Chapter 820: [Realm of Selflessness] (Part 2)

Hu Xiaotian had never felt such relief in his life; this urination was truly exhaustive, delight after delight—whether flow, speed, or range, it absolutely set a new personal high. He didn't know if he had attained the state of selflessness Master Yuanmu spoke of, but one thing he could guarantee: while urinating he had definitely reached that state. Fame, fortune, and all those mythical horses were mere clouds; combined they couldn't compare to the sheer pleasure of this stream, so refreshing and abundant.

If not for Huo Shengnan's scream, Hu Xiaotian might have remained lost in that state of selflessness; her shout was what jerked him back to reality. He certainly hadn't wet the bed, but he still couldn't escape the suspicion of indecently relieving himself anywhere, with no merit. Worse still, Huo Shengnan had just woken as he was urinating. Although she had helped him before, she had always turned her head, hearing only the sound, not seeing the sight. This time she saw everything clearly, and her scream frightened Hu Xiaotian, causing him to suddenly stop.

Huo Shengnan blushed and turned away, thinking only of his shamelessness, and didn't even notice that he could now move freely.

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Huo Shengnan, then shifted his body slightly to the side, presenting his back to her, but there was still some urine left in his bladder that he needed to release; since things had already come to this, he didn't care about dignity and continued to urinate.

Hearing the splashing of urine resume, Huo Shengnan finally realized Hu Xiaotian had returned to normal; she felt both embarrassed and delighted—delighted that she had finally fulfilled her wish, that Hu Xiaotian had recovered his health, yet embarrassed that she had made such a fool of herself, seeing everything. Hu Xiaotian was utterly shameless, doing such a thing right before her eyes—no public morality, no quality! But this fault should be blamed on her own lack of flexibility; having just seen it, she shouldn't have screamed, but should have kept pretending to be unconscious, so Hu Xiaotian wouldn't have known she saw anything—how could she be so dense?

Huo Shengnan stood there anxiously as Hu Xiaotian finally finished his urination, shivering with relief. He fastened his pants, then stretched lazily, saying, 'It feels great to finish urinating!' Anyway, having sunk to this point, he feared nothing—like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

Approaching Huo Shengnan, he saw that a feathered arrow was still embedded in her left leg. Recalling how she had just risked her life to protect him and Sword Palace Elder Qi Changguang, his heart swelled with emotion, and he reached out to help her up.

Huo Shengnan furrowed her brows: 'Take your dirty hands away!'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Not dirty. I pay attention to personal hygiene.'

Huo Shengnan simply didn't know how to face him; she glanced around, assured that no one else was present besides the two of them, which slightly eased her mind. After a moment's hesitation, she still placed her arm in Hu Xiaotian's grasp. He half-embraced, half-held her, and escorted her inside the room.

Huo Shengnan was certain he had fully returned to normal; the stone in her heart finally settled, and she whispered, 'Master, did he cure you?'

Hu Xiaotian grunted in affirmation. There was no need to deny it—after all, without Master Yuanmu's guidance, he wouldn't have recovered so miraculously. His eyes fixed on the arrowhead in Huo Shengnan's leg as he said, 'We'll discuss other matters later; first, let's remove this arrow.'

Huo Shengnan bit her lip and nodded.

Hu Xiaotian took surgical tools from his pack. First he used scissors to cut the arrow shaft, then said, 'Take off your pants!'

'What?' Huo Shengnan's eyes widened, she glared at Hu Xiaotian, and warned sharply, 'What are you trying to do?'

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: 'What do you think I am?'

'You're certainly no good person!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you don't take off your pants, how can I treat your wound?'

Huo Shengnan gave him a sideways glance, then reached out and tore a slit in the thigh of her pants with a rip, exposing her snow‑white, crystalline skin: 'Isn't this enough?'

Hu Xiaotian felt a bit embarrassed; he truly harbored no improper intentions, was eager to treat her wound, and hadn't considered her feelings—after all, she was a young lady.

Realizing he was at fault, Hu Xiaotian stayed silent, handed over the anesthetic, but Huo Shengnan shook her head: 'No need!' She took a handkerchief, rolled it into a ball, and clenched it between her teeth: 'Come on!'

Hu Xiaotian sighed: 'Why are you so resistant to the anesthetic?'

Huo Shengnan ignored him.

Hu Xiaotian cleaned Huo Shengnan's wound, then widened it slightly with a lancet, carefully extracted the arrowhead, and bonded the wound with Golden Trauma Medicine and Mo Jade Regenerating Ointment. While treating the arrow injury, he noticed a ring of bite marks on her leg, bruised and purple. He had thought it was from a Blue Wolf, but closer inspection suggested human teeth. Asking Huo Shengnan revealed it was the work of the blood‑sucking female demon Cao Juexin.

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Any other wounds?'

Huo Shengnan replied, 'There are a few more on my calf, all from her bites.'

Hu Xiaotian grabbed the tear in Huo Shengnan's pant leg and pulled hard, ripping the entire leg opening apart—honestly, the sound was rather stimulating.

Huo Shengnan exclaimed in embarrassment, 'What are you doing?!'

