65: Chapter 65 Old Stories (2)

...

Beneath a hidden cliff on the outskirts of the Ancestral Land, Su Wu found a dry and secluded natural cave.

He set up several simple warning traps at the cave entrance and moved a large boulder to block most of it, leaving only a small gap for ventilation.

Deep inside the cave, a faint campfire was lit.

The dim yellow firelight danced on the stone walls, reflecting Su Wu's face, which was filled with helplessness and gravity.

He laid Lin Waner flat on a relatively smooth boulder.

At this moment, although Lin Waner's last bit of heart pulse was preserved thanks to the efficacy of that mysterious Green Bead, the wound that pierced halfway through her body was still bleeding continuously; if not treated in time, infection and blood loss would still take her life.

"Ahem... Miss, let me state first that this is strictly a humanitarian rescue, and I have absolutely no improper thoughts. See no evil, see no evil..."

Su Wu muttered to himself to prepare mentally as he reached out, somewhat clumsily beginning to undo the tattered Nano-Combat Suit on Lin Waner's body.

As the blood-stained combat suit was slowly removed.

A delicate body, as flawless as mutton-fat jade yet covered in scars, appeared indistinctly under the dim firelight.

Even though Su Wu kept chanting "form is emptiness" in his mind, his breathing couldn't help but grow heavy as he saw her slender waist and striking curves, his ears heating up slightly.

"My sin, my sin! Hurry up and save her!"

Su Wu forced his gaze away, focusing all his attention on that horrific wound.

Having struggled alone in this perilous world for over a decade, Su Wu had long ago mastered extremely proficient wilderness first-aid skills.

He took out strong disinfectant, hemostatic powder, and top-grade healing bandages from his Spatial Backpack.

Cleaning the blood, disinfecting, applying medicine, bandaging... Su Wu's movements were swift and gentle.

Once the wound was treated, to prevent her from catching a cold, Su Wu found a clean, oversized shirt of his own from his backpack and carefully put it on her, then tucked away the remains of the combat suit.

Having finished all this, Su Wu sat by the campfire, looking at the still-unconscious woman and letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Her life is saved for now. Next, it'll depend on your own luck."

...

Time passed day by day in this dark cave.

In the Ancestral Land, there was no cycle of sun and moon, so Su Wu could only judge the passage of time by his watch.

One day, two days, three days...

A full five days.

During these five days, Su Wu stayed in the cave without leaving. Every day, he used his True Qi to soothe Lin Waner's damaged Meridians and even fed her, mouthful by mouthful, the High-Grade Nutrient Solution he had intended to use for his own Realm Breakthrough.

He gave up the Opportunity to compete for resources outside, acting like a nanny in this cramped space, protecting this complete stranger.

Until the late night of the fifth day.

Su Wu had just finished feeding Lin Waner the last half of the nutrient solution and was about to lean against the stone wall for a nap.

"Ahem..."

In the silent cave, a weak but extremely clear cough suddenly sounded.

Su Wu snapped his eyes open and sprang up from the ground like a coil, his gaze fixed on the figure on the boulder.

Amidst the flickering firelight.

Lin Waner's thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then she slowly and painfully opened her eyes, which had been closed for five days.

Pain.

A Soul-tearing agony was the first sensation Lin Waner felt upon waking.

She rolled her eyes in confusion, her vision gradually clearing from a blur.

She saw a burning campfire, the rough stone walls, and finally, her gaze settled on the young man standing by the fire, looking at her with a complicated expression.

Since the mask, though damaged in the previous battle, had not fallen off, Su Wu still couldn't see her true face.

A trace of the vigilance and defensiveness characteristic of a God Race noblewoman instantly appeared in Lin Waner's eyes. She tried to prop up her weak body with her hands, wanting to circulate her blood and Qi.

But the injuries were too severe, and the Meridians in her body were like a tangled mess.

"Ugh..." She let out a pained groan, her arms giving way as she collapsed weakly back onto the cold boulder.

"Who... are you?"

Lin Waner's voice was weak and hoarse, like a spring that had been dry for a long time.

Seeing her guarded look, Su Wu's step forward to help her stopped mid-air, and then he slowly withdrew it.

