Darkness covered the sky, and a bright moon hung high as moonlight shone down like water. The leaves and branches shook alongside the wind, and the shadows cast by them were like seaweed gently moving in the water. It was a very peaceful scene.
Chu Liuyue leaned against a thick tree, and Rong Xiu sat beside her since he planned to clean her wounds.
Chu Liuyue’s most severe injury was the crushed shoulder blade. If it didn’t get treated in time, it would never get better. Luckily, Rong Xiu seemed to be familiar with these things, so she didn’t need to teach him. His actions were gentle and swift.
Rong Xiu softly spoke as his detailed finger gently pressed on her shoulder. “I’ll help you push your bones back. Endure it.”
Chu Liuyue nodded. She had suffered countless similar injuries in her previous life, so they did not mean much to her.
Rong Xiu gently placed his hand on Chu Liuyue’s shoulder and pushed with his palm.
The pain caused Chu Liuyue’s entire body to tremble.
Rong Xiu looked at her and saw that the young girl’s face had gone pale and how sweat covered her forehead due to the pain. However, Chu Liuyue did not utter a single sound from the start till now as she endured the pain.
Rong Xiu’s eyes turned slightly cold, and he slightly regretted not properly torturing that beast before killing it. His actions were even lighter as he took off his outerwear. “Si!” He ripped it into long pieces of cloth and used them to wrap Chu Liuyue’s injury.
When Chu Liuyue heard the ripping sounds, she turned her head to the side and could not help but chuckle. “Your Highness, your clothes are very precious. Isn’t this very wasteful?”
Rong Xiu smiled because he knew that she was teasing him. “It’s okay. It’s just a piece of clothing. You can compensate me when we go back.”
Chu Liuyue raised her brows. “You’re really not willing to suffer any losses. Your Highness, you’re so petty.”
Rong Xiu paused in his actions, and he smiled with even deeper meaning. “I’ve always been generous, but I’m only petty towards you.”
Chu Liuyue’s heart seemed to be gently tickled.
After this incident, the invisible barrier between her and Rong Xiu seemed to have been broken. Even though they did not say anything, they were indeed much closer than before.
“I’m used to Your Highness’s petty ways. However, I am curious about something; how come you are here so coincidentally?”
This place was a two-day journey from the Imperial City. It was impossible for Rong Xiu to come here instantly, which meant that he was at Wan Ling Mountain a long time ago.
Rong Xiu’s expression did not change. “Rong Shu said she wanted to hunt for a fiend, so I personally came here to take a look since the Fiend Tidal was going on. I planned to find a suitable fiend and bring it back for her.”
Rong Shu was the Eighth Princess. She was already 13, the age when one could make a pact with a fiend.
However… Rong Xiu could’ve just instructed a subordinate to do it. Why did he come here personally?
In a seemingly smiling manner, Chu Liuyue said, “You’re really nice to Eighth Princess.”
Rong Xiu did not care that she saw through him. He turned around and looked at her seriously instead. “Yes, I’m indeed very nice to ‘her.’”
Without explicitly saying it, they all could understand who the ‘her’ meant.
Chu Liuyue’s heart skipped a beat, and she did not know what to say momentarily.
Coincidentally at this point, Xue Xue finally came back. The lion walked to Chu Liuyue and put down the thing in its mouth.
It was the blood ferret.
When Xue Xue left earlier, Chu Liuyue asked it to help find the little fellow since Xue Xue was an advanced fiend and should be very sensitive to other fiends’ auras.
After the mountain collapsed, she actually did not harbor much hope. However, she still remembered the little fellow as it had sacrificed its life for her. She didn’t actually expect to find it.
At this point, the little fellow lay on the ground motionlessly.
Chu Liuyue carefully inspected it and noticed that the blood ferret was still breathing weakly. She instantly heaved a sigh of relief. It is still alive.
Upon sensing her touch it, the little fellow’s tail suddenly moved, and it slowly opened its eyes. The blood ferret’s pair of round eyes clearly reflected Chu Liuyue’s face. It dazedly looked at her and blinked as if it had not recovered its senses.
Chu Liuyue carefully held it up and pinched its ears. “It’s okay. We’re all safe now.”
The little fellow then realized that it was not dreaming. It widened its eyes and hugged Chu Liuyue’s thumb as it cried. The little fellow thought it had already died! It thought it wouldn’t see Chu Liuyue again!
Upon seeing its devastating cries, Chu Liuyue found it funny and touching. “Okay, then. You’ll follow me back, and such things won’t happen again in the future, okay?”
That little fellow was fated with her, and she really liked it. Since it was still alive, it was best for her to bring it back. Even though the blood ferret could not be a battle fiend, it could be a pet fiend and stay by her side.
When the little fellow heard this and realized that it could always stay by her side, it could not help but cry even louder. It only stopped after a long while, but its body still shuddered. Its eyes were also red, looking pitiful and cute.
The blood ferret spotted Chu Liuyue’s injured shoulder and obediently stuck by her side.
Rong Xiu looked at it and suddenly said, “Its vitality is pretty good.”
Chu Liuyue was in a good mood, and her eyes had curved up like a crescent moon. “Yeah, it was attacked by that black flying python when it tried to help me. The mountain then collapsed…”
As Chu Liuyue talked, she suddenly felt that something was amiss. This little fellow is just a third-grade fiend and doesn’t have much attacking power. How did it survive the fierce attack from the black flying python? It also survived after the mountain collapsed and everything became chaotic…
Chu Liuyue held the blood ferret in her hands again and flipped it around to examine it.
The little fellow seemed to be tickled and rolled around in her palm.
Chu Liuyue was taken aback. It seems like the little fellow hasn’t suffered any serious injuries? Other than a few abrasions, its entire body is unscathed!
When one saw its energetic and lively behavior, who could possibly imagine what it had been through?
The main point was that Wan Ling Mountain was the black flying python’s territory. Thus, all the fiends there had to listen to its commands when they felt its suppressive aura. All the fiends that had surrounded and attacked her were the best evidence. However, this little fellow seemed… to be unaffected!
Not only did it not join the other fiends and attack her, but it also stood by her side and went against the black flying python.
Chu Liuyue felt increasingly weird when she thought about it. She then examined the little fellow closely, but she did not discover anything weird.
The little fellow hugged her finger dotingly and waved its furry tail around.
Just as Chu Liuyue was dazed, Rong Xiu suddenly extended his hands and picked the little fellow up. “You need to rest now. You can think about such things later on.”
Chu Liuyue agreed with him and nodded.
The little fellow was suddenly forced to leave a warm place. It instantly woke up and glared at Rong Xiu.
Rong Xiu lightly glanced at it.
Hmph!
The little fellow was scared and immediately retracted its gaze as it turned around to wait.
“Why does there seem to be a bloody smell coming from Xue Xue?” asked Chu Liuyue weirdly.
Even though the smell was faint, she was certain it was there. It was even more intense than the scent that permeated after Xue Xue killed the black flying python.
Xue Xue’s body stiffened, and it turned around to lie on the floor, pretending that it did not hear anything.
Rong Xiu paused and casually changed the topic. “We’ll return to the Imperial City tomorrow, after your body recovers.”