Healing Yun Yun

Ye Xiu carried Yun Yun through the air for about the time it took to burn a stick of incense. Once he was sure the Amethyst Winged Lion King wasn't following them, he found a secluded valley and landed.

The valley wasn't large. Steep cliffs surrounded it on all sides, and a stream ran through the middle. Half-height shrubs grew along its banks.

Ye Xiu laid Yun Yun on the grass beside the stream and looked down at her condition.

The patch on her shoulder that had been burned by the Purple Flame was badly mangled. Blood streaked her body in several places, her face was as pale as paper, and her breathing was weak.

Fortunately, though, she wasn't going to die.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had clearly been furious and ready to fight Yun Yun to the death. That was why it had gone all out.

Yun Yun lay weakly on the ground, looking at Ye Xiu standing beside her. Her lips moved, but in her badly wounded state, even speaking took effort.

"Don't talk," Ye Xiu said, crouching down. "Let me treat your wounds first."

He pulled a few jade bottles from his Storage Ring, unscrewed the lids, and tipped out the healing pills inside.

He held a pill to Yun Yun's lips. "Open your mouth."

Yun Yun looked at him, opened her mouth, and swallowed the pill.

As the pill reached her stomach, a warm sensation spread through her. Her wounds began to heal at a visible pace, and she looked a little more alert. At least now she could speak without struggling so much.

Ye Xiu took out another bottle, this one containing ointment for external wounds. He unscrewed the lid and glanced at her.

"The wound on your shoulder needs treatment. If you don't mind, I can help."

Yun Yun wasn't one to fuss over such things. She nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."

Ye Xiu didn't hesitate. He reached out and pulled down the clothing covering her shoulder.

As the fabric slipped away, her skin was revealed—fair and smooth as fine mutton-fat jade. The pale curve extended beneath the cloth, which wrapped around her full, rounded figure.

But the burned patch in the middle of that beautiful sight was especially jarring.

Ye Xiu's hand paused. His gaze lingered on her fair skin for a moment.

Yun Yun seemed to notice his hesitation. A faint blush rose on her pale face, and she turned her head away without a word.

Ye Xiu took out the ointment and gently spread it over Yun Yun's wound.

Pain pinched her brows together, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

After applying the ointment, Ye Xiu took out a clean strip of cloth and bandaged the wound. His movements were smooth and practiced, with nothing unnecessary.

When he was done, he stood and dusted off his hands.

"That should do it. You've taken a pill, and I've treated the external wound. You should recover after a couple of days' rest. As for the Amethyst Seal from the Amethyst Winged Lion King, that's up to you."

"Thank you," Yun Yun said.

Ye Xiu glanced down at her. "We're partners. There's no need to thank me. I couldn't just leave you to die back there."

After a while, Yun Yun asked, "Did you get the Purple Spirit Crystal?"

"I did." Ye Xiu nodded, then took out the Purple Spirit Crystal. "As we agreed, I'll take thirty percent, and the rest is yours."

Yun Yun thought it over. "Let's split it evenly instead..."

Ye Xiu cut her off. "Rest is what matters most right now. We can talk about everything else once you've recovered."

"Oh." Yun Yun closed her mouth and fell silent.

She really was exhausted. The fight had taken too much out of her, then she'd been trapped by the Amethyst Seal and taken a slap from the lion. Just being alive was a blessing.

The pill's effects began to take hold, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

In a daze, she saw the young man walk to the stream and crouch to wash his hands. Then he came back and sat down beside her.

The sunlight was warm and comfortable against her skin.

Yun Yun closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Ye Xiu sat beside her, gazing at the distant mountain ranges, lost in thought.

After a while, he glanced down at the woman lying on the grass.

Asleep, Yun Yun was a completely different person from the fierce Dou Huang expert she'd been earlier. Her features had softened, her breathing was steady, and she looked no different from an ordinary person.

Ye Xiu looked away and took out the bottle of Companion Amethyst Source from his Storage Ring.

The Companion Amethyst Source had been his real goal all along. The Purple Spirit Crystal had only been a pretext to fool Yun Yun.

As for the Amethyst Winged Lion King...

Ye Xiu thought it over and decided it wasn't much of a problem.

No matter how powerful the creature was, it was still only a sixth-tier magical beast. It was intelligent, but not that intelligent. It knew Yun Yun was a Dou Huang and Ye Xiu was a Dou Wang. Even if it caught up, it might not be able to beat them—especially since it had lost a horn and was badly injured.

It probably wouldn't come looking for trouble anytime soon.

Ye Xiu leaned against a nearby rock, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Dou Qi in his body.

The Fire-Element Pill he'd taken earlier didn't have any serious side effects, but some of its medicinal power remained. He needed to refine it as soon as possible.

The valley fell quiet. Only the stream and the rustling shrubs stirred in the breeze.

Nobody knew how long had passed before Yun Yun woke.

She opened her eyes to find that night had fallen. A crescent moon hung overhead, casting a faint silver glow.

A fire burned nearby, its dancing flames lighting up the surroundings.

Ye Xiu sat beside it with a branch in his hand. Two fish were skewered on the branch and roasting over the flames.

The fish sizzled as fat dripped from them, and their fragrance drifted over. Yun Yun's stomach suddenly growled.

Ye Xiu turned to look at her. "You're awake?"

Yun Yun propped herself up and found that her wounds had nearly healed. The injury on her shoulder no longer hurt, though it still felt a little numb.

But the Amethyst Seal was still inside her, so for now, she was just an ordinary person with a low cultivation level.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Two or three hours." Ye Xiu handed her one of the cooked fish. "Have something to eat."

Yun Yun took the branch and looked at the golden-brown fish. She couldn't help feeling a little wistful.

She hadn't eaten anything like this in years.

At the Dou Huang level, she could go ten days or half a month without eating, let alone bother roasting food herself.

Still, she accepted it and took a bite.

It actually tasted pretty good.

"Did you cook this?" she asked.

"Who else would've cooked it?" Ye Xiu picked up the other fish and began eating. "I learned when I used to travel around."

He meant back in his previous life.

Yun Yun nodded and said nothing more, quietly eating her fish.

The two of them sat by the fire in silence.

After quite a while, Yun Yun suddenly asked, "Did you kill the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cub?"

Ye Xiu chewed his fish and gave an indistinct "Mm."

"Why did you kill it?" Yun Yun looked at him. "You went in to steal something. Did it try to stop you?"

"It pounced on me and tried to bite me, so I killed it on the spot."

Yun Yun fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

That was how things worked in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. You killed me, I killed you; there was no reasoning to be had. If the little lion hadn't provoked Ye Xiu, it might still be alive. But it had pounced on him, and now it could only blame its own bad luck.