Chapter 85 — TVF Chapter 85

Dog-Blooded Love Story 8

After Su Jinxi took away the “stitched-together monster,” she vanished on the spot. The Energy-Sealing Array still floated in midair, blocking the energy exchange between the two ends of the domain passage, while the toppled Golden Core stage Extraordinaries on the ground gradually regained consciousness. It was at this time that Gu Jing and the other experts and advisors stationed near Xicheng City finally—though slowly—arrived.

Ye Lingtian followed his maternal grandfather, Gu Jing, into the mountain. He didn’t need any eyewitness accounts to know exactly what had transpired, and he knew that soon enough, the so-called culprit, Su Jinxi, would take the initiative to contact him.

So he stood beside his grandfather, expressionless and silent, his attention fixed entirely on the Energy-Sealing Array floating in the air. The greatest variable after his rebirth was this sudden, sky-descending celestial being who had set the array: Ying Jingzhou, the biological father of Xuan Qing, the former main coffin.

In his previous lifetime, he had absolutely no memory of this man.

However, when the world was shattering in his past life, both he and Jinxi could clearly sense the world will’s overwhelming unwillingness and desire to survive. He was able to experience rebirth, and Jinxi seemed much the same. Was it really so strange that the world will had sent a distress call for its own “phoenix” to return home?

If it meant living well, he didn’t want to court death either. Thinking of Jinxi, who had been with him through thick and thin in their past lives, softened his expression a little.

Even when he personally heard his grandfather order “pursue Su Jinxi with full force,” his face still didn’t harden.

Incidentally, Su Jinxi was a Direct Disciple of the third largest sect in Hua Country of her generation.

When Xuan Qing entered the coffin, and Zhong Dewen and Xuan Helin publicly punished their son, Su Jinxi had accompanied her elders to “witness” the scene. That was why, the moment she appeared, several Golden Core cultivators who still retained reason recognized her.

When Gu Jing finished giving his orders, he looked down at the dense spiritual runes covering the ground and the more than a thousand empty spiritual coffins linked by those runes, feeling a tangled mix of emotions. When the Sealing Array that extended the world’s life at the cost of the Extraordinaries’ lifespans had appeared a hundred years ago, he had predicted that such a self-destructive expedient, which killed a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of their own, would inevitably bring countless storms.

Now, Xuan Qing’s biological father, Senior Ying Jingzhou, had returned from ascension and directly disabled the Sealing Array. The “residual poison” it left behind would probably continue to wreak havoc for a long, long time.

He could sense it—tiring times likely awaited him.

His people hurried to clear the scene. He stood by the Main coffin, trying to contact Senior Ying, but as expected, there was no response.

Seeing his grandfather’s face full of bitterness, Ye Lingtian was also somewhat helpless. “Senior resents the Extraordinaries for their stupidity. I don’t think that’s something that can be smoothed over just by sucking up for a few days. Grandpa,” thinking of his own experience in his past life, he said with feeling, “Ever since over a hundred years ago when Senior Xuan Yuan developed the Sealing Array and willingly became the first Main coffin, the realm of the Extraordinaries has stood still, muddling through life, and their moral blackmail has only gotten more practiced and righteous… They judge the heroes who enter the spiritual coffins with a saint’s standards, while holding themselves to the standards of wretches.”

Old Master Gu Jing couldn’t deny any of this. “Didn’t Xuan Qing’s adoptive father and biological mother already show signs? They didn’t expect that easy-going, gentle Xuan Qing would blow up right in public. No one could talk him down, and having ridden the tiger, they had no choice but to end up ruined themselves.”

Ye Lingtian gave a soft laugh, his eyes tracing the scars the “stitched-together monster” had left on the rock walls. “None of us expected they’d risk their lives, but still remembered to leave a glimmer of hope for their precious one.”

In their previous lives, after he and Jinxi managed to “send off” Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi, Zhong Dewen and Xuan Helin had become the vanguard pressuring him to take Gu Lingfan’s place in the Main coffin. Now… his approach to revenge depended on how Xuan Qing treated that couple.

