“Awoooo!”
As Ye Xi sped forward, a loud wolf howl pierced through the air. Ye Xi glanced over and saw Yuzu desperately racing towards her, barking incessantly. Once Yuzu realized Ye Xi had noticed them, they pointed a paw in a specific direction.
“Do you want me to go that way?”
Without hesitation, Ye Xi turned and sprinted in the indicated direction.
Only one person could have brought Yuzu here and prompted such an action, and he was still on Ye Xi’s list of trusted allies. Given Adair’s consistent reputation for acting contrary to his initial thoughts, Ye Xi decided to trust his judgment this time.
She veered, then swooped.
Not leaving Yuzu behind, Ye Xi seamlessly scooped them into her arms before veering in the direction Yuzu had pointed, seeking refuge.
Seeing this, Hicks frowned, yet still resolved to give chase.
At Ye Xi’s speed, it took mere tens of seconds before she spotted Adair waving to her from atop a house.
Ye Xi sped towards Adair. Along the way, she noticed a man, both strange and familiar, who caught a glimpse of her fleeting figure. He smiled and waved back.
Ye Xi stopped before Adair, her first action being to hand him the rhomboid crystal. “Mission accomplished,” she stated.
Immediately after, Ye Xi’s body swayed slightly. Adair quickly steadied her, his gaze falling upon her still profusely bleeding left arm. “I’ll take you down to rest,” he said in a low voice.
Ye Xi still tried to warn him, “Behind us…”
“Don’t worry, someone is handling it.”
With that, Adair lifted Ye Xi in a princess carry, then leaped to a lower rooftop, ready to tend to her wounds.
“Actually, there’s no need for this. You… Ugh, never mind.”
Ye Xi had intended to object, as she was far from being incapacitated. However, seeing the anxious expression on Adair’s face, she swallowed her words. He was worried about her, too.
‘Forget it,’ she thought. ‘If he wants to do this, then let him. I’m unfamiliar with this place anyway, so letting him lead the way is fine.’
Ye Xi adjusted her posture, no longer struggling.
Meanwhile, Hicks, Ye Xi’s pursuer, suddenly found himself locked down by a powerful aura, rendering him hesitant to act rashly.
Hicks looked towards the source of the formidable presence. Standing at the entrance of the residence was a white-clad youth, sword in hand, a playful smile on his lips, yet his sharp eyes were fixed intently on Hicks.
If Hicks dared to advance further, the youth would undoubtedly strike without hesitation.
Hicks confronted him for a moment, then, after a deep look at the young man, turned and departed. If he pressed on, he risked being ambushed by both the youth and Ye Xi, a gamble with too low a chance of success and ultimately unnecessary.
Once Hicks had left, Rocco finally exhaled in relief. He sheathed his sword, then stretched, remarking, “Truly a troublesome fellow to provoke.”
With that, Rocco headed straight back into the residence.
Outside a room in the Rocco residence, Rod waited anxiously, occasionally glancing towards the door.
Rocco, led by Kelly, approached. He looked at the room and asked, “How are things?”
Rod, seeing his second brother, replied, “We’ve brought all the potions Miss Ye Xi requested. She’s currently treating her wounds inside, and Big Brother Adair is helping her.”
Rocco nodded, then waited quietly. “I see.”
Inside the room, the central table was laden with various bottles and jars of medicine. Ye Xi was diligently using them to treat her wounds.
Her left sleeve had been torn away, revealing a jarring purplish-black gash on her fair arm—a blemish on what should have been flawless jade, an unsightly imperfection.
Adair stood beside her, his brow furrowed in concern, assisting as he could.
Ye Xi handled the situation with practiced efficiency. After cleansing the wound with medicinal liquids, it no longer appeared purplish-black, but began to show a normal, healthy redness.
Yet, this process was far from easy. Throughout, Ye Xi intentionally allowed the wound to bleed, not from inability to stop it, but to prevent the toxins from spreading further into her body. Consequently, her face was now pale from significant blood loss.
