"Don't worry, I won't hurt you! I came to find you because you're the heir to the Thunder God's position. Xiong Jun's appearance was an accident."
Bi Ji didn't approach recklessly. She stopped where she was and tried to calm Yu Hengqing down.
"Let me treat you first! Your injuries can't wait any longer. The longer we put it off, the more effort the follow-up treatment will take."
"Xiao Qing, you can trust her. She means no harm, and your injuries really can't wait."
Only after Leiyi's reassurance did Yu Hengqing begin to lower his guard. He took a step toward Bi Ji, though he still clutched the pendant in his hand.
Seeing that Yu Hengqing was willing to approach, Bi Ji relaxed as well. She stepped forward and released her Soul Power to treat his injuries, gently enveloping his body in green light.
Under Bi Ji's healing, the muscles and meridians torn by the Soul Power began to rapidly regenerate. In the blink of an eye, they had healed completely.
If not for the lingering pain, Yu Hengqing would have thought the tearing sensation and aching pressure had been nothing but an illusion.
Before long, the pain vanished, replaced by an itchy sensation as his wounds healed. Yu Hengqing couldn't help wanting to scratch.
It took about half an hour before Bi Ji stopped releasing her Soul Power.
After the treatment, Yu Hengqing stretched his limbs and suddenly felt light all over, as though nothing had happened.
"I only suppressed your injuries temporarily, making it seem as if you've fully recovered."
"In reality, nearly one-fifth of your meridians can no longer circulate Soul Power. That's only because your meridians are far stronger than an ordinary person's. If it were anyone else, they'd probably never be able to cultivate again!"
Yu Hengqing took Bi Ji's warning to heart. But if he wanted to do something, he had to pay a price. Besides, he still had a way to make up for it later.
"Oh, I haven't asked your name yet."
After treating Yu Hengqing, Bi Ji was about to take him back to Life Lake to meet the Silver Dragon King and continue his treatment.
Before Yu Hengqing could answer, Yu Hezai, covered in blood, suddenly appeared and pulled him backward.
"Xiao Qing, who is she?"
Yu Hezai's aura was far weaker than before, but he still stood in front of Yu Hengqing, his face full of wariness.
"Her name is Bi Ji. She's a Soul Beast who's fairly friendly toward humans!"
When Bi Ji heard Yu Hengqing suddenly say her name, she immediately grew wary, though she'd been about to explain herself. No one in this era should know her name!
"She treated my injuries."
Yu Hezai couldn't quite understand why a Soul Beast would treat a Soul Master, but out of courtesy, he still thanked Bi Ji.
"Thank you for treating my boy, but we have to leave now, so we won't bother you any longer!"
With that, Yu Hezai turned his back to Bi Ji and prepared to pull Yu Hengqing away by the hand.
He'd fought that powerful man for a long time. Then, the man had suddenly seemed to sense something, changed expression, and run off into the distance. Yu Hezai had seized the chance to break free and return to Yu Hengqing.
Since Yu Hezai didn't know whether that powerful man would come back, he wanted to get Yu Hengqing out of this troublesome place as soon as possible.
But no matter how hard Yu Hezai tugged at Yu Hengqing's hand, Yu Hengqing didn't move.
Yu Hezai was about to say something when he turned his head and saw a man appear beside the woman without warning.
"Pleased to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Di Tian, and she is Bi Ji!"
In the blink of an eye, Di Tian vanished from Bi Ji's side and appeared beside Yu Hezai. Calmly, he reached out to stop Yu Hezai.
"Hello. I'm Yu Hengqing, and this is my second uncle, Yu Hezai."
Yu Hengqing had learned from Leiyi that Di Tian was coming even before Yu Hezai thanked Bi Ji. After all, the only Soul Beast stronger than Xiong Jun and Bi Ji was Di Tian.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yu Hengqing, heir to the Thunder God's position."
Di Tian politely responded to Yu Hengqing, then ignored Yu Hezai. A Soul Douluo like Yu Hezai didn't even register in Di Tian's eyes, much less deserve his courtesy.
Yu Hezai didn't react. He simply kept standing in front of Yu Hengqing, silently watching Di Tian's hand resting on his shoulder.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
"Let me treat Yu Hezai!"
Bi Ji, standing behind Di Tian, suddenly spoke up and broke the silence.
Yu Hengqing knew Yu Hezai's injuries couldn't wait any longer, so he hurriedly chimed in. "That's right, Second Uncle. Go and get treated! Don't worry about me!"
Yu Hengqing let go of Yu Hezai's hand and gave him a gentle push forward, which also allowed Di Tian to take his hand off Yu Hezai's shoulder.
After Bi Ji took Yu Hezai away, only Di Tian and Yu Hengqing remained.
"Yu Hengqing, might I invite you to visit Life Lake?"
Di Tian looked Yu Hengqing straight in the eyes, his tone so calm that it sounded as if he were inviting an old friend.
"Is it the Silver Dragon King inviting me, or are you inviting me, Di Tian?"
Facing Di Tian's "invitation," Yu Hengqing didn't back down. He met Di Tian's gaze and asked with a smile.
At Yu Hengqing's question, Di Tian suddenly let a trace of killing intent show, pressing it straight toward him.
But Yu Hengqing acted as if nothing had happened. He didn't move at all, as though Di Tian hadn't revealed any killing intent.
"I hope you'll be just as brave next time, heir to the Thunder God's position."
Di Tian withdrew his killing intent and answered Yu Hengqing's question seriously.
"Lord Silver Dragon King asked me to invite you to Life Lake!"
Yu Hengqing had already guessed as much. After all, only the Silver Dragon King could make Di Tian do something like this.
"Since it's an invitation from the ruler of the Soul Beasts, I can hardly refuse. Please take me and my second uncle to meet the Silver Dragon King."
"Only you can go. Lord Silver Dragon King isn't someone just anyone can meet."
Di Tian showed a hint of impatience at Yu Hengqing's attempt to push his luck.
"Then please wait until I've escorted my second uncle out of Star Dou Forest. After that, I'll go with you to Life Lake."
Yu Hengqing knew, of course, that Di Tian wouldn't take Yu Hezai to meet the Silver Dragon King. Di Tian knew it too. Getting this compromise was already pretty good.
"I'll wait for you at the edge of Star Dou Forest. If you don't come back, I'll leave the forest and find you."
Di Tian glanced at Yu Hezai, who had returned with Bi Ji, then left without looking back. Seeing this, Bi Ji followed after him.
"Second Uncle, how are your injuries? Did Bi Ji heal you?"
Seeing that Yu Hezai looked much better than when he'd first appeared, Yu Hengqing quickly asked.
Yu Hezai didn't answer at once. He glanced at Di Tian and Bi Ji as they left.
"What did you give up to make them willing to let both of us go?"
Only after Di Tian and Bi Ji had disappeared did Yu Hezai slowly ask.
"I gave up a little freedom, that's all. I'll escort you out of Star Dou Forest first, Second Uncle. The less time we spend in this damn place, the better."
At that, Yu Hengqing shrugged casually and set off toward the edge of Star Dou Forest.
Yu Hezai answered him only with silence. He was too weak to do anything.
If he'd been a little stronger, he could have taken Yu Hengqing away from that man. Then none of this would have happened.
"Second Uncle, this isn't your fault. I was their target from the beginning. As long as I came to Star Dou Forest to obtain a Soul Ring, I would have run into them sooner or later."
"If I'd been stronger, at least we could have escaped right from the start."
Before you continue