Heart Protection

HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 57

The small inn was filled with hostility.

Terrified by the strength of Tian Yao's attack just then, the Chen Xing Mountain's disciples didn't immediately make a move. Yan Hui stood, hand clutching her stomach, by Tian Yao across the disciples. She swept her gaze over their faces. She stopped at Zi Chen. She paused and then murmured to Tian Yao: "How much inner breath do you have left after attacking Ling Fei?"

"None."

Yan Hui grew solemn when she heard Tian Yao's words. She only said: "In a few moments, I'm going to stall them. You leave." She took a step forward, but her collar was seized from behind.

"Come back." Tian Yao's voice was calm. He lightly glanced upstairs: "We can leave together."

Zhu Li had been watching from up there behind a pillar the entire time. Their eyes met. Zhu Li's gaze deepened and he stepped out.

The old servant behind Zhu Li wanted to grab him back, but Zhu Li shook off his hand. When the servant saw Zhu Li reaching to unsheathe the jian tied at his waist, the servant anxiously pressed Zhu Li's hand back down. He clenched his teeth and looked down at the disciples His eyes gleamed red and in a split second, his wrinkle-lined face became sinister.

At the same time, Zi Chen suddenly turned his head to look upstairs: "Demon magic!"

A pale fog immediately exploded from where Zhu Li and the old servant stood. In a few short moments, the fog filled the entire inn. In the chaos, Ling Fei's pain-filled yet calm voice shouted out from the midst where the disciples stood: "Don't panic. Get in position."

At that time, Yan Hui felt a pressure on her wrist. She turned her head to look. It was that kid who was a head shorter than her, Zhu Li, who was holding onto her wrist: "Come with me."

There was no time for Yan Hui to respond when she heard the surrounding wind start to whistle. In a blink of an eye, the fog in front of her started to curl. The wind screamed.

Yan Hui was stepping on something soft. She looked down. She wasn't standing on a cloud nor a sword, but rather it was a soft grey pelt.

Zhu Li said by her side: "Don't worry. Uncle Zhao is fast. Those people won't be able to catch up. We will definitely be able to leave safely."

Only then did Yan Hui realized she was standing on the back of an enormous fox demon.

She didn't have time to relax when she tensed up again: "Where's Tian Yao?"  She flusteredly looked around for him only to discover he was already tranquilly sitting down behind her. His eyes were closed, and he was regulating his inner breath.

Tian Yao looked up when he heard Yan Hui's call. He didn't say a word, but it was enough for Yan Hui's expression to relax back down.

It was like Yan Hui had lost all strength. She plopped down: "It hurts......." She rubbed her stomach and reached up to touch her face. Her fingers hadn't touched her wounded face when a hand reached out and grabbed her hand away.

Yan Hui turned to look. Tian Yao was still looking at her: "Hands are dirty. Don't touch it."

Zhu Li also knelt down to look when he heard Tian Yao's words. He patted down his clothes and took out a white jade bottle: "I have some medicine. It won't cure you, but it at least can help. Take it orally as a painkiller or apply externally to stop bleeding." Zhu Li looked at the wound on Yan Hui's cheek and frowned: "The cold magic on that jian is quite strong."

"Things from Guang Han Sect are like that," added Tian Yao before falling silent again.

That jian was from Guang Han Sect? Yan Hui thought back. She didn't recall seeing Ling Fei with the flexible jian at Chen Xing Mountain. It had to have been acquired not too long ago. Could it be Ling Fei sought out her sister, Su Ying, recently for it?

Zhu Li frowned even more at what he just heard: "Your wound is already so deep, and now with the cold spell there too......I think even if the wound heals, it'll leave a big, purple scar."

Yan Hui waved her hand in unconcern: "What's so bad about leaving a scar? It's not going to interfere with me eating or sleeping. If it scars, then it scars."

"You're going to leave it as a symbol that women beat you?" Tian Yao blandly interjected in. "Something you recall every time you look in the mirror?"

Yan Hui was silent. Then she side-eyed Tian Yao.

"Fuck......"

To Yan Hui, a scar truly wasn't a big deal. But if it was a mark of humiliation, then that of course was another matter.

She snatched the bottle from Zhu LI's hand, popped off the cork, and shook out two pills. One of them she crushed and then applied to the wound on the check. The second pill she popped into ther mouth a chewed. Its bitter flavor instantly filled her mouth.

As she chewed, she endured the increasing bitterness flavour and also the bitterness in her heart.

This time she lost to Ling Fei. Although it was somewhat despicable of Ling Fei to surprise attack with the flexible jian,  it a real fight there was no such thing as despicable or dirty moves. Losing was losing. Inferior skills was inferior skills. There was nothing more to explain.

Yan Hui was unwavering on that thought. Only winning meant you were superior.

Actually, Yan Hui knew that even if Ling Fei didn't take out that jian, she wouldn't have necessarily won either.

In the month that she left Chen Xing Mountain, she was filled to her ears with things to do. She hadn't meditated nor cultivated at all. The only new thing she learned was the nine-tailed fox demon's magic, which Tian Yao was the one who taught her.

On the other hand, Ling Fei, who had lost to her, would've been the complete opposite. Ling Fei would have been diligently cultivating every single day afterwards. Not to mention, with her status, Ling Fei would have the entire library to her disposal. Even if Zhenren Qing Guang was still gone to  who-know-where, Ling Fei could still ask Su Ying if she wanted to. That would for sure improve her skills a lot.

Yan Hui gritted her teeth. In comparison to her, she couldn't find any books to study techniques, and there was no one to give her pointers.......

