Chapter 180 - Without Help

Madam Zhong looked with a blank expression at the man in black robes that had crashed into Zhong Gang's courtyard. She had known that he had something to do with the dragons from the very beginning, after all, he had left a dragon-shaped mark on her son's forehead and had later admitted himself that he had some connection to them. But seeing a large dragon flying over and then turn into a familiar human figure still came as a shock to her.

So, he doesn't just have a relationship with them. He is one of them. No wonder. I always felt that this man wasn't simple. He has a special aura around him. And those things he could do like changing his face and appearing out of thin air … Maybe that isn't what a Daoist Master does but instead typical for a dragon?

She was lost in thought for a moment until she finally realized that something wasn't right. Qiu Ling wasn't moving.

She hastily put her husband's memorial tablet down and knelt beside Qiu Ling. "Daoist …" She shook her had. "Qiu Ling? Are you alright?" She gingerly shook his shoulder.

Qiu Ling's eyes cracked open, scaring Madam Zhong half witless. Those eyes … She had looked often enough into them to know that they were of a dark color, nearly completely black. But now, one of them had turned red.

Qiu Ling blinked as if he felt that something was wrong. When he opened his eyes again they had returned to their original color. "Mother-in-law … don't … don't tell him", he whispered hoarsely. Then his eyes closed again.

Madam Zhong shook his shoulder once more. "Qiu Ling. Qiu Ling!" Her self-proclaimed son-in-law didn't wake up, though.

Madam Zhong sat next to him and bit her lower lip. What now? She didn't know why he was like this and how she could help.

She looked at her husband's memorial tablet as if he could answer her questions. "Let's just bring him inside first", she decided. She gripped Qiu Ling's arm and put it around her shoulder, then she tried to pick him up from the ground.

She managed to lift his upper body but she couldn't go any farther. He was too heavy and she wasn't strong enough. Madam Zhong sighed and tried to drag him but she had to stop after a couple of steps already.

"Ah, I'd better go and get help." She put Qiu Ling down and wanted to run out but she halted when she was about to pass by her husband's memorial tablet. "Let me put that inside first." She picked it up and ran back into the house.

In the meantime, a man in white robes descended from the sky. He stopped next to Qiu Ling and frowned. His gaze wandered to where the whirlwind had been, then he crouched down. He picked up Qiu Ling's wrist and inserted a thread of spiritual energy. His frown deepened.

Just then, Madam Zhong returned. She instantly tensed seeing an unfamiliar man next to Qiu Ling. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man stood up and slightly bowed. "Pardon my intrusion. I'm Yu Jin of the Yun Zou Sect. I came over because I wanted to help disperse the whirlwind but it seems like somebody already took care of it. Then, I noticed Senior Martial Brother Qiu. Do you know what happened to him?"

The man looked slightly worried and he wore the white robes she knew from the disciples of the Yun Zou Sect so she slowly let her guard down. She didn't intend to answer his question, though, and shook her head. "No, I'm not sure." Of course, she knew that it had to have something to do with that whirlwind but she wouldn't say that.

Her son-in-law had just asked her not to tell him. She could imagine which 'him' he was talking about. It definitely was her son. But she didn't know what he didn't want her to tell Jing Yi. So, she better said nothing for now. Neither to her son nor to anybody else. That would be for the best.

"Ah, Daoist Yu, could you help me carry my son-in-law inside? I tried to do it myself but …"

The man nodded, picked Qiu Ling up and followed Madam Zhong to one of the rooms. He put Qiu Ling down on the bed and once again took his wrist. What had happened? He didn't understand and somehow he was unable to find any hint either.

Madam Zhong cast a worried glance at what he was doing. She was afraid he might find something out that Qiu Ling rather wanted to keep a secret but they were from the same sect and he only wanted to help so there was no valid reason for her to refuse him. She picked up a blanket and covered Qiu Ling. That was probably all she could do to help him.

In the end, she stood next to Yu Jin. "How is it? Did you find anything?"

He shook his head. "No. I also don't understand what is happening. It seems whatever it is he'll have to manage to get through it himself."

Madam Zhong looked at her son-in-law and could only sigh. She really hoped he would be able to overcome whatever it was that tormented him right now. She didn't worry too much, though. She had already seen what this man was capable of. She didn't believe that anything could devastate him so easily.

Instead, there was another thing worrying her: Qiu Ling had taken Jing Yi away but he had returned alone. So, where was her son now?

Indeed, she was right to worry about that because Jing Yi was still sitting at the summit of that mountain, his eyes closed like he had promised Qiu Ling. He was still afraid that something might happen to his mother and the longer he waited there, alone, the more he started to worry that something might have happened to Qiu Ling, too.

In the end, when the day was about to end and Qiu Ling still hadn't returned he lowered his hands and opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the capital. "Qiu Ling, where are you? It couldn't be that because of what I said, because of me begging you to save my mother, you yourself were injured, could it?" Once again his eyes filled with tears. They hadn't known each other for long but he did like to have Qiu Ling around him. He could actually imagine that this might evolve into something more in the future. But maybe it would be better if it didn't since it seemed like he had only caused trouble for him up until now.

Jing Yi sighed, wiped the tears from his cheeks and stood up. "I can't just depend on him. If I want to make sure that Qiu Ling won't regret choosing me, then I have to become strong myself. Grand Master Zhangsun said that it would be possible to reach the root stage in one year. Even if I don't have heavenly spirit veins I can still do it. I'll prove to Qiu Ling that he can depend on me just as much as I depend on him."

With that thought, he turned around and started to climb down the mountain on his own.