Gu Jing didn’t know his grandson was already plotting how to dismember the Zhong family. “We don’t need to worry about those two.”

Ye Lingtian abruptly changed the topic. “Grandpa, where did Lingfan go?”

Gu Jing glanced at his phone. “That brat… He ran off with his girlfriend to look for Senior Ying.”

Ye Lingtian understood. “To save Yuan Lingmei?” Then he muttered softly, “Grandpa, we should start thinking about the future too.”

Gu Jing smiled, gratified. “That’s right.”

Returning with Gu Jing to their residence in Xicheng City that night, Ye Lingtian was not at all surprised to find the coded message Jinxi had left for him.

He didn’t even bother with an excuse and went straight out to meet Su Jinxi.

At almost the same time, Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi also hurried hand in hand to the Ying family’s villa in the suburbs outside the Capital.

The young couple was not exactly early. When the housekeeper led them inside, the spacious main hall featured a crystal coffin in the center, surrounded by several Extraordinaries from the authorities.

When Yuan Lingyi saw her twin sister’s shattered body inside the crystal coffin, tears poured down her cheeks.

Gu Lingfan hugged her and whispered comfortingly, “Don’t cry. It’ll be fine in a little while.”

As Yuan Lingyi sobbed quietly, Ying Jingzhou, Ling Jing, and Xuan Qing all came down together from upstairs.

The three of them had been in front of the live broadcast array upstairs, gleefully watching the show. Ying Jingzhou had made sure to memorize all the male and female leads on Ling Jing’s side, and had even gotten quite a few plot details from her.

Yet even knowing all this, when word came that the authorities had brought over the crystal coffin containing Yuan Lingmei’s remains, Xuan Qing’s little face turned instantly ashen the moment he heard it.

Xuan Qing’s cold, hateful expression… To Ling Jing, it was like a sweet kitty turning into a fierce tiger, a little scary, and in this state, she truly couldn’t beat him.

So, when the three of them came downstairs together, Ling Jing nervously sent a voice transmission: “Big Boss, if you weren’t here, I’d have to play the empathetic big sister—resolve the main antagonist’s and the two generations of male and female leads’ issues, turn all three pairs from foes into allies who cooperate sincerely, or the mission would be impossible.”

Ying Jingzhou laughed, “Are you willing to be the big sister?”

“I’d love to be! Just lying flat and winning isn’t much participation, and the mission reward would be pathetic.”

Ying Jingzhou nodded with a smile. “I understand. I’ll make sure all three little couples listen to you.”

Ling Jing gave two big thumbs up, beaming, “You get my 666 points, Big Boss!”

Thus, when Ying Jingzhou and his companions appeared in the hall, their expressions were quite clearly distinct.

The authorities’ Extraordinaries politely greeted them, then retreated to one side, not daring to make a peep.

Gu Lingfan just held Yuan Lingyi, gazing admiringly at Ying Jingzhou, equally silent.

Everyone saw Xuan Qing’s dark expression, but with Senior Ying present, not only were they fearless, they even anticipated some drama—after all, Xuan Qing had been split into two by his biological father with a single sword.

Ying Jingzhou smiled. As expected of the Fate’s Son of this generation, such sharp instincts.

Xuan Qing forced himself to look away from the crystal coffin and his beloved inside, biting his lip and tugging lightly on his father’s sleeve. “Dad…”

Ying Jingzhou patted his son’s shoulder. “Not bad. You didn’t fall to demonic cultivation.” After that, he strode to the center of the hall, raised his foot, and kicked the crystal coffin to pieces. With a crisp shattering sound, wood-element spiritual energy converged from all directions and, in a single breath, wrapped the broken Yuan Lingmei up in an emerald-green cocoon of light.

Then, with a wave of his hand, Ying Jingzhou remotely plucked a point of light from his son’s brow, flicking it into the cocoon as if it were nothing.

