Chapter 157: Blurring Lines

Chapter 157: Blurring Lines

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Bei Hong and Bei Duyi are left as little more than bruises.

Internal bleeding, broken bones, and cracked skulls. There is little they didnt do to each other. Their bloodied, beaten forms are laid out over stone platforms in what has become an improvised clinic of sorts. Few make the journey across the Dead Plains without serious injuries, making any semblance of medical facilities entirely necessary.

Fan Bingbing told him this room was most likely once used for fertility rituals, but Liu Jin isnt about to share that with anyone.

Regardless, Bei Hong and Bei Duyi sorely need medical attention. Only their meridians and dantian are in good condition, but Liu Jin knew that even before having them brought here. Had he sensed either of them trying to cause permanent damage to the other during their fight, hed have put a stop to it regardless of what the two idiots might have felt about it.

How are they?

Liu Jin feels Lu Mei enter the room before he hears her. Still, he does not turn to face her just yet. He is busy mending the bodies of the Bei cousins. His hands glow with Qi as he moves around them. Needles, potions, and salves are applied one after another with methodical precision.

They will live, Liu Jin says, deciding to remove the worst possibility from consideration right away. No lasting damage was done, so I expect them to make a full recovery.

No lasting damage was done? Lu Mei echoes incredulously. Even though they look like that?

He can almost imagine the way she crosses her arms and gives a pointed glare to the two giant bruises laid out over the stone beds.

Incredible, isnt it? Liu Jin says as he continues treating them. Even with their regenerative abilities, it will take time for them to recover, but the fact that they are capable of it is nothing short of amazing. It is almost like they held back a little.

If you say it like that, it almost sounds like youre implying that was the case.

I am, Liu Jin admits. Though they fought for hours, they never once put the weight of their souls behind their attacks. Not fully, at least. Wed be having a different conversation otherwise.

Thanks to their time in the Dead Plains, Bei Hong and Bei Duyi are at or near the late stages of the Spirit Realm. Even if they have not been instructed in the ways of the soul, it should be impossible for two cultivators of their level to not put their soul into their attacks. That their spiritual damage is so relatively minor compared to the physical one suggests purposefulness.

So theyre both idiots. Lu Mei sighs. Stupidity seems to run deep in the Bei Clan.

That it does.

And yet you look happy.

Liu Jin blinks and looks up at Lu Mei. Do I?

A lady tends to notice if her partner feels happier around would-be corpses than he does anywhere else. Her Qi brushes against his. She has gotten better at sensing emotions, it seems. Had I not felt your emotions when we kissed, Id be a little worried.

What? I am not Liu Jin trails off, the reflexive response lost on his lips as he forces himself to think. Whether hes happier now than a few minutes ago, he cannot deny that he hasnt exactly been happy lately, can he?

I enjoy being a doctor, Liu Jin says at last.

You are good at it.

It is not just that, Liu Jin says as he continues treating Bei Hong. Now that Lu Mei has pointed it out, he can feel the lightness in his chest, the briskness with which he moves when he heals.

Unsurprisingly, he feels most fulfilled when healing.

You once told me you did not believe me to be a man of small ambitions, Liu Jin says, finally meeting her eyes. A small smile tugs at his lips. However, if I had my way, I would be nothing but a man of small ambitions. When I was a child, I wanted nothing more than to follow in my fathers footsteps. I didnt need riches or power. I didnt even need to leave the city where I was born. Being a doctor like my father was all I ever wanted. That was enough for me.

When I was a child.

How odd it is to think of himself that way when not even two years have passed since the fall of Eastern Port City. It is not as if he is a grown man now. The opposite, really. The weight of his youth and inexperience has only become more noticeable with time.

I wish I could have stayed that way.

But you didnt. You havent, Lu Mei points out, moving closer to him. You are in the middle of the Dead Plains, taking part in a game that will decide the future of the Eternal Flame Clan. In a matter of months, you have become a major figure in Lord Feng Guis faction. Not only that, but in just a couple of weeks, you have gathered followers, many of whom worship you.

