Chapter 111: The Immortal

After choking on water several more times, Young Master Zhen finally understood what Luan Yi meant by saying, “If you don’t loosen your grip, both of you will perish together.”

He hastily released the legs wrapped tightly around Luan Yi’s upper thigh, though his hands still clung firmly to Luan Yi’s neck.

“Ugh... idiot. At this rate, if I don’t drown, you’ll strangle me to death. Let go, uh... just let go already!” Luan Yi held his breath, diving beneath the water. He was fine himself, but poor Young Master Zhen was coughing violently. Struggling desperately, Luan Yi finally broke free from Zhen’s embrace, switching roles to support the young master instead. His legs kicked hard to tread water, but the arrow wound in his leg sapped his strength, causing him to sink repeatedly.

He glanced at the young master’s face, pale from the cold, lips tinged with purple, then at Zhen’s waterlogged, heavy clothes. Without a word, he freed one hand and, with a quick motion, tore the young master’s trousers into shreds.

A cold chill swept across the young master’s lower body, and his eyes suddenly widened. “You… cough, cough, cough…” Before he could say more, Luan Yi moved again. With a ‘rip,’ even the undergarments were torn away.

“You…” The young master ground his teeth, lips trembling with anger, and shouted.

“What ‘you’! At a time like this, what’s the big deal about taking off your pants!” Luan Yi ignored him, grabbing his collar and yanking again. Another ‘rip.’

“Ah…”

Now it was Luan Yi who panicked. The moon tilted to the east, its pure white light shimmering on the water’s surface, revealing a pair of snowy white shapes beneath. Luan Yi scrutinized them closely before realizing what they were and cried out in shock, “Ah! You’re actually a—” But before he could finish, a sharp pain shot through his wrist—he’d been grabbed tightly, leaving a red mark. He wanted to scold the young master, but knowing his own rudeness had come first, he glanced at Zhen’s terrified yet embarrassed face and turned his head away shamefully. “I didn’t see anything…”

“Didn’t see anything? How could that be… You were staring there non-stop just now.” The young master averted his gaze. Anger welled up inside but could not be voiced. Amid the confusion, a trace of bittersweet joy surfaced, causing her breath to quicken as her chest pressed against Luan Yi’s.

Luan Yi felt a strange restlessness and sorrow rise within him, instinctively glancing again at the young master’s bosom.

“Stop staring, you lecher!” The young master spat lightly, trying to break free from Luan Yi’s embrace. But Luan Yi’s natural strength was formidable; even a seven-foot man would struggle against him, let alone this delicate, alluring girl before him.

“Don’t move! What if you drown?” he warned.

“You’ve seen everything! How can I face the world now? Might as well just drown!” she sobbed softly.

“I had no choice! Besides, how was I supposed to know you were a woman before this?” Luan Yi hastily explained.

The girl seemed to accept his explanation without further words, finally giving Luan Yi the chance to attempt swimming toward the shore.

But the current was too strong. Even with his strength, progress was slow and difficult. After floating for over an hour, he finally seized the moment when the river curved and the current eased. He pushed desperately, reaching the riverbank. Supporting himself on the stones, he lifted the young lady onto the shore. Then, gathering all his strength, he climbed the stone steps and lay naked on the riverbank, gasping for breath. He glanced sideways at the young lady, who knelt coughing violently, her body trembling as she struggled to clear water from her lungs. Her proud, swaying bosom moved with each cough.

She was a figure of indescribable grace and beauty. If one must find a word to describe her radiance, it would be “dazzling.” Her hair, styled like a man’s, now floated freely in the rushing water, long and flowing to her waist. Standing over six feet tall, she was far taller than most southern women, embodying the distinct elegance of a northern maiden. Her figure was neither fat nor thin—just right—slightly fuller than Diao Chan but slimmer than Cai Yan. Every curve was perfectly shaped, free of any excess flesh. Her skin was smooth and pale, translucent as jade, inviting one’s touch, as if to hold her close and cherish her with one’s entire being.

Her black hair fluttered like willow branches swept by a summer gale. Beneath the dense tresses lay her exquisite face.

If Cai Yan’s beauty was like a noble peony and Diao Chan’s like a brilliant rose, then this young lady’s grace was like a lotus blooming in the cool waters of midsummer. Proud yet modest, detached yet fresh and ethereal, Luan Yi could not help but recall the phrase, “Admire from afar, but do not touch.” For a fleeting moment, he felt she was no mortal but a deity fallen to the human world.

Indeed, only a celestial being could possess such beauty and noble aura. “A goddess? Jizhou? The Zhen family? Young master? Miss… she? Could she truly be a goddess? The River Goddess?”

Luan Yi’s impure thoughts melted away instantly, replaced by a peaceful calm. Yet after that, his body grew heavier and heavier. Throughout the past hour or more, his wounds had gone untreated, bleeding steadily—shoulders, back, and especially the arrow wound on his calf, with half the arrow still embedded.

