Chapter 104 – The Impending Crisis
“Let me take a look at your injuries, I should be able to deal with them as long as they’re not too strange.” While sighing, Feng Baichuan walked to the front of the bed.
However, Yun Che shook his head: “No need, I have my own ways of dealing with these minor injuries. There’s no need for you to worry. You’re currently facing a great catastrophe, so there must be a lot of things for you to do as clan leader. You don’t have to mind us.”
Feng Baichuan nodded and did not insist: “Okay then, you guys stay here and have a good rest. If you need anything, just give me a call… I hope those vicious men would come a bit later.”
Feng Baichuan opened the door and walked out with a worried expression. Yun Che placed his hand on his chin and fell into deep thought.
“Are your injuries really okay? You did fall from such a great height previously, after all.” Lan Xueruo asked worriedly.
Yun Che shook his head gently and smiled: “ I remembered telling Senior Sister that I’m a genius doctor. To a genius doctor, these kind of small injuries are nothing.”
To others, the injuries on his body would definitely be considered heavy but in his eyes, it could only be counted as light injuries.
“Genius doctor? Even if you are a genius doctor, does it mean you can just throw your life away like this!” Lan Xueruo’s eyes reddened as she thought about how Yun Che had saved her with his life, two consecutive times: “Had you really died, I would never be at peace for the rest of my life.”
“Haha,” Yun Che laughed: “Yuanba was right, Senior Sister is really too kind. I was the one who had been a burden to Senior Sister in the first place so I should be the one to blame myself, but now Senior Sister is blaming herself instead.”
Lan Xueruo’s gaze wavered. Biting her lower lip, she said softly: “Junior Brother Yun, in future, please do not do what you did just now again, okay? Actually, there are many protective devices on my body so I won’t be hurt that easily. If something similar were to happen again, you cannot protect me without regard for your own life. It is enough if you just protect yourself.”
“I can’t do it.” Yun Che shook his head obstinately.
“Why can’t you do that? Do you not treasure your life?” Lan Xueruo’s heart skipped a beat.
“No! I do treasure my life a lot. No matter the situation, I would still not allow myself to die. It’s just that… Just that…” Not letting Lan Xueruo see the sorrow deep within his gaze, Yun Che closed his eyes: “I once let down a girl who had treated me best… In the end, because of me, she died in my embrace… Perhaps I won’t be able to forget that pain even after ten lifetimes. From that day on, I swore to never let any girl that treated me well to suffer any harm… Never!”
“…That girl, she shouldn’t be be your current wife, right?” Lan Xueruo look at Yun Che, her gaze revealed a complexity that even she did not understand herself.
“Of course not. But the way she treats me is still considered to be nice, so how I treated her should also be considered nice.” Thinking of Xia Qingyue, Yun Che smiled gently. Even though the few days they had shared the same bed were short, the memories were still wonderful. However, they would probably never meet again in future, yet the identity as his “wife” was firmly imprinted deep within his heart because she was the first wife in two lifetimes; despite them only being husband and wife in name.
“Junior Brother Yun, you are only sixteen years old! Not only are you married at such a young age, you also have a maiden who sacrificed her life for you… perhaps there are still other maidens who have been harmed by you. I have seen many men who are fickle in love and passionate, but it is still my first time seeing a man who is as young as you.” Lan Xueruo said while laughing. With regards to the identity of Yun Che’s “wife”, she was well aware. That was because she had sent someone to New Moon City to investigate Yun Che’s entire background. The fact of his wife Xia Qingyue being a disciple of Frozen Cloud Asgard, was well known by everyone in Floating Cloud City. This also let the Xia Family she was a part of, to indistinctively become a giant figure in Floating Cloud City that no one dared to provoke. After all, within the four major sects, Frozen Cloud Asgard had the least disciples but they were well known to protect their own.”
Yun Che smiled, but declined to comment as he asked in reply: “Then does Senior Sister have someone she likes?”
“Me? Of course not. As if Senior Sister is like you, womanizing everywhere at such a young age.” Lan Xueruo pursed her lips and laughed.
“Phew, how lucky that you don’t have one, else I would have died from sadness.” Yun Che heaved a small sigh of relief, and even his expression loosened up quite a bit.
“… You little brat! I didn’t wrong you when I said you were fickle about love.” Lan Xueruo stuck up her nose to give a face of rebuke. After that, she raised her attractive face as her expression wore a slightly wishful longing: “The one I, your Senior Sister wants to marry in the future will certainly be the unrivaled hero that is able to conquer the world. A fickle-minded brat like you is not my cup of tea at all. Besides, you’re already married.”
Yun Che: “….”
“Have a good rest. Little Snow is too tired from the previous flight. It has exhausted all its strength and may have to go into slumber for quite some time. We can leave as soon as it awakens. As for the people here, I have already promised the two little fellows that I will help them within the limits of my power.”
After speaking with Yun Che for awhile, she could clearly feel that he was straining himself and thus, she didn’t continue to disturb him. After walking out, she gently closed the door.
“Interested in the thing they’re guarding?” Jasmine suddenly asked once Lan Xueruo had left.
“Of course!” Yun Che replied with his eyes closed: “Since the essence of the phoenix is here, there’s a great possibility that it is something that the phoenix had left behind! The Phoenix, a primordial divine beast! Even if it’s a feather, it will also be of the divine profound grade! Now that outsiders have found out about this place, even if they don’t obtain what they’re protecting, there is still a high possibility that they would spread news about this place. When that time comes, who knows whose hands it would land into.”
