Nine Desolate Records

The silence of the Sword Tomb is a deathly silence that has been simmering for three thousand years, carrying a metallic edge.

Lu Li stood still, the light from the three dagger seals on his chest slowly shifting, the blue, red, and bronze colors intertwining to form a stable triangular array. The seals stopped spreading, the restlessness of the prisoner's primal nature was suppressed, and the feeling of burning life disappeared, replaced by a deeper, heavier sense of connection to some immense being.

Xuanji hovered above the abyss, his gray robes fluttering slightly in the invisible sword energy. His clear eyes, unlike those of an old man, were calmly watching Lu Li.

"The Three Daggers Seal is complete." The old man's voice echoed in the Sword Tomb, carrying a rhythm like that of an ancient bell. "As long as you don't actively break this balance, the seal can be maintained for a long time."

Lu Li felt the array pattern on his chest. It was indeed very stable, but he could clearly sense that maintaining this stability required sustained willpower. It was like a person standing on ice; although temporarily safe, they had to be careful of the cracks under their feet every moment.

"But the balance is fragile." Xuanji seemed to see through his thoughts. "If you use power beyond the True Talisman Realm, or if your origin suffers a violent impact, such as being severely injured by an enemy of Zhou Duanyue's level again, the seal will break. And at that time, the backlash will be even more intense than before."

Lu Li gripped the dagger tightly: "Junior understands. Senior, but my companion..."

"Three miles away, there is a natural cave." Xuanji interrupted him, his tone completely flat. "One person's soul is about to dissipate, one person's marrow is being eroded, one person is exhausted, and one person is already dead. You should know the rules of the Sword Tomb."

"I can't save them." Xuanji said bluntly, "The Sword Tomb doesn't allow outsiders; that's a rule that's been in place for three thousand years. I won't let them in, nor will I leave the Sword Tomb to save anyone."

"But you are different." Xuanji's gaze fell on the depths of his left eye, where a trace of lingering dark blue remained. "The Sword of Ceasefire has recognized you. The Prisoner Fragment within you and the battle intent sealed in the Sword Tomb share the same origin. Your presence here actually helps suppress the erosion."

The old man paused. "So, you can stay. As for them..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already very clear.

"They can't come in," Lu Li replied. "But could you, senior, show us a way out?"

Xuanji remained silent for about three breaths.

In those three breaths, only the low murmur of ten thousand swords echoed within the Sword Tomb, like countless deceased whispering among themselves.

Then, the old man raised his hand.

It was neither an attack nor a spell, but rather the "extraction" of three things from the void.

The first item was a silver-white sword-shaped jade talisman, about the size of a thumb, with fine natural patterns on its surface, like the forging marks on a sword.

"Concealing Breath Sword Seal." Xuanji tossed the jade talisman to Lu Li. "Wearing it will conceal the fluctuations of the Prisoner's Origin within you. Zhou Duanyue's Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Technique relies on tracking these fluctuations. With this seal, he won't be able to find you for twelve hours."

Lu Li caught the jade talisman. It was cool to the touch, and he could feel the extremely pure sword intent contained within it.

"But remember," Xuanji added, "this seal has two flaws. First, its effect lasts only twelve hours. Once the time is up, the sword intent dissipates, and you will be exposed again. Second, if you use power exceeding the True Talisman Realm, such as fully activating the Three Daggers or releasing the Prisoner's Origin, the sword seal will immediately collapse."

Lu Li nodded and carefully put the jade talisman away close to his body.

The second item was a small, transparent jade bottle containing about three drops of a silvery-white, viscous liquid. The liquid was moving slightly within the bottle, as if it were alive.

"Sword Essence." Xuanji handed him the jade bottle. "It's the essence of the Sword Nourishing Pool. It can't cure the disease, but it can temporarily mend the cracks in the soul and prevent it from dissipating. One drop can last for four hours. Three drops will last for twelve hours."

Lu Li took the jade bottle and could see the soft silver light emanating from the three drops of liquid through the bottle wall.

"The method is very simple," Xuanji said. "Drip it between her eyebrows, and the sword essence will seep into her sea of ​​consciousness to repair the cracks. But this is only a temporary solution. If she does not receive true treatment after twelve hours, her soul will completely disintegrate."

