Long Xuanye slowly came to, his eyelashes fluttering faintly.
Pale morning light filtered through the vines at the cave entrance, casting dappled spots across the ground.
The air was filled with the faint aroma of meat and the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Long Xuanye slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar rock wall. He struggled to sit up, tugging at his wounds, and a tearing pain instantly shot through every limb.
He groaned. Only then did he realize that the sun was already high in the sky.
He'd actually slept until now.
A flicker of surprise crossed Long Xuanye's mind.
He knew how grueling Cai'er's training had been.
Out in the wilderness, she would never let her guard down. Her guardians had even gone so far as to create dangers themselves to toughen her.
She must have woken up long before him.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a petite figure came lightly through the cave entrance, carrying a rough stone bowl.
When Saint Cai'er saw that his eyes were open, delight instantly lit up her glasslike eyes.
"Xuan Ye, you're awake."
Her voice held a hint of excitement as she hurried to the bed of dry grass.
"I picked some wild fruit and hunted a low-level magical beast. I made you some meat porridge."
She held the stone bowl out to Long Xuanye. Warm steam and the aroma of meat wafted toward him.
"I didn't know what flavors you liked, so I found a place in the forest where rock salt forms. I processed some and added a little."
Long Xuanye glanced over and spotted several small pieces of rock salt in a corner near the cave wall. They had clearly been crushed and refined.
His heart warmed. He reached out to take the bowl.
"I can do it my—"
Before he could finish, Saint Cai'er deftly moved her hand aside, evading him.
She scooped up a spoonful of warm meat porridge with a small wooden spoon and held it to his lips.
"You're the patient. Your injuries are far worse than mine."
The girl's voice was gentle, but her tone left no room for argument.
"Be good and listen, okay?"
Long Xuanye had meant to insist, but at the words "be good and listen," he froze.
He suddenly had a feeling that if he refused again, this little sister who saw him as family might say something even harder for him to handle.
After weighing his options, he could only obediently open his mouth.
Seeing this, Saint Cai'er's lips curved into a satisfied smile. She carefully fed him the porridge.
"You've lost a lot of Spiritual Power, and you have internal injuries, too. You absolutely can't use Spiritual Power again for the next few days. You need to be careful with your wounds, too. Don't get them wet. I'll change your bandages every day..."
She fed him as she softly gave him instructions.
Long Xuanye listened quietly. At first, he only felt his heart ache.
All of this was hard-won knowledge she had gained through blood and tears while surviving alone in a cruel world.
But as he listened, he began to sense something was off.
Saint Cai'er was being far too thorough—so thorough that he might as well be a complete invalid, sitting here peacefully while she took care of everything.
Long Xuanye fell silent.
Why did it feel like... she was really starting to act like my mom?
No, no.
He immediately dismissed the thought.
Cai'er was his little sister. He just needed her to look after him for the time being, while he was still recovering.
That had to be it.
Once Long Xuanye had talked himself around, the awkwardness in his heart faded, too.
That was right. Cai'er was his little sister, and it was only natural for a little sister to take care of her injured big brother.
As the bowl of porridge went down, warmth rose from his stomach, dispelling some of the chill brought on by his pain.
Saint Cai'er set down the stone bowl and pointed to the other side of the cave.
At some point, a stone platform had appeared there, its surface shaved fairly smooth and covered with soft dry grass.
"Xuan Ye, come over here."
"I'll rebandage your wounds."
Long Xuanye instinctively started to refuse.
"No need. I can do it myself."
He braced himself up, his tone firm.
"I can handle something like this. I've been injured plenty of times before, dealing with magical beasts in the woods."
Saint Cai'er's pretty brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed.
She didn't argue. She simply gazed at him with clear eyes, then softly said,
"Come on, Xuan Ye, be good. Come over to Mommy."
She patted the spot beside her, her voice so gentle it seemed to drip with tenderness.
Long Xuanye: "..."
All the excuses he'd prepared were instantly choked off by those five words.
In the end, he walked over in silence, rapidly searching for a way to save face.
It was mainly because Cai'er was good at this. Yes, that was it.
"Lie down."
Saint Cai'er spoke again.
Long Xuanye stiffened, but still obediently rested his head on the girl's soft lap.
Well, this was just to make it easier for her to treat him.
Sigh, as her big brother, I really am considerate.
The girl's movements were exceptionally gentle. She unwound the old bandages and carefully wiped the wounds with clean water. Now and then, her fingertips brushed his skin, bringing a faint ticklish sensation.
She leaned over, focused on treating the wound on his shoulder. Her warm breath brushed lightly against his ear, leaving a pleasant tingling sensation.
Long Xuanye closed his eyes, but his mind quietly sank into his body.
With the slightest movement of his fingers, he could clearly sense the Chaos Spirit Furnace nestled in his Sea of Qi, radiating warmth.
Even while he had been unconscious, this wondrous furnace had never stopped. Like a heart that never rested, it had been autonomously drawing in the Spiritual Power drifting through the world.
His Innate Inner Spiritual Power was just one step away from reaching 102.
His External Spirit Power had already surged to 202.
He knew these were the "dividends" from the furnace's initial awakening; there was no way his power could keep growing so rapidly.
But the effect was already astonishing.
Even without cultivating, his Inner and External Spirit Power would slowly increase.
If he focused on cultivation, his efficiency would likely be several times that of an ordinary cultivator.
At the thought, Long Xuanye couldn't help feeling a little more cheerful.
His thoughts shifted, and he silently began to sense the power of "Chaos Begins."
A huge profit.
That was the only thought he had.
Earlier, he had actually used this move to take a direct hit from that eighth-rank White-robed figure. Even if his opponent had held back in who knew how many ways, it was still something to be proud of.
Against a third- or fourth-rank opponent, this move might even let him turn their attack into his own.
Of course, it consumed an astonishing amount of mental energy and Inner Spiritual Power. Nearly fainting on the spot yesterday had been the best lesson he could have asked for.
But no matter what, his combat strength had undergone a complete transformation.
With the wounds treated, Saint Cai'er carefully smoothed out the dry grass beneath him.
The girl's profile looked peaceful and lovely in the cave's dim light.
Long Xuanye's gaze rested on her. The exhilaration he'd felt at his sudden surge in strength gradually turned into warmth, flowing through his limbs and body.
He suddenly spoke, his voice soft.
"Thank you, Cai'er."
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