"Meng Fei."

Meng Fei heard Li Jiong's voice closer and gathered his strength to open his eyelids. This time he felt worse than when the winged demon tore his shoulder. His hand was trapped between two other hands, which were gently massaging them. The sensation was pleasant and warm.

"Li Jiong?" He muttered as if he was still dreaming? He didn't recognize where he was, it wasn't the room he stayed in at the Crane Residence.

"Meng Fei! You woke up!" Li Jiong stirred, he got up quickly and went to the hallway, whose door was open. Turning to one of the servants he asked him to call Dr. Deng.

"How long have I been sleeping this time?" Meng Fei sighed as he tried to sit up, which he failed to do thanks to the nauseating pain that shot up through his chest. Li Jiong supported him, helping him to lean back against the headboard.

"Two days ago." He said in a low voice, almost with a hurt tone. He removed a lock of hair that rested on Meng Fei's sweat-damp forehead.

"Hehe, I'm evolving from demonic cultivator to sleeping beauty, ouch..."

"Don't be laughing! You have a serious lung injury. Do you really have to put yourself in danger all the time?"

"Hm... I think only when I get really angry, but this is getting repetitive, right... The qi here must be affecting my brain."

"I'm very sorry." Li Jiong was now massaging Meng Fei's wrists, paying attention to the temperature of her skin, the small calluses he had on his fingers, and the slight curvature of his thin white wrist.

"This is already the second time that I haven't arrived in time to help you. I really didn't believe that Xun Wang would have the courage to attack him in front of everyone."

"Ah, the woman abuser! What happened to him? What happened to the council anyway? Don't tell me they're still there deciding whether I'm going to live or not, hehe..." Meng Fei wanted to lighten the mood a bit

Li Jiong did not join in the laughter. There was nothing funny about having to watch him kneel in that humiliating way for more than one shichen while the others bullied him. For the second time Li Jiong discovered what it was like to have his hands tied.

The first time was when he was trapped and lost in the other world. Seeing the other's serene expression, he managed a smile. You're always like that, so calm, even when they're threatening you, but if other people are involved, you're already on top.

Li Jiong thought to himself.

"No, the council ended that same day. After you defended Deng Ruan and ended up succumbing to Xun Wang's coup, the other two Elders concluded that you were not a bad person and that you were not dangerous."

"Xun Wang received twenty lashes for hitting an ordinary person and is forbidden to approach you." Li Jiong believed that twenty lashes was too little, but in order not to further stoke his colleague's hatred for Meng Fei, he only demanded that Xun Wang keep his distance, which Teng Tie granted without creating any problems.

Right after Meng Fei fainted, confusion broke out in the hall.

First, because no one expected him to be so peaceful in the face of a sword ready to cut his head, and then how he could explode because of a simple attack on a doctor. This somewhat elicited sympathy from some people (particularly members of the medical staff) and when he fell forward unconscious with blood streaming from his mouth everyone thought he had indeed died.

Assaulting or killing an ordinary person was a crime in the Sect and opinions were divided. A part of him preferred that he be killed for safety, another part thought it was unnecessary to attack someone like that, let alone a defenseless and injured person. And now there was also this minority defending that Meng Fei was being wronged and oppressed.

In the face of so much chaos, Teng Tie requested that Deng Ruan come to the aid of the fallen man. As she soon attested, the situation was serious, so the Sect leader authorized her to take him to the medical sector as soon as possible. Li Jiong helped her by carrying Meng Fei's increasingly cold body to the medical building, located a little further down the Hall of Elders.

He still had to go back to the meeting and with a heart filled with anger and fear he returned to exact punishment against Xun Wang.

As soon as he got what he wanted, he ran to the medical wing, never leaving, not even to eat. Dr. Deng did everything to stabilize Meng Fei, but one of his lungs had been punctured and the other, despite having resisted, had a large edema.

She channeled healing energy for an entire day, sometimes interspersed with another doctor, applied acupuncture, and even used an array of spiritual stones to prevent energy dispersion. As the victim's meridians still didn't absorb the qi well, it was easier for the energy to get lost along the way.

