46. Dark night

As Mei Lin carefully examined the pills, she found that most of them were for cultivation rather than healing. However, she eventually came across one that was indeed meant for healing. This particular bottle with the pills was green and emitted the scent of herbs. With a sense of urgency, Mei Lin opened the seal and retrieved one of the pills. Handing it to Xu Jie, she immediately gave the pill to Xu Yi. Xu Jie administered the pill into Xu Yi's mouth, who consumed it under Mei Lin's watchful gaze. They waited anxiously to see the effects of the pill on Xu Yi's condition.

As they waited for Xu Yi's reaction to the pill, Mei Lin struggled to suppress her hunger for blood, which intensified in her weakened state. However, she was cautious not to reveal her intentions to Xu Jie. Much to her relief, all the blood had been absorbed by the bandages and bedsheets, preventing her from succumbing to her desires.

When Mei Lin asked Xu Jie about the situation outside, Xu Jie was taken aback by the question. Meeting Mei Lin's gaze, she felt a shiver run down her spine, sensing an inexplicable chill emanating from Mei Lin. Despite her surprise, Xu Jie began to recount the events that had transpired outside.

"About an hour and a half ago, bandits ambushed the caravan. Husband and Xu Yi were ordered to help protect the caravan against the bandits so the guards could stop the attack before their leader arrived to deal with them. The husband hasn't arrived yet. As for Xu Yi, he was injured not long ago and managed to come back here."

Mei Lin listened to the facts and then spoke. "I killed someone who probably attacked Xu Yi before. We will need to move away before the bandits come here. The slug is still moving, so someone is probably guiding it somewhere. The caravan leader is probably leading slug so if we get there we will be safe. As for fighting outside, we have no chance against the bandits if they try to attack us, so now I will go to the second floor, make myself some tea, and start to cultivate until Xu Yi wakes up."

Xu Jie looked at Mei Lin and didn't know if she thought this really or not. Who will protect her and Xu Yi, not Mei Lin? Xu Jie wanted to stop Mei Lin and told her to stay here and protect them, but when she looked at Mei Lin and saw that her veil was covered in blood which was stuck to her face, she didn't dare to tell her to stay here.

As Xu Jie looked upon Mei Lin, uncertainty gnawed at her heart. Though she yearned to ask Mei Lin to stay and protect them, the sight of Mei Lin's blood-streaked veil gave her pause. How could she trust someone whose hands were stained with the blood of their enemies? And yet, as she looked at Mei Lin's covered face, she saw a demon under the veil.

With a heavy sigh, Xu Jie made a decision. Though she could not deny the fear and mistrust that lingered in her heart, she knew that Mei Lin was their best hope for survival until Xu Yi or her husband came back. And so, with a sense of resignation, she reached out to Mei Lin, her voice soft yet resolute.

"Mei Lin, please," Xu Jie said, her words tinged with uncertainty. "Stay with us here. We need your strength and your courage now more than ever. Together, we can face whatever challenges lie ahead."

As she spoke, Xu Jie could feel the weight of her words pressing down upon her, the burden of responsibility heavy upon her shoulders. But even as doubt and fear threatened to overwhelm her, she knew she had made the right choice.

For in the heart of darkness, sometimes the most unlikely allies are the ones who hold the key to salvation. And as Xu Jie looked at Mei Lin, she knew that their fates were intertwined, bound together by the fragile threads of fate and circumstance. Together, they would face the challenges that lay ahead, united in their quest for survival and redemption.

Mei Lin didn't say a word and slowly turned around. She put a crystal teapot out from the storage ring, which she took in her room inside the snail and put on the table. Then, she pulled out a bottle of blood. After she opened the lit Xu Jie saw, that pot was nearly full of blood. She looked at Mei Lin with fear in her eyes.

"What the fuck is this. Why do you have one of my pots full of blood?" Mei Lin smiled at Xu Jie.

"I collected it from the bandit before she died. She didn't need it anymore." After that, she went back to the kitchen to find a spoon to put some blood inside the teapot. After that she put the pot and ladle back into the storage ring, Then she placed the teapot into the fireplace. As she put it in, she went back to Xu Yi.

"His wounds are starting to heal. Then I will go to the second floor and wait there for him until he comes." After that, Mei Lin picked up the teapot from the fire and extinguished it, so nothing would attract other bandits. Then, she stepped out of the room and headed to the stairs, slowly climbing to the second floor.

Xu Jie didn't know what to say. She watched as Mei Lin left the first floor and began to ponder about her. 'We never saw her before she arrived near the lake nearly a month ago. The first time we saw her, she was in very bad shape and looked like a dead man. Now, things are the same, but this time she has a pot full of blood and killed someone who injured Xu Yi. She also had a mysterious master who never appeared. Moreover, she killed Feng Jing in front of Fang Lian and wasn't punished.'

As she thought about Mei Lin, she started to get the feeling that since she entered the caravan, things started to only get worse. Xu Jie felt the room and went to the kitchen. The kitchen was full of a disgusting smell of blood. As she left the kitchen she saw your female bandit butchered right in front of the doors and immediately wanted to puke.

In the meantime, Mei Lin went to the second floor and slowly sat at her favorite spot. As Mei Lin settled into her favorite spot on the second floor of the teahouse, her gaze drifted out of the window, where the snowy landscape stretched out before her. Despite the lingering presence of bandits nearby, a sense of calm settled over the scene, the voices of the intruders gradually fading into the background.

As she shifted her gaze back into the room, she gently placed the teapot on the tea table and thoughts spread through her mind. 'Maybe after a while, the blood flowers will start to bloom here. It would be good if I could find a few plants and start to grow them.' After contemplating other plans, Mei Lin smiled and filled a cup quarter with tea from lunch, filling the rest with hot blood.

After tasting it a little, Mei Lin found that the taste of blood was slightly reduced by the tea, so she drank a little more to calm her bloodthirst and prepared herself to enter a cultivation state to absorb the blood tea. The tea house was in complete darkness, providing Mei Lin with a quieter and more conducive environment for cultivation. Once she entered her cultivation state, her mind disconnected from the real world, and the noises from outside the house disappeared.

After more than twelve hours, Mei Lin absorbed all the blood from before along with the new blood from the tea, and ended her long cultivation state. Mei Lin felt as if a new life had entered her body. Fatigue was partially gone, and her depleted strength was nearly recovered. Slowly opening her eyes, Mei Lin found herself in nearly complete darkness, with only one candle desperately flickering its flame casting dancing shadows across the walls. Placed on the table on the other side of the room candle was slowly dying.

Xu Yi was lying on the floor alongside Xu Jie, both covered under a blanket. Mei Lin gently smiled at Xu Yi from under her veil and then looked out of the window. It was late at night, and the slug was not moving, likely due to the injuries it sustained and the poor condition of the road ahead. The ground was desolate, littered with the bodies of bandits and guards from the merchant caravan. Mei Lin got up from the cultivation mat and began walking along the second floor to the other windows. Behind them were slug houses, and in front of them as well.