“I won’t let you die! Absolutely not!”
The Moon Maiden pressed a jade hand onto Ling Xiao’s back, and the black aura began to be continuously drawn out from his body, flowing into her own.
…
In a daze, Ling Xiao felt as if he were soaking in warm medicinal liquid, his body extremely comfortable.
He remembered encountering a ninth-level ferocious beast while gathering herbs, and that creature was one of the demon generals under the command of the Evil Beast Demon King.
During the battle, he was viciously clawed.
He thought it wasn’t a big deal and, fearing the Moon Maiden would worry, simply changed his clothes.
However, who could have known that the evil, malevolent aura from those claws couldn’t even be dispelled, and only his Mountain River Martial Soul could absorb it?
Before he had a chance to heal, he passed out.
He opened his eyes and glanced around.
Sure enough, he was soaking in a bath barrel, his upper garments removed. The barrel had fresh water, infused with special medicinal liquid.
“No way, Moon Maiden, you did all this?”
Ling Xiao asked in surprise, “You know how to do this?”
“Nonsense. When I fought alongside the Moonlight Heavenly Maiden, I did this sort of thing plenty of times. It’s just that in the last tens of thousands of years, I’ve mostly abandoned it, and my skills feel a bit rusty.”
As she spoke, a few flushes of crimson appeared on the Moon Maiden’s lovely face.
She was clearly embarrassed.
“Moonlight Heavenly Maiden! Isn’t that the founder of the Moonlight Sect? Sister, don’t tell me you’ve lived for over a hundred thousand years?”
Ling Xiao looked at her in shock and asked.
“What, think I’m too old? It’s said to be over a hundred thousand years, but I was asleep for nearly ninety thousand of them. Sigh, I don’t even know where the Heavenly Maiden has gone.”
The Moon Maiden sighed.
“Ahem, let’s not talk about sad things. You haven’t soaked in the medicinal liquid yet, have you? I’m fine now, and your recovery is the priority.”
Ling Xiao could tell that mentioning the Moonlight Heavenly Maiden put her in a bad mood, so he changed the topic.
“I’ve already soaked. Don’t tell me you didn’t realise you’ve been unconscious for a day and a night?”
The Moon Maiden gave a wry smile.
“No way!”
Ling Xiao thought he’d only been out for a moment.
“My goodness, does that mean this bath barrel is the one you just used? No wonder it smells so nice!”
“You little rascal, what nonsense are you thinking? Believe me, I’ll tear your mouth off!”
The Moon Maiden snapped, exasperated.
But amusingly, after Ling Xiao’s teasing, her mood seemed to lift significantly.
“By the way, Moon Maiden, my injuries are almost healed. Since you’ve lifted your restrictions, you’re probably going to confront that Evil Beast Demon King, right?”
Ling Xiao suddenly asked.
“Yes.”
The Moon Maiden nodded, “It’s part of the plan.”
“But in my opinion, since the Evil Beast Demon King understands formations, his hiding place for recovery must be protected by arrays. You alone might not manage, right?”
Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
“You want to come with me?”
The Moon Maiden asked.
“Exactly. I may not be much help in combat, but when it comes to breaking formations, I’m better than you. Plus, I want to get some Earth Spirit Stones.”
Ling Xiao said bluntly, “The Tower Ascension Ceremony is coming up soon, and I need to hurry. Otherwise, I definitely won’t get first place. If you don’t take me as your disciple then, I’d be in trouble.”
“You can come, but you must follow my arrangements.”
The Moon Maiden thought for a moment before saying.
“No problem.”
Ling Xiao answered readily, knowing she wouldn’t harm him.
This woman wasn’t the type to hurt others. In some ways, she was too pure.
To be blunt, if Ling Xiao really wanted to deceive her, he could easily have her wrapped around his finger.
“Good. Take this with you. It can block three fatal attacks. If you encounter danger, escape. Don’t be reckless.”
The Moon Maiden placed a pendant around Ling Xiao’s neck.
The pendant had a silver chain with a crescent-shaped gemstone below. Ling Xiao didn’t know what it was exactly.
But it felt like some kind of defensive treasure, and given it was from the Moon Maiden, it was surely of high quality.
“Then I’ll accept it graciously!”
Ling Xiao feared death.
To be absolutely safe, this item was necessary, so he didn’t hesitate.
“Alright, focus on healing. Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll set out. I need to recover a bit too.”
The Moon Maiden smiled and sat not far from Ling Xiao’s bath barrel.
Ling Xiao looked at her, wanting to reveal his true intentions but fearing her disapproval.
After some thought, he decided against it.
He closed his eyes, feeling the energy from the medicinal liquid, combined with his self-healing ability, and began to recover quickly.
A long time later, Ling Xiao opened his eyes to find the Moon Maiden gone. Beside the bath barrel, his clothes were neatly folded.
He put them on and noticed a note on the bedding with a message.
“Ling Xiao, thank you for taking care of me during this time. But the more you do, the less I can let you risk yourself with me. I’ll get the Earth Spirit Stones for you. When you wake, leave Thousand Ghost Forest quickly, Moon Maiden.”
Below her name was a cute smiley face.
“This woman!”
Ling Xiao shook his head with a wry smile.
“Master, sorry, but your disciple is about to go all out this time, because I think I’ve fallen for her.”
It wasn’t the same as with Ling Yixue, Dai Yuling, or Leng Mei.
Ling Xiao felt he’d fallen into the trap of love this time.
“Even if it means my death, I must keep her safe!”
Yuan Zun didn’t respond, likely in deep slumber this time.
Ling Xiao leapt out of the cave.
The battle had already begun.
But it didn’t seem to be between the Moon Maiden and the Evil Beast Demon King. Instead, the Demon King’s subordinates were guarding him.
The Demon King probably hadn’t fully recovered, so now wasn’t the time for a fight.
At this thought, Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the Evil Beast Demon King didn’t act, the Moon Maiden wouldn’t be in danger.
What he needed to do now was take advantage of the battle’s start, sneak into the Demon King’s hiding place, and pull off something big!
Though he knew his cultivation was worlds apart from the Moon Maiden’s, if he loved a woman, he should protect her wholeheartedly.
Even if the opponent was a powerhouse like the Evil Beast Demon King.
Of course, he wasn’t reckless. He’d carefully analysed the situation before deciding.
The Demon King’s injuries were likely worse than imagined. Without a suitable body, relying solely on his soul to endure damage must have left him severely weakened.
Perhaps without the Moon Maiden’s intervention, Ling Xiao could take him down himself.
