Thump! Thump! Thump!

Gale's chest beat like a huge sledgehammer pitted against the anvil. The beating only rose as Maya worked on suppressing the corruption from affecting more of his physical body.

She was literally drawing complicated spirit scripts on the air without the help of any items and transmitting them into Gale's leg one after another as the unconscious man groaned out loudly even when he was unconscious.

Maya already managed to block everything below his knee, but sending them below to the ankle would be tougher.

Glistening sweat beads formed on her forehead and vaporised as she continued on with the process, expending her spirit power and radiance.

Other than the corruption, Gale's channels went berserk, barely holding on. Maya could easily see it was the consequences of channelling the power of the storm into his channels. However, that shouldn't have left Gale alive after he was done with everything.

Yet he was healing, even before she cast a few radiant healing spells on him. She had found a familiar radiant fate lock near where she had found Gale. It was something she created along with their master, refining from a gemheart core of a celestial radiance.

Gale was intending to take it as his fourth fate lock in the hope of using its healing power to save himself.

"At least he wasn't completely suicidal," Maya muttered, and found the petite little disciple was still giving worried glances from the other side of the barrier.

The surprising thing was that he was healing already before he could even try bonding with the fate lock.

After about six hours of work on Gale, Maya was finally done suppressing the Corruption to the best of her abilities. But she feared all the restrictions she put in would only last a few months.

"Gale wouldn't like it when he wakes up," she mumbled as she stood up, retracting the barrier.

"What I wouldn't like?"

Maya blinked and found Gale's eyes staring at her with a painful expression on his face.

"You woke up faster than I assumed," Maya said, and was about to start on with her questioning, but the little disciple her junior brother had taken in didn't seem like she could stop her anymore.

"Master!" Xiaolin rushed to the bed to clasp Gale's arm e's arm. She almost hugged him, resting her head on his chest.

Gale was about to pull her closer with both arms, but a thought stopped him from using his left arm. He only tousled her hair with his right palm, stroking her head softly. Next came Vale, who started licking his face.

"I'm right here," Gale whispered. He gave them proper time to make sure he was alright, and said, "Okay, now leave me with some space to breathe."

Both the girl and animal did as he told them. Xiaolin's eyes tore up as she didn't leave his arm, however.

"How are you feeling?" Maya asked, sitting next to him on the other side.

"I feel like I was hit by a train," Gale answered.

"That sums it up." Maya nodded and reached for her left arm, but Gale lurched it away. A frown appeared on her angelic eyes.

"What's a train?" Xiaolin asked, confused.

"Consider it as a hundred-metre-long metal carriage," Maya answered for Gale as she had already heard this term from Gale multiple times. She returned to Gale. "What happened to your left arm?"

Gale frowned, drawing it to peer into the spiritual marks in his arm. His palm was shaking, as the weird dark power surged through the mark. That wasn't all.

"Probably a side effect of the spatial detonation," Gale answered and told himself.

"I figured that was you're doing," Maya answered. "Have you checked on what happened to your left ankle?"

Gale closed his eyes and sighed. He could feel Maya restrict the taint from corrupting his body more, and while doing so she hadn't left him with much Qi to work with. If before it was the amount an Iron ranker had access to, then now it was similar to a copper ranker.

[I can help you get back a portion of your power,] a voice said in his mind.

'Saarya?' Gale thought.

[Yes?]

'Nothing, just wanted to make sure you were there,' Gale told her.

[I'm always with you,] Saarya told him. [If I didn't take liberty words, then I'm literally leaching off your mind and body.]

'I don't think I understand that completely,' Gale told her.

[There's still much for you to learn. Also, don't talk about my presence to that little girl of my blood.]

'Why?' Gale asked, understanding she was talking about Maya when she mentioned 'little girl'. 'Please don't say I won't understand.'

[I lived a long life, and did many great things, but most of them can't be seen or haven't been painted in a good light,] Saarya said, her tone painful. [Have you ever assumed why there are so few folks of the Celestial Radiance?]

'Because they left for the divine realm?'

