Chapter 448: Picking Someone Up
Di Youlin nuzzled his head against Ning Xuan. She ran her fingers through his silky-smooth hair. “Don’t talk nonsense. You’re fine; you don’t need any medicine. Come on, sit up straight. Let me check you again.”
Ning Xuan pressed down with her fingers, making Di Youlin sit.
At Ning Xuan’s insistence, Di Youlin sat down obediently. He knew she wanted to check the condition of his Spiritual Sea, but the battle had been chaotic, and his body had been injured as well. At this thought, his fingers deftly undid his buttons. With a swift movement, he pulled down his already loose shirt, revealing his bare, firm upper body.
Ning Xuan grabbed Di Youlin’s hand as he started to take off his pants and tapped his head in warning. “Deal with your external injuries yourself later. Close your eyes, focus your mind, and open your Spiritual Sea. I’m going in to have a look.”
“Yes, Master.” Di Youlin sat cross-legged and focused his Divine Sense.
Ning Xuan’s spiritual power could enter Di Youlin’s Spiritual Sea through the Spiritual Link Channel, but that method came with certain restrictions and wouldn’t allow her to take full control.
To check for hidden dangers in Di Youlin’s Spiritual Sea and inspect the growth of his spirit body, Ning Xuan had to enter it with her complete Divine Sense.
Once Di Youlin was ready, Ning Xuan placed her palm on his Baihui Acupoint. A hazy ball of light leaped from between her brows and flew into his mind. After successfully entering, Ning Xuan could “see” the condition of his Spiritual Sea. The scorched black marks on the right half, which had been burned by the flames, were now gone. So too were the wisps of toxic black mist that had coiled within. On the left side, the area untouched by the flames, the black mist still lingered, but it showed no signs of spreading to the right.
Di Youlin’s Spiritual Sea was now split into two distinctly separate sides, making for a strange sight.
Ning Xuan’s Divine Sense conducted a thorough inspection of his Spiritual Sea. Once she confirmed that no residual Vermilion Bird Fire remained, that the sea’s barriers were stable, and that there were no hidden dangers, she withdrew.
“Master, if you share your Vermilion Bird Fire with me one more time, the corruption in my Spiritual Sea will be completely cleansed! I have a feeling my spiritual power levels will have a major breakthrough then,” Di Youlin told Ning Xuan excitedly.
“Let’s wait and see if there are any side effects first,” Ning Xuan said, patting his head.
Di Youlin suddenly wrapped his arms around Ning Xuan’s waist. “Thank you, Master. Thank you for finding me.”
Ning Xuan was silent for a moment. “This was just a preliminary test. It will be even more dangerous from now on. Cultivate diligently, and don’t let your guard down. If, one day, we are overpowered, or if something unexpected happens and we lose contact, just take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me,” she said, as if sensing something.
‘She was worried that if something happened to her, Di Youlin might do something rash out of despair.’
“Master, I will protect you. Even if we lose contact, I swear I’ll find you,” Di Youlin said, a note of panic in his voice.
The Contractors all knew that the goal of the Extraordinary Influences was to capture, control, and exploit Ning Xuan, not to kill her. But given Ning Xuan’s personality, she would never accept being controlled. She had deflected all of the Extraordinary Influences’ indirect and roundabout methods. In a few more years, Ying Yaoshi would be stepping down as Federation Marshal, and he would surely stay by Ning Xuan’s side. If the Extraordinary Influences tried to make a move then, it would be far more difficult than it was now.
That was why the Extraordinary Influences couldn’t help but band together and, with a tacit understanding, force Ning Xuan to leave Central Star.
“Don’t be nervous. Even if our spiritual connection is severed, I have a way to ensure the disconnection won’t harm you. When that time comes, just focus on your own affairs and don’t fall into disarray. Trust me. As long as you’re all safe, I will come back for you.” Ning Xuan had already made some plans, but she had no idea what tactics the ever-watchful Extraordinary Influences would employ. All she could do was play it by ear and take things one step at a time.
Hearing this, Di Youlin felt a growing sense of dread. He couldn’t help but tighten his hold on Ning Xuan’s waist. “Master, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
For the next three days, Ning Xuan recuperated there with Di Youlin and Qinghe. Their medical supplies and food had all been prepared in advance. However, Di Youlin knew this was just a temporary safe house. In a chaotic, bustling urban area for ordinary people, there were no protective or concealment devices. They could only rely on suppressing their auras to hide their tracks, and the enemies lurking in the shadows would find them soon enough.
On the afternoon of the third day, a magnificent Flying Car stopped outside the alley, and a knock came at the door of Ning Xuan’s temporary residence.
“Family Head, the blue-eyed White Tiger on the door of the Flying Car is the unique emblem of Lin Mo’s Lin Energy Company. The company is now registered under your name, so it must be one of us,” Di Youlin reported to Ning Xuan before the Flying Car had even come to a full stop.
“Mm, our location is exposed. I told them to come. Let’s go and see what moves they’ll make.” Ning Xuan hadn’t planned on hiding and skulking forever anyway. Besides, with the Extraordinary Influences so deeply entrenched here for years, hiding for three days was already her limit.
Under the prying eyes of various factions, both in the open and in the shadows, Ning Xuan boarded the Flying Car. The vehicle headed straight for the bustling main urban district.
Inside the Flying Car, Ning Xuan stared at Lin Mo kneeling before her seat, her face clouded with anger. “I recall giving you an order. You were to stay with your legion and focus on your missions. You were not to leave without my permission.”
“There were some matters to deal with at the Lin Energy Company, so I applied for a month’s leave. Since the Family Head is here, it is my duty to be by your side,” Lin Mo said, respectfully bowing his head.
Ning Xuan scoffed at Lin Mo’s lame excuse. “Are those matters handled? If not, have Yu Mingche send someone to take care of it. If they are, then get back to your legion.”
“My leave is already arranged. I’m not going,” Lin Mo said, his voice trembling but resolute.