Whether it was because the cave was beside the cold pool, or because of the ice bed in the middle of the cave, or because of Zhaozhao's mood at the sight of Su Yuan's vulnerable state, she felt a chill running through her body.
Zhaozhao crouched in front of the ice bed and lovingly reached out to touch Su Yuan's face. Her warm palm gradually melted the frost on his face. As the water droplets rolled down his cheeks, Zhaozhao silently watched him, her eyes full of pity.
They were supposed to share the same pain, but at this moment, she could only faintly sense Su Yuan's emotions. It seemed that someone had deliberately blocked those pains from her.
A crystal - clear teardrop rolled down. Holding Su Yuan's hand, she buried herself in his arms and cried quietly.
The love and cherish that Su Yuan had hidden were now conveyed to Zhaozhao in this way. She carefully savored the feeling of being treasured by Su Yuan. After a while, she stood up and lowered her head to kiss Su Yuan's cold lips.
"I love you. I love you so, so much."
Zhaozhao had said she liked him many times, but this was the first time she had expressed her love so solemnly. She used to be confused about the difference between love and like. She only knew that she was happy to see Su Yuan and wanted to be with him forever, and she thought that was like.
Now, she wanted to take on his pain. She was willing to give everything to ensure Su Yuan's safety. This was love.
Tears streamed down Zhaozhao's face and dripped onto Su Yuan's cold lips. At that moment, Su Yuan, who was lying on the ice bed, moved his fingers slightly. It was as if he could hear her. His eyelashes fluttered restlessly, as if he was trying to wake up.
Unfortunately, Zhaozhao didn't notice. She straightened up, touched her forehead against Su Yuan's, and smiled faintly. "You always pushed me away before. Well, now you're lying here at my mercy. You can't do anything about me anymore." She deliberately put on a smug look, but the pain in her eyes betrayed her.
Wiping away her tears, Zhaozhao pulled herself together. She clasped her hands and formed a seal in the air. A burst of emerald - green spiritual power spread out from all around. In an instant, the once - lifeless cave was filled with lush greenery.
And Zhaozhao fully revealed her demon form.
The withered vines sprouted new leaves, and even the grass that had entered the dormant period poked its head out again. Not only inside the cave, but every corner around was affected. In the cold winter, it showed the vitality of spring.
The demons outside the cave gasped in amazement at this sight. Nan Jia tightly clenched her fists until her palms were marked with red imprints. She had a vague premonition of something bad.
Gu Qing walked over, took Nan Jia's hand, and gently pried open her fingers. He tenderly pulled Nan Jia into his arms and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't think too much now. Leave everything to Zhaozhao. Didn't you say we should trust her?"
Nan Jia knew she should trust Zhaozhao. They had no other choice but to believe in her. She was just worried that Zhaozhao's situation would be very difficult after this.
"Don't worry about other things." Gu Qing seemed to have seen through her thoughts. He calmly dispelled Nan Jia's worries. "After Zhaozhao heals Su Yuan and he wakes up, with his protective nature, do you think anyone would dare to say a single bad word about Zhaozhao? " He chuckled. "They'd probably be tired of living."
"Pfft..." Nan Jia relaxed a lot upon hearing Gu Qing's words. "You're right."
Now, she just hoped that Zhaozhao could really cure Su Yuan. If something unexpected happened... Nan Jia quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of this inauspicious thought. Zhaozhao would definitely cure Su Yuan!
Inside the cave, Zhaozhao was now concentrating on trying to extract her essence from her body.
Her master had said that the Eastern Clan's Holy Road belonged to her. Since it was hers, although it had left her body for some unknown reason, she should be able to find a way to make it come out again.
However, no matter how hard Zhaozhao tried and what methods she used, nothing resembling essence was condensed.
"What's going on..." Zhaozhao stopped and looked down at her hands, feeling lost and helpless. Time was passing by second by second, and the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous Su Yuan's situation would be.
She wanted to contact her master for help, but only then did she realize that she had left in a hurry and hadn't brought the conch that could connect her to Wutong Mountain.
Seeing the frost that she had just melted on Su Yuan's face reappear, Zhaozhao was extremely anxious. She leaned over and kissed Su Yuan's lips, continuously pouring spiritual energy into his body.
She frantically searched for a solution in her mind, carefully recalling every memory of when Su Yuan had lost his mind and then regained his senses. Suddenly, she caught a glimmer of an idea and resolutely bit her lip hard.
