TEMBMBIWB Chapter 23

Chapter 23

With his master having spoken thus, the young man could no longer hold back.

Sui Chunsheng moved closer, sitting beside Tan Zhui.

The bed board emitted a creaking sound.

Tan Zhui turned on his side, lying down, “Hibiscus, good night.”

Sui Chunsheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyelashes trembled.

“Master, good night.”

The young man glanced sideways; Tan Zhui had already closed his eyes, the candlelight casting shadows on his brow and contours.

Neither of them had undressed; the White Deer Immortal’s robes were neat, the young man’s gaze falling upon the fair neck revealed beneath the loose black hair.

The intertwined white ribbons vaguely revealed the purplish tooth marks.

Sui Chunsheng’s breathing hitched for an instant, he hurriedly looked away, but the nameless fire within him was reignited once more.

The young man hesitated for a moment, finally, sheepishly taking a quilt and going to sleep on the floor.

The cold floor brought the young man back to his senses.

In the middle of the night, the cold wind howled outside the window.

The candle inside the room had gone out at some point, leaving behind a slight chill that seemed to seep into the bones.

Tan Zhui was always susceptible to cold; his old ailment flared up, causing his heart to burn. In his sleep, he fumbled for the gold jade medicine bottle, taking a Dao pill.

Feeling the empty space beside him, he immediately woke up somewhat.

In the dimness, he could not see clearly.

Where had Little Hibiscus gone? In this deep forest at night, how could he have left on his own…

With his cultivation limited, the effects of the old ailment became more pronounced; the White Deer Immortal’s vision became even more blurred. In a blink of an eye, there was a moment when he was completely blind.

Though he was used to it, in this moment, the White Deer Immortal was still somewhat afraid. He subconsciously called out, “Hibiscus…”

Sui Chunsheng seemed to hear the sound and grunted.

Tan Zhui couldn’t see, but his hearing was even more acute. He quickly followed the sound and found a figure curled up into a ball on the floor beneath the bed.

Tan Zhui was dazed; unable to use the Clarity Divine Art, he called out again, “Hibiscus…”

He couldn’t see the young man’s expression, but he could hear the young man’s somewhat rapid breathing, which seemed to be accompanied by a low moan.

Tan Zhui felt that something was wrong. He fumbled off the bed, grabbed the young man’s arm, and moved closer to examine him.

The young man almost immediately grabbed his hand, his breathing even heavier, and he seemed to gasp in pain.

Tan Zhui was a little anxious. He felt the young man’s slightly feverish cheeks.

“Ah Sheng, you have a fever.”

There was a thin layer of sweat on the young man’s cheeks. Tan Zhui quickly felt his pulse and realized that something was wrong.

This Xiu Luo Demon Soul had chosen this moment to flare up.

Tan Zhui’s face turned ashen. He quickly used his spiritual power to calm his emotions.

The young man’s lips were pale, his hand gripping Tan Zhui’s was covered in bulging veins, his whole body was trembling.

Tan Zhui moved closer and was startled by the young man’s complexion.

“Ah Sheng, Ah Sheng, wake up…”

Sui Chunsheng seemed to hear his voice and gritted his teeth, opening his eyes. His breathing was rapid, and his voice was choked with sobs, “Master…Master.”

“Master…”

Seeing that he was awake, Tan Zhui hurriedly stroked his cheeks and said softly, “Calm your mind, Hibiscus, calm your mind. Do not be immersed in the nightmare, do not listen to its words.”

Sui Chunsheng grabbed Tan Zhui, struggled for a moment, and subconsciously pushed him away, “Master, disciple is delirious… Master, do not come near me, do not hurt, hurt Master again!”

The young man’s body trembled, his entire body wracked with pain, he couldn’t help but bang against the bedboard behind him, in immense pain.

Tan Zhui couldn’t see clearly, nor did he care about the ache in his wrist.

He grabbed the young man’s hand and pulled him into his arms, using all his strength to hold him down.

Tan Zhui gently whispered in the young man’s ear, “Hibiscus, good Hibiscus, relax.”

As he spoke, Tan Zhui channeled the spiritual power in his body, wrapping it around the young man’s trembling body to soothe the pain in his bones.

After a long time, the young man calmed down in his arms, leaving only occasional light tremors.

As if he had lost all his strength, he collapsed into the White Deer Immortal’s embrace.

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Tan Zhui’s forehead. Both of them were covered in sweat. Their clothes were in disarray, the wrinkles unable to smooth out.

In a semiconscious state, the young man could only hear the cold, soft murmur in his ear, “Hibiscus, do not be afraid, Hibiscus, do not be afraid…”

At daybreak, they maintained their positions for two hours, awakened by the sunlight outside the window.

The young man subconsciously burrowed deeper into the White Deer Immortal’s arms, struggling to open his eyes.

A scene of early morning light came into view, startling him. He gasped and bit his tongue.

Tan Zhui was awakened by his gasp and raised his gray-blue eyes.

The White Deer Immortal’s eyes were somewhat weary, his gaze slightly unfocused.

Sui Chunsheng subconsciously reached out, “Master, what’s wrong?”

Sui Chunsheng quickly caught his sleeve, wincing, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing, I accidentally bit my tongue.”

The pair of gray-blue eyes remained lowered, showing no signs of focusing.

Sui Chunsheng was immediately puzzled, waving his hand in front of Tan Zhui, but he did not see even the slightest flutter of eyelashes.

The young man immediately said, “Master, your eyes?”

Tan Zhui raised his eyes. He had realized it as soon as he opened them; his vision was shrouded in darkness.

But the warm sunlight was shining on him, it was the smell of early morning.

The sky had already brightened, but his vision remained dark.

He was blind.

The young man’s tone was urgent, and he subconsciously gripped his master’s wrist.

