Heart Protection

HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 71

Tian Yao held Yan Hui. Her body was ice-cold and had no strength. She was relying on him to support her up.

Tian Yao knew how strong Yan Hui was, but now she was so weak.

Tian Yao couldn't help holding her tighter and pressing his now warmer body against hers. Like before when Yan Hui tried to warm him up, he was now trying to transfer some wisp of warmth to her in consolation. 

"Let's go."

It was like Yan Hui was awoken by those two words. She came back to her senses and hoarsely squeezed out three words out of her raw throat: "Head Senior Disciple......."

If it wasn't for her mouth being right by his ear, Tian Yao probably wouldn't have heard those frail, mewling words.

Tian Yao's heart suddenly throbbed. It was like Yan Hui's barely heard words had stabbed into his heart.

"Don't leave.....Head Senior Disciple behind here."

Tian Yao looked around the prison but didn't see a trace of the head senior disciple Yan Hui was whispering out. When the remembered the murderous aura in the prison and the now non-existent wind that was revolving around Yan Hui, he guessed what had happened.

He was silent for a beat. Then he took a step forward while holding Yan Hui: "He's no longer here."

Yan Hui's hand immediately grasped Tian Yao's arm: "He's here."

At this moment, there were many xian cultivators gravely waiting around outside.  Who activated the prison's killing spell was no longer the important issue. The most urgent issue was that a sole dragon demon broke into Chen Xing Mountain's prison to rescue a prisoner.

Some people shouted down at Tian Yao: "Where did you evil demon get the courage to break into my Chen Xing Mountain?"

Tian Yao looked up: "Yan Hui, we need to go now."

Yan Hui closed her eyes. She knew more clearly than anyone else if Zi Chen was here or not. What happened here left its mark in her heart. It was time to go. They couldn't risk Tian Yao's life here.

It was time to leave Head Senior Discple alone here in this place........

It felt like there was a hatchet chopping away at her heart. She gritted her teeth so hard that veins popped in her temples. She endured it for a long time. Then, she opened her eyes. There was a harsh light deep in her eyes. She hoarsely spoke: "Let's go."

Tian Yao didn't hesitate. Leaping flames covered his body.

There was still that last chain wrapped around Yan Hui's neck. Tian Yao didn't bother with the soul-destroying whip laying on the ground. He just grabbed the chain, and the fire around his hand scorched the metal. The chain was melted into two.

Tian Yao delay a moment longer. With a sinister aura enveloping his entire body, he rushed into the sky.

When they exited the prison and saw Chen Xing Mountain's, xian cultivators below, Yan Hui slightly tightened her grip on Tian Yao's clothes. Tian Yao looked down. He held Yan Hui in his arms and revolved back. They were in mid-air. Demonic aura encased them. One arm wrapped around her waist, sending his power into her.

The warm power rushed into her throat and healed its hoarse raspiness. It allowed her to talk as she normally did: "Ling Fei." She shouted those two word behind clenched teeth. Her voice wasn't that loud, but it seemed to spread throughout Chen Xing Mountain's 28 peaks.

At Xin Xiu Peak, Ling Fei heard Yan Hui shouting her name. She felt a chill in her bones.

She looked in that direction. All she saw was a faintly glimmering, fiery figure floating in mid-air. She knew that Yan Hui from over there couldn't see her. She also knew that Yan Hui couldn't do anything to her in that current condition. However, in Ling Fei's heart, there was a seed of guilty conscience that didn't let her feel at ease. She couldn't help tremble when she heard her name being called.

"The blood debt you owe me today, one day, I will have repayment in blood! Any one of Ling Fei's disciple I meet, I will kill.  Any one of Ling Fei's items I find, I will destroy." Yan Hui spat those words out. Each word was emphasized. "From today forth, I, Yan Hui, will never reconcile with Chen Xing Mountain."

Her hoarse voice with its hidden murderous anger silenced the xian cultivators.

When Yan Hui was done speaking, Tian Yao gestured with his hand. A jian appeared in front of them.

A xian cultivator took a look and immediately shouted: "It's the Heavenly Jian!"

