Chapter Twenty: Extending Life

The speaker was naturally White Lotus. Yue Qi was puzzled—she was the one who said there was no hope, and now she was the one saying there was. What sort of game was she playing?

“What?!” Yue Yunsheng was the first to react. He had thought Yuqi was beyond saving, yet at this moment White Lotus suggested there was still a chance.

“So what should we do?” Yue Qi asked tentatively, for he, too, could not bear to see his old friend remain so heartbroken and despondent.

“Yue Qi, when you broke through, did you suddenly feel something new appear in your mind?” White Lotus abruptly changed the subject, then added, “Something that complements your spiritual power?”

“Yes! How did you know? By the way, what is that thing? If not for it, I wouldn’t have suffered that backlash…” Yue Qi scratched his head, noting that from White Lotus’s expression, it didn’t seem to be anything bad.

“That’s mental energy…” White Lotus sighed. So it was as she suspected. She had not expected that such a genius would be hidden within the Qinghe Sword Sect—awakening mental energy at the early Foundation Establishment stage. She herself hadn’t awakened her mental power until late into the middle stage. White Lotus was certain that, had it not been for the mutation, once Yue Qi broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would have attracted the elders’ attention—no less than she had.

The awakening of mental energy was of critical importance. To put it simply, if a Foundation Establishment cultivator with awakened mental energy faced one without, and both used the same spell, the former’s spell would be more than twice as powerful. If a spell was a spark, then mental energy was oxygen, making the flame burn brighter. Of course, cultivating mental energy also required special techniques, but someone like White Lotus, whose strength had once reached the stage of Unification, naturally knew how to cultivate it.

“Mental energy? Yes, that must be it. I feel as if my mind and this mental power are one. Lotus, you said this mental energy can save Yuqi?” Yue Qi immediately seized on the key point and asked.

“That’s right, but it must be combined with other medicines…” White Lotus nodded. “But this method isn’t very reliable, and it can’t save Yuqi’s life outright.”

“So… what does that mean?” Yue Qi was confused by White Lotus’s contradictions—first she said Yuqi could be saved, then she said she couldn’t. What was she getting at?

White Lotus shook her head, clearly dissatisfied with Yue Qi’s comprehension, but seeing Yue Yunsheng’s anxious expression, she continued, “If I’m not mistaken, the virus that turns people into zombies must affect a person’s consciousness—perhaps even take control of it—which is why people end up in such a state…”

Seeing Yue Qi about to ask something, White Lotus shook her head again and said, “Don’t ask me, this is just a guess. It would explain why some people mutate faster than others.” She glanced at the unconscious Yuqi. “As for Yuqi, she was only lightly bitten, so the virus concentration in her body is low. That’s why she hasn’t mutated yet…”

“So what do I need to do to help her recover?” Yue Qi couldn’t hold back any longer; White Lotus’s leisurely temperament was torturous.

“You must first increase your strength. Only by growing stronger can you save her. For now, you can only prolong her life!”

“Prolong her life?!” Yue Qi and Yue Yunsheng echoed. This seemed promising—if he became powerful enough, he might yet save Yang Yuqi. But how to prolong her life was the crucial question.

“Yes!” White Lotus nodded. “If I’m right, once the virus invades the mind, the person becomes a zombie. So, if we add a layer of mental barrier within the mind, blocking the virus outside, we should be able to keep her alive…”

“Using mental energy? But…” Yue Qi voiced his concern, “It was just now, when I used my mental energy to probe Yuqi’s wound, that I suffered a serious backlash…”

“You fool!” White Lotus shot Yue Qi an exasperated look. “The wound is where the virus is most concentrated. Who told you to probe there with your mental energy? No wonder you went berserk…”

Before Yue Qi could retort, White Lotus continued, “But you must be careful to avoid the virus. According to you, the virus can affect a person’s mental energy. So I need you to use your mental energy to enter Yuqi’s mind directly. If you find that her mind has already been affected… then…” White Lotus gave Yue Yunsheng a long, meaningful look. “Then there will be no hope for her.”

“Ah Qi…” Yue Yunsheng looked at Yue Qi with worry. On one hand, he feared that if White Lotus was right, Yuqi would be beyond saving; on the other, he was afraid Yue Qi might hurt himself again trying to save her.

“Don’t worry…” Yue Qi patted Yue Yunsheng’s shoulder, then turned to White Lotus. “So what should I do?”

“No rush. Meditate and recover first. I’ll explain in detail afterwards…” With that, White Lotus ignored the stares of those around her, sat down cross-legged, and began to meditate with an air of practiced ease.

