Chapter Eighty-Five: Recovery

  The next morning, Shui She leaned against the wall of the mountain cave and walked out with some stumbling, her face very pale.

  "Whoosh"

  Nangong Cangjie, who had been sitting outside the cave, stood up in no time, his quick reaction making Shui She's heart secretly cold.

  "The detoxification is complete. In a few minutes, I should be able to wake up, but my strength won't recover for a while." The water snake's voice was accompanied by weak gasps for air.

  Nangong Zangjie's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and his entire body felt a dazed sense of relief.

  "Huh?"

  Nangong Cangjie's eyes moved quickly, and he caught the weak and unstable Watersnake with one hand. A tempting warmth and sweat smell wafted up, and Nangong Cangjie's right hand, which was wrapped around Watersnake, tightened involuntarily.

  A beauty in his arms, the water snake's double eyebrows slightly frowned, her breath was as fragrant as orchids, and the small dew-like sweat covered her pale forehead like fish scales.

  Nangong Zuan's tone involuntarily softened: "Are you okay?"

  The water snake was so tired that it didn't even have the strength to make a sound, and simply leaned against Nan Gong's sturdy shoulder and gently shook its head.

  "Cut it out," Nan Gong Zuan Jie said with disdain, flicking his lips. He put the left hand of Shui She on his shoulder and supported her as they walked towards his cave, muttering in a low voice, "If you have something to say, just say it, what's with the show of strength?"

  The water snake's double eyes were tired and couldn't open, leaning against the beautiful face of Nan Gong Zuan Jie's right shoulder, with a smile at the corner of her mouth that even she felt inexplicably strange.

  Nangong Zangjiao brought Shuixi to his own cave and placed her delicate body on the stone bed, with the two of them sitting cross-legged facing each other.

  Nangong Zangjie looked at Shui She's face, which was strong-willed but now unusually weak, and let out a inexplicable sigh.

  "Slap"

  Two palms faced each other, and spiritual energy steam rose from both of their bodies.

  Nangong Zang Jie slightly closed his eyes and transferred a portion of his spiritual energy into the body of the water snake.

  After a while, Nan Gong Zang's forehead appeared with fine sweat, and the water snake's complexion was no longer so pale.

  Nangong Zang Jie withdrew his right hand, and with a gentle touch of his true energy, he flattened the water snake's body. Then, he turned around to retrieve a rarely used quilt from the cabinet and carefully covered her with it.

  Turned around, wanting to leave.

  "Remaining Orchid..."

  A faint cry from behind stopped Nan Gong Zuo Jue.

  "You're too weak, rest for a while first, when you're feeling better we'll continue on our way." Nangong Zuan Jie replied calmly without turning his head.

  The water snake looked at the boy's back and said after a long time: "Do you really consider Bai Chi Lanji as your brother?"

  Nangong Zang furrowed his brow and replied without hesitation: "Yes."

  "Would you sacrifice everything for them, even your own life?" asked Shui She again.

  Nangong Zangjie replied again: "Yes."

  The water snake paused slightly, and her eyes revealed the struggle within her. She finally asked: "Is there really true love in this world?"

  Nangong Cangjie's answer was still without any hesitation: "Yes."

  The water snake turned its face, looking somewhat absent-mindedly at the top, and asked stupidly: "You say, can someone like me still find true love?"

  Nangong Zangjie turned around for the first time and said in an extremely firm tone: "I can."

  The sound was not loud, but it echoed in the water snake's mind for a long time.

  Nangong Zangjie didn't know what Shuixi was thinking, but he vaguely saw a layer of misty water spreading across her entire eye socket.

  Nangong Zuan knew that Shui She needed quiet and he wasn't a talkative person either, so he wisely chose to leave.

  "Thank you, Cang Jie." Behind Nangong Cang Jie, the sound of a gentle water snake humming like a mosquito echoed.

  Nangong Zuan's footsteps paused for a moment before he continued on his way.

  ………………………………

  In the cave of the water snake, Yang Yuxi has already woken up.

  When Nangong Zuan arrived in a hurry, Yang Yuxi was chatting with Luo Xuan.

  Seeing Nan Gong Zuo Jie walking in, Yang Yu Xi smiled and greeted: "Hey, Can Lan."

  "Has he recovered?" Nangong Zuan Jie directly chose to ignore him and turned his head to ask Luo Xuan.

  Luo Xuan let out a dry laugh and nodded his head, saying: "Can't you tell just by looking at him?"

  "Alright..." Nangong Zuan Jie only felt a sense of relief in his heart, but he deliberately put on an air of indifference towards Yang Yu Xi.

  "Brother, how could you possibly have something going on? You're underestimating me too much!! I can still do a thousand backflips without even panting!!" As he spoke, he pounded his chest like a giant gorilla.

  "Cough...cough...cough..." But in the next moment, his body showed its weakness at this moment, and his face turned bright red.

  Luo Xuan sneered: "I said you're an idiot, and you really are an idiot...you don't even understand your own situation..."

  As he spoke, Luo Xuan suddenly shut his mouth because he saw a strong sense of unwillingness surge onto Yang Yuxi's face, her fists clenched tightly, her fingernails digging into her flesh and oozing out thin streams of fresh blood, her reddened face twisted in stifled discontent.

  "Idiot......" Luo Xuan's eyes went blank.

  Nangong Zang turned his face and stared at Yang Yuxi, he knew what Yang Yuxi was reluctant to do.

  "Ahhh!!!!!!"

