"What's it to you? Just drive the damn car!" Beichen said coldly as he kicked the car door shut and helped me onto the sidewalk.
I was staggering, the world turning black and white before my eyes. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net
My heart was in agony, and I could hardly breathe.
The black cat on my shoulder leaned close to my cheek and sniffed, "I'm low on mana right now, I can't heal your internal injuries."
"No need, no need, I'm fine. Don't waste your mana, Beichen. Are you okay?" I doubled over, clutching my chest, while the other hand still held the ruined Thunder Summoning Garment.
Beichen's voice was hoarse but much steadier, "I recited a charm, and it helped me hold on. I'll teach it to you."
"I think I... I probably can't learn it anymore..." I could feel the dizziness encompassing my mind, about to strip away all my consciousness. Then I knew nothing.
Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip...
My ears were full of the sound of water droplets falling into a still lake.
Ripples spread out in the darkness as if my whole world were this lake.
Where was I? I couldn't find my direction.
All I could do was watch the ripples, listen to the sound of water droplets.
After a while, new voices intruded, "Su Chongwen! If you dare wear the Thunder Summoning Garment, I'll divorce you."
"Give me the garment. That snake is about to undergo its Tribulation, and this is our only chance."
"Why do you have to oppose that snake? What does its Tribulation have to do with you?"
"I'm trying to save our future child. Do you know what happened to Su Chongshun's daughter? His own daughter had her eyes gouged out by Su Chongshun and given to... "
With these voices, some images intruded as well. I seemed to see the shadow of my mother when she was young, her belly swollen, as she fought with my father over a purple garment...
The visions flitted by like maple leaves across my view, intertwining.
I watched, dazzled and intermittent.
When I heard about Su Chongshun's unfortunate daughter, I gathered all my energy to focus.
But suddenly, all the sounds and images stopped abruptly...
"Huff, huff, huff, huff..." I woke from this illusion, gasping for air.
Before me was Yu Longting, sitting on the bedside, a bloodied Thunder Summoning Garment on his lap, looking down with a dark expression.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck, "I'm so glad to see you as soon as I wake up. Yu Longting, I haven't caused any trouble for you, have I?"
Yu Longting's body stiffened, and he gently held me tight, "Wife, you're really naughty. Waking up and not worrying about your own injuries, worrying about irrelevant things instead. What could be more important to me than you?"
"Hmm, coming to B City was entirely my own decision, so I do feel quite guilty." I found the familiar and affectionate scent on him and lazily nuzzled against him, dispelling the negative shadows from the dream, "How's Beichen's injury? Was the backlash severe?"
"He only summoned a simple Mystic Thunder, just coughed up a little blood from his lungs. I gave him a healing talisman, and he's bouncing around now. But you, you summoned Heavenly Thunder, and injured your heart and lungs." Yu Longting's voice was cold, and he twisted my ear lightly yet fiercely, "You've made me so angry. I really want to punish you, punish you hard so you can't leave the bed, then you'll have no time for mischief."
"I sustained such serious injuries? How come I don't feel it myself?" I touched the spot on my chest, the intense pain before fainting was gone, as if it had never happened, as if I had never coughed up blood from the backlash, "Did you use your cultivation to heal my injuries?"