Excessive blood loss combined with the struggle in the water had drained his strength. Now he was truly at his limit. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and despite all his effort, he could barely keep his eyes open. His vision shrank smaller and smaller, and at the chime of the chapel bell, he finally lost consciousness.

“A chapel! The bell… we’re safe now!”

The young lady from the Zhen family, seeing Luan Yi motionless and lying flat on the ground, panicked. She scrambled over, grasping his arm and shaking him. “Master Zi Qi, Master… please wake up!”

But no matter how she shook him, Luan Yi did not awaken.

“Master… you absolutely cannot die!” Tears streamed down her face as she stared at Luan Yi’s sturdy, though not large, frame. Upon seeing his numerous wounds, she was stunned.

The scars were both old and new. The old ones marked past battles—dozens of fierce, jagged marks across his abdomen and back. The fresh wounds, left just last night, were on his torso, back, and legs, some merging with old scars, opening wide to reveal raw, crimson flesh.

She knew that if Luan Yi had not risked his life to protect her, to shield her from harm, he would never have sustained such grievous injuries or sacrificed his brief yet brilliant existence.

“Master Zi Qi!” she sobbed uncontrollably, blaming herself entirely. She regretted her curiosity, her stubborn insistence on forcing Zhen Xi to bring her to the Jinan Kingdom to visit the Nuwa Cathedral, and to meet the man she had long admired. Had she not come, Luan Yi would not have risked his life for her, and she would not be so heartbroken now.

At the same time, another part of her mind defended her: How could she have known there would be a Yellow Turban rebellion then? How could she expect to encounter fleeing bandits by the river? How could she have foreseen that Master Zi Qi would risk his life for a stranger like her?

Thinking this, a warm current flowed through her heart. She moved closer to Luan Yi, pressing her pure white cheek against his chest. At that moment of contact, she heard a rhythmic drumbeat.

“Dum, dum-dum, dum…”

Startled, she lifted her head, staring wide-eyed at him, tears streaming down her face as a radiant smile blossomed. “The master isn’t dead! The master isn’t dead!” she shouted excitedly. She hurried to stand and seek help, but as she rose, she realized how cold her entire body was.

She glanced down at her naked form and anxiously stomped her foot. “How am I supposed to call for help like this?”

Luan Yi never did find out how the young lady, completely unclothed, managed to summon aid.

When he finally awakened, it was three days later, lying on a large bed in his room within the Holy Nuwa Cathedral. Cui’er was by his side, bursting with joy as he opened his eyes. “Young master is awake! Master is awake!”

Before she finished, a small group of people hurriedly entered. Old friends Xu Shu and Mao Jie wore broad smiles. Guan Yu’s brow relaxed as he stroked his long beard. Dian Wei’s wide mouth stretched to the back of his head. Zhao Yun exhaled deeply. Taishi Ci and Xu Chu asked after his health, praising, “Blessed by the Holy Mother!”

Zhang Fei, ever the boisterous one, stepped forward and punched Luan Yi’s chest, making him grimace and growl, “What the hell!”

Zhang Fei scolded, “Fourth brother! When you get reckless, you’re worse than me. Risking your life for some little girl! What if something bad had happened? How sad it would be if uncle and aunt lost you! And what about your two fiancées? Oh, and little Cui too…”

Luan Yi was utterly confused. “Little girl? What little girl?”

“You know, the one you rescued!” Zhang Fei said matter-of-factly, continuing to lecture. “But honestly, she’s not bad-looking. Tsk tsk, Fourth brother, you’re quite the lucky one! Hero rescues beauty by the riverbank—definitely a story worth telling!”

“Third brother, you’re talking nonsense!” Luan Yi rolled his eyes. “When I saved her, she was dressed as a man. I didn’t know she was a woman.”

“Ah, who cares! The important thing is she’s safe. Fourth brother, your bold spirit is admirable. I like it, I like it! Ha ha ha…” Zhang Fei grew more excited, flapping his large hands like fans, pounding Luan Yi’s shoulders repeatedly.

Luan Yi coughed incessantly, prompting Hua Tuo to glare and shout, “Stop it! Stop it now! If the master wasn’t killed by the Yellow Turban rebels, you’ll beat him to death. Get aside.”

Hua Tuo, senior and highly respected by Luan Yi, commanded authority. Zhang Fei obediently moved aside, making room for Hua Tuo to check the pulse. While doing so, Hua Tuo muttered, “I told you the master would wake today, but you refused to believe me. You all looked so grim outside the door. Well? Isn’t my prediction accurate?”

“Wise doctor…” Xu Shu, Mao Jie, and the others quickly apologized with smiles.

“All right, he’s awake, so it’s fine. He just lost a lot of blood and needs some restorative medicine,” Hua Tuo said solemnly as he withdrew his hand from Luan Yi’s wrist. “However, I must warn you, Master. Thanks to the Holy Mother’s blessing, you’ve survived this ordeal. But if you keep risking your life like this next time, you might not be so lucky.”

“Yi, that’s enough!”