Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Bane of the Water Clan

The moment the water pillar burst from the well, Lou Yun distinctly felt the weapon spirit power he channeled to support Shui Lingluo beneath her fiercely struck by a tremendous force and completely dissipate. His own body recoiled in sympathy; a muffled grunt escaped his lips as his steps faltered, staggering backwards "thump, thump, thump" for three or four meters before he finally managed to steady himself.

Tie Sha didn’t utter a word; with a metallic "clang," his massive magical weapon sword appeared in his hand. The smile on Wen Hou’s face instantly froze, a mirror hovering and swirling around his body. They had both clearly sensed the immense power that had blasted Lou Yun away!

Inside Lou Yun, blood and Qi churned violently. He gritted his teeth, forcing out a shout: "Don’t!" But as the word left his mouth, a torrent of blood sprayed violently out.

Given his current condition, Lou Yun’s priority should have been calming the turmoil of blood and spiritual energy within him, not speaking at all. However, seeing Tie Sha and Wen Hou each brandish their magical weapons, he knew they were about to act. In his urgency, he disregarded his own state and forcefully shouted those words. Naturally, this came with a cost: his internal injuries worsened, and he vomited blood.

Shui Lingtong rushed over to support Lou Yun, wanting to ask something. But when his eyes fell on the soaring water pillar, at least three meters high, he froze, speechless.

Not just him—everyone who saw the water pillar stood rooted to the spot, stunned!

Right in the center of the water pillar, Shui Lingluo hung suspended mid-air, her eyes tightly shut. She looked like an incarnation of the Water God!

Suddenly, her eyelids flickered, then slowly opened.

Blinking at the scene before her, a serene smile blossomed on Shui Lingluo’s face. As her smile bloomed, the towering water pillar abruptly collapsed with a loud "whoosh." It didn’t fall back into the well, though; instead, it stopped right at her feet, supporting her body.

Then, Shui Lingluo took a step forward. A watery blossom leaped up from the pillar beneath her, perfectly catching her foot. With each step she took, another watery blossom blossomed. Step by aquatic step, she descended from the air to the ground.

Everyone watched, dumbfounded. Such was the ability to control water—it was utterly breathtaking!

Shui Lingluo walked up to Lou Yun, who was equally awestruck, and bowed lightly. "Mr. Lou, I thank you."

Lou Yun snapped back to reality and looked at the Shui Lingluo before him. Compared to before, she now undeniably exuded an air of dignified grace.

"Haha, no need for thanks, it was just lifting a hand," he said with a wave.

Shui Lingluo shook her head. "Mr. Lou, you have saved me twice. Perhaps it was merely lifting a hand to you, but to me, it’s a life-saving kindness, a great debt of gratitude. I will remember this forever in my heart!"

Lou Yun didn’t want to dwell on pleasantries. He changed the subject. "Alright, enough of that, Miss Shui. How do you feel now?"

"I’ve never felt better than I do now!" Freed from the water contract, even her personality seemed subtly altered. She stuck her tongue out at Lou Yun with a hint of mischief.

"Hm. Good, that’s good." Lou Yun had been worried that forcibly burning away the water contract with his Fusang Fire might harm her. Seeing how she was now, apparently unscathed, put his mind at ease.

Next, Lou Yun wanted to make the most of the momentum. He proceeded to burn away the water contract on Shui Lingtong’s body. With experience aiding him this time, the process was significantly faster. After it was done, he directly tossed Shui Lingtong into the well.

Finally, it was the Aunt’s turn. Her situation was unique. Because her body had already endured backlash from the water contract, the red patterns of the Contract Symbol had spread internally throughout her body, not just localized on her chest.

This naturally made things trickier. It required the Fusang Tree influence to widen its scope, consuming far more spiritual energy. The burning process also demanded even greater caution.

In short, by the time the Contract Symbol within the Aunt was wholly burned away, Lou Yun’s face was paper-white. Such intense exertion of spiritual energy had utterly drained him. He didn’t even have the strength left to carry the Aunt to the well; he simply collapsed onto the ground, sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes to replenish his spiritual energy.

Seeing Lou Yun look so wan and exhausted, a touch of heartache flickered across Shui Lingluo’s face. Silently moving behind him, she summoned a mist from the well with a gesture. It floated directly over Lou Yun’s head and began to drift down, intending to envelop his body.

Yet, the moment the mist drew near his scalp, a lick of flame suddenly leaped from Lou Yun’s head, instantly incinerating the mist into nothingness!

Shui Lingluo recoiled in fright, momentarily standing there frozen, flustered and unsure what to do.

Wen Hou, observing nearby, approached with a smile. "Miss Shui, were you trying to help him?"

Shui Lingluo nodded hurriedly. "Water does contain spiritual energy, and it’s exceptionally pure. I saw Mr. Lou’s spiritual energy was severely depleted, so I wanted to help him absorb some for faster recovery."

