Chapter 563: Chapter 153: Regaining Consciousness_1
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Since the energy of the Dragon’s Blood and the Phoenix’s Blood diminished, the connection between the two Divine Artifacts disappeared, and Xuan Yue could not find Ah Dai. However, her inner worries had disturbed her clear mind.
Lu Wen said, "Don’t worry. The Sect Leader and the others are looking for him, they should be no worse than you. If Ah Dai is not in trouble, they will definitely bring him back. I have a way to make Ah Dai face his feelings, abandon his inferiority complex and step out of his weakness. Only by letting him completely change, can the two of you avoid any more emotional crises."
Xuan Yue’s heart was delighted, and she asked hurriedly, "What method? Senior Uncle, please tell."
Lu Wen smiled and said, "Silly child, it seems I wasn’t wrong, you can’t let go of Ah Dai. In fact, the method is simple. As long as his feelings for you in his heart surpass everything else, covering up his inferiority and cowardice, there will be no more obstacles between you."
Xuan Yue asked doubtfully, "So, what should I do?"
Lu Wen said, "Let me ask you first, are you sure Ah Dai truly likes you?"
Xuan Yue hesitated for a moment, but still nodded, "He must truly like me. I can feel his feelings for me. Just because of various reasons, he dares not face them."
Lu Wen said, "Then it’s easy to handle. Remember my words." Wrapped in an aura of life vitality, a thin and soft voice floated into Xuan Yue’s ear. Lu Wen spoke for a full twenty minutes before stopping. After listening to Lu Wen’s words, Xuan Yue asked in doubt, "Senior Uncle, will this really work? Isn’t it too..."
Cold glint flashed in Lu Wen eyes, "This should be the best method. Not only will it make Ah Dai face his feelings for you, but it can also punish those villains who deserve punishment. Ah Dai has suffered enough. Those who hurt him will not be easily forgiven by our Tian Gang Sword Sect. This is already the lightest punishment."
Xuan Yue thought for a while and sighed, "Alright, Senior Uncle, I’ll take your advice. It’s getting late, I’ll go back first. I’ll leave the rest to you."
Lu Wen smiled compassionately, "Child, you’ve suffered. I won’t keep you, rest assured, I will certainly bring Ah Dai to see you within a year."
In the unremarkable inn at Tai Ang City in the Empire of the Sunset City.
"Waiter, get me some hot water." A young girl with a beautiful face but an icy expression stood at the door of her room and called out to the waiter.
The waiter was oddly polite, "Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll bring it to you right away."
The girl tossed him a few copper coins and turned back into her room. The waiter was overjoyed as tips were rare for small inns with few customers like his.
After closing the door, the icy expression on the girl’s face softened a little. She walked to the side of the bed, looking at the pale-faced young man on the bed, she said sadly, "You’ve been in a coma for three months, don’t you want to wake up? Quickly get better. If worse comes to worst, I won’t make you fulfill your promise. Isn’t it okay if I don’t kill you?" This girl in civilian clothes was Mie Feng. Three months ago, when she rescued Ah Dai from the local branch of Assassin’s Guild in Tai Ang City, he had fallen into a coma and showed no signs of waking up. Ten days after his coma, he was enveloped in a golden light, which lasted for a month and a half. After a sudden burst of golden light, all energy disappeared, and it seemed as if he fell into a deep sleep with no abnormalities. Despite not eating or drinking, his pulse was not weak at all. However, he did not wake up from his deep sleep.
Mie Feng had never taken care of someone like this. Everyday, she used warm water to cleanse him and checked his physical condition. Although caring for Ah Dai made her very tired, Mie Feng never thought of leaving him, taking care of him persistently, like a wife caring for her husband.
In a short while, the server brought the hot water. Mie Feng used another basin to mix some cold water to adjust the temperature. She wetted a towel, wrung it out, and began to wipe down Ah Dai’s body. As she did so, she chanted a prayer charm with familiarity, "Behold the autonomous divine, acting to universally deliver all beings, observing the divine sprout, eliminating all suffering and evil, praying to the Sky God, suffering is emptiness, emptiness is suffering, sensibility and awareness, God blesses, praying to Sky God, these are the universal empty appearances, neither arising nor ceasing, neither impure nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing,..." She suddenly stopped because she felt Ah Dai’s hand trembling slightly.
