Chapter 177: Back to Life

The Demon Clan's Holy Hand Bailing had treated countless patients in his life, but he always knew bodily ailments were easy to heal, while heart ailments were hard to cure.

Because the mind-state subtly influences the body—its effect may be negligible when one is healthy, but becomes most apparent when life hangs by a thread.

Just now, atop the cart piled with shattered swords, using his Aura-Reading Talent, he had instantly seen the man's face streaked with tears and pierced through to the core of his will to live—or not.

As for the reason, he didn't know—but diagnosis, he was a professional.

Upon hearing this, Yan Chuan's expression turned grave.

He felt his own future could still be saved, so he hoped Bailing would try again.

Ji You, after all, was part of the human envoy, and as long as the Demon Clan had not decided to seize the world from humans, they must treat them as honored guests.

Thus, the human envoy was ushered into the Jade Garden outside the Imperial Palace, and Ji You was carried into a room and laid upon a bed.

Master Bailing took out silver needles, intending to first stimulate the medicinal effects within Ji You's body.

The Yu Danzong's elixir arts descended from the Dao, sharing the same lineage as the immortal path—the medicinal power was fierce, but Ji You's internal injuries were severe, and much of the medicine's potency proved hard to absorb.

So he planned to use the silver needles to stimulate it, which would enhance the healing effect on Ji You's internal wounds.

Yet as he pressed harder, the silver needle failed to pierce the skin; instead, it bent as his hand neared Ji You's body.

Seeing this, the Demon Clan's Holy Hand furrowed his brow, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Around him, everyone else tightened their brows, a bad premonition rising in their hearts—for such an expression on a physician's face was terrifying.

"Look, it's all hardened."

"?!"

Gongshu Chou shouted, "You quack! This hardness comes from his hardened flesh—ordinary silver needles can't pierce his acupoints."

Master Bailing frowned slightly: "Oh?"

Jiang Yan and Yan Qiubai also spoke up: "His body is strong. On this journey, we've clashed with the Barbarian Tribe multiple times—he always fought them bare-handed, punch to flesh."

At these words, Ye Han and the Fengyang Princess exchanged a flicker of surprise in their eyes.

They knew of the battle at Hailongcheng, for it lay within Demon Clan territory, and they had stationed officials there.

But they had never heard that Ji You had fought the Barbarians bare-handed.

"Bare-handed?"

Yan Qiubai nodded: "Every Barbarian he touched was pierced clean through the chest by a single punch."

Ye Han raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the two clan leaders, Mo Rong and Huang Long, and saw equal astonishment in their eyes.

For not long ago, the Barbarian envoy's guards had sparred with Demon Clan warriors.

Though both races' bodies were far stronger than humans', the Demon Clan had still lost to the Barbarians.

So they never imagined a human could crush Barbarian soldiers with sheer flesh—something even Demon Clan champions couldn't do.

At this moment, Master Bailing selected a sturdier needle from his pouch, infused qi into its tip, and with delicate fingertip rotations, spent long moments before finally piercing Ji You's body.

Ji You showed no expression, not even a twitch of his brow, yet beads of sweat covered Master Bailing's forehead.

Too hard to pierce—what kind of damn body is this?

Once the needles were all in place, Master Bailing closed his eyes and sent more qi into Ji You's body, urging the medicine to spread through every limb and vein.

Clearly, this Master Bailing, revered as the Holy Physician, truly possessed skill.

Though he couldn't stimulate medicinal power as swiftly as human elixir masters with their elixir light, he could achieve the same effect with silver needles.

"We still need a medicinal catalyst—did he have anything he cherished deeply in life? Something he couldn't forget? Try using it to awaken him."

Yan Chuan's face darkened—he thought, No, no, not "in life," he's not dead yet!

Keep saying "in life," and he'll hear you and truly think he's dead!

You think he's dead, but I still have a hundred years of cultivation ahead of me!

