Upon hearing about Lín Hǔ's strength, Lěng Yè felt a chill well up inside him. He felt like a little kitten about to face a ferocious tiger in the forest. He sighed, trying to look as relaxed as possible. "Hey, beauty, thanks a million for coming all this way just to share this wonderful news with me. Right now, I just feel like singing a song of pure anxiety."
Gāo Yán looked at Lěng Yè, a slight pang of guilt tugging at her heart like spilled sugar—sticky and hard to clean up. "Oh, my attitude earlier was cold enough to freeze an Antarctic penguin. You're too magnanimous; please don't take it to heart."
Lěng Yè chuckled and bantered, "You're such a feast for the eyes that even when you put on a stern face, I'd still gladly be your audience. But don't think a few compliments will let me dodge Long Aotian's fists. I don't want to turn into a missing person statistic in the martial world."
Gāo Yán rolled her eyes, wearing an expression that seemed to say, *you rascal*. "Save it. Let me tell you, Long Aotian is as sensitive as spring pollen. The moment I get involved, he'll definitely notice something's off, so don't say I didn't warn you."
Lěng Yè waved a hand to show he understood. "Don't worry, I won't put you in a dilemma. After all, you're Long Aotian's precious 'endangered species' with countless eyes watching your every move. I certainly don't want to drag you down."
Gāo Yán gazed at Lěng Yè, a trace of probing in her eyes. "Then what are you planning to do next? You surely aren't going to go toe-to-toe with him, are you?"
Lěng Yè was about to make a witty remark like, *"If we could just kiss and make up, maybe my strength would instantly skyrocket,"* but he immediately realized that wasn't a joke to be throwing around. So he answered with a helpless shrug, "What else can I do? When the soldiers come, block them with water and earth; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Gāo Yán sighed, half-joking and half-serious. "If you really do meet an untimely end, I promise I'll burn paper money for you right on schedule every first and fifteenth of the lunar month. I never break my word."
Lěng Yè's face twitched as he muttered to himself, *That has got to be the most unique way of comforting someone!*
Gāo Yán looked at Lěng Yè, a flash of hesitation crossing her face as if she were mulling over a question too awkward to voice. Lěng Yè privately guessed, *Is she going to ask me if I have any dying wishes? If so, I'll have to say, 'I hope to spend some more wonderful time with you,' and then I can defeat Lín Hǔ in one fell swoop.*
However, Gāo Yán slowly spoke up. "Although I know this request is a bit much, seeing as your current condition is basically hanging by a thread, I still want to ask: before you go, could you do a good deed and examine my best friend's ailment?"
Lěng Yè nearly choked, thinking, *What kind of hospice care is this?!*
Seeing his reaction, Gāo Yán quickly added, "Of course, if you're not willing, it's fine. Don't force yourself."
Lěng Yè let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Let's go. Anyway, since my 'days are numbered,' I might as well leave a glorious image in your heart. After all, we do have a past together!"
Gāo Yán nodded gratefully and added, "I'll definitely have her burn a bit extra paper money for you."
Lěng Yè: "……"
Along the way, Lěng Yè asked out of curiosity, "What kind of illness does your best friend actually have?"
Gāo Yán explained, "It's not really an illness, actually. She just has an old scar on her arm from many years ago that keeps getting her down. I figured that since you're so skilled in medicine, maybe you could help fix it."
Hearing this, Lěng Yè perked up. "Hey, you've definitely come to the right person for that."
Before long, the two of them arrived in front of a luxurious villa. Gāo Yán opened the door and walked in. Lěng Yè looked around, his eyes flashing with excitement. "Wow, this is the lavish mansion life I've always dreamed of!"
Gāo Yán called out loudly, "Xiǎoxīn, are you home?"
From upstairs came a voice that was both ethereal and alluring. "Yán'er, are you here to tease me again? Do you want to come pat my little butt this time?"
Gāo Yán flushed scarlet. Embarrassed, she cast a sideways glance at Lěng Yè and hurriedly corrected, "Be serious! I brought a doctor to look at your scar!"
Standing nearby, Lěng Yè's jaw practically hit the floor as he thought, *With a best friend like this, where on earth does she get any sense of insecurity?*
Shortly after, a mixed-race beauty appeared wearing yoga pants. She possessed a smoking-hot figure, fair skin, and short wavy hair. Lěng Yè's gaze involuntarily drifted to her soft, rosy lips, and he silently evaluated, *Those lips are the absolute picture of sexy!*
Gāo Yán introduced them. "This is my best friend, Liáng Xīn. And this is Lěng Yè; he might have a way to get rid of your scar."
Liáng Xīn looked Lěng Yè up and down with a skeptical expression. "Yán'er, did you get bewitched by this guy's sweet talk? He doesn't look like someone who can cure anything."
Lěng Yè raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Miss Liáng, how do I not look the part? You're judging a book by its cover!"
Liáng Xīn said dismissively, "I think you're just a lecherous scoundrel with nothing but dirty thoughts in your head."
Lěng Yè protested indignantly, "We've only met a few minutes ago, so how can you conclude I'm a lech? It sounds to me like you're just deliberately picking a fight!"
Liáng Xīn sneered and began listing his offenses: "Just now, you stared at my legs, my hips, my chest, and even drooped over my lips. The evidence is irrefutable—are you still going to try to talk your way out of it?"
At a loss for words for a moment, Lěng Yè simply resorted to playing rogue. "My eyes are on my head. I'll look wherever I damn well please. Is that any of your business?"
Liáng Xīn snorted. "You are lecherous and shameless! Men really are all the same—no good at all!"
Yet Lěng Yè suddenly laughed. "I admit I'm a lech—who doesn't love looking at beauties? But what about you? On the one hand, you claim to hate men, yet on the other, you dress in such an attention-grabbing way. Isn't that a bit contradictory?"
After a fierce verbal sparring match, Lěng Yè had analyzed Liáng Xīn's inner thoughts so thoroughly that even Gāo Yán was left dumbfounded.
Finally, Liáng Xīn's face turned beet red with anger as she pointed at Lěng Yè. "You're talking nonsense!"
Lěng Yè wore a smug expression. "I'm just speaking the truth. If you don't believe me, ask Gāo Yán; she knows all your little secrets."
Caught in the middle, Gāo Yán grew so flustered she had to step in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, you two stop fighting. Lěng Yè, stop picking on Xiǎoxīn."
Putting on a look of utter contrition, Lěng Yè said, "Fine, I'll stop messing around. Sorry about that."
Liáng Xīn let out a huff, accepting the apology after a fashion, though she remained defiant. "I'll just wait and see if your medical skills are really as magical as you claim."
Full of confidence, Lěng Yè produced his medicinal ointment. "Don't worry, your little scar is a piece of cake for me. Use my ointment, and I guarantee your skin will bounce right back to its original condition."
As it turned out, Liáng Xīn took the ointment and went into her room, never to return. Lěng Yè looked at Gāo Yán, completely baffled. "What is she doing in there? The ointment isn't for eating!"
Gāo Yán reminded him, "Xiǎoxīn doesn't like others seeing her scar. Please don't take it personally."
Lěng Yè spread his hands. "Fine, I won't hold it against her. But why is she taking so long?"
Just as he spoke, Liáng Xīn emerged. Her face was flushed, her whole body appeared weak and limp, and her gaze was hazy as she complained, "Your ointment didn't do a thing! All it did was make my whole body burn all over—you big fraud!"
Hearing this, Lěng Yè's heart sank. *Oh no... you didn't actually eat the ointment, did you?!*