Hu Xiaotian stared intently and saw four more wounds on her leg, some already festering and pus‑filled. Remembering the period when his own cultivation had gone awry and he'd lost mobility, he felt her suffering deeply. He said, 'These wounds must be cleaned thoroughly; if Cao Juexin had rabies, wouldn't that be trouble for you?'

Having reached this point, Huo Shengnan had no choice but to accept. Hu Xiaotian fetched clean water, grabbed a low stool, sat beside the bed, removed Huo Shengnan's shoes and socks, and had her rest her leg on his knee. He also noticed the blood blisters on her soles. Though they exchanged little words, Hu Xiaotian already understood her hardships along the way. He first cleaned the wounds on her leg, applied Golden Trauma Medicine, then took off her other shoe and sock and immersed her pair of jade‑like feet in a basin of water.

Huo Shengnan's cheeks flushed as she noticed Hu Xiaotian still refusing to let go of her feet, and she murmured, 'What's wrong with you? Why are you grabbing someone's feet?'

Hu Xiaotian, full of feeling, said, 'Shengnan, do those words you said earlier still count?'

'What words?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You said I'm the finest man in the world, with no one comparable to me…'

Huo Shengnan giggled, her beautiful eyes shining brightly: 'Do you yourself believe that?'

Uh… Hu Xiaotian felt a bit embarrassed; the remark was indeed exaggerated—though he was excellent, he couldn't claim to be the best in the world. He added, 'Didn't you say you've let me touch you everywhere, so you won't feel anyone else in this lifetime…'

Huo Shengnan, unable to bear the shame, tried to pull her feet from Hu Xiaotian's grasp and spat, 'Hu Xiaotian, you bastard! She was only comforting you because she saw your spirit low; those words don't count!'

Hu Xiaotian gently kneaded Huo Shengnan's toe, which resembled a flower petal, and said, 'Whether or not those words count, you've looked after me all along; now it's my turn to take good care of you—may I wash your feet?' His voice was soft and low, seeming to carry an irresistible charm; Huo Shengnan didn't even know how to refuse, and in fact he was already doing so.

Under a frost‑like moonlight, after seeing Huo Shengnan to sleep, Hu Xiaotian went alone to the front of the thatched hut, gazing toward the Spirit Sound Temple in the northeast. Reflecting on recent events, he sighed, perhaps his present life was destined for dramatic ups and downs—swordplay and deep affection—making it far more colorful and profound than his previous existence.

The sound of a Palace Bell reached his ears, but it was Little Gray arriving at his side. Hu Xiaotian lightly patted the creature's head, only to discover a gray cloth tied to its tail. He untied the cloth; on it was written: 'A promise is worth a thousand gold.'

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but smile; the inscription must have been left by Master Yuanmu, reminding him never to forget his promise to return the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing.

That night Hu Xiaotian chose to sit in meditation and regulate his breath. Although he could not quickly attain the state of selflessness Master Yuanmu described, he had begun to grasp the essence of 'natural' in his internal circulation, no longer forcing changes; despite staying awake all night, his spirit was sharper than ever.

In the early morning, Huo Shengnan awoke to find Hu Xiaotian absent from the room. After dressing and washing up, she hobbled out and saw Hu Xiaotian practicing swordplay with a green bamboo stalk in the clearing before the hut. Though its power couldn't match that of Sword Palace Elder Qi Changguang, in terms of unpredictability and variation it even surpassed him.

After finishing, Hu Xiaotian tossed the bamboo aside, turned, and smiled at Huo Shengnan.

Huo Shengnan still found his gaze hard to bear; her pretty face flushed again for no reason.

At that moment, Jue Zheng appeared, carrying a food box, having come to bring them breakfast.

Hu Xiaotian hurried forward, smiling, 'Master Jue Zheng, you're here so early?'

Jue Zheng smiled, 'I brought the meal early so as not to delay your journey.'

Hu Xiaotian detected the veiled hint to leave in his words and laughed, 'Why don't I see that old monk?'

Jue Zheng replied, 'Are you asking about my grand‑uncle‑master? He has gone into seclusion to face the wall today.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and took the food box from Jue Zheng's hands.

Jue Zheng pressed his palms together, preparing to take his leave, when Hu Xiaotian called out, 'Thank you, Master Jue Zheng, for your righteous aid last night; if you ever need my help, just come to Kangdu to find me.'

Jue Zheng smiled, 'As a monk who guards the ancient Buddha of the green lamp, I rarely get a chance to leave the valley; I doubt I'll ever be able to go to Kangdu in this lifetime.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Nothing is absolute; chanting sutras before a Buddha statue every day doesn't guarantee enlightenment, and traveling ten thousand miles beats reading ten thousand volumes.'

Upon hearing this, Jue Zheng grew solemnly respectful, bowed deeply to Hu Xiaotian, and said, 'Thank you, sir, for your guidance.'

An extra chapter—consider it interest on the two days of missed updates. Zhangyu has always been conscientious and will add as many chapters as possible when able. Thanks for your support, and please cast a few more votes while you're at it! (To be continued…~^~)