Lu Li gripped the jade bottle tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The third item was a roll of dark yellow parchment, its edges worn and clearly very old.

Xuanji did not hand it directly to Lu Li, but instead unfolded it.

On the parchment was a hand-drawn map. The lines were fine, marking mountains, rivers, paths, and various special symbols. The map started at Mount Shu and ended at two locations.

The first location is about 120 li southwest of Mount Shu. There is a simple map of a mountain villa, with the words "Gui Lin Mountain Villa" written in small characters next to it: Yun Po Tian Gui Mao year. The formation is prepared and medicines are available. You can stay here temporarily.

The second location is further southwest, estimated to be more than 800 li away. It depicts a valley with the words: "Apricot Grove Valley, a sacred place for doctors, where the Soul-Nourishing Spring is located, which can heal injuries to the spirit and soul."

The two locations are connected by a dotted line, with more than a dozen small dots marked along the way. Some are marked "water source", some "dangerous place" and some "rest place".

"This is a route map left by Yun Potian back then." Xuan Ji's voice was calm. "When he investigated the 'Demon-Taming Project,' he set up multiple temporary strongholds in various places. Guilin Manor was one of them, and it was also the closest to and best preserved one of Shu Mountain."

The old man pointed to the location of Guilin Mountain Villa:

"He has set up a protective array here. Although it has been thirty years, the core array should still be operational. There are stored medicines, clean drinking water, and basic healing facilities in the manor. In your current condition, you can't possibly reach Xinglin Valley, which is 800 miles away. But if you fight to the death, there might still be a glimmer of hope if you go 120 miles away."

He then pointed to Xinglin Valley:

"This is the real place to save your companions. The Soul Nourishing Spring can soothe the soul, and the valley's physicians are skilled at treating various corrosive injuries. But that's a goal you should only consider after you've established a foothold at Guilin Manor and recovered some of your combat strength."

Lu Li carefully studied the map, memorizing every mark and every route.

"Now, listen carefully to their time." Xuan Ji put away the map, looked at Lu Li again, and his voice became extremely serious.

"That woman named Yun Jin is suffering from the backlash of her 'Phantom Eye,' and the cracks in her soul are continuing to widen. Without external intervention, in six hours, the cracks will expand to an irreversible degree, and she will begin to lose her memory and become delirious. In twelve hours, her soul will completely disintegrate, and her life will be extinguished."

"That boy named Lin Qingyuan's fear has deeply fused with the bones of his left arm. The erosion is spreading towards his heart at a constant speed, currently located three inches above his elbow. You can use the Turtle-Suppressing Dagger to 'seal' it, but it can only last for ten hours. After ten hours, the erosion will cross his shoulder. Once it crosses his shoulder, the erosion speed will double, and it will only last for a maximum of four more hours before invading his heart. At that time, even a god cannot save him."

"As for that old blind man who's already dead..." Xuanji paused, "He's dead, his soul and spirit are gone, there's no saving him. His body is consumed by fear, he'll become a corpse puppet within four hours. You need to use the Burning Desire Fire of the Zhenfeng Dagger to completely purify him and let him rest in peace."

Lu Li's heart sank little by little.

Twelve two-hour periods, ten two-hour periods, four two-hour periods.

Every moment is so short it's breathtaking.

"So what you need to do now is not to beg me here." Xuanji's voice pulled him back to reality, "but to go back immediately, use the sword marrow to prolong Yun Jin's life, use your three daggers to temporarily seal the erosion on Lin Qingyuan, and then deal with the old blind man's remains. Finally, take them with you and escape fifty miles outside of Shu Mountain within twelve hours, heading towards Guilin Manor."

The old man looked at him and said, "One hundred and twenty li is an insurmountable chasm for you in your current situation. But it is the only way to survive."

Lu Li took a deep breath and then bowed: "This junior understands. Thank you for your guidance, senior."

"Don't thank me yet." Xuanji waved his hand. "These three things are in exchange for a promise from you."

Please enlighten me, senior.

"After healing your companion, you must return to the Sword Tomb alone." Xuanji's voice left no room for doubt. "Since the Sword of Ceasefire has recognized you, you have an obligation to learn how to control the power within you. I will teach you how to use sword intent to control the three daggers, and how to balance tyranny and humanity. This is not something that can be accomplished in a day; it requires long-term arduous training."