“Master, you…”

Tan Zhui gently reassured him, “It’s nothing, don’t worry, I spent too much spiritual power last night, and the old ailment flared up… Don’t fret, it’ll be better once my spiritual energy recovers.”

Sui Chunsheng whispered, “Master, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…”

Tan Zhui patted the back of his hand, “Not taking care of you is also master’s fault. It is not a matter of fault at this time, you and I are master and disciple, who can escape?”

Sui Chunsheng quickly helped him up, leading him to sit on the bed.

“Master, don’t move. Whatever you want to do or eat, tell your disciple.”

Tan Zhui said, “The situation here is wrong, there seems to be something that is disturbing the mind. Our cultivation is currently limited, unable to break through this forest. We have to find a way to lure the lurking thing out, using its power to break through this forest.”

“This place is not safe to stay for long, Ah Sheng, go take a look around and see if you can find any traces of the lurking thing.”

Sui Chunsheng quickly replied, then said, “Master, take your medicine first.”

The young man took out the gold jade medicine bottle, pinched out two pills, and placed them at the White Deer Immortal’s lips.

This action was not only excessive but also presumptuous.

But right now, the White Deer Immortal’s eye ailment was still present, and he could not see this presumptuous behavior.

Tan Zhui’s heart skipped a beat. Due to his blindness, his senses were particularly sensitive. He seemed to feel the warmth of the young man’s fingers brushing against his lips, and the bitter scent of the medicine wafted towards him.

He slowly opened his mouth and swallowed two pills.

Warm tea poured into his mouth, washing the pills down.

Then, a soft cloth was placed on his lips, removing the remaining moisture.

Tan Zhui’s body trembled slightly. He gripped the young man’s hand, pressing it down.

“Go on, Ah Sheng.”

Sui Chunsheng snapped back to his senses, restrained the emotions overflowing in his eyes, and quickly responded.

Only after hearing the soft opening and closing of the door did Tan Zhui’s tense body slowly relax.

Tan Zhui’s heart also sank. His ten-thousand-year-old ailment had not healed, and the frequency of relapses had been increasing recently. This time, his cultivation was limited, and his old ailment had caused him to go blind.

To make matters worse, Little Hibiscus’s inner demon was acting up repeatedly.

He had to find the Shou Liu beast skin as soon as possible. At the very least, it could soothe Little Hibiscus’s inner demon. With the Heavenly Medicine Sect Elder’s treatment, there should be enough time to remove it.

As for his own old ailment, it had already sunk deep into his bones.

Tan Zhui chuckled, “It seems I have to get used to it soon.”

He reached out and touched the bed, feeling the texture of the mattress.

The White Deer Immortal slowly stood up, cautiously, tentatively, groping his way forward along the floor.

He tried to keep his movements slow. Then, his knee struck something. With a painful gasp, he discovered that it was a long bench.

Tan Zhui sat down along the long bench, then reached for the teapot on the table, wanting to try and pour himself some tea.

But the next second, a clattering sound rang out, knocking over three or four teacups on the table. The tea spilled out.

Tan Zhui helplessly withdrew his hand, a wry smile on his face.

Indeed, he was truly a mess right now.

After casting a couple of cleansing spells, the White Deer Immortal finally chose to obediently grope his way back to the bed and took a plate of pastries to eat.

When he had eaten the third piece, light suddenly appeared before his eyes. He blinked, the darkness slowly dissipated, and after a brief moment of clarity, he returned to his previous blurry vision.

Tan Zhui sighed in relief, a long time coming.

It seemed that the Dao pill was working.

He reached for the Long Hate Whip at his waist, pushed open the door of the small hut, and a gust of cold wind rushed in.

Directly in front of the hut was the bottomless Black Water Abyss. The young man was standing on the shore of the Black Water Abyss, the hem of his robe soaked by the water, rippling upward, like a landscape painting unfolding on his clothes.

Hearing the sound, the young man looked back.

“Master? Why did you come out…” Sui Chunsheng quickly sheathed his sword, subconsciously going forward to assist, but he found that the White Deer Immortal’s eyes were bright and had already recovered.

“Master’s eyes are better.”

Tan Zhui nodded, looking at the calm surface of the Black Water Abyss.

“Is there something unusual?” Tan Zhui asked.

Sui Chunsheng’s eyes were sharp, “There was an anomaly at the bottom of this abyss just now. Upon observing the energy, I found that demonic energy is radiating out from the depths of the Black Water Abyss. However, that thing is hidden very deeply. I can’t determine the depth of its cultivation.”

Tan Zhui nodded, “I’ll find out with one try.”

As soon as he spoke, the White Deer Immortal stepped forward. The black water rippled slightly because of his arrival.

Tan Zhui slowly raised his hand, his spiritual energy like a needle, piercing his fingertip.

The White Deer Immortal formed a lotus seal with his hand, flicking the blood bead out, sending it flying into the depths of the Black Water Abyss.

A speck of red landed on the surface of the water, and the next second, the water surged violently, as if boiling.

The surrounding cold wind was rampant, coming like a gale.

The young man quickly stood beside Tan Zhui and drew his Tansue Sword.

In an instant, a gust of wind fell, and wisps of dark purple demonic energy surged from the surface of the water, forming shapes like waterfalls flowing in reverse.

Rising to a height of ten feet.

Sui Chunsheng raised his head to look, saying sharply, “Master, this thing is not to be underestimated!”

Tan Zhui, “Ah Sheng, cut it once.”

As soon as his voice fell, the frost of the Tansue Sword flashed and landed on the surface of the water.

The water became agitated again, and a dark shadow crawled up from the bottom of the water.

It was an impatient one, enraged by a single blow.

Tan Zhui slightly curled the corner of his lips and said, “Ah Sheng, step back.”

…