Chapter 130: ARE YOU STILL ANGRY AT ME?

"The poison was so thick it could melt solid granite. Many disciples from other sects perished within breaths, their bones dissolved into puddles of bile. I had to draw the swarm of young lizards away down the slope to create an opening for Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Meng. In the end, I was forced to burn every wisp of spiritual Qi in my dantian to execute a high-tier fire technique and incinerate the brood."

Li Yan paused, letting a bitter, self-deprecating smile touch his lips. "Because I forcibly drew out my spiritual energy beyond the capacity of my meridians and inhaled a trace of the corrosive miasma, my body suffered severe backlash. My spiritual sea ran dry, a violent fever overtook me, and my meridians were battered into chaos. If Senior Brother Li had not carried me down the mountain without pausing to rest, and if Master had not used his heaven-tier spiritual arts to suppress the internal turmoil, I truly would not have opened my eyes today."

Every word struck Gu Jun like a heavy iron hammer against his heart.

As Li Yan spoke of the freezing snow, the corrosive venom, and the life-and-death struggle on the mountain edge, Gu Jun’s vision blurred with unshed tears. He could practically see the scene: Li Yan, slender and frail, standing alone in a sea of blood and demonic beasts, holding a sword while his spiritual energy was drained to the very dregs, coughing blood upon the snow while strangers fought for treasures.

And where had he been?

He had been strolling through peaceful mountain trails, escorting common cartloads of dried spirit herbs, chatting with ordinary outer disciples, and browsing market stalls for cheap knick-knacks!

Intense self-hatred and guilt surged through Gu Jun’s veins like scorching acid. He raised his free hand and slapped his own thigh with a dull thud, his teeth grinding so hard they threatened to crack.

"I am a useless bastard," Gu Jun choked out, his voice thick with raw grief. "I was patting myself on the back for completing a trivial herb escort, feeling pleased with myself, while Yanyan was walking on the edge of the Yellow Springs! If... if I had not accepted that cursed mission without thinking, if I had stayed behind to ask you first, I could have gone with you! Even if my cultivation is low, I have thick skin and heavy bones! I could have blocked a claw for you! I could have taken the venom in your place!"

"Block a claw from a Rank Nine beast?" Li Yan scoffed softly, his arched brows lifting with a touch of his usual haughtiness. "With your current cultivation base, a single breath of its miasma would have dissolved you into meat paste before you could even draw your blade. Do you think I would need you to throw away your dog life for nothing?"

"Even so!" Gu Jun leaned forward, his eyes burning with an intensity and solemnity that Li Yan had never seen in him before.

Gu Jun fell to one knee beside the bed, still holding Li Yan’s hand between both of his palms, pressing it against his forehead. The posture was one of absolute fealty, the vow of a loyal protector offering his very soul.

"Yanyan, hear me today. The heavens above and the earth below may bear witness. From this day forward, Gu Jun will never leave your side without your explicit permission! Whether it is an order from the Outer Hall, an elder’s decree, or a divine mandate from the sect master himself, if Yanyan does not nod, I will not take half a step! If anyone wants to send you into danger, they will have to step over my corpse first! I will cultivate like a madman. I will enter the Inner Sect, and I will become strong enough that no one in this world will ever dare look down on you or push you to the front lines!"

Li Yan looked down at the burly youth kneeling by his bedside.

In his previous life, he had been sold by his brother, beaten by strangers, and discarded into the cold mud like garbage. In that lifetime, not a single person had ever stood before him to shield him from the wind and rain. Everyone had trampled upon him, spat on his status as a Ger, and treated his life as cheaper than dirt.

Now, looking at Gu Jun’s trembling shoulders and hearing this bone-deep oath, a strange, sweet ache spread through Li Yan’s chest.

He did not pull his hand away. Instead, he allowed Gu Jun to hold it for several long moments before letting out a soft, helpless laugh.

"Enough of this nonsense," Li Yan muttered, though his ears were slightly pink. "Get up. If Senior Brother Anyu walks in and sees you kneeling like this, he will think I am mistreating you. Besides, with your clumsy tongue, making oaths will only summon bad luck."

Gu Jun sniffled, quickly wiping the corners of his eyes with the rough sleeve of his robe, though he stubbornly refused to stand until Li Yan’s expression completely relaxed.

"Are you still angry with me, Yanyan?" Gu Jun asked cautiously, looking exactly like an overgrown hound that had chewed up a pair of spirit-silk boots and was waiting for a scolding.

"I am exhausted, not deaf," Li Yan rolled his eyes dramatically, leaning slightly to the side and gesturing with his chin toward the low wooden table. "Did you not say earlier that you bought something for me at the foot of the mountain? Where is it? If it is some hideous piece of junk that offends my aesthetic, I will immediately tell my Master to sentence you to three months of cleaning the spirit beast stables."

At the mention of the gift, Gu Jun’s eyes lit up instantly. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the small wooden box he had tossed aside earlier, and carefully wiped the nonexistent dust from its polished lid with his sleeve.

"It is definitely not junk! I spent half my money on it!" Gu Jun said eagerly, opening the latch and presenting the box with both hands.