Mie Feng stared at Ah Dai’s palm, her heart pounding. She silently prayed for it to move, even if it was just moving one more time.
As if heeding Mie Feng’s prayer, the arm Mie Feng was wiping trembled again. Ah Dai’s right hand’s middle finger and ring finger moved simultaneously. Mie Feng was able to confirm that her feelings were not an illusion, and she excitedly shouted, "Ah Dai, Ah Dai, please wake up, please wake up." Her body shook with excitement, her eyes wet as she continued staring at Ah Dai’s body unblinkingly. Ah Dai’s hand moved again, his whole body seemed to spasm with the motion of his fingers. "Uh-" A soft groan echoed in Mie Feng’s expectation, Ah Dai’s smooth eyebrows furrowed slightly. Mie Feng quickly wiped his forehead with the towel in her hand, softly saying, "Ah Dai, Ah Dai, can you hear me speaking?"
Ah Dai’s eyes moved slowly opened, his black pupils seemed somewhat dim. After groaning a few times, he spoke weakly, "Where am I?" It turned out that when Ah Dai controlled his Golden Body to enter the Sea of Consciousness, his entire mentality and primal consciousness underwent a reintegration, a process that lasted for over a month until just now. After going through this process, Ah Dai was finally able to free himself from his own malevolent aura and the evil aura of the Hades sword, and returned to normal.
Tears of joy streamed down Mie Feng’s face, "Ah Dai, you finally woke up, you finally woke up. We are in an inn now, how are you? Is your body feeling any better?"
A hint of life slowly returned to Ah Dai’s eyes as he looked at Mie Feng beside him, and he asked in surprise, "Ah! Mie Feng, why are you crying? How long have I been unconscious?"
Mie Feng wiped away the tears on her face somewhat awkwardly, and lightly scolded, "What do you mean ’a few days’? You have been unconscious for as long as three months. Did you know? A whole three months!"
Ah Dai was startled. To him, it felt like killing the number one assassin had just happened yesterday. He had actually been in a deep sleep for three months? It was unbelievable! He looked at Mie Feng in doubt and murmured, "Three months, it’s already been three months? Mie Feng, why... why didn’t you kill me? You had the perfect chance. I was completely defenseless."
Mie Feng shot Ah Dai a resentful look, her concerned expression slowly turned cold, "Even though I’m a thief, I know how to keep my promises. Since I promised to help you fulfill your wishes, I won’t kill you now. I’m waiting for you to fulfill your pledge after you complete everything." Ah Dai’s question felt like a sharp dagger stabbing into her heart. Mie Feng held back her tears, after caring for him tirelessly for three months, she was rewarded with his cold suspicion. She bit her lip as she turned and walked towards the bathroom.
Ah Dai, naturally, couldn’t understand Mie Feng’s feelings right now. Looking around and feeling the abundant True Qi within his body, he thought to himself: Heaven is truly kind to me, allowing me to recover. It seems like even the heavens want the Assassin’s Guild to disappear! Assassin’s Guild, just wait. As soon as I fully recover, it’ll be your death. The intent to kill once again surged in his heart. Ah Dai’s deep-seated instincts had been completely masked over by his killing intent. He tried to move and was startled to find that he was completely naked. His Gigantic Spirit Snake Armor and Hades Sword were missing, he was suddenly terrified and yelled, "Mie Feng, Mie Feng. Where is my Hades Sword? Quick, give it back to me."
Mie Feng emerged from the bathroom, her eyes reddened. That was because of the silent tears she shed earlier in the bathroom. Ah Dai, concerned about the whereabouts of the Sword of Hades and the fact that Mie Feng had cried before though he didn’t bother, asked anxiously, "Where are my Sword of Hades and that blue gemstone necklace? Have you seen them? Why am I naked?"
Mie Feng looked coldly at Ah Dai’s anxious face, enduring her inner turmoil and responded lightly, "I’ve kept them for you, they can’t be lost. You’ve been asleep for three months and your body was filthy. I had the service staff help remove your clothes and clean your body. That’s why you are naked. Do you need those things now?"
