Although Zhou Fan was covered in blood, Jiang Xun'er didn't mind.
She meticulously cleaned and bandaged Zhou Fan's wounds, then used her magical power to carry him to a hidden cave she had in the outer ring of the Sunset Mountains, where she continued to treat him.
A day later, Zhou Fan's physical condition seemed to have recovered significantly, but his consciousness still hadn't awakened.
That night, while Jiang Xun'er was keeping watch, she heard Zhou Fan unconsciously mumbling.
"Sister..."
"Dad, Mom, don't leave me, don't..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingzhi looked at Zhou Fan's pale, youthful face and couldn't help but wonder what this poor boy had experienced.
Three days later, all the bloodstains on Zhou Fan were cleaned by Jiang Qingzhi. She also manipulated paper figures to take off Zhou Fan's clothes, wash and dry them, and then put them back on him.
Recalling the scene from last night, Jiang Qingzhi's ears reddened slightly.
She hadn't expected the boy, who looked thin, to have such a good physique once his clothes were off.
Most importantly, it was too big. Could such a thing really combine with a woman?
Zhou Fan's wounds had healed considerably, and he groggily opened his eyes.
Dark brown rock walls, unfamiliar surroundings—Zhou Fan struggled to sit up, only to hear a gentle female voice nearby.
"Your body has just recovered; it's best not to move around too much."
Zhou Fan didn't listen. He laboriously sat up and turned his head to look at the woman who had spoken.
"Who are you? Did you save me?"
The woman looked at Zhou Fan's wary expression and said coldly, "Is that how you treat your savior?"
Zhou Fan was immediately flustered. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head and said, "I'm, I'm sorry. Thank you, thank you for saving me."
After the boy finished speaking, the woman didn't respond.
The atmosphere became somewhat stagnant for a while. After a long time, the naive boy belatedly reacted and said,
"My name is Jiang Xun, my savior. Can you tell me your name? I will definitely repay you in the future!"
The boy's tone was firm, full of gratitude.
Jiang Xun'er then smiled and said, "My name is Jiang Xun'er. Saving your life was just something I did along the way; there's no need for repayment."
The woman pointed to the boy's side and said, "Seeing that you're recovering well, I probably don't need to be here. There's food wrapped in wide leaves next to you, and water in another wide leaf."
"Since you also possess Cultivation, getting out of the Sunset Mountains shouldn't be a problem. Let's part ways here; perhaps we'll meet again if fate allows."
After saying these words, Jiang Xun'er got up, preparing to leave the cave.
Seeing this, the boy struggled within himself for a few breaths. As the woman was about to disappear from his sight, his face flushed red and he said, "Benefactor, please don't leave! I want to ask for your help again."
Jiang Qingzhi turned around and asked in a calm tone, "Asking for help comes with a price, Jiang Xun. What can you offer? And why should I help you?"
The boy stammered for a moment, but finally made up his mind.
"Benefactor, I can give anything, even my life."
"As long as you can take me home to take a look, please, I just want to see if my mother and the others are still there, please..."
The boy's words were sincere. Jiang Qingzhi recalled her own childhood, and a sense of compassion stirred within her, but she didn't agree immediately. Instead, she asked,
"Jiang Xun, where is your home? How did you end up in this state?"
"My home is in the area where the middle and inner rings of this mountain range meet. A few days ago, I was Cultivating at home when my parents suddenly told my sister and me to run quickly."
"At the time, I didn't understand why, but my father's tone was very urgent, and my mother directly used her magical power to send my sister and me out."
"My sister carried me as we flew towards the outside of the mountain range, but after only flying a few dozen miles, my sister's body suddenly tore into pieces."
The brutal and bloody scene from a few days ago seemed to reappear before the boy's eyes. His shoulders trembled slightly, but he continued to speak.
"I can't fly, and after losing my sister's magical power support, I instantly fell into the mountain forest."
"I was terrified at the time and ran desperately forward, from dusk till dawn. When I reached the area near the outer ring, I was attacked by a Middle Stage Spirit Initiation Swift Wind Leopard."
"I barely managed to kill it, but I was also severely wounded. I couldn't run anymore, and after walking a bit further, I completely passed out."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun'er walked up to Jiang Xun and asked, "Are you a Body Refinement Cultivator?"
"Yes, Father said my Body Refining Realm has reached the Heavenly Human Realm, and Mother told me to also Cultivate Qi Refining. My Qi Refining Realm is Qi Training Early Stage."
As Jiang Xun spoke, he displayed the corresponding Cultivation aura.
Jiang Xun'er understood, "No wonder your body recovered so quickly. Since you're also a Late Stage First Rank Cultivator, why don't you just go home and take a look yourself?"
"My Qi Refining Realm has only just reached Qi Refining Late Stage; I probably can't help you much."
"No, Benefactor, you can definitely help me."
The boy seemed somewhat ashamed to speak, but thinking of his parents, whose lives were still unknown, he immediately said,
"My parents and sister were very good to me. Although I have the Heavenly Human Realm, I've never fought a Yao Beast before."
"Fighting that Middle Stage Spirit Initiation Swift Wind Leopard was my first battle."
"So that's why you were almost killed by a Swift Wind Leopard that was beyond your Realm?"
Upon hearing this, the boy looked even more ashamed. He lowered his head deeply, no longer having the face to speak.
Jiang Xun'er saw Jiang Xun acting like a naive child, and a certain chord in her heart was immediately touched.
She comforted the boy, "Alright, I agree to your request."
"You don't need to feel ashamed; being able to defeat a Swift Wind Leopard in your first battle is already very impressive."
"R-really?"
Jiang Xun looked up in disbelief. He gazed at Jiang Xun'er, who seemed to be standing in the light, and said with immense gratitude,
"Thank you, thank you, Benefactor. From now on, I, Jiang Xun, not only owe you my life, but I will do anything you ask."
"Alright, alright, I'm helping you not for your repayment."
Jiang Xun'er sat opposite the boy across the bonfire. She smiled gently and said, "You rest here. Eat that food and drink the water. We'll set off in one day."
"Mhm." The boy nodded heavily. He picked up the water Jiang Xun'er had prepared for him and drank it, seemingly trusting his savior completely, without any guard.
Jiang Xun'er walked out of the cave, saying she was going to find more food. The boy prayed for her safe return soon.
Jiang Xun'er smiled and agreed. After leaving the cave, Jiang Xun'er returned to the place where she had found the boy.
Then, following the lingering bloodstains deeper into the mountain range, she indeed saw traces of a fierce battle between a person and a beast a few miles away.
Some skeletal remains of the Middle Stage Spirit Initiation Swift Wind Leopard, after being devoured by other Yao Beasts, were still left at the scene.
