Awakening

Upon stepping into the Military Affairs Hall, Xu Yuan instinctively furrowed his brows. He sensed faint, strange fluctuations of Source Qi lingering here. They were very faint, flickering like fireflies in the night under the perception of the markings on his hand. Furthermore, they did not seem like the fluctuations of a formation, but rather as though someone had cast a spell art in this room. Theoretically speaking, the Military Affairs Hall was currently the safest place in the Zhenxi Prefectural Yamen; for someone to channel cultivation and cast spells here was clearly abnormal. Facing the sect Saints, a single misstep meant losing the entire game. Because of this, Tianyuan's disappearance and that Saint surnamed Wen who had never shown his face had kept Xu Yuan in a constant state of seeing enemies in every shadow. Standing at the doorway, he sensed carefully for a moment. Judging from the lingering spell traces, it appeared to be a minor wind spell art of the gale variety. It probably wasn't his bosom buddy's doing; her military array cultivation did not contain Five Elements spell arts. In his memories, however, the Desert Divine Maiden just happened to be a wind-attributed boss. "Why are you standing in the doorway?" Li Junwu's puzzled voice came from behind him. "Why aren't you going in?" Xu Yuan was in no hurry to answer. His qi dynamic swept through every corner of the Military Affairs Hall, only to see that woman Jiayi quietly seated cross-legged in the inner hall, seemingly cultivating. Xu Yuan slowly looked back and asked with a frown, "Were you together with Jiayi in the Military Affairs Hall just now?" "Ah?" Li Junwu froze for a moment. "...Yeah, what's wrong?" Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan whispered, "Just now, while you were away, Jiayi used a spell art to clear away some scents in the Military Affairs Hall... "Tsk, once I entered the yamen, I subconsciously let my guard down a bit. I should have used the markings to scan the entire manor." By the end, Xu Yuan's voice lowered slightly, carrying a hint of self-reproach. That Saint surnamed Wen possessed a spell art that could usurp the bodies of Soul Condensation Realm cultivators, and Jiayi, the Desert Divine Maiden, happened to be in the Soul Condensation Realm. Li Junwu's pupils contracted slightly, and she whispered somewhat unnaturally, "Jiayi... shouldn't betray us, right...?" "Hm?" Xu Yuan turned back, narrowing his eyes. Li Junwu raised a slender index finger, waggled it in the air, and offered a quick-witted explanation: "Think about it, Changtian. If something were wrong with her, there'd be no need to beat around the bush like this. If she'd just had Linlang ambush me, wouldn't I be dead already?" Seeing her trademark lying gesture, Xu Yuan was somewhat speechless, though he didn't call her out on it—after all, if he pointed it out, it might not work next time. However, he could realize internally that Li Junwu seemed to be covering for the little Divine Maiden's actions... Still, Xu Yuan didn't think in any lewd direction. He didn't believe Li Junwu would be ridiculous enough in such a crisis to indulge in decadent, debauched antics. Under Li Junwu's gaze, Xu Yuan's expression relaxed slightly, and he chuckled. "Fair point. But you'd better wait outside for a moment first." "Why?" Li Junwu's gaze turned slightly wary. "Minor wind spell arts can clear away scents, but they can also disperse medicinal agents into the air," Xu Yuan cautioned, then reassured her, "Don't worry, I also believe Jiayi is fine. I'm just going in to check." Li Junwu wanted to say something more. Xu Yuan said nothing further and teleported directly into the inner hall. Xu Yuan's arrival visibly startled Jiayi, but the future Western Desert boss immediately chilled her expression, glaring at him with hostile eyes. Xu Yuan didn't mind. Before obtaining the markings, he might have backed down for Linlang's sake, but now that he held absolute might in his hands, letting the girl glare at him wouldn't cost him a piece of flesh. After all, he really had put her through the wringer for quite a while earlier. Directing the markings to probe the inner hall, Xu Yuan asked casually, "What did you just use a spell to clear away?" "..." Jiayi looked ready to bite someone, showing no intention of answering. Truly the exact same virtue as that stupid wolf outside. After the two stared at each other for several breaths, Xu Yuan suddenly raised his palm. He had still detected a faint scent of medicine in the inner hall. Just like in his previous life, gases in this world could become liquid and solid through compression. A vortex of wind condensed from Source Qi began to gather in Xu Yuan's palm. Wind pressure rose instantly, and under the sweeping pull of immense Source Qi, the medicinal scents still lingering in the hall quickly coalesced. A few breaths later, staring at the speck of a medicinal pellet barely visible to the naked eye in his hand, Xu Yuan glanced at Jiayi beside him. "Not going to explain what this is?" "Why don't you eat a bite and find out?" Jiayi finally spoke her first words. "I already inhaled some of it." "Then why are you still asking?" "The medicinal effect is too weak; I can't feel anything." "You talk too much nonsense. Isn't it enough to know it's not poison?" "If it were poison, you'd already be tied up and awaiting interrogation." "Please, go ahead and interrogate