Cang Yaochen sat withered by the Spiritual Spring until the first light of dawn broke through the mist.
He turned his head slightly. The wound on his left shoulder had already closed, the new flesh appearing startling and abrupt against his skin. Yet, what he found harder to endure than the injury itself was the lingering, viscous, and searing fragments of memory currently drifting through his body.
Mechanically, he scooped up a handful of bone-chillingly cold spring water, once again scrubbing the patch of new skin on his shoulder. It was a hue coaxed forth by Jiang Li's turbid qi, but for reasons he couldn't fathom, a sensation remained—a sense of being deeply touched by the opposite sex, or perhaps "tainted" by some shadowy, frigid power. It made every nerve in his body shudder.
"Absurd..." he whispered, his voice raspy, like stone grinding against sandpaper.
He had no memory of the madness that ensued after his "Eros" persona awoke the previous night, nor did he remember their near-savage confluence within the spring. In his perception, he had simply succumbed to a heavy injury and fainted. Upon waking, he found a crossbow wound on his body, and his ruined garments had been replaced with a set of moon-white robes.
Li'er... she not only saved him, but changed his clothes as well.
The moment this thought took root, it felt like a thorned vine tightening around his heart. Buddhist precepts remained the pillar of his final divinity, even in this collapsing world. To him, being defiled was a shame more unspeakable than death.
His long, slender fingertips turned a sickly blue-white from the prolonged immersion in the cold water, yet he did not stop. He continued until the new skin was scrubbed a bright, angry red, with faint beads of blood beginning to seep through.
Finally, he stood up slowly, returned to the bamboo hut, and changed into the long robes Lin Yuan had prepared in the wardrobe. His powerful fingers trembled slightly as he fastened the buttons one by one, sealing them all the way to the very top of his throat. The stiff collar pressed tightly against his neck, bringing a suffocating sense of constriction. It felt as though only by doing this could he lock away his inner turmoil and return to being that elegant, holy god who sat upon the lotus throne, untouched by the dust of the world.
He looked out toward the bamboo forest, where the morning mist had yet to disperse. Just as he reached the door, intending to explore the island, the wooden door next door opened with a sharp creak.
Jiang Li stepped out, carrying a basin of water mixed with dark blood. Her long hair was somewhat disheveled, and there was a noticeable darkness under her eyes—a sign of exhaustion from the depletion of her strength. The previous night, the turbid qi within her had been forcefully compressed into a core due to that frenzied encounter. Now, that core throbbed restlessly, emitting an aura of ferocity that only she could perceive.
Their gazes collided in the narrow corridor.
The air froze instantly.
Cang Yaochen's body stiffened. The moment he saw Jiang Li, a flash of panic crossed his eyes, swiftly replaced by a forced, cold indifference. He lowered his eyelashes, his gaze fixed dead-on at the moss near the tips of Jiang Li's toes. His fingers clenched into a tight fist inside his sleeve, his knuckles turning white from the sheer force.
"You're awake?" Jiang Li spoke first, her voice carrying a calculated, defensive coldness.
If he knew what kind of intimate contact we had underwater, this stubborn donkey would probably sever his own meridians on the spot to prove his purity, Jiang Li thought. I'm the one who should be afraid, yet he's the one acting like he's seen a ghost. Then he has the nerve to remember absolutely nothing. She cursed him a thousand times in her head.
Cang Yaochen's Adam's apple bobbed. When he spoke, his voice was as stiff as if it had been frozen in deep ice. "My thanks to Li'er for tending to my wounds these past two days. However, as for the matter of... changing clothes, please do not trouble yourself further in the future."
He spoke with extreme slowness, every word dripping with a restraint that kept her at a distance. As he stepped aside to let her pass, he instinctively shrank back half a pace toward the wall, terrified that the hem of his robe might brush against her.
That physical evasion was so blatant that a flash of dark-gold light flickered in Jiang Li's eyes.
