Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10 - I Want You to Live!
The surroundings instantly fell into a deathly silence. The Magic Dog behind Lin Zhi was now completely lifeless. A biting cold wind whistled past.
The Magic Dog's corpse was like a fragile sandcastle, scattering in the wind.
The surging demonic energy vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
Raising her head to look at the dying Lin Zhi leaning against her, a relieved smile appeared in Lin Hua's eyes.
She never imagined that a youth with no spiritual power, who had only started cultivating yesterday, would be so resolute in a life-or-death moment.
The soul-stirring scene from a moment ago flashed in her mind again.
The Lin Zhi who had been scared out of his wits had, in the face of her impending death, stepped forward without hesitation, using his weak body to shield her.
Although she and Lin Zhi had swapped bodies, and the one leaning against her was "her own" body...
This didn't change the fact that at that moment, Lin Zhi's image in her heart was like a towering mountain.
The Heaven-Gazing Profound Bird, who had cultivated for countless ages and experienced many life-and-death trials, felt a surge of warmth from being protected.
Her deep eyes gazed at Lin Zhi, and crystal-clear tears rolled down, blurring her vision.
For a moment, she didn't notice that on the chest of the Lin Zhi she was currently inhabiting, a light was faintly flashing.
At the same time, it was greedily absorbing the blood on his chest—that was the jade plaque that had disappeared after she fainted during the first body swap.
"I will remember you," Lin Hua murmured softly.
Then, she closed her eyes. The spiritual power in the depths of her soul gently wrapped around a holy, flawless, and brilliant pearl that was slowly floating out of Lin Hua's forehead.
This was the Inner Core of the Heaven-Gazing Profound Bird, the crystallization of her life's cultivation.
Once damaged, not only would her cultivation be lost, but her life would be in danger.
Lin Hua had forcibly summoned it, clearly prepared to die. If Lin Zhi could risk his life to save her, so could she.
The moment the Inner Core left her forehead, blood erupted from Lin Hua's mouth. Then, crimson blood flowed from all seven of her facial orifices. The sight was horrifying.
Ignoring the extreme weakness of her body, Lin Hua used what little spiritual power remained to arduously control the Inner Core, making it hover over Lin Zhi's head.
An illusory figure appeared around the Inner Core—the silhouette of Lin Hua herself.
The figure, as weak as a candle flame that could be extinguished at any moment, looked at Lin Zhi without moving.
Then, the figure dissipated like smoke, turning into a holy stream of light that entered Lin Zhi's forehead.
"I want you to live, even at the cost of my life!"
"Perhaps if I die, my soul will return to its original place..."
Just as Lin Hua completed this and willingly closed her eyes again to wait for death.
The jade plaque on his chest suddenly erupted with an earth-shaking energy. A dazzling golden light burst forth, and a powerful pressure swept through, swallowing both of them in an instant.
The rolling black clouds gradually dissipated, the heavy snow stopped, and the surrounding auras vanished completely.
The sky returned to its usual brightness, and the entire alley fell into a deathly silence...
Lin Zhi and Lin Hua had vanished without a trace. Only the still-unconscious Yang Guo and the shattered wall remained.
In the endless darkness, Lin Zhi slowly woke up.
The scenes he had experienced quickly returned to his mind, chaotic as if they had been forcibly stuffed into his memory.
A strong sense of pain came from his body. Lin Zhi shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
Moonlight filtered through a narrow crack in a window above Lin Zhi. He hurried to observe his surroundings to understand his current situation.
However, his view was blocked by a large iron gate nearby. Lin Zhi forced his aching body up and walked to the gate.
He reached out and pushed the gate; it made a CREAK but didn't open.
Lin Zhi used a bit more force, but it still didn't budge. He realized then that he seemed to be locked in.
The surroundings were all cold stone walls, enclosing the room tightly.
The only opening was that narrow window crack above his head.
"Where is this? Wasn't I fighting a Magic Dog? Why am I in this place?"
"Could it be...?"
A terrifying thought rose in Lin Zhi's mind. "Is this hell? Did I come here after I died?"
Lin Zhi suddenly shuddered, a bitter look on his face. "This is too unreal."