Arms crossed, he maintained a relatively safe distance and shrugged, saying flatly, "Me? I'm just an unlucky guy who happened to be passing by and got used as a human cushion when you crashed into me."

Lin Waner was slightly startled. She looked down at her body.

Although the mask was still there, the Nano-Combat Suit was gone, replaced by a clean, oversized male shirt with a faint scent of soap. The fatal wound on her chest had also been properly bandaged.

Her heart stirred slightly. She was used to deception and kicking people when they were down. In this Ancestral Land where even fathers and sons could turn against each other for an Opportunity, someone had actually given up treasure hunting to spend five days treating a wounded stranger?

Even when she was unconscious and defenseless, the other person hadn't done anything inappropriate besides bandaging her wound?

"Was it you... who saved me?" Lin Waner looked up, her eyes like cold stars fixed on Su Wu, her tone softening slightly.

"Yeah," Su Wu responded nonchalantly.

Since she was awake, his "saintly heart" was satisfied; it was time to get down to business.

"Since you're awake and it looks like you won't die anytime soon, let's part ways here. I have my own things to do, so I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

Having said that, Su Wu didn't hesitate; he turned to the cave entrance and reached out to push the boulder blocking it.

"Wait!"

Seeing Su Wu leave so decisively, a rare sense of panic arose in Lin Waner's heart.

She spoke hurriedly, her voice rising slightly in anxiety: "Please stay! Look at my current state..."

Lin Waner bit her bloodless lips, setting aside her usual pride, and said with a hint of pleading, "My injuries haven't healed, and my blood and Qi are exhausted; I can barely walk. If you leave now and leave me alone in this dangerous Ancestral Land... I'm afraid my life will be in danger."

Just as she finished speaking.

Because her agitation aggravated her internal injuries, Lin Waner's face flushed. She suddenly turned her head and vomited another small mouthful of dark red blood with a "poof," panting heavily.

Su Wu's hand on the boulder froze in mid-air.

His brow furrowed deeply, and he cursed himself for being a meddler.

Leave? What's the difference between leaving a defenseless, severely injured patient here and killing her outright? Wouldn't his five days of care then be like taking off one's pants to fart—completely redundant?

Stay? He had entered this Ancestral Land for treasure hunting and training! Was he supposed to stay here as a free caregiver forever? That bastard Lin Feng was probably raking it in by now!

Su Wu turned around, looking at the pale woman on the stone slab whose eyes held a hint of pity and stubbornness; the scales in his heart eventually tipped toward his damn conscience.

"I really freaking owe you."

Su Wu scratched his hair irritably, sat back down by the campfire, held up two fingers, and said fiercely, "Two days at most! I'll stay two more days! Once you can move, I'm leaving immediately!"

Hearing Su Wu agree to stay, Lin Waner's tense nerves finally relaxed.

Beneath the mask, the corners of her mouth curled into an extremely tiny curve that even she didn't notice.

"Thank you."

...

Fortunately, Lin Waner's foundation was far beyond that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

After confirming Su Wu had no ill intent, she took out several top-grade healing Medicinal Pills emitting astonishing Spiritual Qi fluctuations from the Spatial Magic Treasure hidden in her Soul's Sea of Consciousness.

With the aid of the Medicinal Pills' terrifying medicinal power, in just one day, her deep-seated external wounds had scabbed over and healed, and the Meridians in her body were mostly repaired.

During this day spent together, Su Wu also learned the woman's name—Lin Waner.

The name was gentle, but her personality carried an innate coldness and pride. Although they shared the same space, they didn't communicate much; most of the time, Su Wu was roasting meat while Lin Waner closed her eyes to heal.

However.

This peaceful understanding was broken in an extremely crude manner the next morning.

"Boom!"

The boulder blocking the cave was kicked to pieces from the outside! Amidst the flying debris, a wild wind rushed into the cave, making the campfire flicker violently.

A figure emitting a violent Evil Qi, as if emerging from a sea of blood, strode into the cave.

"Su Wu! Where the hell have you been?! I've been looking for you for six whole days! What the hell are you doing hiding in here?!"

The newcomer was none other than Lin Feng!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

At this moment, Lin Feng's silver combat suit was stained with blood, and he held a long blade that was still dripping blood in his hand; clearly, he had experienced countless brutal battles over the past few days.

