A Bitter Smile!

Su Yu took a few breaths, then suddenly turned his head and spat out a mouthful of black blood. A bitter, bloody sweetness welled up in his throat.

He wiped the corner of his mouth and looked up at her. Black stains dotted his face, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

"Don't move around. Every bit of poison I can suck out helps."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and sealed his lips over the wound again, his actions carrying an unyielding resolve.

Qian Renxue watched his focused profile as he spat out mouthful after mouthful of black blood laced with deadly poison.

The faint purple around his lips gradually deepened, and it felt as though something had gripped her heart viciously, leaving it aching and bitter.

"Stop... stop already..." Her voice trembled, and for some reason, her eyes grew hot.

"This poison can spread. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Su Yu gave a muffled response but did not stop.

Only after some of the purple on her calf had faded did he finally release the wound, his lips already numb.

He shook his head, forcibly suppressing the burning pain in his throat, and pulled out an ugly smile.

"See? It worked..."

Before he could finish, darkness swept over his vision. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Qian Renxue cried out and used the last of her strength to support him. When her fingertips touched his burning-hot skin, her tears finally spilled over.

Before Qian Renxue could react, a powerful wave of dizziness struck her. The arm holding Su Yu went limp, and the two of them fell unconscious together.

As they lay unconscious, the Immortal Slaying Sword within Su Yu suddenly trembled faintly and appeared beside him.

A thin strand of Red Light quietly seeped out, slipping into his body like gossamer.

As the Red Light flowed, the horrifying purple at Su Yu's lips faded at a visible rate.

A moment later, the Immortal Slaying Sword silently merged back into his body, as though it had never appeared.

The night deepened, and only the sound of their breathing remained in the cave.

Su Yu woke first. He felt something soft and warm beneath his head, carrying a faint fragrance.

Instinctively, he nuzzled against it, as if reluctant to part with the warmth.

"Mm..."

A soft murmur sounded beside his ear, carrying the sleepy sweetness of someone who had just awakened.

Su Yu jolted awake and hurriedly sat up. Looking down, he discovered that he had been resting on Qian Renxue's chest.

He immediately slapped his forehead in frustration. That sensation still lingered—what a perfect opportunity, and he had let it pass just like that.

Almost at the same time, Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes as well.

She moved her fingers and discovered that most of the weakness in her body had faded.

When she looked at Su Yu and saw his rosy complexion, without the slightest sign of poisoning, an excitement she could not conceal instantly surged into her eyes.

"Are you stupid?"

Her voice was still hoarse, but there was obvious reproach in it.

"We only just met, and you dared to suck the poison out for me? Weren't you afraid of dying too?"

Su Yu rubbed his nose and grinned, his gaze full of a youth's blunt sincerity.

"I'm not stupid. You're so pretty—if you really died, where would I find such a beautiful wife later?"

Qian Renxue was choked speechless by his blunt words, and a faint red suddenly spread across her cheeks.

Qian Renxue avoided his gaze and looked out into the night beyond the cave, but the corners of her lips could not help lifting slightly.

A Cold Wind blew in through the cave entrance, stirring up Fine Dust from the ground.

Qian Renxue instinctively curled closer to the stone wall, and her thin shoulders shivered uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Su Yu immediately stood and walked toward the cave entrance, his Light Footsteps brisk yet resolute.

When he reached the entrance, he suddenly looked back, his eyes clear as he reminded her.

"Big Sister, stay put and be good. Don't run around. I'll be right back."

Before his words had faded, he had already vanished into the night outside, leaving only the sound of footsteps growing more distant.

Qian Renxue hugged her knees and curled into herself, resting her chin against them.

Her gaze fell on the swaying Tree Shadows outside the cave, and a dazed trace of the Aftermath of Disaster passed through her eyes.

So close... She had truly come so close to dying today from that Man Faced Demon Spider's poison.

That woman's face—her mother's—rose uncontrollably in her mind.

That woman had always looked at her with cold, disgusted eyes, as if her very existence were a mistake.

If she had truly died, would that woman... have breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps even laughed in secret?

The moment that thought surfaced, warm liquid slipped from the corners of her eyes and dripped onto the back of her hand, carrying a faint heat.

She raised a hand to wipe it away, but she could not wipe it clean no matter what she did. In the end, she simply let that resentment and grievance quietly spread with her tears.

After an unknown amount of time, faint footsteps sounded outside the cave, accompanied by the fragrance of grass and trees.

Su Yu ran in carrying a bundle of dry twigs, a cleaned wild chicken, and several unknown wild fruits.

A thin sheen of sweat covered his gaunt face, yet his eyes were smiling brightly.

"Look, Big Sister, I found some firewood and food. We can make a fire and warm up!"

He quickly arranged the dry twigs, and with a crackle, the flames leaped up, instantly driving away the chill in the cave.

Qian Renxue looked up and met his gaze. She hurriedly turned away and swiftly wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

"What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?" Su Yu moved closer and asked worriedly.

"N-No."

Qian Renxue's voice was still somewhat hoarse. She picked up a wild fruit and examined it in the flickering firelight.

"Thank you."

Su Yu grinned and pushed the warmed dry twigs closer to her.

"What are you thanking me for? You're my 'wife,' after all."

Qian Renxue's fingers tightened around the wild fruit, and a faint blush spread across her face.

"You! Don't say things like that. There's no way anything can happen between us!"

"Why not? I may be young now, but I'll grow up someday! When I grow up, I'll definitely marry you and make you my wife!"

Seeing Su Yu's resolute expression, Qian Renxue revealed a Bitter Smile.

"Someone like me is destined never to have happiness. I will definitely repay you for saving my life!"

"No matter what you want, as long as I can find it, I'll give it to you!"

Su Yu saw the bitterness in her eyes and moved the warmed dry twigs closer to her again.

"I don't want any other repayment. I just want to marry you! And why do you think you can't have happiness? With me around in the future, I'll definitely make you happy."

Qian Renxue lowered her eyes. Her Long Eyelashes cast faint shadows in the firelight, and her voice was as soft as a sigh.

"You don't understand... Some things can't be changed just because you say so."

Her identity and her circumstances were like an Invisible Net that had long trapped her beyond escape.

"What is there not to understand?" Su Yu leaned closer, his eyes sparkling.

"No matter what it is, I'll shoulder it with you. If you don't believe me, let's make a pinky promise."

As he spoke, he held out his Little Finger and looked at her seriously.

Qian Renxue looked at his outstretched hand. His fingers were slender, yet they carried an honesty too sincere to refuse.

It felt as though something lightly struck her heart, leaving it a little sour, yet a little warm.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally slowly reached out and hooked her Little Finger around his.