STNS: Chapter 490 (Patreon)

Wu Jian felt like a wet rag that had been rung dry, like a person dying of starvation and dehydration. He wanted to throw up. His stomach was rebelling and his body felt heavy like led. Every fiber of his being ached.

So this is Chi Exhaustion…

He had gotten chi exhaustion a few times before but never to this extent. Chi was not only necessary for cultivators to use their techniques, but it was essential for maintaining health and vitality. If someone exhausted their chi, then depending on how much they had used up, they could feel fatigue, weakness, poor digestion, low immunity to sickness, and even death. Wu Jian didn’t think he was going to die, but he might get sick. He already felt pretty awful.

“Haaaah… uuuuugh… phew…”

Wu Jian was unable to stand up and, having fallen onto his rump, could do little more than lean with his hands behind him as support and gaze at the devastation his technique had wrought. Before him was a gash that must have been at least several hundred chih long and several dozen wide. The gash traveled beyond his line of sight. A small mountain that had been in front of him had also been split in half.

It could still use some work, but I think this technique will become my trump card in the future…

“Jian!”

Wu Meiying called out to him, and Wu Jian turned to find her, Hou Jingshu, Zhou Lihua, Youmei, and Shuchang walking toward him. Behind them was the airship with all the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect on board. Wu Jian smiled as he waved to them.

“JIIIIIAAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!”

“Mei, don’t--ooof!”

Wu Meiying bodily tackled him to ground. Wu Jian’s body complained as he struck hard dirt, but he didn’t dare remove the woman as she lay on top of him. She was crying. Her tears stained his chest and ran down his skin.

“Jian! I… I’m so glad you’re okay! I believed in you! I really did! But I can’t see anything! I had no idea if you were actually all right!”

I see. It’s because she can’t see my future…

Wu Jian tried to place himself in Wu Meiying’s shoes. She had the power to see the future, to look into the multiple timelines of a person and figure out what would happen to them. Not being able to see someone’s future gave her anxiety because she was so used to being able to predict what would happen. It was like having your sight suddenly taken away, or suddenly being unable to hear. Yeah, that would give him anxiety too.

“I’m okay. Everything’s okay,” he said, returning her embrace by petting her hair. “By the way, are you sure you should be doing this? Everyone can see us.”

He didn’t mean the members of his party. He was talking about the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Up to now, they had done their best to not let people know the extent of their relationship. Everyone else just thought Wu Meiying was interested in him because of his potential. Nobody knew they were lovers.

“It’s fine… The Heavenly Sword Sect served its purpose, but I don’t need them anymore, so I don’t mind if they know.”

“That’s kinda harsh.”

“You know that you’re the only thing I care about.”

“I do know that…”

“Wow. So you don’t care about us?” asked Hou Jingshu. She looked miffed. Her lips were pursed into a thin line as she stared at Wu Meiying. “I don’t see you for several years, and you don’t even have the common decency to greet me. Do I really mean that little to you?”

“JIIIINGSSHUUUUU!!!”

“Whoa!”

Hou Jingshu sidestepped Wu Meiying’s sudden lunge, but despite having moved aside, the woman still found herself being embraced. Wu Jian couldn’t believe his eyes. It felt like Wu Meiying had suddenly vanished from one spot and reappeared in another. She wrapped her arms around Hou Jingshu, grinning like a child.

“Did you think that you could escape me just because you dodged?”

“Don’t look so smug! How did you even do that?!”

“Trade secret.” Wu Meiying’s childish grin turned into a pleading expression. “Anyway, please don’t be mad. You know I love you. I am very happy to see you… but you know that a wife must always honor her husband. I have to pay him attention before I can give attention to anyone else.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re just being selfish,” Hou Jingshu sighed.

“Tee-hee. You caught me.”

“Don’t admit it!”

Wu Jian smiled as he watched the pair. For just a brief moment, it felt like they had gone back in time, back to when Hou Jingshu was still living with the Wu Clan, to when his family was still alive. His emotions grew stormy as he realized those times would never come back. It wasn’t just that they had grown up, either. His family was gone. They would never return to those days even after he achieved his revenge.

“Jian… I, um…”

Looking up, Wu Jian found Zhou Lihua standing before him, an uncertain expression. She looked afraid. When he looked her in the eyes, she was unable to maintain his gaze and glanced away.

Wu Jian took a deep breath and blew it out as he pushed himself up. His legs shook. He really had exhausted all of his energy. Yet he still took that step forward, until he was right next to Zhou Lihua, and pulled her into his arms. He was quite a bit taller than her now. He remembered when he had only come up to her chest, but now she only came up to his chest.

“Oh…”

“You don’t need to worry,” Wu Jian said to the surprised young woman. “You knew nothing about what your family was up to. I don’t blame you for what happened.”

