Song Yanqing escaped from Yan Chen's encirclement, but he didn't know where he had entered. There were black, withered trees all around, and Red-Eyed Crow Cuckoo stood on the withered trees.
They gathered together, but were not aggressive monsters. They simply watched as the dying Song Yanqing, carrying his exhausted body, moved forward, leaving a bloody footprint on each side, seemingly waiting for his death, a scene both lonely and terrifying.
Song Yanqing knew what they were waiting for, but he no longer had the strength to resist. He frowned, gritted his teeth, placed his hand on his chest, and looked fierce and resolute.
No matter what, he couldn't die here today. He still had unfinished business to do, he hadn't found his family yet, and he hadn't found the owner of that aura that was intricately connected to his natal magic weapon.
He had no relatives or friends from birth, and grew up in exile in the countryside. He stumbled through high school and did well on the college entrance exam.
When his spiritual roots were tested, he was found to be a very talented individual with Five Spiritual Roots. He could have had a bright future, but because the natal magic weapon he had hidden in his heart before entering the academy awakened and gave birth to a spirit, he became a target of covetousness and was relentlessly pursued afterward.
Things were better when Song Yanqing was at the academy; those people weren't so blatant because the academy had rules against students fighting each other, and anyone wanting to engage in a duel had to apply for permission.
Both sides must agree before proceeding to the next step. Many people have applied to fight him, but he has never agreed to one. He knows what their purpose is. He is all alone and cannot die, much less lose his natal magic weapon.
During his five years at the academy, he cultivated diligently and finally broke through to the Nascent Soul, but he was still no match for those Golden Core Stage trash who had been fed pills and their Nascent Soul guards and lackeys.
"Pfft... cough cough..."
With one hand supporting himself on a black wooden stake, Song Yanqing couldn't suppress the metallic, sweet, and itchy feeling in his throat. After a dull pain, he finally spat out a mouthful of slightly dark-colored blood, followed by endless coughing, each cough sounding as if he were about to break apart.
Song Yanqing took a deep breath to calm himself, then looked up at the end of the dark wood. There seemed to be light there. He couldn't die here; he had to leave as soon as possible.
" Xingyun... lend me another hand."
Song Yanqing suddenly started running. As he ran, his voice suddenly rang out, and after he finished speaking, a weak male voice responded to him.
"Yes, Master."
After this response, Song Yanqing was suddenly enveloped in a silvery-white light. Within this light, he was impervious to all magic and moved with incredible speed. After the light disappeared, Song Yanqing ran to the spot of light and saw a small pavilion with a pastoral style.
Before Song Yanqing could see anything clearly, his blood rushed to his head, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness. He felt that he probably wouldn't live past tonight.
Shang Shujue was tending to the flowers and plants in the small attic, suddenly stopped and appeared in the courtyard in an instant. When he saw a young man lying in the courtyard with a somewhat familiar aura, he was stunned for a moment, then quickly went over and picked him up.
"Master! He has a familiar aura, but he's so weak, like he's about to vanish at any moment..."
Little Tangyuan sensed something and immediately emerged from Shang Shujue's sea of consciousness. The aura he sensed was becoming increasingly intense, but he felt the other party's aura was weakening, and he became inexplicably anxious.
" Tangyuan, you go first..."
Before Shang Shujue could finish speaking, his natal magic weapon suddenly emerged from his body. Before he could react, a key flew out of the heart of the blood-red boy who had just been placed on the bed, along with the weakened spirit of the weapon.
The moment the key and lock touched, they merged into one, resembling an arrow piercing a heart, but separated only for a split second, revealing golden characters.
[ The Lock of the Sworn Heart and Key of the Sworn Heart: With this vow, I pledge to spend the rest of my life with the one who holds it, to share life and death, and to never betray them. If I break this vow, may I be punished by karma and die a terrible death.]
Shang Shujue stared wide-eyed at Song Yanqing: "!!!"
Tangyuan stared wide-eyed at Xingyun: "!!!"
-
Song Yanqing felt weak all over, but he could smell the delicious aroma of food. A long-lost hunger pang rose in his stomach. He didn't know if it was because his spiritual energy was too scarce or because his cultivation level had dropped. Otherwise, how could a cultivator who practiced fasting be hungry?
Song Yanqing was filled with doubt. It was probably because his thoughts were too strong that he unconsciously opened his eyes. At first, his vision was a little blurry. He closed his eyes and blinked gently before his vision cleared, and he saw a completely unfamiliar scene.
Song Yanqing paused slightly, then unconsciously propped himself up and sat up in bed, only to find that all the large and small wounds on his body had disappeared.
My clothes had been changed, and I felt very dry. Apart from feeling weak all over, I didn't have any other discomfort.
All signs indicate that Song Yanqing not only did not die easily, but was even saved by someone, and the person who saved him was most likely a very refined man.
The room's layout and furnishings looked very neutral, but his intuition told him that the person who saved him must be a man. As for what kind of man he was, he didn't know, but he certainly wasn't a bad person.
"Huh? You're finally awake! If you hadn't woken up, I was going to beat up your spirit. He's so annoying, you'd better deal with him yourself! Hmph ╯^╰"
Song Yanqing could still smell the rich aroma of food. He lifted the covers and was just about to get out of bed when a round, chubby spirit suddenly darted in from outside the door.
The spirit was holding his spirit Xingyun in his hand, and judging from his dizzy appearance, he seemed to have been beaten up badly.
Before Song Yanqing could speak, the beautiful little spirit tossed Xingyun toward him. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out to catch it. With a soft thud, Xingyun, who was usually quiet, lay listlessly in his palm.
The moment Song Yanqing touched Xingyun, he knew that Xingyun's spiritual energy was abundant and he was no longer as weak as before, as if he was about to dissipate. He breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned slightly and poked Xingyun's cheek.
" Xingyun, was that spirit of the artifact the owner of this house? How did you offend it?"
Xingyun lay in Song Yanqing's palm for a while before finally recovering. His handsome face was serious and earnest. "Master, he is my lock."
"?" Song Yanqing was completely bewildered. He blinked a few times before realizing what Xingyun meant. His eyes widened as he asked, "You mean, the aura we've been searching for for so long..."
"Mmm!" Xingyun maintained a straight face, looking certain and sincere, but then, as if thinking of something, his brows furrowed, making him look rather pitiful. "Master, Tangyuan doesn't like Xingyun. Xingyun doesn't know what to do, Master."
Before Song Yanqing could answer him, he heard deliberately heavy footsteps. He looked up and saw a handsome man in white with an outstanding demeanor walk in.
He held the tray in one hand and lifted the beaded curtain above the door with the other. When he looked up, a hint of surprise seemed to flash in his clear, cold eyes, but it quickly subsided, becoming calm and still, devoid of any other emotion.
Song Yanqing felt his heart pounding like a drum. At this moment, his life, which had been filled with confusion for twenty-three years, seemed to have finally found its purpose and hope. He and the person in front of him were destined to be together!