When he saw Su Wu sitting by the campfire, safe and sound, a trace of imperceptible relief flashed in his eyes, but his mouth continued to grumble and curse.

However.

When Lin Feng's gaze passed over Su Wu and landed on Lin Waner, who was wearing Su Wu's shirt and a mask deep inside the cave.

The impatience on Lin Feng's face instantly froze, replaced by a pure, bone-chilling killing intent!

"People from other factions?!"

Lin Feng's reaction was extremely fast. In the Ancestral Land, a paradise for lawless fanatics, any living creature other than one's own people was a potential enemy!

"Clang!"

Without a word of nonsense, the long blade in Lin Feng's hand instantly erupted with a blinding blade light. He moved like lightning; the terrifying pressure of a Great Grandmaster completely locked onto the weak Lin Waner, and the long blade, like a viper striking, stabbed straight at her throat!

This strike held nothing back; it was a lethal blow!

Lin Waner's expression changed. In her current state, she couldn't dodge this thunderous strike at all and could only close her eyes in despair.

"Lin Feng! Stop!"

At this critical moment, Su Wu roared, his eyes turning bloodshot.

He didn't even have time to draw his blade to parry. The moment Lin Feng struck, Su Wu lunged forward, using his own body to forcefully block in front of Lin Waner!

"Hum——!"

Just a microsecond before the tip of Lin Feng's blade was about to pierce Su Wu's chest, the drop of silver liquid metal lurking in Su Wu's heart erupted instantly!

A layer of translucent, deep-blue liquid metal, moving with a reaction speed faster than light like flowing water, instantly covered Su Wu's entire body, forming a full-coverage biochemical mecha with a strong sci-fi feel!

"Clang！！！"

A deafening sound of metal clashing exploded inside the cave! Sparks flew everywhere!

Lin Feng's full-power strike, capable of splitting mountains, stabbed fiercely into the mecha shield on Su Wu's chest. The immense recoil force made Su Wu grunt, his feet carving two deep trenches into the hard rock ground as he slid backward for several meters, only stopping when he hit the boulder where Lin Waner was lying.

But the blade tip was firmly blocked by the mecha!

"Are you crazy?！！"

Looking at Su Wu, who had suddenly transformed, Lin Feng yanked back his long blade, his eyes wide with anger and shock.

"For a woman of unknown origin, you actually used your trump card for survival? Do you know what would have happened to you if I hadn't been able to hold back my strike just now?!"

Lin Feng was shaking with anger, pointing at Su Wu's nose and cursing: "Su Wu! Is your brain kicked by a Vicious Beast?! She is not your compatriot; she is an enemy! A robber here to steal our Earth's resources!"

Su Wu deactivated his mask, revealing his face, which was somewhat pale from the surge of blood and Qi.

His expression was grave, but his gaze did not retreat as he stared at the furious Lin Feng, shouting in a deep voice: "Lin Feng! Calm down! She is not an enemy."

"What do you mean she's not an enemy? Here, other than you and me, everyone else is an enemy! One less person means one less person to fight for the Opportunity!" Lin Feng's eyes were wide with rage, and the long blade in his hand trembled slightly; clearly, he found Su Wu's "womanly benevolence" utterly incomprehensible.

"She suffered fatal injuries and just crawled back from the gates of hell!"

Su Wu protected Lin Waner, not giving an inch, his voice as firm as iron: "If we attack someone with no power to resist at this moment, how are we any different from those beasts who take advantage of others? Besides, she is not necessarily our enemy! In these past few days, if she had wanted to harm me, I would have been dead long ago!"

Lin Feng sneered, looking at Su Wu with extreme mockery.

"Su Wu, why didn't I notice you were this naive before? In this Ancestral Land, it's either you die or I die; there's no room for such bullshit grand principles! If you don't kill her today, tomorrow, once she recovers her strength, the first thing she will do is grind us into dust!"

"I believe she won't." Su Wu shook his head; although his tone was calm, it carried a sense of stubbornness.

Hearing Su Wu's stubborn answer, Lin Feng was completely disappointed.

He put away his long blade, his eyes filled with disdain and indifference, feeling as though Su Wu was beyond help.

At this moment, Lin Waner slightly propped herself up. Looking at the back in front of her, who was clearly weaker than his companion but had risked his life to stand before her, her heart felt as if it had been gently touched by something.