me then." Jiayi gave a cold huff and turned her little face away, not wanting to pay any mind to this man. Xu Yuan was helpless. Ignorant little girls were so troublesome; he really missed the mature, commanding Divine Maiden from his memories. If they could survive this, the road of future cooperation would truly be long and arduous. Sighing, Xu Yuan sat down cross-legged beside the Divine Maiden and asked casually, "Jiayi, we're supposed to cooperate for decades in the future. An attitude like this makes things very difficult for me..." Jiayi did not speak. Xu Yuan gave a dry laugh and continued rambling: "Judging from the size of the pellet I just condensed, it seems more like a scent that volatilized through a sealed box. Grade-A or higher pills wouldn't be sealed in low-grade jade containers like that. You aren't using this kind of garbage medicine to treat Junwu's injuries, are you?" Creak— As soon as he spoke, the door to the inner hall was pushed open. Li Junwu, clad in military armor, peeked inside and walked in, followed by the white wolf with its tail drooping. The moment she entered, using the formation's detection, Li Junwu's gaze immediately locked onto the tiny medicinal speck in Xu Yuan's palm, and her heart couldn't help skipping a beat. Xu Yuan did not beat around the bush and asked outright: "Li Junwu, what on earth are you up to?" "..." Li Junwu instinctively wanted to explain, but noticing that Jiayi remained composed at the side, she curled her lips and said nothing. Sure enough, in the next moment, several invaluable healing pills were sent floating before her by that fellow. Xu Yuan withdrew his sleeves, his tone carrying a touch of disdain: "You're the heir of Zhenxi Manor, for goodness' sake. Using low-grade pills like that to treat your injuries—aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Li Junwu did not take them. Looking down at the tips of her boots, she whispered, "I don't want to owe you any more favors." "Hoh, I didn't see you being so bashful when you took my stuff last time." Amusement colored Xu Yuan's voice. Stroking his chin, he looked over his bosom buddy's figure and chuckled. "You've made some progress this time, knowing how to separate the public from the private. But you should take them anyway. If you don't want to owe a favor, write an IOU. Standard market interest: nine out, thirteen back." Li Junwu glanced at the jade bottles before her, blinked her pretty eyes, and curled her lips slightly. "Don't blame me for not warning you: this lady has no money to buy things this expensive." Xu Yuan shrugged with wealthy swagger, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "Doesn't matter. We've got a whole lifetime ahead of us. Pay it back slowly—there'll come a day when it's settled." With that, Xu Yuan stood up with a smile. Thump-thump— A thunderous heartbeat suddenly exploded in Xu Yuan's ears without warning. That burst of heartbeats prevented Xu Yuan from seeing the worry that flashed across Jiayi's face at the sight of his and Li Junwu's smiles, and caused Xu Yuan's body to pitch forward uncontrollably toward the ground... "Changtian!!!" A cry of alarm sounded. Before Xu Yuan hit the floor, he fell into the cold surface of armor. Li Junwu must have caught him. But what was happening to his body again? Xu Yuan thought to himself, instinctively wanting to raise his right hand to his eyes to check the state of the markings, but found he struggled to move even a single finger. The deafening heartbeats pounded continuously in his ears. A suffocating pressure made everything before his eyes sway, leaving him only able to see the bright red lips of the two women beside him opening and closing. "Jiayi... you... Linlang..." "No use, Junwu... the markings are spreading..." "This bastard..." "Where is... that Saintess?" Li Junwu was anxiously conferring with Jiayi, but the voices came in disjointed fragments. Piecing them together, however, brought a curse-worthy realization to Xu Yuan's sluggish mind. Could it be that he was going berserk again? But god dammit, why... why this time?! Bzzzt— Just as Xu Yuan felt he was about to pass out, a sharp ringing in his ears drowned out the chaotic heartbeats! Everything around him turned clear again, and Li Junwu's frantic voice became distinct: "We can't handle Changtian's condition. We have to go find that Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Saintess—" At this point, Xu Yuan felt himself scooped up in a bridal carry, but after only a few strides, Li Junwu suddenly froze, as if hit by an immobilizing spell. Then, looking along the curve of her cheek, he saw a look of horrified shock welling up in her handsome, heroic eyes as she instinctively took a step back into the hall. "How is this possible?" The inner hall fell silent, locked in a moment of stillness. "Put me down. No need to look for Tianye. The reason I fell into that state just now was because Mu Nuo woke up." Xu Yuan's senses had fully returned. His steady, gentle voice sounded: "Junwu, did something happen in the city?" Li Junwu started. Seeing his composure completely restored, she bit her lip and said softly: "The city defense canopy... has completely restored itself. "The destruction caused by the fallout of your battle has vanished as well. "And..." At this point, disbelief filled Li Junwu's beautiful eyes. "Changtian... the commoners who died... they all seem to have come back to life too."