Chapter 248: Awakening

A quiet and tidy room. Not-too-bright light filtered in through the half-open bamboo window, preventing the room from being overly dim.

Yun Che lay quietly on the soft bed, his entire body covered in a lightly scented healing ointment. He had maintained this posture for three days, meaning he had been unconscious for three full days.

A frosty aura swirled before the bed, then gradually coalesced into the figure of a woman clad entirely in white. She raised a hand, as cold as ice and snow, and placed it on Yun Che's chest, perceiving the extent of his injuries and the recovery of his profound energy. A moment later, the frosty aura around her began to swirl rapidly. Her palm fully opened and covered his chest, as a faint, icy blue glow silently enveloped his body.

This state continued for a full quarter of an hour. Just then, intentionally hushed footsteps were heard outside the door. The woman withdrew her hand, swayed gently, and then vanished from the spot as if a dream.

Yun Che's eyes also trembled slightly at that moment, then slowly opened.

His entire body ached, but the pain was not severe, and there was a refreshingly cool sensation that brought him unusual comfort. Yun Che tried to move his body. The result overjoyed him; although he felt very weak, his body's movements were not stiff. At most, there would be some pain if he moved too much, but this was sufficient proof that his bodily functions had almost fully recovered.

The recovery ability granted by the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha was truly extraordinary!

The door was pushed open, and Cang Yue entered, holding a bowl of soup, with Qin Wushang following behind her. Princess Cang Yue looked very haggard at this moment, as if she hadn't slept for days and nights. Yun Che moved his body slightly and called out softly, "Senior Sister, Prefecture Master Qin."

"Ah!" Cang Yue exclaimed, almost dropping the soup bowl in her hands. She quickly set the bowl on the table and rushed to Yun Che's side, saying in surprise, "Junior Brother Yun, you... you're awake... That's wonderful! Grandma Jiumu said you might be unconscious for more than ten days, but I knew you would be fine much sooner."

The "Grandma Jiumu" Cang Yue mentioned was the top divine physician residing in the Rebirth Pavilion within the Heavenly Sword Villa.

"I'm fine now, Senior Sister. I'm sorry to have worried you," Yun Che said with a pained heart, looking at Cang Yue's face. While speaking, he extended his right hand, which could now move freely, and grasped Cang Yue's small hand to show her that he was truly fine.

"Heh heh, it's good that you're awake. This puts Princess and me at ease," Qin Wushang said, nodding with a smile and a relaxed expression on his face. "Yun Che, do you know that you are now famous throughout the world? You're even being called the foremost among the current younger generation. And this title is well-deserved for you. However, I believe that given your nature, you probably won't pay too much attention to such empty fame."

"Titles, though pleasant to hear, often become a burden," Yun Che said with a faint smile, then asked, "Senior Sister, how long have I been asleep?"

"It's been three days," Cang Yue replied. "Junior Brother Yun, how do you feel now? Is there any particular discomfort?"

"Don't worry, I feel like my body has almost fully recovered... Three days..." Yun Che suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "When is the exploration of the Heavenly Pond Secret Realm?"

"The Heavenly Pond Secret Realm will open the day after tomorrow," Qin Wushang said with a sigh. "However, in your current condition, you likely won't be able to participate in this exploration. But it's alright; you are only seventeen this year. If you miss this one, you'll still have an opportunity in three years."

"The day after tomorrow..." Yun Che closed his eyes. Inside his Sky Poison Pearl, he had many Great Way of Heaven Pills that he had refined himself. Coupled with his extraordinary recovery ability, his external injuries could heal by ninety percent by the day after tomorrow, but his profound energy recovery would not be so quick; perhaps he wouldn't even recover half of it. Furthermore, he had burned the origin power of his Phoenix blood, meaning he wouldn't be able to use Phoenix flames for at least three months, greatly reducing his strength.

Yun Che was well aware of his own physical condition and recovery abilities. If he could recover a small portion of his strength, participating in the Heavenly Pond Secret Realm exploration the day after tomorrow wouldn't be impossible; it would just be much more dangerous.

After all, entering the Heavenly Pond region was equivalent to leaving the Heavenly Sword Villa's territory, allowing some people who dared not act recklessly within the villa to then do as they pleased.

"It's not necessarily so pessimistic. My profound art has strong self-healing abilities," Yun Che said. "On that day, I will decide whether to enter the Heavenly Pond Secret Realm based on my recovery status. However, please don't tell anyone else that I've woken up for now."

Qin Wushang didn't know what Yun Che's "profound art" was, and no one had ever been able to discern it. He nodded and said nothing more.

Cang Yue fed Yun Che the medicinal soup, and after accompanying him for a long time, she left, leaving him to rest quietly alone.

"You really put your life on the line. Weren't you afraid of crippling yourself?" Jasmine said irritably.

