Waking (Second Episode)

This time, Hua Su escorted Jiang Feng back to the courtyard in the eastern part of Taicang City. Before the situation deteriorated, the master and disciples of the Distant Mountain Martial Arts School had all lived here.

When they were crossing Thousand Lions Bridge, his aether sense had already examined Jiang Feng's condition.

Jiang Feng was now in a very wondrous state, one that Hua Su found entirely impossible to gauge. His breathing was so extremely faint that it would go unnoticed without sufficient sharpness of perception.

The aether barrier within his body was exceptionally solid; even Hua Su would have no way to observe his condition without forcefully breaching it. Naturally, Hua Su would not do such a thing. Moreover, the fact that the aether barrier was maintaining itself normally clearly indicated that Jiang Feng was still well.

Hua Su was well aware that there were all sorts of wondrous aspects to Jiang Feng, and what had just transpired further proved this point. Bringing Jiang Feng here was, on the one hand, to find a quiet place for him to recuperate, and on the other hand, to prevent others from discovering his unusual state.

He laid Jiang Feng down on the bed when suddenly a furry head poked out from his sleeve.

Hua Su started in surprise—this was precisely Jiang Feng's rabbit!

A faint white shadow drifted out from the rabbit and stood beside his pillow.

Hua Su asked in astonishment, "You're awake?"

The white shadow's form was hazy and indistinct, yet it nodded toward him.

The last time the rabbit blocked Ku Zhan's strike for Jiang Feng, it had fallen completely unconscious, and the remnant soul residing within its body had plunged into slumber along with it.

Hua Su had long since heard Jiang Feng mention the existence of the remnant soul and had even interacted with it—it was precisely the soul that had notified Hua Su, enabling him to accurately locate the dungeon and rescue Jiang Feng from the hands of Shangguan Qing.

Under normal circumstances, a remnant soul could not endure for very long; it would dissipate under the scouring of aether. Hua Su had assumed that waking up this time might not include the rabbit, and he had felt a lingering regret in his heart. Seeing that the remnant soul was still present, he was genuinely quite pleased.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Everything is currently awaiting reconstruction, and there are still matters in Taicang City that require my attention. Could you help me look after him?"

The white shadow nodded, then raised a hand and waved it, its meaning self-evident.

Hua Su's request was a case of better than nothing, though he remained somewhat uneasy. After making sufficient defensive arrangements around the area, he hurried away.

The moment Hua Su departed, the white shadow began to transform.

In Hua Su's presence, she had been nothing more than an extremely faint white silhouette. Forget facial features—even the most basic human form was impossible to discern without sufficient imagination.

Right now, however, in the room where only Jiang Feng lay, her appearance was growing increasingly concrete and distinct!

She assumed the slender and tall form of a woman, and silvery scales gradually surfaced across her skin, shimmering with a hazy, cloud-like luminescence. Her figure was athletic and well-proportioned, every inch of it agile and decisive—the result of long tempering on the battlefield.

Behind her, a long cascade of dark hair flowed down like water. She raised her head, and the previously blurred face became incomparably clear in this instant.

It was a breathtakingly stunning visage, though a sharp and fierce gaze made one scarcely dare to look directly at it, softened only slightly by a pink, cherry-petal-shaped birthmark at her temple.

This was precisely the face of the female martial artist whom Ci Mu and the others had discovered by the roadside, hunted down by the Imperial Guard, and whose mind-seed had ultimately self-detonated to destroy her corpse!

It was she who had seized the Heavenly Heart Seed from the master of the Imperial Guard and brought it to Jiang Feng!

She walked over to Jiang Feng, lowered her gaze to look at the youth on the pillow, and extended a hand to gently stroke his hair.

Being merely a remnant soul without a physical body, her fingers passed right through Jiang Feng's hair without leaving the slightest trace.

A faint sigh echoed leisurely through the room. She gazed at Jiang Feng for a good long while before raising a single finger and gently pressing it against Jiang Feng's chest.

A bright radiance formed in the air, pouring into Jiang Feng's body and flowing straight into the Heavenly Heart Seed.

The Heavenly Heart Seed had originally gone dormant, spinning lazily and absorbing the meager aether in the air in a desultory fashion.

With the injection of this ball of light, it suddenly became incomparably active as if it had spotted some delectable feast. It accelerated its rotation, spinning frantically around the golden light like a millstone, grinding it away bit by bit.

After quite a while, half of the golden light dissipated, and Jiang Feng finally let out a soft groan and opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Ye Xiao, and he froze.

Just as he was about to roll over and sit up, he instantly felt sharp pains radiating from every part of his body. Groaning twice, he collapsed back down.

He tilted his head to examine Ye Xiao, studying her for a long moment before tentatively asking, "Ye Xiao?"

The remnant soul nodded unperturbedly, "It's me."

Jiang Feng's eyes widened instantly. "You've woken up! So this is what you look like..." He stared blankly at Ye Xiao for a good while before shaking his head and offering a sincere compliment, "You are truly beautiful!"

Ye Xiao smiled faintly, "Thank you for the praise."

Her demeanor was noticeably different from before. Jiang Feng discovered this immediately and asked, "Have you remembered things from the past?"

Ye Xiao nodded, "I've remembered a portion of them."

Previously, she had been entirely dazed and lost; now, both her expression and her words were resolute and composed. Clearly, what she had recalled was far more than just "a portion."

Jiang Feng pondered for a moment and asked, "Then what is your name?"

