Phoenix cried out, "Tang Fei, what are you doing?"
As she spoke, the Phoenix Whip on her wrist automatically appeared in her palm.
If Tang Fei dared to take another step, she would lash out with the whip.
This time, she did not activate the whip's light-sword attack mode; it was just an ordinary whip. It wouldn't kill, only strike him back.
If she used it like she did against those Flame Shrine members earlier, one strike from this whip would sever Tang Fei's head from his body.
Although she was terrified and surprised by Tang Fei's actions, she never intended to actually kill him.
Through their time together, Tang Fei had left a very deep impression on her.
She found it hard to define what kind of person he truly was, but he was definitely not a bad person.
Of course, if he actually took off his pants, that would be a different story.
"Acid Rain," Tang Fei, who was in the process of taking off his pants, felt a bit nervous seeing the whip in Phoenix's hand. He stopped pulling them down and explained to Phoenix, "Acid Rain fell on me, and it's corroding my skin."
While Phoenix was dazed, trying to decide whether to protect his body and let him continue undressing or protect her own reputation by making him stop immediately, Tang Fei had already swiftly and cleanly pulled down his outer jeans.
Fortunately, Tang Fei was wearing long johns underneath.
This man was actually wearing long johns?
This would be mocked by the young noble Mr.s and Misses on the New Star.
After pulling his pants down, Tang Fei fumbled around his thigh, then looked down at his crotch.
Good, both brothers were intact.
It was the burning pain on his back; clearly, the Acid Rain that landed on his back had corroded his clothes and was now damaging his skin.
Tang Fei quickly pulled a small cloth pouch from the bag at his waist. Inside the pouch was a handful of fresh Snake Skin Grass leaves.
He grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he spat the juice of the Snake Skin Leaves into his palm and said to Phoenix, "Could you please help me rub it on... I can't reach that spot."
"?"
Phoenix stared wide-eyed at the glob of viscous liquid in Tang Fei's palm, her pupils dilated, her eyes wide open, feeling completely at a loss for how to proceed.
Did he mean for her to take that stuff and smear it on his back?
Healing and Saving Lives—she shouldn't be concerned with trivialities. But that clump of medicinal juice... she truly couldn't bring herself to take it with her bare hands.
"Hurry up!" Tang Fei urged, "If you don't apply it soon, the Acid Rain will corrode deeper, and the injury will worsen..."
"Is there another way?" Phoenix's face was flushed red from holding back. She knew she should help Tang Fei apply the medicine—after all, Tang Fei had applied medicine for her before—but that clump of viscous liquid spat out from Tang Fei's mouth made her recoil. "Does only chewing it work? What if I chew it for you?"
Tang Fei paused, finally realizing that some things truly didn't require him to do everything himself.
So, he handed the bag in his hand to Phoenix and said, "Of course, you chewing it is also fine..."
Even he felt a bit disgusted looking at the greenish liquid placed in his palm.
However, not wanting Phoenix to think his actions were foolish, he slapped it—*thwack*—onto his healthy calf, saying, "My calf also got hit by the Acid Rain, so I can apply it myself..."
Phoenix took the bag and no longer hesitated. She grabbed a handful of leaves, put them in her mouth, and chewed. When she felt they were sufficiently masticated, she spat them into her palm, then aimed at the scorched area on Tang Fei's back and slapped it on, mimicking his action.
*Slap!*
Her soft palm touched the skin of Tang Fei's back. Even though there was a layer of viscous liquid between them, both felt an unusual sensation.
It was the first time Phoenix had done something like this. She had never helped anyone heal before, much less made such intimate physical contact with a young man.
If this were discovered, it would likely cause a huge uproar throughout the entire Empire, perhaps even across the whole New Star.
As for that young man, he would probably soon cease to exist in records.
She spat out what she had chewed and slapped it onto a man's firm back. This feeling...
Rounding the numbers, it was equivalent to her kissing Tang Fei's back.
Her Father had told her to maintain composure during major events. Her complex living environment had also forced her to mature early, developing the skill of keeping her emotions hidden.
Yet, when she performed this action, she still felt the thrilling tension of a racing heart.
Her cheeks burned hot, as if a fierce fire was blazing right in front of her.
Tang Fei's emotions were also unsettled. He had expected to just chew the Snake Skin Tree leaves and slap them onto the wound—
He had done this to himself and others countless times before.
But when Phoenix did this for him, he knew clearly that his feelings were different.
He felt nervous; his muscles tensed up after the application, and his nerves tightened even more.
He felt shy, experiencing an indescribable emotion that he had never felt before, leaving him momentarily speechless.
He was thinking, and he was wondering.
He was also growing.
"Is that done?" Phoenix's voice came from behind him, calm yet elegant—this was the tone she habitually used when facing unfamiliar people, as it helped her maintain emotional stability and a degree of security. She asked, "Is there anywhere else that needs medicine?"
"Yes," Tang Fei replied.
"Where?"
"My butt."
"Tang Fei..."
"Alright, alright, just kidding with you," Tang Fei stretched his limbs and said with a grin, "Nowhere else feels uncomfortable. Thank you, Miss Phoenix, for saving my life."
Phoenix finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had genuinely thought Tang Fei needed medicine on his backside...
"What kind of life-saving favor is this? The medicine was yours, and you taught me the method. I just slapped it on casually..."
Phoenix was unwilling to take credit. Looking at his lean yet incredibly solid physique, completely devoid of any excess fat, she said, "Even if I hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have been in mortal danger."
"Acid Rain usually won't kill people, but it is very painful when it corrodes the flesh," Tang Fei said.
