Though their time together hadn’t been long, Huo Xiao Di knew that beneath Zhan Ri Fei’s gentle and refined exterior lay a steely resilience. At this critical moment, there was no room for their usual banter about favors and debts. Without hesitation, he asked urgently, “Tell me—what do I need to do?”
Zhan Ri Fei’s eyes were now so pained they could hardly stay open, and his voice had grown faint and slurred. Huo Xiao Di had to lean close to his lips just to catch the words: “Fire counters water… There’s no choice now but to rely on your ‘Yin Yang An.’”
Huo Xiao Di blinked. “My ‘Yin Yang An’?”
Zhan Ri Fei replied, “Yes. It’s a long story, but part of the ‘Chang Xiang Si’ weapon broke off and is lodged in my back…”
* * *
The pale crescent moon above the mountain rapidly passed through shifting clouds. The rain-drenched night matured as it approached midnight.
Midnight—the time when a person’s vitality is at its weakest, when yin energy is at its peak, and when, according to legend, nocturnal spirits are at their most powerful.
A gust of night wind slipped through the partially open temple door, making Huo Xiao Di shiver involuntarily. His hands trembled slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped the Yin Yang An tightly.
The black blade of the Yin Yang An seemed to take on a life of its own in the dim light of the night, as if it were a spectral spirit. Whether it was his inner energy or the sword’s nature, it emitted a faint, menacing hiss like the breath of a demon.
Zhan Ri Fei forced another deep breath to circulate his energy. Though the pain and exhaustion bore down on him like a mountain, his demeanor remained serene, as if Huo Xiao Di were not about to cut into his body.
In the stillness, Huo Xiao Di’s voice broke the silence from behind. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll use this chance to stab you in the back?”
Zhan Ri Fei replied, “Would Brother Huo like to try?”
Huo Xiao Di did not deny the accusation.
Zhan Ri Fei smiled—remarkably, even at a moment like this, he could still manage to smile. “Aren’t you worried that if I owe you a favor and don’t survive, there’ll be no one left to repay it?”
Huo Xiao Di chuckled despite himself. “You think I’d forget so easily? Rest assured—after going through all this trouble to make you owe me a favor, there’s no way I’m letting you die and get off that easily!”
With that, his right hand raised the Yin Yang An.
Silently and without a sound, the Yin Yang An sliced through the fabric of Zhan Ri Fei’s back and then into his wound.
The cut was not deep, yet the blood began to flow unusually slowly. Did this black short sword possess some mysterious power?
As the sharp blade entered, the slow blood flow suggested a pain far beyond what an ordinary person could endure. Yet Zhan Ri Fei didn’t even let out a groan.
Huo Xiao Di pressed around the edges of the wound, using the Yin Yang An to carefully probe deeper. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t see any foreign object within.
But soon, his hands were stained with Zhan Ri Fei’s blood—blood that seemed unnaturally cold.
Huo Xiao Di’s pupils suddenly contracted; his heart began to race wildly. He could even hear the sound of his own breathing, which had grown heavier and more labored.
Zhan Ri Fei felt the hand pressing on his shoulder tremble slightly. Then, something warm fell onto the nape of his neck.
Opening his eyes and turning his head, he found Huo Xiao Di’s large, dark eyes and his bright rabbit-like teeth almost touching his face.
Zhan Ri Fei looked at him with a puzzled expression. The pain and exhaustion clouded his mind, leaving him slow to react. Through his haze, he thought he saw a misty layer of moisture covering those large eyes.
“Are the people of Ling Long Manor really this sentimental?” he asked with faint amusement.
Huo Xiao Di bit his lip and said nothing. It seemed he had no intention of answering Zhan Ri Fei’s question.
For some reason, the Yin Yang An in his hand began to heat up, as if it were seeking something, trying to escape his grasp.
With a faint “clang,” barely audible, the legendary blade seemed to strike something.
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