Jiang Ke’er didn’t know why she cared so much about Qian Yue.
At first, she just felt that this big sister was quite to her liking.
But over their long time together, this strange emotion only grew deeper… It was just like the contract with Qiao Xiaoxian.
As if drawn by the pull of a contract, her heart kept developing fondness for the other party.
However, when facing Qiao Xiaoxian, since she was aware of the contract’s effect, she would deliberately resist, pushing back against any feelings that might arise for her—regardless of whether those feelings came from the contract—all to avoid falling in too deep.
When facing Qian Yue, though, she didn’t need to resist.
She had long since appraised Qian Yue.
The Appraisal Technique had shown the other party’s name was indeed Qian Yue… Unless Qiao Xiaoxian’s Disguise Technique had already reached the Dao Realm, not only able to twist her aura and cultivation attributes but even to the point of deceiving the laws of heaven, the Appraisal Technique shouldn’t make a mistake.
So, Jiang Ke’er could relax and no longer reject this feeling of caring.
She had fallen.
She thought that this feeling was friendship. It could only be friendship. It had to be friendship.
That was her bottom line.
But that didn’t stop her from wanting to be good to Qian Yue.
Even if it was just for a friend, she was willing to give these things… or even more.
You need power, and you have a reason to become stronger even if it means falling into the demonic path.
Fine, then I’ll help you gain power.
The Gluttony Dagger glimmered in Jiang Ke’er’s palm.
She strapped it to the inside of her thigh, replacing the position of her ordinary dagger.
Qian Yue lay on her back, her body ice cold, teeth chattering, and Jiang Ke’er could feel her trembling.
She really couldn’t bear to see Qian Yue suffer like this.
“If you can’t hold it in anymore, just drink my blood.” Jiang Ke’er paused for a moment, then added, “It’s alright, I’m not afraid of pain.”
Jiang Ke’er’s body was small, and carrying Qian Yue—who was taller than her—was a bit of a struggle.
“Put me down, let’s move separately.” Qian Yue said in a low voice.
Jiang Ke’er shook her head.
She looked ahead. Impenetrable vines and a muddy ground formed a treacherous Mangrove Swamp terrain.
Jiang Ke’er infused her legs with true qi, shaking off several leeches hidden in the mud, thinking: My blood can’t be wasted on you lot.
The Second Trial had already begun.
Before it started, the Old Man had each team pick their drop location.
The other teams had long discussed and formed a net-like formation for mutual aid. Jiang Ke’er had been forced to pick a more remote area.
“Hiss—”
“Splurt—”
With one strike, she chopped off the head of a lunging viper.
With her other hand, Jiang Ke’er grabbed the flying snake head out of the air.
“You know, even after a snake’s head is cut off, it can still bite people,” Jiang Ke’er tried to sound relaxed as she spoke,
“Their cell metabolism is slow, so even after blood flow stops, nerve cells can keep working for a long time, attacking by reflex and still injecting venom… So you need to be careful when grabbing them.”
Jiang Ke’er carried the snake head as she walked, collecting the venom along the way.
Since no external items could be used in the Second Trial, she had to make use of every resource on hand.
“This is the Yellow Springs Willow-leaf Peach, also called the Yellow Springs Oleander,” Jiang Ke’er picked some small white flowers from a tree and stuffed them into a cloth bag,
“Normal oleander wouldn’t grow in a swamp, but the Yellow Springs Oleander grows by feeding on decaying poison in the marsh, refining and amplifying the toxins. Even Six Harmony Stage Cultivators wouldn’t dare underestimate this deadly flower… Are you listening?”
“Mm, I’m listening.” Qian Yue’s voice was hoarse.
Jiang Ke’er’s mood grew heavier. She didn’t know how much longer Qian Yue’s reason could hold out.
Especially in such close proximity, since she herself carried the curse of the Unlucky Object, it would make Qian Yue’s curse spread three times faster.
But if she and Qian Yue separated, and Qian Yue lost her mind in this dangerous place, there would be no way out but death.
All she could do was keep talking to Qian Yue, trying to keep her thinking rationally.
She didn’t know if it would help, but it was the only thing she could do.
“It’s alright, Senior Sister, hang in there,” Jiang Ke’er said with a smile, “From a Medical Cultivator’s perspective, the Blood Spirit Curse is just a kind of toxin, only this particular toxin needs some component from blood to dissolve it.”
“Mm…” Qian Yue was obviously already dazed, her condition much worse than a moment ago.
“As long as we find this antidote component in blood, we can treat the cause directly, refine it into a pill to store, and make the most of your blood so you won’t have to suffer from the curse anymore… Senior Sister Qian Yue?”
In that instant, Jiang Ke’er felt a sudden warmth on her shoulder.
Qian Yue’s vermilion lips had parted slightly, gently brushing against her shoulder, but a sliver of reason made her stop herself in time.
No, this couldn’t go on.
She needed to find a place to help Qian Yue relieve the pain.
Bottling it up wasn’t the answer—the more she suppressed it, the more violent the eruption would be.
They were still far from the other cultivators’ drop points, and those people had banded together, already preparing to deal with Jiang Ke’er.
It would be hard to get any fresh blood for an emergency for now.
She could only rely on herself for the moment.
The swamp wasn’t convenient, but fortunately Jiang Ke’er soon spotted the gnarled roots along the edge. She grabbed the exposed roots and climbed up.
Once on the bank, she quickly used her true qi to shake off the mud from herself and set Qian Yue down under a tree to help clean her up.
Qian Yue’s calves were also muddy, and several leeches were trying hard to get through her true qi defenses.
Unfortunately for them, before they could bite, Jiang Ke’er plucked them off and pinned them to the ground.
Jiang Ke’er dissected the leeches on the spot, hoping to glean some inspiration for lifting the Blood Spirit Curse from their bodily structure.
But it was useless against the curse.
The leeches’ craving for blood was a matter of physiology, but Qian Yue’s body hadn’t changed; her suffering came from a mysterious spell.
Trying to use biological science to solve a vampiric curse in a fantasy world—it just wouldn’t work.
After she’d cleaned both Qian Yue and herself until they were spotless, Jiang Ke’er sat down under the tree and let Qian Yue rest her head on her lap.
“Senior Sister, go ahead and take a bite first, fill your belly a bit.”
“…”
Qian Yue’s stomach gave a twitch.
The mood had been a little touching just now, but as soon as Jiang Ke’er opened her mouth, why did it suddenly feel so… rustic?
“If it’s not enough, I’ll get you some more later.”
As she spoke, Jiang Ke’er offered her wrist to Qian Yue, lightly slicing her own vein with the dagger.
Blood pooled and fell onto Qian Yue’s lips.
A faintly sweet, metallic scent lingered at the tip of her nose.
Qian Yue could no longer control herself and opened her mouth, taking Jiang Ke’er’s wrist between her lips.
Feeling the softness of Qian Yue’s lips, that gentle pressure, Jiang Ke’er’s cheeks flushed slightly.
She could feel the weakness brought on by blood loss, which would obviously be a disadvantage in the battles ahead…
After all, she had chosen the route of being everyone’s enemy.
But Jiang Ke’er simply covered Qian Yue’s forehead with her other hand, using the warmth of her palm to put her at ease.
Feeling Qian Yue’s icy forehead gradually warm, and her own body temperature quickly dropping, Jiang Ke’er actually breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
“It’s alright, there’s plenty. Drink your fill all at once.”
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