545: Lu Xueqi (Twenty-two)

Lu Xueqi nodded.

She found a clean stone, sat down, and closed her eyes to rest.

Su Han and Bi Yao walked towards the stream at the foot of the hill.

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded their figures.

As they walked, Bi Yao finally couldn't help but speak, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and grievance.

"Hey! Aren't you a little too good to your Junior Sister Lu?"

Su Han paused, turning his head to look at Bi Yao.

He saw the young girl pouting, her large eyes staring at him, full of playful reproach.

He understood, feeling a mix of helplessness and an inexplicable emotion.

"Bi Yao," Su Han stopped, looking at her seriously, "Last night, if Junior Sister Lu hadn't activated the power of heavenly abyss divine lightning at a critical moment, we probably wouldn't have been able to escape."

"She suffered a worsening of her internal injuries because of it."

"Both by sentiment and by reason, I cannot ignore her."

Bi Yao snorted, "I know! But… but for her, would you even disregard your own life?"

She was referring to Su Han's action of lifting Lu Xueqi onto the city wall and then turning back to face the enemy himself.

Su Han was silent for a moment, his gaze directed towards the distant rolling mountains.

He slowly said, "Given the situation at the time, that was the only choice."

"If it were you in danger, I would do the same."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

Bi Yao was stunned, looking at Su Han's distinct profile.

The setting sun cast deep shadows on his face.

Her heart suddenly beat a few times faster.

An indescribable warmth spread throughout her body.

Her previous grievances and bitterness seemed to instantly fade a lot.

"Re… really?" she asked, a little uncertainly, her voice unconsciously softening.

Su Han turned his head, looking at her large, expressive eyes, and nodded solemnly.

"Of course."

"I told you I would do my best to protect you."

Bi Yao's pretty face instantly flushed with two streaks of red, though thankfully the setting sun obscured them somewhat.

She lowered her head, scuffing stones on the ground with her toe, and mumbled in a voice like a mosquito, "Who… who needs you to protect them… this young lady is very capable…"

But the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her inner joy.

The two fetched water from the stream, picked some wild fruits, and returned to the hillside.

Lu Xueqi was still meditating in her original spot, seemingly unaware of their absence.

However, when she opened her eyes and saw Su Han and Bi Yao walking back side by side, her gaze lingered for a moment on Bi Yao's still-flushed face before casually shifting away.

Night gradually enveloped the land.

Su Han built a small bonfire, which both dispelled the chill of the night and served to deter wild beasts.

The three sat around the fire, eating simple wild fruits and dried rations.

The firelight flickered, illuminating three young faces that had already experienced hardship.

The atmosphere once again became somewhat silent, but it was no longer the previous awkwardness and subtlety.

Instead, it was a sense of fatigue and relaxation after surviving a disaster, a temporary calm.

"What's the plan next?" Bi Yao finally broke the silence, looking at Su Han.

Lu Xueqi also looked up, her gaze falling on Su Han.

Su Han poked the bonfire, and the sparks crackled.

"First, we'll temporarily take refuge in that small fishing village I mentioned."

"We need time to recover."

"And we also need to figure out who is behind all of this."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"We will go to Liupo Mountain eventually."

"But before that, we must be fully prepared."

Lu Xueqi said softly, "Senior Brother Su is absolutely right."

She paused, then continued, "My injuries will probably require three to five days of quiet recuperation to barely suppress them, so they don't affect my movement."

Bi Yao also said, "My Qi should be almost fully recovered by tomorrow."

Su Han nodded.

"Good. Then we'll rest for a few days in the fishing village."

As night deepened, the wind in the wilderness carried a chill.

The bonfire's light flickered in the darkness, as if it could be swallowed by the surrounding darkness at any moment, yet it stubbornly continued to burn.

When arranging the watch schedule, Su Han insisted on taking the first and last shifts, allowing the injured Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao, whose Qi had not yet fully recovered, to get more rest.

Lu Xueqi did not argue.

She silently walked to a sheltered rock not far away and lay down fully clothed.

Bi Yao had wanted to say that she could stand watch, but seeing Su Han's undeniable gaze, she swallowed her words.

She sat down not far from Lu Xueqi, hugging her knees, and stared blankly at the dancing flames.

Su Han sat cross-legged by the bonfire, standing watch while continuing to circulate his Qi to recover.

His perception spread out like an invisible spiderweb, alert to any rustling of leaves or blades of grass.

The night was deep, and all was silent.

There was only the crackling of the bonfire and the chirping of unknown insects in the distance.

Lu Xueqi seemed to be asleep, her breathing even, but her occasionally furrowed brow showed that she was not entirely at peace.

Bi Yao, however, remained awake, looking at Su Han's profile, which appeared particularly resolute in the firelight.

She wondered what she was thinking, her gaze sometimes worried, sometimes lost, and sometimes filled with an indescribable determination.

After an unknown amount of time, Bi Yao finally succumbed to exhaustion.

Hugging her knees, her head nodded, and she gradually drifted off to sleep.

Su Han opened his eyes and looked at the two sleeping women, sighing softly in his heart.

These two women, one as cold as an immortal, the other as beautiful as a demon, with vastly different backgrounds, were both, for various reasons, accompanying him on this Dao filled with unknowns and dangers.

What would the future hold?

He looked up at the night sky, dotted with stars, the Milky Way hanging low.

This vast world seemed to hide endless secrets and challenges.

But there was no fear in his heart, only a more resolute belief.

No matter what difficulties and obstacles lay ahead, he would continue on, protecting those he needed to protect and clarifying what needed to be clarified.

He closed his eyes again, continuing to regulate his breathing, while also raising his vigilance to the extreme.

In this unfamiliar wilderness, he had to ensure the safety of all three of them.