Seeing that the Grey Monkey was still somewhat wary of him, Zhang Yuan simply left it alone. If such a beast was not going to follow him of its own free will, he certainly didn't want to force it. Wasn't there a saying that forced happiness could never last?
His gaze shifted to Tian Ling'er, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
His mind began to race.
This was an absolute, prime opportunity to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.
In truth, Zhang Yuan knew he was merely borrowing flowers to present to Buddha; even if he hadn't saved Tian Ling'er, she would have woken up on her own shortly.
Zhang Yuan walked over to Tian Ling'er and gave her a careful examination: her high bridge of nose, lips resembling a ripe peach, flushed earlobes, and tightly closed eyes with gently trembling eyelashes. Her long hair was casually spread out across the ground behind her.
She was destined to be a great beauty!
For some reason, I have the urge to sneak a kiss.
Though it was childish, it felt wonderful.
Kissing her would bring such a sense of comfort.
Decisively acting on this childish impulse, Zhang Yuan lowered his head and planted a kiss right on Tian Ling'er's delicate lips. Feeling unsatisfied, he applied a bit more force and took a little nibble.
Though it left Tian Ling'er's lips slightly reddened,
he felt utterly fulfilled.
It felt wonderful.
Zhang Yuan inwardly revelled in the thrill, though he also felt a tinge of regret. Originally, I wanted to save my first kiss for Lu Xueqi, but Lu Xueqi just isn't proactive enough.
If you never make the first move, how can you ever expect to get ahead?
Now, both my first hand-holding and my first kiss have gone to Tian Ling'er.
I'm afraid Lu Xueqi is going to be heartbroken in the future!
Ah! It's all Lu Xueqi's fault for not taking the initiative.
Just as Zhang Yuan was lost in thought, Tian Ling'er felt a sharp sting on her lips. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she opened her eyes. The moment she did, she found herself staring at a face right in front of her.
It was a very neatly featured, handsome face that completely aligned with her aesthetic tastes.Tian Ling'er was observing an unfamiliar boy closely for the very first time, her face flushed and tinged with unbearable shyness. Her mind felt as though it had lost all ability to think, leaving her head completely blank.
Seeing Tian Ling'er regain consciousness, Zhang Yuan showed not the slightest hint of a blush, nor felt any trace of guilt for having secretly kissed her.
"You're finally awake."
"What happened to me just now? How did I faint?" Tian Ling'er asked in bewilderment, feeling a throbbing pain in her mind. She rubbed her forehead, but try as she might, she could not remember how she had passed out.
"I don't know either. It might have been the influence of the emerald green pool right in front of us." Zhang Yuan reached out and pointed ahead toward the small emerald pool. Within three feet of the pool, not a single blade of grass grew, while weeds grew thickly just beyond that three-foot boundary.
"Did you save me? Thank you."
Tian Ling'er looked at the emerald pool before her, a trace of fear flashing in her eyes. The fact that not a blade of grass grew around the pool made it obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary thing; for all she knew, it might even be something left behind by those scoundrels of the Demonic sect.
Had no one pulled her out from the emerald green pool, her fate would have been unpredictable indeed.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuan gave a strange look. Originally, he hadn't intended to take credit that wasn't his, but since she was thanking him already, he could only say you're welcome.
Otherwise...
wouldn't that do a disservice to her gratitude?
Besides, he hadn't explicitly said that he was the one who had saved her, right?
"You're welcome. As branches of the same roots, Dazhu Peak and Xiaozhu Peak ought to help one another," Zhang Yuan nodded.
At that moment, Tian Ling'er was still a shy young maiden. Having just been rescued by a hero and hearing such a righteous and awe-inspiring voice, her face flushed a bright red, and the way she looked at Zhang Yuan became somewhat unusual."Junior Brother Zhang Yuan, you truly are a good person." Tian Ling'er blushed as she spoke. When she first woke up and felt her lips stinging, she had half-suspected whether Zhang Yuan had taken advantage of her. But now, her lips didn't seem to hurt anymore.
Handing me a rejection card again, are you? It seems I didn't hit you hard enough just now. Merely biting your lip wasn't enough to teach you a lesson. It would have been better if I'd kissed you a few more times—after all, every romance begins with a kiss.
After all, no young woman can resist the stirrings in her heart.
"I am hardly a good person," Zhang Yuan shook his head.
"Yet in my eyes, you are a good person."
Fine, then!
Before long, you won't be handing me any more good-person cards.
Zhang Yuan had no desire to argue with Tian Ling'er. Now that he had secured the Fire-Cooking Stick, he was in high spirits. He only wanted to step on Zhang Xiaofan for a moment before heading straight back to refine the weapon.
"Shall we figure out how to rescue Zhang Xiaofan first?"
Zhang Yuan bent down, scooped up a handful of water from the side, and splashed it directly into Zhang Xiaofan's face. In the original story, Tian Ling'er had simply called out to wake Zhang Xiaofan up; now, giving him a direct splash of wake-up water was even more effective and should do the trick.
Watching Zhang Yuan's actions, Tian Ling'er was completely dumbfounded. Is this really your idea of saving Zhang Xiaofan?
Quite unique, indeed.
By now, Tian Ling'er had grown much closer to Zhang Yuan, considering he was her savior. Under normal circumstances, she would likely have raised objections immediately.
Sprinkled all over the face with water and feeling the sticky sensation, Zhang Xiaofan jolted awake instantly. He looked around his surroundings with a very puzzled gaze. Weren't I just lying in a pool of blood? Why am I suddenly awake?
Reflexively, Zhang Xiaofan looked down at his right hand.
There was nothing in his right hand at all; even the bloodstains from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
"What just happened to me?"
"You fainted on the ground just now. It was Zhang Yuan who saved you," Tian Ling'er said calmly, standing beside Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan saved me? Why does this differ somewhat from my memory?
Feeling somewhat confused, Zhang Xiaofan turned his gaze toward Zhang Yuan. The moment his eyes fell upon the Soul-Devouring Staff strapped to Zhang Yuan's back, a sudden tremor surged through his heart.
That familiar sensation of a blood connection washed over him.
What is going on?
Why do I have the strange feeling that this is my weapon? "Zhang Yuan, what is that strapped to your back?" Zhang Xiaofan asked quizzically.
Hearing Zhang Xiaofan's voice, Tian Ling'er looked at the Fire-Cooking Stick on Zhang Yuan's back, equally perplexed. She clearly remembered that Zhang Yuan had not been carrying this staff on his back earlier.
The Fire-Cooking Stick had a red bead embedded at its top, and the shaft itself possessed a deep, dark red hue that looked somewhat eerie.
"This thing..."
Zhang Yuan drew out the sound, looking rather pleased with himself. "This is my weapon, the Soul-Devouring Staff."
The Soul-Devouring Staff? How strange!
This is clearly Big Brother Zhang's weapon—why on earth do I have the feeling that it belongs to me?
Zhang Xiaofan swallowed hard, a strange thought bubbling up from the bottom of his heart.
Startled for a moment, Tian Ling'er turned her head to look at the severed fir trees twice over. Her doubts deepening even further, she asked, "Aren't you blind, Zhang Yuan? You cultivate as well?"
"I am indeed blind, that is true. But can't a blind man have a weapon?"
"..."
Tian Ling'er fell silent for a moment. What you say does seem to make sense.
At that moment, Zhang Yuan's calm voice drifted over again.
"Precisely because I am blind, I lack a sense of security in my heart. So isn't it entirely normal for me to find a weapon to protect myself?"
"..."
Then how do you explain those two severed fir trees?