The others turned to Gongshu Chou, Shi Junhao, Xiao Hanyan, and Elder Ge—for among them, these four knew Ji You best.

"How about trying gold?"

"How can gold be a medicinal catalyst? I've practiced medicine for decades and never heard such nonsense—absolute rubbish…"

"Hey, his fingers just twitched."

"..."

"Strange illness! Bring more gold! Increase the dose!"

The others stared, mouths agape, unsure how to judge what they saw.

Ji You awoke at noon the next day, lying in bed, pale-faced, too weak to speak.

He wasn't dead.

All those swords he'd hoarded were shattered, the expensive heart-protecting mirror gone, his arms useless—but he was still alive.

Hmph, this dog's life is stubbornly resilient…

At this moment, he lifted his head—before his eyes hung a large lump of gold, suspended from the ceiling, motionless before him.

He never imagined he'd be pulled back to life by gold.

Damn it—who came up with this trick?

But now, staring at the gold lump, he had the will but no arms.

【Forty-Nine Mountains】 had slashed through the Soldier-King, and he'd been pierced by qi—his worst injuries were his two arms; even motionless, he felt searing pain.

He didn't know if his hands were ruined—if they weren't, how could he not lift them for such a huge lump of gold?

Just then, footsteps sounded outside Ji You's door, followed by voices drifting through the crack.

"Has Master Ji awakened yet?"

"I came this morning—he's still unconscious."

Ji You recognized the voices: one was Gongshu Chou, the other Yan Qiubai.

Yet through the window curtain, he saw three shadows—they must have come separately and met at the door.

Gongshu Chou's voice came again: "I heard Master Bailing say if gold or silver can hook his will to live, it's working—if he doesn't wake, maybe we should carry him into the Demon Emperor's treasure vault to see if it rouses him."

"?"

Hearing this, Ji You pondered long, then slowly closed his eyes…

But soon he heard a third voice—Jiang Yan's: "The Demon Emperor's treasure vault belongs to the Demon Emperor—it's never opened to outsiders, especially not to humans. Master Bailing was joking—no one would really take Ji You in there."

"Yes, the Demon Clan ministers don't believe in such catalysts—they suspect we humans harbor ill intent."

"The Demon Clan are so unreasonable—we're not short of a few pieces of gold."

Hearing this, Ji You opened his eyes again.

At that moment, Gongshu Chou pushed open the door—and froze upon seeing the room: "Master Ji, you're awake?"

Yan Qiubai and Jiang Yan stepped in, surprised.

Ji You, now utterly listless, as if he'd lost a mountain of gold, spoke hoarsely: "Where are we? Have we reached the Demon Clan?"

Jiang Yan replied: "This is the Demon Emperor's capital. We're in the Jade Garden outside the Imperial Palace."

"Has the envoy met the Demon Emperor yet?"

"Not yet—he'll receive us tomorrow. We'll go with you."

"Who treated my injuries?"

"Master Bailing treated you, but what truly saved your life was this lump of gold—if not for it, you'd have refused to live."

Ji You glanced at the gold lump: "This? It's not enough to buy one heart-protecting mirror, let alone my forty-nine spirit swords…"

Gongshu Chou spoke up: "Forty-one."

"?"

"Eight swords were of exceptional quality and didn't shatter—I retrieved them for you."

Ji You fell silent: "Those were gifts from her—but still not enough—I lost too much…"

Gongshu Chou glanced at the hanging gold: "You misunderstand—we brought no gold or silver on this mission. This lump was borrowed from the Demon Clan—we'll return it after."

"Who asked you to save me? Just kill me!"

"?"

Gongshu Chou stared at him oddly: "You're giving up now?"

Ji You gritted his teeth: "The most painful thing in life is dying with money left unspent—but the most painful is being alive with no money left."

Gongshu Chou grinned inwardly—he finally understood why Master Bailing said Ji You's heart was weak, his will to live feeble.