Thinking of this, Yan Hui paused. Then she turned her head to look at Tian Yao.

From the beginning, Tian Yao had continued to stared at Yan Hui. When Yan Hui turned to look, naturally their four eyes met.

"Do you know any xian cultivation or magic?" Yan Hui bluntly asked him.

"No."

"Then teach me demon magic."

Tian Yao slightly raised an eyebrow: "You want to join me on the demon pathway?"

When he said that, Zhu Li's eyes also lit up: "You want to join the demon pathway?"

"Flushing out my cultivation by breaking down to my marrow is too painful." Yan Hui declined without a second thought. "Just teach me the demon magic. I'll learn it holistically."

Zhu Li completely disagreed: "If you want to learn demon magic, you have to break and flush and start over. If you add demon magic to xian cultivation, then one day you will lose yourself......."

"That's other xian cultivators." Yan Hui's words were arrogant, but it was also true. What Zhu Li said made sense, but what he didn't know was that Yan Hui's heart had a heart protection scale. If she learned other types of demon techniques, then there may be a great danger. But if she learned what Tian Yaa's magic, then there was no problem at all.

Tian Yao stayed silent. Yan Hui took it as quiet acceptance.

Zhu Li wanted to continue to urge her to consider, but when he saw the two involved people stay silent, he also stopped for now. After a period of silence, he spoke up again: "Then are you coming back with me to Qing Qiu?"

Yan Hui was stunned for a moment. Then she remembered what happened before Ling Fei showed up. She originally........planned to separate from Tian Yao! They would be far, far away from each other and no longer care about Central Plain's demon-xian conflict!

Why still up to this point.......

She'd been more tightly entangled in!

"They seem certain that we will stay with them."

True.......

Yan Hui felt a light blow to her heart. Before, there was no shred of evidence to indicate she was colluding with the demons, but now it wasn't good.........

Tian Yao used demon magic to slice open Ling Fei's face. She also was saved by demons using demons magic. There was no washing away this evidence no matter how deep a river she jumped in.........But if she couldn't wash it way, then she couldn't wash it away. In the end.......the situation was already like this.

Yan Hui gritted her teeth. "We're going!"

Where else could she go besides Qing Qiu. From today forth, Central Plain's xian sects might not even leave a place for her to stand on.

Tian Yao didn't have any intention of refuting Yan Hui's words. After all, when compared to the current Central Plains, Qing Qiu was where ought to be.

Zhu Li's expression became excited for a split second at Yan Hui's words. Then he forcefully quashed it and put on a more mature air: "Entering.......entering Qing Qiu means you have to abide by our customs. Our people have a deep grudge against xian cultivators. Don't slip up. I won't lose my face to help you!

Yan Hui didn't respond. It was hard for Zhu Li to cover up his happiness, and he ran toward the fox's head. He whispered a few sentences. into the fox's ear, which was as tall as himself. A few of the words were carried back to Yan Hui by the wind. "Waiting three days was right. I knew she would come with us."

Yan Hui pursed her lips: "In the end, he's still a brat......."

Tian Yao, who had been silent, added: "A lot like you."

Yan Hui retorted: "Aren't you also at times?"

Tian Yao didn't speak further. He turned to gazed outwards. The sun had set behind the mountains. The afterglow glittered in the southwest. When he settled down his heart, he could sense his familiar aura circulating there. The more southwest they went, the stronger he could sense it.

What part of his body was it.......

Tian Yao's eyes drooped down as he sank in deep thought. Was it his dragon tendons or his dragon heart buried there......

There were quite a few hindrances as they were crossing over Qing Qiu's borders. However, with Zhu Li's status, more demons were sent as support as they got closer to the border. The gray fox demon soared on clouds past the obstacles. Below them, the demon races and the xian cultivators fought, not letting anyone block their path.

Before entering into Qing Qiu, there was one final mountain to cross - San Chong Mountain.

Yan Hui looked down from the clouds. San Chong Mountain still had a mark left from when the demons and xian fought 50 years ago. Craggy rocks, fields where not even weeds grew. There was also a long and deep gash in the mountain itself. It was like a black, bottomless scar.

50 years ago, Zhenren Qing Guang and the ruler of Qing Qiu had their last battle here. That mark  was drawn then.

This gash, which can still be seen clearly in the sky, became the boundary between the two countries.

Yan Hui was looking at that "historical remain" when she saw Tian Yao, who had always been sitting, suddenly stand up.

Yan Hui blurted out: "What is it?"

There was a vague glimmer in Tian Yao's eyes: "My dragon tendons."

Yan Hui was stunned: "What?"

The corner of Tian Yao's mouth quirked up: "My dragon tendons, there are hidden here."

Yan Hui blinked. Then she looked down: "San Chong Mountain?" She didn't understand. "Didn't you say your dragon tendons were sealed by fire? Where in this mountain is fire........"

She didn't finish because the a fiery glow suddenly leapt out of the ground, which was indiscernible due to the darkness. She was shocked by the sight.

Glowing red lava flowed out of the bottomless gash that became the boundary between countries. The magma slowly filled up the gash. Then it suddenly gushed upwards, magma spraying out. The ones that landed outside the gash slowly cooled into rock. Inside the gash, the magma continued to boil. In a few moments, that magma that filled the gash started to subside again.

The gash wasn't sealed with cooling magma. The rocks at its edge were glowing deep red. Clearly the lava that rushed out was extremely hot.

Then San Chong Mountain.......

Was actually a living volcano.