Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Share Blessings, Share Hardship
Jiang Li Sheng slept like the dead until something struck her window again and again, making the lattice vibrate with a dull, buzzing hum. Whoever it was clearly meant to keep going until she woke.
She forced her eyes open. “Who is it?” Her throat was dry from sleeping too long, and the words came out rough.
“It’s me, Junior Sister Jiang. You’re finally awake.” An Ru Xu’s voice drifted in from outside, equal parts relieved and exasperated. “You’ve been asleep for seven days. I was really worried, but it didn’t feel right to break in. I couldn’t just barge into your room and shout at you, so I tried throwing beads at your window to see if I could wake you. Turns out it worked.”
He had been calling to her every day, but there was never an answer. And with his injury, he couldn’t probe with spiritual power. If Martial Uncle Zhou hadn’t come by and confirmed she was in deep sleep, An Ru Xu might have panicked long before today.
“Seven days?” Jiang Li Sheng pushed herself up, straightened her clothes, and stepped outside. An Ru Xu was perched on the courtyard wall like a guilty cat. She gave him a small bow. “Thank you, Senior Brother An. If you hadn’t woken me, I might’ve slept another two days.”
Whenever she exhausted her spiritual power, she fell into a deep sleep. She’d lived with it since childhood. People in the Kun Lun Sect simply didn’t know.
“No need, no need.” An Ru Xu scratched his head, suddenly awkward. “As long as you don’t blame me for making noise. You slept so long.”
Jiang Li Sheng shook her head. She studied his pale face and asked, “Senior Brother An, how is your injury? Not healed yet?”
“Ah.” He glanced toward the neighboring courtyard and lowered his voice. “I couldn’t bear to use the expensive pills. I’m using cheap ones, so I’ll need about half a month.”
Then, even quieter, he added, “Zhao Ke Xin’s sword was one inch from my heart meridian. After Martial Uncle Zhou took me to the Medical Hall, Martial Uncle Ying asked whether I wanted him to use spiritual power to regulate my meridians and then have me rest for half a month while I slowly recovered with yuan-nourishing pills—about five hundred mid-grade spirit stones—or whether I wanted one holy-grade yuan-stabilizing pill and be lively right away.”
He made a face. “That one costs five thousand top-grade spirit stones. What do you think I chose? Of course I chose lying around for half a month.”
Jiang Li Sheng nodded. If it were her, she would have chosen the same. Still, she asked, “Since Zhao Ke Xin stabbed you, she should cover your medical costs, right?”
An Ru Xu’s eyes widened, and he whispered as if sharing a secret, “Martial Uncle Jin from Spirit Beast Peak personally delivered five thousand top-grade spirit stones as compensation. Junior Sister Jiang… I’m rich now.”
He looked at her with open awe. “If something like this happens again, I’ll block the sword for you again.”
In that moment, he completely forgot that the trouble had started with him.
Jiang Li Sheng, impossibly, seemed to forget too. Her eyes went round with regret. “Senior Brother An, why did you jump out to block it? I could’ve handled it myself.”
An Ru Xu fell silent, then scratched his head harder. Suddenly feeling a bit shameless, he blurted, “I’ll split it with you.”
Jiang Li Sheng coughed lightly. “Next time. Next time someone tries to kill me, don’t block it.”
“Fine,” An Ru Xu said at once. “Deal.”
At that moment, Wei Qing Lan arrived.
He had heard Jiang Li Sheng had slept for seven days without waking. Since it had happened because of him, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from coming to check. He landed outside the courtyard, and as he stepped in, he caught the last of their exchange.
He paused. His sword slid into its sheath with a soft, crisp sound.
An Ru Xu turned, eyes lighting up. “Junior Brother Wei!”
Jiang Li Sheng was startled, then offered a greeting as well. “Senior Brother Wei.”
Wei Qing Lan nodded and walked into the courtyard. His gaze swept over Jiang Li Sheng’s face—her brows still heavy with sleep, fatigue lingering in her eyes—then shifted to An Ru Xu.
“Is your injury fully healed?” he asked.
“Not yet.” An Ru Xu tried to climb down, tugged his wound, and hissed. His face went paler. He ended up clinging to the wall again, breathing through the pain before forcing out, “Senior Brother Wei, why are you here? You came to find Junior Sister Jiang, didn’t you?”
“I heard she hadn’t woken. I came to check.” Wei Qing Lan’s brows tightened. “And in seven days, the team leaves for the Qi Shan Secret Realm. You need to recover quickly. Don’t do things that aren’t good for healing.”
An Ru Xu’s ears reddened. “I was worried about Junior Sister Jiang. That’s why I climbed up and threw beads at her window to wake her.” He avoided Wei Qing Lan’s eyes. “I’ll go rest.”
He slid down, then hesitated—then, as if unable to help himself, he grimaced and climbed back up again. “One more thing. Senior Brother Wei, you’re not going to the Qi Shan Secret Realm, right?”
Wei Qing Lan was at the Golden Core Stage. The Qi Shan Secret Realm only admitted those at the Foundation Establishment Stage and below. Anyone stronger had to suppress their cultivation to enter.
For someone like Wei Qing Lan—someone who had already been to Bu Zhou Mountain—the Qi Shan Secret Realm likely held little appeal.
Wei Qing Lan shook his head. “Probably not.”
An Ru Xu swallowed, then looked to Jiang Li Sheng. “Then what about Junior Sister Jiang? Her spiritual power is drained, and she still hasn’t recovered. She slept for seven days and still didn’t seem ready to wake up. I forced her awake…” He hesitated, then asked Wei Qing Lan, “Can she recover in time? Can she go in seven days?”
“The Medical Hall has purchased spirit-replenishing pills,” Wei Qing Lan said. “After she takes them, we’ll see.”
An Ru Xu sighed. He turned to Jiang Li Sheng, suddenly solemn. “Junior Sister Jiang, we share blessings and hardships. If you can’t go to the Qi Shan Secret Realm, I won’t go either.”
Jiang Li Sheng hurried to protest. “Senior Brother An, I don’t even want to go that badly. Please focus on healing. Don’t worry about me.”
“No.” An Ru Xu shook his head fiercely. “We’re close. How can I not care? It’s decided.”
With that, he slid down the wall and went back to his room to recover.
Jiang Li Sheng stared after him, speechless.
She truly didn’t want to go to the Qi Shan Secret Realm. She had no desire to be chased down by demon beasts and eaten alive.