Chapter 60: Death Reappears

I kissed her forehead and said softly, “Snowy, you’re awake.”

Zi Xue shoved me hard and let out a startled scream. I wasn’t prepared, and I was right by the bed. I immediately fell to the floor. My arm injury was jolted, and intense pain shot through me at once.

Zi Xue’s face turned deathly pale as she stared at me. “Y-you… why are you on my bed? Where’s Sister?”

Gritting through the pain, I answered, “Zi Yan was too tired. She went back to rest. I stayed here to take care of you.”

Zi Xue’s tears spilled down in an instant. “You did something that outrageous, and you still slept with me? You…”

I hurried to sit by the bed and reached out, wanting to wipe her tears away. Zi Xue slapped my hand aside and shouted angrily, “Don’t touch me.”

I said softly, “Snowy, it’s all my fault. Forgive me, alright? From now on I’ll treat you ten times, a hundred times better. Forgive me.”

Hatred showed in Zi Xue’s eyes. She looked at me with wary anger. “Forgive you? How am I supposed to forgive you? You’re a beast—you actually did that kind of thing. I will never forgive you.”

Her fury made her body tremble. The front of her clothing came loose, exposing the pink undergarment underneath.

The word “beast” stabbed into my heart like a needle. My face went pale. I drew in a deep breath. Zi Yan had told me I had to move Zi Xue with sincerity. I couldn’t retreat now.

Seeing her front come open, I said with concern, “Your clothes opened in front—button it up. You just got up. Be careful you don’t catch a chill.”

But I had no idea Zi Xue couldn’t take in any words at all right now. My concern warped the moment it reached her ears. Her face changed drastically. She clutched her clothes tightly and said in a trembling voice, “Y-you… what did you do to me last night? You… you…”

“You didn’t… did you…?”

Of course I understood what she wanted to say. In her mind, I had truly become a lust-crazed demon—a rapist. It felt as if a steel blade split my heart open, bloody and raw, filling me with despair.

My eyes went blank. I murmured, “In your heart… am I really that kind of person?”

Zi Xue panted sharply, hatred in her voice. “Isn’t that exactly what you are? Otherwise why would you go rape that demon race princess? Wasn’t it for her beauty? If it had been someone uglier, would you have done it?…”

Zi Xue was right. Maybe if the person back then hadn’t been Mo Yue but an ugly woman, I really wouldn’t have done it. So it seemed I truly was a beast.

In Zi Xue’s eyes, I no longer had any merits—only bitter hatred. She said she would never forgive me. Last night’s warmth vanished in an instant.

Inside me, there was no other emotion anymore. Everything felt as if it had nothing to do with me. I didn’t hear another word Zi Xue said after that.

I slumped to the floor. My eyes became empty. I couldn’t summon even a trace of strength, and I no longer wanted to do anything.

At that moment, that deadly Aura of Death came again. It welled up from my heart and surged rapidly through the meridians around my body. Compared to last time, this attack was even more violent.

I had no intention of stopping it. I let it roam through me. None of it mattered anymore. I no longer had the will to live. Even as death drew closer step by step, my mind stayed clear. Watching myself die—maybe that was a kind of amusement.

After Zi Xue finished speaking, she saw my state and felt terrible as well. Tears spilled from her eyes. She cried for a while, then realized I still hadn’t moved, still sitting there with my eyes wide open. What frightened her was that my eyes had completely turned an ashen gray, and there wasn’t a trace of life in my body anymore.

Zi Xue sensed something was wrong. She jumped off the bed and gently pushed me. I toppled at once. My body lay stiff on the floor. Zi Xue cried out and scooped my upper body into her arms, shouting, “Lei Xiang! Lei Xiang, what’s wrong? Lei Xiang, talk to me!”

Right now, forget talking—I didn’t even have the strength to close my eyes. With my despair feeding it, the Aura of Death was occupying my meridians at an astonishing speed.

Now, aside from the brain, where my dark magic power held ground, and my dantian, where Berserk Battle Energy held ground, my entire body had been seized by the Aura of Death. It was corroding every part of me without pause.

