"Clang!"
A crisp metallic impact rang out. The death she had expected never came.
...Why?
Jiang Nannan struggled to open her eyes. A shield traced with golden patterns had appeared around her, enveloping and protecting her.
The Wolf King's attack had been blocked by the shield.
Jiang Nannan hadn't expected it, and neither had the Nether Wolf King. It slammed hard into the golden-patterned shield,
then bounced off and crashed into a nearby tree trunk. By the time it struggled back to its feet, blood was already seeping from its nostrils,
and its glowing green eyes had turned even more savage.
"Awooo!"
The furious Wolf King let out a low growl,
its claws once again gleaming with deep purple light as it prepared to launch another attack.
But the ground beneath it, which had been firm and steady, suddenly shifted. Several sharp Rock Spikes burst from the earth, striking straight at the Wolf King's belly,
and the Wolf King couldn't dodge in time.
"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!"
Its massive body was sent flying dozens of meters. Several wounds had been carved into its underside, and blood stained its deep purple fur.
At the sight,
the entire pack rushed forward to shield the Wolf King. Blue or green light glimmered over their bodies as they howled one after another.
Some surrounded the Nether Wolf King, while the rest took up attack stances,
staring at Jiang Nannan.
Just then, a phantom silver moon suddenly appeared in the clear sky. Several powerful sword beams slashed down from it, wrapped in howling gales. A terrifying scar, dozens of meters long, immediately appeared in the forest,
separating the pack from Jiang Nannan.
Terrified by the pressure emanating from the sword beams, the Nether Wolf King's eyes filled with fear. It immediately let out a howl,
then led the pack in a full-speed retreat,
vanishing into the forest in the blink of an eye.
"..."
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Nannan collapsed onto the grass, her beautiful eyes blank as she watched the pack flee. Mud covered her fair, pretty face, and leaves clung to her golden, wavy hair.
Her mind was utterly blank. She had no idea what had happened.
"Are you all right?"
A voice sounded from behind her.
Jiang Nannan slowly turned her head without thinking. She saw a boy standing in the sunlight, his clear eyes fixed on her. He had a high, straight nose and a tall, upright build. His fair skin glowed with a gentle warmth in the sunlight, and the breeze stirred his long black hair. A Hundred-Year Soul Ring floated beside him, shimmering gold.
Jiang Nannan's little heart suddenly gave a leap.
"I-I... I'm fine..."
She stammered,
but the bloodstains covering her body and her involuntary trembling hardly made her look fine.
Zhang Lexuan descended from the sky.
She was tall and graceful, her pale dress standing out in the forest. Her bearing was noble, yet touched with a distinctive gentleness. Her voice was cool and soft, carrying the admonishment of an elder to a younger person.
"You're only a Second Ring Soul Master, yet you dared venture deep into the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Weren't you afraid of danger?"
She had always been strict with her junior fellow disciples in the Inner Academy. But the girl before her was only a little over ten, and Zhang Lexuan couldn't help feeling protective of her.
Jiang Nannan tilted her head up to look at Zhang Lexuan, staring in a daze.
So beautiful...
Zhang Lexuan turned to glance at Lu Ran.
One shield had stopped a thousand-year Nether Wolf King, and a few Rock Spikes had managed to injure it. That wasn't something an ordinary Second Ring Soul Master could do.
Lu Ran withdrew his Soul Ring, and the Gilded Barrier immediately dissolved into specks of light.
Then he summoned Gentle Water Domain. A water-blue field swirled around them, blending harmoniously with the forest's greenery.
"The danger's passed,"
he said gently.
"This Soul Skill can speed up your Soul Power recovery. Rest and recover first."
Jiang Nannan stared blankly as she felt the sudden coolness. She raised her still slightly trembling hand and touched the faint water-blue haze. An indescribable sense of security welled up from deep within her.
Summoning all her strength, she managed:
"Thank you... Thank you..."
Her voice was weak.
