Chapter 57: Severed in One Stroke, A Complete Rupture

Jiang Ruxue had never heard of anything so absurd. How could Lu Fan's blood possibly possess such a miraculous and impossible effect?

"Your body has only just started to get better, yet you bled yourself dry for a complete stranger. What would you have done if you had passed out again?"

"The awakening of my spiritual veins has already healed my body. I am fine, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Before long, he stopped bleeding and bandaged his hand.

The woman was still lying quietly. Her face was completely charred black, making it impossible to tell what she originally looked like.

Jiang Ruxue wasn't worried that Lu Fan would have any romantic interest in such a woman; she just felt it was entirely not worth it. Clearly, she had prepared herself tonight to surrender her body completely to him, only for him to run off halfway through to save someone else. It was simply ridiculous.

"When will she wake up?"

"Hard to say. My blood acts as medicine, but it still takes time to work."

Jiang Ruxue wrapped her arms around his wet back from behind. "Lu Fan, we still have unfinished business between us. Don't forget..."

"Ruxue, her condition is quite critical right now. This is not the time for that."

Seeing him reject her yet again, Jiang Ruxue's expression turned extremely unsightly on the spot. "Lu Fan! I have already humbled myself this much, what on earth do you want from me? Do you think I have no self-esteem at all?"

Lu Fan's mind was currently consumed entirely by saving lives. He frowned and said, "I'm sorry."

Seeing him pull away and turn to leave, Jiang Ruxue grabbed him by the wrist. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my place to get some things to save her. Watch over her for me, I'll be right back."

"Lu Fan!"

Jiang Ruxue called out after him, but Lu Fan didn't even look back.

To him, a true healer should always be benevolent and save lives. Nothing surpassed the importance of a human life.

Watching the man charge out into the pouring rain, Jiang Ruxue felt a sudden surge of frustration. What a cold, stubborn block of wood he was.

Just then, a faint sound came from the woman on the bed.

Jiang Ruxue hurriedly looked over at her, only to see that the woman's entire body was covered in the terrifying marks of lightning strikes, her flesh mangled and bloody—a truly horrifying sight.

"Are you alright?" she asked kindly.

The woman weakly opened her eyes. When her gaze landed on Jiang Ruxue's face, her body suddenly trembled violently, and her pupils dilated.

"What's wrong? Do you want some water?"

Jiang Ruxue asked again, "By the way, who are you? How did you end up in this state? What is your relationship with Lu Fan?"

The woman didn't speak. Her eyes remained fixed unblinkingly on Jiang Ruxue, the dark pupils in her eyes swirling with complex emotions while tears welled up and brimmed in her eye sockets.

"Hey, are you mute? Say something."

The woman choked back her tears, refusing to answer Jiang Ruxue's questions. She threw off the blanket and scrambled away in a panic.

Jiang Ruxue called out from behind, "Where are you going in your condition?"

Hearing her voice, the other party only ran faster.

Jiang Ruxue was not as kind or naive as Lu Fan. This woman had come from completely unknown origins and was injured to this extent—anyone could tell these were no ordinary wounds.

If this attracted powerful martial artists, it might bring trouble to the Jiang family.

Now that the woman had run off, it was for the best. It saved her the trouble of chasing her away and angering Lu Fan in the process.

Her younger brother's illness still depended entirely on Lu Fan, and now that she knew his spiritual veins had awakened, Jiang Ruxue was even more determined not to let him slip through her fingers.

Yet, just what was his true identity? Jiang Ruxue grew increasingly curious.

She didn't notice the woman stumbling out into the rain, at which point the tears finally began to stream freely down her face.

The woman glanced back at the villa, her voice hoarse and raw, as if her vocal cords had been destroyed by something.

Weeping bitterly, the woman whispered under her breath, "Sister..."

She had no idea why she had woken up in Jiang Ruxue's room, but she knew she couldn't stay. Escape—she had to escape immediately.

Lu Fan drove back carrying his small bundle, which contained not only silver needles but also a few mid-grade medicinal pills.

Although their effects weren't as fast as high-grade ones, they would still serve some purpose.

When he returned to the room drenched in rain, he found that aside from residual bloodstains, the bed was entirely empty.

"Ruxue, where is that young woman?"

"She ran off the moment she woke up."

"Ran off? Why didn't you stop her? She was injured so heavily; if she leaves like this, she'll surely die."

Jiang Ruxue crossed her arms and said coldly, "You're yelling at me over some stranger? I don't even know her, so what if she ran off? Why should I stop her? What if we get targeted by her enemies in the future, are you going to take responsibility for that? You don't sleep in the middle of the night just to run off and save some strange woman—do you even care that I'm here?"

Lu Fan opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He couldn't explain it either, but that fleeting flash of a figure in his mind felt as though some mysterious, unseen force was compelling him to seek her out.

Now that the woman had left without a word, he felt an empty void in his chest.

Yet, Jiang Ruxue was not entirely wrong. That tier-nine martial artist had failed their heavenly tribulation; if they survived, they might very well seek revenge.

Damn it, he had been so focused on saving someone that he had forgotten to even check the other person's breathing.

Any woman capable of a life-swapping technique was obviously no ordinary cultivator, and she might well be ruthless and cold-blooded.

Without hesitation, Lu Fan plunged back out into the pouring rain. "Lu Fan!" Jiang Ruxue was driven to the verge of fury.

When Lu Fan returned to the scene of the incident, the man who had previously been lying on the ground unconscious had completely vanished without a trace.

"It's over!"

Lu Fan muttered under his breath. Right now, his spiritual veins had only half-awakened, and he was still unable to cultivate properly.

If a tier-nine expert came looking for him, how could he possibly be a match with his current abilities?

Even if he wasn't afraid, he still had a daughter. He could not put his daughter in harm's way!

Lu Fan kicked himself for acting so recklessly. How could his usual calm and rationality vanish the moment he saw that woman?

He worried for her safety; if she was caught and dragged back, she would certainly be doomed.

Dejected, Lu Fan walked back. Now, there was only one option left.

The only one who could protect little You was the Qin family.

As for the Jiang family, he needed to draw a clear line as soon as possible. That person was injured so severely that even if she wanted revenge, it wouldn't be right away—he still had time.

Jiang Ruxue looked at him coldly. "You still know how to come back?"

Lu Fan wiped the rain from his face. "Let's go to the hospital. I'll cure your brother."

"Is your body really fine now?"

"It's fine."

Lu Fan went back to his room, took a shower, changed his clothes, and walked out carrying his small bundle.

Staring fixedly into Jiang Ruxue's eyes, he said, "Jiang Ruxue, according to our agreement, once I cure your brother, from this moment on we are completely through. We will have nothing more to do with each other."

"W-what did you just say?"

Jiang Ruxue was dumbfounded. She had assumed that with her leverage over his spiritual veins, he would apologize to her.

Never did she expect him to drop such words.

"Don't you want to restore your spiritual veins?"

"If I could have awakened them on that night five years ago, I would have already done so. It just proves that method is useless."

Though he still couldn't figure out why his tears had such an effect, that didn't mean he had to sleep with the woman.

"Lu Fan, are you being serious?"

"Yes. Shortly, I will have my Senior Sister bring little You to the Qin family. From now on, we have nothing to do with one another."