The white mist gradually thinned, and the mountain base was drawing closer.
“Ling Xiao, jump!”
“Huh? That’s a cliff ahead!”
Ling Xiao hesitated slightly. He hadn’t expected Xie Jinwen to lead him onto a cliff. Although it was near the mountain base, at this height it would be difficult for him to control the descent without injuring her.
But he only hesitated for half a second before leaping down.
The moment they jumped, the mountain god appeared at their original position, looking down at them as they fell through the air.
SPLASH—
Ling Xiao plunged into the river at the foot of the mountain. The water was cool and refreshing.
Then he realized something was wrong.
He burst out of the water and discovered Xie Jinwen was gone from his back. Looking up, he saw her body suspended in midair, flying upward toward the mountain in an unnatural trajectory.
The person he had protected all the way had been taken.
Furious, Ling Xiao slapped the water.
“Surname Luo! You stole my wife—aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?!”
RUMBLE—
Thunder exploded in the sky.
Ling Xiao jumped in shock. “It actually worked?!”
“Put her down!”
A sharp braking sound came from the shore. Ling Xiao turned and saw a military vehicle stop by the riverbank. A girl called A Mei jumped out, while the other three in the vehicle staggered out, weak and vomiting.
“This is more intense than a fighter jet! Ugh—”
“Even worse… I saw someone flying! Ugh—”
A Mei rushed to the riverbank. A mechanical gray dove on her shoulder carried a paper figure toward Xie Jinwen. At the same time, A Mei cut her wrist. Blood immediately gushed out as she drew a formation in the air, chanting under her breath.
Ling Xiao didn’t understand what she was doing, but knew she was trying to save Xie Jinwen.
He looked at his own palm, cut earlier by the mountain god’s blade; once soaked in water, it had started bleeding again.
Without hesitation, he swam to shore and reached A Mei.
“Use my blood. Jinwen said my blood—”
Before he could finish, A Mei decisively slashed his arm.
His blood fell into the formation.
A golden light flashed, and the array strengthened with overwhelming force.
At that moment, the gray dove reached Xie Jinwen’s shoulder, and the paper figure attached itself to her back. The next instant, her body went limp and began to fall—while the gray dove took her place and flew upward instead.
“Jinwen!”
Ling Xiao rushed back into the water, trying to catch her. But just as he reached her, Xie Jinwen vanished—and reappeared inside the blood formation.
“Mm—”
A Mei hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face in fear and relief.
“I’m fine. Don’t cry,” Xie Jinwen said, patting her back.
Ling Xiao silently climbed out of the river.
BOOM—
An explosion echoed in the sky. The gray dove was blown apart.
Xie Jinwen released A Mei and looked toward the mountain, furious.
“Luo Qingshan! I’ve already left. Is this you venting anger? You’ll have to pay for damaged property!”
A Mei looked up at the shattered remains of the dove. Tears fell again—it had been a gift from Xie Jinwen, and also her voice.
But she did not regret it. If it meant saving Xie Jinwen, losing her voice meant nothing; she had always been mute anyway.
A wood chip hit Ling Xiao on the head. He picked it up and noticed the gray dove was made of wood, just like the puppet Xiao Kui.
Suddenly, the wood chip in his hand moved, expanded rapidly, and transformed into a gray dove that flew back to A Mei’s shoulder.
A Mei’s eyes lit up. She gently stroked it.
“It’s the same. It wasn’t destroyed. Goo~”
Xie Jinwen looked toward the mountain, her expression complicated.
Luo Qingshan was both obedient and rebellious—he had imprisoned her for a thousand years, yet still returned A Mei’s dove.
“Ah! It’s Ling Xiao!”
“He’s still alive!”
“Blood! He’s injured—quick, bandage him!”
The rescue team rushed over with medical supplies.
Only then did Ling Xiao realize his arm was still bleeding. He pressed it down quickly.
“I’m fine. Take care of A—”
A Mei raised her arm. Her wrist wound had already healed, and the blood had been washed away by Xie Jinwen in the river.
Ling Xiao’s expression darkened slightly. It seemed he wasn’t treated as well as A Mei.
But then again, Xie Jinwen and A Mei had known each other for years, while he had only known her for days.
Still, he had done his part. He deserved some acknowledgment.
“I’ll handle the bandaging. I’m a doctor,” Xie Jinwen said.
The team handed her the kit. She wrapped Ling Xiao’s arm in gauze in a very rough manner.
The others were stunned.
“Is she really a doctor…?”
Before they could finish, Ling Xiao shot them a look and they immediately shut up.
After finishing, Xie Jinwen gently held his hand.
“Ling Xiao, thank you for everything.”
A warm force flowed into his palm, stopping the bleeding instantly, leaving only faint pain.
But suddenly, Xie Jinwen’s expression changed. She released his hand.
Her power was fading.
Why?
Was it because she had healed them?
But this level of injury shouldn’t have caused such depletion.
Before she could figure it out, darkness overwhelmed her—and she collapsed.
Ling Xiao’s expression changed sharply and caught her.
“She’s burning up! Jinwen has a fever!”
Panic spread. They checked her, but no one knew the cause.
“Fever? We need to get her to a hospital!”
Ling Xiao ran toward the vehicle—but found the tires completely destroyed.
“How did this car get wrecked like this?”
“Normal,” one soldier said. “Not many vehicles survive driving at a kilometer per second in this terrain.”
At that moment, the main unit arrived.
Old Zhou stepped out first, smiling.
“Ling Xiao! You really do have plot armor—”
Ling Xiao ran toward him with Xie Jinwen in his arms.
“Chief, I need to go to the hospital. Lend me a car.”
Old Zhou nodded. “Fine.”
Ling Xiao suddenly paused and reported back:
“The villagers are on the mountain. They’re safe—for now.”
Then he drove off.
At that moment, Yin Ciying jumped out of another vehicle and asked urgently:
“Uncle Zhou, why did Ling Xiao leave with a girl while half-naked?”
Old Zhou glanced at her.
“He’s still wearing pants. That’s not naked.”