Seriously, you’re about to die and still fussing over details!

 

Bai Ke was not exactly a timid person, but even the boldest individuals could not help but feel some fear in such a situation.

He felt as though all the blood in his body had surged into his tongue in an instant, causing it to ache and numb. His limbs were numb and slightly cold, as if they had lost blood, and the only part of his body that still seemed to have some sensation left was his tongue.

Blood was seeping out from the wound on his tongue, as if it were endless. The iron-like stench of blood was amplified infinitely, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed, beating heavily and making it hard for him to breathe.

At this rate of bleeding, I won't even need to wait for the second pill—I’m going to die here… Bai Ke thought in his dazed state.

“If you encounter danger or lose your way, use your index and middle fingers to pinch this bell and shake it three times, and Peanut will come to your side…” Huo Junxiao’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Like a drowning person finally clutching a piece of driftwood, Bai Ke grasped this phrase amidst the fear of death caused by rapid blood loss, replaying it repeatedly in his mind. He then struggled to maintain the last shred of consciousness amidst the intense pain, using two fingers to fumble for and pinch the small bell.

One shake…

Two shakes…

As he struggled, trying to use the last bit of his strength to shake the bell a third time, he felt as if he were being pulled off an intensely hot rack and then thrown into a deep, icy lake. From head to toe, he was jolted awake by the cold.

This piercing cold happened to alleviate the previously searing, scorching pain in his organs and brain, making Bai Ke feel much more comfortable and giving him a chance to catch his breath.

In this torment of alternating ice and fire, Bai Ke let out a subconscious sob. Just as he could no longer feel any of the burning heat, that bone-chilling sensation also vanished without a trace.

Finally emerging from the pain, Bai Ke slumped to the floor, his back against the chair, his head hanging as he gasped for air.

His forehead was damp with cold sweat, the strands of hair hanging down, partially covering his still unrested expression.

His fingers were still gripping the bell, hanging to one side, trembling slightly, as if he no longer had the strength to lift it.

There was no need to shake it a third time. Leaning against the edge of the table, Bai Ke rested for a long time before finally loosening his almost cramping fingers and letting go of the delicate little bell.

He checked the wound on his tongue and found that the blood had stopped flowing out, and the metallic taste in his mouth had faded somewhat.

The shaking sensation in his stomach had also mostly subsided, leaving only a slight throbbing on his forehead, as if there were a rabbit inside, jumping a few times, resting, and then jumping again.

On the side, Lin Jie was completely stunned.

When he first saw Bai Ke's abnormal state, Lin Jie crouched down, trying to help him. However, he quickly realized that Bai Ke, who seemed to be about the same build as him, suddenly had immense strength. Despite his efforts, Lin Jie couldn’t move Bai Ke's hand from the table. He could only watch as Bai Ke's fingers scraped off the table’s paint, and splinters of wood lodged into his nails, causing Lin Jie to feel pain as if it were his own fingers.

Later, when he saw that Bai Ke seemed too weak to shake the bell, Lin Jie also wanted to help. But he found that the bell was almost deformed from Bai Ke's tight grip and he couldn't pick it out at all.

Unable to come up with a solution, Lin Jie could only watch Bai Ke endure inhuman pain while cursing himself for his ineptitude and trying to keep him from hitting the edge of the table or the chair.

“Do you feel better now?” Seeing that Bai Ke had finally calmed down, Lin Jie asked cautiously.

Bai Ke kept his head down, his chest heaving violently. After a while, he raised his hand and waved it, speaking in a very faint voice, “I’m fine.”

“Fine my ass! Your lips look like they belong to a vampire, covered in bloodstains!”

Bai Ke instinctively licked his lips and then wiped them with his sleeve, probably afraid that any remaining blood mixed with the spiritual pill in his mouth might become even more terrifying and uncontrollable.

“Give me the bell; I’ll help you call Peanut. By the way, isn’t that secret realm connected to the mirror ocarina? Why is everything here in chaos and that mirror ocarina still not reacting?” Lin Jie asked in confusion.

“It’s out of range.” Bai Ke, who had finally driven himself away of the last bit of discomfort, leaned back against the corner of the table, his expression once again returning to its previous indifference. “I heard that old man Yu had something to say to him while we were in the secret realm. They have their own matters, and besides, I don’t need to drag him here for every little thing. Wouldn’t that be treating him like a summoned beast?”

Treating someone with unfathomable cultivation, even surpassing that of a famous sect leader, as a summoned beast? Lin Jie thought he must be getting a bit too bold.

He crouched down, using the last bit of daylight outside to observe Bai Ke, who looked slender and refined but was surprisingly tough at his core. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of admiration. However, his gaze soon fell on Bai Ke’s face. Bai Ke’s complexion was deathly pale, and the reddish birthmarks around his eyes were even more prominent, making him look eerie and almost otherworldly. Even though Lin Jie considered him a friend, the sight of this face still made him somewhat uneasy.

Lin Jie cleared his throat, shifting his focus, and reached out to support Bai Ke’s arm. “Let me help you lie down on the bed and get some rest. I’ll bring you something to eat.”

Bai Ke remained still and after a moment, muttered through his lips, “No need, just sitting here is fine.”