But I had eaten two pieces of mo jing. My meridians were wide and tough. In the short term, I still wouldn’t die.

What felt strange was that aside from having no life in my body, I no longer felt anything else. I didn’t know whether this counted as a painless death.

Zi Xue’s heart was filled with terror. If my eyes had been closed, she might have thought I had fainted. But like this—my whole body filled with dead stillness—was beyond anything she could imagine.

She kept calling my name, shaking my body, but I had no response. After a long while, Zi Xue discovered in horror that my body was slowly growing cold.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the door. “A Xue, it’s Sister.” Zi Yan’s voice came through the door.

Zi Xue clutched at her like a lifeline. She lowered me to the floor and ran to open the door, crying out, “Sister, hurry and look at him—he seems like he’s not going to make it!”

Zi Yan was shocked. She rushed in with Zi Xue. When she saw me on the floor without a trace of life, even though I couldn’t see anymore, I could still feel her sorrow. Zi Yan cried out and threw herself on top of me.

“Lei Xiang, what’s wrong with you?”

She tried to shake me awake, but it was useless.

Zi Yan forced herself to steady down. Her temperament was far stronger than Zi Xue’s. In a moment like this, she didn’t lose her composure. She turned and asked Zi Xue, “A Xue, why is it like this? What happened to him?”

Zi Xue sobbed, “It’s all my fault. When I woke up this morning, I found him holding me. I remembered what he did to the demon race princess, so I cursed him and pushed him off the bed. Then I cursed him again. After that he didn’t move. When my mood calmed a little and I looked at him again, he was already like this.”

Zi Yan pulled me into her arms and cried, “What exactly did you say? Why would he become like this?”

“I… I said…” Zi Xue repeated what she had said to me.

For the first time in her life, Zi Yan lost her temper at her younger sister. “Y-you… how could you say that to him? Yes, he did wrong, but he has always loved us. Yesterday, to atone, he let me kill him. When I attacked him, he didn’t resist at all. Look—his arm was broken by me, and he didn’t cry out in pain even once. I forgave him because I know that in this life, I will only love him. Why… why did you stab him like that? He must have been in despair to become like this. A Xue—last night, I was the one who told him to stay and take care of you. You…”

Zi Xue was already sobbing so hard she couldn’t speak properly. “Sister… Sister, save him. Hurry, save him!”

Zi Yan steadied herself, gathered light-element energy, and at the fastest speed chanted the greatest light-element restorative spell she could use. Zi Xue didn’t idle either. Her water-element restorative spell was cast almost at the same time as her sister’s. As she cast it, the Sea-Blue Stone on her chest released a hazy radiance that covered her body, invisibly boosting her spell’s power by a great deal.

The energies of the two elements surged toward my body. But the Aura of Death left behind by the forbidden art was not so easily expelled. When their spells reached the midway point, they discovered they couldn’t send the magical energy into my body at all.

Zi Xue, frantic, kept forcing water-element energy forward, but it was already useless. Zi Yan stopped first. She prevented Zi Xue from continuing and said miserably, “It’s no use. Lei Xiang… Lei Xiang has already…”

Zi Xue screamed through tears, “No, no! A Xiang isn’t dead. He isn’t dead! Sister, you can’t give up!”

Zi Yan stood up and wiped the tears from her face. “A Xue, stay here and watch over him. I’ll go find Teacher. Maybe he’ll have a way.”

After saying that, she used light-element magic to lift me onto the bed and dashed out.

Zi Xue stared blankly at my lifeless body. Even now, she couldn’t believe that in just a dozen minutes, the Lei Xiang who had spoken to her so gently earlier could no longer hold her, could no longer speak to her—only an empty shell lay there. Zi Xue gripped my hand, and large tears fell onto my body drop by drop.

A short while later, Zi Yan rushed back in, bringing the Vice Principal—still not fully awake—and Teacher Zhuang.

