Chapter 1130: Chapter 1128: The Cost of Revenge
I knew she looked familiar!
A soft exclamation instantly confirmed the suspicion Fu Qian had from before.
The familiarity, of course, wasn’t with the figure in the water, but with Lady Ran Hui.
The one who emerged from the sea had already become unrecognizable, barely managing to maintain a human shape.
And although she was wearing a mask, Fu Qian had felt a sense of déjà vu about Lady Ran Hui since the moment he saw her.
Now he finally realized who she was—Rachel.
Lady Li Min’s close female friend, who had helped her seek revenge while in Posey City.
Only at that time, Rachel was not only full of vibrant colors on her head, but her behavior was also like that of a rebellious teenage girl.
In comparison, not only had her appearance completely changed now, but her temperament had also become much too somber, not at all like the same person.
Plus, he was too lazy to remember the physical characteristics of such irrelevant people, so he didn’t recognize her at first.
Now, it was clear what had happened—after the revenge incident, Rachel decided to stay by her close friend’s side come what may.
...
A mist of blood rose, and Fu Qian once more entered the Blood Conquest state, walked to the edge of the cliff, and carefully examined the deformed body in the water.
Apart from the nearly physiologically repulsive appearance at first glance, it was obvious that her internal state was not good either.
It was apparent that Lady Li Min wanted to say something in response to Rachel’s calling, yet all that came out in the end was a whistle-like shriek.
"Li Min..."
Rachel was visibly distressed by the sight and even looked as if she wanted to jump straight into the water, but the next moment, the other party raised her hand to stop her.
Covered with sharp angles and fine scales, even the fingers mutated into fin-like structures, but this hand was still relatively flexible compared to the rest of the body.
Her other arm from top to bottom not only bloomed like a sea anemone but also hung limp and powerless.
The next moment, Li Min withdrew this only functioning hand and placed it on her chest.
A cascade of Bai Shuang.
Starting from her palm, a vortex of extreme cold emerged, swiftly enveloping the surroundings.
And at the center of the vortex, the entire upper body of Li Min instantly crystallized with Ice Crystal, like a sculpture.
Witnessing this scene, Rachel clenched her fists but respected the other’s wishes and did not approach to interfere.
"Ra...chel..."
After a moment, as if exhausting all her strength, Li Min’s arm fell, but she managed to make a sound attempt.
Her action just now seemed to be a near self-harming way to stabilize her physical condition and regain the ability to speak.
But even so, her voice was unrecognizable, sounding like a rasp.
"You really did it! I thought..."
When her name was called, Rachel’s voice was filled with sadness and could not hide her excitement.
"I’ve brought you new Blood Dew."
Without dwelling on emotions, she swiftly took out a leather wrap, opened it, and inside were three neatly inserted cylindrical vials.
"You shouldn’t have come here..."
Watching Rachel take out the items, Li Min softly shook her head after a long while, with a very slight movement.
"Don’t worry, I won’t go deeper, but given your current state, it’s not suitable for you to leave this place... and it’s still like before, you came here because you heard the sound, didn’t you?"
Rachel seemed to have anticipated this response and quickly explained.
"You seem to be holding up alright, this should be enough for you to last a while longer."
"I might not be able to hear soon... I can feel it."
But Li Min was determined not to accept the items Rachel was handing over.
"My mentor’s guess was correct... Ash can indeed help suppress the fire I swallowed and even repair my body, but it’s too chaotic, not something that can be controlled or guided..."
"Even if I hide and don’t go out, my body will probably collapse very soon... Stop continuing this, leave here."
Li Min looked at Rachel’s face, where nearly half of it was scarred with burns.
"You’ve already done enough for me."
...
So that’s why Rachel got involved in illegal activities?
Although the conversation between the two was filled with too many exclamations, Fu Qian quickly sketched out a rough outline.
At that time, Li Min, in order to kill Claudio and avenge her mentor, had used special means to forcefully cross Ranks. After her wish was fulfilled, her own body was on the verge of collapsing.
It seems that Rachel, who arrived later, did not seem to mind her friend’s concealment and managed to take her out.
Considering Li Min’s condition at the time, and the heightened vigilance of the Night Watchman because of the chaos in Posey City, one can imagine the hardships Rachel endured, suggesting that the burns on her were from that time too.
Following the possibly useful method left by Li Min, she even trekked a long distance to bring her here.
After confirming its effectiveness, in order to collect materials to help stabilize her friend’s body condition, Rachel, unfamiliar with the place, went astray and joined the more lucrative poaching industry.
The harmonica was the agreed-upon signal for them to meet.
Sadly, it seems that Li Min has reached her limit.
To Fu Qian’s perception, it was clear that Li Min was not bluffing Rachel.
Her body was one step away from complete collapse.
The Sea of Ashes itself is synonymous with death and chaos; a body repaired by it is like a pile of code pushed to its limits.
Not to mention the fire Li Min had swallowed, she could feel it hadn’t been completely extinguished.
One can only imagine the immense pain she was enduring.
In contrast, her mental state was still fairly well maintained; it’s unknown if the Decree Residue activated by chance played a part in that.
Of course, some things are a double-edged sword; the overly lucid consciousness, coupled with her bodily condition, seemed more like a form of torture.
"Don’t talk like that; this was my own decision."
Rachel clearly rejected Li Min’s suggestion and handed over the items without further discussion.
"Never give up, no matter what. Maybe if you keep enduring, you can not only heal yourself but also move up several Ranks by a stroke of luck!"
...
Looking at the Blood Dew handed to her, Li Min did not refuse any longer.
However, the moment she reached out to take it, she seemed to finally notice the marks on Rachel’s hands.
"What happened to you...?"
"Did something happen that made you come earlier than the time we agreed upon?"
Rachel probably didn’t expect Li Min to be so sharp even in this state and quickly withdrew her hand, seemingly regretting taking off her glove.
After a moment’s hesitation, familiar with her friend’s nature, she didn’t make any pointless denials.
"I ran into an accident; someone led the Curse Abyss onto the ship, resulting in everyone on board being marked, forcing us to hide in here from the threat."
"But don’t worry, these things will dissipate in a few hours at most."