Morning sunlight filtered through the dense branches, casting dappled spots of light. A gentle breeze blew past, and the flickers of light woke Luoyu from her deep sleep.
Luoyu sat up, the fiery-red cloak sliding off her shoulders. The chill in the forest immediately made her shiver. Turning her head, she saw Fu Yuanbo looking right at her. As their eyes met, both of them awkwardly looked away.
"Are Senior Brother's injuries better?"
"Much better. There was some trouble on First Senior Brother's side last night, and we need to hurry over as soon as possible."
"Alright. Let me change Senior Brother's dressing first."
The redness and swelling around the wound had completely vanished, and quite a few tender, newborn pink buds of flesh were growing in. Luoyu felt much more at ease. She applied fresh medicine, bandaged the wound, and folded the cloak that had been half-draped over her, handing it to Fu Yuanbo.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"Mm. The Secret Realm is cold and damp; Junior Sister, you should keep this cloak to ward off the chill."
Luoyu held the cloak in her hands. The feathers radiated waves of warmth that enveloped her palms.
"This cloak is far too precious. I am unworthy of such a gift."
"I am a man, and I have no use for this cloak. Consider it returning Junior Sister's kindness in tending to my injuries yesterday."
"Yesterday..." Before Luoyu could finish, Fu Yuanbo stopped her from saying any more.
"Junior Sister, please don't decline. We should hurry and go rendezvous with the others."
Fu Yuanbo took out his flying magic treasure and stepped onto it first. Luoyu hesitated for a moment, ultimately compromising. She tied the cloak securely around herself and followed behind him.
"Senior Brother, I don't have many spirit stones. If I obtain a good spirit treasure in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness for the garment."
"Junior Sister need not take it to heart. I have hundreds of thousands of superior spirit stones, and I am not lacking in magic treasures."
With that, Fu Yuanbo cast a stealthy sideways glance at Luoyu. She was always dressed in cyan robes, with slender eyebrows, almond eyes, cherry-red petite lips, and a quiet, gentle temperament. Her beauty wasn't the kind of breathtaking stunner that struck the soul at first glance, but rather like a meandering stream—just being in her company made one unconsciously immersed in her gentleness.
Fu Yuanbo was not one for conversation, but he had listened to plenty of discussions about women when the senior and junior brothers gathered together, and he had memorized a few key points they frequently mentioned. One of them was: you must let the woman you like know how much wealth you possess; that was the baseline of sincerity.
He wondered if female cultivators discussed men when they chatted among themselves. If they did, would Luoyu be able to discern his subtle sincerity?
At that moment, Luoyu felt a pang of bitterness. Logically speaking, alchemy cultivators should never lack money; casually refining some pills was a guaranteed profitable business. Yet she had stayed in the Alchemy Sect all along, never interacting with outsiders. Her sole source of income was the monthly allowance allotted to a sect master's disciple, and furthermore, she constantly had to buy various Spirit Plants to improve her alchemy skills. After decades of this, she only had a mere few hundred middle-grade spirit stones to her name. As for Fu Yuanbo, with hundreds of thousands of superior spirit stones backing him, the massive disparity made Luoyu feel even more inferior, while simultaneously worrying about how on earth she was supposed to repay this favor.
If Fu Yuanbo knew what Luoyu was thinking right now, he would probably have smashed his fist into the junior brother who had given him those highlighted key points in the first place. Lost in their own thoughts, neither of them spoke again.
To save time, they bypassed monster beasts and traveled swiftly the whole way, finally reuniting with the others by noon the next day.
The team they were with was already very close to the center of the Secret Realm. Word had it that last night they had been besieged by more than twenty Nascent Soul stage monster beasts. Aside from Liangchen and Fan Ni, everyone else had been injured to varying degrees. Going any further meant they might not just get hurt; they could very well lose their lives right here in the Secret Realm. They were all the youngest disciples of their respective sects and weren't lacking in cultivation resources normally, so there was no need to take such risks. After discussing it among themselves, the group had chosen to stay put, only wandering around the vicinity to see if they could pick up any missed opportunities.
Liao Xing was quite severely injured, with a very long gash across his abdomen. Although his life was not in danger, he had yet to wake up and was running a high fever all over.
Luoyu felt deeply grateful to this Fourth Senior Brother, with whom she usually had very little interaction. Just days before, he had even stepped in to smooth things over for her. Although it was only a few words, to her—someone who was used to being bullied—it was undoubtedly a rare, precious warmth. Unable to set her mind at ease, she re-examined Liao Xing's wound, applied soothing ointment, and fed him a medicinal pill. Liao Xing remained fast asleep and could not guide his Spiritual Power to refine the pill, but fortunately, she possessed the Time-Control Needle Technique, which allowed her to control the medicinal potency to repair the wound. Before long, Liao Xing regained consciousness.
Looking at the worried Junior Sister before him, Liao Xing weakly curved the corners of his lips into a smile.
"Is Junior Sister doing well?"
"I'm fine. Senior Brother, focus on your recovery."
Liao Xing indeed lacked much strength. After drinking a few sips of water that Luoyu held to his lips, he lay back down to rest.
As Liao Xing circulated his Spiritual Power to repair his body, he watched from afar as Luoyu retreated to the edge of the crowd. The lingering medicinal strength in his abdomen was rich and potent; it must have been administered by Junior Sister just moments ago. Today she was wearing a bright red cloak, making her look much more charming and delicate. A few disciples from the Canglan Sect walked over to greet her, praising her exceptional medical skills, while she flushed with embarrassment, lowering her head in silence as her slender, tender fingers endlessly twisted the hem of her clothes.
"Why aren't you lot tending to your injuries? What are you all crowding around Junior Sister Luoyu for?"
"Senior Brother."
The Canglan disciples stood up to pay their respects to Fu Yuanbo. Under the naked threat of his gaze, they scurried off to sit elsewhere, heads lowered in murmured conversation while occasionally glancing back at Luoyu and Fu Yuanbo. The gossipy look on their faces made Luoyu feel as though she were sitting on pins and needles.
"Junior Sister, are you planning to stay here, or head a bit deeper in?"
Luoyu looked at Fu Yuanbo in bewilderment. She had only just undergone Nascent Soul Formation and could be said to have the lowest cultivation level here. The reason she hadn't been injured thus far was, first, because of sheer luck—she hadn't run into any encirclements of Nascent Soul stage monster beasts—and second, because of Fu Yuanbo's desperate protection. She certainly didn't think she possessed the strength to venture deeper into the Secret Realm.
Fu Yuanbo said, "I'm worried about Senior Brother Liangchen. If he went alone, that would be one thing—he could still flee for his life when meeting danger, but he's also taking Fan Ni with him... The Sect Master instructed me before we left to protect him at all costs. I have to go find him. You should stay right here. Remember, don't try to be brave when things happen, and protect yourself well."
With that, Fu Yuanbo stood up and made to leave. Luoyu hurriedly stood up and said, "Senior Brother, will... will I be a burden to you?"
"If you want to go, I will definitely keep you safe!"
Fu Yuanbo didn't know whether doing this was good or bad, but leaving her behind here made him thoroughly uneasy. True, there safety in numbers, but a larger group also more easily attracted monster beasts. When a crisis struck, he feared no one would risk their lives to protect Luoyu. He had his master's orders and had to go find Liangchen; since she was willing to follow him, he would certainly not let down Luoyu's choice.