He gave you a deadline: "I'll give you twenty days. After twenty days, whether your companion is dead or alive, you must return here."

"If you do not return by the appointed time..." Xuan Ji did not finish speaking, but deep within the Sword Tomb, the suspended Zhige Sword trembled slightly and emitted a deep, muffled thunderous sound.

The threat is self-evident.

Lu Li bowed again: "This junior will remember. I will definitely return to the Sword Tomb in twenty days."

"Go." Xuanji turned around and walked through the air towards the solitary stone pavilion. "Remember, the Concealing Breath Sword Seal only lasts for twelve hours. When the time is up, Zhou Duanyue will definitely arrive. And by then, you'd better be fifty miles away."

Lu Li took one last look at the Sword Tomb, at the ten thousand silent ancient swords, and at the blurry stone pavilion deep in the abyss.

Then, he turned around and walked out of the Sword Tomb.

His steps were steady, but each step was as heavy as iron.

Time seemed to flow more slowly inside the cave than outside.

Lin Qingyuan leaned against the inner wall of the cave, his left arm completely numb from the elbow down. That deathly gray color, like necrotic tree bark, had spread to about three inches above his elbow. He could clearly feel countless tiny insects wriggling and gnawing beneath his skin; it was fear seeping into his very bones.

With each heartbeat, that chilling, corrosive sensation climbed a little higher.

It's slow, but very steady.

Like the rising tide, you know it's coming, but you're powerless to stop it.

He stretched out his still-functioning right hand and pulled out a jade pendant broken in two from his pocket—a keepsake left to him by his mother. The edges of the pendant were stained dark red with his blood, but the character "Qing" in the center remained clearly visible.

"Mother..." he murmured softly, "I'm sorry, I may... not be able to go back."

Hearing the whisper at the cave entrance, Shi Yong's hand, gripping the iron rod, trembled slightly. The boy's face was weary, his eyes bloodshot, but he still stared intently at the night outside the cave, like an unyielding statue.

"Brother Lin," Shi Yong said without turning around, his voice hoarse, "Don't say that. Lu Li will come back; he'll definitely have a way."

Lin Qingyuan gave a wry smile: "I hope so."

But his gaze involuntarily drifted to the deepest part of the cave.

Yun Jin lay there, covered with relatively dry moss that Shi Yong had found outside. The girl was still unconscious, her face pale to the point of being almost transparent. Most terrifying was her breathing, so weak it was almost inaudible. Each inhale seemed to require all her strength, and when she exhaled, a faint, almost leaky sound came from her throat.

That was a sign that the soul was beginning to disintegrate.

As for the old blind man...

Lin Qingyuan and Shi Yong dared not look any longer.

The old man's body leaned against the other side of the cave wall. The claw marks on his chest had turned completely black, like a wound etched into his body that would never heal. Even more eerie, the black marks were spreading at a visible speed, forming fine blood vessels on the surrounding skin.

Those lines wriggled like living things, and wherever they passed, the skin quickly lost moisture, becoming dry and dull.

The deceased's fingers were trembling slightly.

It wasn't the wind, nor was it an illusion; it was the muscles contracting on their own. The five fingers were slowly, inching together, trying to form a fist. The knuckles made a soft "clicking" sound, like a rusty mechanism struggling to operate.

"Brother Lin," Shi Yong spoke again, this time with obvious fear in his voice, "the old senior... his finger twitched again."

Lin Qingyuan took a deep breath: "I know."

"Should we..." Shi Yong gripped the iron rod tightly, "while we still have..."

"Wait for Lu Li," Lin Qingyuan interrupted him. "If he can get out, there might be other ways. If he can't..."

He didn't finish speaking.

But the meaning is clear.

If Lu Li cannot get out, they will have no choice but to destroy the remains themselves before they undergo a complete transformation.

Time passes little by little.

The sky outside the cave gradually changed from deep black to inky blue; dawn was approaching.

However, the air inside the cave became increasingly oppressive.

Yun Jin's breathing weakened further.

The numbness in Lin Qingyuan's left arm had spread to four inches above his elbow.

The old blind man's fingers were half-closed. The black veins on his chest spread like a spider web across his upper body.

Shi Yong's knuckles turned white from gripping the stick so tightly.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the cave.

It's very light, but very stable.

