Su Mu's eyes were fixed on Heavenly Sword Mountain; no one knew what he was thinking, but no one could ignore his presence, even if he just stood there alone.
This was deterrence! When one possessed sufficient strength, a single person's deterrence surpassed that of an entire faction.
Aside from Qin Longxuan and Qin Lingxi, no one knew why Su Mu had come. He was a Loose Cultivator with no subordinates, and none of his people had entered Heavenly Sword Mountain. Wasn't his presence pointless? Was he planning a robbery? But Su Mu had never done such a thing!
Ling Tianjian Su Mu possessed the integrity of a Sword Cultivator!
Inside Heavenly Sword Mountain, Qin Chu and Shang Shuyu began moving horizontally in the Level 8 Sword Intent area. Their purpose in coming to Heavenly Sword Mountain was to find Spirit Intent Grass, not to climb the mountain. Moving in a straight line held little meaning and was also more dangerous.
No battles occurred. Few Cultivators entered the Level 8 Sword Intent area, and Yao Beasts were nonexistent. Except during Sword Intent eruption periods, Heavenly Sword Mountain was constantly filled with Sword Intent, making it unsuitable for Yao Beast survival. However, there were plenty of medicinal Materials.
Qin Chu had a strong understanding of medicinal Materials, and he stored some Medicinal Pills in his Storage Ring.
As for carrying space, Qin Chu had no problem. He had many Storage Rings. Inside the Storage Ring he wore, there were several more Storage Rings, all spoils of war, products of battle.
Additionally, having killed many opponents, Qin Chu had become quite wealthy. Besides looting a large number of various Medicinal Pills, he also acquired many rare Materials.
However, for Qin Chu, the greatest gain was Spirit Stones. Lei Lie and Hou Tianjie together contributed nearly fifty Spirit Stones to Qin Chu, and their subordinates added over fifty more. This meant that through the battles during this period, Qin Chu had obtained over a hundred Spirit Stones, which was a considerable amount; Qin Longxuan only carried a few dozen.
As they interacted more, the communication between Qin Chu and Shang Shuyu also increased.
"Qin Chu, will you return to Nanyan State in the future?" Shang Shuyu asked Qin Chu.
"I will go back. That is where I grew up. Qingyun Sect is the starting point of my Cultivation path. These are things deep in my memory. I wonder how Er Pang and Bai Yu are doing now!" Qin Chu missed Er Pang and Bai Yu a little; they were his two best companions.
"You're quite good. You have two true friends in Qingyun Sect, but I don't!" Speaking of friends, Shang Shuyu envied Qin Chu a little, because she had no friends. When she was in Qingyun Sect, she focused on Cultivating every day and didn't interact with anyone, while others found Shang Shuyu aloof and unapproachable.
"Senior Sister, you're wrong. Am I not a friend? Get back!" Qin Chu pulled Shang Shuyu's arm, dodging from their original position. As soon as they moved, a sharp Sword Qi energy shot up from the ground.
As Qin Chu and Shang Shuyu had just stabilized, feeling another Sword Intent eruption approaching, Qin Chu had no time to speak. He pulled Shang Shuyu to dodge again. At this moment, Shang Shuyu was a little dazed and didn't keep up with the pace. With no other option, Qin Chu rushed forward, simultaneously pulling Shang Shuyu into his embrace with his right hand as he charged ahead.
Out of a woman's modesty, Shang Shuyu's right hand instinctively pushed Qin Chu away.
It was too late. Qin Chu could only half-rotate his body, shielding Shang Shuyu in front of him. At this moment, another Sword Qi energy shot up from behind them.
Due to not dodging in time, the area from Qin Chu's lower left back to his left shoulder was torn by the Sword Qi energy, leaving a deep gash.
Two Sword Qi energy eruptions came one after another, front and back. This was mainly because Qin Chu and Shang Shuyu's dodging direction was not ideal, and their luck was poor, encountering the second one. This prevented Qin Chu from completely dodging, and his body was cut by the Sword Qi, making Qin Chu's face turn pale from the pain.
As the two Sword Qi shot into the sky, the scene quieted down. Qin Chu and Shang Shuyu returned to the edge of the pit where the Sword Qi had just erupted.
"This is... How are you?!" Shang Shuyu realized her left hand, which was supporting Qin Chu's body, felt sticky. She looked and saw blood.
"I've been hit. Help me take a look and apply some Medicinal Pill!" At this moment, beads of sweat appeared on Qin Chu's forehead.
With Qin Chu lying prone by the edge of the pit, Shang Shuyu removed Qin Chu's robe, exposing the injured area on his back. She stopped the bleeding from the wound, then applied healing medicine.
When the healing medicine was sprinkled on the wound, it was excruciatingly painful, making Qin Chu grimace, as the wound was almost down to the bone.
After applying the medicine to the wound, Shang Shuyu helped Qin Chu wipe away the bloodstains and then bandaged him.
Qin Chu sat up, took out an outer robe, and put it on, then chuckled self-mockingly, "Look at those Sword Cultivators, each one as handsome as a jade tree in the wind, each one with the air of an immortal. Who's like me, always getting a bit of blood on themselves for no reason?"
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be injured. I'm sorry, I dragged you down!" Shang Shuyu's eyes were full of guilt. Not only had she been a little dazed just now, but when Qin Chu pulled her into his embrace, her self-protective instinct as a woman made her instinctively resist a little, not fully cooperating with Qin Chu, which was why Qin Chu got injured.
"It's alright, but Senior Sister, what medicine did you put on me? It hurts so much!" Qin Chu swayed his body a little; the wound on his back was aching severely.
"It's a muscle-regenerating cream that won't leave scars. It might hurt a little, but it won't leave a scar." Shang Shuyu looked at Qin Chu, feeling a bit helpless, because she could feel Qin Chu's pain but couldn't do anything about it.
"It won't leave a scar, huh? Actually, it's nothing. You girls care about this, but men generally don't!" Qin Chu said with a smile.
Shang Shuyu took out a towel and handed it to Qin Chu, "Wipe your sweat! You might not care, but if one day your wife asks how you got this scar, will you say it was from protecting another woman?"
"What's there that can't be said? Senior Sister, you're not just any other woman..." After Qin Chu wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel, he didn't know what to do. Returning it, it had his sweat on it, but keeping it wasn't appropriate, as it was a woman's personal item.
"Why are you hesitating? Give it to me, I'll wash it, then you can wipe again!" Shang Shuyu took the towel from Qin Chu's hand, then took out a basin, drew water from her Storage Ring, washed the towel, and handed it back to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu wiped his face again, feeling a bit refreshed. However, he didn't return the towel. He planned to buy a new one to replace it later, as she couldn't use this one anymore.
"Junior Brother, wait here. I'll go get some dry wood and make a fire to brew a pot of tea. We need to stay here for a while, at least until your injuries are fine before we move forward." Shang Shuyu said to Qin Chu.
"Senior Sister, you wait here for me. I'll go find the wood." Qin Chu stood up. How could he let Shang Shuyu go out? Without Sword Spirit Realm, her judgment would be poor, and she could easily fall with a single mistake.
Watching Qin Chu leave, Shang Shuyu felt some regret. She knew very well that if she hadn't resisted Qin Chu's embrace just now, even if Qin Chu had been injured, his injuries wouldn't have been as severe as they were now. Qin Chu had done so much for her, but he never said anything. She thought Qin Chu was a little foolish, but foolish in a way that made her heart ache.