“Hmph! How can a mere mortal dabble in something that belongs to a primordial divine beast.” Jasmine coldly snorted in disdain and then spoke no longer, as if she was giving a kind warning to Yun Che.
In the midst of silence, Yun Che checked the injuries on his body before immersing his consciousness into the Sky Poison Pearl to find a dozen or more herbs. After fusing them for awhile, he obtained a lump of pitch-black gelatinous substance. He evenly rubbed it on top of his left shoulder before closing his eyes and falling fast asleep.
When Yun Che woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the second day. He was woken by the chaotic noises that came from outside.
“… If you’re smart, then quickly undo the seal at the back mountain! You are the guardian family here, you would surely have a way to undo it! Don’t make us force you to do it!” Came a boorish and violent voice which carried an extremely vicious and threatening menace.
“That seal has always been there and we honestly have no idea what it is! Much less the way to undo it! We are but a small clan that lives here in seclusion. If we did indeed have some sort of treasure, why would our clan be reduced to such a pitiful state.” That was Feng Baichuan’s voice.
“HAHAHAHA! Do you think we’re three year olds? Who would believe your lies! Today, our captain and vice-captain have both came personally. If you continue to play dumb, see if we’ll wipe out your entire clan!”
………………
These voices… Could they be…
Yun Che instantly sat up from his bed. Although his left shoulder was still hurting and not as flexible when he moved it, it was much better compared to yesterday. Most of the small injuries on his body were almost half-healed and his body was no longer as weak as it was yesterday; at least he had no problem walking normally now. Just as he wanted to get down the bed, the room’s door was pushed open and Lan Xueruo hurriedly rushed in. Seeing that Yun Che was already awake, she anxiously said: “Not good, Junior Brother Yun, the Black Demon Mercenaries Group actually came today. They’ve brought more than one hundred men and completely barricaded the village entrance.”
“Why are they so fast?” Yun Che frowned.
“Clan Leader Feng and the rest were also caught unprepared, but now the entire clan is taking precaution.” Lan Xueruo’s expression was filled with anxiety.
At that moment, another wave of loud roar came from outside:, “Is the little beauty from yesterday here! No treasure? That’s fine too! Just hand out that little beauty first! Let us uncles enjoy ourselves first, and perhaps we’ll even forget about the treasure, hahahaha.”
A wave of laughter was heard from a distance. Yun Che’s eyebrows locked in a frown… He suddenly understood why this “Black Demon” mercenary group had come over to attack so quickly… It was obvious that they too, were uncertain if this place had any so-called treasure here. From the profound strength of the people here, anyone with who was sane would deduce that even if there was any sort of treasure, it wouldn’t be that good anyway. But yesterday Lan Xueruo had fought three people from this mercenary group and Lan Xueruo’s beauty was so great that it shocked them into thinking that she was a celestial being. The reason why they rushed here was not for some kind of treasure but rather Lan Xueruo! They were afraid that she would’ve left if they had come a bit later.
“This group of wicked people!” Lan Xueruo nibbled her lips as her face flushed with anger: “Junior Brother Yun, you’re still injured so you should stay here and rest. Do not go out no matter what. I’ll go teach them a lesson.”
If Lan Xueruo had immediately killed those three people yesterday, it wouldn’t have resulted in such a impatient attack. But Yun Che was unable to blame Lan Xueruo; after all, she was still a girl and her heart was originally soft. He pulled Lan Xueruo back and asked with concentrated eyebrows: “What are the cultivation levels of the people in this mercenary group?”
“There appears to be a requirement to enter; every one of them are all above the Elementary Profound Realm! The one with the lowest profound strength is at the first level of the Nascent Profound Realm. There are more than eighty between the first and fifth level, and more than thirty of them are above the fifth level of Nascent Profound Realm. Also, four more… who should be their captain and vice-captain, should have reached the True Profound Realm.” Lan Xueruo replied as she creased her eyebrows. With such a line-up, it was basically impossible for Feng Baichuan and the others who were only at the tenth level of Elementary Profound to hold them back.
“True Profound Realm…” Yun Che sucked in a slight breath as the hand that held onto Lan Xueruo tightened: “No! You cannot go! You heard what they had yelled earlier; the motive for their visit is most likely for you. Let’s not talk about over a hundred people of the Nascent Profound Realm, just those True Profound Realm captains alone, are not people we could handle.”
“They have already barricaded the village’s exit so we won’t be able to escape even if we wanted to. Furthermore… perhaps I can still deal with them with enough effort.” As Lan Xueruo said that, she stretched out her hands and removed the pearl necklace on her neck. Soon after, her profound energy quickly rose under Yun Che’s surprised gaze: “The pearls on this necklace are known as the ‘Profound Locking Pearl’. When worn, it is able to suppress the wearer’s profound strength by five ranks. My true profound strength cultivation is at the third level of True Profound Realm. They won’t be able to hurt me that easily.”
The change in Lan Xueruo’s profound energy astonished Yun Che. Eighteen years old, at the third level of True Profound Realm… This was a completely different and astonishing realm from Xiao Luocheng who had been the number one genius of New Moon City! He asked in amazement: “Senior Sister, why did you…”
“I chose to do it because I didn’t want to attract too much attention. Anyways, you stay here and I’ll think of an idea to bring you out of here.”
Even though Lan Xueruo had finished and was about to leave, she was pulled back again by Yun Che: “Even if Senior Sister has the strength of the True Profound Realm, the opponent has four people in the True Profound Realm! While I cannot say it for sure, their average level could also be higher than yours… If there isn’t a way to get out of this, I will go out with you.”