When Mu Lin had not yet returned to the ocean surface, Xiao Laipi had already jumped into the sea to assist him. Upon seeing Xiao Laipi, the last bit of energy Mu Lin had forced himself to maintain instantly gave way. His entire body suddenly felt exhausted, drained of all strength, and he began sinking toward the ocean floor.
Seeing this, Xiao Laipi hurriedly cast a spell and lifted Mu Lin onto the yacht. Although Mu Lin remained conscious, he was too exhausted to utter a single word. Xiao Laipi didn’t even wait for Mu Lin to remind him of the danger—after all, if even Mu Lin couldn’t handle whatever had happened below, what chance did he have? He’d only be offering himself up as an extra course. Though puzzled by what had occurred, Xiao Laipi knew their immediate priority was survival. After securing Mu Lin safely, he rushed to the helm and sped the yacht away.
Just as Xiao Laipi steered the yacht away from that area, a violent surge of energy began radiating from the sea behind them, accompanied by an intense magnetic field gradually enveloping the region. The sky above the sea quickly darkened with thick clouds, followed by torrential rain. The wind howled fiercely, churning up waves dozens of meters high that crashed one after another. Onboard, the yacht’s satellite navigation and communication systems all failed. Fortunately, the engine remained functional, so Xiao Laipi, relying on instinct and experience, desperately steered the yacht away from the danger.
This yacht was indeed among the most advanced in the world. Guided by Xiao Laipi’s sharp instincts, after half a day of travel, they had long left the area behind, escaping the peril of the violent energy and magnetic field. Only after leaving behind the storm, rain, and raging waves did Xiao Laipi finally relax slightly. Once the yacht’s radio equipment resumed normal function, he set the vessel on autopilot and went to the cabin to check on Mu Lin.
Since being rescued onto the yacht, Mu Lin had felt his tension ease as Xiao Laipi steered them away from the danger zone. A deep wave of fatigue soon overtook him. Mu Lin knew this was due to the immense depletion of his energy and strength, and his body instinctively wanted to sleep to recover from the damage.
He understood that if he fell asleep now, he wouldn’t awaken for at least ten days or even half a month. Even after waking, his cultivation would be severely weakened, perhaps never to reach its former level again.
Battling the overwhelming sleepiness, Mu Lin focused his consciousness on his dantian. Only then did he realize how much his golden elixir had shrunk—now nearly the size it had been when he first formed it. He sighed inwardly. This had truly been a costly endeavor.
With no time for regret, he forced the remaining trickle of true essence in his dantian to slowly circulate through his meridians. Due to the massive loss of energy, the remaining essence in his body had become extremely volatile and hot. Worse still, a foreign energy from the protective barrier had also entered his meridians, running rampant within. As Mu Lin guided his essence through his meridians, he also had to divert part of his strength to suppress this invasive force. His meridians had suffered serious damage, so each inch his essence advanced felt like being cut by a blunt knife—agony beyond what most could endure.
When Xiao Laipi returned to check on Mu Lin, the latter had yet to complete a third of the meridian cycle. Seeing Mu Lin lying flat on the bed, his face flushed red, drenched in sweat that soaked the mattress beneath him, Xiao Laipi knew immediately that Mu Lin was enduring unimaginable torment.
Since their minds were nearly connected, Xiao Laipi sensed Mu Lin’s condition with a simple mental probe. Without wasting a word, he retrieved a water-element floating stone from his storage space, placed it in his mouth, sat cross-legged, and placed his small paws on Mu Lin’s dantian. He then channeled his own essence into Mu Lin’s body, aiding the circulation of his true essence through the meridians.
Among ancient cultivators, it was rare for one to use their own essence to heal another unless they were very close—because if the recipient harbored ill intent, the healer could lose their essence entirely. However, after spending so much time with Mu Lin, Xiao Laipi knew that Mu Lin regarded him as family. Moreover, without Mu Lin’s selfless provision of floating stones, Xiao Laipi would have perished long ago.
Being female, Xiao Laipi’s essence was naturally yin in nature. Combined with her higher cultivation level and the water-element floating stone, the severe imbalance of yin and yang within Mu Lin’s body improved significantly. His essence gradually began nourishing his meridians rather than causing pain as it flowed.
With Xiao Laipi’s assistance, Mu Lin’s essence grew stronger. After merging with Xiao Laipi’s energy, Mu Lin accelerated the circulation of his essence, enduring immense pain as he completed a full meridian cycle—both major and minor. At this point, Xiao Laipi also felt extremely drained. Seeing that Mu Lin had completed the cycle, she withdrew her essence, removed her paws from Mu Lin’s dantian, and began to recover her own energy.
Once Xiao Laipi had regained her strength, she noticed Mu Lin was still in recovery. She took a closer look at him and only then realized that his clothes were completely torn, barely clinging to his body. Knowing Mu Lin’s usual attention to neatness—though not necessarily fancy, he always dressed cleanly—Xiao Laipi understood that Mu Lin must have faced serious trouble underwater.
A sudden realization struck Xiao Laipi—she had been so focused on healing Mu Lin that she had completely neglected the yacht’s protection. Fortunately, no trouble had arisen during the healing process, or both of them could have been in grave danger. Thinking quickly, she set up a protective formation on the yacht before returning to the helm to continue steering.
After completing seventy-two meridian cycles, Mu Lin slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath of turbid air, and ended his meditation, sitting up slowly. Only then did he notice the chill on his skin. Looking down, he saw his condition and couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.
His entire body was wrapped in tattered strips of cloth. If not for a few remaining threads connecting them, he would have been completely naked. Just then, he heard Xiao Laipi approaching. Embarrassed by his disheveled state, he quickly called out, “Xiao Laipi, wait a moment before coming in! Give me a bit of time to change!”
Upon hearing Mu Lin’s plea, Xiao Laipi paused her steps, which brought Mu Lin a brief sense of relief. However, her next words immediately made him blush furiously.
“Hmph! Now you’re shy? Let me remind you, Master, during the healing, I saw everything already. What’s there to be embarrassed about? Besides, I’ve seen plenty of men before!”
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