Lu Chengsha’s expression changed slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he was beside Hua Yan.
Hua Yan looked at him in a daze.
Lu Chengsha placed his hand on Hua Yan’s forehead.
After a moment, his voice was somewhat uncertain, “You’re ill.”
“Huh?”
Having practiced martial arts from a young age and with her inner strength, Hua Yan had always been healthy and had never been sick.
Hua Yan stared blankly at Lu Chengsha, her face growing even hotter. Her mouth felt dry, and even breathing was becoming difficult.
She wobbled to her feet, desperately trying to recall how to find useful herbs in the forest and how to prepare a remedy for colds. However, lacking experience with illness, her legs gave out, and she fell forward.
She tumbled into the arms of the person in front of her.
She could clearly feel his body stiffen.
Feeling very embarrassed, Hua Yan scrambled to get up, but it only made him more rigid.
“Don’t move.”
His cold voice, slightly strained, came from above her head.
Hua Yan obediently stayed still. She didn’t have much strength anyway, and her forehead rested against his chest as she breathed shallowly.
Neither moved.
“I’m sorry, Great Hero Lu…” Hua Yan mumbled, not even realizing how soft her voice sounded. “I’ve never been sick before.” She felt a bit aggrieved, “I’ll sleep a bit more, just a bit more and I’ll be fine…”
Leaning against Lu Chengsha’s chest, she could clearly hear his heartbeat.
Strong and fast, unmistakably healthy.
Hua Yan rubbed her head against him, feeling a strange sense of security.
Lu Chengsha stood there, rigid as a rock, unmoving.
This strange posture persisted for a while. Hua Yan’s head was still dizzy, and her legs started to feel sore. Just as she was about to suggest sitting down, she heard voices outside.
Instantly, she became alert, her foggy mind clearing somewhat.
“How many were eliminated today?”
“I haven’t kept count. Once this signal smoke is gone, no one will come… Sigh, it’s almost been a day. Let’s hold out for another two days. By then, people outside will notice something’s wrong and come to rescue us…” The speaker sighed deeply, “The Demonic Sect is truly vicious. We should have known they’d retaliate desperately after their leader was captured. But who would’ve thought they’d be so cruel, setting so many traps and ambushes in this exploration area. Once we get out, we must dismember their leader a thousand times over!”
“Our fellow disciples who came with us have died in those Demonic Sect traps. Some were poisoned. Who knows how many will be left after three days…”
While they were talking, Hua Yan, trying to stay alert, whispered, “We need to hide quickly!”
Lu Chengsha disagreed, “You’re ill.”
Hua Yan shook her head vigorously, biting her lower lip to use the pain to stay awake, “I’m fine. Let’s go, let’s go!”
Her current situation was precarious, and she didn’t want to be discovered. If they were found, it might even implicate Lu Chengsha.
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha, who had been easygoing about everything, insisted firmly this time.
“Stay here. Don’t move.” He walked straight out. In no time, the people outside left.
Hua Yan finally let out a breath of relief.
She almost forgot that, in the eyes of others, Lu Chengsha was quite fearsome!
However, this cave wasn’t safe. Sooner or later, they would be discovered here.
Leaning against the stone wall, Hua Yan touched her forehead, her vision blurry. Being sick was truly unbearable…
Before she could gather her thoughts, she saw Lu Chengsha return.
Hua Yan’s eyes were misty; she could barely see Lu Chengsha clearly. Now that the immediate danger had passed, her mind became foggy again. Her mouth was dry, and her body was hot. She took off Lu Chengsha’s outer robe and couldn’t help but complain, “Uncomfortable…”
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha wrapped her up again.
The clothes underneath were still damp, making her feel even more uncomfortable. She wished she could take everything off.
“Uncomfortable…”
Lu Chengsha, pressing his outer robe around her, seemed at a loss.
After a moment, he turned his back to Hua Yan, knelt on one knee, and said, “Get on.”
It took Hua Yan a moment to understand his meaning. She weakly climbed onto Lu Chengsha’s back, clinging to his shoulders. She heard him softly say, “Hold tight.” Then he leaped out with her on his back.
The air was incredibly fresh on the morning after the rain.
Lu Chengsha carried her swiftly through the forest. His speed was fast, yet his back remained steady, blocking most of the rushing wind, leaving only a gentle breeze that brought some comfort to Hua Yan.