Ah Dai nodded again and again, saying, "I need them now, give me that blue gemstone necklace, and the Sword of Hades first." The Dragon’s Blood and the Sword of Hades were too important to him. The Dragon’s Blood not only contained strong energy but most importantly, Sheng Xie was there cultivating within it. To Ah Dai, Sheng Xie is his closest friend and many important things were stored in the Dragon’s Blood. Also, the Sword of Hades was his weapon for revenge. Despite the intrusion of Evil Aura due to the use of the fifth move of the Hades Sword Technique, Ah Dai realized that the Assassin’s Guild wasn’t as weak as he thought. Probably, when it comes to killing the master, he still needs to use this Ultimate Evil Hades Sword. Additionally, as the world’s foremost evil artifact, the Sword of Hades, if it falls into others’ hands, may create an evil Demon King, bringing an unavoidable catastrophe to the continent. Therefore, Ah Dai must get it back.
Mie Feng nodded, bent down to retrieve the Sword of Hades from beneath the bed in a leather bag, along with the Dragon’s Blood, and placed them on the bed. Seeing his two Divine Artifacts unscathed, Ah Dai heaved a sigh of relief. He tried to put the two Divine Artifacts on himself but didn’t have the strength to do so.
Mie Feng said, "They won’t vanish; you just woke up, you should wait until you’re fully recovered before wearing them. Do you want to eat something? Shall I go find something for you?"
Ah Dai nodded, saying, "Thank you. I appreciate your care during these days."
Mie Feng turned around, her back facing Ah Dai, and said, "I’ve told you, I won’t let you die before you fulfill your promises." After that, she strode out of the room. Yet, her shoulders were faintly trembling.
Ah Dai frowned, he felt that ever since he woke up from his unconsciousness, Mie Feng seemed to have changed. There seemed to be something more in her eyes than before.
After a while, Mie Feng returned, carrying a large bowl of rice porridge. The aroma of the rice porridge instantly aroused Ah Dai’s appetite. He hadn’t eaten for three months and had been maintaining his life solely by True Qi energy. Who wouldn’t crave upon seeing food? At this moment, he seemed to be back to his days in the City of Nino when he craved for food, looking at Mie Feng eagerly.
Mie Feng placed the rice porridge on the coffee table, helped Ah Dai sit up, and supported his back with two thick pillows. Watching Mie Feng’s proficient movements, Ah Dai felt a strange sensation deep in his heart. This was the first time he had been cared for in this way. Unaware of Ah Dai’s changed mindset, Mie Feng said lightly, "Your body has just recovered a bit, better not move. I’ll feed you." Then, she scooped a bowl from the pot of porridge, picked a spoonful, and brought it to Ah Dai’s mouth, "It should not be hot, you give it a try."
Looking at the porridge handed to his mouth, a blush spread across Ah Dai’s face, and he said, somewhat embarrassed, "I’ve really inconvenienced you. I, I..."
A hint of tenderness flashed in Mie Feng’s eyes, "Don’t say anything more, just eat." Having said that, she spooned the porridge into Ah Dai’s mouth. Ah Dai was indeed unable to feed himself at the moment, and reluctantly, he had no choice but to accept. The moment the hot porridge entered his stomach, Ah Dai felt as though his whole body had warmed up, and he instantly felt much more comfortable, no longer as weak as when he had just awakened.
It took Mie Feng a full hour to feed the small pot of porridge to Ah Dai, who let out a satisfied groan, leaned back on the pillow and said, "Thank you, that felt good."
Mie Feng gave a faint smile, feeling a sense of contentment in her heart. She found that she seemed to enjoy serving Ah Dai very much. Putting down the bowl and spoon in her hands, she said, "I just hope you get better soon. What exactly happened the day you were attacked? How did you end up like this?"
Ah Dai opened his eyes, a flicker of murderous intent flashed and then disappeared, "I don’t know if it’s good luck or bad luck, but I ran into an ambush by the Assassin’s Guild in the warehouse that day. Truth be told, I’ve always underestimated the Assassin’s Guild. A large number of high-level assassins teamed together are indeed very powerful. It was very dangerous that day, if I had made the slightest mistake, I would have been buried in that warehouse."
