Chapter 47: A Mind in Turmoil

“Devotee Shion?”

Seeing Shion hurriedly rummaging through her bag, Jingci quickly watched her. She pulled out a key, which seemed to be a spare for this place. It made sense that Swag’s side would have prepared something for Sakya’s safety. Normally, Shion wouldn’t have used it, but these were extraordinary times.

Shion unlocked the door with the spare key.

“Sakya? Sakya!” she called anxiously.

As she stepped inside, there was indeed a certain smell, but it wasn’t what she had imagined.

“Devotee Shion... what I mean is... the smell of alcohol...” Jingci said slowly as he entered behind her.

“Eh! Not gas?!” Shion exclaimed, realizing she had mistaken the odor for gas, which had startled her earlier. Without the spare key, she was ready to call the police.

Hearing Jingci’s words, Shion exhaled with relief.

The two went to the living room and found the coffee table in front of the TV cabinet piled high with beer cans, along with a little leftover white liquor.

“What’s wrong with her?” Shion sighed, stepping over the empty cans that had rolled onto the floor and glancing around.

“She should be inside the room. I can sense her ripple,” Jingci said. His ripple sensing technique seemed more skillful and versatile than Mr. Shi’s.

“I see... then... ah...” Shion regretted not having asked Jingci to check earlier.

She began picking up the empty cans scattered on the floor and tossing them into the trash bin. Then, she opened all the windows to let fresh air in.

“Over there,” Jingci pointed toward the bedroom.

Listening carefully, Shion indeed heard faint sounds from that direction: soft snoring.

She opened the bedroom door and was immediately hit by a stronger smell of alcohol.

Sakya was sprawled on the bed, fast asleep, the heater on but no blanket covering her. She wore only a thin set of underwear and lay there motionless.

Nearby were some cans spilled on the floor, beer leaking out onto the ground.

“Did you find her?” Jingci asked as he followed Shion in.

“Wait, wait! Master, please don’t come in!” Shion quickly blocked the bedroom doorway with her body.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be too late.

But he was a revered monk, not an ordinary traveler.

“Amitabha, my apologies,” Jingci said, glancing at the exposed pale skin on the bed and realizing what had happened. He swiftly retreated.

Shion nodded apologetically at Jingci, then entered the room and closed the door behind her.

She found a set of pajamas for Sakya, helped her change, covered her with a blanket, and turned off the heater.

Then she opened the bedroom window.

Passing out drunk on the bed like this, and in such stuffy air, could lead to illness.

Throughout this, Sakya snored and hiccupped intermittently.

Seeing the dark circles under Sakya’s eyes, Shion felt a pang of sympathy.

She could tell Sakya had suffered physical exhaustion and was enduring deep inner turmoil.

Perhaps drowning herself in alcohol was the only way she could barely find peaceful sleep.

Shion herself had been through similar struggles.

“All settled. Sorry to keep you waiting, Monk Jingci.”

After making sure Sakya was sound asleep, Shion stepped out.

“Ah, no trouble at all. I tidied up outside as well,” Jingci said, mop in hand, removing his hat.

The once chaotic living room had been transformed; all the empty cans were thrown away, and the spilled beer cleaned up.

“Oh, thank you, Master,” Shion said, pleasantly surprised by his diligence and genuine character—truly befitting a monk.

“How is Sakya’s condition?” Jingci asked calmly but with concern.

“Drunk. Not sure how long she’ll sleep... This girl has really suffered lately. I never imagined her injuries were this severe,” Shion sighed.

“May I go in now?” Jingci asked. Shion sensed he simply wanted to check on Sakya.

“Of course. I’ve already put her in pajamas,” Shion replied.

They approached Sakya’s bedside, and Jingci placed one hand on her forehead.

Suddenly, golden arcs of electricity flickered from his palm, spreading through Sakya’s body in an instant.

“All done. Let’s wait outside until she wakes,” Jingci stood and was about to leave the bedroom.

“Uh... may I ask what happened?” Shion smiled awkwardly, motioning him to stay.

Jingci invited her to the living room, and they sat on the sofa as he began to explain.

“I was merely adjusting the flow of her internal ripple. This energy responds to the will of the user,” Jingci said, noticing Shion’s earnest expression, as if expecting more.

“Apologies. In her current state, I bear some responsibility... If such immense ripple energy is wielded by someone undertrained, especially when their will is on the verge of collapse, it can cause both physical and mental harm...”

“So... Sakya used the power you lent her, but she couldn’t properly control it herself,” Shion summarized thoughtfully.

“In simple terms, yes. Thankfully, another boy was acting as a ripple conductor then, or Sakya would have been in even greater danger,” Jingci sighed.

“This was my oversight. At that moment, desperate to break through, we had no choice but to resort to such a risky method... The ripple of life can heal or destroy. Had I fully understood Sakya’s condition, I wouldn’t have lent her such a vast amount...”

“Oh...” Shion blinked in response.

“The ripple inside the human body flows according to a certain resonance frequency. Our breathing techniques enhance this resonance... and require a corresponding will to function...”

Shion listened intently at first as Jingci elaborated.

“...” Gradually, she found herself losing track of his reasoning.

“!#!￥#%￥……%” After a while, she realized she couldn’t understand the theory at all.

She recognized every word, but when Jingci strung them together, it all became incomprehensible.

“Well... I can’t grasp the details, but I understand the gist,” Shion said with a wry smile, cutting off the lengthy explanation.

“Would you like some tea?” she offered.

“That would be good. You’re not a practitioner of this path, so there’s little benefit in learning too much,” Jingci admitted, noticing he had gotten carried away.

“Do you have green tea? Just brew some of that,” Shion requested.