Everyone hurried all the way to the cave. At this point, Chen Yingying, who was walking at the tail end, approached Xia Ruxi and asked, “Who are you? Did you save our captain?”
Chen Yingying was very clever; seeing a woman dressed unlike modern people deep in the remote mountains and forests meant there had to be a story. Her mind had already imagined many scenarios of how Xia Ruxi and the captain got along.
Before Xia Ruxi could answer Chen Yingying’s question, a “strongman” ahead who looked extremely robust and muscular turned around and said, “Miss, my name is Yuan Zhang. Don’t mind Yingying; she just loves reading pulp fiction, so she tends to be a bit gossipy.” Xia Ruxi nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, Pei Yuanxiu’s voice rang out: “Ruxi, could you come over for a moment? I’d like you to take a look at Zhiyan’s injuries.”
Hearing their captain call out this unfamiliar name, the team members inside the cave couldn’t help but turn to look at Xia Ruxi, who was standing at the cave entrance and dragging a deer.
Unfazed by their gazes, Xia Ruxi walked straight toward Pei Yuanxiu.
“We don’t have the conditions here to perform surgery for Sister Zhiyan, but unless we get the bullet out, the bleeding won’t stop,” said a curly-haired teenager anxiously, crouching beside their bed made of makeshift thatch.
Hearing what the curly-haired teenager said, Pei Yuanxiu felt extremely anxious, but a quiet voice inside him kept telling him: It’s fine, Ruxi is here. She was even able to heal my injuries, so treating Zhiyan will definitely not be a problem.
“Muxi, step aside and let Ruxi take a look at Zhiyan,” Pei Yuanxiu said as he shifted to the side to make more room for Xia Ruxi.
Qian Muxi, the curly-haired teenager, felt a bit doubtful, but believing that their captain wouldn’t say things without a reason, he stood up and walked aside.
I just hope the person the captain called has the ability to save Sister Zhiyan, he thought.
Xia Ruxi walked unhurriedly to the bedside and sat down with a calm and composed expression.
“Does she only have this one wound?” Hearing this, Qian Muxi nodded.
Seeing Qian Muxi nod, Xia Ruxi pulled a small section of Wanteng vine out of the tree-bark bag slung across her back. She squeezed two drops of green juice into Gao Zhiyan’s mouth, and then squeezed another two drops directly onto the wound just below Gao Zhiyan’s waist.
As the juice entered Gao Zhiyan’s mouth, it instantly melted into a green aura that flowed along her meridians toward the injured internal organs, while the juice dropped outside the wound quickly disappeared as well.
Only Xia Ruxi could see that the wound inside Gao Zhiyan’s body was beginning to heal rapidly, even pushing the bullet outward. Before long, Gao Zhiyan’s complexion gradually grew rosy, the bullet was expelled from her body, and she began to radiate health.
Suddenly, an anomaly occurred: a blue halo began to seep around Gao Zhiyan’s body, and at the same time, a cluster of light flew out from her chest and abdomen. This must be the Wanteng vine stimulating her spiritual mansion. Looks like another person with cultivation aptitude, Xia Ruxi thought to herself.
Everyone in the cave watched this scene in astonishment. Only Xiao Zhongqing, amidst his surprise, turned to glance at their captain, who didn’t look surprised at all and even seemed relieved.
Xiao Zhongqing formed a guess: the captain’s reaction told him that Zhiyan was out of danger and might even have encountered a great opportunity!
Peng Liang’s eyes widened as he voiced everyone’s doubt to the captain: “Captain, what did this older sister do to Sister Zhiyan? Why does it feel like Sister Zhiyan is about to ascend to immortality?”
Hearing what Peng Liang said, Xia Ruxi and Pei Yuanxiu both laughed. However, because Xia Ruxi didn’t know most of the people present, she only smiled faintly, whereas Pei Yuanxiu’s face was filled with smiles as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
Pei Yuanxiu smiled and said, “I forgot to introduce you all. This is Xia Ruxi. I fell off a cliff while being hunted down earlier, and she saved me. Zhiyan’s condition is a bit unusual right now; once she wakes up, I’ll explain everything to you together.”
