave the mountain, please place this jade gourd at the pass, and the poison mantis will follow my scent back. This is my most precious treasure for survival; please, be extremely careful not to lose it."

She took the jade gourd from her bosom, rubbed a small amber vial against its mouth, and handed the gourd to Lin Qingli.

Lin Qingli took the gourd and turned to leave. At the mouth of the cave, she stood still for a moment, her heart torn with agony. She longed to turn back for one last look at Li Zhongyuan, but she feared that if she did, she would lose the strength to leave. Finally, she did not look back and ran frantically down the mountain.

The morning sun began to rise, and Lin Qingli’s figure gradually vanished into the morning mist.

The cave was deathly silent. Lin Qingli had truly left, abandoning Li Zhongyuan at his most helpless moment. Watching his unnervingly calm expression, Lan Wutong felt a sudden chill. She would have preferred him to be furious or sobbing; it was this calm after such a devastating blow that frightened her, for she feared he might collapse and die of a broken heart.

Time slipped away in that chilling silence. After a long while, Lan Wutong leaned gently against Li Zhongyuan and whispered, "Brother Zhongyuan, do not worry. You still have me. I will take you back to the Miao territory. You have been a great benefactor to our people; they are not ungrateful and will surely treat you like a father and care for you for the rest of your days. I will never leave you; from now on, I will stay by your side day and night, so you will never be alone."

She had once been very close to Bu Chengfeng of the Golden Silkworm Sect, nearly becoming lovers, but they had been separated for nearly two years with no word from each other. During these two years, she and Li Zhongyuan had been constant companions. Li Zhongyuan was heroic and handsome, and a formidable martial artist. In the bloom of her youth, Lan Wutong could not help but develop feelings for him, though her lingering attachment to Bu Chengfeng had kept those feelings from fully blossoming into love. Recently, when she found Bu Chengfeng's ivory-handled curved blade near the Jing-Shui Manor, she knew her former lover had perished. The Miao people were open-minded and did not adhere to rigid rituals of mourning or martyrdom. Thus, her feelings for Li Zhongyuan had grown, but seeing the deep affection between him and Lin Qingli, she had kept them hidden. Now, seeing Lin Qingli cruelly abandon him, Lan Wutong, in a fit of indignation, decided to declare her heart.