Yue Qi was stunned. He had been about to refuse—after all, saving a life was urgent—but seeing White Lotus’s actions, he simply shook his head, offered Yue Yunsheng an apologetic smile, and likewise began to meditate on the spot.

The remaining survivors chatted in small groups, their faces relaxed in the happiness of those who had escaped death. Indeed, many had died on the way out of Yue Manor, but at least they were alive.

“Father, what are you thinking about?” Yue Liang saw his father standing alone by the edge of the cliff and, fearing he might slip, joined him.

“Oh, Liang, it’s nothing. I was just wondering what we’ll do in the future…” The head of the manor sighed.

“Didn’t you say we’d visit the Yue family in Jizhong? What’s on your mind now?” Yue Liang asked. In fact, when they’d first hidden in Yue Manor, his father had already expressed a desire to visit Jizhong—after all, it was their ancestral home; going back would be like recognizing their roots.

But Yue Liang felt it wasn’t so simple. Still, since his father wouldn’t elaborate, he didn’t press. He simply stayed by his father’s side out of filial piety and to protect him.

“Liang, do you really think we can make it back? We have no provisions, and Jizhong is so far from here. Can the two of us really reach it safely?” The head of the manor sighed again.

“We could ask Seventh Brother to escort us! Didn’t he say he’s heading to Sanqing Mountain in Shu? He could take us along!” Yue Liang was full of hope and trust in Yue Qi.

“Silly child, Shu and Jizhong are worlds apart, and not even on the same route. Do you think Yue Qi would give up hope for everyone’s salvation just for our small matter?” The head shook his head.

“But… Father…” Yue Liang looked up at him. Yet he had overlooked one thing: his father had never once worried about what would happen after reaching the Yue family in Jizhong. It was as if, in his subconscious, he believed the Yue family was a perfectly safe haven.

“All right, let’s not worry about it. Let’s settle things here first—see, Yue Qi is awake. Let’s go have a look.” With that, the head of the manor led Yue Liang over.

“All right, now will you finally tell me what to do?” Yue Qi shot White Lotus a look full of resentment.

“Here’s what you do: wrap your mental energy with spiritual power, then go directly into Yuqi’s brain. The moment you sense the virus, withdraw immediately!” White Lotus instructed, “If there’s no virus in her mind, give me a signal, and I’ll give her this pill. Its medicinal power will form a protective ring in her brain, and you just need to reinforce it with your mental energy.” As she spoke, she produced a pill from her sleeve, different from the one Yue Qi had—this one had a faint fishy smell.

Of course, Yue Qi trusted White Lotus. He sat down cross-legged and slowly guided his perception toward Yuqi’s brain.

As White Lotus had said, when mental energy and spiritual power combined, there was a strange reaction. Carefully, Yue Qi sent his mental energy out of his body—and to his amazement, he could see everything around him! For a boy with little worldly experience, this was exhilarating, but recalling Yang Yuqi’s predicament, he reined in his excitement and entered her mind as instructed.

“Hey, did you just feel a cold breeze?” someone nearby asked, shivering.

“You’ve been watching too many zombie stories… But I did feel like someone was watching us…” another joked, then admitted nervously.

“What an idiot…” White Lotus muttered, but then saw Yue Qi’s right hand raise slightly, signaling her to proceed.

She dissolved the pill in water and handed it to Yue Yunsheng, who carefully fed the faintly fishy solution to Yang Yuqi.

After drinking the blackish liquid, Yang Yuqi’s complexion grew worse and worse, as if she were in great pain. Indeed, as White Lotus had said, adding a barrier in the mind must be a harrowing ordeal. Seeing this, White Lotus finally relaxed—evidently, the medicine was working.

“Hoo…” Yue Qi emerged from his trance, exhaling heavily. He looked as if he’d fought a great battle—soaked through with sweat.

“It worked!” Yue Qi forced a smile, though exhaustion colored his expression.

“Ah Qi…” Yue Yunsheng pressed his lips together. Some things need not be spoken; everyone understood in their hearts.

“Haha, what are brothers for? Your wife is practically my… well, my sister-in-law!” Yue Qi chuckled.

“But I think she’ll enter a deep slumber for now and won’t wake up until you can fully save her…” White Lotus suddenly dashed everyone’s hopes with a cold dose of reality.

Sorry for the late update. I’ll upload another chapter this afternoon… If you found this sincere, please add to your collection and recommend!