"That dragon demon stole San Chong Mountain's Heavenly Jian!"

Tian Yao raised an eyebrow. He had an arrogant expression: "I never had an interest in your so-called heavenly jian. That being the case, you all are all mistaken. I will help you correct that mistake." He raised his hand with a raging fire in his palm. It's heat was more intense than the lava in San Chong Mountain. He held the Heavenly Jian's hilt in his hand. 

The jian started to vibrated. A low cry was heard from it.

The jian blade was heated until it glowed red. Tian Yao pointed the jian down, and the blade immediately exploded into pieces in mid-air. Some of the xian cultivators didn't dodge in time. The blade fragments sliced their clothes and skin.

The cultivators were shocked beyond belief. Some cultivators were so provoke by Tian Yao that they were choked with anger. With a loud cry, they wanted to fight.

Tian Yao paid them no attention. With a flash, he became a fiery dragon and flew along the wind into the distance. He was too fast. Even if they wanted to, the cultivators wouldn't be able to catch him.

Yan Hui laid on Tian Yao's dragon back. The flames surrounding his body were clearly hot enough to destroy the Heavenly Jian. However when they wrapped around Yan Hui, it wasn't even hot enough to singe her hair. To Yan Hui, it was like a warm blanket wrapped around her body, slowly warming it back up. This warmth was like the gentleness that Tian Yao never voiced. 

She closed her eyes and didn't care about where Tian Yao was taking her. She fell asleep from exhaustion. She didn't have the strength to think about anything.

When Yan Hui woke up at noon, she didn't know what day it was. Sunlight shone in through the window, illuminating the figure sitting by her bedside with a fuzzy halo.

Yan Hui squinted her eyes.

"Endure the pain." That person said. "It'll be taken off right now."

Yan Hui didn't have time to process what was happening when there was a burning sensation on her neck. "Crack." The chain that had been wrapped around her neck for days was finally removed.

Yan Hui didn't react. Tian Yao, who had removed the chain, frowned: "There's a scar left on your neck." He reached out his hand and touched it. From the pressure on his fingers, Yan Hui could tell that there were two scars indented into her neck. It was probably because the chains were worn for too long and chafed away the skin and flesh on her neck. Tian Yao said: "There's rust on the chains, so your scars are dark. I'll ask around Qing Qiu if there is someone who can remove scars."

"Leave it." Yan Hui's voice was raspy. "Don't remove the scars."

It was like a mark of humiliation to remind her there was someone who owed her a blood debt.

Since this was such significant proof, then just leave it. This was also what she owed Zi Chen.

Of course, Tian Yao knew what was on Yan Hui's mind. He just silently listened, not commenting.

He understood Yan Hui. That's why he knew what was hardest for Yan Hui to bear wasn't the scar. It was what she owed to others. Furthermore, what Yan Hui owed this time, she couldn't return.........

Tian Yao never knew how to comfort a person. And with Yan Hui's current state, she probably couldn't be comforted anyways. He silently sat by Yan Hui's side for a long time. Finally, he just said one sentence: "Rest well."

"Tian Yao."

When he was turning to leave, Yan Hui called his name.

Tian Yao looked back. He saw Yan Hui staring into nothingness. There was a long pause before she looked at him: "Thank you for coming to save me."

The corner of Tian Yao's mouth twitched, but he didn't get a change to reply before Yan Hui asked: "Are all my muscles and bones broken?"

"Not yet."

"Will they heal?"

"It'll be difficult but not impossible."

Yan Hui fixed her eyes on him. The gleam in her eyes were like polished silver, flickering with cold light: "Once I've healed, I want to cultivate the demon pathway."

This was the first time Tian Yao had seen such an expression on Yan Hui's face. After she was expelled Chen Xing Mountain, every situation Yan Hui faced was done with a nonchalant attitude. Thus, other people saw that as unruly and undisciplined. But this time, Tian Yao saw determination and resolution, and he also saw........

Hatred.

He was very familiar with that emotion.

Back when he was at Tong Luo Mountain, he would every night he would dream of that incident. When he looked at himself in the mirror, that was the emotion he saw.

