Chapter 106: I Once Severed the Heavens with a Single Sword

Seeing Shangguan Chuci slump from the daybed, Lu Chenyuan did not have time to think; instinctively, he caught her delicate form in his arms.

"Young Master Chu, are you alright?"

Though his words were filled with concern, the faint, elegant fragrance that drifted to his nostrils made his heart skip a beat.

Shangguan Chuci had initially been blinded by darkness, and it was only when her senses steadied that she realized she was in the young man's embrace. A flush of red bloomed across her pale, pretty face. She wanted to struggle, but her meridians were so weak and sore that she could not muster a shred of strength. She could only rest her head lightly on his shoulder and catch her breath for a moment before whispering:

"It was a bit perilous, but fortunately, there was no real harm done. Do not worry; I simply transferred too much of my true essence. A night of rest will set me right."

She paused, then added, "Never mind me. Check and see if your sea of consciousness has recovered."

Hearing her voice, though weak, was steady, Lu Chenyuan felt a little relieved. However, he did not follow her advice to look inward. Instead, he reached out and gently pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. Feeling a slight coolness without any sign of fever, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, it is indeed just exhaustion. Sigh, why must you push yourself so hard?"

Under his touch, Shangguan Chuci felt her heart hammering wildly against her ribs, and her cheeks burned even more fiercely. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shen Guizhou and Lin Jianyan both standing to the side, watching with peculiar expressions. She felt both ashamed and embarrassed, thinking to herself:

"This blockhead! With everyone watching, he doesn't even know how to pick the right time to show concern..."

Though she thought this, she only responded softly: "I figured since I was already here, I should transmit as much true essence to you as possible, so you could hold out for a while longer."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chenyuan could not help but show a look of helplessness and gratitude.

Lin Jianyan watched the pair's posture and the intimacy in their voices. The dirty thoughts born from her earlier misunderstandings resurfaced, and her own pretty face turned crimson.

"What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking such filthy things again..."

She felt ashamed and annoyed, unable to suppress such absurd notions.

"It must be the erosion of that turbid flow, polluting my mind!"

"Yes, that must be it!"

The young envoy could no longer sit still. She stood up abruptly, clutching the glass palace lantern tightly to her chest, and addressed the group:

"It... it is getting late! S-since Shopkeeper Lu is out of danger, I shall take my leave!"

Before the words had even faded, without waiting for Lu Chenyuan and the others to react, she turned and dashed out the door without looking back. Her retreating figure had a certain bedraggled, fleeing quality to it.

Lu Chenyuan was stunned, muttering, "What has come over Miss Lin?"

Shangguan Chuci was also confused for a moment, but having been influenced by modern society, she realized what was happening after a brief thought and couldn't help but find it amusing:

"I am currently disguised as a man, and my contact with Brother Lu was indeed a bit too intimate. Did she misunderstand?"

Just as she was lost in thought, the dark-robed guard, Shen Guizhou, looked at the way his Princess was flushed with shame yet not struggling, and then at the genuine concern in the young man's eyes. After a moment of silence, he cupped his hands toward the two and said in a deep voice:

"Since the Young Master is out of danger, this old servant will go stand guard outside."

"Hey, Uncle Shen..."

Shangguan Chuci was about to speak, but Shen Guizhou's figure flickered as he stepped out of the storage room, conveniently pulling the dilapidated wooden door shut behind him.

How... how very thoughtful.

But I am a Princess of the Great Zhou! Are you really so at ease leaving me alone in a room with a young man?

Shangguan Chuci could not help but grumble inwardly. Now, only the two of them remained in the room.

Feeling her cheeks growing even hotter, Shangguan Chuci coughed lightly and said, "I... I am fine now."

"But your arms are far too hard; they are hurting me."

Lu Chenyuan was startled by this and quickly helped her sit upright, but he could not help looking down at his own arms, puzzled. "Is that so?"

Seeing his honest and guileless expression, Shangguan Chuci felt both annoyed and amused. She rolled her eyes at him and said:

"Alright, I am fine. Hurry and check on your own condition!"

Lu Chenyuan chuckled, and as he followed her instructions to sink his consciousness inward, he saw that the ink-wash world, which had been dim, had regained some of its luster. On the mountain peaks, the ink flowed, and the great river of turbid flow seemed much more settled.

"Thank you, Young Master Chu. It has indeed recovered."

Shangguan Chuci smiled slightly and reminded him, "It was not just my doing. Without Envoy Lin's help, I would have been powerless."

Lu Chenyuan nodded. "True, I must also thank Miss Lin."

Seeing him like this, Shangguan Chuci's shyness faded. She looked at Lu Chenyuan with her beautiful eyes and suddenly asked:

"Are you not curious about what Envoy Lin and I saw earlier?"

Lu Chenyuan asked, "Was it different from the sea of heart I saw?"

Shangguan Chuci hummed playfully. "It was far too different. To say they were worlds apart would be an understatement."

"Ah? How could that be? What exactly did you see?"

Shangguan Chuci did not hold back and recounted everything she and Lin Jianyan had seen, not even leaving out the parts where she had teased Lin Jianyan.

After listening to her description, Lu Chenyuan was shocked. "Is this still the sea of heart I spoke of? How could the differences be so vast?"

Shangguan Chuci shook her head and said:

"I do not think it is. Do you remember seeing yourself in the state of a fallen Dao, holding a lantern in your sea of heart? The flame in the cage was transformed from the heart fire of that demon Daoist, Wei Zhuo. I suspect we did not go to your sea of heart, but rather, into that lantern."

"Though it was different from what we imagined, the result was a lucky strike."

Lu Chenyuan said, "I never expected it to be like this. And according to what you said, there are countless such rooms, and one can even travel between floors using the 'elevator' you mentioned..."

"If it truly is a birdcage, how large must this birdcage be? And why are there so many rooms? Are they all used to imprison heart fires?"

Shangguan Chuci said, "Even though I told Envoy Lin about the thousands of heart fires and various Dao foundations, I do not understand your situation either."

"But my guess is, since they need to be imprisoned, ordinary heart fires might not qualify for your birdcage. They must have some special quality, like the heart fire of Wei Zhuo, which was completely polluted by the turbid flow after his Dao fell."

Lu Chenyuan felt little joy, but rather, a sense of trepidation. He asked, "Young Master Chu, I am even more confused now. Who am I, and what is the monster inside me?"

Shangguan Chuci suddenly remembered what Situ had said.

He should already know what he needs to know.

"Perhaps you already know, Brother Lu. Why don't you think carefully?"

Lu Chenyuan seemed to recall something and hesitated.

Shangguan Chuci asked curiously, "Has Brother Lu thought of something?"

Lu Chenyuan looked at her and said slowly, "In my past life, I was a Sinful Immortal. Three thousand years ago, it was I who severed the path to Heaven for all living beings with a single sword stroke."