Wound Medicine

Zhu Zhuyun's gaze locked onto the four Spirit Rings around Huang Yun, especially the deep black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. Her pupils contracted sharply, and even her breathing fell out of rhythm.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The shock brought by his purple second Spirit Ring had been completely overshadowed by his Ten Thousand Year fourth Spirit Ring.

This was something that would be considered utterly shocking across the entire continent.

Even the core disciples nurtured by Spirit Hall with every resource at their disposal would not dare attempt to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at the Soul Ancestor stage. The risk was too great; one wrong move meant shattered meridians and a scattered soul.

Yet this masked youth before her had not only succeeded, but judging from his condition—his steady aura and abundant Soul Power—he had clearly absorbed it perfectly.

Zhu Zhuyun took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. She swept her eyes over the subordinates sprawled across the ground and said in a low voice, "Everyone, retreat."

The few Soul Grandmasters who had not yet passed out felt as though they had been granted a pardon. They scrambled up, helped their unconscious companions to their feet, and retreated into the depths of the forest without looking back.

Zhu Zhuyun gave Huang Yun one final, complicated look. Her lips moved, but she said nothing before turning to follow the retreating group.

Huang Yun did not pursue them. He watched their backs disappear into the woods, standing where he was with his hands in his pockets, his expression unchanged.

He bore no hostility toward Zhu Zhuyun. For one thing, she had only been putting on an act to let her younger sister escape. For another, the Zhu Family wielded enormous influence in the Star Luo Empire, so there was no need to provoke them for nothing.

His intention today had merely been to use this group to test Thundercloud's combat effectiveness, while lending Zhu Zhuqing a hand along the way. He offended neither side, which was just right.

Thundercloud gradually dispersed, and the sky turned clear once more.

The clearing in the forest was a complete mess, littered with shattered stones and broken branches. Only Huang Yun and Zhu Zhuqing remained standing.

Zhu Zhuqing still held a guarded stance, her vertical pupils fixed on Huang Yun. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "Who are you? Why did you help me?"

Huang Yun turned sideways and casually answered, "I'm merely a wanderer of this world. I just couldn't stand seeing a group gang up on one person."

He had just turned to leave when the corner of his eye caught the wound on Zhu Zhuqing's left arm, still seeping blood. His steps paused.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a bottle of wound medicine from his storage ring and casually tossed it to Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively caught it. She lowered her head to look at the small porcelain bottle in her hand, then looked back at Huang Yun. The vigilance in her eyes eased slightly.

"It stops bleeding. Apply it, or the wound might get infected." Huang Yun's tone was flat. "It's not safe for a girl to be running around outside while injured."

Zhu Zhuqing tightened her grip around the porcelain bottle. After a few seconds of silence, she said softly, "Thank you."

She unscrewed the cap and carefully poured the medicinal powder over the wound on her left arm. A cool, stinging sensation spread through her flesh as the powder touched it, but the bleeding did indeed stop quickly.

She deftly tore off a strip of cloth from her clothing and bandaged the wound. When she was done, she raised her head. Her gaze fell on the place where Huang Yun's four Spirit Rings had already withdrawn, and after hesitating for a moment, she could not help asking.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Huang Yun leaned against a nearby tree trunk, arms crossed as he watched the girl, wounded all over yet still standing stubbornly straight. He did not refuse. "Go ahead."

Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and stared directly into his eyes. "You clearly only have four rings and are a Soul Ancestor, yet your fourth Spirit Ring is a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and your second Spirit Ring is a thousand-year purple one. How did you do it?"

This question had been weighing on her for a long time.

As a direct descendant of the Zhu Family, she had received the most orthodox Soul Master training since childhood and knew the fundamentals of Spirit Ring absorption by heart.

A Soul Grandmaster absorbing a thousand-year Spirit Ring, or a Soul Ancestor absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring—such things had never happened, nor had she ever heard of them.

Yet this masked youth before her was not only alive and well, but terrifyingly powerful.

Huang Yun shrugged and answered casually, "My physique is tough enough, the quality of my Soul Power is pure enough, and my attributes are compatible. That's all."

"That simple?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced.

"That simple." Huang Yun smiled. "Of course, it sounds simple, but doing it is another matter. I absorbed all of my first three Spirit Rings beyond my level. My body had long since adapted to the pressure of exceeding my limits. I worked my way up step by step, so by the fourth ring, I could naturally withstand more than most people."

Zhu Zhuqing's expression shifted slightly.

All three of his first Spirit Rings had been absorbed beyond his level.

That was not merely a matter of talent. It was experience accumulated through countless tests at the brink of life and death.

She suddenly realized that this youth, who appeared to be around her age, had likely seen far more real combat than she had imagined.

"How old are you?" she asked without thinking.

"Twelve."

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils shrank slightly.

A twelve-year-old Four-Ring Soul Ancestor—and one with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at that. Her thoughts raced as she tried to search her memories for what force on the continent could have cultivated such a monster.

His Martial Soul had the lightning attribute. Could he be related to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?

"You don't need to guess." Huang Yun seemed to see through her thoughts and waved a hand. "I haven't joined any faction, nor do I belong to one. That was true before, and it will remain true in the future. I'm just a wanderer who travels around for fun."

A wanderer.

Zhu Zhuqing quietly repeated the word, an indescribable feeling rising in her heart.

Someone who had achieved something so terrifying at such an age actually had no sect or faction and traveled the continent alone.

She lowered her head and looked at the bottle of wound medicine in her hand, already half used. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "My name is Zhu Zhuqing."

She gave him her name.

Among Soul Masters, this was a gesture of goodwill. Giving one's real name to an unknown stranger meant she was willing to lower most of her guard.

Huang Yun naturally understood the meaning behind it and nodded. "I know."

Zhu Zhuqing froze. "You know?"

"The fiancée of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, the second daughter of the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire. Anyone could figure it out." Huang Yun spoke lightly. "I'm a wanderer, after all. I've heard some things about you. I can't be bothered getting involved in the royal family's mess. I only saved you because I happened to come across this, and because I had just obtained my fourth Spirit Ring and wanted to test my fourth soul skill."

Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

She looked at Huang Yun leaning against the tree in that casual, unrestrained manner, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

He had saved her and given her medicine, yet wanted nothing in return. He did not even seem interested in staying any longer.

She had encountered too many people who approached her with ulterior motives: the Zhu Family's struggles, the royal family's internal conflicts, and those who appeared kind to her while secretly plotting something else.

Someone like Huang Yun, who wanted to leave after helping her, instead made her feel somewhat unaccustomed.

"Where are you going next?" she asked. The moment the words left her mouth, she felt they were somewhat abrupt and turned her head slightly away.