Ji You frowned slightly: "My arms hurt…"

Gongshu Chou looked at him: "Master Bailing says pain means your meridians are open—if they weren't, your arms would be truly ruined. So this is good—rest and heal slowly, they'll recover."

Yan Qiubai and Jiang Yan exchanged glances: "Tendon and bone injuries take a hundred days to heal—this can't be rushed."

"I need that gold—I need it in my arms. If someone could take it down and hold it for me, I might heal faster."

"Leave it hanging—it'll motivate you to train your arms. One day, you'll reach it."

"Are you… living yama?"

Ji You stared at them in disbelief—he wondered what crime he'd committed to deserve this torture.

Soon, news of Ji You's awakening spread, drawing many to his room: prodigies, envoys, and the Deputy Director of the Si Xian Jian.

Seeing Ji You's pale face and motionless arms, their thoughts varied.

For example, the three from the Heavenly Book Academy—Elder Ge, Xiao Hanyan, and Shi Junhao—felt mostly awkwardness.

Ji You, as a disciple of the Heavenly Book Academy, had never been close to them, and the sword that had erupted skyward had come from Lingjian Mountain.

Yan Chuan, however, wore a faint smile—he saw boundless light ahead, though he kept his expression serene, detached, like a transcendent sage.

Earlier, he'd been too anxious, showing excessive concern that had drawn suspicion.

Some suspected Ji You was his illegitimate son—even that he was his illegitimate son's…

Now that Ji You's life was saved, he was no longer in a hurry, but he remembered the warning from the Master of the Mirror—not to let others know—so he acted extremely cold today.

The officials in the envoy team were the most emotionally stirred upon seeing him awake.

After all, Ji You's 【Forty-Nine Mountains】 had saved their lives, and he nearly lost his own—this was a great debt to them.

Wang Mingchang looked at Ji You now: "Young Master Ji, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, but don't forget what you promised me."

"Old servant will not fail your trust—I shall give my all, even unto death."

Ji You nodded: "You've worked hard."

After the visit ended, the envoys left Ji You's room. Peng Dongyang couldn't help but turn to Wang Mingchang: "What did you promise him?"

At that moment, the prodigies from the immortal sects also couldn't help turning to look.

Wang Mingchang spoke up: "We promised Young Master Ji we would risk our lives to persuade the Demon Emperor."

Peng Dongyang glanced at him, then added: "I saw no exchange between you. When did you ever promise him that?"

"After Young Master Ji was punched away, he climbed onto our carriage and asked if we could. We swore to die for our vow, and then he rose and drew his sword."

"So that's how he drew his sword to protect you."

Wang Mingchang fell silent for a long while before speaking: "Us? No—his sword protected Fengzhou, protected all living beings under heaven."

As the crowd gradually dispersed, only Yan Qiu Bai and Jiang Yan remained in the room.

Gong Shu Chou rose and left, heading toward the Imperial Palace to fetch Master Bai Li.

Yan Qiu Bai watched Gong Shu Chou depart, then turned to him and said: "After you passed out, it was only me and Master Gong Shu who stayed by your side. Your fellow disciples came only once, stayed briefly, then left."

Ji You watched Gong Shu Chou's retreating back and thought: I still can't understand why he loves me so much.

Yan Qiu Bai spoke again: "I think Young Master Ji is so extraordinarily gifted—if the Heavenly Book Academy lacks vision, why not join Lingjian Mountain? After all, you've already learned our sword art."

"Too bad Lingjian Mountain lies in the far south—it can't protect Fengzhou."

Ji You gently moved each part of his body, felt no major issues, and let out a long breath.

I accidentally survived—so I must keep walking forward with my chest out, regardless.

Especially now, at this critical moment.

If the Demon Emperor isn't persuaded and truly plans to go to war, I still need to earn more silver to buy swords.

Yan Qiu Bai glanced at Ji You again, a faint smile tugging at her lips: "Actually, you don't need to leave the Heavenly Book Academy—you could form a marital alliance. Your body stays in the Academy, but your heart belongs to the sword—what's wrong with that?"