It was the hatred of wanting to kill someone to vent the anger in their heart. It was the hatred that settled into the bones. There was no need to wail and declare it to the world. It was engraved into the heart and bones.

Tian Yao looked at Yan Hui for a long time. Then, he nodded: "Okay."

There was no questioning nor evasion.

She wanted to heal her body; he would help. She wanted to cultivate the demon way; he would teach.

Yan Hui turned her head back and closed her eyes. She said just one word: "Thanks."

Tian Yao didn't respond. He was just about to silently leave the room when Zhu Li with several medicine apprentices hurried into the courtyard. They walked into the room: "Yan Hui?"

The apprentices circled around her bed and swiftly started to treat her.

Yan Hui didn't respond to Zhu Li. Thus, he anxiously looked at Tian Yao: "Today, there were a lot of injured soldiers on the front line. It wasn't easy for me to get these apprentices here. Are we too late? Why hasn't Yan Hui woken up yet?"

When Yan Hui heard that, she suddenly croaked out: "Have the demon clans attacked Guang Han Sect yet?"

Zhu Li was started when he heard Yan Hui. He turned to look at her: "You're awake? How do you feel?"

"Have the demon clans attacked Guang Han Sect yet?" Yan Hui focused soley on her own question.

Zhu Li had no choice but to answer: "It's not that easy. Even though Guang Han Sect is close to San Chong Mountain, there's still 10 or so other sects between them. Crossing San Chong Mountain this time was done with the forefront troops to test the xian sects' strengths. Yesterday night, those troops slowly withdrew."

Yan Hui closed her eyes.

Guan Han Sect's crisis was already over. The various heads of other sects would also leave Guang Han Sect.

Ling Xiao.........

Probably had already returned to Chen Xing Mountain.

Would her harsh shifu be angry or feel sad? His top disciple, her Head Senior Disciple, was dead.

Ling Xiao was indeed back at Chen Xing Mountain. He stood for a long time on the mountain top where Yan Hui was held and whipped.

The Heavenly Jian's fragments were still here. The shards were deep into the earth. Some of them, due to the intense heat, had fused with the rocks. No one could clean it up.

Ling Xiao stood in this mess and listened to others repeat what happened that night. Zi Yue knelt by the prison opening and silently wiped her tears. Ling Xiao helped her up with a hand. Then, he asked one more question: 

"Did you all personally see the dragon demon kill Zi Chen?"

The reporting disciple froze. Then he immediately said: "Master Ling Fei.........said that's what happened."

Ling Xiao was silent for a mere moment: "And what did Yan Hui say?"

"This.......she was saved by the dragon demon. Her words........maybe........"

Ling Xiao didn't want for the disciple to finish. With a sweep of his robes, he disappeared from the mountain top in a flash of light. A few moments later, he appeared in Xin Xiu Peak. The disciples there scarcely got a glimpse of Ling Xiao when he directly arrived at the main doorway. He didn't raise his hand to knock. Instead, his aura sharply increased, and then he immediately used his power to forcefully thrust the doors open.

Ling Fei was meditating cross-legged in the hall. When Ling Xiao suddenly arrived, she immediately started to quiver. Her inner breath nearly became chaotic. 

"Senior brother......."

Veins pulsed in Ling Xiao's forehead. It seemed like his anger had reached a peak, but in the end, he just looked at Ling Fei for a long time. He looked until Ling Fei slightly cast down her eyes. Then, he spoke: "You selfishly activated the killing spell, poisoning my disciple's life. You are vicious and ruthless......." At the end of those words, Ling Xiao was gnashing his teeth.

When he saw Ling Fei's look of disbelief, he continued: "Chen Xing Mountain can no longer welcome you. You should voluntarily return to Guang Han Sect and beg Zhenren Su Ying for asylum."

Those words implied he was driving her out of Chen Xing Mountain!

Ling Fei was stupefied into silence. She stepped forward to ask Ling Xiao, but he had already disappeared from Xin Xiu Peak. It seemed like he didn't want even hear her voice.