Chapter 31: Gravely Weakened

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
At that moment, the spider in the sky seemed to have been provoked by something and swooped down toward the spot where Li Yang stood.
Just as Li Yang focused his mind, preparing to charge forward—
A sudden hiss sounded.
The spider transformed into a trail of iridescent light, piercing straight through the old man's body. In an instant, all the flesh and blood was drained from him, leaving behind nothing but a human skin that fell limply to the ground.
"Backlash from the Evil God?"
Li Yang’s brows furrowed as he stared intently at that multicolored glow, his vigilance rising to its peak.
This Evil God could shift between corporeal and incorporeal forms at will. Though its divine power was not formidable, it was exceptionally troublesome; during their brief encounter, even with all his strength, Li Yang had not managed to harm it in the slightest.
As Li Yang remained on guard, the iridescent light suddenly twisted in the sky and fled into the night, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief, but his body staggered. A dim golden-red glow flashed above his head, and a dull inner core flew out, only to be swallowed by the Six-winged Golden Centipede.
The moment the core left his body, Li Yang seemed to deflate, his frame rapidly shrinking. His flesh appeared to evaporate, until he was reduced to a skeleton wrapped in loose skin.
A wave of unprecedented weakness surged through him. Li Yang felt the world go dark, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

...

"Madam, you haven't rested for a whole day. Please eat something."
"No need, Jin Ling. Just leave it there. By the way, is Xiao Li’s medicine ready? Bring it over quickly."
"Almost done. I’ll watch over things here, Madam, you needn’t worry. Why don't you rest for a while? If Xiao Li wakes up, I’ll call you immediately."
"No, I'm not tired yet. You've been busy all day, too. If you're exhausted, rest early."
...

A faint hiss, blurred voices drifting in and out. Li Yang slowly regained consciousness, his eyelids fluttering twice.

"Wait..."
"Madam, look, Xiao Li’s moving."
A delighted voice rang in his ear. Li Yang gradually opened his eyes, and was met with Madam He’s haggard face.
Tears traced down her cheeks like raindrops on pear blossoms; her phoenix eyes were swollen, nearly as big as peaches, full of a delicate sorrow that tugged at the heart.
"You're awake..."
The instant Li Yang opened his eyes, Madam He’s gaze widened, her pallid face suddenly radiant as if spring had returned to a withered tree, emanating a renewed vitality.
"You little monkey, you nearly scared me to death... sob, sob... The doctors all said you were beyond saving..."
Between sobs, Madam He pulled Li Yang into her arms, disregarding Jin Ling’s presence nearby.
Soft... Fragrant...
For a moment, Li Yang’s mind went blank, lost in the intoxicating scent and remarkable softness of Madam He’s embrace—her body felt boneless, mesmerizing.
"Madam... please, not so tight, I can’t breathe..."
Buried in the vast warmth of Madam He’s chest, Li Yang was utterly disoriented, unable to find north or south. He only spoke up when he felt himself suffocating.
"You little monkey..."
Madam He blushed faintly at his words, her voice gentle, none of the stern authority of the He household’s mistress remaining.
"Madam, the medicine is here..." Jin Ling approached, carrying a bowl of herbal decoction, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Here, this is the prescription the doctor gave. Drink it."
She gently stroked Li Yang’s face, now hollow and gaunt as a skull, her eyes brimming with pain.
"Madam, don’t worry. I’ll recover soon. Ordinary medicine doesn’t do much for me." Li Yang forced a bitter smile, declining her kindness, and asked, "By the way, how did I get back here?"
"That night, after the big rooster brought Madam home, Madam was worried all night. At dawn, when you still hadn’t returned, we decided to search for you at the He residence..." Jin Ling’s eyes flashed with fear. "We... we found bodies everywhere. After searching the whole manor, we finally found you in the backyard. At first, we could hardly recognize you."
She glanced again at Li Yang, whose skin hung loose over his skeletal frame, and her eyes were full of concern.

"When the doctor saw you, he declared there was no hope. He said all your essence and flesh had burned away. Only Madam’s desperate pleading convinced him to prescribe something."
"Thank you both for your trouble. How long was I unconscious?" Holding Madam He’s hand, a rare warmth flickered in Li Yang’s gaze.
"You’ve slept for two full days and nights. Are you hungry? I’ll have Jin Ling warm some porridge for you." Madam He tenderly smoothed Li Yang’s dry hair, her eyes gentle as water, as she prepared to rise.
"No need, Madam. You and Sister Jin Ling should rest first. I need a quiet place to heal."
Li Yang caught Madam He’s arm as she stood, struggling to sit up from the haystack.
"Careful! Then... then I’ll go for a walk with Jin Ling." Madam He helped him anxiously, her voice hesitant and soft.

...

When Madam He and Jin Ling had vanished from sight, Li Yang finally took a Nourishing Pill from his breast and swallowed it.
His injuries were far more severe than he had let on. "Human-God Unity," simply put, meant forcibly stimulating his blood and strengthening his body using the centipede’s inner core, so as to withstand the powers of a strange beast.
Such a technique was so domineering it could destroy a cultivator’s foundation, burning life to the brink of death. That he survived at all was exceedingly fortunate; as for his cultivation, it was not wholly destroyed, but left half-crippled—recovery would not be swift.
Li Yang had downplayed it only to spare Madam He worry.
Moreover, the centipede’s inner core, having been depleted, was greatly weakened. That it hadn’t shattered outright was thanks to the Six-winged Golden Centipede’s many years of cultivation and deep reserves. Restoring it would require untold resources.
As the Nourishing Pill dissolved, its medicinal power spread, replenishing the shriveled blood and reviving a faint vitality. Atrophied tendons slowly began to stretch.
His breathing calmed. After an hour, the medicine was spent, and Li Yang opened his eyes. Though he still looked like skin stretched over bones, his spirits had improved.
"You’ve all suffered, too..."
He patted the three strange beasts crouched nearby and forced a bitter smile, feeding them discarded pills from his breast.
Among the three, the Six-winged Golden Centipede was most badly wounded—its damaged inner core hindered its evolution, and even the golden markings on its body had faded.
The Angry Dawn Rooster had escaped injury last night; nourished by the Corpse King’s inner core, its wounds from the Bottle Mountain tomb were finally healing. Its comb was bright red, though the trace of yin-yang energy had vanished—whether it would return remained uncertain.
As for the Golden Toad, aside from a few bullet wounds that left red marks and some pain, it was untouched. With its tough, elastic hide, rifle bullets were hardly a threat at all.