C18 The Healing!

The maneuver had struck Luo Qingshuang with devastating force. Her world went black, and she fainted.

A burly man quickly caught her and turned to Lee Guanghan, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Young Master Li. Today didn't go as planned. Let's meet another day." He then carried Qingshuang out of the restaurant.

Lee Guanghan nodded, his expression unreadable as he mulled over Ling Xiao's recent swordplay. He wondered whether he could have withstood such a blow. The answer was an unequivocal no.

"He can't be left alive," Lee Guanghan thought, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. Gritting his teeth, he dashed downstairs, determined to take out Ling Xiao. Otherwise, if Ling Xiao became stronger, the Ling family would rule supreme.

Supported by Bai Yuxi, Ling Xiao's meridians pulsed with excruciating pain. His face was ghostly white, and sweat streamed down his face.

"Young Master, please don't scare me. I'll fetch a doctor right away," Bai Yuxi sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"No, get me to the nearest inn—fast," Ling Xiao said weakly.

"Okay," Bai Yuxi responded, nodding fervently to Ling Xiao's command.

Lee Guanghan exited the inn and raced toward the Ling residence, aiming to kill Ling Xiao before he could return. However, he didn't realize Ling Xiao wasn't heading home, and he ended up waiting fruitlessly on the Ling family's usual path all night.

At the inn, Ling Xiao insisted on privacy and immediately began to meditate to heal his injuries.

Ling Xiao had depleted his profound strength. His ten meridians were overwhelmed by the backlash of a powerful technique. If he didn't stabilize them soon, they would sustain further damage and become useless, undoing all his hard work.

Therefore, Ling Xiao opted not to go home immediately but to recover at an inn, narrowly escaping peril.

In a simple inn room, a lovely, plain girl leaned against the doorframe, watching the handsome young man in a white robe meditating on the bed.

His face was ashen, with dry blood at his lips. His hands were placed before his abdomen as he silently recited a cultivation mantra. His complexion cycled from pale to flushed to blue and back to pale, over and over. Gradually, faint wisps of white smoke rose from his dark hair, creating a mystical aura.

The delicate and pure girl gazed at the boy on the bed, her eyes filled with a blend of worry and fascination. The strange spectacle puzzled her greatly, yet she dared not make a sound, as if afraid to break his focus. Gradually, her eyes closed.

Ling Xiao had sat through the entire night.

As he opened his eyes, the morning of a new day greeted him.

After a night of healing, his meridians had stabilized, but they were still weak. It would take at least two weeks for a full recovery.

He thought back to the day before, when he had unleashed the powerful 'Traceable Sword,' the first technique of the 'Sword Tyrant' series, invented by Bu Jingyun. At his current level as an eighth-grade Martial Disciple, he could have ended Luo Qingshuang, a Middle Rank Profound Warrior, with a single blow. But Ling Xiao had no intention of ruthless slaughter. He held no ill will towards Luo Qingshuang, and killing her would have brought the fury of the Luo family upon him, a battle he was not prepared for.

His recent sword purchase was a tactical decision, ensuring he had a life-saving technique for his travels through the Wilderness Mountain Range.

The 'Sword Tyrant' series comprises three techniques. The first, 'Traceable Sword,' is the most brutal and ferocious, ensuring blood is drawn with its use. The second, 'Floating Cloud Sword,' and the third, 'Shooting Star Sword,' were beyond his current level of profound strength.

In his former life, he had barely managed to execute 'Shooting Star Sword,' slaying eight Xiantian masters in one fell swoop, a testament to its fearsome power.

Ling Xiao got out of bed and noticed Bai Yuxi sitting by the door, shivering.

Alarmed, he hurried over to her. She was deathly pale, her eyelashes quivering like fragile butterflies, and her hands were clasped to her chest like a pitiful little kitten, evoking pity from onlookers.

He felt her forehead; it was hot to the touch—she was feverish.

Despite his weakened state, Ling Xiao scooped up Bai Yuxi with little effort, as she was light, not even a hundred pounds.

Bai Yuxi clung to Ling Xiao as if he were a warm blanket, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burrowing into his embrace with an endearing restlessness. She was undeniably adorable.

Ling Xiao's heart raced. In both his past and present lives, he had never lacked the company of beautiful women, yet he remained untouched.

Many would question this. Was he impotent?

No, the answer was something that even Ling Xiao himself found difficult to accept.

He had always been obedient to his Old Ghost master since childhood.

During his martial arts training, his master had said something that Ling Xiao would regret for a long time: "Xiao, to cultivate peerless martial arts, you must maintain the innocence of a virgin. Only with pure Qi can you attain the supreme true power."

At that time, Ling Xiao was fervently devoted to martial arts, aiming to become the supreme martial master. He took his Old Ghost master's advice to heart, not realizing his mistake until he perished alongside the four legendary masters of the Ghost Sect. He then cursed his master for depriving him of life's joys.

Fortunately, he had been given another chance at life, saving him from eternal regret.

Suppressing the rising temptation, Ling Xiao gently placed Bai Yuxi on the bed and covered her with a blanket. He summoned a servant to bring hot water for a facial compress and transferred a small amount of the profound strength he had regained the previous night into Bai Yuxi, confident she would recover by noon.

Watching the captivating Bai Yuxi before him, a wicked idea popped into Ling Xiao's head: "Maybe I should keep her as my personal maid forever. Otherwise, some other man will benefit, and that would be a great loss."

"Tsk, when did I become so vile?" Ling Xiao chided himself, nibbling on some food the servant had delivered earlier. He then collected his thoughts and continued his seated meditation on the floor.

Outside, as Ling Xiao meditated and healed in the inn, a desperate search for him was underway.

Rewinding to the night before, Ling Zhan was deeply immersed in his cultivation of the Three Divisions Essence Returning Energy when Meng Xiyun interrupted him. Her worry was straightforward: her son and goddaughter had been out all day without returning. As a mother, her anxiety was natural, compounded by her ignorance of her son's restored ability to cultivate profound strength. Her greatest fear was to find her son severely injured and unconscious once more.