Gu Yi did not understand what Lin Yuan meant and said, "No, this isn't a story about the Demonic Cult. It's a story from my hometown. I think all the children there grew up hearing it."
Lin Yuan nodded. "Fine, then. There must be plenty of naive people in your hometown..."
Gu Yi: "..."
"What? Am I wrong? That Snow White Palace Master or whatever sounds stupid. That's why the queen could trick her with a poisoned apple. The woman was right beside her, yet she couldn't even see that she meant her harm."
When Lin Yuan heard no response from Gu Yi, he thought Gu Yi did not like hearing it. "Just like that Demon Venerable of yours, stupidly letting He Yan poison him!"
Gu Yi froze, but he could not refute him. "You're right..."
He was very stupid. Otherwise, He Yan would never have poisoned him. If he had not fallen for it, he should have been home by now...
"And that Little Red Riding Hood! Couldn't she tell whether her own grandmother was a human or a wolf? If she'd noticed a little sooner, maybe..." At this point, Lin Yuan's voice suddenly grew quieter. "Maybe I wouldn't be here either..."
Gu Yi raised his head slightly and saw Lin Yuan's desolate expression.
It was the first time he had seen Lin Yuan look like this in all his time inside the barrier. "Little immortal? What's wrong?"
"I'm fine! These fairy tales of yours aren't any good!" Lin Yuan suddenly turned his back to Gu Yi. "Stop telling them. What lousy stories!"
Only then did Gu Yi realize: had this fellow put himself in Little Red Riding Hood's shoes?
He had probably been framed by a "wolf grandmother" from his own sect, which was why he was trapped here.
He called other people fools, but he was a little fool himself.
"Little immortal, don't be sad." Gu Yi moved up behind him and gently patted him.
"I told you not to touch me..." Lin Yuan swept out his hand and knocked Gu Yi over. "Don't you understand?"
Gu Yi gave a muffled grunt and fell beside Lin Yuan, coughing.
He had already been in poor condition these past few days, and he had not expected Lin Yuan to lash out suddenly.
As he coughed, he could not help spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Lin Yuan's nose twitched. With his eyes unable to see, his other senses had grown sharper instead. "Are you bleeding?"
Gu Yi wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "Little immortal, you were still a child when you were trapped in this barrier. That 'wolf grandmother' was too wicked. Once you get out, just kill him. You don't need to sit here sulking."
Lin Yuan reached out to feel for Gu Yi. He had momentarily forgotten that Gu Yi was a dying man. He had not meant to hurt him.
Gu Yi caught Lin Yuan's hand. "Little immortal, stop feeling around. You'll get blood all over your hand."
Gu Yi's hand was frighteningly cold. Lin Yuan's fingers shifted, and he turned his hand to grasp Gu Yi's, channeling spiritual energy into him. "Why are you so cold? Are you about to..."
"Little immortal... take your spiritual energy back. I've had little time left for a long while now. I'm already content to have lived another half month." Gu Yi sat down beside Lin Yuan and closed his eyes, leaning against the "wall."
Lin Yuan's warm body was on his right, and the barrier was behind him. "I should have died from that fall three years ago. I never thought I'd live another three years... and live so..."
"Hey, Gu Yi!" Lin Yuan held his hand and kept channeling spiritual energy into him. "Don't die! I didn't mean to push you just now..."
"I worked so hard these past three years. I worked hard at cultivating, worked hard at completing missions. I just wanted to go home. I was so close to being able to lie on the sofa, eating chips and drinking cola..."
Gu Yi's consciousness had already begun to blur, and he slumped sideways into Lin Yuan's arms.
Lin Yuan reached out and touched his face. Gu Yi was like a patient under general anesthesia, unaware of what he was saying. "Even the system doesn't want me anymore. It won't come out no matter how much I call. It even said something about a system error. I think it just abandoned me because I failed..."
"Gu Yi, you're not allowed to die, do you hear me? And you're certainly not allowed to die in my arms."
Lin Yuan brought his ear close to Gu Yi's lips, trying to hear what he wanted to say.
Gu Yi's murmurs grew quieter and quieter. "My phone password is 456654, my bank password is 789987, and the code to my front door is 123789..."
"Gu Yi!"
Lin Yuan gritted his teeth and forced out the words, "If you dare die, I'll pull out your soul and keep you from reincarnating!"
With that, he bent down, pressed his forehead against Gu Yi's, and broke into Gu Yi's sea of consciousness.
After entering Gu Yi's sea of consciousness, Lin Yuan headed straight for his spiritual consciousness and enveloped it in an instant.
Gu Yi's spiritual consciousness was mumbling too. "Mm... so warm... could you hold me..."
Having done this once before, Lin Yuan could already skillfully guide Gu Yi's spiritual consciousness, following its rhythm. "Gu Yi, do you hear me? Don't die!"
At some point, tears had seeped from Gu Yi's closed eyes and flowed from their outer corners into his hair.
He was curled entirely in Lin Yuan's arms, both hands clutching his clothes.
Spiritual energy flowed ceaselessly from Lin Yuan into Gu Yi's body.
His once-parched meridians were nourished little by little.
Spiritual energy circulated between them, entering Gu Yi's body from Lin Yuan's, completing a circuit, then flowing back into Lin Yuan's body.
Although the rupturing of his meridians had left almost all the spiritual energy in Gu Yi's body depleted.
The portion remaining within him was drawn along by Lin Yuan's spiritual energy and began circulating with it.
Warm spiritual energy washed through his entire body, a cozy warmth...
When Gu Yi woke again, he was completely dazed.
Why was he sleeping in Lin Yuan's arms?
Yesterday????
What had happened?
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Gu Yi wished he could just die.
What was he supposed to do now?
Lin Yuan had saved his life again, and he could feel that after this session of soul cultivation, his body was much better than last time. At least he could hold on for two months.
He was like this because he had detonated his own spiritual core. By practicing soul cultivation with him, Lin Yuan was helping repair his meridians and spiritual core.
And this was only soul cultivation. If the two of them cultivated together...
If they did it a few more times, perhaps he could...
Stop! Stop, stop, stop...
At that thought, Gu Yi immediately dismissed the idea.
Gu Yi, you scumbag!
Lin Yuan has no idea what soul cultivation is, and he probably doesn't know what cultivating together means either. Yet you actually want to take advantage of him, and even defile him. Are you even human?
Lin Yuan is such a pure little flower. Gu Yi! Are you even human?
He saved your life. How can you be so filthy?
Before you continue