Mie Feng asked in confusion, "An ambush? With your profound martial arts, how many assassins could actually threaten you?"
Ah Dai gave a bitter smile and said, "I was a single target surrounded by forty assassins, seven of them Yuan Killers, ten Mie Killers, and twenty-three of the strongest Stealth Killers. Moreover, the seven Yuan Killers even had a collaborative attacking technique. How could I not suffer? Actually, what put me into a coma wasn’t them, but my own doing. Due to the strong foes, I used the Sword of Hades. While the Sword of Hades is powerful, its recoil is also extreme. The Hades Sword Technique has nine moves, called the Nine Decisions of Hades. Each move is many times stronger than the previous one, correspondingly, the evil aura it generates is also much greater. The True Qi I cultivate has a holy attribute and can be said to be the antithesis of the evil aura. But when facing the Sword of Hades, the most evil object in the world, it is like a small witch facing a big witch. Even if my True Qi cultivation reached the highest realm, I still couldn’t smoothly dissolve the evil aura generated by the Sword of Hades. That day, at the last moment, in order to kill those assassins and protect myself, I was forced to use the fifth move of the Nine Decisions of Hades - the Netherworld. You have seen the power of the Netherworld, even the warehouse fortified with a strong wind barrier was blown apart. However, the contained evil aura also triggered my deep-seated malevolent aura, constantly devouring my consciousness. The situation was really dangerous at that time, I had already been controlled by my heart demon. It was your cold shout that woke me up. To prevent these two types of mutating energies from controlling my mind, all my thoughts and energy were used to counteract them, therefore, I ended up lapsing into unconsciousness."
Mie Feng trembled slightly, "So many high-level assassins, I’m afraid that’s more than half of the entire strength of the Assassin’s Guild. How are you now? Have those two mutating energies been dissipated? Will they recur?" After hearing Ah Dai’s explanation, she finally understood the formidable enemy Ah Dai had faced that day. It was an encirclement by forty peak-level assassins!
Ah Dai shook his head, and said, "At least most of it has been dissolved by me. As for whether it will recur, I do not know, I can only leave that up to fate. If heaven really wants me dead, what can I do? However, under the influence of my True Qi, most of the malevolent and evil aura has been eliminated. Even if it does recur, it won’t be that easy, and in the future, I will try to use the Sword of Hades as little as possible. Actually, these assassins may not count for much in the eyes of the Assassin’s Guild, I have a premonition that although the assassins united are strong, the guild master behind them - their leader, has more extraordinary strength. Perhaps, the Assassin’s Guild has some hidden strength."
Mie Feng said, "Even so, wouldn’t you still seek revenge against them? Let’s take care of your health first. You have only just recovered a bit, so you need to rest. I’m going out."
Ah Dai showed a rare smile on his face and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll recover soon. And, I won’t give them another chance to besiege me. I will be more careful the next time I act."
Mie Feng nodded her head and left the room. She was going to get another one. For these three months, she has been living with Ah Dai, using meditation in the chair to rest every day. Now that Ah Dai was awake, she could no longer continue in this way. Thinking about how she had lived with Ah Dai for three months, Mie Feng’s pretty face couldn’t help but blush.
Ah Dai recovered unexpectedly quickly. After three days of recuperation, his body had basically returned to normal. Ah Dai could clearly sense that although his power had not increased much, he seemed to have better control over his True Qi. Especially over the Golden Body in his Dantian. Before, his Golden Body only served to provide him with energy, but now it was different. He could command the Golden Body to move around any part of his body, and wherever the golden figure went, it would inevitably bring a large amount of True Qi. When Ah Dai realized that the Golden Body could move freely, he had an idea. If he could elevate the Golden Body to the position most easily invaded by the Evil Aura while using the Hades Sword, then it would be much easier to resist the Evil Aura. However, he only experimented once before denying his own idea. Because, due to the presence of the second Golden Body in his chest, he could not let the Golden Body in his Dantian move freely. The energy of the second Golden Body was sealed within itself. Apart from being able to draw in some during cultivation, it couldn’t serve any offensive or defensive purposes normally. Ah Dai knew that he had to wait until after he had fully absorbed the energy of the second Golden Body.