Yuan Lingyi, eyes red, hurried forward, tilting her head up with a trembling voice, “Senior?”

Ying Jingzhou performed the same operation, returning the other half of Yuan Lingmei’s spirit to its rightful owner.

After that… all they had to do was wait. If everything went smoothly, Yuan Lingmei would awaken in three days. However, such a forceful revival would inevitably leave some aftereffects.

While Yuan Lingmei was recuperating, Xuan Qing would be able to stay by her side and care for her at all times. The two little lovers would be able to confide in each other and untangle their issues.

Some things couldn’t be helped. Family affection and romantic love could not replace one another. Xuan Qing had already flirted with going down a heart-devil’s path once; even though Ying Jingzhou was confident that with him there, his son wouldn’t relapse, it was best to have him resolve his problems as soon as possible to avoid succumbing to future Nascent Soul tribulations.

It was the same for Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi’s side.

Yuan Lingyi’s obsession was her big sister Yuan Lingmei. If Yuan Lingmei didn’t recover, Yuan Lingyi wouldn’t either. And if Yuan Lingyi was troubled, Gu Lingfan wouldn’t be able to keep from overthinking things too.

Ying Jingzhou simply invited Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi to stay, “No need to worry yourselves sick. Just live here for now and wait until you see Yuan Lingmei recover.”

At that moment, Yuan Lingyi was silently crying by the light cocoon, Gu Lingfan quickly putting his arms around his girlfriend to answer, “Alright. Thank you, Senior.”

The officials didn’t receive such "luck." Having broadened their horizons yet again, they could only pack their things and quietly take their leave. They still had reports to write, after all.

For the next three days, Xuan Qing remained anxious. He trusted his father not to make a mistake, but he still worried about what he would say to Lingmei when she woke up. After all, it was because of him that she had suffered disaster.

So, he simply laid out a floor mat and slept in the main hall on the first floor.

Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi were put up in a guest room. Yuan Lingyi could sense that her sister was improving each day, and her own spirits lightened as well. She even got up the courage to whisper to Gu Lingfan, “Senior Ying and Senior Xiao really fell for each other at first sight…”

Gu Lingfan just laughed, “Same as us, huh?”

The young couple didn’t bother lowering their voices. Ling Jing passed by—her surname here was Xiao—and caught everything, and went right back to complain to Ying Jingzhou. “Why does everyone think the two of us are more than friends?”

Ying Jingzhou saw her meaning. “But we really are more than friends, aren’t we?”

Ling Jing fell silent.

When the time arrived, the cocoon of light cracked open down the middle. Yuan Lingmei woke up still dazed, and before she knew what was happening, toppled straight out of the floating cocoon—right into Xuan Qing’s arms.

Overjoyed, Xuan Qing hugged his beloved tightly. “Lingmei! It’s all my fault, I’m to blame for everything…”

Yuan Lingmei wasn’t fully clear-headed, but she basically understood what had happened. Even though her soul had been split in two, she had still vaguely “seen” Senior Ying arrive and dismantle the array to take Xuan Qing away. Only after that had she been able to surrender herself to deep sleep. Abruptly, she reached up to clamp a hand over Xuan Qing’s mouth. “Is taking the blame some kind of addiction now? Your half-brother is a shameless loser, how is that your fault?”

Hearing the commotion, Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi came running from the guest room.

Lingmei took her hand down, and naturally rested her chin on Xuan Qing’s shoulder, gazing at her younger sister with affectionate eyes. “I knew it, you and I have exactly the same good taste.”

Before Yuan Lingyi could reply, Xuan Qing sighed, “Well, I’m not like you. Turns out my luck was all spent being reborn as Dad’s son.”

Lingmei replied matter-of-factly, “Only just realizing that?”

Xuan Qing gave a soft “mm,” by way of answer.

Upstairs on the staircase, Ying Jingzhou and Ling Jing witnessed it all—this way of baring hearts was certainly a first for them as well.