Lying on Lu Chengsha’s back, she felt a bit sleepy and casually asked, “Where are we going?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “To find the disciples of Cixin Valley.”
Hua Yan was suddenly alert, “What?! What did you say?!”
Lu Chengsha repeated himself.
Hua Yan felt panicked, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll see us together? How will we explain it? I just… accidentally ended up here…”
Lu Chengsha said, “It doesn’t matter.”
Seeing Hua Yan’s confusion, he added, “No need to explain.”
What should I do?!
This is bad!
Hua Yan, feeling dizzy, thought that even though she knew this was wrong, she still found Great Hero Lu’s confidence impressive.
***
Ming Qi was in a relatively good situation. Out of the five Cixin Valley disciples who entered, only one had unfortunately been poisoned. They had brought enough medicine to alleviate the symptoms, though not to completely cure it.
The poison from the Demonic Sect was notoriously hard to counteract, he thought, feeling a bit frustrated.
No one had expected this turn of events during the sect competition. The continuous signal smoke yesterday had already given everyone a sense of foreboding. The thunderstorms at night had forced them to travel quickly through the night. Fortunately, they had been cautious and avoided any danger.
Now, he was staying behind to watch over his semi-conscious junior brother while the other three went out to look for other disciples who might need help. The sect competition was obviously disrupted, but the Cixin Valley’s mission to save lives could still be upheld.
Then he saw Lu Chengsha.
Ming Qi was almost dumbfounded. He instinctively tugged at his semi-conscious junior brother, wondering if they should flee.
He was terrified!
That was Lu Chengsha!
While others might retreat after the unexpected turn of events in the sect competition, he certainly wouldn’t!
As he pondered, he noticed that Lu Chengsha seemed to be carrying someone on his back. He gently placed the person wrapped in a black robe down. The robe loosened slightly, revealing a delicate face with an unnatural flush. Clearly, this was a beautiful young woman.
Ming Qi: ??? What’s going on?
Before he could process it, Lu Chengsha walked towards him.
Nervously swallowing, Ming Qi couldn’t help but take a step back.
Lu Chengsha took another step forward.
Ming Qi retreated another step, shouting, “Young Hero Lu, let’s talk this out! No need for violence!”
Lu Chengsha solemnly said, “Please, save her.”
Ming Qi: …!
He thought it was a severe injury, but it turned out to be just a cold.
“Don’t worry, for a cold like this, one dose of medicine and a good sleep will cure it.”
Lu Chengsha looked at him and asked, “Really?”
Please, can you stop staring at me like that? You’re scaring me to death!
Thinking this, Ming Qi replied, “Young Hero Lu, rest assured! Absolutely! It couldn’t be more true!”
Lu Chengsha still looked uneasy.
Is it really necessary to be this worried?
As he brewed the medicine, Ming Qi couldn’t help but sneak glances at the pair not far away. He couldn’t help but gossip; the scene was too astonishing.
The beautiful young woman soon woke up. She was wearing a visibly oversized Tingjian Manor robe—clearly Lu Chengsha’s. She kept trying to take it off, only to be stopped by Lu Chengsha. This cycle of removing and restraining continued for a while until she finally gave up and leaned against a tree, pretending to nap. Before long, she was asleep, slumping over.
Unable to find another solution, Lu Chengsha sat down and let her use his lap as a pillow.
The beautiful young woman rested her head on Lu Chengsha’s knees, sleeping restlessly, rolling around, while Lu Chengsha let her be.
The scene was so intimate it was almost unbelievable.
This couldn’t be the real Lu Chengsha.
Although he had heard rumors at the Sword-Seeking Tournament that Lu Chengsha had a close female friend, no one mentioned it would be like this!
He had seen Lu Chengsha a few years ago—cold, ruthless, decisive, with a fierce gaze that instilled fear even from a distance. His fighting moves were precise and mechanical. How had he changed so much now?
Ming Qi glanced again and noticed that Lu Chengsha seemed a bit stiff—though it might have been his imagination.
Lost in thought, Ming Qi got a faceful of ash from the medicine stove’s fire.
Turning back to his own lonely situation, with only a half-conscious, poisoned junior brother beside him and the task of brewing medicine under the threat of fear, Ming Qi felt incredibly aggrieved.