“The floor is so hard; it’s not as comfortable as lying on the bed.”

“No.”

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

Bai Ke was silent for a moment before saying, “Dirty clothes shouldn’t be on the bed.”

Lin Jie: “……” Seriously, you’re about to die and still fussing over details!

In the end, Bai Ke did lie down on the bed.

The elixir inside his body was extraordinarily strange. After tormenting him, it actually demonstrated a beneficial side—

It accelerated Bai Ke’s self-healing process many times faster than usual.

The small wound on his tongue, which had been bleeding earlier, was now completely healed. Bai Ke gently bit the spot that had been injured and found that there was no lingering pain; it was thoroughly healed. The wounds caused by wood splinters under his nails had also disappeared, and after washing off the blood, his hands looked as if they had never been damaged.

After resting against the corner of the table for just over half an hour, Bai Ke’s wounds had healed, leaving only a deep sense of exhaustion and fatigue, reminding him that everything he had experienced was real, not a dream.

Bai Ke ate some of the food Lin Jie had brought and then quickly took a simple bath in the wooden tub in the room to wash off the sticky cold sweat and residual blood. Putting on a clean robe Lin Jie had given him, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep with his head tilted.

When Lin Jie closed the door, he shook his head and thought, Bai Ke is really having a rough time, stumbling into all this mess. What kind of suffering is he enduring?

Bai Ke slept soundly until near midnight. When he sat up, he heard Lin Jie’s knock and shout from outside, “Hey! Xiao Bai, are you awake?!”

Bai Ke, still groggy from sleep, was even lazier than usual and merely grunted in response, not caring whether Lin Jie heard him.

“Xiao Bai?” Lin Jie was about to knock again when he heard rustling noises from inside, followed by the sound of Bai Ke shuffling in his slippers.

Bai Ke quickly tidied himself up, put on the disciple robe Lin Jie had given him, and stepped outside.

As they stood in the courtyard, they heard faint footsteps approaching from outside. Qin He’s voice came from a distance, “Junior Brother Bai, are you ready?”

“Ready.” Bai Ke responded and, playing the part of a truly blind person with Lin Jie’s help, put one hand on Lin Jie’s and used the other to feel the courtyard wall as they walked out of the courtyard.

Qin He looked Bai Ke up and down with the lantern in his hand and smirked, “You look like you’re wearing someone else’s clothes.”

Bai Ke responded calmly, “Senior Brother, you have a good eye. I borrowed this from Lin Jie.”

Blocked once again with no interest left, Qin He stopped talking back. He coldly snorted and handed Bai Ke a night pearl the size of a goose egg. “The master said that the Sanqing Pool is a sacred place of our sect, and ordinary items are not allowed inside. He asked me to give you this night pearl for illumination. From now on, use this. Remember to keep it safe; if you lose it, hmph—”

“Got it.” Bai Ke couldn’t be bothered to say a word more.

Qin He’s attitude had improved significantly by nightfall, showing both higher intelligence and emotional awareness. He stopped making a fuss.

Thus, the three of them travelled in silence, winding through countless turns and eventually arriving at a tall mountain gate with the characters “Sanqing Pool” written in elegant calligraphy.

“We’re here!” Qin He lifted his chin, gesturing toward the gate.

Bai Ke and Lin Jie looked at the gate, shrouded in dense night, where a misty white fog was especially noticeable, clinging to their faces with a dampness. Behind the gate, a faint, dark path could be seen leading to a serene water pool reflecting a slight glow from the crescent moon. Further in was an extremely luxuriant and dense forest.

“Junior Brother Lin, beyond this point is not a place you can enter. There are restrictions here, and only those personally approved by the master can pass through. Since you’re not willing to go back, you should wait here for him.”

“Alright.” Lin Jie nodded. Although he had never been in this area before and the dark mountain landscape at midnight made him uneasy with various scary movie scenarios running through his mind, since he had said he would protect Bai Ke’s safety, he couldn’t let a mere gate scare him away.

Seeing Lin Jie sitting down against the gate, Qin He sneered again, then lifted the lantern he was holding and said to Bai Ke, “Let’s go. We’re going in.” With that, he led the way into the mist.

Bai Ke nodded to Lin Jie, said “Don’t worry,” and followed Qin He’s steps, stepping into the dense white fog almost simultaneously.

Then came a thud and a pained cry. Lin Jie, unable to resist, glanced back and couldn't help but laugh uproariously at the sight—

Qin He, who had always been arrogant and thought the sect leader would definitely grant him access to the Sanqing Pool, collided with the mist as if hitting a frosted glass. He staggered back, clutching his nose as blood streamed out. In stark contrast was Bai Ke, who walked through the white fog as if nothing had happened. He acted as if he hadn’t heard Qin He’s cry of pain, pretending to grope his way through the path and entering the secluded Sanqing Pool.

Outside the gate, the two abandoned individuals stared at each other in shock for a while. Lin Jie finally couldn't hold back and burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching the base of the gate.

Qin He, usually so self-assured, had suffered a major setback, and it was at the hands of the sect leader himself. Angrily, he kicked the gate hard, glared at Lin Jie, then with a final snort, turned and marched back the way they came.

 

Translator : DarNan