"I... I, Lin Waner, swear by my Dao of Martial Arts that I will never snatch your Opportunity, nor will I return kindness with enmity." Lin Waner said weakly but solemnly.

"Save that ghost talk you use to fool children. This master doesn't buy it."

Lin Feng didn't even glance at her, only giving Su Wu one last cold look.

"Su Wu, since you want to be a Saint, then stay here and continue being your protector of flowers."

Lin Feng turned around and strode out of the cave, his back resolute and arrogant.

"Those with different Daos cannot work together. From now on, you walk your broad road, and I will cross my single-plank bridge."

"Take care of yourself. Idiot!"

Accompanying the final curse, Lin Feng's figure disappeared at the cave entrance. Only Su Wu and Lin Waner remained in the cave, speechless.

Su Wu watched Lin Feng's departing back and sighed silently. He knew Lin Feng meant well, but he, Su Wu, had his own bottom line and persistence.

He retracted the liquid mecha, walked back to the campfire, and sat down quietly.

"I'm sorry..." Lin Waner looked at Su Wu's somewhat desolate expression, a trace of guilt welling up in her heart, "That... was your companion, right? Because of me, you two have fallen out."

"No need to apologize." Su Wu picked up a twig and poked the campfire, making the fire burn brighter, "It's just his personality, he's overly vigilant. In this Ancestral Land, being cautious is expected."

Lin Waner nodded slightly; through the mask, her eyes revealed a trace of deep gratitude and strange emotions.

The cave fell into silence once again, with only the occasional "crackling" sound from the campfire.

...

It was originally agreed to take care of her for two more days. But fate is something that, once entangled, is very hard to sever. This care by Su Wu lasted for another five full days.

During these five days, the guard between the two was completely let down. Su Wu would tell her about the strange tales and wonders on Earth, and the hardships of fighting his way up from the bottom; Lin Waner would also occasionally lower her guard and, with a tone filled with longing, describe the brilliant galaxy and magnificent civilization on the other side of the starry sky.

In this dim cave, two hearts that were originally from completely different worlds grew closer and closer without realizing it.

Until the tenth day. Lin Waner's injuries finally healed completely. She changed into a spare purple combat suit, and even, in front of Su Wu, she took off that cold nano-mask for the first time.

The moment that peerless face was exposed to the air. Su Wu swore that he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life.

It was a face so beautiful it was breathtaking, even making people feel it was somewhat unreal. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like the brightest stars in the depths of the starry sky, her nose straight and delicate, her cherry lips naturally red, and her skin as white as snow.

Even though her complexion was still somewhat pale from recovering from a serious illness, it could not hide that transcendent, cold and elegant temperament.

"Stunned?" Lin Waner looked at Su Wu's dazed appearance, a trace of cunning amusement flashing in her eyes; she unexpectedly cracked a joke for the first time ever.

"Ahem... well, the weather is nice today." Su Wu's face flushed red, and he awkwardly shifted his gaze away. To cover up his embarrassment, he quickly changed the subject, "Since you've fully recovered, it's time for me to go. Let's part ways here."

Hearing that Su Wu was leaving, the smile on Lin Waner's face faded slightly.

She stepped forward, looked into Su Wu's eyes, and said softly, "Since your companion has already left, it is too dangerous for you to walk alone in this perilous Ancestral Land. Why not... accompany me? It would be good to have someone to look out for each other."

Su Wu pondered slightly.

Reason told him he should refuse. The secrets involved with this woman were too great; being with her, he could at any moment be dragged into a terrifying vortex where he wouldn't even know how he died.

But emotionally, looking at those clear, water-like eyes, the words of refusal just wouldn't come out. Moreover, over these ten days of getting along, he knew deeply that Lin Waner's nature was not bad, and even somewhat... naive.

"Alright. Then let's go together." Su Wu finally nodded.

Time flew by. The two traveled together, exploring the vast Ancestral Land. In the blink of an eye, only five days were left until the Ancestral Land closed.

In these fifteen days, with the guidance of Lin Waner, the "encyclopedia," Su Wu not only harvested a large amount of rare Spirit Medicine with very high ages but also managed to pick up a second-tier Ancient Martial artifact by chance.