Chapter 304: Subtle Matters of the Heart
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock
This sort of healing method actually expended the most internal energy! By compressing the energy into a point, while the penetrative power increased drastically, so did the consumption! And Ling Tian still needed to carefully control its movements to reconnect Shui QianRou's meridian paths, so even a small deviation was unacceptable! Furthermore, Ling Tian had actually sent out five waves of energy. If this sort of matter were to be spread out, the entire pugilistic world would be thrown into shock!
Even the green-robed expert with that frighteningly powerful cultivation might fail when it came to this!
As for Ling Tian's Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, it was through relying on the words 'shocking dragon', the myriad changes of a dragon, and adding on the extreme purity of his internal energy he cultivated since young that he was able to barely achieve such a result! However, the amount of energy as well as the mental strength he spent on this activity could be imagined, and if not for him pushing his overwhelming willpower to the utmost limits, he probably wouldn't be able to take it! However, he was already out of options to save her. For her to not die would, in the end, rely on her will to survive, and Ling Tian had already done the best he could.
Shui QianRou moaned and finally woke up. She suddenly opened her eyes wide, astonished at the fact that she didn't die. However, she was after all the successor for Water of Heavenly Wind, and she regained her bearings quickly. After blinking a few times, the fuzzy view sharpened, and revealed a person sitting beside her. It was Ling Tian! However, what greeted her was the sight of his solemn face, with perspiration all over his head, and his chest heaving up and down heavily. He looked as though he was extremely tired, making her heart ache for no reason.
But upon thinking about how much shame Ling Tian had heaped on her, and that heartless interrogation as well as those heartless eyes, she couldn't help but feel her heart well up in frustration, together with a strong sense of vengeance!
It was then that she felt a warm current of energy coursing through her veins, re-energizing the remnants of her own energy residues that were still within her meridians. Then she understood, that this stream of pure internal energy was what had saved her! It was Ling Tian that had saved her!
What an injustice!
The moment she realized this, not only did she not have a single shred of gratitude, but she even felt a strong sense of hatred! Since you made me suffer such cruel treatment and furthermore were so callous towards me, then why are you saving me? Why don't you just let me die! Can't you let me leave in peace?!
Thinking up to this point, Shui QianRou had a certain impulse to break free from this embrace. However, a venomous thought suddenly appeared in her head. While he was helping her treat her illness, his ability to protect himself would be at the lowest point! If she were to activate her internal energy and use it as a counter, then she would definitely be able to have them end up in mutual destruction! This person, if kept alive would be the Heavenly Wind's greatest enemy. Even with superior intelligence as well as the discipline and drive to cultivate hard, in addition to having famed teachers for guidance and a medicine hall with spiritual medicines supplied to her, she was only at the cusp of reaching the XianTian realm. However, Ling Tian actually had almost trained to the peak of XianTian realm!
However, the moment this thought rose up, it was immediately quashed down by Shui QianRou. Was that how she should treat someone who had saved her not once but twice? Keeping it under wraps was bad enough, but she even wanted to repay kindness with evil, how could she ever face herself as a person? While they were enemies, there still existed gratitude between them! And as for suffering her humiliation, if she hadn't come here with the express intention of harming the Ling Family, then how would she even form an enmity with them?
Thinking of these things, Shui QianRou could only feel a wave of shame wash over her. Lowering her head, she saw that Ling Tian had a hand stuck underneath her shirt, on her skin where her dantian was supposed to be. She couldn't help but feel a sense of embarrassment as well as heartache.
He… should be very tired, right? Why was he even doing this for an enemy?!
This man! He had already seen her body at its fullest when he treated her injuries in the pine forest and even played with her forbidden areas, even though it was just for treatment. But right now, he actually had a finger on her abdomen, at such a compromising position! And it was also for treating her injuries again...
In these three days, he actually saved her life twice!
