Chapter 280: Emotions Hard to Resist

Boom!

With a single sword stroke, there was a tremendous roar of crumbling mountains. The enormous golden Buddha finger was severed by the sword. Monk Zhao'en spat out a mouthful of blood with a 'poof,' his face ashen, and quickly conjured a magical artifact to flee from sight.

The Buddha's light vanished, revealing the scene of mountains under the night sky once more. A peak nearby was collapsing before their eyes, a landslide and ground collapse in progress.

Ye Tinglan had severed a mountain with a single sword! She had also severed Zhao'en's Mountain and River Array, which was designed to steal vital energy. The abyss-like mountain hollow was now filled, and the stolen vital energy slowly returned, almost visible to those skilled in discerning qi.

Amidst the collapsing mountain and falling rocks, Ye Tinglan moved swiftly, heading directly for Shadowmoon City. She had no intention of pursuing Monk Zhao'en; her mind was entirely focused on Lu Xingzhou's condition—he shouldn't have been strong enough to contend for the vital energy, and the price he paid would be immense!

In Shadowmoon City's central plaza, Lu Xingzhou lay unconscious on the ground, his face as pale as gold leaf. A group of Shadowmoon Sect elders rushed over, their faces filled with alarm. They truly had no idea what had happened, only inexplicably finding Lu Xingzhou severely injured and unconscious. If anything were to happen to the Heavenly Jade Saintess's 'little puppy' here, the entire Shadowmoon Sect would be in grave trouble.

Si Han was helping Lu Xingzhou up, but before he could examine him, Ye Tinglan's urgent voice came from above: "Move aside!"

Ye Tinglan descended from the sky, pushed Si Han aside, and cradled Lu Xingzhou in her arms.

Si Han was speechless.

Ye Tinglan quickly examined him, her lips pressed tightly together.

Ordinarily, unilaterally altering the flow of vital energy (feng shui qi) would result in a backlash. Ye Tinglan had previously warned Lu Xingzhou that one reason for Maha's failure was the backlash from manipulating fate. However, this backlash wouldn't affect the body; it would instead impact one's fortune, potentially leading to future misfortunes.

But this time, it was Zhao'en who altered the vital energy, while Lu Xingzhou protected it. This might actually strengthen Lu Xingzhou's fortune, granting him a certain degree of blessing from the national destiny of the Frost Kingdom.

This was a good thing.

However, the cost was the exhaustion of his spirit and the depletion of his soul sea; at first glance, he looked practically dead. His spiritual power simply couldn't withstand it. Had it not been for the four-corner formation, with first-rank experts from the Shadowmoon Sect suppressing the four directions, he wouldn't have been able to achieve it at all.

Ye Tinglan pried open his mouth, took out a pill, and placed it inside. Si Han watched from the side, his heart aching. He recognized it as the Jade Pond Creation Pill from the Heavenly Jade Holy Land, a divine medicine specifically for spiritual recovery. As long as a person hadn't been completely annihilated and had even a flicker of soul fire remaining, this pill could stabilize it and pull them back from the brink of death.

The value of that single pill alone could perhaps buy a small kingdom, yet it was casually given to a male companion... Was this injury truly severe enough to warrant medicine of this caliber?

One couldn't really say...

However, perhaps due to its extremely high potency, the normally 'melt-in-your-mouth' elixir had no such effect here. The pill, once placed in his mouth, simply slid back out. Ye Tinglan pressed his lips together, but could only keep the pill resting in his mouth, unable to make him swallow it.

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "No matter what method you use, immediately abolish the cultivation technique for controlling bone dragons that the demonic monk taught you. Even if it damages your cultivation, you must do it for me. In a few days, I will return to inspect. If I find anyone still retaining this evil practice, the Shadowmoon Sect will no longer sit on this royal throne!"

Si Han, trembling, began, "Saintess, this matter is..."

