Chapter 361: Brother

"Over there!"

Yang Simin shouted, and together with Xie Wanning, she supported Chen Che as they dashed toward a mountain stream.

The three of them landed in front of a towering stone wall. Yang Simin let go of Chen Che and placed both hands on the stone surface, slowly circulating her True Qi. The stone wall emitted a creaking sound of friction, and a hidden stone door slowly opened, revealing a cavern no less impressive than the Lotus Cave.

"Hurry, come in!"

Yang Simin beckoned Xie Wanning to help Chen Che inside, then she closed the stone door again, and they went deep into the cave together.

"I discovered this place before. Aside from being hidden, it isn't as rich in spiritual energy as the Lotus Cave and isn't suitable for closed-door cultivation, but it works as a place to hide."

As she spoke, Yang Simin helped lower Chen Che from Xie Wanning's back and placed him onto a flat stone bed.

Chen Che was already unconscious, and his abdomen and back were still bleeding; the blood-soaked mess was terrifying.

"What do we do now?"

Yang Simin covered the wound on Chen Che's lower abdomen with both hands, channeling True Qi into him to slow the loss of blood.

"I don't know Medicine, I can't save him... If only Third Brother were here!"

Xie Wanning remembered something and retrieved the Token from Chen Che's chest. "Master should still have a way; we can only wait."

"That old man formed from True Qi is your Master? Fine, I won't ask what method he has for now, but he is only a True Qi Spirit Body; he cannot stop Zanpu Dunzhu, and Chen Che can't wait any longer!"

Yang Simin felt the warmth in her hands—the temperature of life slipping away—and she urged anxiously, "Hurry and think of a way!"

Xie Wanning was already flustered, and her mood was naturally no better, so she shouted back, "Why are you yelling at me?! Isn't all of this for your sake!"

Xie Wanning suddenly froze. She looked at Yang Simin and realized that she was already streaming with tears.

Yang Simin stopped looking at Xie Wanning and instead lowered her head to look at Chen Che.

He lay there quietly, his face pale, his lips having lost all color.

Yang Simin bit her lip hard, refusing to let herself cry out pathetically. Only when she tasted a hint of blood did she mutter, "Who asked you to save me! Who asked you to take the hit for me! You were so self-righteous when we were little, and you're still so inconsiderate of others' feelings now!"

Yang Simin stared at Chen Che's pale face, her thoughts drifting back. Somehow, she kept recalling many things from the past today.

It was clearly from when she was very young, an age when she shouldn't have been able to remember things, yet she recalled them so clearly.

The scene that time was very similar to this one. She was five years old that year and had just arrived at the Chen Family, while Chen Che was ten, at that age of being full of himself.

The two children had made a childish Contract—from then on, only the older brother was allowed to bully the younger sister.

Chen Che practiced this Contract well; he often took Yang Simin out to play wildly, and he didn't miss opportunities to tease or scare her on purpose.

Every time, she would be scared to tears, and every time, he would watch her panicked state and laugh out loud.

Of course, breaking things in the house was inevitable.

That time, it was because Yang Simin had been scared too much and knocked over a vase in the house.

It was a blue-and-white porcelain piece with several hundred years of history, which Chen Che's father, Chen Xin, had originally intended to give to a business partner.

That time, Yang Simin was truly terrified; her little face was deathly pale, and she didn't even dare to cry when facing the aggressive adults who had come to hold them accountable.

Chen Che, once again, practiced the Contract well and took the blame upon himself. The result was simple: his backside was beaten to a pulp by Chen Xin.

From then on, Yang Simin began calling Chen Che "Brother," and she willingly became his little follower.

Even though she could see through his clumsy tricks later on, she still willingly fell for them every time, and after being scared into wailing, she would take the initiative to snuggle into his arms to be coaxed back.

But those days were short-lived after all, so short that they felt unreal, as if they had never happened, yet they were so profound.

Because it had long been deeply engraved in your mind; you just never took the initiative to look for it.

At this moment, Yang Simin remembered it all.

So he had saved her so many times; so the connection between them had been so deep all along...

"Mmm..."

Yang Simin let out a sob, her hand covering Chen Che's wound trembling. The feeling of life slipping away was truly terrible—it was tangible, yet impossible to grasp.

In an instant, her restrained emotions broke through the barriers and vented without restraint. Tears surged out like a bursting dam, falling drop by drop down her chin onto Chen Che's cheeks.

