Chapter 73 - 70: Ginseng Spirit Third Princess
Lu Changyuan coughed up another mouthful of blood.
This time, there was no metallic tang. A white silk handkerchief wiped Lu Changyuan’s mouth clean. The faint scent of sandalwood incense drifted into his nostrils. The young woman refolded the handkerchief and tucked it away, but then, after a moment’s thought, she placed it in Lu Changyuan’s hand.
"Wipe it yourself."
"I say, Third Prince, can you let me go?"
"No. You’re injured. Don’t move."
A Lotus Platform was flying swiftly through the sky. It was Su Youwan’s Magical Artifact, and it had the effect of Concentrating Spirit.
But this Lotus Platform did not contain the Sumeru Particle Technique, so its inner space was not large.
It was more than enough for Su Youwan to sit on alone, but adding Lu Changyuan made it quite crowded. Thus, Lu Changyuan could only be held in Su Youwan’s arms.
He was grievously injured, anyway. It wasn’t like he could resist.
’The Compassionate Fairy is taking advantage of this old, helpless man!’
"Don’t even think about drinking my blood. You’ll get addicted."
’I wonder if this Third Princess is a Ginseng Spirit in human form,’ he thought. ’Her blood actually has such an effect. No wonder there were celestial omens when she was born.’
"And don’t tell anyone else."
The Third Princess’s voice came, light and distant. She held Lu Changyuan with her left arm while her right hand formed a seal to pilot the Lotus Platform. The birdcage rested beside her.
Lu Changyuan sighed. He hadn’t been thinking about drinking that stuff anyway. He closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing. His Magic performed a Circulation of Heaven and Earth before Easily Guarding the Dantian, slowly healing his injuries.
He performed an Introspection. Bad news: he was seriously injured. Good news: his Origin was unharmed.
Perhaps it was just as the Desire Demon Su Wuxiang had said; his body was as if it had been struck by lightning, which was why he had the ’five deficiencies’ before. But it was precisely because he had been struck by lightning so many times that he had developed a resistance.
After withstanding the Blood Thunder for so long, he was surprised to find that with just a little recuperation, he would still be at the level of Four Realms Celestial Power.
The Third Princess said suddenly, "Open your mouth."
"Huh?"
"Open your mouth."
Confused, Lu Changyuan opened his mouth. A fragrant Elixir was placed inside, where it dissolved into pure medicinal energy.
"What is this?"
"A Pill refined in the palace. It ensures you won’t be corrupted by a Desire Demon while you’re weak."
The weaker a person is, the more susceptible they are to corruption by a Desire Demon.
Lu Changyuan thought, ’What does a Desire Demon have to do with me... Ah. Now it does.’
He had shattered his Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique, and re-cultivating it would be a huge hassle. That was because Lu Changyuan no longer planned to walk the Emotionless Dao. Not only that, he was going to continue his Reversed Divine Skill Training.
Su Youwan, of course, had no idea what Lu Changyuan was thinking. She just asked curiously, "Does it taste good?"
"You’re asking me?"
"Mhm. Because I’ve never eaten one."
The corners of the Silver-haired Maiden’s mouth curved slightly, like a crescent moon. Lying in her arms, Lu Changyuan could see her beautiful jawline and the faint glow on her long, slender neck.
Normally, looking down at her, he only felt the Silver-haired Maiden was inhumanly beautiful. Now, looking up at her from below, she seemed a bit more human.
Lu Changyuan retorted, "You’ve never eaten an Elixir refined by your own Compassionate Palace?"
"Mhm. Because my state of mind has never been flawed. I only carry the Elixir just in case."
’A Bodhisattva Supreme, born into Great Perfection?’
For some reason, Lu Changyuan suddenly had the urge to drag this Bodhisattva down into the mud. He frowned and used his barely-movable fingers to touch Broken Thought, only then managing to suppress the impulse.
Su Youwan said softly, "Guard your original heart and digest the Elixir."
’Without the Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique, can a person’s thoughts really be this chaotic?’
Lu Changyuan’s head ached.
