If You Leave, Who'll Take Care of Me?

"No way, she fainted again!"

Looking at the beauty in his arms, her face pale as paper and her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, Xiao Tian gave a wry smile and laid her down on a stone platform.

He undid her clothes, revealing her delicate, shapely figure. Her skin was as fair as snow and smooth as silk, and her long, rounded legs were barely visible beneath her gauzy underwear. Her alluring figure was enough to make anyone's heart race.

"What a beauty!"

After admiring her, Xiao Tian took some healing medicine from his Storage Ring and gently applied it to her reopened wounds.

As the medicine took effect, Yun Zhi's pained expression gradually eased. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a hint of color returned to her snow-white face. She looked like a beautiful woman who had drunk too much and fallen asleep.

However, Yun Zhi had forced herself to leave the cave and search for Xiao Tian despite her injuries, causing her wounds to reopen severely. It would probably take several days for her to recover.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the morning, Yun Zhi opened her eyes groggily. Her head throbbed as if a thousand steel needles were stabbing into her brain, and the pain was unbearable.

She shook her head slightly. Once the dizziness passed, Yun Zhi finally came to her senses and raised her head.

The face that met her gaze belonged to a handsome young man. He was sitting quietly beside her, chin resting in his hands as he stared into the distance.

Seeing Xiao Tian's face brought back the memories of the previous night. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and her cheeks instantly turned as red as ripe apples.

He's seen all of me—the body I've kept hidden for so many years. And he's seen it twice! At the thought, Yun Zhi flushed with embarrassment and wished she could dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.

Xiao Tian hadn't noticed the change in Yun Zhi's expression. He remained focused on the distance.

Yun Zhi, however, couldn't help sneaking a few glances at him.

Xiao Tian's profile was flawless. His features were sharply defined, his nose straight, and his lips alluring. Beneath his sword-like brows, his deep, dark eyes radiated intelligence and wisdom.

Forget it. I'll let him have this. Yun Zhi bit her lip and turned her head away.

Neither of them spoke, and the surroundings grew quiet.

About half an hour later, Xiao Tian pulled his gaze away and stood up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking at Yun Zhi, who was leaning against the stone wall, her pretty face still a little haggard.

"Much better. Thank you," Yun Zhi replied softly.

Xiao Tian smiled and held out a Purple Spirit Crystal. "Here's what you wanted. Take it."

At the sight of the Purple Spirit Crystal, Yun Zhi's beautiful eyes lit up with delight. She thanked him and quickly accepted it.

"I'm leaving."

After giving her the Purple Spirit Crystal, Xiao Tian suddenly spoke.

As soon as he said this, he turned to leave.

But he hadn't expected Yun Zhi's next words to leave him frozen in place.

"Could you stay...?" Yun Zhi murmured, her teeth gently pressing against her red lips. Her voice was very soft.

Xiao Tian stiffened, but quickly recovered. Looking at her breathtaking face, he teased, "If I stay, are you going to take care of me?"

With that, Xiao Tian smiled faintly, turned, and walked out of the cave.

Yun Zhi's injuries had mostly healed, and her strength had been restored. With her power as a Three-star Dou Huang, she had no need to worry about danger in the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Xiao Tian was also preparing to leave for good. The sooner he crossed the Monster Beast Mountain Range and reached a more prosperous region, the better the rewards he could earn from checking in.

That was the only way to gather more resources. By then, Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, Ya Fei, and even his younger cousin Xiao Yan—as well as everyone close to him—would all benefit greatly.

"I... I really could... I really could take care of you!"

Watching Xiao Tian's retreating figure, Yun Zhi felt an inexplicable affection quietly take root in her heart. A sudden surge of courage overcame her. She bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, then called out.

With her status and position, she could certainly afford to.

Even she couldn't understand when she, usually so dignified, graceful, and unruffled, had started saying such shameful things.

Was it simply because he had saved her? Or because he had seen the body she had kept hidden for so long?

At these thoughts, Yun Zhi's mind became a tangled mess. She even felt an urge to rush over, throw her arms around the young man, and do everything she could to make him stay.

But reason reminded her of her lofty status. How could someone like him ever be worthy of her?

Damn it. Why am I having such strange thoughts?

Yun Zhi smiled bitterly and rubbed her forehead in frustration, trying to cast aside these inappropriate thoughts and control her emotions.

But the words had already left her mouth, and there was no taking them back. Her cheeks were now flushed, and her heart pounded wildly.

At that moment, Xiao Tian stopped outside the cave and turned around, his eyes fixed on her.

When he had first met her, she had been dignified and noble, like a phoenix from the heavens—so lofty that no one could approach her. But now, she seemed like a flower bud on the verge of blooming, shy, pure, and chaste. She made his heart race.

"I have a pretty big appetite. Are you serious?" Xiao Tian asked teasingly, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"I..." Yun Zhi met his gaze, her face turning scarlet. She stammered for a while but couldn't get another word out.

After a long struggle, Yun Zhi finally gritted her teeth, used Battle Qi transformation into Wings, and flapped her green wings. In an instant, she disappeared from sight.

"What's wrong with me? Why did I say something so shameful?" Yun Zhi muttered in frustration only after she had flown far from the cave and stopped in a clearing.

Yet when she thought of parting ways with Xiao Tian, an intense reluctance welled up in her heart. In the end, she forced herself to put it aside.

They had only known each other for three days and were still strangers. Although Xiao Tian had helped treat her wounds and given her a Purple Spirit Crystal and a Companion Purple Crystal Source, they had only met by chance.

"If fate brings us together again, I'll repay your kindness then." With a sigh, Yun Zhi shook her head, spread her wings, and soared into the sky, flying off in another direction.

After Yun Zhi left, Xiao Tian shook his head and continued on his journey across the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Deep in the gloomy forest, Xiao Tian picked up speed and flew onward.

It was nearly nightfall when Xiao Tian finally stopped and found a place to rest.

But as soon as he sat down, his gaze was drawn to a campfire not far away.

The fire burned brightly, with three men and two women sitting around it. Judging by their matching outfits, they seemed to belong to a mercenary company.

"Who's there?"