Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1066: Helping Family

Li Yu knelt beside the unconscious girl and quickly inspected her condition while sending a gentle pulse of scanning Qi through her meridians and found the situation was very bad. Dark purple and black veins bulged against her pale skin where her white robes were torn to shreds. The poison was extremely vicious and was actively invading all over her body while breaking down her natural defenses.Li Heng and Li Bo ran over through the ruined gorge with their clothes stained in dirt and their faces pale with dread. They dropped to their knees beside their fallen heir and looked at Li Yu with deep guilt filling their eyes.

"This is all our fault," Li Bo said while his voice trembled with regret. "We brought her into this trap."

Li Yu ignored their panic for a moment and focused on probing her body while sending his dense Life Qi into her pathways at the same time. The vibrant green energy rushed through her veins to hold back the spreading poison and allow him to see all the internal damage. He kept his eyes locked on her weakening soul as he asked the two disciples to explain exactly what had happened.

"We came to this area to investigate a possible hidden ruin for treasures," Li Heng explained while wringing his hands together. "We found an entrance but we could not break through the ancient restrictions on our own. Since Li Mei was in the region, we asked her to come and help us open the doors."

Li Bo picked up the story as he pointed toward the distant hills. "With her strength, we were able to break through the barrier but it turned out to be an elaborate trap. Over one hundred people from some unknown group immediately attacked us from the shadows. Li Mei had to help defend us against the ambush so she was slowly getting injured over time from deflecting attacks that would have badly wounded us but even still, she was still able to defeat the vast majority of them. She was mostly okay at that stage of the fight."

"Then there was a cowardly sneak attack at the very end of the battle," Li Heng said with a bitter tone. "The assassin targeted the two of us while our guards were down. Li Mei saw the strike coming and she was able to defend us but she got injured by the hidden blade instead. Li Mei told us that the sneak attack carried a potent soul poison that weakened her mind quite a bit. Just as she staggered from the spiritual venom, the remaining attackers unleashed a Sovereign level viper."

Li Yu continued his treatment while listening closely to see if there was anything else that could help with his treatment. He found the soul poison already during his initial scan since it was so vicious.

"Once again though, Li Mei stood her ground and was able to defend us against all the attacks as we fought our way out of the trap and made our way here," Li Bo continued while looking down at the ground. "She was eventually able to kill the man controlling the viper during the retreat but the beast did not stop attacking. It only got more vicious and frenzied after its master died and that is when we called you for help. We had not realized the true extent of the first poison working its way through her soul until her body started failing and then the viper itself managed to land a few glancing attacks too."

Li Yu nodded his head in understanding, it was exactly as he thought from his evaluation of the situation inside her. She was being attacked by two distinct poisons right now, a highly aggressive soul poison was tearing at her spiritual sea while the physical venom from the snake was rotting her flesh. She had pushed herself beyond her limits to save the lives of her junior clan members and she was now paying a heavy price. The two disciples reached into their robes and prepared to crush their tokens so the clan elders could cross the void to come help her.

"Put those away," Li Yu said with a firm voice that stopped their hands. "It should be okay. I should be able to treat her right here without alerting the elders and ending your training mission. You did a great job in asking for help."

He took a deep breath and brought out his natal flame along with his destructive Qi and his Life Qi. He began to work immediately by sending the vibrant Life Qi deep into her body to act as a barrier to shield her fragile tissues from the upcoming heat. As he was doing that, he noticed that the soul poison was extremely aggressive and kept dodging his Qi. It clung to her spiritual sea like a dark parasite and any attempts he made only worsened it.

Li Yu realized his normal methods would not touch an ethereal affliction so he focused his mind inward and asked his Fisherman Soul to help him remove the threat as it had done before. To his great surprise, the usually passive Fisherman Soul actually responded to his direct request. An ethereal fishing rod materialized within his internal vision and the soul cast a glowing silver hook straight into the spiritual pathways of Li Mei.

The hook sailed through the dark mist of the poison and locked firmly onto the core of the spiritual venom. The malicious energy was drawn to the hook like a hungry fish biting a lure and could not stop itself. The Fisherman Soul gave a sharp tug on the line and forcefully pulled the writhing shadow straight out of her body before dissolving it into harmless dust.

With the spiritual threat eliminated, Li Yu began his treatment of the physical poison from the viper. He carefully guided his orange natal flame through her veins while using the Life Qi to protect her from burning. The refined fire acted like a purifying force as it chased down the dark venom and burned it away into thin wisps of steam that escaped through her pores.

