Since there was no one around, he simply took off his mask as well, pondering where this place was and whether they were still trapped within the formation. "Let's go inside and take a look!"
Maxwell Jing supported Ethan Gu into the stone chamber, letting him lie down on a stone bed. He immediately pressed a sleep acupoint, lifted Ethan's sleeve, and looked at the wound on his arm shimmering with golden flecks. With a bitter smile, he said, "Heaven really loves playing tricks on me!"
He knew Ethan Gu was skilled in medicine, so he assumed the wound was already healed. But unexpectedly, not only was it not healed, it was even worse!
Blood Curse Poison: neither poison nor parasite, yet both. Born of blood, drawn by blood; those afflicted have blood laced with golden flecks.
Only the creator of Blood Curse Poison holds the antidote. Ethan Gu had merely suppressed its effects, hoping to slowly research a cure. But during the earlier fight with those venomous men, he accidentally triggered the suppressed poison, causing it to spread. If the antidote isn't found soon, he will surely die!
After searching Ethan Gu for a long time, Maxwell Jing couldn't find a single medicine. He sighed, "Are we really this unlucky?" Had they just run out, or had it fallen during the descent? Now he regretted giving all the medicine to Susie Yun, leaving none for himself!
Recalling that there seemed to be herbs nearby, Maxwell Jing rose and left the stone chamber. After a while, he returned with several plants of varying shapes. Looking at what he held, he gave a self-deprecating laugh—he hadn't expected his medical training to actually come in handy!
He glanced at the pale-faced Ethan Gu and sighed inwardly. Since he could save him, he decided never to resent medicine again!
He picked a few different leaves and a thumb-sized black fruit, chewed them up, then lowered his head to Ethan Gu's pale lips, feeding him the medicine mouth-to-mouth. Only after Ethan swallowed did Maxwell Jing leave his lips and help him sit up against his own body.
A sharp "ding" sounded—the hidden blade in the folding fan sprang out with a jarring snap.
Maxwell Jing reached out, slicing his palm with a blade. Then he pulled Ethan Gu's hand close and did the same to him. Their palms pressed together, fingers tightly interlocked, blood mingling in a silent ritual.
Gazing at the brilliant sunlight outside, Maxwell Jing let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Perhaps we truly are forsaken by fate. If it were only you, maybe you could have found happiness. I’m giving up now. I’m sorry—I have to break my promise. I’m sorry…"
He saw a single teardrop appear on Ethan Gu’s face and realized he himself was crying. Gently, he reached out and wiped it away, as if erasing all the pain of the past. The suffocating ache in his chest made his hand tremble.
When Ethan Gu woke again, he had no idea how long he’d slept. Maxwell Jing was nowhere to be seen. As he tried to get up to look for him, a sharp pain stabbed his palm. Looking down, he saw his hand was bandaged, and the wounds on his arm had also been freshly dressed.
As his senses slowly returned, the bitter taste of medicine in his mouth made his expression change. He tore away the bandage on his hand, reopening the wound that had already stopped bleeding. Staring at the blood—normal, unchanged—Ethan Gu’s face went pale.
Blood Curse Poison—neither true poison nor parasite. Even the Blood Jade Amulet is useless!
He knew all too well that once the poison in his body flared up, death was inevitable. Maxwell Jing couldn’t possibly find a cure in time—unless… unless he drew the poison from Ethan’s body into his own.
Born with blood, drawn by blood!
Just from the taste of medicine, he knew it was something the Blood Curse Poison hated. With this medicinal trait in his blood, if another person with the same inner power drew it in, the poison could be fully transferred to the other’s body!
But the one who takes it on will never survive more than twelve hours. After the transfer, the Blood Curse Poison will change, and even the antidote will be useless. In other words, after twelve hours, Maxwell Jing will be gone from this world forever!
In his memory, it was the first time he’d ever felt heartbreak. Just for a moment—it was like being pricked by a needle. But that was truly heartache.
In the underground chamber, Maxwell Jing listened to Ethan Gu calling his name. He knew Ethan was searching for him, but this time, he would never be found. Their story was truly over now. The smile at Maxwell’s lips never faded, but the world around him slowly blurred.
Ethan Gu was doomed, but Maxwell Jing wouldn’t survive either. Yet if Maxwell died, Ethan could go on living. At this moment, Maxwell almost felt that Ethan forgetting him wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
He knew Ethan would feel guilty, but he believed things would get better. He was certain Ethan could find happiness.
Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray had already entered the inner valley. Morgan glanced around, finding no one, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Damien’s neck, kissed his lips, and laughed softly, "Gray, want to see who finds them first?"
Damien Gray held her by the waist and looked at her with a frown. "That hardly seems fair—you have so many helpers!" His gaze fell to the Spirit Gourd at her waist.
Such little trinkets were common enough, so Morgan Shangguan didn’t bother to hide it.
Morgan’s lips curled up in a slight, provocative smile as she looked at him. "Is Lord Ghostmaster afraid to lose?"
Damien Gray found it amusing—why was she always so determined to compete with him? Was it because he once played with her heart? Thinking it over, he realized he’d feel just as unwilling if the roles were reversed. And honestly, he found this side of Morgan Shangguan rather adorable.
"Alright then!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the formation outside the valley vanished, revealing a path straight to the inner valley. From a distance, only a few people could be seen, all of them looking rather disheveled.
Morgan looked down—her foot had landed right on top of Damien Gray’s. She was a step too late. Morgan let go of him, stepped back to stand at a distance, her expression calm and unruffled, showing no sign of anger. She squinted at him and asked, "When did you notice?"
Damien Gray smiled, "The moment the Cloud Guildmaster challenged me."
He hadn’t paid much attention at first, but Morgan Shangguan insisted on competing, which meant she was confident she’d win. She must have found the key to breaking the formation!
They’d arrived together, and Morgan only spoke up now—so the key must be somewhere you could only discover by standing right here!