The Sect Master was filled with joy and hurried with brisk steps all the way to the entrance of the cultivation cave, thinking of properly celebrating with Xie Huaizhou.
However, when he finally arrived at the cave entrance, the sight before him left him dumbfounded. Shen Yanchu was lying quietly on the cold ground, covered in blood, the shocking red seemingly piercing straight through the Sect Master’s eyes.
The smile that had previously adorned the Sect Master’s face vanished without a trace, replaced entirely by pale panic and astonishment.
Just at that moment, Ji Yanche had already stepped forward quickly, carefully cradling Shen Yanchu in his arms. His gaze was as cold as ice, locked straight onto Xie Huaizhou standing nearby, the fury contained within seemingly capable of igniting a person instantly.
Seeing this, Xie Huaizhou’s heart sank. He knew very well that this incident was entirely the result of his own negligence.
Therefore, he hurriedly turned his head and said to Su Rongyu, who was still tightly clutching his sleeve, “Rongyu, can you let go for a moment? The situation is urgent right now, and I must go over and see how Shen Yanchu is doing!”
Hearing this, Su Rongyu froze for a brief second, but quickly regained his composure.
He still wore a smile, responding in a warm and gentle tone, “Senior Brother Xie, you are injured yourself. Why not let me first help you wipe away the bloodstains and apply some proper medicine?” Although his words were filled with care, his hands showed no sign of loosening their grip.
Faced with such persistent behavior from Su Rongyu, Xie Huaizhou had no choice but to drop the matter for the moment. He could only watch helplessly as Ji Yanche carried the injured Shen Yanchu further away, their figures growing smaller and smaller until they completely vanished from sight.
Holding the unconscious Shen Yanchu tightly in his arms, Ji Yanche walked with hurried steps to the Sect Master’s side, his tone resolute and urgent as he said, “Father-in-law, please lead the way to Shen Yanchu’s room immediately. I need to treat his injuries as soon as possible!”
The Sect Master revealed a look of relief, thinking to himself that finally one of his sons-in-law understood the value of his son. He then glanced back at Xie Huaizhou, sighing inwardly that rotten wood could not be carved, and that Huaizhou would surely live to regret this.
Ji Yanche carefully laid Shen Yanchu down on the bed. Before long, a female cultivator dressed in light pink robes walked in; she was none other than Jihe, the primary disciple of the Peak Master of Yunyun Peak within the Taiyi Sect.
Looking at Shen Yanchu on the bed, Jihe thought to herself, “How could I possibly be skilled at healing and saving people? I am merely someone who stayed up late reading a certain web novel and accidentally transmigrated into the very story I wrote.”
Seeing Jihe standing still, the Sect Master urged, “Xiaochu just went through the heavenly tribulation. Hurry up and examine him.”
Helpless, Jihe had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to check Shen Yanchu’s injuries. The situation appeared extremely grave.
Internally, she grumbled, “This character was originally just a cannon fodder. Why is he still alive? Why isn’t Ji Yanche caring about his own shou instead of holding this cannon fodder? It is completely unreasonable.”
Drawing upon the original owner’s memories, Jihe retrieved several bottles of external trauma medicine from her storage pouch and said with a feigned calm demeanor, “Senior Brother Shen is in no major danger. They are just external injuries, and he will recover after a period of recuperation.”
Hearing this, Ji Yanche’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained fixed intently upon Shen Yanchu’s pale face, his inner worry unabated. He knew that even if Jihe said so, Shen Yanchu’s injuries could not possibly be light.
“Then I will have to trouble you.” Ji Yanche’s voice was deep, carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion.
Jihe nodded and began carefully treating Shen Yanchu’s wounds. Although her technique lacked polish, her heart was in the right place as she meticulously cleaned each wound and applied the healing ointment.
Watching from the side, the Sect Master held an even higher opinion of Jihe. Knowing she was not a medical cultivator, stepping up at a time like this was already quite commendable.
“You two look after Xiaochu first. I am going to go check on Huaizhou,” the Sect Master said, then turned around to leave before halting his steps and turning back to say to Ji Yanche, “Yanchu, stay here and take good care of Xiaochu these next few days. Since you are Xiaochu’s cultivation partner anyway, having you here puts my mind at ease.” With those words, he left Ji Yanche and Jihe by Shen Yanchu’s bedside.
The room grew quiet, filled only by the sound of Shen Yanchu’s faint breathing and the soft clinking of medicine bottles. Ji Yanche sat by the bed, his gaze never leaving Shen Yanchu, while Jihe silently prayed in her heart that Shen Yanchu would pull through this ordeal.
Time slipped away quietly. Shen Yanchu’s breathing gradually grew steady, and a hint of rosy color returned to his complexion. Seeing this, Ji Yanche felt a slight sense of relief and cast a grateful look toward Jihe.
“It looks like Senior Brother Shen’s condition has stabilized,” Jihe said softly. Although she still felt somewhat uncertain inside, she knew that keeping Ji Yanche at ease was the most important thing right now.
Ji Yanche nodded, stood up, and said to Jihe, “Thank you for your hard work, Junior Sister Jihe. I will keep watch over Xiaochu here; you should go and get some rest first.”
Jihe shook her head and insisted, “I am not tired. Staying here to keep you company will also make it easier to look after him.”
The two remained stationed by Shen Yanchu’s bedside like this until nightfall, right until Shen Yanchu slowly opened his eyes.
“Xiaochu, you are awake.” A trace of excitement tinged Ji Yanche’s voice.
Shen Yanchu smiled weakly, his gaze shifting back and forth between Ji Yanche and Jihe before finally resting upon Ji Yanche’s face.
“Damn it, why is this cold-faced man here, and why is he looking at me with that kind of look? Your primary mission right now should be staying by Su Rongyu’s side. This is going to kill me, this is going to kill me.” Although Shen Yanchu did not show any outward abnormalities on his face, his mind was racing through a thousand thoughts.
“Um, well, I feel pretty much recovered now. The two of you can leave first; I want some peace and quiet by myself,” Shen Yanchu said softly.
Hearing this, Jihe could not help but roll her eyes at Shen Yanchu in her heart, thinking, What kind of green tea act is he putting on!
Observing Jihe’s expressive face, Shen Yanchu felt as though he had seen her somewhere before, yet he could not quite place it.
Not wanting to deal with this green tea character, Jihe turned and walked away upon hearing those words.
“I am your cultivation partner. Now that you are injured, it is only right that I stay by your side to wait on you,” Ji Yanche stated.
“This is going to kill me, this is going to kill me. Who wants to be cultivation partners with you, you cold-faced man?” Thinking this while fearing he might offend Ji Yanche, Shen Yanchu had no choice but to cast a pleading look toward Jihe.
Jihe shrugged her shoulders, thinking to herself, What is this stinky green tea pretending for? Trying to seduce my son, he deserves to be struck by lightning. With that, she slipped away quickly, leaving Shen Yanchu all alone in the lonely air.