"Knock, knock, knock." Ah Dai lightly tapped on the door to Mie Feng’s room three times. He felt that his body was ready for any changes, and he intended to leave here with Mie Feng and head towards the next Assassin’s Guild stronghold. As he was knocking on the door, a waiter happened to pass by. Seeing Ah Dai, he couldn’t help but say, "You sure can sleep! You’ve been asleep for three months. Your wife is very kind to you, taking care of you attentively every day, even bathing you personally. It’s rare to see such a good wife, and she’s so beautiful too." During Ah Dai’s coma, it was this waiter who had brought the hot water, so he knew very well how Mie Feng had taken care of Ah Dai.
Just as the door opened and Mie Feng heard the waiter’s words, she suddenly turned red in embarrassment, angrily reprimanded the waiter, "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you seeking death?" She reached out for her dagger and prepared to dash forward. But even someone as absent-minded as Ah Dai could tell that everything the waiter said was true from her forceful denials.
The waiter’s words left a strong impact on Ah Dai. He grabbed Mie Feng’s wrist and asked in a murmur, "Is..is everything he said true?" The abrupt changes disorientated him greatly. While he had already accepted the truth in his heart, he couldn’t help but verify it out loud.
Mie Feng’s face turned even more red as she broke free from Ah Dai’s hand and quickly turned back into the room. Ah Dai followed her into the room silently and closed the door. The waiter outside exhaled a long sigh of relief, muttering to himself, "This couple is truly strange. The woman so fierce, but the man seems a bit dull. What’s all this about? I better avoid them."
Ah Dai quickly followed Mie Feng into the room, grabbing her shoulders from behind and said, "Is everything he said true? Why have you been so good to me?"
Struggling to control her surging emotions, Mie Feng lowered her head and said, "I have not been good to you. Didn’t I tell you? I can’t let you die. I have to wait until you have fulfilled all your wishes so that I can kill you myself."
Ah Dai asked in confusion, "Are you telling the truth? No, you are lying, your heart is beating faster." He turned Mie Feng around to face him. Taking a deep breath, his expression suddenly turned extremely cold. He gazed directly into Mie Feng’s eyes and said, "Promise me that you won’t be kind to me again. I cannot repay your kindness. My heart is already dead, and the rest of my body is just living for the sake of revenge and to fulfill my master’s last wish. Stop being kind to me. I have nothing to repay you with, except for the promise of my life."
Mie Feng trembled all over, she could hear the sadness in Ah Dai’s voice. She bit her lower lip and asked, "Did something upset you in the Elf Forest? When I attacked you by the Light River bank, I could sense that you were different than before. You seem colder than when you saved the elves in the Empire of Sunset City. Why is that? Is it because of the girl you were with?"
Ah Dai’s heart shuddered. The beautiful face of Xuan Yue kept flashing in his mind. He released Mie Feng’s hands, turned around abruptly, and spoke somewhat irritably, "Don’t worry about my business. Anyway, I will do what I have promised you. My body is recovered. Pack up your things, let’s leave here and continue our mission to eliminate the Assassin’s Guild." Having said that, he vanished from Mie Feng’s room like he was trying to escape.
Once Ah Dai left, Mie Feng collapsed on the bed like she had lost all her support. Ah Dai’s expression had just revealed to her that he was now in this state because of the girl he had been with. Tears streamed down Mie Feng’s pale face, "His heart is dead? Because of that girl? I was so stupid! How could I feel this way? He is the enemy who killed my Uncle Four! I can’t love him, I can’t let my feelings for him develop, I should only hate him." Although she said this, the hate in her heart had been dissolved by the sprouting love during the three months she had been with Ah Dai. How could she bring herself to hate him now?
An hour later, Mie Feng and Ah Dai left the inn and set out for the next stronghold of the Assassin’s Guild. Both of them were looking icy cold, as if nothing had happened.
As they approached the northern gate of Tai Ang City, they were attracted by a big crowd of bystanders. The civilians were huddled around the city wall, seemingly absorbed in something.
