Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Exchanged Life for Life

Xia Zhilan gazed deeply at Lou Yun, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say something. But the moment she opened her lips, she vomited blood profusely, rendering her unable to utter a single word.

Lou Yun held Xia Zhilan’s barely-there weight in his arms, tears uncontrollably dripping from his eyes. He never imagined that Xia Zhilan would throw herself into danger without regard for her own safety to save him, taking Boss Zhao’s lethal flanged mace blow!

Han Tianxiao rushed forward, activating his spirit sense instantly. Twin streams of spiritual energy shot from his palms across the air, entering Xia Zhilan’s body to help temporarily stabilize her magical weapon. For a magical weapons master, as long as the magical weapon remained intact, no matter how severe the injury, life could, at the very least, be barely preserved!

However, Xia Zhilan’s condition was grim. She was only a primary three-star magical weapons master, while Boss Zhao was an intermediate three-star magical weapons master. That attack was his death-driven, full-force strike; its sheer power was unimaginable. Even Lou Yun at his peak would have suffered grave injuries taking that blow directly, let alone Xia Zhilan.

Although Xia Zhilan’s magical weapon had not yet shattered, it was covered in obvious criss-crossing cracks and could break apart at any moment. Once the magical weapon shattered, Xia Zhilan’s life would also extinguish. No immortal descending could save her then!

Xia Zhilan had fallen unconscious, yet even under such a devastating blow, her face bore a blissful smile. She had traded her life for her beloved’s; to her, it was worth it!

Tears blurred Lou Yun’s vision, his heart filled with remorse and regret. If he hadn’t insisted on single-handedly fighting Boss Zhao relying solely on his own strength… If they had instead fought together, two or even three against one… this scene before him would never have happened!

Lou Yun shouldered all the blame, though it wasn’t truly his fault. His original intent was to protect Xia Zhilan and Nie Jiu from harm; that was why he chose to fight alone.

Han Tianxiao’s heavy heart was no lighter than Lou Yun’s, and his responsibility was even greater. His purpose there was to ensure the safety of all three lives. Yet, a momentary lapse had led Xia Zhilan to the brink of death. If anything truly happened to her, he feared he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

But such reflections were useless now. The most urgent task was to rush Xia Zhilan back to the Ancient Weapon Academy and find a way to save her life!

Han Tianxiao also knew that Lou Yun’s spiritual energy was utterly depleted. Carrying Xia Zhilan was beyond him; Lou Yun might not even manage to ride a horse back alone. He leaned down, softening his voice as much as possible. “Lou Yun, give Little Lan to me. We must return quickly!”

Yet Lou Yun shook his head. Gritting his teeth, he lifted Xia Zhilan and stood. He strode purposefully towards his horse, mounted in one swift motion, and declared with firm resolve, “Let’s go!”

Han Tianxiao didn’t insist on taking Xia Zhilan. He nodded, “Alright. Let’s go!”

Five individuals, three horses, galloped away down the large road at breakneck speed.

Lou Yun held Xia Zhilan with extreme care, minimizing any jostling as much as possible, while simultaneously urging his horse to go faster. Though his body continuously absorbed ambient spiritual energy, he channeled all of it directly to Xia Zhilan, not using a shred for himself. The only thing keeping him conscious was sheer willpower, exhausting every last ounce of his spirit and strength.

Watching Xia Zhilan’s face grow paler by the moment, Lou Yun’s heart pleaded incessantly: “Little Lan, hang in there. You must hang in there. We’re almost at the Academy. Please… just hang in there!”

Possessing innate senses far surpassing others, Lou Yun hadn’t been unaware of Xia Zhilan’s feelings for him. He had simply avoided thinking about such matters of love, consciously ignoring them, pretending he hadn’t seen. But at that moment today, when Xia Zhilan rushed recklessly before him and shielded him with her own body, that pent-up surge of emotion finally broke free within him. He realized he, too, held tender affection inside for this gentle, shy girl.

