Chapter 82: Treating Wounds Like This?!
"Strange, the aura has disappeared."
In the sky, Xiao Yuan furrowed his brows slightly, the Purple Cloud Wings behind him fluttering. All along the way, he had barely managed to trace Yun Yun's general direction using his soul perception—it was mostly a straight line.
That wasn't surprising. In a time like this, no one would run in a zigzag; that would only bring her closer to the Amethyst Winged Lion King and increase the chance of being found.
Initially, Xiao Yuan could still sense a faint trail of wind-attributed Dou Qi in the air to follow, but for some reason, Yun Yun's aura suddenly vanished. The remnant elemental Dou Qi fluctuations had almost completely dissipated—evidence that the sealing effect had taken hold.
"Hmm? I'm back here again?"
His sharp eyes scanned the area, and he frowned. This was the very spot where Yun Yun had helped him earlier—he could still see the halved body of the Gale Leopard lying on the ground.
At that moment, a glimmer of cyan light caught his attention. If he remembered correctly, Yun Yun's sword emitted a similar glow.
Heart stirring, he flew over and landed beside the severed beast. Flipping the body over, he spotted a glowing cyan magic core embedded in the creature's skull.
"Ah, just a magic core."
Xiao Yuan looked at the third-tier wind-element core with mild disappointment, then casually stored it in his ring.
He was about to continue searching for Yun Yun's trail when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the carved-open body of the Gale Wolf King nearby.
Hmm?
Though anxious, his mind remained sharp. When he had killed the Wolf King earlier, his spear—coated with Heavenly Flame—had pierced its skull cleanly, with no blood spilling at all.
But now, the body had been torn open?
That didn't make sense.
Staring at the gory, upright carcass—viscera and blood spilling out—Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes, pulled out his spear, and approached.
With a thrust, he pierced the body where the original wound had been, then pried it up—revealing Yun Yun, covered in blood, hidden beneath.
Seeing her blood-soaked form, Xiao Yuan felt a headache coming on.
At this rate, she'd leave a trail of blood everywhere she went—it'd be easy to get caught.
Roar!
Suddenly, a beast's howl echoed from afar.
"Sigh..."
With a helpless sigh, Xiao Yuan gathered his Dou Qi, forming a frost-covered robe.
He then gently picked up Yun Yun in a horizontal embrace and grabbed her strange longsword lying nearby.
Under the freezing Dou Qi, the blood on her body slowly crystallized. Xiao Yuan then released a small shockwave, shattering the frozen layer of blood, which scattered to the ground in shards.
Without wasting a second, he took her and flew toward the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Moments after Xiao Yuan departed, a fourth-rank magical beast passed through the area. Glancing at the now-cold wolf corpses, it quickly resumed its hunt for the human Dou Huang.
…
In a secluded valley.
Xiao Yuan landed on the ground, still carrying the unconscious Yun Yun.
Though he had cleared away the blood, her robes were soaked and had dried into a crusty, dark-brown hue.
"Tch, seriously…"
He walked into a small wooden hut and placed her onto his bed.
Though it felt slightly inappropriate, it was better than using Little Doctor Fairy's bed.
After placing her sword on the windowsill, Xiao Yuan turned his gaze back to Yun Yun.
From afar, he had only admired her grace and beauty.
Now, up close, her noble aura, exquisite features, and flawless skin were truly stunning.
However, upon seeing the five terrifying claw marks on her chest, he immediately cast aside any admiration.
"Ugh… I haven't even used the healing salves I prepared for myself, and now they're going to someone else."
With a slightly reluctant shake of his head, he reached to remove her clothing.
Just then, Yun Yun's eyes suddenly opened.
Seeing Xiao Yuan's hand reaching for her chest, she furrowed her brows, about to speak—but Xiao Yuan spoke first:
"Senior, it's me. You're seriously wounded and need treatment. I'm a healer. This is the place where my friend and I live in seclusion—it's completely safe. But since you're awake now, I assume you don't need help. I'll step out. If you need anything, just call. My name is Yuan Xiao."
Calmly retracting his hand, he offered his explanation and left the room, closing the door.
Seeing his familiar, handsome face and hearing his calm tone, Yun Yun relaxed. She even examined his eyes—clear and steady.
Before she could thank him, he was already gone. Embarrassed to call him back right away, she tried to sit up but was overwhelmed by numbness and pain. Her chest throbbed sharply, and her brows furrowed.
Though she wore an inner armor, that lion's strike had clearly fractured a few bones.
After checking internally, her face turned grim. Gritting her teeth, she whispered:
"Damn… it's a sealing technique!"
That boy was right—she needed help.
Trying again and failing to move even a finger, she sighed in resignation and looked toward the closed door, biting her lip.
"Yuan Yuan Xiao… could I trouble you to help apply the medicine? I… can't move very well."
Hearing the soft female voice, Xiao Yuan stood without surprise and re-entered.
"Let me be clear first—I'm a professional. I know the wound is on your chest, but to me, it's just a wound. Don't go saying anything like 'You saw me, now I have to gouge out your eyes.' If you do, I might really take advantage of you. In your current condition, you're no match for me."
His face serious, his tone was firm.
Seeing his expression—even tinged with slight irritation—Yun Yun was caught between laughter and disbelief. She was being threatened… by a Dou Shi?
"Don't worry. I'm not like that. As long as you behave professionally, I won't repay kindness with hostility."
She replied calmly.
