Jixiang!

Upon hearing this, the surprise on Jixiang's face faded, and she regained her usual calm.

He nodded slightly, seemingly accepting the explanation, or perhaps he simply didn't care whether Lin Xia's explanation was entirely true.

He said calmly:

"My name is Jixiang. You can call me that too."

He paused, his gaze sweeping again over Lin Xia's pale yet sharply defined face, and added:

"I'm not your benefactor."

Lin Xia was slightly taken aback.

Jixiang met his gaze calmly and continued speaking in that even tone.

You saved yourself.

His words were clear and assertive.

"When we found you, you were lying on the edge of the rocky beach, half of your body still submerged in the water. The currents there are extremely complex and treacherous, and the rocks are as sharp as knives; even ordinary sea creatures dare not approach easily."

"You're lucky you survived being swept there instead of being torn apart. More importantly, without your incredible regenerative abilities stubbornly maintaining your life, constantly repairing those fatal wounds, and slowing down the collapse... even if I knew a little about medicine..."

He pointed to an open wooden box in the corner containing a few simple herbs, a stone mortar, and a ceramic bowl.

"There's nothing we can do. Your body is like it's been swept away by a raging tsunami; everywhere is a desperate situation, yet everywhere there's a strange, Sheer Force held together, life-giving force."

"I've never seen anything like this before. I didn't know how to save you. All I did was drag you away from where the tide would have submerged you, clean the sand and seaweed off you, wipe away some blood and dirt, and give you some water."

"The rest, you'll have to get through on your own."

Jixiang words, like a precise scalpel, dissected the truth behind Lin Xia's coma.

His description of the perilous rocky beach confirmed the desperate situation Lin Xia faced when she finally fell into the sea.

He pointed out the horror and strangeness of Lin Xia's injuries, as well as the life force that was Sheer Force glued together and maintained, and even went straight to the essence of the Sea God's divine imprint and the final power of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud protecting his body!

This seemingly ordinary young fisherman possesses an extraordinary keenness of observation and a remarkable accuracy of judgment!

He not only understands medicine, but he probably also has an extraordinary understanding of the physical structure of Soul Master, and even some extremely special conditions!

Lin Xia felt a chill run down her spine, and her opinion of Jixiang rose even higher.

He forced a sincere, yet weak, smile, his Purple Demon Eye staring directly into Jixiang's calm, unwavering eyes.

"Regardless, you brought me away from danger and gave me a chance to recover. You stayed here while I was unconscious. I will remember this kindness."

His tone was firm.

"You're a good person. No matter what, you gave me the chance to live. I owe you my life."

Jixiang listened to Lin Xia's words, a very faint smile appeared on her face for the first time.

That smile wasn't one of joy, but rather a knowing understanding of the ways of the world and... a subtle, almost Frisk, detachment.

He smiled calmly, a smile as fleeting as a breeze across a lake, leaving no trace.

"Many people owe me their lives."

Jixiang's voice remained calm, yet it seemed to carry a hint of indifference born of experience.

You're not the first.

His gaze seemed to drift towards the boundless sea outside the window, or perhaps Infiltrator time and space, glimpsing something from the past.

"It probably won't be the last one."

This Frillish sentence carries a heavy sense of destiny.

His act of saving people might not have stemmed from pure kindness, but rather from habit, a kind of... cause and effect?

Lin Xia's heart skipped a beat.

Jixiang words are like a stone thrown into a lake of the heart.

That fleeting, faint smile, those indifferent words, all point to an unfathomable background.

Before Lin Xia could think further, Jixiang had already withdrawn her gaze, looked at him again, and her tone had returned to absolute calm.

"Alright, you've just regained consciousness, your Soul Power is depleted, and your qi and blood are weak. It's not advisable to talk too much and waste your energy."

He turned and walked to the simple wooden table, pulling out a simple bamboo basket covered with damp seaweed from under it.

"I'll go get you some food. What you need right now is basic nourishment to replenish your energy."

He lifted the seaweed, revealing several large, rough-shelled, grayish-brown objects, still damp with water droplets.

"These are rock oysters, pried off from the rocky beach. Although they don't have much Soul Power, their meat is warming and easy to digest, which is suitable for your current condition."

Jixiang walked to the corner of the hearth—it was just a shallow pit simply made of stones, with some Burn Up Charcoal ashes inside.

He skillfully picked up a black stone with sharp edges, and grabbed a handful of dry, seaweed-like material from a small basket next to him as Flash Fire.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The sound of flint striking the stone was crisp and rhythmic. Jixiang's movements were precise and efficient, without the slightest waste.

Sparks landed on the dry seaweed flakes, and soon a small cluster of orange-red Ember leaped up.

He carefully added a few thin, dry twigs, and the fire grew stronger. Then, he picked up a long, thin wooden skewer and deftly pried open the hard shell of a rock oyster, revealing the snow-white, plump, and slightly trembling oyster meat inside.

Without using any tools, he simply held the oyster shell by the edge with his hands and placed it sideways on a relatively flat stone by the fire pit, letting the heat of the flames slowly roast the oyster meat.

The entire process was fluid and graceful, possessing a primitive and simple beauty.

There are no fancy kitchen utensils, no complicated procedures, only the most direct fire and food.

An enticing aroma, carrying the salty freshness of the sea and the unique sweetness of shellfish, gradually filled the air.

Lin Xia watched quietly. The intense pain in her body seemed to lessen slightly under the stimulation of the food's aroma, and the hunger roared in her stomach like a wild beast awakening.

He gazed at Jixiang's focused and serene profile. The firelight cast dancing shadows on his face, and his calm eyes, reflecting the flames, remained unfathomable, utterly devoid of emotion.

"Jixiang."

Lin Xia spoke again, her voice still hoarse, but a little clearer than before.

"Thank you. Besides you, were there anyone else... washed ashore?"

He finally couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling with barely Frisk tension.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling... how are they?

Did they also survive by sheer luck, like me? Are they still on this island? Or... did they sink to the bottom of the icy sea?

Jixiang paused slightly, less than a moment, as he flipped the stone oyster.

He didn't turn around immediately, but watched as the flames licked the edges of the snow-white oyster meat, watching as clear juice gradually seeped out.

A few seconds later, he calmly answered, his voice coming through the sizzling sound of the grill:

"On the rocky beach, you are the only living thing."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts for more precise language.

"At least, when I found you, and during the patrols of the nearby coast in the days that followed, I found no other survivors, nor did I see... a body."

Lin Xia's heart sank.

There was no one else... only him?