Chapter Forty-Two: Qin Xiaochuan Awakens

All the buildings above ground were shaken by the explosive force of the duel, collapsing entirely. The walls and debris from the fallen palace buried both fighters beneath the rubble.

Hearing the tremendous explosion from the Vermilion Bird Hall, Zhang Yang, Bai Ying, and Fei Yan looked up. The entire Vermilion Bird Palace had sunk downward; it seemed Qin Xiaochuan and the Vermilion Bird had finished their duel. Glancing at the last breeder lying on the ground, Zhang Yang signaled to Bai Ying and Fei Yan, then, sword in hand, charged recklessly toward the palace gates. Qin Xiaochuan, you must not die—only I can defeat you in this world! You must survive! Having taken Qin Xiaochuan as his lifelong rival, Zhang Yang dashed into the ruins of the Vermilion Bird Hall and desperately dug through the debris, soon uncovering Qin Xiaochuan from beneath the collapsed wall.

Bai Ying, who had followed, came up to Qin Xiaochuan and placed his hand carefully on his neck. "This is bad! Qin Xiaochuan's spiritual energy is vanishing rapidly, and his heart is slowly stopping. We must transfer spiritual energy immediately to save his life!"

"I'll do it!" Upon hearing that spiritual energy was needed, Zhang Yang rushed forward without hesitation and placed his hand over Qin Xiaochuan's heart.

"No, you already exhausted your spiritual energy fighting the White Tiger. If you transfer any more, you'll die!"

"So you want me to just watch him die?" Zhang Yang's voice trembled with emotion, his whole body surging with energy. "I'm the only one who can give him spiritual energy. Stop wasting time, Bai Ying!" Without regard for himself, Zhang Yang poured all his spiritual power into Qin Xiaochuan, as if he cared nothing for his own life.

"Looks like we'll have to carry two people back to the human world, Fei Yan," Bai Ying said with a wry smile, watching Zhang Yang's reckless determination.

"He's really a troublesome fellow..."

"But that's precisely the key to his victory over the Vermilion Bird."

"...Yes, that's true."

"All right, let's carry them, Fei Yan. Zhang Yang seems to have fainted..."

...

Three days after defeating the Vermilion Bird and destroying the magic flute, Qin Xiaochuan climbed out of bed.

"...Ugh... Where am I?"

"You're awake, Xiaochuan!" Zhang Yang turned away from his desk and smiled at him. "This is my room. Just lie down and rest."

"That's right, Xiaochuan," Bai Ying, leaning against the windowsill, greeted him as well, "You've been unconscious for three days."

"Haha, the uproar at school over the teacher hurting students has finally settled down. The school is a mess, and they're repairing the windows and offices, so school's on break right now. We can relax and enjoy ourselves for a couple days. Oh, and I've explained things to your mom—told her you're here to study."

"...Pain! My whole body hurts, what's going on?... Oh, I can't take it..." Relieved by Zhang Yang's explanation, Qin Xiaochuan realized that he must have spent all his energy fighting the Vermilion Bird. The moment he moved, stabbing pain shot through his body, like thousands of needles prickling him—not just in his legs, but all over. My god, it's like being pierced by ten thousand needles! Clearly, the side effects of overdrawn life force had appeared; life really should not be recklessly spent.

After the pain subsided, Qin Xiaochuan recalled the last image he saw in the mirror before the duel: the deranged Teacher Li, knife in hand, charging at Fan Fan and Xia Dan. He had no memory after that. Worried about Fan Fan and Xia Dan, Qin Xiaochuan hurriedly asked Zhang Yang, "What happened to Fan Fan and Xia Dan?"

"Guess what happened to Teacher Li?" Zhang Yang waved his hand, answering with a question. "He got caught by the police and locked up at the station, hahaha! He claimed he hadn't done anything and didn't know why he was covered in blood, hahaha, isn't that ridiculous?"

"I'm not asking about Teacher Li, I'm asking about Fan Fan and Xia Dan!"

"Oh, right, Teacher Huang fainted that night too—must've been hit on the head. He's in the hospital now."

"Damn it, I'm asking about Fan Fan and Xia Dan, you idiot!"

"Zhou Ying and Xiao Lin were taken home by their parents. They seem traumatized and can't remember anything from that time. Isn't that funny?"

"You bastard, Zhang Yang! Did a donkey kick your head? I'm asking about Fan Fan and Zhang Yang, what are you talking about?"

