At last, both men reached their brother Ren Chao. The massive young man looked like he was having a peaceful sleep. But Cao Yun was able to determine right away that he was in some kind of coma. However, what he also realized was that Ren Chao's bones were almost not broken at all. In fact, there was no trace of any injury at all.
After observing his body for a long while, Cao Yun turned toward his brother with a confused look on his face.
"You're wondering why I told you that all his bones had been broken? The answer is simple. They were." Sun Liao got closer to his lying friend. He pushed the sheet that was covering his chest. "When I found him after the battle, his sternum was sunk into his chest. All of his ribs had exploded into large fragments that were literally visible through his skin." As he kept talking, he uncovered more and more of Ren Chao's body. "All four of his limbs were bent to grotesque angles. His spine was fractured in nine different locations. And even his skull had been deformed. If you could have seen him back there, you would not have recognized him at all... This was a nightmare."
Clearly, Sun Liao had still this image vividly in his mind. For the first time, Cao Yun even saw him hold back some tears as his eyes were becoming watery.
"For a moment, I even wondered whether I should put an end to his suffering... But he was still drawing breath. And he was conscious, Brother. Despite all that, he even asked me if I was fine, if everyone was fine. And... I lied. Back there, I was certain he was going to die.
"But then, help came. Apparently Xiao Xuefeng had felt that something was wrong with you and had asked the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall to try and find you. Instead, they found us. But they were too late. Some monks were also with them. And among those monks, there was an old lady who recognized that Brother Ren was not dead at all. In fact, she was adamant on the fact that he would heal completely, and even stronger than before. I sincerely wanted to believe her, but... I couldn't..."
Sun Liao turned toward Cao Yun.
"I gave up on him."
"Brother, you couldn't know. I mean, with the injuries you've described, no one could have thought that..."
"I should have known! I should have known that Brother Ren would not give up that easily. And if it had been me, he wouldn't have given up either."
"Brother, you're still shocked by what happened. When your mind is clear, think back on it and talk with Brother Ren. You'll see that you're not to blame."
In order to comfort his friend who was at the limit of a mental breakdown, worsened by both the fatigue and the stress, Cao Yun put his hand on his shoulder. Then, he looked him right in the eyes with a determined look.
"Instead of blaming yourself for what happened, prepare to be better next time. Sulking over something that is done won't bring anything good. But understanding what you can do to prevent it from ever happening again is the way to go. You know that Brother Ren will never blame you. I won't blame you. No one will blame you but yourself. And what good will that bring anyone?"
"You're right..."
"But, I'm curious. How did he heal? Did those monks have some secret medicine? I know of no pill or plant that could heal that many broken bones."
"No, they only used very classic medicine to help him a little. Apparently, he has what's called a Golden Silk Body."
"A Golden Silk Body? I never heard the term. Is it some kind of special physique?"
"Indeed. Even I have barely heard about it, but that monk lady had. It seems to come from traces of demon blood. After millenniums under the tyrannical rule of the demons, it's not surprising that some traces of their blood has found itself in our own veins. And sometimes, just like the bloodline of demonic beasts within humans, it can awaken dormant abilities."
Many humans had indeed some traces of demon blood in them. In particular, this was very true for the people in the provinces bordering the demon territories. For example, Yun Ping's dark and reddish skin was due to the demon blood in him. Of course, this blood was very very thin in humans. Yet, sometimes, it could still awaken strange physiques, extremely similar to the True Fiery Fenghuang blood within the Huang family. But unlike this bloodline, the demon blood in humans was too thin to really be passed on from generation to generation. After all, it had been millenniums since humans and demons had not mixed together.
So producing a physique thanks to some diluted demon blood was extremely rare. It was more common for some demonic beast blood to appear in humans than for demon blood to awaken human physiques.
"This Golden Silk Body is related to the marrow in one's bones. From what the old lady said, it would explain Ren Chao's strength, but also why he was so slow in his Qi cultivation. Most of his Qi was going in his marrow to nourish his physical strength. But under the shock, his physique has been fully awakened. And his marrow have completely rebuilt his bones. If all of that is true, Brother Ren should become way stronger and sturdier. But his Qi cultivation should also get back to a normal speed. In order to heal him, we used many pills and array formations so that his marrow could absorb great quantities of Qi.
"With all the Qi accumulated in him, he should almost be an 8th-grade Mortal when he wakes up. Of course, he'll need some time to stabilize his cultivation, but it's not impossible for him to become a Mortal Warrior in two to three years."
In Sun Liao's words, there was a strange mixture of joy and frustration. On one hand, he was happy for his friend. But on the other hand, he was finding himself lacking. Considering his cultivation speed, Sun Liao would still be faster than Ren Chao, especially thanks to his occupation and his mind cultivation that was higher than his. But when thinking about the Mortal Warrior realm, Sun Liao wanted to reach it even faster than before. It wasn't to compete with anyone. It was because he wanted to be useful. Ren Chao with his increased strength would become even more useful. But if Sun Liao had no array formation on hands, he would be useless to his friends.
In Sun Liao's mind, there was a great way to reach Mortal Warrior. In a couple of months, he would be sent to the Ancient Ruins with all the third-years. If he had been able to advance his cultivation enough, he might find a way to become a Mortal Warrior there. With his mind cultivation and his knowledge of array formations, Sun Liao knew he could advance his cultivation faster than he had done until now, but it was dangerous. Beforehand, he had no reason to put himself at risk, but now he had.
