Chapter 63: Once Healed, Pain Forgotten

“Shemei’er, why are you crying?” Yan Chixia asked urgently. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? You look fine too. Why cry? Stop it, tell me, we’re both alright. Then… what about Master Xuanxuan?”

Hearing his question, Shemei’er halted her sobs, rose to kneel before Yan Chixia, and wiped the tears from her face with her hand.

“Master Xuanxuan is dead.”

“Really?” Yan Chixia sat up at once, and saw the corpse of Master Xuanxuan lying in a pool of blood just a few steps away, his face filled with shock. “Shemei’er, tell me quickly, how did Master Xuanxuan die? He stabbed me just now—how is it that I’m alive, and he’s the one dead? …Hmm?”

As Yan Chixia spoke, he reached to touch the sword wound on his chest, but found no injury. Bewildered, he immediately looked down, only to find a tear in his clothing where it had been pierced, but the skin beneath was unblemished. Alarmed, he exclaimed,

“Strange! I was clearly stabbed by that evil priest, so how come there’s no wound?”

“Hehehe…” Shemei’er couldn’t help but laugh in delight. “Of course there’s no wound! Yan Chixia, did you think my master’s ‘Great Elixir’ was just some ordinary food?”

“Oh?” Yan Chixia asked quickly, “Shemei’er, did you give me the ‘Great Elixir’ just now?”

“Of course!” Shemei’er replied with pride. “Otherwise, did you think you were an immortal? Stabbed and still unharmed? Yan Chixia, to be honest, I not only gave you the ‘Great Elixir’, but also let you drink the ‘Celestial Nectar’! If you don’t believe me, look…”

She picked up the white jade bottle and handed it to Yan Chixia. “This is the bottle that held the ‘Celestial Nectar’!”

“Oh?” Yan Chixia found it novel, took the jade bottle and shook it. “Shemei’er, you really weren’t lying. I drank all the ‘Celestial Nectar’ in here.”

“What?” Shemei’er was startled, snatched the bottle back, opened it and saw it was indeed empty. Instantly, her heart ached terribly and she burst into tears, “Oh no! The ‘Celestial Nectar’… my ‘Celestial Nectar’ is gone? Yan Chixia, didn’t I only pour you a drop? How did you drink it all? That was half a bottle! Half a bottle of ‘Celestial Nectar’—do you know what that means?”

But Yan Chixia simply brushed it off:

“Shemei’er, you’re being stingy! Isn’t it just half a bottle of ‘Celestial Nectar’? I’ll pay you back!”

“Pay me back? With what?” Shemei’er wiped her tears. “Yan Chixia, you think my ‘Celestial Nectar’ is like cold water, as much as you want? My master spent years refining it… forget it! You blockhead, it’s useless to talk to you… But, Yan Chixia, to be honest, using a ‘Great Elixir’ and half a bottle of ‘Celestial Nectar’ to save your life was truly worth it!” Then she suddenly asked, “Yan Chixia, there’s something I don’t understand: when the evil priest stabbed you, I saw it go in deep, but when he pulled the sword out, why wasn’t there any blood from your wound?”

“Because I was prepared!” Yan Chixia answered. “At that moment, I was immobilized by the priest’s sneak attack, knowing things were dire. Seeing him about to stab my chest, I quickly channeled my true energy to protect my chest and sealed all the meridians there, to prevent bleeding… Still, I must thank Master Xuanxuan!”

“What?” Shemei’er asked in confusion. “Yan Chixia, are you insane? That evil priest nearly killed you, and yet you’re grateful to him?”

“Yes!” Yan Chixia nodded. “Shemei’er, I’m not joking. Because Master Xuanxuan wanted to ‘borrow’ my ‘heart of affection’ for his sacrifice, he spared me and didn’t thrust the sword into my heart. If he had wanted to ‘borrow’ my head for the ritual, I’d have been decapitated then and there!”

At this, Yan Chixia used his spiritual sense to examine his chest, and found the muscle and capillaries pierced by the sword were restored perfectly. He knew this was thanks to the ‘Great Elixir’ personally refined by the Celestial Maiden, and felt deeply grateful. Rising to his feet, he said,

“Shemei’er, you saved my life today. I cannot thank you enough…”

“Wow!” Before he could finish, Shemei’er jumped up, radiant with joy. “Yan Chixia, it’s my great fortune to hear your sincere gratitude! Hehe… I must check if the sun’s rising from the west today!”

“Haha, Shemei’er, you look so happy!” Yan Chixia laughed. Seeing Shemei’er’s brilliant smile, he suddenly found her incredibly endearing, and couldn’t help but feel a fondness for her… As a result, his gaze softened as he looked at her.

Shemei’er was very sensitive; she immediately sensed the unprecedented gentleness in Yan Chixia’s eyes, and felt a warm, pleasant comfort in her heart. Yet she said,

“Oh! Yan Chixia, is there a flower on my face? Why do you keep staring? Stop it… You’re making me blush!”

“Is that so?” Yan Chixia teased. “Shemei’er, in my memory, you’ve never been shy. How come you’re suddenly bashful? Could this be what they call ‘a girl changes eighteen times as she grows’?”

“You…” Shemei’er stamped her foot in exasperation. “You really forget pain once the wound is healed! Hmph, I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Shemei’er’s words came at just the right moment, and Yan Chixia felt as if he’d been slapped, his face flushing red. Seeing Shemei’er turn her back angrily, he hurried forward and grinned apologetically,

“Hehe… Shemei’er, don’t be angry. I was just joking with you. Come now, don’t be upset, let’s talk seriously. Shemei’er, tell me, how did Master Xuanxuan die?”

Shemei’er perked up at the question,

“The evil priest was killed by my sword! Yan Chixia, let me share incredible news: I’ve made a breakthrough, I’m now at the ‘Golden Core’ stage! Hehehe…”

“Really?” Yan Chixia blinked, full of doubt. “Shemei’er, before I was stabbed, you didn’t have any strength at all. How is it that in the blink of an eye, you’ve reached the ‘Golden Core’ realm? Haha, your news sounds like a legend to me…”

As he spoke, he used his spiritual sense to probe Shemei’er’s dantian, and immediately saw the ‘Golden Core’ condensed at the lotus heart within her dantian…

“Ah? The ‘Golden Core’—it’s truly the ‘Golden Core’!” Yan Chixia was both astonished and delighted. “Heavens! Shemei’er, you’ve created a miraculous breakthrough in cultivation worthy of legend! Tell me, how… how did you do it?”