In this age where women guarded their bodies like treasure, her precious, no, sacred body had actually been seen and touched by this man! Even though it was for treatment, but the truth was that she had been seen and even caressed! And this guy was actually someone she liked but was enemies with. How confusing! And her original mission was actually to come here to assassinate him and his father!
But what about her? As a woman, now that her body had already been seen by a man, and even been touched, how could she still present herself to another man? Let's not talk about whether the man was willing or not, she herself couldn't bring herself to do it.
Shui QianRou's heart was in waves, a thousand and one thoughts flying through her mind. Even she didn't know what she was thinking, and how she was going to proceed from here on. For the first time, she asked herself this question: 'How should I go on from here? What do I do to be considered correct?!'
She had been influenced for over a decade, her elders constantly admonishing her from young that her heart should always remain loyal to her family! Her efforts today would all be for the sake of creating a better tomorrow for her clan! Shui QianRou never thought of the fact that as a woman, where would she spend the next half of her life? But after meeting Ling Tian, this feeling became more and more intense, to the point that it even shook the once immobile foundation of her loyalty to her family!
In the end, she was still a woman! Was she really required to sacrifice so much for her family? Not just her life, but her youth, her feelings, her love, and even her lover? Did she have to throw all that away?
If it was just her, that might be fine, but what about the others? What right did she have to sacrifice them as well?
Shui QianRou was suffering from an existential crisis!
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ling Tian was already alerted to her consciousness, and had already pulled back his own internal energy. She also didn't notice that her body had already regained most of their usual faculties, and deep in her heart, a tiny seed of hope and expectation had rooted itself.
Would her family never be able to live harmoniously with the Ling Family? Did she have to duke it out with a person she liked? But both families never had any grudges to begin with! Why did it have to be this way, and how could she mediate between them?
As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, her facial expressions constantly changed: one moment a smile, the next lost and confused, determined, unwillingness, then to a weird shy look, with a sweet smile on her mouth… but even with the multitude of changes, her charm still showed…
Ling Tian had finally regulated his breathing and was observing the various changes in Shui QianRou's face. The human skin mask had long been taken off by Ling Tian, and with such breathtaking beauty in front of him, he finally got the chance to properly spectate.
Shui QianRou's beauty was one part stubborn, one part confident, plus a tenacity and decisiveness that normal women wouldn't possess. She was akin to a rose, beautiful yet covered with thorns! Even if she was angry, she still looked elegant, and even if she displayed hatred, it was equally moving!
Just based on looks, Shui QianRou's beauty wasn't below that of Ling Chen, Yu BingYan, or Xiao YanXue! Ling Tian let out a long sigh; yet another heaven toppling beauty!
"Cough cough, Miss Shui, I believe you're already awake?" Shui QianRou had just gotten a grasp of the most optimal answer, her face flushing with a sense of elated giddiness, when a disgusting voice sounded out of nowhere, breaking apart her thoughts. This caused her to fly into a rage.
Opening her eyes, she saw a handsome face opposite hers, a teasing look on his face as his eyes roved around her face.
Shui QianRou's face immediately grew impassive, and with a cold snort, she looked to the side. Ling Tian, no matter how my heart thinks, or what choice I make in the end, I'm still Shui QianRou, and I'll not be so easily conquered by you!
"Oh, Miss Shui, time is of the essence, so please forgive this young noble here for disrupting your dreams." Ling Tian spoke, "But now it's still early, so Miss Shui can continue to stay here and dream until later."
"Why do you even care?!" Shui QianRou felt a wave of exasperation. Other than sarcasm and vulgar rude words, this person never spoke anything else to her! However, she didn't realize that her sentence wasn't one that would be said to an enemy, but rather between lovers! While Shui QianRou spoke without thinking, Ling Tian was already anxious beyond anything.
"Yes, yes, I shouldn't be caring about what dreams you are having," Ling Tian smiled, "But, Miss Shui still hasn't given me what you promised! Ling Tian now is extremely worried that my father will be in peril, and thus does not have the spare time to continue waiting!"