Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Overdrawing Life Points
“Fourth Brother, what are you doing!” Su Ming rushed forward, shoved Cui Jue away, and shielded Ye Cong Xin behind him.

Ye Cong Xin felt the burning sting on the back of her hand. Her first reaction was not anger, but panic.

She sharply sensed that something had gone out of her control again.

Lan Zi Yu also looked at Cui Jue with clear disapproval.

Cui Jue had not returned all last night. Junior Sister had worried about him the whole time and insisted on going out of the city at dawn to look for him.

It was one thing if he did not appreciate it, but how could he hit her?

“Apologize!” Lan Zi Yu ordered coldly.

A pitiful and fragile Junior Sister.

A hot-tempered and impulsive Third Senior Brother.

A Second Senior Brother forcing him to apologize.

Cui Jue stared at the three of them standing together like they shared a common enemy, and his expression turned dazed.

Once, he had seemed to stand right there with them too, and the one facing them on the opposite side was no one else but Yu Zhao, the girl he had thought he was protecting.

It was like a bolt of lightning split through the fog.

Cui Jue suddenly understood.

All this time, he had only been deluding himself.

Yu Zhao had not been treated especially well on Lone Moon Peak.

On the contrary, because they did not understand and did nothing, she had suffered many wrongs.

“You know very well that Little Six has the softest heart and never tells others about her troubles. How long are you going to keep lying to yourself?” First Senior Brother’s words were like a loud slap, striking his face once more.

He let out a bitter smile.

[Little Zhao.]

[It was your Senior Brother who was wrong.]

Cui Jue lifted his head, his voice flat without the slightest rise or fall: “I’m sorry.”

Ye Cong Xin finally could not bear it. She wiped her tears and ran off.

Su Ming shot Cui Jue a fierce glare and hurried after her.

Lan Zi Yu’s face turned completely cold, a chill flooding his eyes: “Cui Jue, you’ve gone too far.”

Cui Jue turned his head and looked at him: “Second Senior Brother, I already did as you said and apologized to Junior Sister. What more do you want from me? When we go back to the sect, will you lock me in the Black Prison too? Or wait until Fifth Junior Brother comes out of seclusion and have him beat me as well to vent for Junior Sister?”

Lan Zi Yu’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

At first he had not understood what Cui Jue meant, but when he heard the words Black Prison, he finally realized that Cui Jue was speaking up for Yu Zhao.

He felt a little baffled: “Did First Senior Brother say something else to you again?”

He had not been the one who ordered Yu Zhao locked in the Black Prison, and it had been so long already. Was there really a need to bring up old matters again?

“Fourth Junior Brother, First Senior Brother has already had Qi Deviation because of Yu Zhao. You should stop adding to the trouble.” Lan Zi Yu’s tone grew heavier.

Lan Zi Yu had originally still felt some guilt toward Yu Zhao, but because Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue kept bringing her up, he started to feel a rebellious resistance instead.

After Yu Zhao came to Lone Moon Peak, who had really mistreated her? Even he had personally carved a bamboo flute for her.

Was Yu Zhao really so delicate that she could not bear even a little grievance?

Junior Sister had grown up soaked in medicine, and the hardships she had suffered were far greater than Yu Zhao’s, yet she was still so cheerful and optimistic.

Compared to Junior Sister, what right did Yu Zhao have to complain?

In his eyes, Yu Zhao was simply too pretentious, fussing over every little thing and dragging so many people along to be tossed about with her.

Seeing the impatience on Lan Zi Yu’s face, Cui Jue’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a long sigh.

[There is no such thing as real empathy in this world.]

[Saying more is useless.]

[One day, Second Senior Brother will understand what he means.]

“Second Senior Brother, go back. I’m staying here.” Cui Jue turned around and looked toward the Marsh Forest.

He should stay behind and atone for himself as well.

“Crazy. You are all crazy!” Lan Zi Yu looked at Cui Jue like he was looking at an unreasonable madman.