"I'm helping you only because you saved me earlier. Also, you're beautiful—I don't have many hobbies, but I do like looking at pretty women. It'd be a shame if you were eaten by a beast.
As for your strength above Dou Wang… I don't care. Give me three years, and I'll break through to Dou Wang too. It's nothing special."
Xiao Yuan spoke while taking out some healing salve.
Yun Yun, watching his sincere expression, was momentarily dazed. This boy… was quite interesting.
"Alright, I'll begin."
He reached again toward the blood-soaked robe at her chest but paused suddenly.
"Your robe… it's ruined, isn't it?"
Yun Yun blinked, puzzled. "It's torn and soaked in blood. Smells bad. Of course I can't wear it again—why?"
"No reason. Since it's ruined, I won't hold back."
He pulled out scissors and, with practiced hands, began cutting the robe open.
Yun Yun blinked, surprised. This was a first for her.
As the fabric was peeled back, a light blue metallic inner armor was revealed, its surface shimmering like water. But five deep claw marks marred its beauty—blood still oozing from the gashes.
Though Xiao Yuan had frozen her outer blood, he hadn't recklessly treated the wounds—dislodging frozen blood could cause more damage.
Then he frowned.
"Does this inner armor come off without removing your whole top?"
"No," Yun Yun replied faintly, cheeks flushed from being examined so closely. "You have to undress fully to take it off."
"You should've told me sooner. I wouldn't have cut it."
Grumbling like a doctor scolding a stubborn patient, Xiao Yuan helped her sit up and slowly undressed her upper garments down to her waist.
His fingers brushed her skin as he worked—sending cold shivers along her spine.
Now half-exposed to the air, Yun Yun's face burned crimson. She bit her lip, the noble demeanor she usually carried replaced by a bashful expression.
But Xiao Yuan paid her no attention. Focused, he carefully unlatched the inner armor's fastenings.
Even so, the process inevitably tugged at her wounds, and she hissed in pain.
Once removed, her pale shoulders, back, and waist were exposed completely.
Preparing to move to her front, Xiao Yuan hesitated upon seeing her shivering, then shut his eyes and gently lifted her.
He lifted the bedding beneath her and wrapped it over her chest before opening his eyes again—right as she met his gaze.
She quickly looked away, then blinked, clearly unsure how to respond—until her chest throbbed in pain.
"Ah!"
Her intended words became a cry of pain.
Xiao Yuan's face remained solemn. Without saying a word, he gently dabbed the blood from her chest with a cloth soaked in medicine, his movements light and deliberate.
Seeing this, Yun Yun fell silent, allowing him to work.
Then he pulled out a large jade bottle containing a cyan paste.
This was the Qingyu Salve—crafted by Yao Lao. It could heal broken bones and left no scars. A true second-grade medicinal balm, and one of the few tiered healing salves.
Xiao Yuan used a jade spatula to extract some and began gently applying it.
The lion's claw marks had nearly shredded the entire upper half of her torso.
Though covered with a blanket, only the most critical areas were hidden. Most of her pale skin and chest remained exposed.
Xiao Yuan's fingers moved softly over her skin, spreading the balm evenly, eyes calm as a monk.
Yun Yun blushed fiercely. She couldn't accuse him of taking advantage—he was acting entirely proper—but she couldn't help feeling flustered.
Eventually, the treatment ended.
Xiao Yuan carefully wrapped her chest in gauze. He had to hold her body steady, but that wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as before.
He even tucked the blanket tightly around her shoulders—offering her a small sense of security.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he smiled gently. "Senior, rest for now. When you're better, we can talk more. I'll go make some porridge."
"Thank you…"
Yun Yun blushed and nodded.
But then she frowned slightly.
Now that the tension had eased, she realized that her half-removed robe, bunched at her waist, was incredibly uncomfortable.
"What's wrong? Does something hurt?"
Xiao Yuan noticed immediately.
Yun Yun didn't answer.
She couldn't exactly say: "My robe is uncomfortable, could you help me fix it or just take it off?"
"Nothing. It's fine."
She shook her head, blushing.
"Really?"
He gave her a suspicious look—again with the serious "are you hiding your symptoms?" expression.
"My clothes are just a bit…"
Before she could stop herself, she confessed—but quickly shut her mouth.
Xiao Yuan frowned, "Senior, please have some self-respect. I know you're beautiful, but don't test me like this."
Yun Yun had been worried he'd make a move—but now he was doubting her intentions? She panicked.
"No, I really am uncomfortable—not testing you!"
She immediately regretted her words.
"Oh. Alright then."
Xiao Yuan nodded and returned to the bed. Lifting the blanket slightly, he cut away the rest of the robe around her waist.
Then he went to the bedhead and tucked the covers under her shoulders, moved to the foot of the bed, and pulled the shredded skirt away.
He removed her shoes, then gently pulled the blood-soaked and tattered garment down.
Now, Yun Yun had almost no clothing left beneath the blanket—but the soft sheets and fresh air against her skin were much more comfortable.
And her dignity? Gone.
"Should I burn this robe later?"
Xiao Yuan held the bundle of cloth in his hand and asked.
"Do as you like. I'm going to sleep now…"
Yun Yun turned her face away, cheeks burning, her voice barely a whisper.
"Alright. Then I'll be going. Call if you need anything."
Xiao Yuan nodded and walked out of the room with the ruined garment in hand.
(END CHAPTER)
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