Chapter 95: Distress Signal
The snow had stopped, and lead-colored clouds were piled together, surging like a tsunami. Between the gaps in the clouds, strange crimson lightning streaked across, dyeing the sky with an indescribable fiery hue.
Beneath the sky, in the ruins of a dilapidated city, shattered glass from crumbling building exteriors reflected the sky in fragmented pieces.
On the exterior wall of a building slanted at about a forty-degree angle, two figures moving at high speed approached each other rapidly from either end of the building—one moving upwards and the other downwards.
Wherever they passed, the broken glass walls erupted like splashing waves, flying out in either direction.
Fifty meters, twenty meters, five meters…
At the moment the distance between the two figures shrank to five meters, the sound of air being sliced by their rapid movements abruptly stopped. Without any warning, the two figures vanished from their original places and reappeared, their swords colliding at the same point.
The sharp sound of metal clashing erupted, accompanied by piercing high-frequency echoes that spread as the shattered glass flew around.
Amidst the countless shards of glass, the two figures who had been pushed back recited the same incantation almost simultaneously, forming completely identical hand seals.
The only difference was that Qing Ji was staring fixedly at Luxianbei, while Luxianbei’s peripheral gaze wandered to the reflection of herself on the glass wall of the building.
After a breath, the two completed their incantation almost in sync.
A dazzling, colorless flower bloomed once more from Qing Ji’s palm. He looked forward, seeing that Luxianbei’s palm was empty, and a hint of teasing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“It’s over, my good granddaughter; being distracted while fighting is a major taboo!”
Qing Ji said as he walked toward Luxianbei, who was frozen in place, as if petrified.
Although the main purpose of this spar with Luxianbei was retaliation, and the secondary purpose was to teach her about the “Reverse Evil Flower Gu” and “Body Outside Body,” if he had to k*ll, he would.
In Qing Ji’s eyes, Luxianbei’s mastery of the “Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration” barely reached a satisfactory level, and there was still a significant room for improvement.
To make progress, she needed to practice continuously, and the quickest way to practice was by using her body to feel the force exerted when the sword pierced through her.
When he reached Luxianbei, he expertly thrust the long sword towards her vital points.
The blade cut through the air, emitting a whistling sound.
At that moment, Luxianbei suddenly moved; as the blade slashed toward her, she unexpectedly sidestepped without warning, the silver light grazing past her body and missing.
At the instant she sidestepped, Qing Ji’s gaze intersected with hers, distinctly catching a glimpse of cunning in her eyes.
Uh-oh, this girl is deceiving me! Qing Ji felt a chill in his heart, and his complexion paled slightly.
The next moment, countless crimson light points illuminated the surrounding air, densely surrounding Qing Ji.
Then…
As Luxianbei retreated, those light points grew brighter, erupting with a lava-like glow, the reddest of which triggered a violent explosion, instantly engulfing Qing Ji’s figure in crimson flames.
Thus, the comparison of heads between Luxianbei and Qing Ji finally reached 1:317.
————
Consciousness floated in darkness, and a relieved smile appeared on Qing Ji’s face.
“Heh, this girl always manages to surprise people!”
After being killed by Luxianbei, Qing Ji experienced a brief shock and then carefully recalled the details of their encounter, and he roughly understood how she had escaped the influence of the “Reverse Evil Flower Gu.”
In fact, about an hour ago, he had noticed that Luxianbei had initially grasped the “Reverse Evil Flower Gu.” However, due to not having the “Gu” as a medium, she couldn’t solidify the incantation and lock onto the target for the magic to be cast.
But recalling the moment he locked eyes with Luxianbei, the faint pink glow in her eyes, and the subtle movement of her glancing aside while reciting the spell.
“…”
She used the reflection in the glass as a medium, employing the enchantment ability of her eyes to cast the incantation on herself, thus eliminating the need for the “Gu” as a medium to invoke the spell externally.
After that, she likely adjusted her senses with the spell’s effect, achieving the effect of negating his “Reverse Evil Flower Gu.”
So, she might have intentionally moved to that collapsing building’s glass wall during their fight…
And those light points that triggered the explosion should have utilized the “Body Outside Body” approach, Qing Ji thought.
Lacking the control over spirit energy to successfully cast “Body Outside Body,” she seemed to have created numerous, more manageable, spirit energy orbs that adhered to her innate skill, which she then needed only to guide slightly in the direction of their dispersion to control the explosion’s area.
This can indeed be considered a clever application of the principle underlying “Body Outside Body”!
“She really is somewhat clever!” Qing Ji nodded thoughtfully.
Prior to this, he had always thought that apart from her remarkable memory, Luxianbei’s other talents were relatively mediocre, even falling short compared to Zhang Hainan.
Having spent time together recently, he suddenly realized today that while her formal talents might be lacking, she had a peculiar genius.
She seemed to always manage to transform others’ abilities into her own through some means.
It was like God had closed a window on her and locked the door, but she crawled out through the chimney.
“But… this is just the beginning!” Qing Ji’s gaze sharpened slightly. “From now on, I won’t go easy on you!”
However.
When he awakened from the vortex of d*ath and returned to the dilapidated rooftop, eager to continue practicing with Luxianbei, he was startled to find that she had disappeared.
After some searching, he found her note in a corner of the rooftop, which informed him that she had already left.
[Old Ancestor, I felt an old man shocking me, and I need to check on the situation. If I don’t, it’ll be a mess. Farewell!
