137: 4.2 Save Me

4.2 Save Me

A wave of vertigo he had quite gotten used to surrounded him for a while and Lu Yizhou snapped his eyes open to the sound of inhuman growl right a few meters away from him.1

In the previous worlds, he had woken up either alone or the situation was peaceful enough for him to register his surroundings. Unlike this time, a tiger — if that could be called tiger with its purple fur and a pair of horns jutting out behind its ears — twice his size was bracing itself on the ground, a split second from pouncing on him and mauling his face with those sharp, deadly claws. Its ruby eyes glowed in menace and it spared Lu Yizhou not even a second to recover himself as it kicked off the ground, jagged teeth flashing as it opened its mouth wide—

Lu Yizhou moved aside to avoid the attack. There was an unfamiliar cold sensation on his right hand and he glanced down to see a long, ivory sword with exquisite snowflakes design on its hilt. Without even thinking, he swung it hard, stabbing the tiger right on its side. A loud, hair-rising howl erupted from its mouth as it rolled away, escaping from the range of Lu Yizhou's sword. 

Sword, his mind finally caught up. As if everything couldn't get worse, he almost tripped on his feet due to the long, billowy light blue robes that he was currently wearing. Fuck, he cursed. The system just wouldn't give him a break, would it? Lu Yizhou was better with guns than he was with swords but he had no choice, hadn't he? Given his current situation, it seemed like he couldn't escape from the tiger's wrath. 

Just as he was thinking about it, the tiger shook its head and sent him another ear-deafening roar. The sound was enough to make him stumble back a few steps before he regained his footing.

A strange sensation was thrumming underneath his veins. Something powerful, familiar yet strange at the same time. If he wasn't wrong… Lu Yizhou tried to sketch the flow of the spark in his body, letting it travel through his arms to the tip of his fingers and there it was — suddenly, the sword in his hand was encased in a deep blue glow and he sent it flying toward the tiger, effectively slicing its head off from its body. The ground shook as the creature's huge body crashed down and like a boomerang, the sword made a suave turn in midair and returned to Lu Yizhou's hand. The blue light gradually dimmed until it returned to normal looking sword.

For a while, only silence remained. The tiger's carcass lay by Lu Yizhou's feet, its head a few meters away. The air was suffused with the scent of its blood that smelled like lotus, much to Lu Yizhou's dismay.

[666: H—H—Host, a—are you okay…?]

Lu Yizhou closed his eyes to regulate the spiritual energy in his body. [I almost died within three seconds of transmigrating so yes, I guess I am.]

[666: Huaaa QAQ 666 also doesn't know that we will meet such a… such a terrifying creature! Ugh, 666 is going to puke! This is gore!]

[Your screen is mosaicked.] Lu Yizhou deadpanned.

[666: But 666 can still imagine it! Hasn't Host realized that 666's imagination is as wide as the sky and as deep as the ocean?!]

Lu Yizhou gathered his long sleeves, frowning as he sheathed his sword. He scanned his surroundings. He was currently in the middle of the forest, tall trees growing up to the sky, dried leaves beneath his feet and then… nothing. There's no more information he could get to gauge his current situation. However, based on the ostentatiously flowing robes he was wearing and the sword on his hand, Lu Yizhou took a guess. [Cultivation world?]

[666: Bingo! Host is right, Host is mighty, Host is powerful! We are indeed in a cultivation world!]

Lu Yizhou rolled his eyes. Even someone with less brain cells could make the deduction. He took in a slow breath and exhaled. He found that his patience had improved tremendously ever since he was stuck together with this chatty, crybaby and incompetent system. [Plot.] Lu Yizhou was brewing in impatience. He couldn't afford to waste even one second. Just like in the last world, if he had spent a few minutes longer, Oliver's fate would have taken an unimaginable turn. This world's 'him', Lu Yizhou had to get to him as soon as possible. He couldn't let anything happen to him.

[666: A—Alright, wait a second!]

However, before 666 could dump the plot into his mind, Lu Yizhou abruptly sensed strong murderous intent coming his way. [Wait.] He swiveled around, his sword half unsheathed as he braced himself for the attacker. For a split second, Lu Yizhou badly missed his gun. He truly wasn't a fan of close combat. It could get too messy sometimes. "Who's there?" He growled out. "Show yourself."

The trees rustled and the air was tense and silent save for his own breathing, calm and focused. Then a faint noise came from the front and a dark figure barreled straight into him. Lu Yizhou could have made the first move — he had his sword ready — yet somehow he stopped. His entire body froze in place as the figure drew closer. A voice in the back of his mind told him; no, you wouldn't want to attack this person. He was startled by the revelation and the split second was enough for the other person to spot the opening in his defense. He lunged forward—

[666: AAAAH, HOST! DODGE!!!]

Lu Yizhou snapped back to his senses by 666's screech but it was too late.

The figure stepped in front of him, close… so close that Lu Yizhou could see his bloodshot eyes and the blood smearing his face. And then… his eyes fluttered shut, like he had exhausted every last bit of energy and he collapsed right into Lu Yizhou's embrace, bringing with him the thick stench of blood. The air was knocked out of Lu Yizhou's lungs as he caught the unfamiliar figure. The sudden weight caused him to stumble and he promptly dropped his sword so that he could use both hands to support the unknown man.

What Lu Yizhou noticed first was a mess of long jet black hair and tattered black robes. The dark color rendered Lu Yizhou unable to gauge the extent of his injuries but the heavy metallic tang on the tip of his nose told Lu Yizhou that he was gravely injured. His breaths were ragged and he was clinging onto Lu Yizhou for dear life, chapped lips muttering. "Save… Save me…"

Then, he promptly lost consciousness.

Lu Yizhou's hands shook as he laid the man gently on the ground. He brushed the messy strands away from his face and sucked in a breath. He was… beautiful, to say the least. Even with his deathly pale complexion and frowning brows, he was a sight to behold. Nonetheless, Lu Yizhou had no time to admire the stunning visage as dread crawled up his spine at the wide, garish wound on the side of the man's stomach. There were multiple lacerations on his limbs, and his breathing was weak enough that it seemed as if it was going to disappear any minute. Blood soaked the ground and was now staining Lu Yizhou's white robes. No, no, no, Lu Yizhou's ears buzzed, don't tell him, don't tell him that—

[666: Host, he… he seems to be the villain.]

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