Special Sisterly Affection

Seeing this, Yang Ming burst forth with Soul Power beneath his feet. His figure flashed as he arrived behind Zhu Zhuqing, wrapped an arm around her waist, and caught her extremely weakened body.

Falling into Yang Ming's embrace, Zhu Zhuqing felt his sturdy arms and warm chest. She thought of how Yang Ming had confronted Zhu Zhuyun head-on for her earlier, and for a moment forgot to struggle—until she felt him "getting handsy." In truth, he was merely trying to check the condition of the injury at her waist, but because of Zhu Zhuqing's exceptionally gifted, curvaceous figure, his arm accidentally brushed against her.

Zhu Zhuqing began to struggle, her cold voice unable to conceal its weakness as she resisted.

"Let me go!"

But Zhu Zhuqing was far too weak. Her struggles looked more like coy resistance, and the excessive blood loss had left her face pale, adding a fragile, pitiful beauty to her already exquisite features. More importantly, the movement made the wound at her waist bleed even faster. Seeing this, Yang Ming used one hand to channel Soul Power and suppress the bleeding from Zhu Zhuqing's wound while speaking seriously.

"Stop moving! The bleeding is getting worse!"

Yet when Zhu Zhuqing felt the warm, large hand resting on her waist, she struggled even harder. Though it was hardly fierce from Yang Ming's perspective, aside from letting him feel Zhu Zhuqing's fine figure more clearly, it only interfered with his efforts to stop the bleeding and served no third purpose. As she struggled, she kept muttering.

"What are you trying to do?!"

"Stop it!"

"..."

Yang Ming spoke anxiously.

"I told you not to move!"

It was still useless. Zhu Zhuqing refused to listen.

Zhu Zhuqing's rubbing had Yang Ming somewhat flustered and irritated. Left with no choice, he used the knowledge Grandfather had taught him: when a patient refused to cooperate with a physician's treatment, knock them out first and continue treating them.

Yang Ming then took out a packet of Datura Anesthetic Powder, intending to anesthetize Zhu Zhuqing directly. But seeing that Yang Ming was about to drug her, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly clamped her mouth shut. No matter what Yang Ming said, she refused to open it. He tried feeding it to her several times, but failed each time.

Yang Ming looked helplessly at Zhu Zhuqing, who glared at him in his arms with unyielding defiance. You chose this yourself. With that thought, Soul Power surged through his hand. Carefully controlling his strength, he struck her with a single palm and knocked her unconscious. Zhu Zhuqing's last thought before passing out was, It's over. Then she fainted and stopped struggling.

Finally quiet, Yang Ming let out a long breath.

Light flickered from the Phoenix Cry Ring on Yang Ming's hand. He laid a layer of bedding on the ground and gently placed Zhu Zhuqing on it. But the moment he set her down, his expression changed. Zhu Zhuqing had lost too much blood, and large patches of his clothes had been soaked red. Seeing this, Yang Ming hurriedly began treating her.

He first performed emergency hemostasis on Zhu Zhuqing. Then he pried open her bloodless little mouth and fed her a packet of Datura Anesthetic Powder, lest she wake up during the treatment later. Not only would that interfere with his work, it would also make her suffer.

Afterward, Yang Ming found a suitably positioned large tree, scattered some insect- and snake-repelling powder around its base, and carried Zhu Zhuqing up into it. This was the Star Dou Great Forest. If he treated Zhu Zhuqing on the ground and several Soul Beasts appeared midway through the treatment, what then? It was far too dangerous!

Once up in the tree, Yang Ming paused at the sight of the mangled, bloody wound at Zhu Zhuqing's waist. But considering her condition, he could no longer worry about propriety. He quickly had Zhu Zhuqing lean against the trunk, then took out a dagger and cut open the blood-soaked clothing around her waist.

What followed was Yang Ming's proper medical treatment. The only two slightly improper parts were that he inevitably saw some indescribable things during the process, and that wrapping bandages around Zhu Zhuqing's waist wound while perched in a tree was somewhat inconvenient.

Fortunately, only a few Ten-Year Soul Beasts passed nearby during the treatment. The moment Yang Ming released the aura of Absolute Dominance, they fled in terror.

