Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Wu Xiu, Alive?
Chapter 40: Wu Xiu, Alive?
Jiang Lei stepped out of his room, only to be met with an unexpected scene that puzzled him greatly.
Villagers were in a hurry, some even ran, their faces showing a mix of anxiety and haste. Children clung to their parents, some were shivering, and some just layed motionless.
He observed that many of the villagers were also trembling, their bodies shaking, some showed fear in their faces.
Jiang Lei couldn't hide his curiosity so he approached the rapidly moving villagers, he extended a hand to stop one of them-- a middle-aged man.
"What's happening?" Jiang Lei asked, genuine concern etched on his face. "Why is everyone in such a hurry?"
But as he spoke, Jiang Lei's attention shifted. His gaze fell upon a group of children who were supposed to be lying still, but they were not merely lying. They were unconscious, their small bodies limp and lifeless.
His heart skipped a beat at the sight, and his eyes widened in disbelief. The man he had stopped earlier turned to him, his voice quivering.
"Lord Jiang, please, look at my child," the man implored, tears welling up in his eyes. His voice was filled with anguish as he continued, "She just... she just lost consciousness. Please, you have to help her!"
The other villagers began to voice their concerns, all pointing to their unconscious children. Fear and desperation painted their faces as they looked to Jiang Lei for help.
"Okay, Calm down, atleast tell me first, what happened? Why are your children unconscious?"
As Jiang Lei inquired about the children's condition, a worried murmur spread among the villagers. They exchanged anxious glances, struggling to find words to explain what had transpired.
Amidst the hushed discussions, one of the villagers, a middle-aged woman, finally stepped forward and hesitantly said, ""L-Lord Jiang, we d-don't know how it h-happened, e-everything was f-fine yesterday night, b-but today..th-this cold..."
"Cold?"Jiang Lei asked suspiciously, he couldn't understand, what cold they were talking about?
"L-Lord Jiang, aren't you f-feeling c-c-cold?"A middle aged man asked in shivering voice, hai whole body was shaking.
Jiang Lei's brows furrowed in suspicion. He hadn't realized it until now, but as he assessed his surroundings, he noticed that the temperature had indeed decreased very much.
"Strange! cold and even in desert." he muttered to himself, he is a cultivatior and still a cultivatior with fire talent so this temprature hasn't any effect on him, but to these Villagers who are just mortals, this is a life threatening situation for them.
"L-Lord Jiang," one of the villagers pleaded, teeth chattering, "we w-were on our way to Long Wei to seek help for our children. N-now that you're here, p-please help us? We d-don't know what to do."
Jiang Lei looked upon the worried faces of the villagers, although they have cheated him, but these children are innocent and he couldn't bear to see these innocent children suffering.
"Okay, don't worry, I'll help you all."Jiang Lei went to one of the child in a woman's arm, he was lying unconscious, he extended his hand and gently placed it on the child's forehead. He closed his eyes, focusing his energy to connect with the young one's body.
As his consciousness delved into the child's body, he was met with an unsettling sensation. A bone-chilling coldness was running through the child's body, sending a shiver down Jiang Lei's spine. He muttered in disbelief, "This cold... it's not natural."
Jiang Lei is very sure that this is not the normal cold, it is energy, the frost energy.
"Wu Xiu," he muttered in disbelief.
"Impossible, this can't be real. She is dead. I saw her explode in front of me. How is this possible?"
"L-lord Jiang, h-he will get w-well, right?" Woman asked in a concerning tone.
"Yes, don't worry, he will be alright."Jiang Lei didn't think about his problems now, he knows that this is not the time to think about all this now.
Jiang Lei used his own energy to slowly dispell the cold energy in child's body, he used his fire energy, but made sure to make it soft, fearing that it will hurt the child.
Slowly but steadily, he felt the child's body responding to his efforts, child's cold body gradually turned warm.
As Jiang Lei continued to channel his energy into the unconscious child, a soft whisper reached his ears. "M..mother."
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes as she tightly embraced her child, who was slowly regaining consciousness. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "Ch-child, are you... o-okay? You frightened your mother to d-death."
The child weakly nodded, still recovering from the strange cold that had gripped him moments ago. The mother held her child close, overcome with relief.
"Th-thank you, Lord Jiang," the woman managed to say between sobs as she hurriedly kneeled before him, expressing her gratitude.
Jiang Lei offered a warm smile and extended his hand to help her up. "It's okay; it was just a little effort. Your child is safe now."
Everyone was happy seeing the child is ok, but their happiness soon fade as they think about their children.
"Lord Jiang, m-my child," a man said desperately, clutching his child in his trembling arms.
"L-lord Jiang, please save my child," another villager implored, fear and hope mingling in their voice.
The scene had become chaotic once again as parents clung to their children, beseeching for help.
Jiang Lei raised his hand to calm the worried villagers. "Don't worry, I will save them all." He moved from one child to the next, repeating the same process of channeling his energy to dispel the unnatural cold that had affected them.
Soon, the all the children started waking up.
Everyone was overjoyed seeing this scene and their worry finally faded, they knew that their child will be safe now.
Jiang Lei kept doing this untill the last child got cured.
With their children safe and sound, the villagers couldn't contain their gratitude any longer. They knelt before Jiang Lei, their heads bowed in reverence and their voices filled with remorse.
"Lord Jiang, we are d-deeply sorry for deceiving you."
"Please f-forgive us, Lord Jiang. We n-never meant to c-cause you h-harm."
Tears welled up in the villagers' eyes as they apologized, their sincerity was visible. They had deceived Jiang Lei out of fear and desperation, but now, faced with his incredible kindness and compassion, their remorse weighed heavily on their hearts.
Jiang Lei looked at the villagers, he knows they had acted out of fear and ignorance, and he had already chosen to forgive them. With a gentle smile, he said, "Get up. I hold no grudges. Let us put this behind us and move forward together."
"L-lord Jiang, t-thank you for forgiving us."A woman said in a trembling voice.
It was only when then he noticed they were all trembling. The realization hit him that they, too, had been affected by the cold. His empathetic nature urged him to help them.
"Let me assist all of you as well." He began to channel his energy once more, directing warmth into each villager's body to dispel the numbing cold.
As the soothing energy flowed through them, the villagers' trembling gradually ceased, and warmth returned to their bodies. They gazed at Jiang Lei with gratitude and relief, their trust in him deepening even further.
In this moment, Jiang Lei had not only them and their children, he has also won their heart and soul, for them, he is no less than a god.
"This place is not suitable for all of you. Head back home and rest. Staying here may expose you to the cold again." Jiang Lei knows that although he has dispell the cold energy from their body, but it is still there in the environment, if they stay here, this energy will again get into their body.
Everyone nodded silently, and left. Sometimes words fall short to express the feelings, they also don't have the words to express, but they remembered his kindness in their heart.
Now even if they have to sacrifice their life for him, still, they will never hesitate or step back from this either.
Jiang Lei looked at the villagers going back and then he gazed at the sky, the sun was still there but it's light was struggling to pierce the lingering cold, he mumbles, "I hope, I'll not have to face any problem again and,....you shouldn't be alive.
Author's Note- I wanted to add this chapter yesterday, but couldn't, and sorry for stretching this trial so long, I wanted to end this with Wu Xiu's death, but felt that, that end will be incomplete, so I had to write some more chapters but now it is finally ending, today.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone