Clown!

Phoenix exclaimed, "Tang Fei, what are you doing?"

As she spoke, the Phoenix Whip on her wrist automatically appeared in her hand.

If Tang Fei made any further moves, she would whip him.

This time, she hadn't activated the whip's lightsaber mode; it was just a regular whip. It wouldn't kill, only lash someone back.

If it were like how she dealt with the members of the Flame Shrine before, this whip would have severed Tang Fei's head from his body.

Although she was shocked and surprised by Tang Fei's actions, she hadn't intended to kill him.

From their time together, Tang Fei had left a deep impression on her.

She found it difficult to define what kind of person he was, but he was definitely not a bad person.

Of course, if he had actually taken off his pants, that would be another matter.

"Acid rain," Tang Fei, who was in the process of taking off his pants, said nervously upon seeing the whip in Phoenix's hand. He stopped pulling his pants down and explained to Phoenix, "Acid rain fell on me and is corroding my skin."

While Phoenix was in a daze, contemplating whether to protect his body and let Tang Fei continue undressing or protect her own reputation and make him stop immediately, Tang Fei had already swiftly and cleanly pulled off his outer jeans.

Fortunately, Tang Fei was still wearing long johns underneath.

This man was actually wearing long johns?

On New Star, this would be a cause for laughter among the young noble ladies and gentlemen.

After Tang Fei took off his pants, he rummaged around his thigh and then glanced down at his crotch.

Good, both his brothers were intact.

It was just the burning pain on his back; the acid rain that had fallen on his back had clearly corroded his clothes and was now hurting his skin.

Tang Fei quickly fumbled in the small pouch at his waist and pulled out a small cloth bag containing fresh Snake Skin Grass leaves.

He grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth. After chewing them, he spat the juice from the Snake Skin Tree leaves into his palm and then said to Phoenix, "Could you help me apply it? I can't reach that spot."

"?"

Phoenix stared wide-eyed at the clump of viscous liquid in Tang Fei's palm. Her pupils dilated, and her eyes widened. She truly felt at a loss on how to proceed.

Did he mean for her to grab that stuff and apply it to his back?

To heal and save someone, one shouldn't be too squeamish. But that clump of medicinal juice... she really couldn't bring herself to touch it with her bare hands.

"Hurry!" Tang Fei urged. "If you don't apply it soon, the acid rain will corrode deeper, and the injury will worsen."

"Is there any other way?" Phoenix's face turned red from holding back. She knew she should help Tang Fei apply the medicine, especially since Tang Fei had helped her apply medicine before. However, the viscous liquid that had just been spat out from Tang Fei's mouth made her hesitate. "Does it only work if you chew it? What if I chew it for you?"

Tang Fei paused for a moment, realizing that some things didn't require him to do them personally.

So, he handed the bag in his hand to Phoenix and said, "Of course, you can chew it too."

Looking at the green, viscous liquid in his palm, even he felt a bit disgusted.

But not wanting Phoenix to think his actions were foolish, he slapped it onto his own healthy calf and said, "My leg here was also hit by acid rain, so I can apply it myself."

Phoenix took the bag and no longer refused. She grabbed a handful of leaves from it and put them in her mouth to chew. When she felt they were sufficiently chewed, she spat them into her palm and then, mimicking Tang Fei, slapped the burnt area on Tang Fei's back.

Slap!

Her soft palm touched the skin on Tang Fei's back. Although there was a layer of viscous liquid between them, both of them felt a strange sensation.

It was Phoenix's first time doing something like this. She had never healed anyone before, let alone had such close physical contact with a young man.

If this were discovered, it would likely cause a huge uproar throughout the entire empire, perhaps even the entire New Star.

As for that young man, he would probably disappear without a trace very quickly...

Her spitting out chewed-up material and then slapping it onto a man's firm back... this feeling...

Rounding it off, it was as if she had kissed Tang Fei's back.

Her father had told her to remain calm in the face of great events. Her complex living environment had also led to her premature maturity, equipping her with the skill of concealing her emotions.

However, as she did this, she still felt a nervous, thrilling sensation of her heart racing.

Her cheeks were burning, as if a raging fire was burning in front of her.

Tang Fei's emotions were also turbulent. He had initially thought he would just chew some Snake Skin Tree leaves and slap them onto the wound.

He had done this to himself and others countless times before.

But when Phoenix did this for him, he knew clearly that his feelings were different.

He felt nervous. After the application, his muscles tensed, and his nerves tightened even further.

He felt shy, a vague, indescribable emotion arising, something he had never experienced before, leaving him momentarily speechless.

He was thinking, he was wondering.

He was also growing.

"Is it done?" Phoenix's voice came from behind him, calm yet elegant. This was her usual tone when facing unfamiliar people; it helped her maintain emotional stability and a degree of security. She asked, "Is there anywhere else that needs medicine?"

"Yes," Tang Fei replied.

"Where?"

"My butt."

"Tang Fei."

"Alright, alright, just kidding," Tang Fei stretched his limbs and said with a grin, "Nothing hurts anymore. Thank you for saving my life, Miss Phoenix."

Phoenix finally relaxed. She had genuinely thought Tang Fei's butt needed medication.

"What kind of life-saving grace is this? The medicine was yours, and you taught me the prescription. I just slapped it on casually."