Yes! Liu Jin yells. Though I didnt know him, Qu Rou was a disciple of the same Sect as us. There should have never been a situation where we should have tried to kill each other. I should not have had to plan his death, and I should not have benefited so much from doing so. It was the same with Yuan Yi! I shouldnt have had to kill either of them!

His Qi flares angrily around him. He immediately stops treating Bei Duyi to avoid making any mistakes. It is fine. The older disciples condition is mostly stable now.

And yet, Liu Jin continues, despite being disgusted by it all, despite knowing I will run into similar and even worse scenarios in the future, I have already chosen not to turn back. There is still so much to do! And all I can think of is that all those people out there who speak of loyalty might end up dead because of something I ordered them to do before it is all over. And even so, I do not wish to turn away!

Liu Jin steps away from Bei Duyi. His hands, which are covered in blood, have started shaking for some reason. His whole body has. Suddenly, he cannot even speak.

Lu Mei hugs him.

She moves swiftly and with purpose, her arms wrapping him in a gentle embrace. She does not say anything, doesnt even flinch in distaste as the blood on his clothes mars hers. She just holds him and doesnt let go.

They stay like that for a while. Neither one says anything. The pure emotions flowing through their Qi say more than words can.

Thank you, Liu Jin says after a while.

As much as I appreciate a man with ambition, yours might end up killing you, Lu Mei says, her face buried on the crook of his neck. The worry in her Qi is fully laid bare. Have you considered that?"

Liu Jin laughs weakly.

"I do not think I can stop."

Not while the world keeps being as it is.

"I did not ever imagine you could." Lu Mei lifts her head up and smiles. "That's quite alright. I do not intend to allow you to kill yourself."

"You support me still?"

"On a quest that will doubtlessly end with you gaining more and more power?" Lu Mei asks, one eyebrow perfectly curved. "As a person in possession of far fewer scruples than you, I see no downsides to this. Please, rely on me for that which may seem distasteful."

Her smile falters.

However... for your own peace of mind, consider narrowing your vision right now. Her hand touches his cheek. We are not in the Storm Dragon Empire, but in the middle of the Dead Plains. If we cannot find our way back safely, all your plans will be for naught.

Liu Jin takes a deep breath and lets go of her at last.

We need to find Feng Hao, he says. If Feng Hao dies, Lord Feng Gui wins. In other words, his death is the only real condition for this game to really end. There are probably people from both factions trying to secure him as we speak.

Are you sure? Lu Mei asks dubiously. For all we know, he could be back in the Crimson Cloud Empire already.

He could be, Liu Jin says, nodding. However, I dont believe that to be the case. Had Feng Hao ended up alone, he would have tried to come here under his own power. However, if Feng Hao is with Feng Zhi, as I believe he is, then Feng Zhi is undoubtedly hiding him in the Dead Plains.

You sound certain of it.

Feng Zhi is protective of Feng Hao, Liu Jin says, thinking back to how Feng Zhi had reacted when he had gotten close to Feng Hao. On this occasion, those concerns are more than merited. He will not risk returning to the Eternal Flame Clan with Feng Hao when they could be ambushed by Core Disciples at any moment. Nor will he risk bringing him here for the same reason. He must be hiding him in the Dead Plains, likely in the Eye or at least near it. Everywhere else is too chaotic.

Left unsaid is that Feng Zhi and Feng Hao could both be dead. If that ends up being the case, all of Liu Jins theories and plans will end up in nothing.

The Eye covers a vast area, Lu Mei reminds him. Assuming you are right, it will not be easy to find them even with our numbers.

Actually Liu Jin hesitates for a moment. I was hoping you might be able to help with that.

Oh?

Liu Jin spares a glance at Bei Hong and Bei Duyi. After making sure they are still unconscious and that no one is eavesdropping, he turns to Lu Mei.

How far have you come along with the Eternal Flame?

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