Awakening

When Mu Bai opened his eyes, the sunlight beyond the window stabbed into them, leaving his vision a blur.

He tried to move his fingers, but a piercing pain immediately spread from his right shoulder through his entire body.

He sucked in a sharp breath, and fine beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead.

"Young Master is awake! Hurry and notify the Prince!" A clear female voice rang by his ear, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps.

Mu Bai slowly shifted his eyes and recognized his personal maid, Ling Xiu.

The little girl's eyes were red-rimmed. She had clearly done no small amount of crying these past two days.

"Water..." Mu Bai forced out the word with difficulty, his throat dry as though it had been scorched by fire.

Ling Meng hurriedly brought over a cup of warm ginseng tea and carefully lifted his head.

Every inch Mu Bai moved made the bones throughout his body protest. Especially the spot on his chest struck by Master Dehua's Dragon Elephant Divine Skill—it felt as though countless needles were piercing it at once.

Only after the tea slid down his throat did Mu Bai feel a little more alive.

He tried to circulate the true qi within his body, only to find that his meridians were like a dried-up riverbed. The true qi stagnated as soon as it reached his chest.

"How long was I unconscious?" Mu Bai asked hoarsely.

"Two days and two nights." Ling Meng wiped away her tears. "The Prince invited the best physicians in the city to examine you. They said the damage to the meridians throughout your body was severe. The fact that you survived was already a miracle."

Mu Bai closed his eyes, and the life-or-death battle from two days ago replayed in his mind.

Master Dehua truly deserved his reputation as a Grandmaster of Martial Arts who had been renowned for thirty years. His Dragon Elephant Divine Skill had reached perfection, and combined with the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill, it was both unassailable in defense and devastating in attack—truly difficult to contend with.

Had he not desperately unleashed the fourth sword of the Eight Swords of Lightness at the very last moment—and had that fourth sword not broken through its original shackles amid the brink of life and death, becoming even more powerful—he would never have broken Master Dehua's Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill.

Otherwise, he might not even have been able to protect his royal father.

"Master Dehua... has he left?" Mu Bai asked softly.

Ling Meng nodded, a trace of awe flashing through her eyes. "Although his chest was injured by the Young Master's Sword Qi, his wounds seemed relatively light. After adjusting his breathing that very day, he left. According to the guards at the city gates, Master Dehua should have already departed Xiaoyao City."

At this point, Ling Meng let out a long breath. Back then, the people of the Carefree Prince's Estate had watched Master Dehua stand back up not long afterward, looking as though he was no longer seriously injured, while Mu Bai had already collapsed to the ground.

Under such circumstances, if Master Dehua had chosen to make trouble, no one could have stopped a Grandmaster of Martial Arts!

Fortunately, Master Dehua had respected his status and did not break the agreement. Instead, he kept his promise and left the Carefree Prince's Estate.

As she spoke, Ling Meng seemed to recall something else. Her eyes lit up as she said excitedly, "Now all of Xiaoyao City is saying that the Young Master is the youngest Grandmaster of Martial Arts Great Yan has seen in centuries."

Mu Bai gave a bitter smile.

The wastrel image he had painstakingly cultivated for years had been completely destroyed by this battle.

He tried to sit up, but the motion pulled at the wound on his chest. He broke into a violent coughing fit, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Ling Meng turned deathly pale with fright and quickly pressed him back down. "Young Master, don't move! The physician said you must remain bedridden for at least half a month!"

"Help me up."

Mu Bai spoke stubbornly. "I've been lying here for two days. My bones are about to fall apart."

With Ling Meng's support, Mu Bai painstakingly shuffled to the edge of the bed.

The instant his feet touched the ground, his vision went black, and he nearly toppled over.

Every joint in his body screamed with pain. The palm print on his chest in particular still brought excruciating agony even though it had been wrapped tightly.

"A mirror."

Mu Bai ordered.

Ling Meng fetched a bronze mirror. Mu Bai looked at the pale face reflected within—sunken eye sockets, cracked lips; where was even a trace of his former dashing, elegant bearing?

Only those eyes remained, deep and still as an ancient well.

"Heh, looking like this, I'm afraid even the girls at Drunken Immortal Tower wouldn't recognize me."

Mu Bai laughed at himself, but the motion tugged at the wounds on his face, making him bare his teeth in pain.

He slowly walked to the window and pushed open the carved wooden shutters.

May sunlight poured inside, while the courtyard remained a scene of devastation.

Two days ago, he had fought Master Dehua to the death in the woods within the Prince's Estate.

Now, more than half the trees had been broken, and dark-red bloodstains still remained on the ground.

"Is the Young Master going out?" Seeing him stand by the window frame for so long, Ling Meng asked worriedly.

Mu Bai nodded. "I've been cooped up for two days. I'm going out to get some air."

Ling Meng hurriedly brought over a moon-white robe and draped it around him.

Mu Bai noticed that the little girl's hands had been trembling slightly the entire time, and she did not dare meet his gaze—this was the mark of awe.

Although this little maid had always been respectful in the past, she had occasionally dared to joke with him. Now, however, she acted as though she were facing some Fierce Beast.

Mu Bai sighed inwardly but said nothing.

He slowly walked out of the room and headed toward the garden along the corridor.

Every step felt as though a heavy hammer were striking his chest, yet not the slightest hint showed on his face.

The maids and guards they passed in the corridor all stopped to bow, their eyes brimming with awe.

Mu Bai heard hushed whispers behind him: "Is that really Young Master?"

"How could it be fake? I saw with my own eyes how his sword became divine and shattered Master Dehua's golden body!"

"Heavens, wasn't Young Master usually only good at eating, drinking, and having fun?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! He's a Grandmaster of Martial Arts—do you want to die?"

The corner of Mu Bai's lips lifted slightly.

Indeed, who could have imagined that the dissolute Young Master of the Carefree Prince's Estate, who spent his days haunting brothels, gambling on cockfights, and racing horses, was actually a martial arts prodigy who had hidden his talent for years?

Passing through a moon gate, Mu Bai arrived at the prince's main courtyard.

There were even more guards here. At the sight of him, they all dropped to one knee in salute. "Greetings, Young Master!"

Their voices were neat and resounding, utterly unlike their formerly perfunctory attitude.

Mu Bai waved a hand. Just as he was about to speak, a wave of dizziness suddenly struck.

His body swayed, and he hurriedly braced himself against the stone pillar beside him.

The movement aggravated his internal injuries. Sweetness surged into his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood onto his moon-white robe, glaring as red plum blossoms against snow.

"Young Master!" the guards cried out in alarm.

Mu Bai waved again to show that he was fine, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.