Ah Dai and Mie Feng exchanged a glance, "Shall we go and see? Maybe it’s about the warehouse I destroyed."
Mie Feng nodded, and the two of them pushed through the crowd to get closer. Both of them possessed strong fighting energy, making the ordinary people wobble aside, allowing them to squeeze into the crowd. It was only when they reached the innermost part of the crowd that they saw what was attracting everyone. It was a notice, with white paper and black ink, radiating an imposing aura. The two looked closely at it. The notice wasn’t about the destroyed warehouse, instead, it read, "Holy Church announcement: Due to the recent rampant Dark Forces, the Pope has decided to order all followers of the Sky God to scour the continent for traces of the Dark Forces. If such traces are found, they should be reported to the Church immediately. Whoever provides accurate information will be ordained as a White Robe Priest by the Church, and rewarded with ten thousand diamond coins. The Dark Forces include the Winged Tribe, the Dwarf Clan, the Half-beast Clan and other races of abnormal appearances." After reading the contents of the notice, Ah Dai and Mie Feng could not help but look at each other. Ah Dai thought to himself, it seems that the Church is really getting serious this time.
After extricating themselves from the crowd, Mie Feng asked, "What do you see from this notice? Why is the Church suddenly looking for Dark Forces? Aren’t the Dwarves and Winged Tribes peaceful races?"
Ah Dai shook his head, "Things are not as simple as you think. Your Thieves’ Guild is well-informed, don’t you know about the heavy blow the Church received more than half a year ago?"
Mie Feng was taken aback, "I’ve been with you for half a year, how would I know about these news. What exactly happened?"
Ah Dai sighed, "Let’s walk and talk." He took the lead towards the city outskirts, with Mie Feng hurriedly following him. Upon leaving Tai Ang City, Ah Dai briefly explained how the Church had been ambushed by various Dark Alien Races.
After hearing Ah Dai’s account, Mie Feng expressed her doubts, "If that’s the case, the Church is in quite a bit of trouble this time! It’s now May 998, and there is less than two years until the millennium of the divine calendar. If there really is a Millennium Catastrophe, the Church might be in danger."
Ah Dai said, "It’s strange that after half a year, the Church still hasn’t made a move to pursue the Dark Forces."
Mie Feng rolled her eyes at him, "Besides having a high cultivation base, how are you so bad in other aspects. The Church aren’t pursuing not because they don’t want to, but because they simply can’t trace the enemy. Otherwise, why would they issue a notice to command all followers to look for the Dark Alien Races? The fact that even the Church’s capabilities haven’t traced the enemy’s whereabouts in half a year indicates that the Dark Alien Races are indeed formidable!"
Ah Dai frowned, "You seem very happy about their misfortune. Don’t you know the consequences if the Dark Forces take over the continent?"
Mie Feng scoffed disdainfully, "I’m a thief, I’m inherently part of the Dark Forces. What happens to the Church is none of my business. As for the Dark Forces taking over the continent, I don’t think it’ll pose a threat to us."
Ah Dai turned his head aside, thinking to himself, it’s already been half a year, and the Church still has no leads. Is it really that hard to deal with the Dark Forces? He shook his head vigorously to banish the thought of helping the Church, and kept reminding himself that for him now, the most important thing was to eliminate the Assassin’s Guild. Dealing with the Dark Forces should be left to the Church. What can a savior do with just my power? Sigh -- I wonder how Prophet Pu Lin is doing now, whether he has woken up from his coma. Prophet, I’m sorry, I might have to let you down.
Three days later, Ah Dai and Mie Feng arrived at another stronghold of the Assassin’s Guild. When they arrived, they were shocked to find that the site was completely deserted. The furnishing wore a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had been long deserted. This strange phenomenon took them both by surprise. From his previous encounter with the Assassins Guild, Ah Dai knew that Mie Feng wouldn’t lie to him, but there were surely no people from the Assassin’s Guild here, what was going on? He certainly wouldn’t take this lying down, and under Mie Feng’s guidance, they spent another half a month and successively found five of the Assassin’s Guild’s strongholds. However, the outcome was the same. Over half a month, they didn’t even encounter a single assassin.
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