Her pale condition slowly improved as he went on and the dark veins faded from her skin. After thirty minutes of intense concentration, the poison was fully gone and her breathing returned to a steady rhythm. He withdrew his flames and stood up while wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"The poison is cleared and she is stable," Li Yu said to the anxious disciples. "Store away that viper body and let us move back to my camp where it is safe."

He turned and sent Borum to go scout the area where the ambush took place. He ordered the sturdy golem to bring back the bodies of all the people that died so they could investigate the corpses and find out exactly who did this.

Li Yu then had Faen gently carry Li Mei on her back as they flew away from the ruined gorge. He pulled out a spare gown from his spatial ring that he had obtained from the royal vault of the Solaris empire and handed it over to his companion. It appeared to be some sort of high quality protective treasure and it was extremely decorative with a deep red color woven with golden threads. It looked majestic and was clearly meant for a woman of high standing from that royal family so he instructed Faen to dress Li Mei in it once they reached the camp to replace her shredded white robes which had blood and poison stained all over it.

The group arrived at the quiet clearing and set up a warm fire once again while Faen took the unconscious heir inside a large cloth tent to change her clothes. Li Heng and Li Bo sat by the crackling flames and continued beating themselves up over the incident. Their personal greed for ancient treasures had caused this disaster to happen to the heir of the clan and they felt terrible about their reckless actions.

She was only in such a state because she had to protect them. Their desire for strength and power surged through their mind and body, vowing to never let the events of today repeat again. Li Yu watched them sulk and offered a reassuring smile as he began to prepare some fresh food.

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"You two need to stop punishing yourselves. It is alright." Li Yu told them softly.

"We almost got her killed," Li Heng muttered while staring into the fire.

"But no one actually lost their lives today and everyone can learn something valuable from this harsh experience," Li Yu told them while stirring a pot of rich broth. "The path of cultivation is paved with hidden traps, unexpected ambushes and opportunities. You survived a coordinated attack from over a hundred enemies and a Sovereign level beast. That is about the best possible outcome for such a dire situation. Take the lesson to heart and grow stronger from it. This is why we are here after all, to get these experiences and grow even stronger."

He gave them both a cup of warm wine to calm their nerves and assured them that Li Mei was going to be fine after a bit of rest. The two disciples drank the wine and let out long sighs of relief as the tension finally began to leave their shoulders a little bit. The calming presence of Li Yu made them feel at ease, it felt comfortable and strangely safe to be around him. As if everything was under control, even if it wasn’t.

Borum returned to the camp a short while later and dropped a pile of broken weapons near the fire. The golem reported that there were no identifying markers on any of the bodies left behind at the ambush site. The attackers wore plain dark clothes and carried standard steel swords without any faction crests.

Li Yu rubbed his chin and considered the evidence. The fact that the attackers had a Sovereign realm viper working with them meant they should be a well known group. That specific cultivation realm was roughly the ceiling of power in this world after all, at least on the surface.

An organization with the resources to tame and control such a beast could not remain hidden and he just needed to probe further. He filed the information away to investigate later when he reached the next major city or town. Revenge must be taken for such an act, three of his family members could have been killed today.

Li Yu finished his food prep as the fragrant smell of simmering spices filled the quiet woods. About two hours after she received the intensive treatment, the fabric of the tent shuffled and Li Mei slowly walked out into the firelight to see Li Yu and the other two disciples sitting together.

Li Mei usually presented herself gracefully while wearing pristine white silk robes embroidered with silver lotus patterns. Her features were always delicate and beautiful but her eyes normally held a sharp and calculating intelligence that rarely revealed her true emotions. However, as she stood by the tent flap right now, her normal guarded demeanor was fractured by a deep sense of vulnerability.

She wore the majestic red gown from the Solaris vault and the rich fabric hung elegantly over her recovering frame. A pristine sword with a pale blue hilt rested loosely in her right hand as she leaned against the wooden tent pole for support.

While she felt highly embarrassed that she had to be saved by her exiled cousin, the very same that she had feared, she was not as paranoid around him anymore. Her demon heart regarding his existence had been slowly going away ever since his formal exile from the clan because he no longer posed a direct political threat to her anymore. The intense paranoia and outrageous thoughts had slowly been leaving her mind.

"I must thank you for helping me back there," Li Mei said with a quiet voice as she stepped closer to the fire. She had already pieced together everything that had happened after she lost consciousness based on where she was now and who she was with.

