Senior Sister, Tell Me Your Story!

Li Yang was utterly bewildered when Youqin Xuanya landed in front of him.

He had thought of all sorts of possibilities, even this one, but when Youqin Xuanya landed before him, a deep terror still crept into his heart.

What did this mean?

It meant there was a very good chance he was being watched too.

"I absolutely refuse to believe in luck!"

Li Yang gritted his teeth. He added silently, Especially not luck in the Great Desolation World.

Youqin Xuanya was wrapped in a layer of pale red light. She had more than a dozen wounds, but they all missed vital spots. The only serious one was a deep gash on her left shoulder that went down to the bone.

As he watched the poisonous rain fall on the wound, mixing with her blood and dripping to the ground, Li Yang's brow furrowed slightly.

Should I save her or not?

In less than a second, Li Yang made up his mind.

Save her. I have to save her!

Setting aside the fact that he couldn't stand by and let a fellow sect member die, Youqin Xuanya had landed right in front of him so precisely that he was bound to save her.

He couldn't fight back. It wasn't as if he could kill her, either.

Who knew whether he could kill her or not? It wasn't worth the gamble.

So why hesitate?

Li Yang walked forward without the slightest hesitation. "Senior Sister, what happened to you? What's going on?"

Seeing Li Yang's concern, Youqin Xuanya grew anxious and tried to prop herself up.

Unfortunately, her injuries were severe, and her breathing was terribly ragged.

"Junior Brother Li Yang, go! Don't worry about me. Your cultivation is too low, and there are too many of them. You can't hold them off."

As soon as she finished speaking, her injuries overwhelmed her, and she passed out.

Even in this situation, Youqin Xuanya had still been worried about him. A tiny bit of guilt stirred in Li Yang's heart, but he shook it off.

"Never mind. She's right here in front of me. I can't just let her die!"

Li Yang gave her a Detoxification Pill and a healing pill, then used a Disposable Magic Treasure to levitate her.

Next, he looked at the nearby mine and made a hand seal.

Boom!

The mine collapsed. Then hundreds of "Golden Pill" avatars appeared and swiftly dug up all the ore, along with the surrounding dirt and rubble, and carried it away.

"Let's go!"

He recalled his avatars, and two Li Yangs suddenly appeared. One carried Youqin Xuanya and ran southeast, while the other headed northeast.

After he had traveled several hundred miles from the mine, the formation's fluctuations suddenly stirred around the area. Three "Golden Pills" quickly burned up.

The earth shifted, and the area soon returned to calm. Even the vast pit left by the mine vanished.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

After two coughs, Youqin Xuanya quickly awoke from her stupor. Feeling pain all over her body, she was filled with confusion.

Where... was this?

Youqin Xuanya warily sat up. As a fourth-stage Return to Void cultivator, she could see every detail of the dim cavern as clearly as if it were broad daylight.

The first thing that caught her eye was a figure roasting something at the cave entrance.

In an instant, she remembered.

At the last moment, she had vaguely recalled being surrounded and attacked by a group of bandits. After a hard fight, she had been captured. While they prepared their Gu, she had seized an opportunity to tear open the life-saving talisman her Master had given her and teleport a thousand miles away. In those final moments, she had seen Junior Brother Li Yang.

So I was rescued?

"Senior Sister, you're awake?"

Feeling her stir, Li Yang turned from his work. Seeing that she had sat up, he hurried over and asked with concern, "Senior Sister, how are you feeling? Is anything still bothering you?"

Feeling that the poison had been purged from her body and that her injuries had mostly healed, Youqin Xuanya quickly replied, "I'm fine. I feel much better."

She hesitated, then asked, "Junior Brother, did those people follow us?"

Li Yang pointed to the talismans around the cavern and smiled. "No one followed us. With all these Miasma Averting Talismans and Trace Concealment Talismans, they won't be able to find us."

Following his gesture, Youqin Xuanya saw the great number of talismans.

They filtered out the miasma, let fresh air flow into the cavern, and completely concealed their auras. They were thorough—nearly perfect.

Still, all those talismans must have cost Junior Brother Li Yang a fortune.

"Junior Brother, I..."

Before Youqin Xuanya could finish, Li Yang raised a hand to stop her and passed her a Blood-Stopping Qi-Nourishing Bandage.

It was a length of clean hemp cloth soaked in various medicinal decoctions, used to bind wounds. It was basic equipment issued to every disciple of the Immortal Crossing Sect.

"Senior Sister, the location of your wounds is a little... inappropriate for me to tend to, given the difference between men and women. So I only cleaned them up a bit. It would be best if you treated them yourself."

He then handed her a bottle of healing and detoxifying Spirit Ointment.

"Apply this Spirit Ointment to the wounds and use it together with the Blood-Stopping Qi-Nourishing Bandage. It'll speed up your recovery."

Her worst wounds were in the hollow of her shoulder and beneath her left ribs. To bandage them, she would have to pass the cloth over her chest and lower her long dress from her shoulders. That was rather...

Youqin Xuanya blushed. She hadn't expected her junior brother to be so proper at such a young age.

Compared with Yuan Qing, he was a true gentleman.

Thinking of that made Youqin Xuanya blush even more.

Li Yang: ???

What was wrong with her?

"Senior Sister, take it already. My hand's getting tired."

Li Yang's clueless remark made the flush vanish from Youqin Xuanya's cheeks, replaced by an icy expression.

"Thank you, Junior Brother. Please turn around."

"Of course!"

Li Yang nodded. If he didn't turn around, who would?

"Oh, right. Here's a Screen. It can shield an area within two zhang and prevent spiritual sense from peering in."

With a snap, Li Yang produced a Screen, clearly thinking of Youqin Xuanya's comfort.

Youqin Xuanya fell silent for a moment. "Thank you, Junior Brother. I imagine you won't be very popular with a Dao companion in the future."

Li Yang: ...

A Dao companion?

What was the point of having one?

What use was that in the Great Desolation World?

It was completely useless!

"Enough, Senior Sister. You should tend to your wounds."

Li Yang shoved the Screen into Youqin Xuanya's hands and turned to the bonfire, where he continued roasting something.

Watching Li Yang walk away without a care, Youqin Xuanya gently bit her lip. Then she tossed the Screen in her hand, letting it land between them and completely shield her.

It was quite a while before she finished treating her wounds.

"That's enough, Junior Brother."

Li Yang put away the Screen, raised what he was holding, and called to Youqin Xuanya.

"Senior Sister, want something to eat? It's a Northern Juru Continent specialty. Tasty, non-toxic, and it can even detoxify you."

Youqin Xuanya slowly got to her feet and walked over to the bonfire. Only then did she see what Li Yang was roasting.

"Junior Brother, you... you... you eat that?"

"What's wrong with that? Centipedes and scorpions are great stuff. Don't you know that the more poisonous something is, the tastier it is?"

Youqin Xuanya shook her head and didn't dare take the roasted centipede Li Yang offered her. Li Yang didn't mind. Instead, he took out Monkey Wine and settled into a leisurely spectator's pose.

"All right, Senior Sister. Tell me your story!"