Chapter 180: Expressing Her Gratitude

"Mmnh~"

Speckles of blood painted Wu Jia's naked body red as my nose bleed took a turn for the worse. I think I lost a pint of blood because of that ruptured vein. As much as I tried to remind myself to not lose focus... I still lost it.

But it's not like it's a bad thing. Even though I lost my concentration for a split second, my Qi Energy Flow was fully intertwined with Wu Jia's making me understand every part of her body- er I mean, Qi Energy Flow.

With this, I can finally start cultivating in her place.

Unlike before, the cultivation part went faster than I had expected. I estimated it to be another two hours but now that I've obtained the special skill of controlling someone's Qi, it was as easy as learning the bicycle. Just like how I intended, I eased her breathing first and focused on clearing her mind of unnecessary thoughts. I may not know what she was thinking but with my Qi Energy coursing through her body, it's as if I was cultivating by myself while giving the progress to another person.

To my surprise, Wu Jia is actually so attuned with her Time Element that I didn't need to put extra effort into concentration. Even her subconscious was enough, it just needed a little help from me.

Five minutes.

Ten Minutes.

Fifteen Minutes Passed.

The amount of Qi Energy I expended was through the roofs but I persevered. Although Wu Jia is already out of the critical stage, something could still go wrong if I dragged this out. And besides, I didn't want to miss out on the auction. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hoard priceless treasures and make Tang Shelter the richest shelter in the Lower Plane. I have to do all I can for everyone here before I leave so they can survive the next Rush Hour and the following ones after that. Unlike before, I would be more responsible for protecting my disciples in the near future. Call it atonement for my shortcomings, I'd still stick to doing it. 

Twenty minutes.

Wu Jia's appearance looked a lot better compared to a few minutes before. Right now, she looked like she was sleeping after a long day of work— I said that because she's still naked. Somehow, I missed the chance of putting some clothes on her.

Blink.

Blink.

Wu Jia blinked twice before staring straight into my eyes. She seemed confused at first but then her eyes widened. She probably realized what happened to her and why she was currently in the clinic. I smiled in relief. The treatment worked and Wu Jia didn't have to hit the coffin. She seemed disoriented but that's normal. After experiencing a near-death experience, of course, any sane person would be out of his or her mind.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. I tried to extend my hand to her but my strength left me after that almost three-hour treatment. Before I knew it, I was slumped on the floor, right beside Wu Jia who was still naked.

"I-I... so it was you, Yongrui. I thought I was dreaming when I heard your voice." She smiled.

"Sorry for stripping you naked. You know how intricate fixing a damaged Qi Core could be." I weakly said. Having expended a lot of Qi Energy made me feel sleepy for some reason. "Perhaps I'm the only one in the world who managed to fix a broken Qi Core... kudos to me."

After mentioning her naked body, Wu Jia's eyes widened even more as if she was some sort of tarsier who got shined on by a flashlight. When she looked down, she saw her bosom, sticking out like a pair of huge dumplings. She didn't waste any time covering it as her face turned a shade of red.

"As I said, I'm sorry. If you want, then I'll just strip naked as well so you're not the only one who'll feel embarrassed." I half-jokingly said but Wu Jia's expression told me otherwise.

"Then, you have to strip right now... you saw me naked, you have to take responsibility. You have to take my hand in marriage." Wu Jia started firing darts at me with her tongue.

"All right, all right. I'll strip!" I said. I didn't want to incur the wrath of a naked woman. Wait, I think I said that wrong.

Before I changed my mind, I removed all my clothes as I turned away from Wu Jia. And since I was still too weakened to stand up, I ended up stripping while lying on the floor. It wasn't the most comfortable way of removing one's clothes but at least I did it.

Fifteen Seconds.

Twenty Seconds.

Thirty Seconds.

As soon as the clock ticked half a minute, I unstripped myself by putting on my boxers. As for Wu Jia, I threw my robe at her so she could at least cover her bosom. "There, happy now?" I let out as I sighed, remembering what Wu Jia had to go through. "Seriously, you should've been more vigilant about those things. Didn't you know that your Second Qi Core was developing already?"

Wu Jia shook her head as she looked cluelessly at me. Based on her expression, she probably didn't know that a Second Qi Core was possible when one enters the path to cultivation. But then again, I only knew it a couple of weeks ago so I can't blame her.

This is bad, I've depleted too much Qi Energy that I'm about to fall asleep.

In haste, I grabbed some Fatigue Potions from my Storage and drank three of them in one go. The fatigue was gone but I still felt myself lacking in energy. Nevertheless, I should be able to attend the auction with this condition.

"Because of my special skill, I managed to cultivate in your place and I've fixed all your Qi Cores. You may feel weak right now but that shouldn't stop you from cultivating a little bit." I instructed Wu Jia. "Try detecting your Qi Cores and see the difference."

There was no reason for Wu Jia to not believe me so she just nodded her head and complied. She seemed suspicious of what I just said but after a few seconds, I'm sure she'll realize it.

Having a second Qi Core has its pros and cons. One of the main advantages is having a huge boost in your Qi Energy output and reserves. Basically, even though your cultivation level is just on the Immortal Realm, you can go head to head with an Ancient Realm if you fought to the death. That's how big of a boost a second Qi Core can give you. As for the greatest disadvantage, you can easily lose control of your Qi Cores, enabling it to go berserk with a huge possibility of exploding. Since I'm already used to having multiple Qi Cores, my concentration had already adapted to their existence.

But if we're talking about Wu Jia here, it might take a few days before she could fully adjust to her new power.

One moment, Wu Jia had her eyes shut as she breathed in a relaxed manner. She was cultivating, trying to gather the QI Energy around her as her body continued to naturally heal. The next moment, her eyes went wide with shock and her mouth hung open. She must've detected her second Qi Core.

"Yongrui, my body feels weird." Wu Jia fidgeted as her face flushed red.

No! Stop!

"Why does it feel like that? What did you do to me, Yongrui." Wu Jia continued. I tried my best not to show any unnecessary emotions.

I could feel the vein near my nose about to get ruptured again. A little bit of push and I might have the worst nosebleed of my life... I'm kidding. I'm just overexaggerating things. I cleared my throat and tried to put on a serious face... but I could've sworn that my face is blushing like a red beet.

"That's your Second Qi Core. I don't know what element you have but it's best if you nurture it well. Having a Second Qi Core is not common but it would help you climb higher in the stairs of cultivation. It might feel a bit awkward at first but the more you nurture it, the more you'll see it as an extension of your Original Qi Core. You're a very talented cultivator, Wu Jia. Developing a Second Qi Core at such a young age, that's truly astounding. If you need any help with anything you can just come under my wing... if you want to, of course."

"Nurture it well? A-am I pregnant? Am I carrying your kid? And what do you mean by come under your wing? Take me as your wife? You already saw me naked so that would be fine with me. You have to take responsibility, Yongrui." Wu Jia continued her 'assault'.

As for me, I'm already losing my mind.

"I'm just kidding!" Wu Jia giggled. "But if you really want to take me in as your wife, I'm all for it. It's not every day I meet a reliable and honest person like you, Yongrui."

"Then you should be my disciple. Being my wife would come later." I joked, but I knew that jokes were always half-meant... right? Right?!

"In any case, thank you Yongrui. I owe you my life. If you ever need anything of me, don't hesitate to ask. My life is yours to use and keep. You do know what I'm getting at here, right?" Wu Jia coquettishly muttered. 

"I know. I know. You're welcome." I responded, shrugging her off so she won't bother me any more with her antics.