Shi Yong suddenly stood up, holding the iron rod horizontally in front of his chest. Lin Qingyuan also tried to get up, but the numbness in his left arm made him hesitate and almost fall.

A figure appeared at the cave entrance.

He was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and a lingering dark blue sclera remained deep in his left eye, but his right eye was clear as ever. In his hand he held a bronze dagger, its surface shimmering with a heavy, mountain-like light.

It's Lu Li.

"Lu Li!" Shi Yong exclaimed in surprise, his voice trembling with relief.

Lin Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned deeply: "Your injury..."

"It's just a superficial injury, nothing serious." Lu Li strode into the cave, his gaze sweeping over everyone immediately. "Time is of the essence, listen to me."

He walked straight to Yun Jin's side and took out the jade bottle containing the sword essence from his bosom.

The moment the cork was pulled out, a cool and pure scent filled the air, instantly clearing the oppressive atmosphere in the cave.

Lu Li carefully tilted the bottle, and a drop of silvery-white, viscous liquid, as thick as honey, slid from the bottle opening and landed precisely on Yun Jin's forehead.

The liquid did not spread, but rather, as if it were alive, quickly seeped into the skin.

The next moment, Yun Jin's body trembled slightly.

It wasn't a painful tremor, but an instinctive reaction, as if she were being pulled back to the surface from the deep sea. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, her weak breathing became noticeably more even, and the gurgling sound in her throat disappeared.

"This is sword marrow, which can temporarily mend the cracks in her soul." Lu Li put away the jade bottle, his voice quick and clear. "One drop's effect lasts for four hours. This bottle contains three drops, which is twelve hours. Within twelve hours, her condition will not worsen. But after twelve hours, if she doesn't receive true treatment, her soul will completely disintegrate."

He turned to Lin Qingyuan and said, "The erosion on your left arm has already passed your elbow. I will use the Turtle-Suppressing Dagger to cast a 'Sealing' spell on you, which will lock the erosion for ten hours and prevent it from continuing to rise."

Lu Li drew the tortoise-suppressing dagger.

A bronze-colored light shone in the cave. The light was not dazzling, but it carried a deep and heavy aura that seemed to be able to suppress everything.

The tip of the dagger hovered three inches above Lin Qingyuan's left elbow, precisely at the forefront of the spreading erosion.

"The sealing process will be very painful," Lu Li said, looking at him.

Without any hesitation, Lin Qingyuan extended his left arm: "Come on."

Lu Li nodded and gently touched the ground with the tip of his dagger.

It doesn't pierce the skin, but rather touches the skin's surface gently, like the tip of a pen applying ink.

The next moment, bronze light surged from the tip of the dagger as if it were alive, transforming into countless fine, visible chains of runes that ran upstream along the black veins on the skin's surface!

"Well--!"

Lin Qingyuan gritted his teeth, and veins bulged on his forehead.

excruciating pain.

It wasn't the kind of pain that felt like being cut by a knife or burned by fire, but a deeper kind of pain, as if someone were chiseling open the bone inch by inch and then pouring scalding hot metal into it.

He could clearly feel those bronze-colored rune chains forcibly "nailing" themselves into his bones, vying for every inch of territory with the erosion of fear. Each rune chain that fell would "squeeze" a small patch of black erosion out of his bones, and then seal it tightly.

This process lasted for about thirty breaths.

Thirty breaths later, Lu Li sheathed his dagger, a fine layer of cold sweat already seeping from his forehead.

On Lin Qingyuan's left arm, the black lines from his wrist to his elbow had noticeably faded, and even the part below his wrist had begun to slowly recede. However, the part above his elbow remained as black as ink, but the spread of the lines had been completely stopped.

"The seal is complete." Lu Li gasped. "The erosion will not continue to rise within ten hours. But after ten hours, the seal will gradually loosen, and the erosion will accelerate its counterattack. At that time, it will directly rush over the shoulder and invade the heart meridian."

He paused for a moment: "Therefore, we must reach a certain place within ten hours."

Finally, Lu Li's gaze turned to the old blind man's body.

At this point, the changes in the remains had become even more obvious.

The five fingers were completely clenched into a stiff fist. Black veins had spread across the upper body, even beginning to extend towards the neck and face. Even more eerie, the corpse's eyelids were trembling slightly, as if they might open at any moment.