"Lin Hua isn't with me; does that mean she's still alive?" At this thought, Lin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
He might as well accept things as they were...
With the help of the faint moonlight, Lin Zhi was surprised to find that his body had swapped back. However, he was currently covered in grime and his clothes were in tatters.
Clearly, the injuries Lin Hua had suffered earlier had been transferred to Lin Zhi's body.
Lin Zhi reached out to pull at his ragged clothes. Suddenly, a fluffy little thing fell from his chest, and he hurriedly caught it.
The moment it landed in his hand, he felt a warmth that gave him the answer.
"Lin Hua?"
Wasn't this fluffy little thing the bird Lin Zhi had saved before?
The moment his palm touched it, a sense of closeness rose in his heart, as if he were holding the most important thing in his life.
Looking at the unconscious bird in his hand, Lin Zhi was baffled.
Logically, after he and Lin Hua swapped back again, Lin Hua should have returned to her form as a young girl. Why had she become a bird again?
Lin Zhi furrowed his brows and pondered. He had some guesses.
It was likely that after he fainted, things happened that he didn't know about, which led to Lin Hua reverting to her original form and him somehow ending up here.
It must be said that Lin Zhi's guess was quite accurate.
At the final, critical moment, it was the jade plaque in Lin Zhi's chest that had shown its power, swapping their souls back.
However, because Lin Hua had exhausted her Inner Core to save Lin Zhi and was heavily injured, she could no longer maintain her human form.
If not for the jade plaque, Lin Hua would have likely perished by now.
Feeling the faint heartbeat of the Heaven-Gazing Profound Bird, Lin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
He carefully placed Lin Hua in his shirt. Lin Zhi sat cross-legged on the ground, practicing the technique in his mind while he waited quietly.
After all, he didn't know where he was. He was heavily injured and hadn't healed, and Lin Hua was unconscious in her original form. All he could do was wait.
The surrounding spiritual power instantly surged into Lin Zhi's body. Compared to his first time practicing, he felt a clear increase in the growth of spiritual power; it felt as though everything had suddenly become much clearer.
Time passed slowly. Much later, when Lin Zhi had practiced until he fell asleep, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door, drawing closer. Lin Zhi snapped his eyes open and listened carefully.
"The Boss caught another laborer today. Don't know what's wrong with him; he's been unconscious and we can't get a good price for him."
"He looks young. He probably got injured in a duel with someone. Doesn't look like he has much skill."
"Who cares. If he doesn't wake up in two days, we'll just kill him and feed him to the beasts."
The voices of the two men chatting drifted into Lin Zhi's ears, and his expression turned strange.
"What? Laborer? Selling for money? Have I run into human traffickers?"
Shortly after, the iron door of the stone room made a CREAK as it was roughly pushed open. Two men stood at the doorway.
One held a scimitar that flashed with a cold light. The other had a longsword at his waist that emitted a chilling aura. Their eyes were cold and their expressions sinister as they stared at Lin Zhi.
Sensing the aura of these two, Lin Zhi's heart leaped. These two did not look like good people!
"Have I really been kidnapped?" Lin Zhi thought gloomily.
"Oh? You're awake? Good. Now we can report to the Boss."
The man on the left had a mocking smile, as if looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
With that, the two turned to leave. Lin Zhi hurriedly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of pleading.
"Big brothers, I've been weak and sickly since I was a kid, but I eat a lot. I can eat eight bowls of rice in one sitting. Back home, everyone calls me a 'Rice Bucket' and a burden. Please, let me go. I know the rules; I won't call the police once I'm out."
After speaking, Lin Zhi even faked a series of heavy coughs, his body trembling and his expression tragic, as if he were terminally ill.
His acting was good enough to compete for an Oscar!
Hearing Lin Zhi's words, the two who were about to leave turned back, both looking shocked.
"How strange. The Boss caught a lunatic. Could he have suffered a cultivation deviation?"
"Shut up! Don't try any tricks."
The man with the blade shouted and took a step forward. Suddenly, a violent aura surged up and shot straight toward Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi was struck by this aura and his body tumbled backward, hitting the stone wall behind him with a dull thud. He let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.