Phoenix didn't want to take credit. Looking at his lean yet incredibly solid frame, devoid of any excess fat, she said, "Even if I hadn't saved you, you wouldn't have been in mortal danger."

"Acid rain usually isn't lethal, but it's quite agonizing when it corrodes flesh," Tang Fei replied.

He picked up his clothes from the ground and began dressing himself again.

Phoenix turned away, finding the scene peculiar.

It was just like those action movies she watched with her girlfriends. After the male and female leads finished, the female would lie on the bed, half-covered, while the male slowly put on his clothes. How similar!

Tang Fei walked to the cave entrance and looked outside. "The rain has stopped. Let's head back. Rain on Old Earth is like this; it comes and goes quickly."

"Okay." Phoenix stood up and picked up her two buckets.

Tang Fei glanced at her, picked up his own two buckets, and led the way out.

After leaving the cave, Tang Fei walked ahead, with Phoenix following closely behind as before.

Tang Fei remained a refugee from Old Earth, and Phoenix was still a distinguished guest from New Star.

Nothing had changed, yet it felt as though something had.

Whoosh!

A black Star Disc appeared at the summit of Hate Mountain at light speed. The hatch opened, and a group of men and women of various appearances and ages emerged.

A young man with a rat-like face and skin pockmarked as if hit by a close-range shotgun blast, yet sporting a stylish braid at the back of his head, stood at the edge of the cliff. The hem of his white suit fluttered in the strong wind as he surveyed the surroundings and asked, "Is this Hate Mountain?"

"Yes. According to the escape pod's flight trajectory, she should have fled to this place called Hate Mountain," a burly elder behind him stated.

The elder wore a black Tang suit, his muscles bulging, clearly a martial arts practitioner.

"This is quite interesting," the braided man remarked. "The exalted Moon of the Starry Sky, fallen to such a desolate place. I wonder what the people on New Star would think if they knew?"

"They won't know," the elder in the Tang suit said with a serious expression.

If they knew, they would be dead.

"This is what they mean by 'a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken'," a seductive woman in a red leather outfit emerged, resting half her exposed breast on the braided man's arm. One hand slipped inside his white shirt, caressing his chest.

A small, emerald green snake perched on her shoulder, flicking its tongue at the braided man as if guarding a sacred relic.

"That's not necessarily true." The braided man offered his finger to the snake. It bit down and began desperately sucking his blood.

The braided man felt no pain; instead, he closed his eyes in blissful enjoyment, groaning, "Chickens are everywhere, but a phoenix is hard to find. There's only one like this, in heaven or on earth. Once I catch this little phoenix, I'll taste her first."

The seductive woman wasn't angered by the braided man's insult of comparing her to an animal; instead, she became incredibly excited. "Wonderful! I want to join in too. I want to see if a high and mighty phoenix is any different from an ordinary woman when doing that."

"I will fulfill your wish," the braided man said.

"Don't mess up the mission, you two," a man completely clad in black, wearing a black ghost mask, said coldly from behind.

"Oh, oh, oh, someone in the group is unhappy with us," the braided man turned, walking step by step towards the masked man. "Look at you. We're all in the business of taking money and solving problems without any capital investment. Either others die, or we die. What's the point of hiding your face?"

"If you kill someone, others won't see your face. If someone kills you, what does it matter if your face is seen?" The braided man looked at the seductive woman clinging to his arm and asked, "Do you think there's a possibility? That his real appearance is uglier than mine? Like a devil?"

"Yes, he must be very ugly, uglier than you. Like a devil, like a worn-out mad dog..."

"Hahaha."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter, then began to kiss passionately.

Clang!

The masked man drew his sword, while the kissing braided man raised his gun.

A uniquely styled, somewhat ancient-looking double-barreled pistol.

"Clown. Shadowless, what are you two doing?" the burly elder shouted to stop them. "Don't forget, we're out here on a mission. If anything goes wrong, no one here will survive."

"Fine, fine. Since Mr. Shanhe has spoken, we'll let you live." The Clown put away his double-barreled pistol and continued kissing the seductive woman passionately, their intimacy escalating as if they intended to make love on the ground.

Shadowless snorted and re-sheathed his sword.

"Let's divide the tasks," Mr. Shanhe said in a deep voice. "The Hate Mountain District is quite large, so we'll have to search it village by village. Clown, you and Snake Woman start from the east. Shadowless and Wufeng, you go from the west."

"The rest of you will come with me into the dense forest to search for clues. We need to find the escape pod first. Once we find the escape pod, we can basically determine her general location. After all, if she wants to wait for rescue, she'll have to stay near the escape pod."

"Understood," everyone responded.

"Remember, no matter which party finds a clue, do not act rashly. Notify everyone via encrypted communicator and wait for the entire team to assemble before taking action."

"Why? Isn't that too troublesome? What if she escapes while we're waiting to assemble?" the Clown complained.

He wanted to taste the phoenix soup before everyone else arrived.

Mr. Shanhe glanced at the Clown, threatening him subtly, "Because we need to ensure it's seamless and leaves no trace."

"Don't worry, don't worry," the Clown waved his hand dismissively. "Even if I leave traces on her, I'll destroy them completely. No one will be able to track us."

"No," Mr. Shanhe refused again. "We must handle it ourselves and witness it firsthand to eliminate future troubles completely."

His expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, we will never have peace. We can't go back to New Star. There will be no place for us to hide, neither in heaven nor on earth."