When a woman willingly offers her life for a man, no further proof is needed of her love’s profound sincerity and greatness!

…

When the three finally arrived at Chaoyun Valley and spotted Old Man Feng standing at the valley entrance, Lou Yun didn’t know where the strength came from. Holding Xia Zhilan, he swiftly leaped a great height from his saddle and landed squarely before Old Man Feng.

He thrust Xia Zhilan’s body towards Old Man Feng, uttering only two words: “Save her!” With that, he lost consciousness.

His spiritual energy utterly spent, he should have rested properly long ago. Yet, to return swiftly, he not only refused rest but pushed himself to absolute exhaustion. Stubborn willpower alone had sustained him until now. That final leap had drained the very last vestige of his physical strength. Seeing Old Man Feng, his task accomplished, he could hold on no longer and collapsed.

Han Tianxiao dismounted instantly, catching Lou Yun before he hit the ground. Lifting his head, he met the piercing, blade-like glare of Old Man Feng.

A person of Old Man Feng’s caliber knew the extent of Xia Zhilan’s injuries the instant his hands touched her body. The immediate priority was treating her with all haste. He offered no questions about how this came to be. Fixing a cold glance on Han Tianxiao, he commanded, “Take this boy back to his quarters. Then come to me immediately!”

Without another word, Old Man Feng flickered and vanished from sight before everyone’s eyes. The sheer speed of his movement could only be described as terrifying!

Han Tianxiao turned to Nie Jiu. “Take Lou Yun back. Once he wakes, have him come find me!” Having given the order, he urged his mount onward, taking the little boy to report the mission completion first.

Nie Jiu carried Lou Yun to their room. After laying Lou Yun flat on the bed, he sat down quietly to wait for him to regain consciousness.

Han Tianxiao delivered the child to the Academy’s dedicated assignment fulfillment hub – the Bounty Hall. After briefly reporting the mission details, he rushed directly towards Xia Guanqiu’s residence.

Entering the room, both Xia Guanqiu and Old Man Feng were indeed present. Xia Zhilan lay unconscious on the bed.

The sound of Han Tianxiao’s entry earned him no acknowledgment. The two men were engrossed in discussing a method to save Xia Zhilan.

Old Man Feng stated gravely, “Her magical weapon is critically damaged. I can repair it, but given Little Lan’s constitution is inherently frail, even after repair, she might struggle to practice the more profound weapon techniques in the future.”

Xia Guanqiu was anxious about his granddaughter’s injury and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Old Man Feng, what we must do now is ensure Little Lan’s survival first. As for her physique issue, we can always think of other ways to compensate later!"

Xia Zhilan’s current condition was similar to that of Lou Yun’s father, Lou Tianming. Both had damaged magical weapons, but due to differences in their cultivation levels, ages, physiques, and other factors, the results after repairing the magical weapons were not the same.

Regarding Xia Guanqiu’s urgency, Old Man Feng shook his head and said, "No matter how we compensate, it won’t address the root problem. I can’t let her take that risk, so her magical weapon must be repaired completely in one go. And, I’m also thinking this is the perfect opportunity to see if we can boost her cultivation!"

If Xia Guanqiu hadn’t known how deeply Old Man Feng doted on Xia Zhilan, he would have already lost his temper. Right now, Xia Zhilan was barely holding on to life, yet Old Man Feng wasn’t rushing to save her but instead wanted to use this moment to raise her cultivation—it felt like gambling with Little Lan’s life!

Old Man Feng finally turned to Han Tianxiao at this moment and demanded, "Speak, what exactly happened?"

So Han Tianxiao dared not hide anything and recounted the entire incident in detail. After hearing it, Old Man Feng slapped his thigh hard and exclaimed, "So Little Lan was saving that Lou Family brat! No way—now that she’s so badly hurt, we can’t let the Lou kid off easy. I need to give him something to do!"

"Kid Han, once that Lou kid wakes up, make him come find me!"

