Afraid of Pain

This is an open conspiracy, Sang Ying is certain of it.

The founder of the Flowing Light Sword Sect used the sect's fortune to imprison Jiang Zhuoxue. This seemed to be very selfless, but anyone who had a grudge against Jiang Zhuoxue would have no choice but to protect the Flowing Light Sword Sect for life in order to prevent him from escaping from the formation.

So even though so many years have passed and countless sects have come and gone, the Flowing Light Sword Sect has always stood among the major sects.

This is all because Jiang Zhuoxue is imprisoned under the sect's control!

Sang Ying sighed and continued writing, "If that's the case, then these Devil Beasts at the bottom of the cliff are probably all Jiang Zhuoxue's doing."

Gu Shu pointed with the tip of his sword. "Indeed, besides Jiang Zhuoxue, who else has such great ability?"

Even while imprisoned, she managed to summon so many Devil Beasts. If she truly made a deal with this person, would they really let her go once she's free?

Sang Ying was really unsure, after all, Gu Shu had also said that the rumored Jiang Zhuoxue was an unpredictable person.

Sang Ying dared not take the risk. Her grip on the pen tightened, but she still wrote, "If I wanted to kill him, what do you think the chances of success would be?"

Clang!

That was the sound of the Dragon Abyss Sword suddenly hitting the ground. The words on the paper really startled Gu Shu.

He quickly tore open Sang Ying's paper and carved a line of flamboyant characters in the courtyard. "That's Jiang Zhuoxue! Even if Gu Wangchuan were here, he wouldn't dare say he could beat her. I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible!"

Sang Ying trusted Gu Shu's judgment. If even he feared someone, then Sang Ying, whose Golden Core had been shattered, was definitely no match for that person now.

But for Sang Ying, Jiang Zhuoxue was far too dangerous. If she didn't eliminate such a person while he was down on his luck, he would likely bring her endless trouble in the future, just like Su Fuyun.

Perhaps fearing that Sang Ying might do something rash, Gu Shu continued writing, "If you don't want to give him the Dragon Abyss Sword, why don't you discuss it with him? You set him free, and he'll take you out of the valley. Then we can try going to the Plain Robe Pavilion; perhaps Sect Leader Meng and the others will have a solution?"

Sang Ying tossed aside the paper and pen, feeling that Gu Shu was rather naive. If Jiang Zhuoxue were truly a person who kept her promises, she wouldn't have become such a scourge upon the Cultivation World.

Sang Ying is now trapped here, and the communication talisman is ineffective. Ahead lies an endless array of Devil Beast, and behind her is Jiang Zhuoxue.

She needs to calm down and think carefully about how to resolve this crisis.

Three days passed quickly. Even though Gu Shu was unwilling, the vine appeared in front of the wooden house as expected at the appointed time.

This time, it boldly ventured into the kitchen and devoured quite a bit of food.

Sang Ying couldn't help but wonder, what exactly did these slender vines eat?

Unaware of Sang Ying's thoughts, the vines, having eaten and drunk their fill, obediently wrapped themselves around Sang Ying wrist, leading her into the cave.

Perhaps following Jiang Zhuoxue's instructions, the vines moved with extra caution this time, protecting Sang Ying and Gu Shu very carefully.

The formation that trapped Jiang Zhuoxue was set up at the very back of the cave. Sang Ying and Gu Shu followed the vines down the mountain and walked for a long time before finally seeing the person.

"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for so long. Did you bring the Dragon Abyss Sword?" He seemed quite certain that Sang Ying wouldn't refuse the deal.

Even Gu Shu thought so. On the way to the cave, he secretly broke away from the Dragon Abyss Sword and hid on Sang Ying's bone sword.

Instead of answering directly, Sang Ying asked him, "If I save you, senior, how long will it take for my Dantian to heal?"

Jiang Zhuoxue smiled, her dazed eyes filled with joy. "If you set me free, I can make you better in just one day."

Sang Ying let out a heavy sigh, confirming once again that this person was lying to her.

However, she didn't show it, but instead asked with a look of surprise, "Really? Senior, you keep your word?"

"Of course. If you don't believe me, I can Heart Demon Oath!" Jiang Zhuoxue said earnestly.