Zhang Lexuan's gaze passed over the many wounds and bloody marks on Jiang Nannan's body. A flicker of compassion crossed her eyes. She took a small celadon bottle from her Storage Soul Tool and tipped out a dark brown pill. A faint medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air.
She walked over to Jiang Nannan and held the pill to her lips.
"Open your mouth. This pill can heal your injuries."
Jiang Nannan's pink lips parted slightly. Her throat moved as she swallowed the pill.
It wasn't that she had no suspicions. It was just that things were already as bad as they could get; they couldn't get any worse. Even if Zhang Lexuan had openly told her the pill was poisonous,
she couldn't have refused.
The pill entered her stomach and turned into a warm current that healed her body. Jiang Nannan raised a hand and tried to clench it. It seemed that some of her strength had returned, too.
She breathed a sigh of relief and circulated her Soul Power to speed up her recovery.
A few minutes later,
Jiang Nannan felt parched. She instinctively reached for her waist, only to find it bare. Her medicine basket and waterskin were long gone.
She had abandoned them when the fight with the pack began.
Seeing this,
Lu Ran took a bottle of water from his Storage Soul Tool and offered it to her. "Here, drink mine."
"Thank you..."
Jiang Nannan took it in both hands, her voice still faint.
Her grimy little hands gripped the bottle. She tipped her head back and gulped down a big mouthful. It was sweet and refreshing.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
She choked and started coughing.
"Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."
Lu Ran sat down nearby.
In the distance, a flock of birds burst into flight, a dark mass sweeping overhead. The grass was soft and cool. The wind passed through the trees, stirring a rustle of leaves.
They simply waited in silence.
After a long while,
Jiang Nannan rose from the grass. She was still weak, and her Soul Power had recovered only halfway.
She bowed deeply to Lu Ran and Zhang Lexuan, her voice choked with emotion.
"Thank you. Thank you..."
"If you hadn't stepped in, I'd already be dead."
Lu Ran waved a hand. "It's all right."
Then he turned to Zhang Lexuan.
"Sister Lexuan, let's escort her out. Otherwise, she might run into danger again on her own."
Zhang Lexuan nodded. She'd had the same idea.
Jiang Nannan was only a Second Ring Soul Master, and she was injured. Zhang Lexuan wasn't comfortable letting her leave alone.
The three of them moved forward at an unhurried pace.
On the way, Zhang Lexuan kept looking at Jiang Nannan. There was something familiar about her, as if they had met before. After taking another look, she asked,
"Were you gathering medicinal herbs in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Jiang Nannan was startled. She turned to Zhang Lexuan and blinked in surprise. "I... Yes. I came to gather herbs."
She didn't understand how Zhang Lexuan had guessed.
Zhang Lexuan glanced at Lu Ran, then turned back and asked,
"Because you're short on money?"
"Huh?"
Jiang Nannan was startled again, her eyes widening without realizing it. Zhang Lexuan's gaze was so deep, it seemed she could see straight through her.
Still, Jiang Nannan nodded slightly.
"Yes..."
"My mother is seriously ill and weak. She needs money, so I came to gather herbs."
As soon as she mentioned her mother,
Jiang Nannan felt her legs go weak. It wasn't because she'd been attacked. It was because she couldn't bear to imagine what would happen to her mother if she died.
At the mention of her mother,
Zhang Lexuan was stirred. Her gaze unconsciously drifted away.
That night... had been her mother, too...
"What illness does your mother have?"
Jiang Nannan didn't understand why Zhang Lexuan was asking, but she answered honestly all the same.
"A congenital heart condition. It can't be cured, only kept at bay. She was all right in the early years, but in recent years her health has been getting worse and worse..."
The more Jiang Nannan said, the more discouraged she became. She didn't dare imagine what the future might bring.
Zhang Lexuan sighed softly, then took a closed white flower from her Soul Tool. Its petals were as white as snow, and it gave off a faint, elusive fragrance.
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