Luxianbei.]
“An old man is shocking her?” Qing Ji furrowed his brows, his expression darkening. “Could it be Zhang Hainan?”
————
“Luxianbei.”
“Name?”
“Male.”
“Gender.”
“Nineteen.”
“…”
After being interrupted twice in succession, the doctor’s “Age” was stuck in his throat, leaving him feeling nauseous and uncomfortable.
He observed this boy who showed no reaction during the electric defibrillation but suddenly reanimated when the rescuing doctor was about to give up, his eyes filled with confusion and hesitance.
“Doctor…”
“Uh, uh?”
“Why don’t I explain my situation myself next?”
The doctor, “…”
Well, now you’re not satisfied with just answering quickly and are preparing to take the initiative, huh?
I feel like we should switch roles!
…
Clearly striving to “improve,” only to be inexplicably sent to the hospital and subjected to random electric shocks, Luxianbei felt quite frustrated and just wanted to leave quickly.
However, he learned for the first time today that when he met with Qing Ji, his vital signs could drop to extremely low levels, entering a state similar to shock.
Perhaps at some point in the future, this subtle state could prove useful! Luxianbei thought.
While pondering, he noticed the doctor had not said anything for a long time. He shrugged and began to speak for himself, “Actually, I really have no issues. That situation just now was entirely because I have been suffering from Nightfall Syndrome for over a year, causing me to sometimes slip into a d*ath-like state.”
Luxianbei was no longer the oblivious boy of the past, and he wouldn’t naively explain his circumstances to the doctor, as that would only invite trouble and strange looks.
After all, the pathological manifestations of Nightfall Syndrome are incredibly varied and currently cannot be cured by normal medical means.
When having abnormal physical symptoms that are hard to explain, just tell the doctor it’s Nightfall Syndrome, and it won’t be wrong!
“This issue probably can’t be cured, so why don’t you just prescribe me some glucose to cope?” Luxianbei said. “Oh, and also prescribe some digestive tablets. I ate too much last night for a midnight snack, and I have a bit of indigestion.”
Ever since his exhausted spirit energy inexplicably recovered last night, his stomach had been feeling bloated, as if he had eaten ten pounds of sticky rice dumplings.
He wasn’t even sure if the digestive tablets would be effective…
Luxianbei thought quietly, looking at the doctor and then asking, “By the way, we should be able to use the medical insurance card here, right?”
Even if he wasn’t an official member, the Siye Society’s benefits were quite comprehensive, and he was paying for five insurances and a housing fund, so why not use it!
“……” The doctor looked expressionlessly at Luxianbei, feeling a mix of emotions.
d*mn, who exactly is the patient here?
Everything has been arranged for you, so why do you still need me as the doctor?
————
Moments later.
After being kicked out by the doctor, Luxianbei swaggered out of the hospital holding a bag of digestive tablets.
He paused at the roadside, watching the vehicles and pedestrians passing by, contemplating whether to return to the gaming house on Nightless Street to find Qing Ji, familiarize himself with the skills he had just learned, and spend the remaining internet fees.
He had just recharged fifty bucks!
He was sure he hadn’t used up all of it during that short time. Ignoring it felt like a huge loss!
Luxianbei thought angrily as his gaze casually swept across the street and then returned, stopping on Huasang, who was hurrying over from across the road.
Oh, why is she here?
————
Huasang had hurried over upon receiving a notification from her fellow disciples stationed at Dachunyang Palace in the hospital. That disciple had informed her that Luxianbei was almost done for and urged her to come see what should be done regarding the aftermath.
As she approached the hospital, she saw Luxianbei standing in front of the entrance, waving at her, and for a moment, she froze, a look of astonishment flashing across her face, as if she had seen a ghost.
While she was in shock, Luxianbei jogged across the road and came up to her.
“Are you here for medical treatment? Are you injured? But that doesn’t make sense; if you were injured, you should have returned to Dachunyang Palace. Why come to the hospital? Is there something inconvenient to address at Qing Nang Herb Cottage? If it’s serious, I can help take a look?”
Perhaps knowing that Huasang might also be his fiancée, Luxianbei’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of concern.
Huasang caught the unintended concern in Luxianbei’s tone, feeling a warmth spreading across her cheeks, and instinctively turned her head away to avoid his gaze.
Didn’t they say he was almost done for?
Why is he still so talkative?
Then she recalled last night when Luxianbei had been on the verge of exhausting his spirit energy yet still chatty, and her heart felt more at ease.
This guy’s mouth and body probably had two separate systems controlling them.
If after negotiating with him, he was willing to help treat my spirit patterns going out of control, wouldn’t I have to endure his talkativeness?
Huasang thought, a strong sense of fatigue quietly rising from her soul, and she opened her mouth, preparing to explain her intentions to Luxianbei.
At that moment, however, her Mourning Gray Owl Badge suddenly vibrated.
Luxianbei watched as Huasang took out the Mourning Gray Owl Badge from her pocket, touched it, then her face changed to a pale shade. He frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “What happened?”
“It’s a signal transmitted by my fellow disciples chasing after Hu Chuan,” Huasang explained.
Luxianbei tilted his head. “Did they catch him?”
Huasang shook her head, her tone becoming heavy. “It’s a distress signal, transmitting only one sentence, and we lost contact with them… It’s likely they’re in trouble.”
Luxianbei, “…”