“Fine! If you want to stay here, then stay here. I’m done caring about you.”

He stormed back to the inn where they were staying, picked up the teapot, and gulped down a mouthful of cold tea, but it still could not put out the fire in his chest.

Bang! He slapped his palm on the table, and the cups and plates on it clinked and rattled.

Su Ming, who had been in the next room comforting Ye Cong Xin, heard the noise and hurried over to look.

Seeing Lan Zi Yu sitting alone at the table, sulking, he asked in surprise: “Fourth Brother didn’t come back with you?”

“Hmph, he’s copying First Senior Brother and staying in the Marsh Forest to atone for Yu Zhao,” Lan Zi Yu said with a snort.

Su Ming’s brows knotted.

Hadn’t Cui Jue confidently said before that First Senior Brother’s mind had been confused by a Heart Devil? Then what was he doing now?

[Had he also been bewitched by a Heart Devil?]

While Su Ming and Lan Zi Yu were still puzzled by Cui Jue’s change, Ye Cong Xin in the next room fell into deep despair.

Gritting her teeth, she asked in a low voice: “System, say it again. Cui Jue’s Favorability dropped to how many points?”

[Ding, Cui Jue’s current Favorability is 5 points.]

“Ha? Ha! Five points? Five points!” Ye Cong Xin collapsed on the bed, laughing madly. The hatred in her eyes almost seemed to take on solid form.

[Cui Jue!]

[I trusted you so much, yet you stabbed me in the back at my most critical moment!]

As Ye Cong Xin laughed, a strong tightness suddenly spread through her chest, as if someone were pressing hard over her mouth and nose. Her breathing grew heavier, and her vision blurred.

Her old illness had flared up!

She hurriedly took out a medicine bottle from her storage space, but before she could open it, the bottle slipped from her trembling hand and rolled to the threshold.

“Medicine… medicine…” she gasped.

Ye Cong Xin struggled to reach for the bottle, but as soon as she stretched out her arm, it fell weakly again. The scene before her eyes twisted and then was completely swallowed by darkness.

[Am I going to die?]

[I’m so unwilling!]

[Ding, host is detected to be in a near-death state. Overdrawing 5 Life Points in exchange for 5 Stamina Points.]

[Ding, Stamina Points successfully exchanged. Please, host, begin self-rescue as soon as possible.]

A surge of warmth poured into her body, and her withered frame burst back into life.

Ye Cong Xin opened her eyes and crawled and rolled her way to the threshold. She snatched up the medicine bottle and stuffed a handful of pills into her mouth.

She chewed mouthful after mouthful, and there was still the fear of death in her eyes.

After hovering on the edge of death once again, Ye Cong Xin’s mindset changed yet again.

In the past, she had thought that gaining a man’s Favorability was extremely easy. She liked to use slow, subtle influence and let things come naturally to reach her goals.

But Cui Jue’s sudden change this time gave Ye Cong Xin a crisis unlike anything she had ever felt before.

She clearly realized that as long as Favorability did not reach 90 points, no matter how much or how well she had done before, it could all crumble into nothing.

She should not be so timid. The group of target characters should also be broadened. Other people might not be able to provide as much Luck Value as Fang Cheng Lang and the others, but if she gathered it bit by bit, it would still have an effect.

Besides, her Cultivation Level had been stuck for a long time already, and there was less than two years left before the Cultivation World Grand Tournament would be held again. She could not go on just sitting and waiting.

“System, how many Affinity points do I have now?” Ye Cong Xin asked, trying to keep her tone steady.

[Ding, host’s current Affinity is 60 points.]

“What do I need to pay to raise my Affinity to 90 points?” she asked calmly, but her hand clenched without her noticing.

[Ding, the System can lend host 30 Affinity points in advance. Afterward, host will have to repay with three times the amount of Luck Value.]

“Okay.”

[Ding, transaction complete. Host’s current Affinity is 90 points.]