Kind Caidie (1)

Upon hearing this, Caidie raised her head and looked at Su Baichen. Knowing she could no longer avoid explaining, she could only begin reluctantly. "Uh, it's actually like this..."

Her voice was somewhat hesitant, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes as she laid out, piece by piece, the Snake-People Tribe's predicament, Third Elder's concerns, and the reason for her distraction just now.

"So I was just thinking about how to help the Snake-People Tribe."

Having explained the entire matter, Caidie did not quite dare look at Su Baichen. She simply lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for her master's response.

After hearing Caidie's reasons, Su Baichen was first slightly stunned, then a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. He truly felt that Third Elder was being overly anxious, but after lowering his head in brief thought, he had to admit that on the strong-devour-the-weak Northwest Continent, it was indeed highly possible that those forces hostile to the Snake-People Tribe would take advantage of their weakness to finish them off.

"Mm, I understand. I have my own way of handling it, so you don't need to worry about this."

However, Su Baichen did not regard the matter as particularly serious. He merely waved a hand casually, his tone calm, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter. He had already made his plans. Once Queen Medusa and the others arrived, he could have them search for the Green Lotus Core Flame. Free labor should not go to waste.

Hearing Su Baichen's casual yet unquestionable assurance, the weight hanging over Caidie's heart finally settled, and she let out a long breath. She knew that with those words from the young master, the Snake-People Tribe's crisis was considered resolved.

Though there might be some twists and turns along the way, and the Snake-People Tribe might have to pay a certain price, it was still a thousand times better than facing the disaster of extermination.

At that thought, Caidie's mood instantly brightened. The corners of her lips unconsciously lifted into a relieved smile.

The two smiled at each other, but Cao Ying at the side was unhappy. Pouting, she stomped her foot in indignation and loudly protested, "Hey, hey, hey! Now that it's settled, can we eat first?"

As she spoke, she dramatically covered her stomach with both hands. Her lively eyes blinked, and her little face was filled with the word "wronged." "I've been cultivating all day, and I'm still hungry! I'm starving to death!"

Unfortunately, although her aggrieved expression was convincing enough, there was not a single tear in her eyes. Her acting clearly needed much more practice.

At her words, embarrassment immediately appeared on Caidie's face. Dinner had originally been her responsibility, but because she had been worrying about the Snake-People Tribe, not only had she failed to cook, she had even accidentally wasted a portion of ingredients.

Seeing Cao Ying's pitiful appearance, Caidie's heart immediately filled with guilt. She knew very well that she and the young master possessed profound cultivation, so going without food for a day or two was no great concern. But Cao Ying was still only a child, at the age when she needed to grow, and daytime cultivation was extremely exhausting. She absolutely could not go hungry.

Thinking this, Caidie hurriedly crouched down until she was eye level with Cao Ying. She gently rubbed her head and comforted her softly, "Be good, little Cao Ying. Don't be sad. Big Sister will go cook right away. It'll be ready soon."

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Cao Ying finally nodded pitifully and muttered in a small voice, "Then... then be quick."

Caidie immediately stood up and fluttered toward the side like a light butterfly. She took out ingredients from the Storage Ring Su Baichen had given her and began cooking again.

The three sat together for their meal in a warm atmosphere. After dinner, some food remained on the ground. Caidie looked at the leftovers, then raised her eyes toward Su Baichen, who was already resting with his eyes closed. Her gaze carried a cautious plea, and its meaning was self-evident.

Though Su Baichen did not open his eyes, he seemed able to sense her gaze. He sighed softly, his tone carrying a touch of helplessness. "Sigh, I give up on you. Take it. I'm not that heartless." After saying that, he spoke no further and continued regulating his breath with his eyes closed.

At his words, a bright smile immediately bloomed across Caidie's face, as if she had received tremendous permission. She quietly gathered the remaining food, wrapped it in a clean leaf, then swiftly headed out of the cave.

Cao Ying watched everything from the side. Imitating an adult, she shook her head with an old-fashioned air and sighed softly, "Sigh, Sister Caidie is just too kind. She's even bringing them food."

Outside the cave, the moonlight was cold, and the night wind carried a hint of chill.

Third Elder sat cross-legged behind Fourth Elder, both palms pressed against his back. Pale green Dou Qi flowed into Fourth Elder's body like a gentle stream, slowly repairing his badly damaged meridians and internal injuries.

Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead. Clearly, this healing was also taking a considerable toll on him.

The air was filled with a faint scent of blood and the distinctive fluctuations produced by circulating Dou Qi.

Fourth Elder's face was as pale as paper, and his chest rose and fell violently. Every breath tugged at the pain in his internal organs, drawing out a suppressed fit of coughing.

"Cough, cough... cough..."

As the last strand of Dou Qi entered his body, Third Elder slowly withdrew his hands and exhaled a long breath of turbid air. Fourth Elder gradually awoke as well, his clouded eyes carrying the dazed relief of surviving a calamity and pain that had seeped into his bones.

"Fourth Brother, how do you feel?" Third Elder's voice carried undisguised exhaustion as he reached out to steady Fourth Elder's slightly swaying shoulder.

Fourth Elder tried circulating his Dou Qi, only to immediately feel a stabbing pain from his meridians that made the corner of his mouth twitch.

He gave a bitter smile, his voice hoarse as an old bellows. "Cough, cough... Not bad. I won't die for now. These old bones of mine really took a hard fall this time... Being able to pick my life back up is already a blessing from heaven."

Third Elder nodded gravely. His gaze unconsciously flicked toward the unfathomable cave, and he lowered his voice. "Mm, Senior Su... truly showed mercy. In my view, that spatial strike of his just now possessed such power despite how casually he delivered it. His cultivation... is likely at least at the Dou Zong level, perhaps even higher. If he had truly intended to kill you, there is no way you could have returned here alive."

Recalling the hand that had appeared before him like Gui Mei, as well as that overwhelming, utterly irresistible power, a trace of lingering fear flashed in Fourth Elder's eyes. He sighed sincerely. "Third Brother is right... I was too impulsive. I nearly brought a devastating disaster upon our tribe. A Dou Zong expert... Heh, before him, my Dou Emperor cultivation was no different from an ant. Surviving was already a great stroke of luck."

The relief of surviving the disaster and their reverence for absolute strength left the two elders, both highly respected within the Snake-People Tribe, facing each other in silence, their hearts filled with complicated emotions.

In the night, only the faint sound of wind sweeping over sand could be heard, making this patch of heaven and earth seem all the more oppressively silent.

Just then, a gentle and tender voice broke the silence, carrying a trace of concern as it came from the cave entrance:

"Two Elders, you must be tired, right?"