"Trouble?" Jiang Li let out a cold laugh. She slammed the wooden basin down onto the ground, splashing a few droplets of dark blood. The blood emitted a nauseating stench of purified runes. "You think I wanted to look at your rotten bones? You were so badly hurt your heart had nearly stopped. If you had died and rotted in the room Senior Brother Lin found for me, how would I explain it? I simply wiped on some medicine and changed your skin. Master, there is no need to look so aggrieved, as if you've been harvested by a demoness."
Jiang Li felt her blood pressure rising; she was so angry she almost wanted to demand this monk take responsibility for her.
However, the more impatient and venomous Jiang Li acted, the more the suspicion in Cang Yaochen's eyes faded. He breathed a secret sigh of relief. While the shame of being touched remained, at least the "truth" did not seem as unbearable as he had feared. In his eyes, Jiang Li was still that sharp-tongued girl who nonetheless protected him at the risk of her life.
"It was... a narrow-mindedness on my part." Cang Yaochen suppressed the chaos in his eyes, returning to the persona of the elegant, holy monk who lived outside the laws of this world's systems. "I examined myself just now and found the wound has healed with remarkable speed. I presume it was the efficacy of the Pure Calamity Grass. However, that arrow came under suspicious circumstances. Li'er, could you tell me how this injury came to be?"
Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged. "The Pure Calamity Grass is an immortal herb; you're lucky to be alive. As for that arrow, it came from the direction of the bamboo forest. It didn't hit you, though; I pulled you out of the way."
Cang Yaochen frowned slightly, asking in confusion, "If Li'er already pulled me out of the way, then why is there still this wound?"
Jiang Li rolled her eyes at him. "Ask yourself. You did it to yourself. You pulled it out of the doorframe and stabbed yourself with it. There are still marks on your doorframe." She continued impatiently, "If you can't remember, stop asking so many questions. Go investigate it yourself, alright?"
Cang Yaochen suspected that his "Eros" god-persona must have done something while it was active. Furthermore, he realized that the backlash of the Calamity Ash within him had been inexplicably suppressed into an incredibly stable range—a sensation he had never experienced before. At this moment, he didn't suspect turbid qi, assuming instead that it was the island's barrier or the herb's divine effect.
"Very well, Li'er. I shall go investigate," Cang Yaochen said softly. He looked toward the forest, his gaze turning deep. "I have seen it; the arrow was inscribed with 'Deity-Slaying Runes.' Such markings are not something ordinary disciples can employ. I must uncover the truth, or I cannot rest easy leaving you within this sect."
Jiang Li shared the sentiment. If the turbid qi core in her body wasn't stabilized soon, the backlash from this forced fusion would tear her apart at any moment. She needed to go to the "Pavilion of Whispers" Lin Yuan had mentioned to see if there were deeper records regarding turbid qi.
"I don't need you to worry about me." Jiang Li picked up the basin and brushed past him, her tone icy. "We shall not interfere with each other."
Cang Yaochen watched her figure disappear beyond the courtyard gate. Only then did the heavy weight pressing on his chest ease slightly. He adjusted his collar once more, ensuring every inch of skin Jiang Li had glanced at was strictly covered, before stepping toward the dense forest.
The ancient trees on either side of the mountain path appeared distorted and menacing in the mist.
Cang Yaochen walked steadily, but every breath felt like an act of self-reflection. He tried to strip away those lingering, dream-like sensations of touch from his mind, but this very act of evasion was like planting a thorn named "Jiang Li" into his pristine heart.
Unknown to him, deep within the seemingly empty bamboo grove, Lin Yuan stood behind an ancient pine, silently watching the two as they went their separate ways.
Lin Yuan's expression was peculiar.
His usually clear eyes held a dull, focal-less softness, and the curve of his smile was as precise as if measured by a ruler. Mechanically, he withdrew a jade slip from his sleeve. His fingertips trembled slightly as if struggling against something, but soon, that struggle was suppressed by a golden rune.
"Junior Sister Jiang... The Great Elder requests your presence."
He talked to himself, his voice drifting light and airy through the mist of Juling Island, sounding like an ominous funeral bell.