Severely Wounded

BANG--!!

Vegeta was smashed into the ground!!

He created a large crater, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out from its center.

A green figure landed beside him.

It was Piccolo!

"Hmph!"

Piccolo snorted coldly.

"Today, I will avenge the dozen or so Namekians who died!"

Vegeta stood up in the crater, looking up at Piccolo before him. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, his expression grim.

"Didn't the Earth Dragon God revive them later!!"

Piccolo, over two meters tall, looked down at Vegeta from above. "That was also the Earth Dragon God's doing. It doesn't negate your slaughter of my people!"

"Most importantly, I don't like you!"

Vegeta glared fiercely at Piccolo. "Don't think you can kill me just because you're stronger than me now! I'll at least make you pay a price!"

"Bring it on, who's afraid of who!"

BOOM!!

BANG BANG BANG!!

One green and one yellow figure immediately began to fight.

Their speed was so fast that ordinary people couldn't see them with the naked eye!

In just a few breaths, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.

Vegeta unleashed a punch towards Piccolo, carrying a fierce energy. If he were hit by this punch, his body would be pierced with a large hole!

But at this moment, a flash of light appeared in Piccolo's eyes. He directly reached out his palm and blocked the punch head-on!

BANG!!

Piccolo's right arm exploded, bursting apart!

Vegeta was stunned. He hadn't expected Piccolo to block the punch directly.

It was this fleeting opportunity that Piccolo seized!

His other arm clenched into a fist, his entire body's energy poured into it. With unmatched power and momentum, it slammed directly into Vegeta's stomach!

Seeing he couldn't dodge in time, Vegeta quickly condensed his energy onto his stomach!

Boom boom boom!!!

Three consecutive hits!!

Perhaps it was due to the Super Saiyan physique, or perhaps Vegeta's emergency measures were effective, but his stomach wasn't pierced!

However, he was severely injured!

He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood continuously.

Seeing this, Piccolo punched Vegeta's cheek.

Bang!

Vegeta's jawbone dislocated, teeth flew out, and his entire body was sent flying horizontally, smashing through several mountain peaks before finally crashing into the ground, creating a large crater!

Piccolo hovered in the sky, quietly gazing at the crater below. He closed his eyes, sensed Vegeta's faint aura, and let out a long sigh.

The knot in his heart that had been there for so long was finally untied.

Piccolo's shoulder twitched slightly, and his right arm, which had been intact, grew back.

Perhaps it was the memories of his assimilation with Kami, or perhaps it was the release of his inner turmoil, but in the end, he didn't kill Vegeta.

Piccolo shook his head.

He turned and left...

"Am I going to die?"

"Well, I've already been satisfied by becoming a Super Saiyan."

"It's just one regret: I couldn't surpass Kakarot and Jiang Ling."

Vegeta's consciousness gradually blurred.

After an unknown amount of time.

When he regained consciousness, all he felt was pain throughout his body.

Vegeta endured the pain and struggled to open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a simple wooden ceiling.

There was also some simple furniture.

Sniffing the faint fragrance on the quilt beside him, Vegeta felt a question arise.

"I'm not dead? Where is this?"

At this moment, his whole body felt like it had fallen apart. He was weak, and every movement caused him great pain.

Just then, the small door opened.

A cute and pretty girl walked in.

She was wearing a long dress, and her black hair was adorned with a wreath woven from flowers.

Seeing Vegeta awake, her clear, watery eyes showed a look of joy.

She came to the bedside and half-crouched, looking at him.

"You're awake!"

"You've been asleep for a week. If you didn't still have a pulse, I would have thought you wouldn't wake up."

Looking at the girl in front of him, Vegeta spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "Who are you, and why did you save me..."

"You can just call me Xiao Hua. I was out hunting and picking fruit when I saw you lying in a pit, so I brought you back,"

Xiao Hua said, blinking her eyes.

"Why did you save me," Vegeta repeated.

"No reason. As long as there's a possibility of saving a life, I'll definitely save them," Xiao Hua said, smiling with a hint of loneliness.

"..."

"I didn't need you to save me."

"Why? Why give up your own life? Isn't living good?" Xiao Hua's tone suddenly became a little intense.

"..."

Vegeta looked at her quietly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Grumble~ Grumble~

Vegeta's old face flushed red.

He had been unconscious for seven days, and he was indeed very hungry.

Xiao Hua chuckled, covering her small mouth. Her crescent-shaped eyes were incredibly cute.

"You're hungry, let's eat some fruit first."

She brought fruit to Vegeta's lips, one by one.

Seeing Vegeta's stern face, she felt a little strange. "Eat, aren't you hungry?"

Vegeta couldn't resist the temptation of food and opened his mouth, letting Xiao Hua feed him.

He had wanted to feed himself, but his body was completely weak and sore.

He could only move his mouth while Xiao Hua fed him.

That night, Xiao Hua slept on the floor.

Vegeta smelled the pleasant scent from the bed and thought to himself.

"Is this her bed..."

He quietly stared at the ceiling.

Xiao Hua's words from earlier still echoed in his mind.

"Isn't it good to be alive? Why give up on life."

Yes, being alive was indeed a beautiful thing.

The next morning, Xiao Hua woke up early.

Beneath her black hair, her delicate face showed a lazy morning grumpiness.

She squinted her eyes and got up, habitually changing Vegeta's bandages.

Vegeta was startled awake, only then realizing he was completely undressed, with only layers of bandages. His battle suit was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

"Changing your bandages! And my name is Xiao Hua, not 'Hey'!" Xiao Hua said matter-of-factly.

Although Vegeta's body couldn't move, he could still feel. As the woman's hands brushed over his skin, a strange feeling he had never experienced before arose in his heart.

Then, he felt Xiao Hua's hand move towards a certain spot...

"Hey, hey, hey, you can't do that there... no!"

Xiao Hua rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with it? I've changed bandages countless times. Huh? What's this?"

Vegeta turned his head, his face red, and mumbled, "Nothing..."

After a while.

Xiao Hua wiped Vegeta's body and applied new medicine.

Vegeta's face was as red as a red apple.

For a moment, there was a subtle feeling in the room.

"I'm going out to find food,"

Xiao Hua said and quickly ran out.