The girl opened her eyes.
"Awake?"
"Mm."
"Are your injuries any better?"
"They haven't gotten worse. Healing will still take time."
"Oh, do you want something to eat, then?"
A fire burned in the cave.
An iron pot sat over the fire, with instant noodles cooking inside.
Shen Ye didn't know whether she would eat them, so he asked.
The girl rose from the stone platform, looked at the pot for a while, then turned to Shen Ye.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Only two hours."
"...I slept too deeply. Nothing happened, did it?" The girl got up, walked barefoot over to Shen Ye, and sat beside him.
"Nothing happened. Everything's normal," Shen Ye said.
He picked up the noodles with his chopsticks and filled two bowls, handing one to the girl and keeping one for himself.
"Although I don't know what happened to you, I'd suggest going back to the city."
Shen Ye said.
"Why?" The girl looked at him.
"There are some good healers in the city. They should be able to help you recover quickly," Shen Ye said.
The girl withdrew her gaze, looked at the bowl of soup before her, and said quietly:
"They can't heal me. I need another way to recover."
"Can I help?" Shen Ye asked.
"No-but thank you anyway. Have you memorized everything I asked you to?" the girl asked.
"Mm." Shen Ye answered as he lowered his head to eat his noodles.
The girl watched him silently.
He seemed ravenous, wolfing down his food and draining every last drop of soup from his bowl.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Shen Ye set down his bowl and asked curiously.
Only then did the girl lower her eyes to her hand.
My hand.
*Just one slight movement would reap this young man's