Wen Hou smiled knowingly. "Hmm, I understand. But Brother Lou possesses heavenly flame protection within him. It likely activates automatically against intrusive external forces, so I’m afraid your kind act might be… difficult for him to benefit from."

"Oh," Shui Lingluo nodded, her gaze lingering on Lou Yun with concern. "Then… he won’t be in any danger, will he?"

"Don’t worry. Brother Lou’s cultivation base is profound. I estimate he’ll recover within half a shichen."

"Alright."

Shui Lingluo fell silent and began watching Lou Yun intently. Their conversation was overheard by Shui Lingtong standing outside the room, guarding his mother. The child’s eyes darted thoughtfully, a contemplative expression settling on his face.

Wen Hou’s prediction proved remarkably accurate. Within half a shichen, Lou Yun indeed opened his eyes. Possessing the Fusang Tree dramatically accelerated his absorption of spiritual energy. Moreover, this severe energy depletion revealed a phenomenon: the Fusang Tree within him had grown slightly taller during the replenishment process, seemingly causing the space inside his spiritual weapon to expand somewhat as well.

This discovery sparked an internal thought: Could it be that in the future, rather than relying on consuming common weapons to advance his realm, the mere growth of the Fusang Tree could continuously elevate the realm of his spiritual weapon?

Of course, now was not the time to dwell on that. While Lou Yun meditated, the Aunt had also awakened from her unconsciousness. Now, the three members of the Shui family stood before Lou Yun, all eyes filled with hopeful anticipation as they waited for him to fully awaken.

Seeing the three, Lou Yun was slightly taken aback. He quickly rose to his feet, asking with a smile, "Aunt, is your body alright now?"

The Aunt returned his smile, then suddenly pulled Shui Lingluo and Shui Lingtong back a step. Together, the three of them dropped to their knees, poised to kowtow to Lou Yun!

There was no way Lou Yun could accept such obeisance from all three. His hands swept out urgently. Surging spiritual energy poured forth, forcefully holding their bodies up, preventing them from kneeling.

"What are you doing!" he exclaimed.

The Aunt bowed her head. "Mr. Lou, you must receive our salute. For you have saved not just us three, but you have saved our entire Shui family clan!"

Indeed, just as Chang Xiang had said, in that other world, the Shui family held an extremely lofty position. Yet on Spirit Weapon Star, they had declined to the brink of extinction. Now, with three water contract possessors among them, their future life would be transformed completely and utterly. So, Lou Yun truly had saved their entire clan.

Lou Yun naturally understood this, but his temperament shunned such formal gratitude. He hurriedly protested, "I didn’t do much! I just used up some spiritual energy, that’s all!"

At that moment, Shui Lingtong, in his childish voice, declared loudly, "Brother Lou, from this moment forward, you are the eternal benefactor and friend of our Shui family! Henceforth, wherever and whenever you need the Shui family’s help, or if you encounter any hardship, my entire clan will spare no effort to assist you!" His words, spoken with childish earnestness, came with comically serious delivery complete with hands on hips. "Don’t laugh! I am very serious! Because when I grow up, I will be the clan head! What I say definitely counts!"

As he spoke, his eyes scanned himself. Suddenly spotting the longevity lock pendant hanging on his chest, he tugged it off forcefully and held it out to Lou Yun. "Brother Lou, take this! Keep it as my token! Seeing this token is like seeing me! In the future, if something happens and you can’t come in person, just send someone bearing this, and I’ll know what to do!"

On hearing Shui Lingtong speak so maturely beyond his years, Lou Yun started to refuse. But then, Chang Xiang’s voice sounded lightly within him, "Accept it. It represents this child’s sincere feelings, after all."

"Huh?" Lou Yun was taken aback. "Accept it? This looks exactly like the longevity lock the Aunt bought for him! How can I accept it?"

"I’m telling you to accept it, so accept it. Who knows, you might genuinely need it later."

After a moment’s hesitation, Lou Yun ultimately heeded Chang Xiang’s advice. He took the longevity lock from Shui Lingtong’s hand. Kneeling to match the boy’s height, he looked at him earnestly. "Shui Lingtong, I accept this token. But starting now, you must cultivate diligently. Make yourself strong quickly. Only then will you have the power to protect your clan, or to help me when troubles come in the future."

"En!" Shui Lingtong nodded vigorously. "Brother Lou, rest assured. I know what to do!"

Lou Yun then stood back up, reaching over to affectionately ruffle Shui Lingtong’s head with a soft chuckle. Finally, he placed the longevity lock with great solemnity into his spatial ring.

Meanwhile, unseen and unheard, Chang Xiang let out a quiet sigh, murmuring inwardly, "That little Shui Lingtong truly acts beyond his years. Not simple at all. From overhearing his sister’s conversation with Wen Hou, he must have realized Lou Yun is essentially their clan’s natural bane! Hence this concerted effort to win favor… Though, as a water contract bearer, you truly are highly likely to become their clan head… and perhaps also become Lou Yun’s…"