He picked up his clothes from the ground and put them back on one by one.
Phoenix turned away; she found this Scene very strange.
It was just like those action movies she watched with her Bestie, where after the male and female leads finished, the female lead lay half-covered on the bed while the male lead dressed himself piece by piece... how similar!
Tang Fei walked to the cave entrance and looked outside. "The rain has stopped. Let's go back. Rain on Old Earth is like this; it comes fast and goes fast..."
"Okay." Phoenix stood up and picked up her two buckets.
Tang Fei glanced at her, picked up his two water buckets, and walked out first.
After leaving the cave, Tang Fei walked ahead, and Phoenix followed closely behind, just as before.
Tang Fei was still a Refugee from Old Earth, and Phoenix was still a pampered guest from the New Star.
Nothing had changed, yet somehow, something felt different.
*Whoosh!*
A black Star Disc appeared at the peak of Hate Mountain at light speed. The hatch opened, and a group of men and women of various builds and ages stepped out.
A young man with a rat-like face, his skin pitted and uneven as if he had been shot at close range with a shotgun, yet sporting a flamboyant Pigtail at the back of his head, stood at the edge of the Cliff. The hem of his white suit billowed loudly in the strong wind. He looked around and asked aloud, "Is this Hate Mountain?"
"Yes. Based on the Escape Pod's flight trajectory we tracked, she should have fled to this place called Hate Mountain," the burly Old Man behind him replied.
The Old Man was wearing a black Tang Suit; his muscles were bulging, clearly a trained fighter.
"This is quite interesting," the Pigtail man said. "The lofty Bright Moon of the Starry Sky has landed in such a desolate place. I wonder what the people on the New Star would think if they knew?"
"They won't know," the Tang Suit Old Man said with a serious expression.
If they knew, they would die.
"This is what they mean by a fallen Phoenix is worse than a chicken." A woman with a seductive figure, clad in a red leather suit, stepped out. She rested half of her ample bosom on the Pigtail man's arm, and one hand reached inside his white shirt to caress his chest.
Perched on her shoulder was a small, emerald-green snake, flicking its tongue at the Pigtail man, as if guarding its sacred object.
"That's not necessarily true." The Pigtail man offered his finger to the little snake, which immediately bit down and began desperately sucking his Blood.
The Pigtail man felt no pain; instead, he closed his eyes in extreme enjoyment, moaning, "Chickens are everywhere, but a Phoenix is hard to find. In heaven or on earth, there is only one. Once I catch this little Phoenix, I'm going to taste her first."
The seductive woman was not angered by the Pigtail man calling her an animal; instead, she said excitedly, "Wonderful, I want to join in too. I also want to see if a lofty Phoenix is any different from an ordinary woman when doing *that* kind of thing."
"I will grant your wish," the Pigtail man said.
"You two, don't mess up the main objective," a man completely wrapped in black clothing, wearing a black ghost-face mask, said coldly from behind them.
"Oh, oh, someone in the group is unhappy with us..." The Pigtail man turned around and walked step by step toward the Ghost-Face Mask man. "Look at you, we're all doing a risk-free business of taking money to solve problems—either someone else dies, or we die... What's the use of hiding your face?"
"If you kill someone, they won't see your face. If someone kills you, what does it matter if your face is seen?" The Pigtail man looked at the seductive woman clinging to his arm and asked, "Do you think there's a possibility? That his real appearance is uglier than mine? Like a Devil?"
"Yes, he must be very ugly, uglier than you. Like a Devil, like an old, worn-out Mad Dog..."
"Hahaha!"
The two looked at each other, burst into laughter, and then kissed passionately.
*Clang!*
The Masked man drew the sword in his hand, while the kissing Pigtail man raised the gun in his.
It was a double-barreled handgun with a unique and somewhat ancient design.
"Clown... Wu Ying, what are you two doing?" the burly Old Man shouted to stop them. "Don't forget, we came out here to execute a Mission. If anything goes wrong in the middle, no one present will survive..."
"Fine, fine. Since Mr. Shanhe has spoken, we'll spare your life for now." The Clown put away the double-barreled handgun and continued hugging the seductive woman, kissing her more passionately, looking ready to stage an erotic Scene on the ground.
Wu Ying just snorted and sheathed the sharp sword in his hand.
"Let's divide the tasks," Mr. Shanhe said in a Deep Voice. "The Hen Shan Gathering Area is quite large; we need to search village by village... Clown, you and Snake Woman start from the east. Wu Ying and Wu Feng start from the west..."
"The rest of you come with me into the Dense Forest to search for clues. Let's see if we can find the Escape Pod first. Once the Escape Pod is found, we can basically confirm the area where she is located, as she can only wait for rescue if she stays near the Escape Pod..."
"Yes," everyone responded.
"Remember, no matter which party finds a clue, do not act rashly. Use the communicator for a private message to notify everyone, and only move when the whole team is assembled."
"Why? Isn't that too much trouble? What if she escapes while we wait for everyone to gather?" the Clown complained discontentedly.
He wanted to taste the flavor of Phoenix Soup before everyone else arrived.
Mr. Shanhe glanced at the Clown and said with a hint of threat, "Because we must ensure this is flawless, leaving absolutely no trace."
"Don't worry, don't worry," the Clown waved his hand carelessly. "Even if I leave a trace on her, I will destroy it completely. No one will trace it back to us."
"No," Mr. Shanhe refused again. "We must handle it ourselves and Witness it personally to eliminate future trouble."
His expression was grave, and he said in a Deep Voice, "Otherwise, we will never have peace. We cannot return to the New Star; there will be nowhere for us to hide, neither in heaven nor on earth."