Moonlight Provocative

"Meow."

From beneath the large tree ahead, a tiny cat head poked out from the grass.

Its round pupils reflected the colors of the sunset, shimmering with iridescence.

In the distance behind them, indistinct shouts and footsteps could be heard, but they couldn't be clearly made out.

"Follow Mao Mao."

Lu Wu-bing's heart stirred slightly as he commanded from Senior Sister Xiaolan's back.

He knew the little creature's nature all too well.

Seeking fortune and avoiding disaster was an instinct etched into its very bones.

It was full of spirit; it couldn't truly be treated as just a small cat.

On Lu Wu-bing's tenth birthday, his maternal grandfather in Weijing had sent this "Dark Cloud Treading on Snow" kitten as a gift through a trusted subordinate. He had solemnly instructed that Lu Wu-bing must raise it himself.

When they first heard this, the Lu family members didn't take it seriously and even found it a bit amusing.

In hindsight, they had all misjudged it.

In the days since Lu Wu-bing had broken free from his prenatal amnesia (transmigration), he had truly experienced the little cat's mystical nature.

Moreover, he had relied on it greatly.

At this moment, he could actually understand the complete meaning from Mao Mao's meow.

It seemed to be calling him over.

Ouyang Lan followed his lead without hesitation.

She turned, her feet moving, and darted behind the little cat, following the Little Black Cat's intermittent form as it sped across the grass and under the shade of the trees.

Aside from maintaining her posture as Senior Sister and not falling, Ouyang Lan would generally listen to Lu Wu-bing when he spoke.

Truthfully, this junior brother was quite miraculous.

Even her father, who had the usual stern demeanor of an "old scholar," had personally said, "Listen more to Little Jiu's opinions," which showed just how sharp his mind was.

In a moment of crisis, with their pursuers close behind, it was best to heed his advice.

After running for a long while, Ouyang Lan slowly came to her senses: "The route we've been taking seems to be entirely under the shade of trees, heading wherever it's dark..."

"Senior Sister just noticed?"

Lu Wu-bing chuckled lightly. "Look up."

Ouyang Lan raised her head as he spoke, but her feet didn't stop, still closely following the little cat.

Through the sparse leaves, the sky was clear and cloudless. The sunset glow was fading, and the sky was a uniform leaden gray...

A thin black shadow flashed across the high heavens, tracing an arc as it circled and flew sideways.

"That's..."

Ouyang Lan exclaimed softly.

Although she couldn't see clearly what the black shadow was, she could guess.

"No wonder all our movements felt like they were being predicted. We haven't escaped their tracking at all. It's a trained black eagle; the Eastern Sea Sect actually has such resources."

"The path the little cat is taking perfectly avoids the black eagle's line of sight. With the leaves providing cover, we can temporarily escape their pursuit. Once it gets dark, we'll be much safer."

Lu Wu-bing also let out a slight sigh of relief.

If it were just some of the pursuers from Wolong Mountain Village and the other disciples of the Eastern Sea Sword Sect, it wouldn't be too dangerous.

However, if the Eastern Sea Sect's sect leader, Gu Dongting, were to personally pursue them, disregarding his status, the situation would become serious.

While this possibility had been very small before, after they had suffered losses and even the Eastern Sea Sword Sect's second disciple, Flying Feather Sword Tan Zhongjing, had died in the wilderness, the chance of Gu Dongting mobilizing would greatly increase.

They had to break contact immediately.

They had to escape as far as they could.

The sky gradually darkened.

The little cat seemed to be getting tired, its speed slowing down.

Senior Sister Xiaolan, who was running, also began to feel heavy-footed, losing her previous agility.

She stumbled into a small pit.

"Hoo, hoo... Junior Brother, you're so heavy."

Ouyang Lan panted, her tone becoming slightly lighter, perhaps because the immediate danger had passed.

"Senior Sister is tired, put me down for a break."

"I'm not tired, I can still manage," Ouyang Lan turned her head and gave a smile, her flushed cheeks steaming with heat. "It's just that it's very uncomfortable when you keep your scabbard near my waist, pressing against me."

