"Awake?"
Feng Weibing's voice came from beside him.
He sat propped against a cracked boulder, makeshift strips of cloth wrapped around his chest and shoulder.
The places where the Wind Falcon Demon King had struck him were still bleeding, but he had been in no hurry to treat them. Instead, he had kept watching Yang Xiao.
Only when Yang Xiao opened his eyes did he draw his gaze away from that figure in black.
Yang Xiao looked at him.
"How are your injuries?"
"I won't die." Feng Weibing tugged at the corner of his mouth. His gaze settled on Yang Xiao, a hint of puzzlement on his face.
The Yang Xiao before him seemed little different from a moment ago.
He still wore the same black robe and cloak torn by Wind Blades, and still held the same Army-Breaking Spear stained with demon blood.
But a closer examination revealed that his aura had changed.
A moment ago, Yang Xiao had been like a boulder planted in a storm, heavy and immovable. No matter how the Wind Falcon Demon King battered him, he could not be shaken.
Now, Yang Xiao was still steady, even showing faint signs of blending into the winds of the valley, yet there was an added sharpness that was almost impossible to detect.
It was as though a keen blade had been hidden among the countless fierce winds, ready to leave its sheath at any moment.
Watching Yang Xiao, he realized clearly for the first time that this young deputy general Pei Xuance had sent was probably far more than he appeared.
Hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the distance.
"The wind's weakened!"
"We can enter Heavenwind Pass!"
"Everyone, hold formation! Locate Deputy General Yang and Deputy General Feng first!"
The shouts drew closer.
Han Chuan led a