Having conveniently terrible timing, tournament officials touched down from the sky less than a few seconds later, their faces frantic.
"What's causing damage?" They shouted. "Who set off the flares? There were so many!"
"Don't worry," Pan Fa stepped up, puffing up his chest proudly and pointing over to Qiu Yunru. "My shixiong took care of it! But you should really regulate the size of those puppets. How could you let a puppet that big in?! If it weren't for Qiu-shixiong..."
Qiu Yunru sat hunched over near the cliffside, huffing and puffing.
Even though it had only taken one strike to finish that creature off, it had taken a lot out of him. Due to the nature of demonic cultivation, being so close to that creature's aura and stabbing it in the core of its qi had caused some demonic qi to temporarily seep into his meridians. His breaths were heavy, and his body felt sluggish.
If the monster hadn't already been greatly weakened by his powder, there was absolutely no way it could have been defeated!
However, he was too tired to consider how on earth such a creature had been approved to roam around the competition area. As the officials inspected the area for remaining damage and injured participants, Qiu Yunru stumbled into the woods and vomited in a bush.
Always with the throwing up. Why did this game love to make him puke his guts out?
As he stood up, wiping his mouth miserably, he felt he was being watched. A shiver crawled up his spine.
Turning around, he came face to face with none other than Lei Ruolan.
Her gaze was ice-cold. Her hair was matted to her forehead and neck with sweat; her right arm still hung limply at her side; and her shoulder was drenched in blood.
"Lei-shijie..." He said weakly, trying for an awkward smile.
For a moment, she looked like she was going to hit him. Her fists balled, and her chest heaved wildly. However, it seemed she had lost too much blood. Instead of hitting him, she suddenly squatted down and hugged her knees, beginning to shake.
"Lei-shijie...?"
Qiu Yunru leaned down, puzzled.
Holy shit--she was crying!
Qiu Yunru was utterly horrified. Throwing up and comforting crying people in every setting imaginable--why was the game so fond of putting him in these situations?!
"Fuck." Lei Ruolan wiped at her eyes furiously. Her face shone with tears and snot. Though she tried to put on an angry expression, it faltered immediately. Her lip trembled, and the tears continued to flow. She buried her face in her arms, heaving. "Fuck."
"Lei-shijie...?" Qiu Yunru crouched down, unsure of whether he should pat her back. What if it only made her angrier? What should he do?
"Go away," Lei Ruolan sniffeled into her sleeves. She glared at him with red, puffy eyes at streamed tears. "Don't look at me." She buried her face in her arms once again. "Father's going to disown me."
A sharp pang of guilt struck Qiu Yunru's heart. That was right--he'd seen what kind of person her father was when they had gone on a mission together to kill that Groundworm. He had abused and ignored her, valuing her only for her achievement. It was he who was the reason why she had acquired such an abrasive, competitive personality.
"...I...I'm sorry..." He muttered, feeling conflicted. It was true that he'd taken the opportunity to surely win from her...but...didn't he also need the points? Ah...Fuck...He really didn't like to be in situations like this.
Guilt had always been one of Qiu Yunru's least favorite feelings. He felt sadness often, and pity, and sympathy. But guilt felt painful to him. The thought of having hurt another person, even if he didn't intend to, made him feel sick. Gaining something at the cost of someone else's happiness made him feel dirty.
Lei Ruolan coughed, wiping at her nose harshly. She glared at him once again, her eyes glinting furiously in the moonlight. "Don't apologize now. Have some self-respect, idiot."
She wiped at her eyes until they were swollen, then lied back against a tree, dropping her face into her hands. "He said this was my last chance to impress him," She murmured faintly. A lightheaded laugh escaped her. "I'll be disowned by tomorrow."
"What?" Qiu Yunru was horrified.
Even though his parents had been often cruel to him, pushing him to work past his limits, calling him weak for his illness, and threatening to disown him if he didn't follow along the life path they desired for him, he had never felt that they would truly cut him out of the family once and for all. What's more, despite all their cruelty, they still had a little understanding for his illness.
Lei Ruolan's voice was...entirely resigned. Numb, even. She truly believed her father would cut her off without a second thought.
"I..." He floundered for words. What could he say in such a situation? "Even if he does...don't you still have the Jade Clouds Sect? You can train on Li Hua mountain, without having to think about him."
"...Ha. I joined the Jade Clouds Sect to win his favor, idiot," Lei Ruolan muttered. She held her knees tightly, looking absently into the black grass. "I don't know if I would have, had I not wanted him to think I was worth...something."
"All right! The area has been cleared!"
An official called out from somewhere out by the cliffside.
"We will be returning to patrol. All seriously injured disciples should come with us back to the gorge's edge!"
Qiu Yunru looked at Lei Ruolan. Her arm was clearly broken, and she had definitely lost too much blood from her shoulder wound. What's more, an air of oppressive demonic qi hung over her. Something about the aura was strikingly familiar.
He had felt this kind of energy when collecting Guo Mei's ashes--that Despair Energy.
"...Shouldn't you go with them?" He suggested gently. "You've lost a lot of blood..."
Lei Ruolan sighed, lying back against the tree and closing her eyes. "I don't want to. I'll feel like a failure."
Qiu Yunru sighed, feeling both frustrated and pitying. He considered running to get an official to transport her back from medical care, then decided against it. Based on the severity of her wounds, he could still treat them personally. What's more, if he did get someone to ship her off, who knew if that would cause her to hate him forever?
He really shouldn't care so much what an NPC thought of him in this life. After all, once he was a great immortal, he might never see anyone from the Jade Clouds Sect again.
Still, he felt uncomfortable being despised. And for some reason, he really didn't want Lei Ruolan to hate him.