This time, the pain in his lower abdomen was far more intense than before, so intense that Fang Jie had no strength left to resist. He had previously wondered what would happen if this pain suddenly struck during a fight. The answer was always certain death.
Later, Fang Jie didn't experience this pain for a long time. He thought it wouldn't come again and was even relieved.
However, this time the pain was so intense that it felt like he was in hell before he lost consciousness.
Fang Jie clearly remembered asking Mu Xiaoyao what cultivation felt like on the way to Chang'an. Mu Xiaoyao's answer was pain; each increase in strength brought physical torment. But after reaching a certain level, this pain became negligible. Frequent pain was a special privilege for cultivators, and Fang Jie couldn't understand how a useless person like himself, with no cultivation ability, could experience pain.
Moreover, it was far more intense than the pain of internal energy tempering experienced by cultivators.
Fang Jie was a man of considerable willpower; it was remarkable that he hadn't cried out in pain despite these ordeals. Anyone else would have reacted much more strongly.
As he fell, clutching the bookshelf, Fang Jie even thought it was fortunate he wasn't face-to-face with an enemy, otherwise he would have been dead for sure. In his fall, he used almost all the remaining strength he could control to lean towards Marilyn; he had noticed her there and knew she would help him.
To be this calm was perhaps terrifying.
When Fang Jie awoke, he smelled a familiar scent, and knew Shen Qingshan was beside him. He slowly opened his eyes, only to find himself not in his shop, but in the martial arts academy's dormitory. The woman sitting beside him, holding his hand, was indeed Shen Qingshan.
He tried to sit up but couldn't; he had no strength left in his body.
The weakness in his body was beyond Fang Jie's imagination; the consequences of this excruciating pain far exceeded those of the previous times. Without experiencing such intense pain, one cannot understand Fang Jie's feelings at this moment. He even had the illusion that his entire body no longer belonged to him; he gave his fingers the command to move, but they didn't respond at all.
It felt as if Fang Jie felt his head was his own, but the rest of his body was completely alien.
His legs were there, but he couldn't move them.
His hands were there, but he couldn't move them either.
He felt that the only proof he was still alive was that his sight, hearing, and smell were still intact.
Even that was nonexistent. He could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Shen Qingshan's body, but he couldn't feel Shen Qingshan holding his hand. So, from the moment he opened his eyes, Fang Jie knew he was in serious trouble, and his heart sank.
The only thing that gave him a slight sense of reassurance was that he could still speak.
Besides him, there were two other women in the room, the other being Professor Qiu Yu. He first glanced at Shen Qingshan, then looked pleadingly at Qiu Yu. The grave expression on Qiu Yu's face made his bad feeling even clearer and stronger. Then, a surging sorrow welled up in Fang Jie's heart, almost overwhelming him.
He had endured so much, fought so hard.
Was this all he was destined for?
He dared not think of a life confined to his bed; it would be worse than death.
Seeing him awake, Qiu Yu sat down by the bedside. He reached out and felt Fang Jie's pulse, then shook his head helplessly after a moment: "You should be dead now."
These words sank Fang Jie's heart to the bottom.
"Why...why?"
He heard his own hoarse voice, filled with fear and unease.
"You have no pulse."
Qiu Yu's tone was heavy. "From the moment Marilyn carried you to me, I noticed you had no pulse. Logically, you should have died long ago. I just heard you have no heartbeat either. Don't ask me why this is happening, because I haven't found a reasonable explanation either. Not just me, I'm afraid no one in the world has ever encountered such a strange thing."
"But you don't need to be sad."
Qiu Yu smoothed a strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead, a hint of weariness in his eyes. "Because you're not dead yet. As long as you're not dead, there's hope."
Fang Jie looked at Shen Qingshan and saw sorrow in her eyes as well.
He wanted to cry, wanted to roar and shout. But in the end, he only managed a bitter smile and closed his eyes. He didn't want to speak, didn't want to hear anything more. No one could understand the sadness he felt at this moment; the feeling of truly becoming a cripple was so intense. So intense that he even asked himself, why aren't you dead yet?
"I'll think of a way."
Qiu Yu stood up.
She looked at Fang Jie earnestly and said, "Even I haven't given up, so why should you?"
After saying this, she turned and walked out.
Shen Qingshan held Fang Jie's hand, her eyes filled with complex emotions—heartache, sorrow, and pain. She leaned down, her cheek pressed against the back of Fang Jie's hand: "Professor Qiu is right. She hasn't given up trying to save you, so why should you give up? This is the Martial Arts Academy; they'll definitely find out what happened to you."
"Professor Qiu asked that student named Marilyn to come to the shop and find me, asking me to come to the Martial Arts Academy to watch over you. Perhaps she's worried that someone might take advantage of your temporary inability to protect yourself; one should always be wary. I was going to stay with you anyway, but you wouldn't allow it. And here I am now, aren't I?"
She forced a smile and said softly, "Actually, it's fine. I can relax and lie down." "A few days."
Fang Jie murmured, "Just temporarily?"
"Definitely."
Shen Qingshan nodded, rubbing her cheek against Fang Jie's hand. "Don't worry... I'll be by your side no matter what. Those three years you were in Fan Gu, it was Xiao Yao and Da Quan who protected you. I was protecting a fake you, but I still protected you wholeheartedly. Now they're all gone, finally it's me protecting you. This room is your and my world. If anyone tries to come in and hurt you, I'll kill them...whoever it is."
