An incense stick of time passed.
Only then did Qin Hu and the other two calm down.
Ye Long felt that such a life was quite fulfilling; with people to care about him, he would not feel lonely.
One had to know:
In the present world, survival depended entirely on strength.
Yet once a person attained heaven-reaching strength, how many could still companion them to the peak?
"The world has few troubles of its own, but the bright moon shines on drainage ditches."
"If you ask who comes first in this world, what harm is there in leading the charge!"
Coming back to his senses, Ye Long suddenly remembered something.
Since the Silver Python was dead, its vital blood essence remained; leaving it idle for too long would be a huge waste.
"Right, hurry up and eat the flesh of the Silver Python—it's much higher quality than the Heavenly Wolf!"
Hearing this, Qin Hu and the two others were inevitably startled, only then remembering that the Silver Python was an Innate Monster Beast.
Facing such a potent tonic, they clearly could no longer worry about their own injuries.
For a moment, Ye Long finally managed to escape Qin Hu and the others' endless chatter.
Yet... as wave after wave of warmth seeped into his heart, he naturally relished the feeling.
"Benefactor, how are you feeling? Are you injured?"
While Ye Long was lost in thought, a voice like the melodious chirping of a thrush sounded beside his ear.
It was exceptionally soft and pleasant.
He could not help turning to look.
With a pale face and slightly disheveled attire, she looked truly pitiful...
It was precisely that graceful figure.
"Oh, I'm feeling all right, nothing serious," Ye Long replied.
Speaking of which, it had to be said:
In his past life he had been a single bachelor; although the woman before him was very beautiful, his mental age remained intact, so he was not about to act like a hopeless fool.
Hearing this, Qin Youran could not help feeling secretly surprised.
"Benefactor, this humble woman, Qin Youran, dares to ask your honorable name?"
As she spoke, she was well aware of Ye Long's injuries; earlier, blood had sprayed out in a mist and he had appeared on the verge of death.
Yet who would have thought...
"Ye Long!"
He was quite direct.
With those words, Ye Long looked toward the trembling white-robed man who was walking over, and could not help asking:
"And who might this be?"
Qin Youran answered: "He is my senior martial brother..."
Before she could finish, the white-robed man cut in:
"I am Lin Yun. Just now, I saw the young hero act righteously to save my junior sister, and I wish to thank you first. This grace, I will surely repay another day."
Lin Yun intended to bow, but his injuries were too severe; his footing gave way, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Seeing Lin Yun's rash attempt to get up, Qin Youran hurriedly stopped him: "Senior brother, you are too badly injured; the benefactor won't blame you."
"Ah, big brother, your junior sister is right. Rest and regulate your breath for now; forgive me for neglecting the two of you for a moment."
As his voice trailed off, Ye Long turned and strode toward the carcass of the Silver Python.
Finding Qin Hu and the other two circling the python and gesturing blindly at it, he cursed them inwardly as fools.
"What on earth are you doing? The Silver Python's flesh can be eaten directly—don't waste it while the blood essence is still fresh!"
"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier, leaving us guessing for ages and not knowing where to start..."
"You didn't ask me."
Before his voice died away, Ye Long swung his blade fiercely.
He actually wrapped the slick, bare body with the python skin, and could not help praising it inwardly:
"Even in death, this Silver Python is still contributing; truly a rare thing..."
Ye Long then drew the Black Radiance Spear, sliced off a piece of the Silver Python's flesh, walked up to Lin Yun, and handed it over, saying:
"Here, a flawless return. This is python essence flesh; it should have some healing effect on big brother's injuries."
Little did he know:
Upon seeing the bloody chunk of Silver Python meat, Lin Yun hesitated inevitably.
Clearly, he did not know whether he should take it or not.
Seeing this, Ye Long seemed to see right through Lin Yun's intentions, and a mischievous urge rose within him as he said:
"Just think about how you got injured."
At these words, Lin Yun's expression changed instantly.
Yet as Lin Yun looked at the blood-soaked python meat, he felt an incomparable sense of nausea.
"When you fail to protect the person you want to protect," Ye Long said. "If it weren't for us, the person you want to protect most would probably be waiting for you down below."
In an instant, these words struck home like poisonous thorns.
Looking at the fresh, bloody meat, Lin Yun felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of killing intent.
At that moment, Lin Yun could not suppress the heaving in his throat.
Seeing that the expected effect was achieved, Ye Long stoked the fire at the opportune moment, muttering to himself:
"Oh, wait, perhaps dying together as star-crossed lovers wouldn't be so bad either..."
Little did he know:
Upon hearing this, Lin Yun's face turned even paler, and he glared at the meat with utter hatred.
Then:
The hand Lin Yun had extended pulled back again.
Seeing this, Ye Long added fuel to the fire once more, murmuring:
"And that's not right either. Perhaps you die and she lives, or she dies and you live..."
With that, he shoved the piece of meat right up in front of Lin Yun!
And it had to be said:
What pain in this world could be more agonizing and unspeakable than being separated by the netherworld?
Thinking of this, Lin Yun suddenly roared:
"Stop talking... I'll eat it! I'll eat it, all right!"
Instantly, Lin Yun stared at the Silver Python flesh with sheer hatred. He no longer found it disgusting at all; instead, a desperate impulse to kill and be done with it welled up inside him.
He took the meat and, right there in full view of everyone, began to devour it ravenously, bite after bite.
Seeing this, a strange look flashed deep within Ye Long's eyes, and he burst into hearty laughter.
"Looks like there's still hope for you..."
Hearing this, Lin Yun's movements paused slightly.
When Lin Yun looked at Ye Long again, his gaze was faintly filled with gratitude, and he immediately lowered his head to stuff himself with food once more.
In truth, Ye Long had long since guessed the extent of Lin Yun's injuries.
Or rather, one could put it this way:
The terror of the Silver Python far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Not only had it cracked his entire body and damaged his Dantian, it had nearly cost him his life...
Had it not been for his body-tempering technique, the Qingshi Formula, he might have already perished.
How could Lin Yun, who had never practiced body-tempering arts, possibly withstand it?
Even if he was in the Xiantian Realm, he was still a mortal!
Furthermore, although Ye Long knew nothing about healing, his previous experience told him of the miraculous properties of the Innate Silver Python...
That was why he had resorted to provocation just now.
Yet who would have thought—
When Ye Long turned back around and looked at Qin Youran,
she waved her hands repeatedly and refused with a polite rejection:
"Uh... I'll pass."
You must understand:
Qin Youran had originally been displeased by Ye Long's earlier tone and wanted to scold him a bit, but the moment she remembered he was their benefactor, and connected it to the change in Lin Yun's expression...
If she still couldn't figure out what was going on by now, she wouldn't have attained the Xiantian Realm at the tender age of twenty-eight.
"That is truly a pity..." Ye Long said. "I hear that such flesh also has beauty-enhancing effects. Besides, this is the flesh of an Innate Monster Beast—it's the ultimate tonic among tonics..."
As he spoke, he rattled it off with complete fluency, without even blinking his eyes.
Hearing this novel theory, Qin Youran inevitably wore a thoughtful look, unable to tell whether it was true or false.
Yet when she looked at the blood-soaked beast meat again, she shuddered involuntarily.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Long burst into a loud laugh...