“But I… I’m still…”

“If you’re so concerned because you’re part of the Zhou Clan, then… you should just renounce them. You have no loyalty to them anyway, right? Then just become a member of my clan.”

Zhou Lihua looked up at him with hope in her eyes. “You mean…”

He smiled. “We can’t hold an official ceremony right now, but yes, I’m asking you to marry me.”

Zhou Lihua said nothing as she leaned back into him and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Wu Jian was too tired to really enjoy the feeling of her chest against his stomach. It felt kind of like a waste, but, well, it was fine, he guessed. They would have all the time in the world to experience more intimate moments… and they were in public. He hadn’t forgotten the group of his on him. Several people were leaving the airship.

Also…

“You… why didn’t you tell me you had a harem?!”

“Shuchang…”

Wu Jian turned to look at one of his few male friends. The young man with vibrant orange hair looked like a child who’d had his toys taken away. Petulant didn’t even begin to describe his expression.

“What do you want me to say? I couldn’t tell you about my relationships for obvious reasons.”

“Oh yeah? What are those reasons?” Shuchang crossed his arms. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Master.” Youmei suddenly grabbed his sleeve before he could reply. “Master, Youmei… Youmei feels scared.”

“Scared?”

Wu Jian frowned. He didn’t understand what might scare Youmei, but she had better senses than anyone else present. That meant she felt something dangerous nearby, but what? He was fairly certain that Zhou Wen was dead. He had watched her get split in half. He couldn’t see her body anymore, but that was because the two halves had fallen into the gash his sword technique had created when he split the mountain.

At that moment, Wu Meiying stopped hugging Hou Jingshu and looked around. She also seemed uneasy. Wu Jian didn’t understand why at first, but then the girl turned toward him and screamed.

“Wu Jian! Get away from there!”

His reaction was quick. He grabbed both Zhou Lihua and Youmei and leapt away. That was his intention, at least. Instead of making it to safety, he felt a moment of sharp pain in his leg, and then the world tilted around him. He heard a shriek in his ear as he crashed to the ground. He couldn’t understand what had happened. However, when he looked down, he saw that both of his legs had been cut off at the knees.

“...?!”

Pain struck him, and he bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out. What happened? Where had his legs gone? 

“I am surprised you managed to dodge that.”

As questions inundated him, he felt a presence looming over him and looked up.

The man before him carried the aura of a calculating menace. He looked to be about middle-aged, but Wu Jian knew not to judge a cultivator on appearance alone; his aura made it clear that this man was ancient. He had a remarkable physique and his face was sharp and angular, featuring a high forehead that suggested incredible intellect and deep-set eyes that shimmered with a cold, calculating light. His skin was taught. Only the light creases at the corners of his mouth and eyes showed signs of aging, but if he was anywhere near as powerful as Wu Jian imagined, those signs were likely something he allowed to happen. His hair had strands of silver, but it was predominantly black. He wore it tied back neatly, with a few loose strands framing his face. His thick eyebrows were slightly shared. That only added to the intensity of his gaze, which highlighted his most striking feature--his eyes, which were dark and penetrating like a bottomless pit. They were unfathomable and struck fear into Wu Jian’s heart.

He wore a traditional hanfu, the color of which was so dark it looked almost black and was embroidered with intricate silver patterns that felt like they were symbolic of something. The patterns seemed to move subtly as if time itself had been woven into the fabric. His attire was immaculate and calculating, seemingly a representation of his meticulous nature. Around his waist was a belt adorned with jade ornaments.

Wu Jian was so confused and pained that he couldn’t even think straight. Matters became even more disoriented when he suddenly found himself distanced from the man. It was like he had been transported a short distance away. Zhou Lihua and Youmei were both with him, still in his arms. They had fortunately avoided injury. The middle-aged man who had appeared before them like a ghost had raised his hand like he was going to attack, but upon seeing his quarry gone, he lowered his hand and looked their way.

“So this is the power of one who has mastered time. Even with my own understanding of time, I was unable to do anything against you… though it looks like you exhausted yourself.”

Wu Meiying was taking deep breaths and sweat poured from her face and stained her hanfu. She looked haggard. There were bags under her eyes that hadn’t been present before, yet still, she stood before Wu Jian and the others as though to protect them.

Nobody else said anything. Everyone else present was frozen in shock and fear. It was all because of that man. His very presence felt commanding and ominous. Wu Jian felt like an incredibly heavy pressure was pushing down on him. The others were even worse off. Those who had come with Wu Meiying were on their hands and knees, struggling to breathe. He heard their rasps even from this distance.

Wu Meiying alone stood strong. She was like a bastion in a stormy sea. Did she not feel fear, or was this man simply not strong enough to make her afraid? Wu Jian could normally tell what she was feeling, but at this moment, he could not sense a single one of her emotions.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before you revealed yourself, Head of the Zhou Clan, Zhou Shíwēi.”