Zi Xue clung to them like a lifeline. With a thud, she dropped to her knees. “Vice Principal, Teacher Zhuang—please save Lei Xiang!”

The Vice Principal swept a hand. Light flashed, and Zi Xue was lifted up. He stepped to my side. Seeing my condition, he was startled too. He quickly checked my breathing, then pressed his ear to my chest to listen. Zi Yan urgently asked, “Teacher, how is he? Can he still be saved?”

The Vice Principal sighed. “Strange. He clearly has no life force, yet he still has breath. Zi Yan—how did this happen?”

Zi Yan said anxiously, “Teacher, don’t ask right now. Save him first!”

Teacher Zhuang said, “Yes, Vice Principal—can he be saved or not? He was fine at lunch yesterday. How did he become like this today? Ah—what happened to his arm?”

Zi Yan and Zi Xue exchanged a look, and tears poured down again.

The Vice Principal chanted, “Great light element… release—the energy of life.”

Dense white light filled the Vice Principal’s body. The powerful force pushed Zi Yan, Zi Xue, and Teacher ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Zhuang back. The Vice Principal was wreathed in sacred radiance. He slowly placed his hand over my chest. White light surged violently, and in an instant I was completely enveloped.

After a long time, steam rose from the Vice Principal’s head. The light dimmed. His body swayed. Zi Yan hurried over to support him and asked, “Teacher, how is it?”

The Vice Principal shook his head. “It’s too strong. If I’m not mistaken, this child has been cursed by a necromancer. His body is filled with death aura. And he himself… seems to have no desire to live. No matter how hard I try, I can’t use light-element power to drive out that death energy.”

Hearing that, Zi Xue nearly fainted. With a trembling voice, she said, “Then… he can’t be saved.”

She threw herself onto me, sobbing and shouting, “A Xiang, wake up! Wake up! As long as you can live, I won’t care about anything anymore. I love you—I do love you. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. Forgive me. A Xiang, please wake up. I’m begging you—wake up!”

Zi Xue’s cries were like a cuckoo crying blood. Zi Yan, in tears, held her tightly and stared at me in a daze. “A Xiang, how can you be so irresponsible? Did you forget? Yesterday I said I’d make you use a lifetime to repay us. And you just go like this—I’ll hate you to death. Wake up. Hurry and wake up.”

The Vice Principal stared at Zi Yan in shock. “Y-you… you too…?”

Zi Yan raised her head. “Yes, Teacher. Little Sister and I both love Lei Xiang. Because of misunderstandings, Lei Xiang was driven to death by us. I…”

Her grief was so intense she couldn’t continue.

I knew everything that was happening. The despair inside me was slowly fading. When I heard Zi Xue’s last words, I understood her earlier words were only spoken in anger—she still loved me. The moment that thought rose, it sparked my will to live.

But I realized it was already late. The Aura of Death had begun to corrode my meridians. Aside from being able to think, I couldn’t do anything.

Was I really going to die like this?

No. Zi Yan and Zi Xue were still waiting for me to take care of them for life. I absolutely could not die here.

I focused all my intent on my dantian and began to force the dormant Berserk Battle Energy to move. Even if I could mobilize just a little, there would be hope of life.

My recent effort hadn’t been wasted. Under my drive, Berserk Battle Energy finally moved. It surged out from my dantian and began pushing back the death energy around it. But I had acted too late. The death energy was already extremely strong. Even though Berserk Battle Energy could restrain it, for the moment it couldn’t break out to farther reaches.

Zi Yan and Zi Xue noticed in shock that my abdomen was emitting a faint yellow glow. They immediately stood up. The Vice Principal stepped forward.

“Ah—he’s trying to heal himself. He has regained the will to live. It must have been your words just now that moved him. Zi Yan, Zi Xue—each of you hold one of his hands. Think of your longing and love for him. Maybe a miracle will happen.”

Zi Yan and Zi Xue did not dare delay. They quickly each took one of my hands. Hot sparks flared in their eyes. They understood this might be the last chance.

As if sensing their love, my connection with Berserk Battle Energy grew even tighter. I directed it to charge left and right, successfully seizing one area after another.