"You are not allowed to die... not allowed to die... Chen Che, I haven't settled scores with you yet, you absolutely cannot die..."

Yang Simin suddenly cried out loud, like a little girl who had suffered a great grievance, pleading, "I don't hate you anymore! I don't hate you anymore! Please don't die, okay? I beg you, don't die!

I have no family left! I only have you! I beg you, don't die, okay?! Don't die... Brother!

Brother... you can hit me or scold me, just don't die... I really don't hate you anymore, Brother... don't leave me all alone, Brother... Brother..."

Yang Simin threw herself onto Chen Che and wailed, calling out over and over again that title she had long forgotten.

Xie Wanning watched all of this silently, her hand clutching the Token tightening again and again.

At this moment, the lifeless Token finally emitted a glimmer of light, and Taixuan drifted out from the Token once more.

"Master!"

Xie Wanning's eyes lit up. "How is it?"

Taixuan said, "I am a Spirit Body after all, and I am no match for Zanpu Dunzhu, but he cannot find you for the time being."

"Alright, listen to me now."

Taixuan scanned Xie Wanning and Yang Simin with a solemn expression.

Xie Wanning stared at Taixuan with a serious look, and Yang Simin also stopped crying and looked at Taixuan.

"What you see now is my last wisp of a Spirit Body. My ability to appear means that the True Qi Spirit Body that was blocking Zanpu Dunzhu has already dissipated.

So time is of the essence. What follows is my method—the only method. Whether we can successfully save Chen Che and defeat Zanpu Dunzhu depends on the two of you."

Taixuan said, "I will possess Chen Che in a moment. This way, his wounds will heal and his strength will be restored, but I will dissipate and never appear again.

Next, Saintess, during the time I am possessing Chen Che, I need you to transfer the Heavenly Book within you to Chen Che.

Chen Che is naturally intelligent and has seen the other half of the Heavenly Book, so it should be easier for him to comprehend it. Only if he can use the power and insights of the Heavenly Book to break through his realm will he have the strength to fight Zanpu Dunzhu."

"Okay, I know what to do."

Yang Simin touched Chen Che's face, her eyes filled with a sense of relief and tenderness.

Xie Wanning hurriedly asked, "Master, then what do I need to do?"

"What you need to do is act as a Protector for the Saintess girl," Taixuan said.

Xie Wanning glanced at Chen Che, then looked at Yang Simin, and asked, "What exactly do I need to do?"

Yang Simin's face was flushed red; she didn't speak, but her hands had already begun to undo the buttons of her top.

"What are you doing?!"

Guessing what was happening, Xie Wanning hurriedly shouted.

Taixuan also hurriedly stopped her: "Saintess girl, no need to rush; we can use a different method."

Yang Simin looked at Taixuan in surprise.

Taixuan smiled and said, "That bastard Lv Hong is not very knowledgeable; there are other ways to transfer the Heavenly Book. Besides, dual cultivation requires the cooperation of two people, and Chen Che's current condition makes it impossible for him to cooperate with you. Moreover, the time required for dual cultivation is too long; we cannot afford to wait right now."

Yang Simin's face turned even redder; she lowered her head and silently buttoned her top back up.

"Of course, once Chen Che has recovered, if you two still want to dual cultivate, then that is none of my business."

Taixuan teased, and Yang Simin's ears turned completely red in an instant.

"Master! Don't be improper at a time like this; even if Chen Che is better, they still can't!"

Xie Wanning said with soaring resentment: "Because they are siblings!"

"There is no blood relation..."

Yang Simin's voice drifted over softly...

"That still won't do; adoptive kinship is not allowed under the laws of Xia!" Xie Wanning glared and said.

"We aren't in Xia right now..."

"You!"

Xie Wanning was exasperated and looked at Taixuan: "Master, hurry and tell us how to save him; if we delay any longer, he will really die!"

Taixuan smiled helplessly and said, "Follow my instructions and use your True Qi to draw an Array Diagram on the ground. I will teach you the method to activate it, and then the Saintess girl and Chen Che will enter the Array together. As long as the Saintess girl releases the Heavenly Book, under the influence of the Array, the Heavenly Book can enter Chen Che's body."

Taixuan looked at the two young women again and said, "Alright, you two girls, let's begin!"

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