  Yang Yu Xi went mad, shouting wildly, and threw the soft high-grade quilt on the water snake bed to the ground, pounding his fists heavily on the stone bed.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

  At this moment, Yang Yu Xi didn't use too much of his true strength, and was only relying on pure physical power to strike the stone bed.

  The stone bed rumbled and creaked, making one wonder if it would shatter into pieces the next second. Luo Xuan could imagine the murderous look on Shui She's face when the stone bed shattered.

  I've been preparing for five years and was about to make a good show of it!!

  But, however...

  It's ended up like this now, how can it be...

  It's okay, no problem!!

  Unable to bear the humiliation, a surge of resentment gathered in Yang Yuxi's heart, compressing into two lines of humiliating tears that burst forth.

  Tears fell like a broken string of pearls, although crystal clear, they represented desolation.

  Tears fell on the stone bed, blooming like a flower, and soon a small patch of the stone bed was wet.

  Nangong Zang and Jie stood quietly beside him, accompanying him.

  If it were one of them, they would probably be unwilling and suffer at this time.

  "I can't compete, what have I been doing for the past five years?!" Yang Yu Xi's sorrowful voice was hoarse, as if questioning this unjust fate.

  Luo Xuan silently lowered his head, he could feel the infinite sorrow in Yang Yuxi's heart. For these five years, it was not that they were forced to be here, but rather they found an opportunity to temper themselves. Now, the core trial was the only way for the three of them to prove their efforts.

  But now...

  Alas...

  Luo Xuan shook his head and sighed silently, he also didn't know how to comfort him.

  "Bang!"

  A crisp and loud impact echoed in the spacious mountain cave, with lingering reverberations.

  Luo Xuan raised his head dazedly.

  Yang Yu Xi's mouth cornered with blood, paralyzed and fell to the bed corner, his eyes somewhat dull as he stared at Nan Gong Cang Jie who was punching him.

  Then, he was like a mad beast and rushed towards Nan Gong Zuan Jie, roaring: "What are you doing!!"

  He relied on his physical strength, like a leopard pouncing on Nan Gong Zuan Jie, his eyes seeming to spout fire.

  Nangong Zang's palm struck out mercilessly at Yang Yuxi.

  "Stop, you can't!" Luo Xuan exclaimed in shock, hastily reaching out to block him, but still a step too late.

  "Bang!"

  Yang Yu Xi floated out like a kite with a broken string, crashed to the ground, her eyes becoming increasingly dull, stupidly lying on the cold ground, panting heavily.

  Nangong Zuan walked slowly over, his powerful right hand grasping Yang Yuxi's collar.

  "Remnant Orchid..." Luo Xuan was somewhat shocked. Every time Yang Yu Xi became dispirited, in the end it was always Nan Gong Zuan Jie who used violent means to shock him awake.

  The means were ruthless, making Luo Xuan feel a chill run down his spine.

  "Are you awake?" Nangong Cangjie said coldly from above.

  Yang Yu Xi looked at Nan Gong Cang Jie's cold and indifferent face, but he didn't feel the slightest chill in his heart. He simply said: "Take advantage of me not having the strength to fight back now, go ahead... kill me if you can."

  Nangong Zang's eyes became increasingly cold and detached, his right hand flashed out like lightning, and heavily slammed into Yang Yuxi's chest.

  "Ah..."

  A blood-curdling scream, Yang Yu Xi spat out threads of fresh blood, her congested eyes fixed intently on Nan Gong Zang Jie.

  "Zang Jie, Yu Xi's body is still very weak, be careful." Luo Xuan finally couldn't help but speak up.

  "Shut up, Luo Xuan! Let him kill me if he wants!" Yang Yu Xi roared in anger, her voice filled with unspeakable sorrow.

  "This look of yours..." Nan Gong Zang Jie suddenly spoke up, his tone cold and icy, causing Yang Yu Xi and Luo Xuan to pause slightly. The two focused their gazes on his face, and Nan Gong Zang Jie suddenly bellowed at Yang Yu Xi, "Does it live up to your efforts over the past five years!!!"

  "Boom!"

  Yang Yu Xi's pupils suddenly enlarged, her heart felt as if it had been heavily struck by a battering ram, and her fists clenched involuntarily.

  Nangong Zang's eyes sank as he looked at Yang Yuxi, "Not participating in the core competition, does that mean you didn't work hard? Just because you can't get proof, can you ignore the five years of desperate effort?"

  "Can everything be wiped out without any return?!"

  The words of Nan Gong Zhen Jie were like thunderbolts that struck Yang Yu Xi's heart, stirring up endless storms and waves.

  "Yes, you can't participate in the core trial anymore and won't be able to get any results, but what's the big deal? Does that mean you're weaker than them?"

  "So does that mean you're no different from five years ago?!"

  "So does it mean you've wasted the past five years?!!"

  Yang Yu Xi's eyes changed from being dull to shocked, and were now slowly recovering their clarity.

  "Besides the core competition, you have many chances to prove yourself! From now on, defeat one enemy after another, use the enemy's blood to prove your own strength, use the enemy's shattered bones to prove your own means, and use the enemy's failure to prove your own success!!"

  "Well said!" Luo Xuan sighed inwardly, and he saw that Yang Yuxi had already recovered more than half by now. He couldn't help but admire the aura of Nan Gong Cang Jie, an aura that he himself could never learn in his lifetime...

  Nangong Zangjie's words struck Yang Yuxi's heart like a stormy rain, washing away the dust from his soul, and restoring his heart to its former youthful redness.

  He finally stood up slowly once again, just as fearless as he had been before.

  "Thank you, Zhen Jie."