Chapter 9 – Comfort
Chapter 9 – Comfort
Luo Xiao had a strange dream. It was a mixture between a nightmare and a dream. He dreamt that the corpse puppet from Jinwei Village had returned for him. He dreamt about the power that had erupted from his body, and it was as if a strange new current of energy made its way into his body, merging with the slowly refilling Spiritual Energy.
This energy was accompanied by a gentleness and a warmth that he had never experienced before, a warmth that reminded him of a mother's embrace. However, he had never met his mother, so he did not know where this strange emotion came from.
Luo Xiao whimpered slightly in his sleep, and a lone tear fell from the corner of his eye.
Jiang Yao, who was observing every change in Luo Xiao, felt as if someone had stabbed his heart when he noticed the tear that dropped.
He reached out his hand, which trembled slightly, and he gently wiped away the tear.
"Don't cry. Xiaoxiao, I am here. Don't be scared, don't feel sad." There was a bit of pleading in his voice as if he could not bear the thought of Luo Xiao being sad.
Luo Xiao noticed nothing; he was full of complex emotions in his dream. He felt love and sadness. He could feel some longing and helplessness as this warmth washed in over him, changing his emotions and making tear after tear drip from his eyes.
At the same time, his body was growing in strength. The warmth was not just emotions that were washing over him; they were brought here by a foreign energy that was erupting within him, passing through every meridian in his body and finally merging with his own Spiritual Energy.
It was making him grow from the low ranked Star to a middle-ranked Star, and even then, it did not stop until he was at the peak of the high ranked Star, only a slight bit from breaking through into the Moon rank.
Jiang Yao was standing perplexed by his side; he was not sure of what to do. He could see that Luo Xiao was emotional. He could see his tears dropping like snowflakes, but at the same time, he saw his cultivation base rising at a rapid speed, which made him shocked.
The speed was making him worried that Luo Xiao's cultivation base would become slightly unstable, but after spending a bit of time examining the young man, he found that it was not the case.
Luo Xiao's foundation was so solid that Jiang Yao was amazed. Although he knew that Luo Xiao was an Astral Soul, he had never thought that it would be giving such amazing benefits.
Although he did not know if this was due to his soul being an Astral Soul, or if there was another reason behind it, he did not know. He could not think of any other reason.
Jiang Yao stood by Luo Xiao's side. Many of the merchants came to try and speak with him, but he completely ignored them.
Right now, nothing was more important to him than Luo Xiao's wellbeing, so he had his full focus on the young man while waiting for him to wake up.
A night passed before Luo Xiao's eyelids fluttered. They felt heavy like lead, but he still managed to open them slowly.
"Jiang Yao?" he called out weakly, and Jiang Yao instantly leaned forward. Luo Xiao also felt how his hand was wrapped in Jiang Yao's warm hands.
"Xiaoxiao!" Jiang Yao exclaimed, his voice containing worry and slight fear.
A man like him, so strong that no one wished to fight him, was fearful of something for the first time in his life. He was scared of losing Luo Xiao.
When he saw the younger man lying on the bed with tears streaming from his eyes, he was feeling so helpless and useless, unable to help his lover feel better.
"How are you?" he asked tentatively, feeling worried.
"I'm okay. My body feels heavy, but my mind feels much clearer than before. Even my strength has soared," he said, shocked.
"What happened while you were sleeping?" Jiang Yao asked hesitatingly. He did not want him to feel bad, but he was truly worried about him.
"I... I actually don't know," Luo Xiao frowned as he thought back to the dream. There were no memories at all; just a gentle warmth lingered in his heart.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Jiang Yao asked again, but Luo Xiao shook his head. "It was not a nightmare. But I don't think it was a dream either. It was just so comfortable."
Jiang Yao was confused, but so was Luo Xiao. He was seated on the bed frowning and feeling as if he had forgotten something significant.
But the more he thought, the more that elusive feeling evaded him, and eventually, he had no other option than to shake his head and give up.
Jiang Yao looked at Luo Xiao. Something comfortable? But if it was comfortable, why was he crying then?
Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao were both in deep thought when a knock was heard on the door.
"Sir, we would like to thank you for saving our caravan, is it convenient for you to meet with us?" The polite voice came from the head of the caravan.
He had seen Jiang Yao's power and wanted to build a better relationship with him. If they became friends, or if he took a liking to someone in the caravan, or if he accepted some bribes, then he could protect them in the future. If they had such a strong man protecting them, they would not have to fear any bandit groups along their trip.