[There's no divine realm,] Saarya snorted, spouting out a big secret. [There's only one endless spirit realm, you have explored, a little portion of it in your early years.]

'The temple where I found Vale?' Gale asked.

[Yes,] Saarya said, [unfortunately, I was only able to open a one-way portal. Thankfully, you didn't come across anything powerful and even managed to bond with a spirit of protection.]

'Hmm.' Gale thought back to the days.

[Anyway, the point is not because my clansmen left for the spirit realm,] Saarya said, her voice filled with unbridled fury. [But many of the powerful ones were killed and the rest were enslaved. I fear many are still being enslaved in the spirit realm.]

Gale's blood turned cold as he heard her.

[The little girl is lucky to escape their eyes.]

'Who are they?' Gale asked, only to get no answer. He guessed it was one of those sensitive topics.

"Gale?" Maya called, finding him lost in thoughts, closing his eyes. "No outburst?"

"For what?" Gale asked, opening his eyes back to reality.

"Well, I had to restrict more of your Qi," Maya said, biting her lower lip.

Gale let out a sigh. "That isn't your fault," he said, "It's of my doing.]

Maya blinked at him. "Wow, I hadn't thought you would this understanding quickly."

"I always am." Gale groaned out loud, feeling the thump yet again.

"What was that!?" Gale asked, his voice alarming.

"What?" Maya asked.

"Didn't you feel the earth thumping?"

Maya frowned as she turned to Linlin and Vale, making sure she hadn't missed anything.

"I felt nothing," Xiaolin said.

Vale shook his head, too.

"Maybe it's an aftereffect of your injuries," Maya said. "You should rest now, you literally have no power in your body, if you haven't noticed."

Gale tried to move and found his body aching in a splitting pain. "You're right," he admitted, groaning.

"Always." Maya wasn't shy about that. "Rest."

"Yes," Gale said, and remembered. "Can you check the central hub and the few indentured workers? I think you'll know what to do there once you're there."

"Well, I was planning on repairing the formation I damaged," Maya said, "let's see what extra work you have for me."

Maya gave the little girl a look, who clearly didn't plan on leaving her master. So she left them there and went on.

"Master, do you need anything?" Xiaolin asked.

Gale shook his head and figured it was better for him to answer with his mouth. "No, just some rest, I guess."

'Saarya, are you still there?' Gale asked.

[Always.]historical

'Did you influence my senses last night when I mistook Wang Li for Linlin?' Gale asked the same question again.

But like before, all he got as an answer was silence.

'Saarya?' Gale called in his head, 'you're here always.'

[I think your diminishing senses have more to do with corruption than me,] Saarya said. [While I influenced your senses during any trouble, you were intoxicated at that time.]

'That didn't answer it all,' Gale said.

[Fine, what do you want to know?] Saarya said, her tone hardening. [Yes, I could have alerted your senses and made sure you didn't make the mistake, but I let that happen.]

'You let that happen?' Gale repeated, his jaw tightening. "Why?"

"Master?" Xiaolin asked and only then Gale find out he said it out loud.

"Nothing," Gale said, and got back to his conversation in his mind as well.

'Why?'

[I don't know,] Saarya said. [I could have stopped it, but I whim not to. I guess I was bored.]

Gale cursed inwardly. 'You say you're older than ten thousand years, and mostly silently residing in me, and yet you're feeling bored.'

[My point exactly,] Saarya laughed. [You might have not noticed, but I was so bored that sometimes I let out something even when I was playing dead to you.]

Gale's face went soured as he heard that. 'Did you never think what would it mean for that woman?'

[I did, probably more than you,] Saarya said with absolute assurance. [I deemed this was better for her.]

Gale groaned inwardly.

[Believe it or not, I know you better than you yourself. Gale Joseph Paul Carpenter. If I left everything to you, you probably would have left her years in misery. My silence only hastens the process.]

'Do you know how complicated my relationship with Xiaolin would be because of this?'

[I know, but I feel my disciple can make both the woman happy if he put his heart into it. Besides, you like her, it is time for you to admit that.]