A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XXI

"Liu-shixiong, surely you understand how that sounds," Mu Qingfang sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose while Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe stood in front of him, twin expressions of determination on their faces.

They had explained to him what had happened and what they had found in the Lingxi Caves, but as to be expected, it was rather hard to believe.

The Lingxi Caves were the most powerful source of spiritual energy in all of Cang Qiong, perhaps in all of the Jainghu as well. So, for something even mildly demonic, let alone resentful to exist for longer than a mere second within its domain, and without setting off any of Cang Qiong's defensive alarms, was rather preposterous.

"She truly was made of resentful energy, Mu-shixiong," Shen Yuan added, leaning against the side of the bed, all but fighting Mu Qingfang about lying down. Hell no! Yeah, he got stabbed a little in the chest, but other than that he was fine! "She was not of the Human Realm as well, she didn't even have a true body to identify, entirely resentful energy."

"Perhaps a ghost, Shidi?" Mu Qingfang offered, turning away from the Bai Zhan disciples while Shen Yuan nodded slightly. "Even then, Shidi. No ghost should be able to materialize within the Lingxi Caves, especially not to the extent that she did." He gently touched Shen Yuan's shoulder, a mention of the wounds on his chest, but Shen Yuan only shook his head.

"Surely there must be some way, there's nothing else that she could have been!" Shen Yuan argued. He was still feeling rather delirious, and strangely...free. He felt lighter, as though someone had just cracked every joint in his body, leaving him feeling limber and full of vigor. So, he forgot his decorum as he bantered with the Qian Cao Head Disciple.

Mu Qingfang shook his head softly. It truly made no sense, but he was only a healer, these sorts of things were not in his specialty, so he didn't try to argue about it any further. "We'll see, Qinglin-shidi. Yue-shixiong and Shen-shixiong will be here at any moment, and we will tell for ourselves."

Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe both groaned and rolled their eyes softly at that. It wasn't that they didn't like Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan, ahem, aside from Luo Binghe...but they truly couldn't reason with their overbearing nature toward Shen Yuan.

He was nearly an adult, why were they still so picky about who he was friends with!?

However, there had been one new development that had yet to be spoken of. No matter how exaggerated the term 'new' may be for it. That thing had dug her claws into Shen Yuan's chest, five perfect puncture holes in his chest, but its placement was clearly not an accident. Five dagger-like claws, five puncture wounds, and each one surrounding the mark visible on Shen Yuan's chest.

To bandage him up, and from wounds that likely held some kind of poison that Mu Qingfang had yet to identify, but could concur had no effects at the moment, it was safer to cover the wounds individually, rather than with one large gauze and binding as one may normally do. However, in doing so, even while slightly covered from the different gauze and bindings and his robes, the mark over his heart, the very mark that Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge both knew by heart and soul was visible to any who walked in.

Well, perhaps not directly out in the wide open. But Shen Yuan's robes had been left open slightly, letting his injuries breathe and allowing Mu Qingfang easy access in case anything happened. So truly, it was only a mere fraction of his chest that was exposed. But that fraction was likely the most important part, and now something that Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe couldn't look away from.

The only issue when it came to bringing up such a thing as revealing that the three people in the room shared a soulmate mark, was that one was blind! How were they to exactly prove that without having someone vouch for them!? And so far, the only people to have entered the room had been Mu Qingfang and Shan Lielin for a brief moment.