Sensing Qin Xiaochuan's genuine urgency, Zhang Yang glanced at Bai Ying. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a look of loss and sadness.

Seeing Zhang Yang suddenly turn serious, Qin Xiaochuan jumped out of bed, ignoring the pain, grabbed Zhang Yang, who sat stunned in his chair, and shouted, "Answer me! What happened to Fan Fan and Xia Dan?"

Zhang Yang, caught by Qin Xiaochuan, seemed reluctant to speak—or perhaps he simply didn't want to deliver the bad news. Seeing Qin Xiaochuan's anxious face, Zhang Yang turned away in silence. Noticing Zhang Yang's refusal, Qin Xiaochuan sensed something was wrong and looked to Bai Ying. Bai Ying avoided his gaze, turning to stare out the window. Their expressions said it all. Qin Xiaochuan's mind went blank, stunned and speechless.

Just then, the door to Zhang Yang's room was suddenly pushed open. "What are you all shouting about, Xiaochuan? Good morning!"

...

Seeing Xia Dan and Fan Fan enter, Qin Xiaochuan was dumbfounded.

‘Hehe, Xia Dan, you two arrived too early. I wanted to tease him a bit more—it’s been so long since I’ve had this much fun,’ Zhang Yang whispered, covering his mouth and snickering. Clearly, all of this had been prearranged; even the ever-serious Bai Ying had been convinced to play along. The joke had gone a bit too far.

"You... Bai Ying... you too..." Qin Xiaochuan looked at Bai Ying, embarrassed and standing off to the side, pointing at Zhang Yang, who was still laughing in his grasp, tears streaming from his eyes. Bai Ying, I trusted you most of all, and yet you...

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan crying at him, Bai Ying felt embarrassed himself and coughed awkwardly. "Ahem! Actually, I told him this wasn't a good idea!"

"You’re dead, Zhang Yang!"

Coming to his senses, Qin Xiaochuan realized he'd been played. He grabbed Zhang Yang by the neck and shook him wildly, determined not to let go until Zhang Yang was thoroughly rattled.

After a bout of near-mad torment, Qin Xiaochuan finally vented his pent-up anger, stepping on Zhang Yang, who lay flat on the floor, unable to rise. He’d truly been frightened; if Xia Dan and Fan Fan hadn't walked in just then, he might have jumped out the window. Looking at Xia Dan sitting across from him, Qin Xiaochuan crossed his legs on the floor and asked, "So, how did you escape at the last moment that night?"

"Hehe," Xia Dan flashed her signature smile as she explained, "Honestly, I was surrounded by so many people that I'd given up hope and was reciting prayers for my soul. But just as I closed my eyes, nothing happened. When I opened them again, all those puppets had collapsed. I realized you must have destroyed the flute controlling the magic insects. It was really a close call—nicely done, Xiaochuan!"

"Oh, it was nothing... nothing at all... Fan..." Embarrassed by Xia Dan's praise, Qin Xiaochuan scratched his head. But when he glanced past Xia Dan and saw the angry expression on Fan Fan's face, he knew trouble was coming.

After leaving Zhang Yang’s house, Qin Xiaochuan signaled to Bai Ying and Xia Dan that he wanted to walk alone with Fan Fan. On the road, watching Fan Fan walk ahead in silence, his heart raced. ‘She’s clearly angry—understandable, given everything that happened. Based on past experience, whenever Fan Fan gets dragged into my troubles, I usually have to take two or three hits before explaining myself. That’s the quickest way to resolve things. All right.’

Summoning his courage, Qin Xiaochuan hurried forward and said, "Okay, Fan Fan, I know I was wrong. Don't be angry anymore. Here, I'm ready—hit me as much as you want until you feel better!"

Fan Fan turned to face him, stepping closer. Qin Xiaochuan broke out in cold sweat; it felt more terrifying than fighting the Vermilion Bird. Seeing her raise her arm, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Go... ahead..."

After a moment, feeling nothing on his face, Qin Xiaochuan peeked open an eye. Fan Fan had placed her index finger in front of him. "I want you to promise me one thing!"

...

Seeing Fan Fan's earnest gaze, Qin Xiaochuan was too startled to speak. He decided to listen first, lest he say something foolish.

"Xia Dan already told me everything about what happened. Next time something like this happens, or if you’re going somewhere, you have to tell me first," Fan Fan said, her eyes reddening and tears welling up. "I don’t want to be left in the dark, spun around by you and Xia Dan, only to find out everything after it’s over. I won’t accept that, Xiaochuan! Do you understand?"