"The old man's last wish," Lu Li's voice lowered, "was that his body be burned together with the hammer, so that his body would not be used for other purposes."

He walked to the body, gently pried open the fingers from the tightly clenched fist, and took out the blood-stained iron hammer.

Then, he drew the Zhenfeng Dagger.

Crimson flames rose from the tip of the dagger; these were no ordinary flames, but a pure, burning fire of desire that seemed capable of purifying all impurities.

Lu Li raised the dagger and aimed it at the body's chest.

"I'm sorry, senior."

The dagger pierced downwards.

The flames erupted instantly, completely engulfing the entire body.

Strangely, the flames weren't scorching; instead, they emitted a chilling aura. They weren't burning flesh and blood, but rather the black, terrifying corruption and the mutating corpse energy.

The body rapidly carbonized and disintegrated in the flames, eventually turning into a small pile of grayish-white ashes and a few pieces of bone from key parts that were not completely incinerated.

Lu Li carefully wrapped the ashes and remains in a clean cloth, and then put away the iron hammer.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at Lin Qingyuan and Shi Yong.

"Now, listen carefully to our plan."

He took the leather-bound map out of his pocket and spread it out on the ground.

"Our ultimate goal is here—Xinglin Valley, eight hundred miles southwest of Shu Mountain, a true holy land for physicians. There is a Soul-Nourishing Spring there, and physicians skilled in treating erosion, who can completely cure Yun Jin and Lin Qingyuan."

Lu Li's fingertip moved towards another mark:

"But in our current condition, we can't possibly travel 800 li. So, we need to go here first—Guilin Manor, which is 120 li southwest of Shushan. This is a temporary stronghold that Yun Jin's father set up 30 years ago. It has protective formations, stockpiled medicine, and clean water. It's our only possible transit point for survival."

He pointed to the winding, hidden route on the map:

"Zhou Duanyue's tracking technique will have a twelve-hour window of vulnerability. We must use this time to get at least thirty miles away from Mount Shu and reach the first pre-designated hiding place. After that, it will be a one-hundred-and-twenty-mile perilous journey, carrying a serious illness, bearing heavy wounds, with pursuers behind us, and the road ahead uncertain."

He paused, then his voice became resolute:

"This road is fraught with peril, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. Staying here means certain death. To go, or not to go?"

Lin Qingyuan and Shi Yong exchanged a glance.

There was no fear in either of their eyes, only a kind of almost numb resolve.

"Walk."

In the darkest hour before dawn, the three left the cave.

Lu Li carried the unconscious Yun Jin on his back, securing her firmly with cloth straps. The girl was very light, like a feather that might drift away at any moment, which made Lu Li's heart even heavier.

Lin Qingyuan forced himself to stand up, his left arm hanging at his side, simply secured to his waist with a torn piece of his clothing to prevent it from swaying. He gripped a tree branch in his right hand as a cane, gritting his teeth with each step.

Shi Yong led the way, holding an iron rod and warily scanning the surrounding darkness.

This is the first route marked on the Xuanji map. Walking along the streambed for five miles will avoid most of the open areas and reduce the chance of being discovered.

The streambed was covered with pebbles, and walking on it was extremely strenuous, with one deep and one shallow step. After walking less than a mile, Lin Qingyuan was already panting heavily, his face as pale as paper.

"Brother Lin, can you hold on?" Lu Li stopped and turned around to ask.

"It's...it's alright." Lin Qingyuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Keep going, don't stop."

Lu Li nodded, signaling Shi Yong to slow down.

After walking about two more miles, the sky began to brighten.

The eastern sky was beginning to lighten, but the morning light was not clear; instead, it had a dark red hue—the eerie color of the foul air emanating from the direction of the Dragon Locking Well, mixed with the morning glow.

"Stop." Shi Yong suddenly raised his hand and lowered his voice.

Lu Li and Lin Qingyuan immediately crouched down, using the rocks at the edge of the streambed to hide themselves.

Shi Yong pointed to a thicket of bushes about a hundred feet to the left front.

There, something is moving.

It was neither a person nor a zombie, but a blurry, dark red shadow. The shadow was about the size of a calf, slowly wriggling in the bushes, making a faint "gurgling" sound, like boiling slurry.