Han Tianxiao nodded, his mouth opening slightly. He actually wanted to report about the man in black to Xia Guanqiu, but guessed he was in no mood to listen now, so he simply closed his mouth and left.

After Han Tianxiao departed, Old Man Feng said to Xia Guanqiu, "On the way here, I gave Little Lan recuperative medicine for her weapon. She’s not in immediate life-threatening danger. As for you, don’t go anywhere these few days. Every midnight and noon, use your own spiritual energy to help activate the spiritual energy inside her body! Then wait for me to return!"

After giving this instruction, Old Man Feng turned and left.

Xia Guanqiu walked to the bedside, took a damp towel, and gently wiped the dried blood from Xia Zhilan’s face, murmuring softly, "Lan, you risked your life for Lou Yun. Since that’s the case, Grandpa promises you—once you recover, I’ll stop at nothing to make sure you two are together!"

Lou Yun was now not only Xia Zhilan’s dream lover but also the undisputed choice for the future grandson-in-law of Liu Feifan, the Sect Leader of the Spirit Weapon Sect. By making this decision, Xia Guanqiu had effectively challenged the Spirit Weapon Sect without even realizing it.

…

Lou Yun woke up after a night of unconsciousness. The first words he said upon opening his eyes were, "How is Miss Xia now?"

Nie Jiu hadn’t slept the entire night and hadn’t eaten his favorite food just to watch over Lou Yun. He immediately replied, "Teacher Han came and said that once you woke up, you should go see Old Man Feng at the valley entrance. He’ll tell you about Martial Sister Xia’s condition!"

Without another word, Lou Yun leaped off the bed and sprinted toward the valley entrance. His heart was pounding with anxiety, feeling unsettled and uneasy.

Reaching the small wooden hut at the valley entrance, before he could knock, the door swung open automatically. Old Man Feng, unusually without his wine gourd, appeared at the entrance with a stern face.

Lou Yun didn’t even bother about Old Man Feng’s expression and urgently asked, "Old Man Feng, how is Miss Xia now? Is her life in danger?"

Old Man Feng snorted coldly and said, "Kid, you have the nerve to ask me how Little Lan is? If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be in this state!"

Lou Yun lowered his head in shame and replied, "Yes, sir, it’s all my fault. I failed to protect her and instead was protected by her, causing her to…"

He couldn’t finish the sentence. Hearing this, Old Man Feng’s expression softened slightly because, from Lou Yun’s attitude, Little Lan’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, which might greatly increase their chances of being together later.

Old Man Feng coughed and said, "Her magical weapon is damaged, and she remains unconscious. Though not in immediate life-threatening danger, if we don’t find a way to treat her soon, and if it drags on, who knows what could happen!"

Damaged magical weapon?

Lou Yun thought to himself that his own father had also suffered a damaged magical weapon, but his Second Uncle had told him that the Ancient Weapon Academy had medicine for it, and a profound-level magical weapons master could repair magical weapons. So Xia Zhilan should be fine; then why was Old Man Feng saying they needed to find a way to save her?

Of course, Lou Yun didn’t dare voice these thoughts now. He said, "Sir, is there any way I can help?"

Old Man Feng had been waiting for this. He nodded at once and said, "Yes!"

Lou Yun wasn’t just humoring him; he genuinely wanted to help Xia Zhilan. Upon hearing there was a way he could help, he quickly responded, "Please tell me, sir!"

"Originally, Little Lan’s grandfather or I could have repaired her magical weapon. But her physique is too weak—even if repaired, she might not be able to cultivate higher weapon techniques later. So I came up with a safer method, but it requires the help of a high master. However, this person is not easy to invite…"

Before Old Man Feng could finish speaking, Lou Yun couldn’t wait and interrupted, "Sir, just tell me where that high master is, and I’ll go invite them!"

"Good!" Old Man Feng raised his hand, and a huge gourd appeared in the air. "Come, I’ll take you!"