The two men stayed by Ren Chao's side for several hours. Sun Liao explained that he had been in and out of this coma for a few months now. He should have fully recovered by the time the third year of the Wubei Sect would be upon them. But until then, Sun Liao preferred to let him rest in peace. He excluded using pills to try and wake him up faster.
-
Finally, Matriarch Huang Yufeng was back. After searching the woods, she had come back to Baziyun City. Like everyone here, she was very busy. But now, the calm was coming back as the time for mourning was now upon everyone. All the wounded who could be saved had been found. Hundreds of people were still missing, but they had most likely been eaten and digested by the demonic beasts. Later would come the time to repair the city. But before that, they had to mourn their dead.
Everyone in the city was now wearing white. Even the Huang family, the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, and the Governor's office changed their clothes. Instead of their characteristic colors, they were all wearing simple white robes. The number of funeral services was so high that the smell of incense was everywhere in the street. It really felt like a war had happened.
With this strange atmosphere in the air, Matriarch Huang Yufeng asked to see Huang Liyue. She received her in her Phoenix Hall. But she had extended her spiritual senses around the entire hall to make sure that no one could get a glimpse of what was going on inside.
"Huang Liyue, I searched the woods extensively and I found where the boy met Cleansed Asura for the first time. However, I've been unable to detect any trace of his presence at all. There was absolutely nothing..."
"What?!"
"Either the body is gone or it is so deep that even my spiritual senses can't get to it. Besides, if the body has been dead for millenniums, it is also highly possible that there is no trace to be felt around it, especially if his soul is now gone. I do believe however that the body is down there. Otherwise, I would have found traces of someone else taking it. It should just be way too deep for even a Spirit Warrior to sense it. After all, it stayed hidden all this time. I'm not sure even a Sage could get to it..."
"If you're telling me this alone, is it because you do not want to let Cao Yun know?"
Unlike how she was usually speaking with the matriarch, right now, Huang Liyue had a very severe tone. It was as though she had a lot of rage against this woman in front of her, although she had been her bodyguard almost her entire life. However, Matriarch Yufeng did not mind at all. That was also why she had put up a barrier around the Phoenix Hall.
"Indeed. He already has too many things to take care of for the time being. I'll just tell him that I found the corpse but couldn't extract it. If a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior could not, it means that he'll have to wait many years before doing it himself. In fact, it could maybe even push him to try and cultivate faster."
On Huang Liyue's face, there was a clear look of disapproval.
"Huang Liyue, I can see that there is something on your mind. Please, feel free to talk. No one can hear us, so there is no need to adhere to decorum anymore."
"Matriarch, I do not recall us being that close with the Cao family. And I do not recall you being that intimate with Cao Wen either. If my memory serves me right, he's only ever been in your room twice. Why did you lie to Cao Yun? Was there really a need for that?"
"Yes, there was. You should know I never do anything without a good reason. This Cao Yun boy is absolutely useful to our family. Forming solid bonds with him is essential. And it will not only serve me but your next mistress as well. We both know that Huang Cixi cares about him. The closer he feels to our Huang family, the better it will be for her as well."
"And all this talk about the Imperial City, is it true?"
"I may have embellished a little. After all, I have also no proof at all. But there are really strange happenings in the Imperial City and around the Emperor himself. I don't know if they are just covering a mistake, trying to avoid panic or plotting something nefarious. It's become more and more difficult to read that brat. But if such a talented young man doubts the Emperor, it's beneficial for our family and for Huang Cixi. I already have a rough idea of what that little girl plans to do. And like you, I want to support her. However, I feel like this is something else that is troubling your mind..."
"Cao Wen! Have you really talked about Huang Lüfeng with him?! Or did you use my brother to manipulate Cao Yun?"
For a few seconds, Huang Yufeng remained silent.
"You should know that I would never 'use' him."
Although her face expressed pain, as though the idea that she could use the poor boy's death was appalling to her, Huang Liyue could see something else, guilt.
"Mother, you've always been a very good liar. But I know you as much as you know me! How could you use him in your deception?!"
"... This... I wanted to... You should know that I've never been good for that sort of things, but... I hoped it would help you."
"Help me?!"
"Lili, all those years, you thought that I blamed you for his death. However, this is in the past. I know that I have not been there for you like I should have, but I had my duties as a matriarch."
"This wasn't all. Admit it! You would have preferred he had lived and I had died in his stead."
"What?! No!"
For the first time, Matriarch Huang Yufeng stood up and showed a lot of emotions on her face. Her anger at the moment was not fake and Huang Liyue felt it in her flesh and soul as she lost the control of her spiritual senses for an instant. Immediately, she sat down again, and calmed her mind. Both women were staring at each other' eyes. Their expressions were extremely complex. Many things had been left unsaid and it was too late to say them now. For several minutes, they stayed immobile without saying anything. Then, they broke contact. Huang Liyue bowed.
"Matriarch, excuse me, I spoke out of turn."
The matriarch wanted to add something but she couldn't find the right words.
"Matriarch, I only have one request. I gave Cao Yun a part of my 'Ashen Feather Seal'. But without a blood cultivation, it cannot reach the apex."
"Fine, I understand your request." From her spatial ring, a scroll appeared. "I received this blood cultivation during my birthday. Since we can't give out our blood cultivation, I allow you to give him this one. There is really nothing very impressive with it, but it should help him nonetheless."
"Thank you, Matriarch."
Huang Liyue took the scroll and walked out of the room.
"I am sorry, Lili. I never realized that you had felt this way about me... A great matriarch can turn out to be a poor mother in the end."
Although they were very quiet, Huang Liyue still heard those words as the matriarch had collapsed her protections.