When Berserk Battle Energy broke through the death aura in my chest, Zi Yan and the others saw in shock that the mustard-seed pouch that had been tucked in my clothes suddenly floated out. It shone with dazzling golden light in the air.

The Vice Principal exclaimed in surprise, “What is that? Such a holy aura.”

The mustard-seed pouch opened on its own. A strand of golden light drifted out from inside, gradually growing larger. Zi Yan and Zi Xue cried out at the same time, “The heart-protector mirror!”

That’s right—the heart-protector mirror. It no longer looked ugly as before. The pitch-black ore had completely turned into golden radiance. Suddenly, it fell onto my chest. It seemed to become pure energy, slowly seeping inward until it vanished completely.

I suddenly felt an incomparably powerful energy surge from my chest. This energy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was familiar and warm, as if it had always been one with my Berserk Battle Energy. It was powerful, yet not violent. It swiftly merged into the Berserk Battle Energy in my body. The originally yellow battle energy, with its addition, turned into blazing golden light.

What Zi Yan and the others saw was my whole body beginning at my chest, gradually emitting golden light. The light grew stronger and stronger until it was so bright they couldn’t open their eyes.

I didn’t even need to drive it. The golden radiance rapidly devoured the surrounding death aura, dispersing it in an instant. At the very end, the death aura, just like last time, suddenly disappeared. Its vitality really was stubborn—so stubborn that even this unknown energy couldn’t destroy it.

Even so, I believed that for a short time, it wouldn’t be able to come out and cause trouble again.

The golden radiance didn’t withdraw after that. It flooded my body, repairing the meridians that had just been corroded by the death aura. My six senses regained their former sharpness. Under the golden radiance, even the pain at my broken arm eased somewhat. My body was recovering bit by bit.

My meridians recovered in a miraculous way. Finally, the lingering traces of death aura within them were completely driven out. The corroded parts continuously repaired themselves. With Berserk Battle Energy supporting them, my meridians still weren’t fully restored, but I knew clearly—my life had been picked back up again.

After the death aura was expelled, the golden radiance continued fusing with the Berserk Battle Energy in my body. I didn’t feel Berserk Battle Energy growing stronger, but it did seem a little different from before.

Zi Yan and the others watched as the golden light on my body gradually weakened, then fully sank into me. Yet the heart-protector mirror did not reappear after the golden light vanished.

I blinked. The ashen gray was gone. My eyes gradually regained their vitality. My vision cleared. I saw one concerned face after another.

Zi Xue was the first to throw herself at me, crying through tears, “A Xiang… are you—are you better?”

I nodded slightly. My body had just recovered, and I still couldn’t speak.

Zi Yan pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from my forehead.

The Vice Principal placed fingers on my pulse and examined the state inside my body. He said blankly, “A miracle. Truly a miracle. What was it that entered Lei Xiang’s body just now? He actually drove out that death aura by himself. Unbelievable. This is practically a divine sign.”

My lips moved. A weak sound came from deep in my throat. Zi Xue put her ear to my mouth. “A Xiang, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what do you want to say?”

I tried to adjust my voice. A faint sound came out. “Snowy… do you really forgive me?”

Zi Xue hugged me tightly and sobbed, “Forgive. I forgive you. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have said such harsh things. A Xiang, as long as you get better, I won’t care about anything anymore. I really love you—really. Sister and I both forgive you. Get better quickly. Never leave us again.”

I smiled and nodded. My heart was bright and clear. The crisis in love had finally passed. Now I could finally part the clouds and see the moon, no longer fearing that the ones I loved would leave me. A dawn of hope lit my heart.

The Vice Principal coughed and signaled Teacher Zhuang with his eyes. Teacher Zhuang smiled slightly and leaned close to me. “Lei Xiang, you nearly scared us to death. Recover well. Get better quickly. We’re all waiting for you to come back. Don’t forget—you’re the academy’s hope.”

I nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

Teacher Zhuang said to the Zi sisters, “Take good care of him. The Vice Principal and I will go back first. If anything changes, notify us immediately.”

Zi Xue nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll definitely take good care of A Xiang.”

Teacher Zhuang smiled. “Silly girl, stop crying. Isn’t your A Xiang already getting better?”

Zi Yan escorted the Vice Principal and Teacher Zhuang out of the room, then sat beside me with Zi Xue. Seeing them turn from grief to joy filled my heart with warmth. I knew they would never leave me again—and I would love them well, cherish them well.

Three days later, with my own regulation and Zi Yan and Zi Xue’s meticulous care, aside from my broken left arm, I had basically returned to normal. But they insisted I wasn’t allowed out of bed, saying I had to recover thoroughly.

As Zi Yan fed me porridge with a spoon, she asked, “A Xiang, what exactly happened that day? Why did you suddenly become like that? Teacher said you were cursed by a necromancer. Is that true?”

I swallowed a mouthful of the “love-and-nourishment” porridge Zi Yan made herself and sighed. “I’ve never met a necromancer. Do you remember I told you I killed four fallen angels under Mo Yue? It was then. One of the fallen angels actually chose self-destruction and used a forbidden art, drawing in the power of the Netherworld. Even though the few of us worked together and turned danger into safety, I was left with a lingering ailment. There’s always a strand of death aura coiled inside me.

“Yesterday was the second time it flared up. Normally, the battle energy I cultivate can resist it, but that day, after hearing Snowy’s words, I was in despair and wanted to die. So I let it run wild inside me, and that’s how I became like that.”

Zi Xue leaned against me and said softly, “It’s all my fault. I spoke without thinking.”

I shook my head and gently stroked her beautiful long hair. “It’s not that you were bad. I was the one who was bad. And you weren’t wrong that day, either. I don’t blame you at all. If there’s blame, it can only be on me. Everything has already passed, so don’t keep blaming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yourself for it.

“But being able to come back alive that day really was a miracle. Even though your words gave me the will to live, the Aura of Death had already controlled most of my meridians. My battle energy couldn’t break out in a short time. Even if I could recover, who knows how long it would’ve taken.

“Right then, a familiar and powerful energy surged in from my chest. That should be the heart-protector mirror you were talking about. It fused completely with the battle energy inside me. With its help, the death aura wasn’t eradicated, but for a short time it probably can’t harm me again.”

Zi Yan’s face changed. “Then that means you’re not completely well. I don’t want to see you like that again. It was terrifying.”

I opened my mouth and swallowed another spoonful of porridge, then smiled. “With you two at my side, my heart is full of hope. And after my Berserk Battle Energy fused with the heart-protector mirror, it seems to have undergone a qualitative change. As long as I resist with all my heart, the death aura can’t do anything to me. Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t abandon you. I still have to take care of you for an entire lifetime.”

Zi Xue took my hand and pressed it to her cheek. “It’s better to find a way to clear it completely. With a hidden danger like that, I can’t feel at ease.”

I smiled bitterly. “I’ve tried too, but it’s useless. That residual energy is sly—every time it reaches the final moment, it slips away quietly. I can’t do anything about it. It’ll depend on chance. Maybe one day it’ll suddenly get careless and I’ll wipe it out.”

After saying that, I laughed myself. Could death energy really be that easy to destroy?

Zi Xue lightly punched me. “Hate you. I’m being serious, and you’re still joking. But you really did have foresight—picking that heart-protector mirror. It saved you at the critical moment.”

I nodded firmly. “Yes. I chose it because it felt close to me. Who knew it would work so soon? And it even came out of the mustard-seed pouch by itself. I keep feeling like it has something to do with my Berserk Battle Energy—only after Berserk Battle Energy began running did it react.

“Now, every time I cultivate Berserk Battle Energy, I can feel something extra inside it, but I can’t put it into words. Its power hasn’t increased—only the color has changed into a golden yellow.”

Zi Yan said, “You can only say you were lucky. Didn’t you say that heart-protector mirror had many slots around it and should be one piece of a full set of armor? If we ever find the other armor pieces, maybe we’ll know what it really does.”