"Alright," Lu Wu-bing agreed after a moment of silence.

The chirping of insects and birds in the mountain forest suddenly grew louder.

Suddenly, Ouyang Lan's foot slipped on a vine, and she tilted precariously.

Lu Wu-bing quickly landed and caught her, only to find that Senior Sister Xiaolan's body temperature was astonishingly high.

Her breath carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Even her eyes were half-closed, as if she were extremely drowsy late at night, her vision blurry.

"This is..."

Lu Wu-bing's heart leaped in surprise.

"Poisoned? Why didn't you say so earlier, Senior Sister?"

"It's fine, I'm suppressing the poison with my internal energy... Little Junior Brother, let me tell you, our Celestial Star Sect's advanced internal art, the Celestial River Orthodox Method, can refine the meridians to be like vast rivers, with long-lasting breath, making it most resilient in combat. Even though the Paired Swallows are poisoned, they can't do anything to me."

"Senior Sister is the most amazing."

After these past few days, Lu Wu-bing basically understood Senior Sister Xiaolan's personality. As long as he praised her a couple of times, she would be in an excellent mood. Especially complimenting her swordplay or internal energy was exactly to her liking. It could make her happy for the entire day.

"Even though Senior Sister's internal energy is profound, there's no need to struggle with poison... The enemy hasn't caught up yet, but we can't guarantee we won't encounter them suddenly. At that time, I'll still need Senior Sister's protection."

"That makes sense."

A surge of energy from Ouyang Lan suddenly dissipated, and she felt her head spin, her shoulders and back numb, unable to muster any more strength. She wanted to find a clean spot, sit in a meditative posture, and circulate her energy to heal. However, she found her body swaying, feeling as if the stars were spinning and her vision was blurring.

"Don't move."

Lu Wu-bing's heart skipped a beat. He realized he had underestimated the severity of Ouyang Lan's injuries. Earlier, she had clashed head-on with Tan Zhongjing's dying palm strike, causing her to bleed from the corner of her mouth and suffer internal injuries. Afterward, she was wounded in her left shoulder and back by those strange Paired Swallow hidden weapons... She hadn't even had time to rest and had immediately used her lightness skill to run for half an hour straight. Even though the poison was suppressed, it hadn't been cleared. No matter how resistant the Celestial Star Sect's Celestial River Orthodox Method was to poison, it couldn't directly cure it.

Anxious, Lu Wu-bing helped his Senior Sister lean against a tree trunk. Under the faint moonlight, he focused his vision. He saw that just behind the back of her left armpit, the clothes were torn, and blood had seeped out, soaking the fabric. He had pressed down heavily on her back earlier. The constant pressure from running. She hadn't even groaned. Lu Wu-bing felt a pang of sadness.

"Riiip."

He gripped the fabric and tore a large opening. He said softly, "Senior Sister, let me take a look at your wound."

What met his eyes, beneath the torn fabric, was a deep, thumb-sized wound on her shoulder and back, as white and smooth as jade. The edges of the wound were torn, revealing a dark, ominous color.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?"

For some reason, Senior Sister Xiaolan's body temperature rose even higher, and her voice became slightly shy.

"It looks good, no, it's so dark I can't see anything."

Lu Wu-bing spoke too quickly. His gaze swept across the semi-circle. He noticed the moonlight tonight was a bit alluring, indeed too bright. When he had torn the clothes near Senior Sister's armpit just now, he had used a bit too much force and had accidentally torn them in the front. A mistake.

"Don't worry, this wound isn't large. As long as the poison is expelled, and then a wound medicine is applied and bandaged, it will heal quickly and won't leave a scar."

The Hall of Returning Spring had a deep family heritage.

As the young master, Lu Wu-bing's medical skills weren't exactly profound, but he could handle minor injuries without issue.

The operating procedures were all in his memory.

"Mmm!"

Ouyang Lan's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

She didn't question it either. If her junior disciple couldn't see clearly, how could he treat her injuries?