Watching the blue spiritual energy surrounding Gao Zhiyan, Xia Ruxi thought to herself: It should be water-attribute spiritual energy. Let me see how her aptitude is; if it’s decent, my second disciple will be secured.
Xia Ruxi stared unblinkingly at the tiny cluster of light, wanting to see how many circles it would orbit. One, two, three, four… The light cluster orbited eleven times before sinking into Gao Zhiyan’s body.
“Eleven circles. Not bad, not bad—another little genius meeting the Heavenly Tier aptitude,” a satisfied expression appeared on Xia Ruxi’s face.
Hearing Xia Ruxi’s words, Pei Yuanxiu felt genuinely happy for Gao Zhiyan, as she was both his master’s daughter and a very important younger sister to him.
Just as the light cluster entered Gao Zhiyan’s body and Xia Ruxi’s voice trailed off, Gao Zhiyan’s thick eyelashes began to flutter lightly, and her bright red lips twitched slightly.
Chen Yingying was the first to notice the change in Gao Zhiyan. She tugged on Yuan Zhang’s muscular arm and happily told everyone, “Sister Zhiyan is about to wake up! Sister Ruxi is simply amazing!”
Chen Yingying was a typical social butterfly. After hearing Pei Yuanxiu introduce Xia Ruxi, she had spontaneously included Xia Ruxi into their inner circle.
Chen Yingying’s words pulled everyone back from the miraculous sight they had just witnessed. Xiao Zhongqing reacted the quickest, preparing to help Gao Zhiyan sit up.
As it turned out, Xia Ruxi was clearly the closest to Gao Zhiyan, so she instinctively helped her up instead.
Xiao Zhongqing’s hand remained extended in mid-air, looking a bit awkward. Fortunately, everyone’s attention was focused on Gao Zhiyan, and no one noticed his gesture.
Only Xia Ruxi felt it; she glanced over slightly before pulling her gaze back.
“Sister Zhiyan, how do you feel? Are you doing better?” Qian Muxi’s face turned red with anxiety, which, paired with his curly hair, made him look just like an obedient puppy.
Gao Zhiyan’s mind was still a bit chaotic upon just waking up, but after a brief moment of recollection, she smiled and replied, “I feel fine now, and the wound doesn’t hurt anymore. My head just feels a bit dizzy.”
“That’s likely caused by excessive blood loss. Just get some rest and you’ll be fine,” Xia Ruxi said, checking Gao Zhiyan’s pulse.
Hearing Xia Ruxi’s words, Gao Zhiyan finally noticed the unfamiliar, cold and aloof woman dressed in non-modern clothing sitting beside her. “This is Xia Ruxi. She’s the one who saved you.”
Pei Yuanxiu spoke up to clear up Gao Zhiyan’s confusion. “I see. Thank you for saving me. If you ever need anything in the future, I, Gao Zhiyan, will do my utmost to help,” Gao Zhiyan said forthrightly, unpretistically patting Xia Ruxi on the shoulder.
“Looks like your wound has recovered nicely—you’ve certainly got a strong and energetic voice,” Xiao Zhongqing remarked coldly from the side, crossing his arms.
“What are you talking about, little Zhongzi [粽子 – pun on zongzi/dumpling/Zhongqing]? Your Sister Zhiyan here is doing great, and I could still go out and fight those men in black for three hundred rounds.” Despite having the striking face of a glamorous imperial-sister (yujie), Gao Zhiyan spoke like a chivalrous martial artist.
Everyone burst into laughter, and a trace of a smile bloomed on Xia Ruxi’s cold face as well. She spoke up: “Everyone is tired too. Let’s first process the deer at the cave entrance, set up a campfire, and I’ll explain the strange phenomenon you all just witnessed in detail.”