"Are you alright?" Wu Lan asked softly.
Ye Lingling did not reply. She only stared at Wu Lan in a daze.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Wu grew jealous and coughed loudly.
Ye Lingling snapped out of her trance upon hearing the cough. Embarrassed, she avoided Wu Lan's gaze and simply nodded.
Wu Lan gently supported her, brought her to comfortable place where she can recover her soul power.
"Gong, are you okay?" Liu Erlong's joyful expression instantly changed into despair as Yu Xiaogong's face turned pale again.
"I am okay," Yu Xiaogong replied weakly.
Flender sighed. It was clear Ye Lingling could not help at her current level.
Just then, Liu Erlong's father, Yu Luomian, arrived with two middle-aged men.
Seeing her father, Liu Erlong's eyes lit up with hope. "Father!"
Yu Luomian did not reply. His fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged across his hands as he glared at Yu Xiaogong.
"Uncle," Yu Xiaogong greeted weakly.
But Yu Luomian ignored him and instead introduced the two men behind him with a forced smile.
"These soul masters are two of the top healers in our clan. Both are Soul Saints."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong was overjoyed. "Thank you, Father!"
Yu Luomian felt like crying at the reason for his daughter's happiness. He said nothing and merely gestured for the two healers to begin.
The two Soul Saints activated their healing techniques. As expected, the results far surpassed Ye Lingling's attempt.
Soon, Yu Xiaogong's paleness faded, and even some of his hidden injuries began to mend.
Seeing this change, Liu Erlong was ecstatic. She already began fantasizing about where to take Yu Xiaogong once he recovered.
The two healers eventually stopped, exhausted after depleting all of their soul power.
Immediately, Liu Erlong rushed to Yu Xiaogong's side. "Gong, how are you feeling now?"
Yu Xiaogong felt as though all the pain in his body had vanished. But when he tried to raise his arm to check his condition, nothing happened. Panic set in as he realized his legs also would not move.
Seeing Yu Xiaogong's expression change, Liu Erlong grew anxious. "Gong, what happened? Don't scare me!"
Yu Xiaogong ignored her and struggled harder to move. Soon he realized that aside from his face, he could not move a single part of his body except his head.
"I… I cannot move my body," he said, his voice trembling with panic.
"What?" Liu Erlong cried, her eyes brimming with tears.
The two healers stepped forward to examine him again. After checking thoroughly, they exchanged helpless looks and shook their heads.
"What happened to my Gong? Tell me!" Liu Erlong demanded.
"His life is not in danger," one of the healers explained carefully, "but… his meridians are completely destroyed. Because of this, his body is paralyzed."
"Nooooo!" Liu Erlong knelt on the ground and cried.
Yu Xiaogong's life flashed before his eyes.
Even if he released his theories and gained fame, how could he enjoy it in a paralyzed body?
He was plunged into despair. This fate was even worse than death.
His eyes lost their light, and he stared blankly at his immobile body.
All hope was gone.
Liu Erlong broke down in tears while Flender could only feel sorrow watching her.
The two healers said a few more words of comfort before leaving.
Yu Luomian stayed a moment longer, torn. But when he saw his daughter's unyielding affection for that bastard, he could not bear it anymore and left as well.
If he stayed any longer he cannot control himself and will kill that bastard.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingling finished recovering her soul power and emerged from meditation. She joined Wu Lan's group, where Xiao Wu was busy explaining what had happened at Lamba Academy.
The biggest shock, of course, was discovering that Liu Erlong harbored feelings for Yu Xiaogong.
Wu Lan chuckled at their disbelief. Truly, anyone hearing it for the first time would think it a joke.
Xiao Wu, however, looked at Liu Erlong and felt sadness seeing her cry so miserably.
"Brother, I feel bad for her. Can you help her for me?" she whispered.
Wu Lan seeing her pleading eyes and finally nodded. "Alright, I'll help."
"Hehe, thank you, Brother! You're the best!" Xiao Wu beamed.
With that, Wu Lan walked toward Yu Xiaogong, who sat there looking utterly lost.
Feeling someone approach, Yu Xiaogong looked up and saw Wu Lan smiling faintly at him. To him, that smile looked like blatant mockery.
"What do you want? Did you come here to mock me?" Yu Xiaogong roared, summoning all the strength he had left.
"I am here to help you," Wu Lan replied calmly, not angered by his outburst.
But his words only made Yu Xiaogong angrier.
"Heh… Not even Soul Saints could heal me. What can a mere Soul Sect like you do? You're clearly here to laugh at me!" he spat venomously.
Wu Lan's eyebrows lifted slightly in amusement.
Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling, who had followed him, grew furious.
"How dare you shout at my brother when he came here to help you!"
Xiao Wu and Zhuqing nearly rushed forward to punch Yu Xiaogong, but Liu Erlong held them back.
Ye Lingling also burned with anger at seeing her friend insulted.
"Xiaogong, since he's willing to try, let him," Flender interjected, trying to defuse the situation and hoped for a miracle.
"Fine," Yu Xiaogong agreed reluctantly.
Originally, Wu Lan had planned to help him freely. But since this dog had mocked him, he decided to play with him instead.
He approached Yu Xiaogong and channeled vitality into a single finger.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogong felt an odd itch in his finger. Instinctively, he moved it, and it moved.
"It moved… My finger moved!" Yu Xiaogong exclaimed, trembling with excitement. He turned eagerly toward Liu Erlong and Flender to share his joy.
Both of them lit up with joy at the sight.
But their happiness was short-lived. Wu Lan had no intention of fully healing that bastard after his insults.
He withdrew his vitality and looked at Yu Xiaogong with a playful expression.
Yu Xiaogong, intoxicated by the sensation of life returning to his body, suddenly felt the flow of vitality stop. Shocked, he snapped out of his daze and glared at Wu Lan.
"Why did you stop? Continue healing me!" he ordered.
"Why do I need to heal you?" Wu Lan asked with a playful smile.
The question stunned not only Yu Xiaogong but also Flender and Liu Erlong.
Xiao Wu and Zhuqing, however, exchanged smug looks.
How dare this bastard insult their brother. Now it's time for some revenge.
==============================================================
[Author's Note:
I'm planning to give Wu Lan's sect a proper name soon, and I'd love to hear your ideas!
If you have any cool or meaningful names in mind, drop them in the comments.
I'll choose the one with the most support.
Thanks as always for your constant encouragement!
]