Ye Xiao reached out to stroke his hair once more. Although Jiang Feng could not feel her palm, he could sense a gentle wave of warmth brushing past. Ye Xiao smiled softly and gently, "The name Ye Xiao is very nice; I like it a lot."

Jiang Feng was taken aback. "What kind of good name is that? It was just a joke back then!"

Ye Xiao emphasized with a smile, "It is a good name, and I like it when you call me that."

For some reason, this remark made Jiang Feng feel somewhat embarrassed. He scratched his cheek, cleared his throat, and said, "Well, as for names, what matters most is whether you like it yourself..."

Composing himself, Jiang Feng asked again, "How did you suddenly start remembering?"

Ye Xiao explained patiently, "I am no longer human now; I am merely a remnant soul. The nature of a remnant soul is Yin, while the nature of aether is Yang, which are fundamentally opposed. Previously, I could only absorb a tiny fraction of your aether, converting it for my own use. Had your constitution not been quite unique, even that would have been impossible for me. That little bit of energy could only sustain my existence; anything more was out of the question."

An inspiration struck Jiang Feng, and understanding dawned on him. "Aether is harmful to you, and what you need is demonic Qi! This time I absorbed demonic Qi, which is why you were able to recover to this state!"

Ye Xiao nodded. "Demonic Qi is also known as dark aether; its nature is consistent with aether yet entirely opposite. That is correct, what I require is indeed demonic Qi."

Jiang Feng shook his head. "Then we also have the Heavenly Heart Seed to thank for being able to absorb demonic Qi... It's really amusing—the Heavenly Heart Seed was something you brought to me in the first place, and in the end, it ended up helping you instead. Truly, the ways of heaven come full circle!"

Ye Xiao smiled faintly, "Perhaps so, but this is also thanks to you. Not just anyone can fuse with the Heavenly Heart Seed..."

Jiang Feng froze, remembering his own golden bloodline. Forcing back the pain throughout his body, he abruptly flipped over and sat up. "What are the conditions required to fuse with the Heavenly Heart Seed?"

Ye Xiao replied candidly, "That part of my memories has not yet fully recovered."

Jiang Feng was blocked by her single sentence. Feeling depressed, he tilted his head to look at her and asked, "Then what on earth do you remember right now?"

Ye Xiao answered with total openness, "I remember who I am and where I came from. I remember some basic common sense regarding martial cultivation... Aside from that, everything deeper remains a blank slate."

Jiang Feng complained, "If you won't even tell me your name, what good is that..."

Ye Xiao laughed, "Trust me, what I can tell you is far more than you can imagine."

Because he had picked up the Midnight Rabbit at such an early stage—back when his older sister had not yet left—and because he had raised and cared for it alongside his sister, Jiang Feng had long since regarded this rabbit as a member of his family. As a part of the rabbit, the remnant soul Ye Xiao felt similarly closer to him than most people.

Therefore, Jiang Feng felt exceptionally relaxed in front of Ye Xiao, naturally displaying expressions and gestures he would not normally show around others.

Jiang Feng asked, "Are you going to be my teacher?"

Ye Xiao replied, "Not quite a teacher; at best, merely a guide."

She patted Jiang Feng lightly and said, "Go to sleep. I merely helped activate your Heavenly Heart Seed so that you can recover a bit faster. If you want to recover more thoroughly and quickly, you still need deep sleep."

Jiang Feng could not feel her hand, but under that gaze as gentle as water, feeling the slight warmth seeping into his skin, his heart felt extraordinarily at ease. As if hypnotized by Ye Xiao, he quickly felt his eyelids grow heavy, and within a short while, he fell into a deep sleep.

This time, as he slept heavily, a faint smile lingered on his face. It was an expression of extreme comfort and coziness, one that instantly made an observer feel so happy they wanted to smile along with it.

When Jiang Feng awoke, the sky outside the window had turned completely dark. Sniffing deeply, a rich aroma of meat drifted in from outside his door, and his stomach immediately let out a loud rumble, feeling so hungry that his stomach walls began to cramp in pain.

He was the only person in the room. The Midnight Rabbit was curled up by his pillow, its body rising and falling as if it were sound asleep.

Jiang Feng hooked his finger around its ear, and those long ears twitched slightly, burying themselves deeper inside.

Ye Xiao's voice materialized beside his ear, "The rabbit and I still need to digest the demonic Qi, so pay us no mind."

Jiang Feng asked with concern, "Are you both all right?"

Ye Xiao emitted a soft chuckle and murmured gently, "As long as you are well, we are all well."

The voice close to his ear was like a whisper, causing Jiang Feng's cheeks to grow warm once more. He cleared his throat, pushed the door open, and strode outside.

The moment he opened the door, the aroma of meat outside grew even stronger.

The spot where he stood was pitch black, but ahead of him, it was brightly lit. Amidst the lamplight, several figures sat clustered together, their hearty laughter accompanied by the billowing fragrance of meat drifting over from that direction.

A pleasant smile blossomed on Jiang Feng's face as he hurried toward them.

Ping Luanshan and the others were gathered around a table. Hearing footsteps, several of them turned their heads together, and the moment they laid eyes on Jiang Feng, all of their eyes lit up brilliantly.

Ping Luanshan, Teng Zhi, and Hong Cheng were all there, accompanied by Ning Yuankong off to one side. Everyone stood up simultaneously, laughing as they reached out to Jiang Feng and called out, "Old Jiang, you're finally awake!" (To be continued...)

Second update!