After drinking several mouthfuls of blood from Xiang Mantang's wrist, Mu Jinyu's pale complexion gained a hint of color.
Seeing it was effective and noticing that the wound on his own wrist was scabbing, Xiang Mantang hurriedly slashed it again, immediately causing blood to spurt out violently; he pressed it to Mu Jinyu's mouth.
Mu Jinyu was again forced to swallow a few mouthfuls of blood. When Xiang Mantang's wound began to scab over once more, and he was about to slash his wrist again, Mu Jinyu finally raised a hand to grab his arm.
"No need… it's a waste… my condition… I know… even if you… give me all your blood… it's useless…"
Mu Jinyu was extremely weak, his voice coming in stutters.
Xiang Mantang understood him, and immediately felt the hope that had just risen plunge back into the abyss.
"No, let's try again!"
Xiang Mantang refused to sit still and wait for death; he couldn't just watch Mu Jinyu wait to die, and prepared to continue slashing his wrist.
But Mu Jinyu, holding his wrist, shook it with a pleading look on his face.
Xiang Mantang could shake off his palm in a flash, but how could he bear to harm Mu Jinyu further?
He was suddenly caught between a rock and a hard place!
Mu Jinyu gasped for a few breaths and spoke with difficulty, "Don't be like this… don't waste… my efforts…"
Xiang Mantang understood his meaning; if he persisted alone, the likely outcome would be that not only would he fail to save Mu Jinyu, but also the life he had been saved would be thrown away again!
It would mean both of them dying, failing to honor his efforts!
"Hehehe… Hahaha…"
Xiang Mantang was extremely distressed and suddenly burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face, laughing even uglier than crying.
"Why are you doing this to me!!"
After howling to the heavens, Xiang Mantang dared not delay any longer; he bent down to lift Mu Jinyu onto his back and then rushed towards the mouth of the valley.
He needed to quickly take Mu Jinyu away from Kunlun Mountain to the nearest city hospital for emergency treatment; there might still be a chance to save him!
However.
Just as Xiang Mantang had lifted Mu Jinyu on his back and walked out of the valley mouth.
A group of men clad in black suddenly appeared, blocking their path.
"Get lost!"
Xiang Mantang, recognizing their attire as the same as the group who had just attacked him, had no patience to deal with them as he was desperate to save Mu Jinyu and bellowed angrily.
"Kill!"
The several hundred men wielding battle swords were less powerful than the hundreds who had previously surrounded Xiang Mantang, only having minor to great achievements in dark energy.
They obeyed Shen Cangsheng's orders; when Shen Cangsheng realized that Chen Qianqian hadn't returned for a long time, he sent them to assassinate Xiang Mantang.
At that moment, seeing that Xiang Mantang was indeed resurrected, they all rushed toward him with malicious grins, intent on killing him.
Shen Cangsheng had promised them that whoever took Xiang Mantang's head would get ample resources in return.
"Get out of my way! Those who obstruct me die!!"
Seeing them come to entangle him, Xiang Mantang roared angrily, his voice exuding fierce force energy, directly causing the few people in the lead to bleed from their mouths and noses, dying on the spot!
Afterward, he kicked the ground, sending gravel flying everywhere, instantly killing another dozen people!
"Kill!!"
A group of people clad in black were not daunted, charging at Mu Jinyu one after another with unyielding tenacity!
Xiang Mantang grabbed a battle saber with one swift motion, his eyes brimming with a murderous aura. He vigorously summoned his inner strength, unleashing a powerful surge of sword qi that erupted with fury, and in an instant, he took down more than twenty people!
"Shhh shhh shhh!"
Blood rained down as severed limbs and dismembered arms dropped to the ground.
Xiang Mantang was somewhat stunned himself.
After his encounter with death at Ghost Gate, his power had broken through once again!
He was almost reaching a Half-Step Holding Dan, a near step into the Innate Realm!
"Go!"
"Quick, let's go; he's not injured!"
Seeing Xiang Mantang's unstoppable might, where did the others find the courage to engage in a futile death march? They instantly turned and scattered, fleeing through the woods.
Xiang Mantang had no time to spare on them; he needed to get Mu Jinyu out of there quickly.
"Senior brother, you must hang in there. You must hang on; don't fall asleep!"
While carrying Mu Jinyu on his back and sprinting forward, Xiang Mantang spoke to him, trying to keep him conscious.
Mu Jinyu, teetering on the brink of death, was more lucid than ever. Resting on Xiang Mantang's back, he whispered weakly, "I'll try my best. I've made so much money, and I've courted several wives without even marrying them yet. How could I possibly die?!"
Despite his words, Mu Jinyu knew all too well that the chances of him surviving were slim.
Nevertheless, he did not regret saving Xiang Mantang in the least.
The regret was, he feared he would break the promise to marry Gu Xiyan and the others once they returned.
And then there was Su Zijin, who had been eager for him and Gu Xiyan to have a healthy baby boy soon, so she could hold her grandson early. That dream too, it seemed, would be dashed.
"Hmm..." Xiang Mantang's voice choked up, "You being such a miser, how could you die before me? You definitely won't have any trouble!"
"Who's a miser?!" Mu Jinyu protested in a frail and dissatisfied tone.
Xiang Mantang, with a choked-up voice, said, "Senior brother, all these years, I've always freeloaded off you. You would often complain, saying that even biological brothers should settle accounts clearly. We're only martial brothers, without any blood ties. Yet, I've swindled over a hundred billion yuan from you. It's nothing short of banditry. You've always asked me to repay the debt. Once we get back, you cooperate with the doctor, get treated, get better, and I'll pay back every penny!"
"No need for that; I'm not short on money anymore, let's just say I've been doing my part to help the world..." Mu Jinyu, feeling his life force slipping away, chuckled softly.
Xiang Mantang's heart quivered as he murmured, "How can you say that, senior brother? I remember you telling me when we were little, your father was a skilled doctor, helping the world with his medical skills. Yet often, because the sick patients were too poor to afford the consultation fee, he never charged them a penny, even going as far as to give away medicine for free, saving countless lives. But when he fell ill in the prime of his life, despite spending all his wealth, he couldn't find a cure. And those he had once helped, few were willing to offer financial aid. He died with such regret... You've lived with this regret your entire life and swore never to be like your father. You pledged to demand payment for saving lives and treating the sick. How can you possibly refuse to take my money? I didn't give you any money just now, why did you save me? You shouldn't have saved me!!"
Mu Jinyu laughed softly, his breathing growing fainter, yet his gaze was clear and filled with a tender smile as he struggled to speak, "I don't regret it, Ah-Xiang!"
"Do you remember when we were kids? In the orphanage, because I didn't want to interact with others, with my extreme personality, I was often bullied. It was you who defended me, who used the few yuan you earned from collecting scraps to treat me to a bowl of beef noodles..."
"From that moment on, I decided that you were my only brother..."
Hearing Mu Jinyu's words, tears uncontrollably streamed down Xiang Mantang's face, and as he ran too fast, they immediately flew backward off his cheeks.
Listening to Xiang Mantang's sobbing, and feeling the tears hit his face, Mu Jinyu expressed his annoyance, "Really, you're such a nuisance. Whenever we talk about food, you start drooling. Never mind, you just recovered from an injury, so I won't scold you. I'm a bit tired, I want to sleep..."