But he seemed to have forgotten that even if a Devil Dragon developed inner demons, what impact could that have?

"Of course I trust you, senior. I'll help you cut these chains right now." Sang Ying tossed aside the bone sword and instead gripped the Dragon Abyss Sword.

Suppressing her excitement and trepidation, she walked step by step toward Jiang Zhuoxue.

Jiang Zhuoxue did not suspect her, or rather, he did not think Sang Ying would dare to lay a hand on him. As Sang Ying's footsteps drew closer, a complex emotion flashed in Jiang Zhuoxue's eyes.

"Senior, I'm about to make my move!" Sang Ying declared loudly.

Jiang Zhuoxue nodded, her whole body tensing up.

However, the next second, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Sang Ying wasn't walking towards the chains at all, but towards him!

In an instant, the vines wrapped around his body suddenly opened their mouths, revealing countless sharp teeth, and fiercely attacked Sang Ying.

But Sang Ying showed no intention of dodging; instead, she faced him head-on.

The sharp fangs of the vine pierced Sang Ying's shoulder blade, but the tiny insect in Sang Ying's hand also fell directly to Jiang Zhuoxue's chest. In the blink of an eye, the black insect burrowed into his flesh.

At the same time, a sharp pain spread from Jiang Zhuoxue's shoulder blade, instantly draining the color from his lips.

Sang Ying clearly saw that, just like her own, a through wound was slowly appearing on his left shoulder, and blood instantly stained his clothes red.

"What did you do?" Even at this moment, Jiang Zhuoxue had a faint smile on her face.

The hideous vines slowly retracted their sharp teeth, transforming back into their former docile form, and fell back onto Jiang Zhuoxue's shoulder.

Sang Ying raised her hand to cover her wound and subconsciously glanced in Gu Shu's direction. It was at this moment that she noticed countless vines raising their sharp fangs and silently scrambling behind her. The closest one was only inches from her neck.

If she had acted even a second later, she might have already perished in the vines' jaws.

As for Gu Shu, whom she was concerned about, the bone sword he was hiding in was completely wrapped in vines, as if it could be crushed with just a little force.

Perhaps following its master's orders, the menacing vines softened their ferocity and receded quietly like the tide. The entire cave quickly returned to its previous spacious and clean state.

"Senior is very knowledgeable. I thought you would have heard of something like the Shared Fate Gu." It wasn't until she saw Gu Shu land safely and even sway towards her a couple of times that Sang Ying spoke up to explain.

Jiang Zhuoxue nodded. "So that's what it is. I thought the Shared Fate Gu had long since disappeared from the entire Cultivation World."

It did indeed disappear once, but fortunately Sang Ying was lucky enough to encounter a Gu cultivator. To repay Sang Ying for saving his life, the cultivator gave her the Shared Fate Gu he had painstakingly cultivated.

Sang Ying thought she would never have the chance to use the Shared Fate Gu in her life, but she never expected it to come in handy so soon.

The Shared Fate Gu, as the name suggests, tightly binds two completely unrelated people together. Whatever injury the person carrying the mother Gu suffers, the person carrying the child Gu will develop the same injury.

If the former dies, the latter will also die on the spot.

This is a terrifying Gu worm. No matter how high the cultivation level of the person afflicted by it, as long as they are made of flesh and blood, they will absolutely not be able to escape the control of the Gu worm.

"Senior, I don't ask for much. I will release you as promised, but you must not only heal my Dantian, but also take me away from this place. Don't worry, when I grow strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, I will help you draw out the Gu worms from your body."

Jiang Zhuoxue looked at her with her smoky gray eyes. "What a greedy person you are. Do you really think you can control me?"

"Senior, feel free to try. You'll die with me anyway." Sang Ying didn't take his threat seriously at all.

As expected, Jiang Zhuoxue still didn't dare to make a move.

He blinked, revealing a gentle smile, "Then you'd better be careful, little cultivator. I'm, after all, most afraid of pain~"

A note from the author:

The only truth Jiang Gouzi uttered was. "I'm afraid of pain."

The holiday is over, and it's time to get back to work and study! (Image of Queque carrying her schoolbag)

Get some rest early, love you all~