I shook my head. “That won’t be easy. Who knows how many years that heart-protector mirror has been around. Whatever. I’m not curious about any of that now. The fact that you two forgave me makes everything else in the world unimportant. As long as I have you beside me, I’m satisfied. Even the childhood desire to become an unrivaled powerhouse has faded a lot.”

Zi Yan pouted. “That won’t do. You have to cultivate properly. Little Sister and I are counting on you to protect us.”

I immediately surrendered. “Alright, alright, alright. This husband obeys.”

Zi Yan stuffed a spoonful of porridge into my mouth and scolded, “Whose husband are you? Hate you.”

Watching the blush on her face, I mumbled, “Of course… both of yours together. Heh.”

Zi Yan’s face reddened even more. She suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Ah, right—A Xiang, you said back then you wanted me to tell Father to go to the Beastmen nation and bring back someone named Ling Ling, and you said something about Rui Prince’s Mansion. What’s that about?”

Hearing her ask, I immediately started stammering. “Oh… n-nothing. Just a small matter.”

Zi Xue leaned in. She cupped my head with both hands and said, “Look me in the eyes. If you’re lying, your eyes will tell me.”

I gave an awkward smile, leaned over, and kissed her small lips. “Knowing too much isn’t good. If there’s a chance later, I’ll tell you.”

Zi Xue turned shy from the kiss and scolded, “No. I want to know right now. You’re definitely hiding something from us. Confession brings ‘leniency,’ resistance brings ‘severity.’ If you don’t talk, then I’ll…”

She shot me a threatening look.

When she said that, Bai Jian’s figure actually flashed through my mind. My heart jolted. Why would I think of her? No. I had to hold myself back. I absolutely couldn’t stray again.

I teased Zi Xue. “Then you’ll… you’ll what? Heh…”

Zi Xue was about to speak, but she stopped. After thinking, her face suddenly reddened. “Then I… won’t sleep with you…”

The last few words were so soft that if my hearing weren’t sharp, I wouldn’t have caught them. Hearing that, my heart stirred. Ever since I woke up that day, Zi Xue refused to leave me even for a moment, afraid something would happen again. At night, she slept nestled in my arms, though she warned me not to have any bad thoughts.

When my body was still weak, what “bad thoughts” could I have? But now I was almost recovered. If I slept holding her again at night… that was hard to say.

A wave of desire rose in my mind. A slightly wicked smile appeared on my face. “Really? You can bear to give up my warm embrace?”

Zi Xue’s face reddened. Indeed, since sleeping with me, she had slept very sweetly every night. My arm had become her best harbor.

Zi Yan’s eyes dimmed. “Are you still eating? I’ll go get you another bowl.”

I pulled her into my arms and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Zi Yan shook her head and didn’t speak.

I smiled. “Do you want to sleep with me too?”

To my surprise, even though Zi Yan’s face flushed bright red, she nodded firmly. Zi Xue and I both froze. Zi Xue tugged her sister’s arm and laughed. “That’s easy. I’ll share him with Sister—how about it?”

A glint of light flashed in Zi Yan’s eyes. She lowered her head and said, “That isn’t good. There are too many people here. They’ll gossip. And…”

A cold gleam flashed in my eyes. “Who dares gossip? You’ll both be my wives in the future. A husband sleeping with his wives is only natural.”

Zi Xue punched me. “That sounds so ugly.”

Zi Yan looked at us and said, “But there’s that energy inside me. I can’t be intimate with you. You’re only just better—you’ll get hurt. That energy not only hasn’t weakened, it’s getting stronger.”

Wronged. From her tone, she clearly thought Zi Xue and I had already done something. But I hadn’t done anything at all. Before I could explain, Zi Xue shook Zi Yan’s arm and said shyly, “Sister, what are you thinking? I… I didn’t do anything with him.”

Zi Yan froze. “He was that obedient?”

My heart tightened. I said heavily, “So you still think of me as…”