"You fools were tricked into cultivating evil methods, shaking the royal lineage and allowing yourselves to be exploited and plundered. Had Lu Xingzhou not desperately protected it, your royal aura would have dissipated." Ye Tinglan's beautiful eyes gleamed with cold fury. "I don't care about your excuses. If you fail to live up to Lu Xingzhou's sacrifice this time, then this royal court is not worth establishing!"

Si Han bowed deeply: "We understand."

"Immediately mobilize the entire nation to search for clues about that demonic monk. He is severely injured right now. Once found, report to no one; kill him without mercy!"

"Yes, Saintess."

Ye Tinglan said no more, disappearing with Lu Xingzhou in her arms.

Without her 'external brain' to offer advice, Ye Tinglan reverted to the dignified and vigilant Heavenly Jade Saintess she truly was. She was also carrying internal injuries at the moment; her outward display of anger was to prevent anyone from noticing. Furthermore, Lu Xingzhou's condition was extremely poor, and they were within Shadowmoon Sect territory. If Si Han harbored ill intentions, her injured state might not allow her to fully protect Lu Xingzhou. So, she simply chose not to let Si Han arrange a place for her to heal, instead moving elsewhere herself.

But was this anger truly just for deterrence?

At least in the minds of Si Han and the others, her reason for venting anger on behalf of her man couldn't have been more genuine.

It wasn't until much later, long after she had departed, that Si Han finally exhaled, muttering through gritted teeth, "Gu Zhanting has truly gone too far!"

Indeed, if the demonic monk's technique carried the intention of disrupting the Frost Kingdom's royal aura, then Gu Zhanting's 'killing two birds with one stone' strategy behind this act became even clearer.

An elder responded, "This further indicates that Gu Zhanting is entangled with some ancient beings. The implication behind this is..."

"Gu Zhanting has been secretly plotting to suppress the Heavenly Jade Holy Land, and now it's about to come to light... This is also why the Heavenly Jade Saintess wants to support us instead." Si Han glanced in the direction Ye Tinglan had left and whispered, "Regardless, the Heavenly Jade Saintess helped us ward off internal strife, and Lu Xingzhou helped us suppress the royal aura. I, Si Han, acknowledge this debt of gratitude."

"What about our hidden connection..."

"The Ice Prison Sect and we are not entirely aligned. They have their own pursuits, seeking not worldly gains. If the Heavenly Jade Saintess were to learn of this, we must sever ties immediately."

Hundreds of miles away from Shadowmoon City, in a small town, within a private inn courtyard.

Ye Tinglan placed Lu Xingzhou on the bed, gently smoothed his disheveled hair from his temples, and bit her lower lip as she gazed intently at his pale, sleeping face.

In truth, in this battle, whether Lu Xingzhou had helped her desperately or not, she might not have lost. She possessed numerous magical artifacts and had not yet fully utilized all her trump cards. Of course, Zhao'en might also have other magical artifacts; no one would know until the very end of the fight.

What was certain was that without Lu Xingzhou's help, she would not have sustained only these minor internal injuries. Even if she had won, she would have suffered severe injuries, perhaps like Gu Zhanting, difficult to heal for years, which would have been very detrimental to the future situation.

Now, there were no lingering troubles.

None of this mattered. What mattered was that in that instant, a flicker of weakness was stirred within her heart, and the thought of hoping for someone's help flashed through her mind. And just then, Lu Xingzhou's image appeared as if sent from heaven, landing precisely on that point, as if stepping directly into her heart.

He had always said, "Don't work so hard, Teacher, I can share the burden." Originally, everyone had scoffed, thinking, "How could a mere fourth-rank junior possibly share the burden of the Heavenly Jade Saintess, the world's foremost expert? He'd be lucky to even assist."

Yet, from offering advice, to breaking the glacier impasse, to strategizing for Frost Kingdom, and then playing crucial leading roles in two consecutive battles—step by step, he proved that his words were never empty boasts made to curry favor.

Until this time, risking his very life... He wasn't even sure if she needed him to, but he was simply doing what he felt he ought to do.

"You'd throw your life away for Shen Tang?"

