The First Summoner - Chapter 16

At those words, Shen Yan raised her eyes and fixed him with a cold stare.

She had long suspected that his identity was far from simple. She also believed him to be deeply calculating.

Every time they struck a bargain, he seemed able to see straight through her and identify exactly what she needed most.

Feng Xingyao found her look of restrained irritation rather entertaining.

Softly, he began, “One.”

“Fine!” Shen Yan cut off his count.

Feng Xingyao paused.

Then he asked, “Have you truly thought it through? You can bear to ruin such smooth, delicate hands?”

“What do you think?” she replied without expression.

Holding his gaze, she asked, “How do I pull them out?”

“Grip the chain directly. I’ll guide your hand and help you tear it free.” Looking at her calm, unyielding face, Feng Xingyao took the unusual step of warning her, “It has to be done quickly.”

“Understood.”

Shen Yan nodded, then studied him. “Why choose me to remove the sealing chains?”

“Because you have no spiritual power.”

Someone without spiritual power could touch the seals. Anyone else would be violently thrown back—or suffer an even worse backlash—the instant they made contact.

Shen Yan’s expression remained unchanged. Her gaze dropped to the sealing chain piercing Feng Xingyao’s left wrist, lingered for a moment, then returned to his face.

An unspoken understanding passed between them.

His right hand closed around her slender wrist. The chill of his skin seeped into hers, sharpening every one of her senses.

“We begin now.”

As the words fell, Shen Yan reached out and seized the chain.

Agony exploded through her palm.

It felt as though she had thrust her hand into a furnace. Searing heat ate into her flesh.

“Pull!”

Shen Yan gritted her teeth and yanked. At the same time, Feng Xingyao clamped down on her wrist and dragged her hand upward with brutal force.

The sealing chain ripped free from flesh and bone.

Clang—clang!

The blood-slick chain crashed to the floor.

All color drained from Feng Xingyao’s face.

The skin across Shen Yan’s right palm had been corroded away, leaving behind a bloody, mangled mess.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke.

Shen Yan reached for the chain piercing his right wrist. Once again, Feng Xingyao lent her his strength.

A second sealing chain tore free.

Blood streamed from Shen Yan’s hand and dripped rapidly from her fingertips. The corrosion had burrowed deep into her flesh.

It hurt.

The pain sank straight into her bones.

Her lips turned pale, and a fine sheen of sweat broke out across her forehead.

Ninefold abruptly took human form and rushed to their side. The moment he saw the wretched state they were both in, panic seized his small face.

“Have you both lost your minds?”

“Master, how could you agree to this? You’re only flesh and blood right now! Stop! If you keep going, your hand will be completely ruined!”

He whirled on Feng Xingyao.

“And you! Are you insane? If you force the sealing chains out and your body can’t withstand it, you’ll die!”

Ninefold was nearly frantic enough to pry their hands apart himself.

Shen Yan clenched her jaw. “Ninefold. Bring me the wound powder and the flesh-regenerating salve.”

“Master, you—”

“Now!”

Her unyielding tone left him no choice. Ninefold immediately fetched both medicines, then hurriedly—and with painstaking care—applied them to her right hand.

The medicine hurt worse than the corrosion itself.

Involuntary tears nearly sprang from Shen Yan’s eyes.

When he finished, she tipped her chin toward Feng Xingyao. “Give him some too.”

Ninefold stared blankly for a moment before realizing she meant Feng Xingyao.

Fresh blood was pouring from both of the man’s wrists. The wounds were ghastly.

Feng Xingyao frowned in disdain. “No.”

The medicine would do nothing for him.

“Mm.” Shen Yan did not try to persuade him. She merely said, “I’m switching hands.”

Feng Xingyao understood at once. He reached out and gripped her left wrist, his fingers tightening around it.

Shen Yan paid no attention to the pressure. Her gaze was fixed on the sealing chain at his ankle.

Without hesitation, she seized it and pulled.

Sizzle—

Her left palm began to corrode almost immediately. Blood ran along the chain and fell in heavy drops.

“Aaaaaah!”

Ninefold witnessed the scene and let out an ear-piercing shriek. He ran frantic circles around them.

“It’s over! It’s all over!”

“Master is going to lose both hands!”

“And he’s going to lose his life!”

When the third sealing chain finally came free, every trace of blood had vanished from Feng Xingyao’s handsome face. A sickly frailty settled over him.

Both of Shen Yan’s hands trembled. With the flesh torn and bloody, they looked horrifying.

Only one sealing chain remained.

Shen Yan drew a breath.

She had already gone this far. There was no point stopping now.

Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the last chain and tore it upward. Feng Xingyao forced out the last of his strength to assist her.

Rip!

The final sealing chain came free.

“Aaaaaah!”

Ninefold shrieked again. Helplessly clutching his little head, he looked on the verge of tears.

“Noisy.”

That single word from Feng Xingyao forced Ninefold straight back into the Ninefold Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

White-faced, Shen Yan looked down at her ruined hands.

She was not grieving over them.

She was wondering what lie she could concoct to fool her father.

Wounds this conspicuous would certainly arouse Shen Tianhao’s suspicions.

Just then—

A shadow fell over her.

As though every last trace of strength had left his body, Feng Xingyao collapsed directly onto Shen Yan.

Caught off guard, she was knocked flat beneath him.

Thud!

His cold lips accidentally brushed the hollow of her neck, leaving behind a faint, tingling itch.

Shen Yan’s entire body stiffened.

“Get up.” Frowning, she tried to push him away.

He was far too heavy. Though he looked lean, having him on top of her was like being pinned beneath a small mountain.

He seemed to have lost consciousness.

In the end, Shen Yan gathered all her strength and shoved him off.

The man fell beside her, eyes tightly closed. His face was deathly pale, and a streak of blood stained the corner of his mouth. It only made his bewitching features more arresting—fragile enough to stir anyone’s sympathy.

Shen Yan placed a finger beneath his nose.

His breathing was weak, but he was alive.

She let out a quiet breath.

Alive was enough.

Shen Yan sat up and was about to apply more medicine to her hands when her expression suddenly changed.

Her wounds were healing.

At astonishing speed, torn flesh knitted together. Scabs formed, then vanished. Within moments, both hands had returned to normal.

What was happening?

Her eyes narrowed.

When she pushed Feng Xingyao away, she had accidentally touched the blood around one of his wounds.

Could his blood have healed her?

To test her suspicion, Shen Yan crouched beside him and reached out, intending to dab a little blood onto her fingertip.

The man’s eyes opened without warning.

His pupils were black as the night. He stared at her without blinking.

For once, Shen Yan felt faintly guilty.

Feng Xingyao’s lips were utterly bloodless, but a slight smile curved them all the same.

“The more secrets you learn, the sooner you die.”

Shen Yan understood the warning. Silently, she withdrew her hand and went straight to the point.

“I’ve done my part. Now tell me what you know about the Blood-Devouring Pearl.”