Half an hour later, Yang Ming had treated the largest wound at Zhu Zhuqing's waist and finished bandaging it. Since he had already begun treating her, he decided to finish everything at once and started tending to the other large and small wounds on Zhu Zhuqing's body.

But as he treated her, Yang Ming discovered that most of Zhu Zhuqing's smaller injuries had likely been caused by branches and grass cutting her while she ran through the forest. The only four wounds inflicted by others were superficial flesh wounds. In particular, the claw wound on her thigh looked serious because of its dangerous location, yet it had neither caused major bleeding nor affected her mobility.

Seeing those wounds, Yang Ming thought about how Zhu Zhuqing had escaped so far despite the vast disparity in their strength. He also recalled Zhu Zhuyun's fierce yet inwardly weak act when confronting him, the joy and relief mixed into her anger when she left, and the rules of the Star Luo Royal Family.

All of it finally made Yang Ming understand Zhu Zhuyun's true intentions. He had never expected it! What had seemed like blood relatives turning on one another over a struggle for imperial power was actually an elder sister sending her foolish younger sister away from a cage?! Yang Ming looked at the Sleeping Beauty, Zhu Zhuqing, unconscious and nearly wrapped into a bandage mummy by him, and spoke softly.

"You have a good sister—cold on the outside, warm on the inside."

After saying that, he glanced toward a patch of shadow in the forest, neither too near nor too far away.

Retracting his gaze, he took out a loose black robe from the Phoenix Cry Ring and dressed Zhu Zhuqing in it. There was no helping it—her wounds were too widely scattered, and he had nearly cut her clothes into beggar's rags.

Yang Ming then carefully carried Zhu Zhuqing down from the tree, found the right direction, and headed toward where Yang Yi was absorbing his Spirit Ring.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuyun, who had already left the Star Dou Great Forest alone, turned back toward the direction she had come from. Her eyes held relief, heartache, and a trace of worry as she murmured softly.

"Zhuqing! Live well!"

"Don't ever return to Star Luo. Otherwise, when we sisters meet again, we truly will have to fight to the death and decide who wins."

Before her words had even faded, Zhu Zhuyun sensed someone behind her and asked aloud.

"A Tai, how is Third Miss now?"

Hearing the eldest miss's question, the man called A Tai respectfully reported.

"Eldest Miss, that Ghost-Faced Man has already bandaged Third Miss. She is safe for the time being!"

Because of the special nature of A Tai's Martial Soul, coupled with Yang Ming being too busy saving Zhu Zhuqing to pay attention to him, A Tai had witnessed the entire process and still managed to leave safely!

Zhu Zhuyun thought for a moment and decided to leave things as they were for now. Originally, she had planned for A Tai to rescue Zhu Zhuqing when her life was in danger, but with Yang Ming's appearance, she felt that this was not bad—perhaps it was even better.

"This matter ends here. Return to Star Luo first. Remember! There must not be a third person who knows about this!"

A Tai accepted the order, acknowledged it, and left.

Only a few minutes after A Tai departed, several of Zhu Zhuyun's subordinates emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest.

The two conscious guards saw their eldest miss and hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Eldest Miss!" x2

Zhu Zhuyun's expression had already returned to calm. She glanced at the captain of her guards and asked aloud.

"How is Captain Lin?"

Hearing Zhu Zhuyun speak, the Long Bow Soul Elder immediately replied respectfully.

"Reporting to Eldest Miss, the captain's Martial Soul has been damaged, and his injuries are severe!"

"Fortunately, that Ghost-Faced Man held back somewhat, so his life is not in danger for the time being!"

Zhu Zhuyun nodded upon hearing this and gave the order.

"Let's go. Return to Star Luo City!"

With that, she raised her long legs and took the lead toward Soul Hunting Town, while the two guards beside her hurriedly followed.

The guard carrying his captain walked up to Zhu Zhuyun and spoke in a low voice.

"Eldest Miss, regarding Third Miss, we..."

He did not finish, but Zhu Zhuyun already understood what he meant.

"Zhu Zhuqing's matter ends here! Do not mention what happened today to anyone afterward. That Ghost-Faced Man is not simple!"

Upon hearing Zhu Zhuyun's words, the two guards immediately bowed their heads and acknowledged the order.

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