On the first day of his weakness, Lu Chen could not even get out of bed.
His body was like a machine that had run out of oil, every bone creaking and groaning.
He lay in bed, staring at the tent roof. There were several cracks in the canvas overhead, and sunlight leaked through them, casting thin ribbons of light across the ground.
Dust drifted within those ribbons, slowly, as though suspended in water.
Yun Qingyue came in carrying a bowl of porridge and sat by the bed. It was thick millet porridge with red dates and goji berries in it. She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to his lips.
"Open your mouth."
Lu Chen opened his mouth and drank. The porridge was hot, flowing from his throat into his stomach and filling him with warmth.
"I can do it myself."
"You can't even lift your hand." Yun Qingyue's tone was flat, but she held out another spoonful.
He could not drink any more after half a bowl. Yun Qingyue set the bowl on the table, rummaged through the medicine chest, and took out a silver needle, which she inserted into his wrist. It went in an inch; when she pulled it out, its tip was black.
"Death aura has seeped into your meridians. The side effects of the Dragon Thunder True Form aren't limited to weakness. Your defensive power has dropped to zero, and the death aura took advantage of the opening."
"Can it be cleared?"
"It can. But it will take time." She wiped the silver needle clean and put it away. "Seven days. For seven days, you cannot fight, use true essence, or use the Dragon Thunder True Form again."
Seven days. The seal could only hold for three months. Wasting seven