Chapter 18: Crises Mount (Part 2)

Jiang Xiaoman had never taken care of anyone before.

At home, as the only daughter of her clan, everyone cherished and pampered her. Everyone also knew that Xiaoman suffered from a rare illness, and she was often quiet and lonely, which only made them more attentive to her needs.

If she was hungry, junior disciples would compete to bring her meals; if thirsty, junior sisters would offer freshly brewed herbal tea; if cold, senior sisters would gift her hand-embroidered jackets; and when bored, the eldest senior brother would bring her the latest storybooks.

Thus, Jiang Xiaoman had never needed to care for anyone and naturally had no idea how to wake someone from unconsciousness.

In her hands was a strangely shaped bouquet of flowers. She paced back and forth anxiously, staring at the person lying on the bed.

After much hesitation, she decided to act—

She plucked the deep purple flower from its stem, held it tightly, and infused it with spiritual energy. The energy turned the flower’s color a vivid purple-red. Then, she forcefully pushed all the energy into the sleeper’s nostrils.

The boy, who had been in a deep slumber, let out a miserable scream and suddenly sat upright.

It really worked!

Jiang Xiaoman beamed with joy.

Ling Sichen clenched his nose, enduring a sharp pain in his nasal bone, with a face full of grievance: “What are you doing? Trying to kill me?”

“I saved you! Isn’t a thank you in order?”

“This isn’t saving; it’s clearly an attempt on my life.” He coughed violently for a while before catching his breath.

The scent of the Nightdora flower was pungent even from afar. To have spiritual energy carry that fragrance directly into the nasal cavity was like trying to shatter the crown of the head—it was intensely overwhelming.

“The storybooks said the Feathered Immortal once suffered from a chaotic poison in her brain, similar to your symptoms. The Supreme Immortal Tianyuan awakened her by pushing the fragrance of the Nightdora flower into her six senses. Alaran mentioned that this flower grows on the back mountain, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

Although the Nightdora flower was an immortal bloom from Penglai five centuries ago, it was later discovered that it could be cultivated in the mortal realm. Eventually, it became common among wealthy households, used to repel snakes and venomous insects.

Ling Sichen was speechless for a moment, then exhaled deeply.

“I think the storybook meant to have the fragrance linger around the seven orifices for gradual absorption, not to shove it all at once into someone’s nose. The Nightdora’s scent can disperse stagnant energy, so it’s very potent. Such a forceful attack could kill someone else.”

Jiang Xiaoman thought carefully and realized he was right. She scratched her head awkwardly. “Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Ling Sichen glanced at her with an expression that clearly said: You expect a next time?

“Forget it.” He wrapped his robe around himself and tried to get up. But as he stood, his head buzzed, and his body wobbled uncontrollably. He stepped back and was forced to sit down again.

Seeing his condition worsening, Jiang Xiaoman hurried over to support him.

She sat beside him and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

The boy breathed heavily, shook his head weakly, and struggled to calm the chaotic energy in his mind.

Jiang Xiaoman continued, “I haven’t asked yet—how did you end up collapsed in the grass on the back mountain? I thought…”

She had spent the entire night out, and when she saw him lying motionless in the morning, she had prepared herself for the worst. Strangely, she had rushed over without hesitation. Later, she felt terrified—what if he had been dead and mangled, and some demon was lurking nearby to strike again?

Fortunately, when she turned him over, his face was pale but he was breathing.

He also bore no visible injuries.

Using her spiritual energy, she found his pulse normal except for a heavy pressure at the back of his head—likely the cause of his unconsciousness.

She remembered sitting down heavily, feeling a stone drop from her heart.

In the end, as long as he was alive and unharmed, that was enough.

Ling Sichen silently watched her for a long moment before speaking. He rubbed the aching spot at the back of his head and recalled, “I saw a humanoid demon, probably the Phantom Sound. I was about to finish it off when someone struck me from behind.”

“Someone knocked you out?”

He shook his head. “Not a blow. They pressed their hand to the back of my head and seemed to inject some kind of energy, and then I lost consciousness.”

Jiang Xiaoman frowned deeply, suspicion in her eyes. “From your description, that had to be someone with spiritual power… no, not ordinary power. Who else could silently knock you out?”

She emphasized the word “you.” She was genuinely astonished. Ling Er Gongzi was no ordinary person. In her knowledge, the number of people who could silently subdue him was fewer than the fingers on one hand.

Ling Sichen fell into thought.

“Also, why didn’t they kill me?” He clasped his hands on his knees, his sharp gaze fixed ahead. “Phantom Sound was nearby when I collapsed, so it must have discovered me, yet it didn’t come to take my life.”

That made no sense at all.

But Jiang Xiaoman felt that dwelling on it wasn’t helpful. As long as he was alive and unscathed, that was the best outcome.

Not knowing the rest was acceptable.

“Maybe some immortal from Penglai descended and fought the Phantom Sound, and just happened to save you?” she suggested.

“Would an immortal battling Phantom Sound have to knock me out?”

“...Perhaps it was to protect you?”

Ling Sichen chuckled bitterly and shook his head, neither confirming nor denying.

After a moment of silence, he turned to look at Jiang Xiaoman, who was pouting and trying to comfort him. He couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Enough. Tell me about yourself. Why are you still here?”

“Me?” Surprised, Jiang Xiaoman pointed at herself.

Ling Sichen nodded.

“I was waiting for you to wake up.” She blinked, unsure of what he meant.