The bright red blood dripped onto Su Yuan's lips. Zhaozhao closed her eyes, stuck out her soft tongue, gently pried open Su Yuan's lips, and fed him her blood.
Su Yuan, who was in a coma, seemed to sense something. His fingers moved again. The frost on his face quickly melted, and his cold body gradually began to warm up.
He seemed to have regained consciousness. Although his eyes were still tightly closed, his hands slowly lifted up and supported Zhaozhao's lower back. His lips murmured against Zhaozhao's kiss, "Zhaozhao..."
Hearing Su Yuan's voice, Zhaozhao was so excited that she wanted to cry. She pulled back a little, held Su Yuan's face, and looked at him expectantly. "It's me. I'm here."
These simple four words made Su Yuan struggle to open his eyes within just a few seconds.
Zhaozhao had thought this was a sign that Su Yuan was about to regain his senses, but she never expected to see Su Yuan's blood - red pupils. In that instant, Zhaozhao's heart sank to the bottom again.
She remembered clearly that whenever Su Yuan's pupils turned this color, it meant that he was under the control of time. Su Yuan had woken up, but he hadn't completely gotten rid of his sins.
The cold temperature of the ice bed penetrated through her limbs and reached the deepest part of her heart. Looking at Su Yuan like this, Zhaozhao suddenly didn't know what to do.
She nervously stepped forward and hugged Su Yuan, constantly whispering his name in his ear, hoping to bring his sanity back. But it was of no use. The veins on Su Yuan's arms bulged. He looked like he was trying his best to control himself but was on the verge of losing it.
He struggled to say two words, "Go... quickly..."
But how could Zhaozhao abandon him? She tightly hugged Su Yuan and desperately thought of a solution. Just then, Su Yuan could no longer control himself. He suddenly broke free from Zhaozhao's embrace, fiercely grabbed her neck, and pinned her down.
The faint fragrance in the air stimulated Su Yuan's nerves, making him waver between killing and feeling heartache. For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
The feeling of suffocation hit Zhaozhao. Her face turned bright red. Taking advantage of Su Yuan's hesitation, countless vines shot out from her wrist and wrapped around Su Yuan's shoulders and waist, pulling him back with all her might.
Su Yuan sensed her intention and angrily struggled, roaring continuously.
During the tug - of - war, Su Yuan snapped the vines around him. With a jerk of his body, he sent the vines flying and knocked over the Bu Ye Cauldron in the corner, which no one had noticed. Zhaozhao's gaze followed his movement and landed on the cauldron. Without thinking, she rushed over and hugged the cauldron in her arms.
Recalling what Nan Jia had said before leaving, Zhaozhao suddenly had an idea.
Countless vines burst out of the ground and formed a cage - like structure, trapping Su Yuan inside. Zhaozhao quickly cut her wrist. As the blood gushed out, she let it drip into the Bu Ye Cauldron drop by drop. Then, a raging flame of the Chongming Divine Fire ignited in her other palm. She was going to refine her own blood.
The Eastern Clan's Holy Relic was a part of her body. She didn't know how to create another identical one, so she would use her own flesh and blood as a substitute.
As Zhaozhao refined her flesh and blood, a faint fragrance wafted out of the Bu Ye Cauldron. Smelling the fragrance, Su Yuan stopped his attempt to break the vines. He hung his hands down, his expression alternating between pain and confusion.
I don't know how much time had passed. Zhaozhao, with a pale face, stumbled forward and held a glowing object in front of Su Yuan.
Blood had spread all over the ground from Zhaozhao's wrist. She was almost too weak to speak. The little leaf on her head had turned yellow and was drooping listlessly.
Zhaozhao carefully sent the white light into Su Yuan's body. Su Yuan hugged his head in pain and knelt on the ground. Two forces were desperately tearing at each other inside his body, making his head ache as if it were about to split.
Zhaozhao slumped to the ground weakly, crawled forward a few steps, and hugged Su Yuan. She rested her head on his shoulder and softly comforted him, "It won't hurt anymore... It'll stop soon..."
The moment Su Yuan regained consciousness, Zhaozhao could no longer hold on. She collapsed into Su Yuan's arms.
Su Yuan's gaze first fell on the pool of blood on the ground. Then, he suddenly realized something. He tightly hugged the person in his arms. Then, he saw the demon mark on Zhaozhao's forehead and her wilted little leaf.