Chapter 138: Healing

Xie Yingying stood right behind him. When she saw the mangled, blood-soaked wound on his back, she was instantly struck with shock.

In that moment of her stupor, Bai Shengyun felt a bone-chilling cold spread through his entire body. His blood seemed to be retreating rapidly, and the gaping hole in his chest continued to seep fresh blood, while the spiritual energy within him dissipated along with it.

A sense of weightlessness washed over him. Bai Shengyun swayed, his silhouette flickering. Drops of blood had splattered onto his brow, making the cinnabar mole between his eyebrows appear even more eerie and bewitching.

"Young Emperor!"
"Shengyun!"

An old voice and a young one rang out simultaneously from nearby, the latter filled with even greater anxiety and panic.

The assailants, seeing that Bahu and Bai Qirui had arrived, followed by a group of Immortal Sect disciples, exchanged glances and fled the scene at once.

The two men rushed forward in a panic. The disciples were left agape, stunned that anyone would dare to act so audaciously within the headquarters of the Immortal Sect.

Bai Qirui hurried forward, calling out incessantly by his ear, "Shengyun? Open your eyes, Shengyun."

But Bai Shengyun’s ears were ringing incessantly; he could hear nothing. His vision was turning black, and his head spun violently. The world was spinning in a dizzying vortex.

*Clang—*

The spirit sword in his hand fell. Having lost most of his strength, he could no longer support himself and began to sink to his knees.

Xie Yingying, who had been safe and sound behind him, felt her eyes redden. She stepped forward to catch him. The moment she touched Bai Shengyun, her hands were slick with warm blood. Overcome with worry, she shouted into his ear, "Bai Shengyun!"

Bai Shengyun kept his brow tightly knitted and his eyes slightly closed, seemingly oblivious to her voice.

"Bai Shengyun, don't you dare die!" Xie Yingying cried out again.

The moment she finished speaking, Bai Shengyun slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head with great effort and looked at her coldly. "Why are you shouting so loudly? I heard you."

Seeing that he could still respond, the unease in Xie Yingying’s heart finally settled a little.

Observing her sigh of relief, Bai Shengyun asked deliberately, "Don't you hate me? Don't you want me dead?"

Xie Yingying choked on her words and remained silent.

On the other side, Bahu instructed the disciples to leave before raising his hands to set up a Spirit Gathering Array. He simultaneously sent out an avatar to pursue the fleeing attackers.

The Spirit Gathering Array, as the name suggests, gathers the surrounding spiritual energy. Unlike a Spirit Suppressing Array, it does not attract ghosts or specters; it only draws in spirit beasts and the essence of all living things. Once established, everyone within the array feels a profound sense of comfort, and their injuries heal significantly under the nourishment of the spiritual energy. It is an essential formation for treating wounds.

After setting up the array, Bahu walked toward Bai Shengyun. Once he had steadied the young man, he cast a cold glance at Xie Yingying. He said nothing, however, and instead lowered his head, speaking to Bai Shengyun in a low, hurried tone: "Young Emperor, let me tend to your wounds."

"Mn."

Bahu then helped Bai Shengyun into the room. Bai Qirui offered a smile to Xie Yingying before walking to the doorway, where he sat cross-legged in the center of the courtyard.

Xie Yingying watched as a faint light began to glow over his body; he was clearly resonating with the person inside the room. She understood that Bai Qirui was standing guard to prevent the attackers from returning, his consciousness scanning the surroundings.

Xie Yingying sat on the steps outside the room, her thoughts in total disarray. That someone dared to strike here in the Immortal Sect must surely be linked to Xu Xiaosheng. In the original book, Xu Xiaosheng was an ambitious and ruthless man; it would be entirely in character for him to orchestrate such an attack.

At this thought, Xie Yingying felt that she and Bai Shengyun were trapped in a tiger's den. If they didn't get out soon, they would either be dead or crippled. Bai Shengyun was still inside, his condition unknown. She felt anxious, worried, and even a little guilty, mixed with a simmering resentment toward Xu Xiaosheng.

Though she had once hated Bai Shengyun—even loathed him—for stripping away her freedom, for his heartlessness and bloodthirst, for his condescending demeanor, and for his sharp tongue, now that he had taken that sword for her, it seemed she couldn't bring herself to hate him anymore.

As this realization struck, Xie Yingying tapped her head in frustration. *Forget it,* she thought. *As long as he survives.*

Three full hours passed. The sky was nearly dawn, yet Bai Qirui remained motionless in his cross-legged position, and the tightly shut wooden door had not opened. Xie Yingying paced back and forth, stifling yawns.

Suddenly, a warm light spilled out from the room.

Xie Yingying looked up to see Bahu walking out with a cold expression. Worried, she immediately asked, "How is Bai Shengyun?"

Bahu gave her a faint, icy look but did not answer. However, she could see a trace of fury in his eyes. When he remained silent, Xie Yingying’s anxiety boiled over. She started to walk inside to check on Bai Shengyun, but Bahu suddenly blocked her path.

Pulled back abruptly, she looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Bahu’s face was filled with visible rage. It was the first time in all their time together that Xie Yingying had seen him so angry. She had always known him to be detached and indifferent; the other maids at Gufeng Mountain had told her that Elder Bahu cultivated the Path of Unfeeling and had long since lost the ability to experience emotion.

She swallowed hard. If he were someone like Qi Si, he would have sliced her in half by now.

Elder Bahu said in a deep voice, "You cannot enter. Do not disturb the Young Emperor’s rest."

Bai Qirui stood up. His consciousness had been monitoring the surroundings, and having confirmed that the attackers had not returned, he relaxed his focus and walked over. He sighed to Elder Bahu, "Elder, she is merely worried. What harm is there in letting her go in?"

"Worried?" Bahu fixed his gaze on Xie Yingying, unblinking. Though his eyes were calm and waveless, Xie Yingying felt a bone-deep chill, and goosebumps erupted across her skin.

"If she were truly worried, she would not have let the Young Emperor take that sword for her," Bahu said, his gaze unwavering.

Xie Yingying felt the cold intensify. She noticed a layer of frost forming beneath Bahu’s feet, and her own hands turned red from the plummeting temperature. *As expected of the Chief Elder of Gufeng Mountain,* she thought, *his true power is beyond anything I imagined.*

Her mind replayed the words "let the Young Emperor take that sword for her," and a wave of guilt washed over her.

Suddenly, Bai Shengyun’s weak, weary voice drifted from within the room:

"Let her in."