She looked down at the bright red fabric wrapping around her body and felt a flush of heat touch her cheeks. She was deeply embarrassed to be wearing such a decorative and flashy gown in front of her clan members. She tried to move quickly, to turn around and leave the camp and find another set of clothes in her storage ring to change into but her body quickly betrayed her in her haste.

Her knees buckled and she swayed to the side. She was still recovering from the dual poisons and was incredibly weak, the fact that she was already awake after two hours showed how strong she actually was. While she was healing at an incredible rate, she still needed a lot more time to regain her footing. Li Yu rushed forward and gently caught her arm to steady her balance before she could fall into the dirt.

"What is the rush to leave?" Li Yu asked with a warm chuckle while guiding her toward a soft cushion resting by the fire. "Just lay there and relax for the evening. You fought a hard battle and your body needs time to settle down."

He helped her sit down and then walked back over to his cooking station. "I made you some soup which has been simmering and waiting for you to wake up."

He handed her a steaming wooden bowl filled with a rich golden broth and thick cuts of vegetables and meat. There was also a plate of freshly skewered meat roasting over the edge of the coals to keep warm. Li Mei felt a bit embarrassed that she had tried to leave so abruptly and failed but she settled down quickly as the comforting heat of the fire warmed her skin. It was rare for her to let herself be seen so vulnerable around others but it felt so natural to her right now so she went with the flow.

She held the warm bowl in her hands and took a small sip of the soup, her sharp eyes widened instantly and she paused in stunned silence. The flavor was deep, rich and layered with a savory depth she had rarely experienced. It easily matched or even surpassed some of the finest royal soups she had tasted back at the main estate or other events. Li Heng and Li Bo watched her reaction and laughed good naturedly. It was the first time they had seen the heir of the clan be so surprised and it was over a bowl of soup.

"It is delicious right?" Li Bo joked while holding up his own empty bowl. "Cousin Yu should really open up a tavern and rake in the spirit stones. He would be the richest man in the cosmos within a year."

Li Mei chuckled along with them and a genuine smile broke through her calculating exterior. "You really should consider it. This is truly delicious."

She set the bowl down and tried a piece of the roasted meat next. The tender pork practically melted on her tongue and she was even more stunned by the rich and smoky flavor infused into the spices. The group spent the next few minutes talking a bit more about how incredibly good the food was while Li Yu smiled in delight hearing the compliments but continued to flip the remaining skewers over the fire.

"I welcome you all to my humble establishment," Li Yu joked back while offering a dramatic bow toward the seated group. "Please just remember to pay for your meals before you leave at the end of the night."

The two men laughed at the jest while Li Mei smiled quietly and the heavy tension of the near death experience finally faded away into the cool night air. The group chatted deep into the night under the bright stars. The heir of the Li Clan, two of its members and one of its exiled sons. Li Mei was much more reserved at first and chose to just listen to the stories shared by the two other disciples but she slowly began to talk a bit more as the evening went on. For one reason or another she was drawn into the conversation and couldn’t stop herself. She shared a few thoughts on the local cultivation techniques and even offered a rare joke about the stubborn nature of the elders back home.

As the fire burned down to glowing red embers, Li Mei sat quietly on her cushion and watched Li Yu hand a fresh cup of tea to Faen. She observed the easy smile on his face and the relaxed posture he maintained around his companions.

'He really is not too bad after all,' Li Mei thought to herself as she pulled the soft red fabric of the gown tighter around her shoulders.

The lingering hostility she once harbored toward him felt like a distant memory now but they were still in the back of her mind. However, those thoughts were incredibly weak now as the heart demon that had taken her had also slowly weakened away under her parent’s care.

Now, seeing Li Yu out here in the wild without the suffocating pressure of clan politics allowed her to view him in a new light. He had come to save them when called upon without hesitation and wasn’t actively trying to claim a debt that they now owed to him. He was as he had always been since she met him, but only now was she able to see him for who he really was.

His carefree way of living and how he was always eating, drinking and sharing his time with others showed a genuine warmth that was rare in the cultivation world. All of his eating and drinking had also made him an amazing cook which was a talent she found herself appreciating more than she ever expected.

Most people had goals and desires that often made them trample over others. She was sure he had his own goals and desires that he was working towards, who didn’t, but seeing how he was made her feel like he didn’t.

Last of all, like the other two, she strangely felt extremely safe around him. Like everything was under control and no harm could possibly happen around him. Without realizing it herself, she leaned back against a wooden log and let the peaceful atmosphere of the camp lull her into a deep and restorative sleep.