Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 278 - 170: Master: Take Off Your Clothes

"Third Elder."

He Shutong stood up from the water, the clear pool water cascaded off her curved form, reflecting the light filtering through the leaves, making her flawless body glow.

She gazed through the mist at the stunned Third Elder, her eyes cold as a chilly pond, as if she had returned to the lotus sword venerable who commanded respect without anger. Even though her current realm was far below the Third Elder, who had been in the Void Realm for years, it still sent a mysterious chill down the spine of the famously respected Bihua.

"I need an explanation."

...

Fifty miles outside Henggao Divine Mountain, high in the sky.

Chengtao Venerable placed a hand on You Su’s back, infusing a cooling pale blue Profound Qi into him.

At this moment, You Su looked somewhat pale; the Lotus Heart had consumed almost all of his Profound Qi. Throughout the journey, he relied entirely on Chengtao Venerable’s elixirs and assistance to maintain his condition.

"It seems I underestimated the consumption of Profound Qi by the Lotus Heart..."

Chengtao Venerable withdrew his hand and sighed softly.

Such supreme natural treasures are products nurtured by heaven and earth for decades or even hundreds of years; once flaws appear, the resources required to remedy them are immeasurable. Now, for You Su to have forcefully preserved it for two days with his Middle Spirit Platform Realm body is already astonishing enough.

"Is the person who needs the Lotus Heart at the Divine Mountain?"

You Su nodded slowly.

"That’s good; we’re almost there."

Chengtao Venerable consoled, and after a brief rest, prepared to resume their rapid flight, noting that You Su’s expression seemed a bit unnatural.

"You seem somewhat tense?"

You Su pursed his lips, the saying that coming near home makes one’s heart timid was indeed true.

Before leaving, he had told his senior sister he would return in a few days and even promised to bring her gifts. None of those promises had been fulfilled, leaving him unsure if she would blame him.

What worried You Su most was his Master; he had concealed from her his quest for the Lotus Heart, motivated by filial piety, yet it was indeed a true gamble with death. The matter of the Jade Ring Pool would inevitably become public, and his Master would surely know.

You Su felt that when his Master saw the hard-won Lotus Heart, she might not be as pleased as he hoped, perhaps even annoyed by his presumptuous decision. Just as he did not wish to see her risk her life for him, she certainly would not want to see him do the same.

Chengtao Venerable, however, mistook You Su’s demeanor for discomfort due to excessive consumption, responding gently:

"This short distance can be covered in moments. Since the person needing it is at the Divine Mountain, why not let me extract the Lotus Heart from your Spirit Platform now? It won’t affect its efficacy given the time, as long as it’s used immediately upon arrival. What do you think?"

After some thought, You Su replied, "That would be good, thank you, Venerable."

You Su made this decision also motivated by the idea of doing first and reporting later. If the Lotus Heart were to wither immediately, it would leave no time for his Master to contemplate. He did not believe she would reject the fruits of his efforts, and as long as she recovered, her gratitude or blame would not matter.

"It’s no trouble at all, hold your breath."

Chengtao Venerable instructed, and You Su quickly obeyed. He felt a clear and cool stream of Profound Qi Water flow through his limbs, eventually settling at his Spirit Platform to carefully envelop the slightly cracked Lotus Heart, attempting to extract it.

But the Lotus Heart remained unmoved, gently rotating within You Su’s Spirit Platform.

Chengtao Venerable retracted his hand and focused his Divine Sense, noticing that the cracks on the Lotus Heart were enlarging, his expression no longer as calm:

"This is not good!"

"Venerable, what’s wrong?"

You Su was worried that something would go awry at the last moment.

"The Lotus Heart is showing signs of being absorbed by you!"

"How could this be?!"

You Su was incredulous; this treasure was meant to be a life-bound item for his Master, how could he refine it? He had not actively used his Spirit Platform to refine it.

If the only key to his Master’s recovery had been consumed by him, he could never forgive himself.

"Do you know why, despite so many cultivators connected to the Jade Ring Pool, we believe only your Master can preserve the Lotus Heart in the Spirit Platform?"

You Su shook his head; he hadn’t given the matter much thought, just eager to return and treat his Master.

"Because in this world, only your Master’s life-bound item is the Lotus Heart."

Chengtao Venerable lifted You Su, who was enveloped in bubbles of water, off the ground and headed straight for Henggao Divine Mountain. As he flew, he explained to You Su:

"The reason the Lotus Heart is such a supreme healing artifact is because it is extremely easy to absorb. Regardless of immortals or mortals, life or death, as long as there’s injury, the Lotus Heart will be absorbed and take effect. Even for us in the Void Realm, having gone through rebirth, we dare not claim our bodies are flawless, hence don’t touch it, as even minor injuries could waste its power, which would be a loss."

"Yet, the Lotus Sword Venerable, after transforming the Lotus Heart into a life-bound item, possesses this flawless body that allows the Lotus Heart to exist independently within her. You received the Lotus Immortal Seed, somewhat akin to the Lotus Sword Venerable, assuming your absorption wouldn’t escalate, but alas, it began."

You Su, now aware, asked nervously, "How to halt my absorption of it?"

"Extraction is impossible now; the Lotus Heart’s lotus skin is almost fully consumed by you. Exposure of the core would be irreversible." Chengtao Venerable frowned, answering, "Jade Ring Pool water relates to the Lotus Heart like amniotic fluid to a fetus. To transfer the Lotus Heart, it must be within the Jade Ring Pool water’s environment. Don’t worry, I still have some water on me. You only need to slow your breathing, thereby decelerating the absorption."