The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 944: Bane

Proofreader: Papatonks

Father and son were having the time of their lives by themselves in that dark cave. Every now and then, Zhuo Fan had to wince and gasp from having pain stab his every wound for being too much into their game and ignoring his heavy condition yet found it passing faster by cursing their savior each time.

“Damn rotten Danqing Shen, you just couldn’t take it easier! Just that sword aura was enough to flay my skin. The old coot never heard of a softer touch!”

Danqing Shen’s rage would’ve blown sky high, only if he was here of course.

[Damn punk, I just saved your pathetic life and this is the thanks I get, being called names?]

Gu Santong had a grin on his pale face, thoroughly enjoying his dad’s lively and childish act.

“Young Sanzi, how are you feeling? I’m now too wounded to tend to your situation, but once I’m better, I’ll get you back on your feet in no time!” Zhuo Fan hurriedly asked.

Gu Santong’s smile fell for a second, shaking his head, “Dad, it’s fine. I’m just feeling weakened and the wounds are healing. The Shangguan clan gave me plenty of healing pills.”

“That’s great. Even their poor pills, unlike mine, can help your wounds, ha-ha-ha…” Zhuo Fan chuckled, at ease. 

Gu Santong’s smile soon turned upside down, taken by melancholy. Zhuo Fan could tell that it was different with the other hand as the blood was still seeping out despite the tight wrap around it…

Rumble~

The stone door opened, breaking the heavy silence. Shangguan Qingyan and the same youth Zhuo Fan grabbed back in the wasteland entered. The girl saw them waking up and cheered, “You’re up!”

“Thanks for the save.” Zhuo Fan smiled.

Shangguan Qingyan smiled back, coming over to him and looking concerned, “Mister Gu, your body is a wreck. Are you sure it’s fine? We’ve used many pills and while your other wounds healed…”

“You don’t have to worry about it. I’m an alchemist too. As long as my soul is fine, the flesh can be mended.”

Zhuo Fan’s hand shone and a vial came out, taking out a green pill.

The thick aroma was intoxicating, making the other clansman cry out, “By god, using a 10th grade pill just for some flesh wounds? An alchemist is a different breed than our clan.”

“Ha-ha-ha, it’s only for the common ones, while young Sanzi will need a more particular solution. That’s why I need to get back in shape to make him the right pill.”

Zhuo Fan ate the pill and used the Returning Dragon’s Roar.

As dragons roared about, Zhuo Fan was brimming with vitality. The Returning Dragon’s Roar was the best thing when it came to patching up the body. A shame it didn’t work on souls as well.

With the healing pill complementing the Returning Dragon’s Roar, the two watched in shock as Zhuo Fan’s wounds barely closed at all.

Zhuo Fan then felt a stabbing pain from every inch of his body.

Zhuo Fan looked down with a frown. 

[What’s with these weird wounds that can’t heal? They feel the same as the one Vaulting Sword gave me back in Double Dragon Manor…] 

The Shangguan clansman chuckled, “Mister Gu, you must’ve been hit by Dragon Cleaving Sword King’s Dragon Cleaving Art. Despite the difference between his sword art and ours, they both come from insights in a divine sword. Wounds inflicted by such weapons will be hard to heal. I still thought you’d need ten more days before you could stand. It’s a miracle you are doing this now. An 11th grade alchemist sure heals fast, ha-ha-ha…”

“Wounds from those sword arts heal slowly?!”

Zhuo Fan soon came to his own conclusion as to why. The wound Vaulting Sword inflicted back then took ages to heal too.

Since Danqing Shen’s art came from the Vaulting Sword, which hurt him.

[Does that mean the sword art captured the divine sword’s essence?]

Regardless of doubts, this was the conclusion he came to. Common folk being around a sacred weapon for long enough, they’d have its sword energy used for their cultivation, facilitating not only their training in a godlike sword art, but also unleashing greater power when using it.

It was top-notch regardless of the stage it was used in. [Is it maybe the power of the Sword Sovereign?]

Deep in thought, the casual movement of his right reminded him of the pain and winced. The pain coming from his body earlier subsided after using the pill and the Returning Dragon’s Roar. The issue now was the right hand.

Shangguan Qingyan took his right hand and complained, “Easy, we’ve just bandaged it but the bleeding won’t stop…”

Zhuo Fan shook, seeing as the wrap was dyed red.

“Young miss, Shangguan Feiyun’s Soaring Sword Art must’ve caused the wound on his right. Anyone else would have their heal slowly, but this is so baffling that no pill works. The bandage is only temporary and if this continues, he’ll bleed out.”

The Shangguan guy explained.

Zhuo Fan’s brow shook, looking at his right in fright. He felt his forehead and, though wounded, did not bleed, healing slowly.  

Shangguan Feiyun caught his gesture and said, baffled, “Mister Gu, I looked over your condition. The wounds on your right arm have to be from Shangguan Feiyun’s sword. The strange thing is, it just won’t heal, while the shoulder heals the same as the rest of you. I’d almost thought Shangguan Feiyun’s sword was stronger than Danqing Shen’s.”

“It’s the Qilin arm…”

Zhuo Fan’s eyelids shook, coming to a conclusion. “That’s why the Soaring Sword Art at Soul Harmony Stage could pierce it. The secret lies with Soaring Sword and Soaring Qilin. The Soaring Sword and, in turn, the Soaring Sword Art targets the Soaring Qilin in particular. That means young Sanzi…”

Zhuo Fan felt sharp pain as he rushed to young Sanzi’s side, holding the bandaged arm that was bleeding just like his.

Shangguan Qingyan gasped, hurrying to change the binding, “Young Sanzi is bleeding again. We have to stop it!”

“Young miss, that’s only a symptom. They are both so strange, unable to heal the areas struck by the Soaring Sword Art.”

The Shangguan guy shook his head.

Shangguan Qingyan wouldn’t give up, looking after young Sanzi with teary eyes, “Even if it doesn’t heal, we have to do all we can. Having not even reached the Ethereal Stage, they’ll die for good and won’t come back.”

“Young Sanzi, why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhuo Fan balled his fists and clenched his teeth. Being in the Ethereal Stage, Zhuo Fan would have halted cultivation, at worst, but he’d live. Young Sanzi was a sacred beast by comparison, with their body and soul as one. When one died, the other followed, and there was nothing to bring him back.

Young Sanzi’s bleeding condition was potentially deadly…

Young Sanzi teared up, his pale lips trembling, “Dad, I felt ever since the Soaring Sword Art hurt me that I met my bane. I can barely hold on. I didn’t want to worry you…”

“Why didn’t you say anything? I’m your dad, I’m supposed to worry!”

Zhuo Fan gnashed his teeth, taking out a vial from his ring and revealed two 11th grade pills.

Under the Shangguan guy’s gasp, Zhuo Fan took one and gave young Sanzi the other, “Listen, this is from when I refined to save Shangguan Qingyan. She had been hurt by the Soaring Sword Art as well. It worked on her and now we’ll see if it works on us as well. If all else fails, I’ll take you back to western lands.”

“Western lands?” Gu Santong jumped.

Zhuo Fan nodded with resolve, “We’ll ask those old coots to save you. They have to know a way. So just hold on, young Sanzi…”