Chapter 56: Lovesick Heartbroken Red

Li Xun gently rubbed Zhu Zhuqing’s head.

Normally a quiet and well-behaved girl, she had recently become a little rebellious under Ning Rongrong's influence.

Blushing, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and turned to walk out the door.

Li Xun pressed down on her head, turned her shoulders to face the bed, and said, "Go to sleep, I'll take the next room."

Thwack.

With that, he lightly patted Zhu Zhuqing on the rear with a twig in his hand.

Zhu Zhuqing’s mind went blank. Feeling her face and ears grow slightly hot, she walked toward the bed in a daze.

"Brother, didn't you say you brought gifts?"

Seeing Li Xun turn to leave, Ning Rongrong hurriedly hopped off the bed and grabbed his arm. "Where are the gifts?"

"You've been trying to chase me away all day long, and you still want gifts?"

Li Xun glanced sideways at Ning Rongrong’s sycophantic expression.

"Brother~~"

Ning Rongrong cooed, hugging Li Xun’s arm and swaying it back and forth.

Feeling the sensation pressing against his arm, Li Xun drifted off in thought for a moment.

The two of them had practically grown up together and had been living under the same roof for a long time. The once scrawny little sprouts were finally starting to grow up.

"The gifts are a bit special and can't just be handed over casually. I haven't closed my eyes for a day and a night. I'll give it to you after I wake up."

Looking utterly exhausted, Li Xun felt he could fall asleep standing up; he simply lacked the energy to explain the Immortal Herbs to them right now.

Seeing Li Xun's state, Ning Rongrong felt a pang of heartache.

She didn't know what Li Xun had been up to on this trip, but judging by his appearance, it must have been extremely difficult.

Having been with Li Xun for several years, this was the first time she had ever seen him look this tired.

"Brother, stay in this room. Zhu Zhuqing and I will take the next one."

Ning Rongrong pulled Li Xun's arm, leading him to the bed.

By this time, Zhu Zhuqing had also recovered her wits and hurriedly climbed off the bed to tidy up the covers.

"Looks like the two of you still have a conscience."

Li Xun smiled faintly, collapsing onto the bed as his eyelids began to grow uncontrollably heavy.

Seeing how utterly exhausted Li Xun was, Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip, walked over to him, and gently took off his shoes.

Seeing this, Ning Rongrong quickly reached out, and together the two of them straightened his body out on the bed.

"Very good, you have pleased me."

Enjoying the pampering from the two maidens, Li Xun felt his spirits instantly boost and chuckled as he pulled three Immortal Herbs from his Spirit Guidance Device. "A reward!"

"Brother, is this the gift you brought?"

Ning Rongrong looked at the three Immortal Herbs with a hint of puzzlement.

She wasn't familiar with medicinal herbs. Over the years, she had only skimmed through the books Li Xun collected without showing any real interest.

"Right, this one is called Tulip of Bittersweet Brocade, and it's for you." Lying on the bed, Li Xun handed the herb over.

"The Tulip of Bittersweet Brocade is the king among Immortal Herbs. After absorbing it, the user gains the ability to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and it has miraculous effects on treasure-type martial souls."

"Once you consume it, your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda should evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

Startled, Ning Rongrong hurriedly reached out to catch it. "Brother, does my father know about this?"

"Heh, well, you're not a total little ingrate after all; you still remember your father."

Li Xun smiled gently. "Teacher already knows, so you can rest easy."

Only now did Li Xun feel genuine joy. Ning Rongrong asking that question meant his efforts over the years had not been in vain.

Had she been the original Ning Rongrong, she wouldn't have given a thought to the father who doted on her, let alone Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

Back then, even when the two Douluos died, she hadn't looked back once, leaving Ning Fengzhi to quietly gather their shattered remains alone.

After instructing Ning Rongrong on the steps for consumption, Li Xun turned his attention to Zhu Zhuqing.