Ji You turned to look at her, a flicker of confusion in his eyes: How did she know about my secret affair with the junior mirror master of Lingjian Mountain?

Jiang Yan couldn't help glancing at Yan Qiu Bai, then turned to Ji You: "Not only Lingjian Mountain can accommodate Young Master Ji—my Wendaos Sect can too."

"I have a personal grudge against Wendaos Sect."

"?"

At that moment, the door to Ji You's room was pushed open from outside. Gong Shu Chou entered first, followed by Master Bai Li and the expressionless Princess Fengyang.

This demon princess was currently studying medicine under Master Bai Li and had just been giving free medical aid to demon folk nearby.

When Master Bai Li heard the human had awakened, she followed along—clearly fascinated by the case of a life saved by silver.

Demon medicine, like human medicine, is empirical—advancement requires extensive theoretical validation. Any rare case naturally excites practitioners.

Master Bai Li now entered the room and sat beside him.

"Awake?"

"Mm."

Ji You answered Master Bai Li, but his gaze had already drifted to Princess Fengyang, then firmly locked onto her rear.

Very round, very plump—yet no tail.

He'd been thinking about plump rears with tails all along the journey; now he felt disappointed.

The words of the Office of Affairs couldn't be trusted—not even half a punctuation mark.

Princess Fengyang was also studying him—this was her first human, and her curiosity was overflowing.

Master Bai Li had already examined him, and gave a light nod: "Recovery is good. Internal injuries are stabilized, qi and blood flow reasonably well. Can you move your arm?"

"Master, you jest—if I could move my arm, would this gold still be hanging here?"

"A peculiar case."

Master Bai Li glanced at him: "Any other discomfort?"

Ji You felt himself, then shook his head: "My body is still numb—no real sensation."

"Your human elixirs are indeed excellent—they heal internal injuries remarkably. Without them, I couldn't have saved you."

Ji You thought of the medicine chest: "Thank goodness I'm good-looking…"

Master Bai Li withdrew his hand: "Rest well these next few days. Don't exert your arm."

Ji You snapped back to attention: "Staying in this room is too stifling—I just want to walk outside. Probably because I slept too long."

"Walking is fine, but humans are frail, and the Demon Emperor's city is bitterly cold—be careful not to catch a chill."

"Thank you, Master."

Master Bai Li finished speaking, then gazed at him again: "Your will to live seems stronger than before."

Procreation?

Why bring this up all of a sudden? So abrupt.

Ji You glanced oddly at his crotch: "Master Bai Li can tell this too?"

Master Bai Li nodded: "Indeed. My lineage can perceive qi others cannot. But I don't know why you went from wanting to die to wanting to live."

"Ah—it's this 'will to live'…"

Ji You smiled: "I heard the Demon Emperor has a treasure vault."

Master Bai Li: "?"

Knowing his injuries were not serious, Ji You immediately tried to get out of bed.

Moving his injured arm caused sharp pain, but other injuries were lighter—his legs, for instance, still obeyed him well.

It was also his first time seeing the Demon Emperor's city, so he called out to Gong Shu Chou and had him push him outside for a walk.

He still didn't understand why Gong Shu Chou loved him so much—but he was certain the man meant no harm.

Yet Gong Shu Chou refused to push him to the Demon Emperor's treasure vault—even when Ji You offered a 70-30 split, he still refused. Furious, Ji You asked if he wanted a 60-40 split.

But Ji You had no usable arms, so he could only temporarily give up.

Now he gazed at the countless demon women bustling through the frozen snow-city, and sighed softly: "Do demon women really have no tails—or do they just hide them under their skirts?"

"Young Master Ji, just awakened from near-death, and you're thinking of this?"

"I'm here to check on a friend's behalf."

Ji You let his arms hang limp, thinking of Long Xiandi: "I'm a good friend."

(End of Chapter)