"What's wrong?" a chill ran slightly through my chest.
Beichen spoke with a somber tone, "Yun Hao's condition is very bad."
"First, take me to see him." My heart was suddenly in turmoil.
Beichen was steady and realistic, never one to speak in exaggerations.
If he said it was very bad, it must indeed be terrible.
Beichen said, "That's the only way then."
I went out of the dormitory room with Beichen.
Xiao Li was no longer outside the door.
It was only upon reaching the attic that I saw Xiao Li, constantly lighting candles.
The candles in Xiao Li's hands were quite different; each one was engraved with a Life-Extending Talisman, and a section of one's birth time and date in traditional characters.
Once she used up the engraved candles, she sat down on the spot to carve new ones.
When exhausted, she rubbed her eyes and continued her busy work.
"Where's Yun Hao?" I searched the room but couldn't find Yun Hao.
Hearing my voice, Xiao Li went over to open a wooden box in the corner, "He's in here."
The box contained a bloodied, curled up, frail man.
The white clothes the man wore were thoroughly soaked in fresh blood, a huge hole blasted through his abdomen, and one of his arms was broken.
His face was covered in bloodstains, which there was no time to clean.
A thick scent of blood wafted out...
"Why is he in a box?" I asked Xiao Li in a soft voice.
After giving me a glance, Xiao Li promptly closed the box, "Keeping him here so that his enemies won't detect his presence."
"This is... locust wood..." My family has a similar box, my mother used it to store cheongsams, intending to throw out Yu Longting.
Beichen said gloomily, "Yun Hao fled to the restaurant to seek help; there are too many innocent people in there. I was afraid of involving them, so I could only hide Yun Hao's presence."
"Are you afraid those Zhang Family people will come to kill?" I asked Beichen.
Beichen nodded darkly, "The Zhang Family is the origin of Mystic Sect, their power is not to be underestimated."
"Let's not talk about the Zhang Family for now. I've checked with the Spiritual Eye, there's only one Life Lamp left for Yun Hao," I said.
Xiao Li muttered, "That one Life Lamp, it's only because I keep lighting candles that we've managed to barely hold onto it. My fingers are burned..."
I immediately went to check Xiao Li's injuries.
But she extended her hands towards Beichen instead, looking pitiful.
Beichen gently blew on Xiao Li's burned spots, "It's all thanks to your efforts, now even with the Seven-Star Candle to extend life, it can only last half a Shichen, and Snake Lord... is still unconscious..."
"Do you know where Yu Rongling is?" I asked Beichen.
Thinking that in Yu Longting's absence, his younger brother might also be an option.
Beichen shook his head, "Who knows where he's run off to in his madness."
"Yu Longting will only return to his human form in two or three hours."
I said gravely, "Then shouldn't we wake up Yu Longting? Right now, he's the only one capable of saving Yun Hao."
Beichen immediately objected, "No, do you want to harm Snake Lord's body just to save Yun Hao?"
"As someone who favors my own so strongly, I'd rather be without integrity than do such a thing. Let's not panic yet, there should be other ways." My mind was already considering alternatives and the potential risks involved in executing them.
Really, when you're out of luck, even drinking water gets stuck in your teeth.
Yun Hao's injuries were too severe; we didn't even have time to wait for Yu Longting to wake up, and what was worse, there was a Zhang Family member lying in wait for him...
A very weak voice came through the wooden planks, "Su Wan."
"I'm here, Yun Hao, are you awake?" I knelt beside the wooden box, leaning in to talk to him.
Yun Hao's intermittent voice came through, "No need... no need... to trouble yourselves over me, I'm as good as dead. Just let me... perish here on my own, so as not to involve you all..."