"There are two Immortal Herbs here." Maintaining his lying posture, Li Xun handed over the herbs in his hand.

"The one on the left is called Lovesick Red, and the one on the right is the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower."

Puzzled, Zhu Zhuqing reached out and took both herbs. "Big Brother Li Xun, why are there two for me?"

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but look over.

"Actually, there's only one."

Li Xun chuckled. "Lovesick Red is the supreme treasure among Immortal Herbs. Not only does it provide a comprehensive enhancement to a Spirit Master, but it also possesses the miraculous ability to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bones."

"However, to consume this Immortal Herb, one must win its approval, which involves a tragic and beautiful story..."

Listening to the tale of the youth and the flower fairy, Zhu Zhuqing felt her eyes grow moist.

"To pluck Lovesick Red, one must think of the person they love in their heart and stain the petals with their blood. If the heart is impure, even if you bleed yourself dry, you will never pluck the Immortal Herb."

The reason Li Xun introduced Lovesick Red first was because in the original work, Zhu Zhuqing had missed out on it, as it was obtained by Xiao Wu.

He wanted Zhu Zhuqing to try her luck once more. As for who she would think of... that remained a question.

Besides, even if she couldn't pluck it, she still had the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as a backup.

As for why he hadn't given Zhu Zhuqing the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone from the original timeline—

It was because Li Xun believed that in achieving great things, the bigger picture took precedence; prioritizing the enhancement of Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo's strength was far more crucial.

Just thinking about the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, it seemed to perfectly match Sword Douluo’s ethereal temperament.

The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was extremely rigid and yang, capable of purging impurities from a martial soul. However, since Sword Douluo's Seven Killing Sword martial soul was already at the ultimate tier, its effect wouldn't be as obvious.

As for why he hadn't given Lovesick Red to Sword Douluo and the others—

Well... imagining several burly old men thinking of their lovers while taking turns dripping blood for recognition was rather hard on the eyes.

"You can give it a try. If you can't pluck it, just consume the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower instead."

Li Xun gestured with his hand.

"The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is a supreme treasure for fire-attribute Spirit Masters, but you should still receive a boost if you consume it."

Looking at the two Immortal Herbs in her hands, Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She wanted to ask something more, but noticed that Li Xun had already fallen asleep.

Waiting for a moment and seeing that Li Xun was truly fast asleep, Zhu Zhuqing gently sat down by the bedside, the story of the youth and the flower fairy echoing in her mind.

After a moment of contemplation, she set the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower aside and stared solely at the Lovesick Red.

A single drop of blood gently fell.

The Lovesick Red drifted down lightly into her palm.

Zhu Zhuqing caught it in a hurry, her eyes filled with sheer disbelief.

She cautiously glanced at Ning Rongrong, seeing that the latter was currently absorbing her Immortal Herb and paying no attention to this side.

She bit her lip.

......

Li Xun had no idea how long he had slept, only that his entire body ached.

It was a symptom of lying down for far too long.

Ajusting slightly to the sunlight in the room, Li Xun slowly sat straight up.

Yet, as his gaze inadvertently landed on the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower sitting on the bedside table, he froze.

"She actually plucked the Lovesick Red!" Li Xun found it somewhat unbelievable.

At this point in time, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai were worlds apart with no intersection, and it seemed he and Zhu Zhuqing hadn't exactly been romancing each other either.

Who was she thinking of, then...?

Rubbing his face, Li Xun hurriedly got up to wash up.

He was afraid the two girls might mess up the steps for consuming the Immortal Herbs and needed to go check on them.

It was noon, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had just finished its morning classes.

Li Xun's bustling and hurried demeanor immediately startled a group of people.

Most of these students had witnessed Li Xun savagely beating Yu Tianheng, and even if they hadn't, their peers would have pulled them aside to issue stern warnings.

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were walking slowly toward him.

They spotted each other from afar.

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she broke into a light jog toward him.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed slightly, and she came to a halt.

"Brother, you're awake!"