Before the campfire.
Faced with the golden-brown rabbit leg, the girl in yellow did not immediately take it. Instead, her beautiful eyes watched the unfamiliar young man in black warily.
She clearly had some doubts about his identity. After all, a girl alone out in the wilderness naturally had to be extremely vigilant.
"Aren't you hungry?" Seeing this, Chu Tiannan raised an eyebrow, then shook his head with a smile. "Don't tell me you think I poisoned it? It'll get cold if you don't eat it!"
As he spoke, Chu Tiannan did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he casually tore off a piece of rabbit meat with his other hand and began eating with relish.
"Mm... tastes good, just a little bland."
His expression of enjoyment seemed to say, I've already eaten some. It's not poisoned!
"Thank you!" A moment later, feeling her stomach protest, the girl in yellow could not help taking the rabbit leg. Her soft, pleasant voice rang out, and she quickly began eating.
"Looks like you were starving!" Seeing the girl gulp down the food without the slightest restraint, Chu Tiannan smiled faintly and offered her a bottle of water he had on him, then set down the remaining half of the roast rabbit.
"Where... are you going?" Seeing the young man rise, the girl could not help asking.
"This room is too small. You stay here. I'll go outside and keep watch while I'm at it," Chu Tiannan said, standing and stretching.
Several days of fleeing under intense strain had left him needing plenty of rest to recover, too.
"Your injuries aren't minor. Get some proper rest. No Demon Beasts will appear here tonight."
With that, Chu Tiannan was about to leave the room when a cold glint suddenly shot toward him. With his naturally powerful soul perception, he quickly caught it.
Chu Tiannan took a closer look and asked in confusion, "What's this?"
"A recovery potion. If you aren't worried I poisoned it, drink it. It'll help you recover. You're injured too."
He had to admit that the girl's voice was very pleasant, but her gentle words still held a measure of coldness.
Or perhaps that was simply her nature.
Chu Tiannan briefly examined the potion in his hand. Although he was not from this world, he had quickly learned about it through the electronic device left behind by the martial artist who had died earlier.
Recovery potions.
They were the best supplies specifically intended for martial artists out in the wilderness, capable of healing injuries and restoring stamina. Their prices, however, were frighteningly high. The more effective a recovery potion was, the more its price multiplied.
Without any hesitation, Chu Tiannan drank it straight down. Feeling its warming effects slowly spread through his body, he walked out of the room.
"Get some rest. I'll keep watch!"
After all, he had the Devouring System. If its host was in danger, although the system would not provide any help, it could still give him a warning.
He closed the door, leaving the girl in yellow alone. The room was quiet, with only the occasional faint sizzle from the campfire.
The girl silently watched the doorway. The wariness and slight coldness originally in her bright eyes vanished a moment later, and a peculiar light flashed through them, especially when she saw Chu Tiannan drink the recovery potion she had given him without any hesitation.
In the early morning, as the first ray of sunlight fell upon the black-clad figure on the roof, the young man suddenly opened his deep, dark eyes.
He stood up, and feeling his body brimming with strength, he could not help the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"That girl's recovery potion really was something. Even the injuries I suffered during my first encounter with the demon wolf have healed completely."
As he spoke, Chu Tiannan punched into the air, followed by a low rush of wind. He believed that if this punch struck the demon wolf, although it would not kill it, it would be more than enough to injure it.
"Advanced Martial Artist..."
Sensing his martial artist rank, Chu Tiannan murmured under his breath, his fists gradually clenching. Although he was still very far from his goal, being able to cultivate at least meant there was hope.
"I absolutely cannot die without knowing why. One day, I'll return there and get to the bottom of it!"
Creak!
The door opened, and a graceful figure in yellow stepped softly outside. Seeing her, Chu Tiannan jumped down from the roof. As he looked at the girl before him, only half a head shorter than himself, he could not help marveling inwardly.
So beautiful!
Yesterday, the urgency of the situation, along with the fact that night had already fallen by the time they reached safety, had left Chu Tiannan without a chance to see her face.
Seeing her now, even Chu Tiannan, whose soul had lived for who knew how long, could not help admiring her.
Her stunning face was so flawless that it would make countless girls envious.
Her bright eyes in particular, clear as gemstones, held hidden traces of light that captivated the soul.
Her pale yellow top showed off her beautiful curves to the fullest, while her long, shapely thighs were concealed beneath her skirt, leaving only her legs below the knees exposed.
All in all, this was simply a girl whose beauty could bring disaster, and she clearly was not even an adult yet!
What would she be like once she came of age?
"Fully recovered in a single night?" Seeing that her aura had stabilized and that she showed no sign of injury, Chu Tiannan could not help saying with a smile, inwardly marveling at how good it was to have money.
Even the recovery potions she bought were exceptionally high-grade. He had briefly looked it up yesterday and gotten quite a shock.
That mouthful he had drunk was a grade B recovery potion, priced at one million Earth coins!
A recovery potion's grade also determined the strength of its restorative effects.
Ordinary martial artists simply could not afford grade B recovery potions. At most, they drank grade H potions costing a few thousand. Even grade F potions costing over ten thousand were rare. Only a few wealthy geniuses could afford to carry them, and an extremely small number even had grade E recovery potions worth tens of thousands.
As for grade D recovery potions priced at a hundred thousand, or even grade C recovery potions costing several hundred thousand...
That was practically drinking money!
"Thank you for saving me yesterday!" the girl said softly and gently, without a trace of coldness in her voice.
"I just happened to be passing by... um!"
Before Chu Tiannan could finish speaking, the atmosphere suddenly changed. A red gleam flashed along a sword's edge as it swept fiercely toward him.