Chapter 132: Junior Brother, You Must Return

Within Donglin City, the sounds of battle between the Dugu Demon Sect and the various cultivators rage on, while the Eight-Tailed Black Fox continues to rain down chaos with her Tailed Beast Bombs. The residents and cultivators perishing in the city are transformed into nutrients, flowing into the Blood Name Array.

With less than four hours left until sunrise, the trio and the bird follow the route Jiang Lin mapped out, working in coordination to plant C4 explosives in one building after another. During this, however, Jiang Lin notices that Miss Xiao and his Senior Sister are looking increasingly unwell, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Little Lin, wait..."
"Jiang Lin..."

Only after installing the C4 at the eleventh sub-array does Jiang Lin take their wrists to assess their conditions. He had once worked at a clinic run by the Sun-Moon Sect, where an old grandmother taught him some medical arts; this much he could handle. It is then that Jiang Lin realizes they are not only nearly drained of spiritual energy but are also severely wounded. Some of these injuries seem to have been sustained a day or two ago, which strikes him as quite strange. When he asks them about it, both Senior Sister and Miss Xiao turn their heads away, seemingly intent on hiding something. If they refuse to speak, Jiang Lin cannot force an answer out of them.

Regardless, they need to rest. If they continue to fight, their spiritual apertures will collapse, potentially damaging the very foundation of their Great Dao. While Jiang Lin suspects they might be capable of breaking through and rebuilding after such a catastrophe, he needs to secure the final blow on the Eight-Tailed Black Fox himself. He cannot allow others to help, so he must ensure they are sidelined.

The C4 is now in place; destroying the twelve sub-arrays and the main array will shatter the Blood Name Array, causing the fox demon to suffer a fatal backlash. His mission regarding the Donglin City incident and the "dog-eat-dog" objective will then be complete. The plan is perfect. The only problem is the stubbornness of his Senior Sister and Miss Xiao. They appear as delicate as willow branches, seemingly unable to withstand a breeze, yet they possess an incredibly strong inner resolve. If he were to say "leave the rest to me," they would certainly refuse.

"Little Lin, I’m fine. I can still fight alongside you..."
As Jiang Lin holds her wrist, Lin Qingwan’s fair face flushes; she is afraid of being left behind. It took so much effort for Little Lin to appear by her side again—she cannot be separated from him. She wants to be with him forever, bear his children, and ascend to the heavens together!

"Me too. These wounds are nothing. I’ve suffered worse than this before! I must seek vengeance for the Xiaoyao Sect!"
This is the first time Xiao Xueli has had her wrist held by a man. Though this fellow had done much more audacious things to her back in Xuanwu City, there are others present now... Xiao Xueli tugs gently at her hand, but Jiang Lin slowly tightens his grip. After a few failed attempts to pull away, she resigns herself to his hold.

Hearing their words, Jiang Lin can only sigh inwardly.
"Senior Sister, Miss Xiao, these are the restorative potions I’ve concocted. Drink them, and then we’ll head to the central tower. We’ll take down that Eight-Tailed Black Fox together!"
Jiang Lin smiles as he produces two vials from his pocket. Lin Qingwan shakes her head at the sight of them. "There’s no need, Little Lin. You drink them yourself; I’m fine."

"Senior Sister! I’m going to get angry now! Drink it!" Jiang Lin forcefully places the vial into her fair palm. Looking at the bottle and then at the assertive Jiang Lin, her face turns even redder. It seems... the assertive, domineering Little Lin is even more attractive. She finds herself wishing he would be even more domineering toward her.

Seeing his Senior Sister drink the potion in one go, Jiang Lin turns to Xiao Xueli. "Miss Xiao, don't decline, or I’m afraid I’ll have to feed it to you myself."
"I... I’ll drink it..."
Xiao Xueli turns her head away, blushing as she drinks the potion. In truth, the moment she swallows it, she feels a tiny pang of disappointment. Should she have refused? After all, she could have let Jiang Lin feed her... She quickly pushes the thought to the back of her mind. *What am I thinking? How could a girl be so unreserved!*

"Alright, Little Lin, let's go. More people are dying; we need to..."
As Lin Qingwan and Xiao Xueli stand up, they feel a wave of dizziness, and Jiang Lin’s image begins to blur in their vision.
"Little Lin... I..."
"Jiang Lin..."
They collapse backward simultaneously, and Jiang Lin catches them both in his arms. For a moment, he feels as though he has reached the pinnacle of life.

"Junior Brother Jiang, this won't do! Time is of the essence; you can't be doing this now!" Qin Xiao, standing nearby, watches Jiang Lin holding the two women and rushes to advise him. At the very least, they should finish off that Eight-Tailed Black Fox first.
"Senior Brother, what are you thinking?"

Jiang Lin rolls his eyes at him, places his Senior Sister and Miss Xiao onto the back of Qin Xiao, who has transformed into a firebird (a turkey), and sprinkles two bottles of Immortal Sword Maintenance Fluid onto the sword spirit’s original blade. The sword spirit slowly takes flight, feeling slightly restored. Though his condition is still poor, it is much better. He doesn't ask where the boy got the potions; it is likely some fortuitous encounter.

"I’ll leave it to you, Senior Brother and Senior Sword Spirit, to take them to the Qian Manor. There is a Cheng Huang and a cultivator named Hu Shuang there; you can rendezvous with them."
"Eh? Junior Brother, don't tell me you intend to...?"
Jiang Lin slowly stands up and looks toward the door. "Senior Brother, do you have a dream?"
"Huh?"
"I do!"
He turns around; under the moonlight, his gaze appears exceptionally profound.
"Though I am in the Demon Sect, Senior Brother, I have always wanted to be a good person! Tonight, let me be a hero! Tonight, for the sake of all the people in Donglin City, for Senior Sister, for Miss Xiao, and for you, Senior Brother! I am going to slay that fox demon! There is only the central array left. Once I install the last charge and detonate it, I can destroy that beast!"

"But Junior Brother..." Qin Xiao’s eyes grow moist. "But you are only in the Guanhai Realm... That fox demon is guarding the central tower... How can you possibly get in?"
"I will go with you!" the sword spirit declares.
"No! I alone am enough!" Jiang Lin’s expression is one of grim determination. "Senior Brother! Senior Sword Spirit! Please believe in me! Senior Sister and Miss Xiao need your protection more!"

Seeing the look of fatal resolve in Jiang Lin’s eyes, Qin Xiao raises a wing to wipe away his tears, and the sword spirit remains silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"Junior Brother! I believe in you!"
"Kid! You must come back alive! After surviving this life-and-death ordeal, your cultivation will surely skyrocket!"
"Don't worry! Whatever doesn't kill me will only make me stronger!"

Jiang Lin embraces Qin Xiao tightly, then mounts his sword and flies straight toward the central tower. Watching his receding figure, Qin Xiao’s eyes blur. A memory surfaces in his mind—the day he first saw his Junior Brother under the great tree...
"Junior Brother, you must come back. The sect's women's bathhouse has opened, you know..."