Fang Jie's eyes welled up, a tear sliding down her cheek.
In the darkness, Professor Qiu Yu strode into the library.
She told herself she could find a way, she definitely could.
The library held vast collections of books; in her hand was an oil lamp.
This night, perhaps all three of them would be sleepless. ...
As the sun slowly climbed over the towering walls of Chang'an from the east, Shen Qingshan fetched water and helped Fang Jie wash his face and hands. Fang Jie, who hadn't slept all night, pretended to wake from a deep sleep. Now calm, he didn't forget to give Shen Qingshan a clean smile. Shen Qingshan smiled back, looking so beautiful.
When she went out to fetch water, she saw a girl named Marilyn not far away carrying a food box. Marilyn stood there awkwardly, perhaps hesitating whether to approach. So she waved, took the food box, and sincerely said thank you.
This was the first time Shen Qingshan had ever said thank you to someone.
Marilyn shook her head and said, "He saved me twice, saved my life."
Then she left without looking back.
Shen Qingshan watched the girl's retreating figure, and suddenly felt a pang of envy. She returned to the house, fed Fang Jie a bowl of rice porridge, and a vegetarian bun. Fang Jie seemed to have a good appetite, and the sadness and despair of yesterday were gone from his eyes. But he couldn't hide it from Shen Qingshan; she knew he was only trying to make her feel better.
"Don't worry, I won't give up."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are first tested by hardship and hunger… I'll just consider this another kind of tempering. Maybe in an hour I'll be able to stand up on my own and then carry you around the room."
"You'll need to spin around several times, not just one."
Shen Qingshan said with a smile.
Fang Jie nodded, "Yes, several times."
Shen Qingshan fed Fang Jie some water and then sat down beside him. "Want to sleep a little longer? An hour will pass quickly if you fall asleep."
"I like waiting for surprises."
Fang Jie said.
Shen Qingshan said, "Then let's wait together. An hour is very short."
They were both earnestly telling a lie, hoping to deceive each other. But the lie was too idiotic; they both knew it was nothing but wishful thinking. Shen Qingshan held Fang Jie's hand and tried many times, but still couldn't find his pulse. She pressed her hand against his chest, but couldn't feel his heartbeat either.
This was completely illogical; even the most learned and experienced doctors had never heard of such a thing.
Shen Qingshan smiled and nodded: "I'll wait with you for the surprise."
"Okay."
He seemed very happy.
Shen Qingshan said softly: "Do you remember, I once told you I wanted to have a child for you?"
"Yes, I remember. I took care of it an hour later."
Fang Jie answered earnestly.
Shen Qingshan nodded vigorously, her smile bright and sweet: "If we have a child, let's not make him cultivate, okay? Let him be a useless scholar; if he can't pass the imperial examinations, he can be a teacher. We'll find a quiet little village and live a peaceful life. Then we'll carefully select a suitable wife for him—not necessarily beautiful, but definitely virtuous."
"That's not what you said last time," Fang Jie protested.
"Last time you said you'd make him a playboy, teach him how to seduce young virgins!"
Shen Qingshan pouted: "Can't I change my mind? There's a young virgin outside who's always grateful to you for saving her life. Should I invite her in now?"
"Haha, you're actually jealous!"
Fang Jie laughed smugly.
Then his smile suddenly froze, his face changed, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window, reflected an eerie color, a vivid and clear red. Most of the blood splattered onto Shen Qingshan, but she didn't flinch.
She reached out, somewhat frantically, to wipe his mouth clean; the usually calm and composed woman was now completely helpless. Blood trickled through her fingers, scalding her hand and burning her heart.
"Not even an hour has passed, is it..."
Fang Jie was still smiling, his smile gradually freezing.
He slowly closed his eyes, his vision blurring. Shen Qingshan frantically tried to stop him from closing his eyes, but only saw Fang Jie's eyeballs gradually turning grayish-white.
Ah!
She let out a mournful wail, and a storm instantly swept through the room. Windows, chairs—everything shattered; the walls and floor were covered in sword marks.
Qiu Yu, who hadn't slept all night researching in the library, happened to arrive at the door. Hearing Shen Qingshan's wail, her expression immediately changed. She rushed into the room like a whirlwind and grabbed Fang Jie's wrist. She tried to find a glimmer of hope, but her heart sank deeper and deeper.
She lifted Fang Jie's eyelids and found his eyeballs had turned gray.
"How could this be?"
She murmured, then slumped down.
Just as she released his grip, no one noticed a fleeting red glint in Fang Jie's eyes.
A moment later, Dean Zhou suddenly appeared outside the door. He didn't enter, but merely glanced at Fang Jie from outside before letting out a heavy sigh. His sigh was filled with regret and astonishment; even he couldn't imagine how such a brilliant young man could have perished so young. Many said Fang Jie was a useless waste, incapable of cultivation, but he had always firmly believed this boy had a glorious future.
But…
He turned and left, his back desolate.
Just as Dean Zhou's figure disappeared, just as Qiu Yu got up to cover Fang Jie with a blanket, just as Shen Qingshan's eyes blazed with murderous intent, muttering, "I'll send all your enemies to hell to be your slaves,"… Just as Marilyn collapsed to her knees outside the door, sobbing uncontrollably,
Fang Jie's eyes suddenly snapped open, flashing a crimson light!