With the patient now awake, Dr. Deng entered the room more carefree, despite noticing that the man's breathing was still short and labored. She was carrying a bowl of medication and an infusion of tea.

"Now, now. You've already escaped death twice, but this time it was quite severe. Do you want to cause Li Jiong to have a heart Yang collapse?" She openly reproached him and went on.

"What about you Li Jiong? Do you also want to starve? Go to the kitchen, I sent someone to prepare something for you. I know you won't leave here without taking this Meng with you. But I'll only release him if he's in good condition this time."

Li Jiong in his world would hardly feel hungry thanks to his cultivation level but Deng Ruan's look was clearly one: Get out, I need to talk to him alone. He knew well what it was about and left.

"Now it's just the two of us here. Here, take the medicine."

Good, more bitter medicine. How I miss the pills. Meng Fei dutifully took the entire medication. Then Deng Ruan passed him the cup of tea.

"Have this too. It's just a tea but it cuts through that bitter aftertaste quickly. You're the first person I've seen drink this without complaining."

Meng Fei promptly thanked him, enjoying the hot liquid slowly this time. Deng Ruan also helped himself to tea.

"Since when did you notice?" She asked.

"Eh... figured what?"

"That I hated you. A doctor couldn't make it that explicit."

Meng Fei laughed, stopping before the pain got worse. "And is there anyone here who doesn't hate Meng Fei? I'm not taking anyone's reason, he's obviously a bastard."

Deng Ruan lowered his eyes, staring at the cup in his hands.

"Meng Fei killed my older sister. She was a cultivator, just like Li Jiong, while I preferred medicine. But you're obviously not that Meng Fei. We're all wrong to mistreat you, I..."

"It's fine with me. Soon, everyone will realize we're not the same."

Meng Fei drank the rest of his tea and went back to bed.

"Are you in a lot of pain yet?" She put the glass away and pushed aside the inner robes he wore.

"I'm just a little tired, but I don't want to sleep again... I don't want to worry about Li Jiong anymore." In fact, he did feel pain, but complaining wouldn't do much good and he had just been medicated. Now it was just waiting for the effect of the medicine.

He could see as Deng Ruan pushed the clothes away from his chest, dark black spots standing out against the white skin, spreading like a big inkblot. Of course this is hurting. Deng Ruan gritted her teeth, she knew this treatment would be difficult. That's why conflict between cultivators and ordinary people was lethal. She began to direct energy over the stain.

Meng Fei recognized the source of heat she felt during her dream.

"Meng Fei... I don't hate you anymore. I want this to be clear."

Meng Fei smiled. "See? Soon everyone will know I'm not that creature."

"I also want to thank you... that day, you didn't just prevent me from being attacked. You saved a life."

The pale man frowned and panted a little to ask, "Did I save a life?"

"I'm expecting a child. An attack like that would hurt me, but the fetus wouldn't survive the blow. He's only three weeks old..."

Meng Fei: "Ah! You're expecting a baby... congratulations."

Deng Ruan "....."

The doctor was perplexed. The man who had saved her firstborn's life was congratulating her as if nothing had happened to him because of it.

She didn't know if he really didn't hold grudges or if he was faking it. Deng Ruan decided to put aside his doubts and verified that the meridians were absorbing the energy well and released two more acupuncture points. The more healing energy he absorbed the faster he would recover.

"Thank you really. My husband would like to thank you too. Only he knew about this child to come. You should meet him in the next few days."

"No need for thanks. I didn't even know there was a baby on the way when I jumped in front of you but I'm glad the baby is okay. Just stay away from that bastard number 2!"

Deng Ruan laughed. It was hard to see her laughing so openly at anyone other than her spouse.

"I advise the same for you." She added with bright eyes.

Author's Note:

Who would say huh? Now Deng Ruan, who had every reason to hate Meng Fei, is now his newest friend and protector?

Xun Wang take care, if he gets hurt, he will be treated without anesthesia from now on. 🤣🤣🤣