"Having experienced similar situations many times, I have a general idea of what I'm doing. No matter how reckless I get, I won't truly cripple myself," Yun Che said as he adjusted to a more comfortable lying position. He took a Great Way of Heaven Pill from his Sky Poison Pearl and put it in his mouth, then slowly refined it using the small amount of profound energy he had recovered. "But in just three days, my external injuries are mostly healed, and my internal injuries are completely gone. The second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha is indeed extraordinary."

"Hmph, do you really think you recovered to this extent solely with the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha?" Jasmine scoffed.

"...Is there another reason?"

"During these three days, someone came twice every day and used a large amount of profound energy to heal your injuries. Otherwise, you would have remained unconscious for at least two more days, and your internal injuries wouldn't have healed so quickly."

Yun Che was startled for a moment, then suddenly became excited. "Could it be... Little Fairy?"

"This woman has always been cold and indifferent towards you, never showing you any warmth. Last time, she even blasted you away. But now that you're injured, she secretly takes the initiative to come here and doesn't hesitate to expend a lot of profound energy to heal you. Women's thoughts are truly strange," Jasmine said casually. However, the last sentence, coming from a girl who was actually only fourteen years old, would make anyone listening feel very strange and awkward.

"Haha, when you grow up and become a true woman, perhaps you'll understand," Yun Che burst out laughing, his mood instantly lifting. "When does she usually come?"

"Noon, and midnight." "What, are you going to wait for her to come?"

"Of course! She must not know I've woken up, so she'll definitely come again," Yun Che said contentedly.

"Filthy!"

"Filth..." Yun Che was enraged, gritting his teeth and shouting, "Hey, hey! Where did you, little girl, learn those two words? How can this be called 'filthy'? I just purely want to see her, alright! Although you're much stronger than me and have more knowledge in your head, you're still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. Of course, you can't understand the pure and beautiful feelings between us adults."

"You... adult? Me... little girl?" Jasmine sneered. "You actually dare to disrespect your master! No one has ever dared to call me a 'little girl'!"

Jasmine's voice clearly carried something called "killing intent." Yun Che's neck suddenly recoiled, and he said hurriedly, "I-I-I was wrong... Ah, ah... Jasmine, I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely did not call you a 'little girl'! You must have misheard..."

That night, at midnight, all was silent.

The window in Yun Che's room gently opened. With a gust of cool breeze, a snow-white, dreamlike female figure silently appeared before Yun Che's bed. Although the light was dim, one could still vaguely discern her perfectly flawless and graceful curves. The aura emanating from her was cold yet noble, subtly carrying an aloof pride that kept people at a distance.

She extended her hand and gently placed it on Yun Che's chest. Just as she was about to re-examine Yun Che's injuries, Yun Che, who should have been unconscious, suddenly extended his right hand and grasped the hand she had placed on his chest.

With Chu Yuechan's current strength, few in the Azure Cloud Empire could get close to her. However, her mind was focused on Yun Che's injuries, and she was concentrating all her spiritual energy to condense the purest profound energy. Moreover, she had no idea Yun Che was awake, so she was suddenly caught by him.

Chu Yuechan's hand was soft and icy cold, like a smooth, soft jade. But this hand was not held by Yun Che for long. After a momentary pause, it suddenly broke free, and Chu Yuechan herself quickly retreated, the aura around her becoming piercingly cold.

"Little Fairy, I knew you'd be worried about me..." Yun Che sat up slightly and called out softly.

"So you're already awake." Chu Yuechan's voice was utterly devoid of emotion. She didn't give Yun Che much chance to speak, and said coldly, "Don't overthink this. You were injured because of Qingyue, after all. As her martial aunt, I have a slight responsibility to help you recover. Since you're almost well, there's no need for me to intervene anymore... Also, my name isn't 'Little Fairy.' You can call me Chu Yuechan, or... Senior Chu!"

Having said that, Chu Yuechan turned resolutely, preparing to leave.

"Little Fairy..." Yun Che urgently called out, desperately trying to get up. Suddenly, with a gasp, he violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his entire body slumped towards the bed.

Chu Yuechan, who was about to leave, suddenly saw Yun Che vomit blood. Her whole body trembled abruptly, and her snow-white figure flashed as she rushed over to support Yun Che. Although the light was very dim, Yun Che clearly saw a fleeting moment of panic flash across her cold, ice-like face. He believed he was the first, and would be the only man, to make the renowned Ice Jade Fairy panic.

The blood he spat out was actually residual clotted blood forced out from his internal organs after taking the Great Way of Heaven Pill; it should have been expelled long ago. He had forcibly suppressed it precisely to prevent Chu Yuechan from leaving resolutely once she saw he was awake. Clearly, his strategy was quite effective. With the clotted blood expelled, his internal organs instantly felt a sense of relief. When Little Fairy supported him, he took the opportunity to embrace her cold, soft, and slender waist. Although Chu Yuechan trembled slightly, she dared not struggle against this "severely injured patient" who had just vomited a large amount of blood. She could only let him hold her, his embrace gradually tightening.