"It's 'Blood Moss'," Lin Qingyuan said in a low voice, his voice filled with obvious disgust. "A product of earth vein pollution, it feeds on negative emotions and flesh. This thing usually only appears in heavily polluted areas... It seems the influence of the Dragon Locking Well has already spread to the outskirts of Mount Shu."

Lu Li stared at the dark red shadow.

He could feel the Dragon-Suppressing Dagger in his arms getting slightly warm; the Prisoner's Origin had an instinctive "appetite" for the polluted products of the same origin.

"There's no way around it." Shi Yong observed the terrain. "The stream bends here, and that thicket is the side of the only path. If we want to go around it, we'd have to go back half a mile and climb over that hill, but that would take more time and expose us more."

Lu Li remained silent for a moment, then took out the Concealing Breath Sword Seal from his bosom.

The jade talisman gleamed with a warm, silvery-white luster in the morning light.

"The sword imprint can last for about ten hours," Lu Li said. "Let's try not to alert it and get through quickly. If it attacks first..."

He looked at Shi Yong: "You handle this. Remember, don't linger in the fight, just repel them."

Shi Yong nodded emphatically and gripped the iron rod tightly.

The three set off again, this time at a slower pace and with lighter steps.

As you approach the thicket, you can see more clearly the true form of the "blood moss." It is indeed a writhing, dark red mass of flesh, its surface covered with tiny pores, each oozing a viscous black liquid. When the liquid drips onto the ground, it immediately corrodes small pits and emits a pungent, sour stench.

Even more bizarrely, a crack appeared in the center of the meat, resembling a toothless mouth opening and closing.

When the three of them were about twenty feet away from the bushes, the moss suddenly stopped wriggling.

The central crack suddenly opened, turning towards the three of them.

It "smelled" the scent of living people.

"Run!" Lu Li shouted in a low voice.

The three of them accelerated simultaneously, sprinting towards the bend in the streambed.

But the blood coating spreads even faster.

Its fleshy body suddenly exploded, transforming into dozens of dark red, tentacle-like or vine-like things that shot out from the bushes and rushed straight at the three people!

The tentacles are covered with fine barbs and suckers, and wherever they go, vegetation withers and carbonizes rapidly.

Shi Yong roared and swung his iron rod horizontally.

The iron rod made a dull whistling sound as it slammed into the foremost tentacles.

The tentacles were smashed, splattering fluid everywhere and breaking into several pieces. But the severed tentacles did not die; instead, they continued to wriggle and lunge forward like independent creatures. The fluid that splashed onto the rocks immediately corroded deep pits.

"We can't touch this thing!" Lin Qingyuan shouted. "Its fluids are highly corrosive!"

Lu Li's movements were restricted as he carried Yun Jin on his back. He gritted his teeth and reached for the Zhenfeng Dagger in his robes with his left hand. If he used the Burning Desire Fire, he should be able to burn away these tentacles instantly.

But he can't.

Using power exceeding the True Talisman Realm would cause the Concealing Breath Sword Seal to collapse immediately. And once exposed, Zhou Duanyue would be able to pinpoint their location in an extremely short time.

"Shi Yong, use earth!" Lu Li thought quickly, "Let's create dust to obscure its senses!"

Shi Yong immediately understood, and changed his sweeping motion with the iron rod to smashing it, striking the pebble ground of the streambed heavily.

"boom--!"

Gravel and dust shot into the sky, forming a hazy cloud of smoke.

The tentacles of the blood moss lost their target in the smoke and dust, and began to wave and lash wildly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the three rushed out of the dust and smoke, rounded the bend in the streambed, and ran forward without looking back.

They ran for about half a mile until the sound of tentacles chasing them disappeared, then the three stopped and leaned against the rocks, panting heavily.

"They...they didn't chase after us, did they?" Shi Yong looked back.

"Probably not." Lin Qingyuan said, panting. "The blood moss doesn't move very fast; it stays within areas heavily polluted by the earth's veins. We've already run out of its range."

Lu Li checked the cloud brocade on his back. The girl was still unconscious, but the effects of the sword marrow were stable; her breathing was steady, and her complexion had not worsened.

"Keep going." Lu Li straightened up. "We've wasted at least fifteen minutes; we need to make up for lost time."

The three set off again.

By this time, it was already broad daylight.