From the moment he washed his face and remembered his identity until just before he faced the Celestial Tribulation, he had maintained a Supreme state of mind. But now that he had lost that state of Great Perfection, the Red Dust was rushing in to meet him.
This wasn’t a bad thing.
Lu Changyuan closed his eyes. He could feel the Red Dust Sword Dao beckoning to him. If he just nodded, he could break through to the Fifth Realm on the spot.
But he didn’t plan to cultivate the Red Dust Sword Dao, nor did he intend to compete with Qiu Yuehan for the Dao. Besides, Lu Changyuan had not yet decided which Dao he would enter.
There were too many Daos to choose from. That was why he had to go to the Netherworld—to take a good look at himself.
Too many choices, however, was its own kind of trouble.
The Silver-haired Maiden’s fine brows furrowed slightly. She said abruptly, "Why do you keep staring at me? Do I need to veil my face?"
She seemed to have noticed his gaze, so she lowered her head to meet his eyes. Su Youwan had assumed Lu Changyuan was dazed by her beauty, but in reality, he had just been lost in thought about which Dao to enter.
Lu Changyuan said calmly, "I was just curious when the Third Prince entered the Fifth Realm."
"While you were being struck by the Thunder Tribulation, I Entered the Dao."
Her flowing silver hair swayed gently as its owner shook her head, brushing against the tip of Lu Changyuan’s nose and making it itch.
The Third Princess had suppressed her Realm for too long. She could have achieved her Breaking Realm a year ago; now, it was simply a matter of course.
"Perhaps I should be thanking you, Young Master Lu. Because you attracted the Celestial Tribulation’s attention, the Celestial Dao couldn’t come and bother me when I was Entering the Dao."
Lu Changyuan gave a faint, unreadable smile but said nothing.
Su Youwan didn’t notice Lu Changyuan’s mood. Instead, she looked down from the sky and said, "It’s getting dark. Why don’t we rest for the night?"
He was alive, at least, and there was still enough time. At their current pace, they would be able to make it.
Below them was a brightly lit city, which looked to be a place where immortals and mortals mingled.
"Alright."
Su Youwan had been traveling for several days and was a bit weary. She did indeed need a night to regulate her breathing.
Outside the city, the young woman put away the Lotus Platform and supported Lu Changyuan as they walked into the city step by step. The bustling atmosphere of the Red Dust rushed to greet them.
"Candied haws on a stick!"
"Donkey meat burgers!"
Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, finding himself momentarily unable to adjust.
Su Youwan said softly, "Would you like something to eat? I can go buy you some candied haws."
’Is she trying to coax a child?’
Lu Changyuan said helplessly, "Let’s just go to an inn."
Not far from the city gate was an inn. The sign clearly read: "Yingfeng Inn."
’No way.’
The innkeeper was at the front desk, clacking away on an abacus. CLACK CLACK CLACK. He didn’t even look up. "Eating or staying?"
In the dim candlelight, Lu Changyuan took a closer look at the innkeeper.
Heh.
He looked about sixty percent similar to the owner of the inn at the foot of the mountain by Miao Yu Palace.
’They couldn’t be brothers, could they?’
His interest piqued, Lu Changyuan asked, "Can you still fire up the stove this late?"
The innkeeper looked up and glanced at Lu Changyuan. "That’ll be extra."
’They really could be brothers. They even have the same tone of voice.’
Lu Changyuan smiled. "Just a room, then."
"How many rooms?"
"Two—"
Su Youwan cut in, "One."
"Alright. One premium room. Upstairs, to the left."
The innkeeper went back to his abacus, and who knows what accounts he was settling.
They went upstairs and entered the room. Su Youwan helped Lu Changyuan lie down on the bed, then sat cross-legged on the outer edge of it herself.
She still found Lu Changyuan’s scent very fragrant. After the Celestial Tribulation, he smelled even better, as if raw food had been cooked, making one’s mouth water even more.
Lu Changyuan’s eye twitched. "Third Prince, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?"
"I’m only going to meditate. Besides, you’re badly injured and can’t move around. You need someone to look after you. Getting two rooms would be inconvenient."
"Then I suppose this is fine."
Lu Changyuan turned his head and fell asleep.