But in fact, he hadn't yet risked his life for Shen Tang; the one he truly risked his life for was her, Ye Tinglan.

"Fool..." Ye Tinglan gently stroked his handsome face, a tenderness in her eyes she herself could not quite discern. "To have had such intentions even before you saw my face... isn't that just lust at work? Why go to such lengths for a bit of lust?"

Yet, as she looked at Lu Xingzhou's sleeping face in that moment, her heart beat faster than ever, finding him truly handsome.

Was this also lust at work?

During her battle with Zhao'en, Ye Tinglan had vaguely become aware of a crucial issue, though she hadn't dwelt on it during the fight: Zhao'en's illusion was easily dispelled by her, but Zhao'en had never seen Lu Xingzhou. The 'little lover' who appeared in the illusion wasn't a face conjured by Zhao'en, but rather a reflection of Ye Tinglan's own deepest thoughts.

Meaning... if she harbored a 'little lover' in her heart, that face was his. The object of the Saintess's fated romantic destiny was this very face.

In that moment of frustrated indignation, her first impulse had been to just strangle him...

Ye Tinglan's slender hand lightly brushed against Lu Xingzhou's neck. She pursed her lips. His throat bobbed, unconsciously swallowing in his coma. Unfortunately, he wasn't swallowing the pill, but only saliva.

The Jade Pond Creation Pill was still in his mouth, not swallowed; the pill was too large.

There were, in fact, many ways to make him swallow it. For instance, she could cut it into smaller pieces. Or, more forcefully, simply use a chopstick to push it down. But ever since earlier in Shadowmoon City, these options hadn't even crossed Ye Tinglan's mind, and likely not Si Han's or the other onlookers' either. The first thought that occurred to everyone was to lean in and kiss him, pushing it in with the tongue. One could only say that the influence of earthly romance novels was far greater than people imagined... At least eighty percent of Ye Tinglan's subconscious reason for taking him away was to find a secluded place to use her tongue.

Now, with the moment at hand, Ye Tinglan did remember there were many other methods, and using her tongue was actually the least reliable one.

Yet, unknowingly, Ye Tinglan suddenly realized she had already leaned in at some point, her fragrant lips less than an inch from his dry, chapped ones. Her breathing quickened, and she paused slightly. She thought to herself, if he were awake and she let him choose, he would surely say, "I want a reward," "I want a kiss," wouldn't he? If he actually demanded it, she wouldn't kiss him. Precisely because he didn't know now... she would take advantage of his unawareness. What's wrong with the Saintess tasting her 'little puppy'?

Their lips drew closer and closer, until they finally touched lightly. Touching that chapped, dry sensation, Ye Tinglan shivered. A jolt of electricity surged through her mind, and her heart pounded erratically.

There were so many methods, yet why had it unconsciously come to this... A subconscious thought faintly surfaced, but she dared not dwell on it. What is it to be overwhelmed by emotion? This was it. It turned out there really were some things beyond one's control. When faced with them, one would invariably conjure countless reasons for oneself.

Since she had already kissed him, Ye Tinglan decided to go all the way. She parted his teeth and used her tongue to push the pill inside. The pill, once past his throat, didn't get stuck. This time, it truly dissolved upon entry and smoothly went down. Ye Tinglan quickly pulled away and sat up straight, only to find that Lu Xingzhou was still unconscious.

She let out a long breath. It was fine as long as no one saw, and he didn't know. Not knowing meant nothing had happened. Anyway, the reward he wanted had already been given. If he wanted anything more after waking up, there would be none. Plan successful.

Ye Tinglan clenched her small fist, about to stand up, when she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Her long-suppressed injuries flared up at that moment. She took several deep breaths, then decided not to get up, instead sitting cross-legged by the bed, closing her eyes, and entering meditative cultivation.

After an unknown period, Lu Xingzhou, still in a coma, opened his eyes. Although he was in a coma, he had actually been aware... The warm, moist sensation on his lips from that moment still lingered.