As soon as Shawn Young snapped back to his senses, he realized he was clutching Maggie Chang tightly with one hand, choking her neck with the other, and grinding his body down hard against hers. Especially down below, Maggie’s tender spot was a bloody mess—enough to make anyone faint at the sight. She was barely conscious, her breath thin and fragile, looking heartbreakingly vulnerable. Shawn panicked, instantly letting go of her neck and massaging her chest, shouting in alarm, "Maggie! Maggie, what happened to you? Why are you like this? What the hell just happened?!"
"You’ve got some nerve asking that! This is all your fault! What the hell were you thinking, Shawn? How could you be so brutal to Maggie?! What did she ever do to you?!" Minnie Wang snapped angrily from behind.
"Uh—I... I honestly don’t know what came over me. My mind just went blank, and all I could think about was... was letting it all out, hard. Something’s definitely wrong with me! It’s all my fault—I couldn’t control that wild rage inside me... and now Maggie’s hurt so badly because of it…" Shawn Young said, wracked with guilt.
Minnie Wang froze at his words, then hurriedly asked, "Wait, you’re saying there’s something wrong with your body? What’s causing it?"
"I... I’m not totally sure. Suddenly I just felt insanely agitated, like there was this violent, crazy urge boiling up inside me. It almost took over my mind just now—so that’s why I lost it and did something so insane. Could it be... could it be that my Vital Qi cultivation is running into Qi Deviation?!" Shawn Young muttered, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. This wasn’t impossible, after all!
"What?! Qi Deviation?! What are you gonna do? I saw in the movies that cultivators who go through Qi Deviation totally lose their minds! It’s super scary—" Minnie Wang cried out in terror.
"It’s probably not that bad. I don’t think this is Qi Deviation, because my Vital Qi is running perfectly normal. So maybe it’s not Qi Deviation after all, but something else… I honestly don’t know what’s going on." Shawn Young looked troubled. "So, um, how do I fix it and get back to normal?" Minnie Wang asked, concern all over her face.
"Uh… I have no clue. I’ll have to ask someone who knows more about this stuff." Shawn Young frowned. He didn’t realize it was connected to the Heavenly Tribulation, but he knew this was seriously weird. He made up his mind to find an experienced cultivator ASAP and get some answers.
"Cough—cough—Shawn, could you… could you put me down first? I can barely breathe…" At that moment, Maggie Chang started to regain consciousness, struggling to speak in a weak voice.
"Uh—Maggie, I’m so sorry I hurt you. Let me help you recover!" Seeing how weak she looked, Shawn Young apologized, full of guilt.
"Yeah, you need to help Maggie get better right away! She looks so pitiful—" Minnie Wang chimed in.
"Okay, Maggie, I’ll help you recover right now—" Shawn Young said, and to everyone’s surprise, his hips started moving again. "Ah—!" Maggie cried out in pain.
"Shawn, are you crazy—?!" Minnie Wang exclaimed in shock from the side.
"Don’t freak out—I’m still in control. I have to absorb Maggie’s Pure Yin Essence first. Once my Vital Qi reaches the right level, I can use the most effective spell." Shawn Young waved his hand to explain. Hearing this, Minnie Wang calmed down, while Maggie gritted her teeth, enduring the pain and waiting.
A surge of Pure Yin Essence began flooding from Maggie Chang below, and Shawn Young activated the Twin Spirit Rite, continuously absorbing her essence. His Spirit Reservoir churned wildly, and that violent urge inside him swelled to its peak. But thanks to the incoming Pure Yin Essence, the blend of Yin and Yang kept Shawn’s mind just clear enough—not totally lost to the Heavenly Tribulation or those nasty hallucinations...
After a while, Shawn Young finished absorbing and merging all of Maggie’s Pure Yin Essence, feeling his cultivation jump to the next level—enough to unleash his most powerful spell. He immediately formed a sword gesture with his right hand, channeled his Vital Qi, and started chanting the Purification Spell: "Spirit Core, unite my essence, refine my thoughts to liquid, let the Dao energy remain, Celestial Sovereign, comfort my body, wisdom and clarity, peace of heart and mind, let spirit and Qi be calm—by the law, let it be—grant forgiveness—"
With the spell complete, Shawn Young pointed with his right hand, sending a surge of energy into Maggie Chang’s body. As he kept channeling Vital Qi, a faint golden glow began to envelop Maggie.
Then, with a thought, Shawn Young made the golden glow around Maggie Chang split into shimmering threads, like a gorgeous spiderweb, slowly wrapping her up and lifting her into the air, spinning gently around her beautiful body before melting into her skin...
"Cough... cough... mm..." Maggie Chang soon came to, almost fainting, but as she opened her eyes she saw herself floating above the bed, her feet a good foot off the mattress. Waves of comforting warmth washed through every cell and pore, like winter melting into spring. Overwhelmed by the blissful sensation, Maggie couldn’t help but moan softly, "Mmm... that feels amazing!"
Nearly ten minutes later, the golden threads fully merged into Maggie’s body, and she gently landed back onto the bed. She stretched, realizing the burning pain was completely gone—and her skin felt smoother, more elastic, and even more radiant than before.
"Whew—mission accomplished!" Shawn Young let out a breath, folding his hands as he finished circulating his Celestial Essence and slowly opened his eyes.
"Oh my god! That’s just unbelievable—" Minnie Wang rushed over to stare at Maggie Chang, watching as Shawn Young’s golden light healed all her wounds and made her even more beautiful. She was so stunned she nearly screamed, clapping a hand over her mouth. Everything she’d just seen was totally mind-blowing!