Chapter 899: Waiting for the Long-Awaited Meeting

Her movements were like those of a small animal. He Lingchuan raised his left hand and stroked her smooth cheek. "How dare I drink?"

"Come in." She pushed the door open. "Let me see your wound."

Once inside, Sun Fuling took out two glowing spores before pulling off He Lingchuan's outer garment.

The wound, which A'Luo had treated emergently hours ago, was bleeding again. Despite the large gaping wound, Sun Fuling remained unfazed. She took scissors and carefully cut open the soft bandage, then brought a basin of warm water. As she changed the dressing, she asked, "Did it injure your lung?"

"No, I dodged it."

"But your Zhongfu acupoint is severely damaged, and the bone is broken," Sun Fuling frowned. "For the next few days, your lung qi will be disrupted, causing shortness of breath and frequent coughing."

After she finished speaking, she coughed a few times herself. Her own illness hadn't healed yet.

He Lingchuan pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist, and asked, "Have you taken your medicine?"

"Yes, I have." Sun Fuling was very careful not to bump his wound. "A'Luo is excellent at treating injuries, but not so good at curing illnesses."

"A'Luo is a military doctor; he specializes in certain areas," He Lingchuan gently rested his chin on her shoulder, instantly feeling enveloped by a faint scent of wood. "Shall I ask his master to come and examine you?"

"You want to find Mr. Helian again?" Sun Fuling chuckled. "He's too busy in Panlong City to get away. My minor illness will clear up in a few days; there's no need to trouble him to travel such a long distance."

She pressed against He Lingchuan's other shoulder, reminding him, "Your wound is still bleeding!"

"Just let me hold you." He took advantage of being injured and refused to move. "Today was a day of blades and shadows; I almost didn't make it back to see you."

Sun Fuling's heart softened in the end, and she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. They leaned against each other in silence, both cherishing the quiet comfort of their shared moments.

If only the wound didn't hurt so much. He Lingchuan silently winced. The painkiller's effect had worn off, and the pain surged back.

"Does it hurt?" Sun Fuling seemed to sense it, asking in his ear.

"...It hurts."

"Then sit up straight." She straightened him up, then turned to get the medicine. "Apply the medicine early and go to sleep early; you'll be much better tomorrow."

She was coaxing him like a child. Her wound dressing technique was nimble and skilled, no less competent than A'Luo's.

Just as He Lingchuan was about to speak, Sun Fuling popped a small pill into his mouth. Gulp, he swallowed it. "What's that?"

"It's a sleep aid." She pointed to the side of the bed, and he obediently went over. "You're exhausted from your injuries today; you should sleep. To be able to severely wound you, Fu Shanlie is indeed no ordinary person."

He Lingchuan chuckled. "I also severed one of his arms; he's more severely injured than I am."

What's there to compare? "So, who won in the end?"

"You'll know in a couple of days."

The medicine took effect remarkably fast. He Lingchuan held her hand, but before he could say a few more words, his eyelids grew heavy. Before he fell asleep, he heard her cough twice again.

The surroundings were pitch black, and his right shoulder ached. He Lingchuan touched with his left hand and felt a splint still hanging on his right chest—it seemed he hadn't returned to reality yet.

Where was this? Not far away, a green light flickered.

He sharpened his senses and became alert, slowly approaching it.

Ahead was a small pond, no more than two zhang in circumference. The pond's surface was smooth and clear as a mirror. The space beyond the pond was enveloped in darkness, so dense that he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

He Lingchuan stopped at the pond's edge and looked down to observe. The water's depth was unknown, but beneath the surface was a blurred green light mass, tightly bound by twisted dark red threads, like a fish caught in a net.

The green light mass also noticed He Lingchuan and struggled to lunge towards him. He Lingchuan remained motionless. He had a guess as to what this thing was. This was the territory of the Great Square Pot; it would be strange if the entity could even touch a single hair on him.

Sure enough, before the green light could break free from the water's surface, the red net mercilessly tightened, stopping it in place.

The green light mass suddenly spoke in a human voice: "He Xiao!"

He Lingchuan let out a faint smirk. This was originally a "fate" he couldn't escape, yet now, he could look down upon it from above. The strong and weak had traded places, and perspectives had reversed.

"Naraku's avatar, nothing more than this."

Only the winner had the right to say such words.

"Don't you claim to be the God of Fate?" He Lingchuan scoffed at it. "And yet now, aren't you likewise bound and manipulated by 'fate'?"

He recognized the red threads binding Naraku's avatar; they were very similar to the methods Naraku had used during the secret realm battle. Was the Great Square Pot using Naraku's own methods against him?

However, after the battle in the Panlong Secret Realm ended, he had made a request to the Great Square Pot to personally confirm the fate of Naraku's avatar. This request was reasonable; he had meticulously planned for so long; it couldn't all be for nothing. For the next three months, this wish had not been fulfilled. He had thought the Great Square Pot was ignoring him.

Now it seemed, it had likely just finished its business. In the Battle of the Panlong Secret Realm, the Great Square Pot had gained the most; just digesting the Qianling Treasure Lid and the divine avatar would have kept it busy for a long time.

Naraku's avatar stopped struggling and quickly transformed into a human shape. Its figure, its features, and the right hand hanging before its chest... were all identical to He Lingchuan's.

He Lingchuan gazed at Naraku's avatar at the bottom of the water. It was like his own reflection in the water, but entangled in the net and unable to move. Ha, if he had failed to resist Naraku's divine descent back then, it would probably be himself, bound and hanging upside down in the sea of consciousness, wouldn't it? This must have been his original script for fate, right? The Great Square Pot had a good sense of humor, letting him and Naraku's avatar swap scripts and roles.

This reflection spoke, its tone a mix of indignation and bewilderment: "What method did you use to steal the Qianling Treasure Lid from Mount Xu?"

After being captured by the Great Square Pot, it had figured out many things. There was both sudden realization and disbelief. This boy dared to let He Chunhua summon a divine avatar in the Panlong Secret Realm. He must have been certain that the Great Square Pot would intercept it. So many people had entered the Panlong Desert, so why did the Great Square Pot only help him? Unless there was a deep connection between them, unless... he had recovered the lost lid for the Great Square Pot, making the divine artifact whole again.

Naraku's avatar naturally knew about the recent attack on Mount Xu and also knew what treasure the Stargazing Tower had lost. Whoever was connected to the Great Square Pot was, nine times out of ten, the one who had caused a great disturbance in Heaven!

Inferring the cause from the effect, it wasn't hard for Naraku's avatar to piece these clues together and find the truth. He Lingchuan stood with his hands behind his back. "I used the prevailing circumstances to lay out my plans, just like with you this time."

This was the first time he had openly admitted it to an outsider since the Mount Xu incident.

But Naraku's avatar remained confused; there was one thing it still couldn't understand: "Why He Xiao? Why *him* of all people? This youth was merely a vessel it had pre-ordained over a decade ago. He grew up following the path of a dissolute idler as set by He Chunhua. At most, he had a bit of luck. How could he possibly gain the favor of the Great Square Pot? How could he be qualified to accomplish something that would shake both realms?"