Ling Sichen remained silent.

He didn’t pursue that question but asked another.

“How did you bring me back?”

Jiang Xiaoman thought for a moment.

She assumed he meant whether anyone had seen them.

“Don’t worry. I used spiritual power to fly us back all the way, no one saw us.”

“Fly?” His eyes gleamed mischievously. “So you’ve unblocked your Chengguang acupoint?”

Jiang Xiaoman was stunned.

“Actually, yes.” She slapped her forehead and counted the days—it was exactly the seventh day.

She had been too anxious and instinctively used spiritual power through her feet, skimming over the ground and flying at low altitude without realizing it.

Lost in her happiness, she didn’t notice Ling Sichen staring at her for a long time with a gaze different from usual.

This time his voice was calm and gentle.

“Since your acupoint is unblocked, why are you still here?”

He withdrew his gaze, eyelids lowered, and continued.

“The demon pill is with me. You could have taken it and left. Why didn’t you?”

Jiang Xiaoman’s smile froze.

He was absolutely right, and his reasoning made sense.

But she had never thought about it before. When she saw him collapsed in the grass, panic overwhelmed her. When she saw he was still alive, her first instinct was to bring him back for treatment.

Yes, why hadn’t she thought of taking the demon pill and leaving?

That wasn’t like her at all.

Jiang Xiaoman reflected deeply and finally found an answer that convinced her.

“I can’t leave. If I go, won’t you take action against the mountain villa’s people?”

“I’ve told you, I already know who Phantom Sound is and won’t harm innocents.”

“Still, I can’t leave you here alone.” She added, “I can’t just watch you walk to your death.”

Ling Sichen smiled wryly. “You think I can’t defeat Phantom Sound?”

“If you could, you wouldn’t be lying here.” Jiang Xiaoman murmured, then justified herself boldly. “Besides, we have a gentleman’s agreement. You gave me the demon pill when you sent me back. I believe you won’t go back on your word.”

Ling Sichen was momentarily startled, then leaned in mysteriously and asked, “I’m really curious—what do you want the demon pill for?”

Jiang Xiaoman fell silent.

She looked up, then down, her eyes darting back and forth—refusing to speak.

Finally, she met Ling Sichen’s patient, calm gaze.

She sighed.

“I can’t say.” She muttered, “If I tell you, you probably won’t give it to me.”

“Tell me. I promise I won’t change my mind.”

Ling Sichen later couldn’t understand how he dared to make such a promise, but at that moment, he said it without hesitation.

Jiang Xiaoman bit her lip, struggling with indecision, then chose to trust the boy before her.

Perhaps it was the delicate atmosphere, or the first time they had been so close, hearing each other’s breath—their reason seemed to falter.

She spoke slowly; he listened quietly.

“I have a pair of spirit sparrows, one named Moon, the other Star. They have accompanied me since I began practicing immortality arts. Three months ago, my junior brother went on his first mission, and the new batch of spirit sparrows hadn’t hatched yet, so I lent him Star. Usually, Star handles yellow-tier tasks with ease, but this time was perilous. When my brother brought it back, Star was gravely injured, barely clinging to life…”

“Although Father and the others said its spirit pill was damaged beyond repair, I found in the Three Realms storybooks that demons and spirit pets share the same origin. Pills of the same nature can repair damaged spirit pills. Star’s attribute is water, so I thought using a water demon pill would surely heal it!”

Ling Sichen tried to contain his surprise but couldn’t hide it completely.

“You want the demon pill just to save a spirit pet?”

Jiang Xiaoman disliked that tone. She stood up anxiously.

“What do you mean ‘just’? No one talks to me except Moon and Star. Star isn’t just a pet—it’s a unique friend. It’s lying in that ice coffin on the brink of death. What’s wrong with wanting to save it?”

“It’s wrong, but relying on those wild storybooks?”

“So what if they’re wild storybooks? I had to try! There’s no other way… And didn’t I save you with a method from those storybooks?”

Ling Sichen opened his mouth to argue but swallowed his words.

He calmed down and gathered his thoughts.

“Do you know the Three Prohibitions of the Immortal Sect—”

Jiang Xiaoman interrupted.

“Of course I know. The second prohibition forbids using demon pills for spiritual cultivation… But I’m not cultivating. I just want to use it to save my spirit pet. The little bit of spiritual energy on it doesn’t count as cultivation, right?”

Her voice grew smaller and more uncertain, sounding like a defense.

“Stop talking…” Ling Sichen buried his head in his hands, possibly regretting. “Let me think it over.”

Jiang Xiaoman regretted blurting it out. She knew the Ling family of Mount Yue was inflexible about sect rules, and Ling Er Gongzi was the most rigid of all. Even if she explained, he probably wouldn’t listen. Besides, the more she explained, the more guilty she felt.

But whether or not it broke the rules, she had resolved to save Star before leaving.

Now she feared Ling Sichen would suddenly change his mind and refuse to give her the demon pill.

A gentleman’s word is like four horses—no, eight horses—couldn’t withstand the stubbornness of this ancient sect member.

She knew that normally Ling Sichen would have stood and scolded her by now. His current patience was likely at its limit. It was wiser not to say more.

At that moment, the guest room door opened.

A slender woman entered, holding several, no—a large bouquet of deep purple-red flowers freshly picked—that Nightdora flower.

“Xiaoman, look, is this enough—”

Both the woman and the seated boy froze.

“Oh, Ling Gongzi is already awake?”