Adair finally bandaged Ye Xi’s wound. Looking at the bloodied water in the basin nearby, he said with a complex expression, “I miscalculated. If only I had known, I would have…”
Ye Xi had been inspecting Adair’s bandaging work, but hearing his self-reproach, she cast a glance at him. “What does it have to do with you? Are you saying you shouldn’t have asked me? I was the one who agreed to help you. This time, it was my carelessness. I was deep within enemy territory, yet I became overconfident and exposed a weakness.”
Adair remained silent. Ye Xi frowned. “If you still harbor such naive ideas of controlling everything, you should abandon this journey early and go home to farm. You once said you needed my strength, that you hoped to utilize it, but now that you finally have, you’re showing a woman’s softheartedness.”
Adair gave a wry smile. “You were almost in grave danger this time. Can’t you be a little less calm about it?”
Ye Xi shook her head. “I’ve been through far more perilous situations. If I truly wanted to leave, even with some cost, he couldn’t have stopped me. To kill me, one needs to prepare in advance. But I never expected you to pay for my mistake. Thank you.”
Her voice softened considerably on that last phrase.
Adair was caught off guard by the ‘thank you’. Ye Xi, seeing his surprised expression, teased, “Seeing how hard you worked, do you want a reward? I’ll try my best to satisfy you.”
Adair’s mood lightened. Hearing Ye Xi’s words, he grinned mischievously. “In that case, how about a kiss as a reward?”
“Of course,” Ye Xi replied, completely unperturbed by his teasing. She merely said, “However, afterwards, I might not be able to control my perfectly healthy right hand from carving a few lines into your lower body. Of course, this isn’t retaliation. That would be your deserved reward; how could I retaliate against you? It’s just that sometimes people’s actions are driven by emotion, leading to illogical behavior. That’s understandable, right?”
As she spoke, Ye Xi gave Adair a clever wink. Though adorable, Adair found it inexplicably unsettling given the context.
“Come here, lean your face closer. I’ll give you your reward~”
The softer Ye Xi’s tone became, the more Adair feared her.
He didn’t just hesitate to approach; he recoiled. Though Ye Xi’s face was pale from her injury, lacking her usual cold allure and showing a touch of sickly fragility, a lion, even with a wounded leg, was not something ordinary creatures dared to provoke. In fact, its current irritable state made it even more dangerous.
The more defenseless Ye Xi appeared, the more dangerous she truly was. Though the Ye Xi before him was tempting, she was a poisoned apple.
Ye Xi revealed a small knife she was toying with in her right hand, a cold smile gracing her lips. “Heh, why aren’t you coming closer?”
The glint of the sharp blade reflected in Adair’s eyes, making his legs involuntarily tense.
“Ahem, I-I think I’ll go chat with Rocco outside. I wonder how much he’ll extort from me for helping out this time.”
With that, Adair turned, opened the door, slipped out, tossed a Yuzu in, and then closed the door again. “Let them keep you company.”
Ye Xi twirled the small knife, meeting the bewildered gaze of Yuzu, who had been unceremoniously thrown onto the table. Yuzu immediately felt immense pressure, and could only stick out their tongue, wag their tail, and try to act cute to show sincerity.
*Swish!* Ye Xi plunged the knife into the table, startling Yuzu so much that they instantly stood upright.
With their front paws drooping and their entire body trembling, Yuzu’s reaction made Ye Xi chuckle involuntarily. “Why are you so nervous?”
Ye Xi embraced Yuzu, gently stroking their forehead. “To think I’d be rescued by someone. Well, that’s certainly an unprecedented experience.”
****
Outside, Rod saw Adair emerge and quickly asked, “Is Miss Ye Xi alright?”
After throwing Yuzu inside, Adair replied, “Yes, her wounds have been treated. She just needs to rest properly now.”
Kelly, standing nearby, asked sternly, “Sir Adair, did you encounter some villain? To dare commit such acts in the city, and with such high skill.” Kelly had also been wary of Hicks, feeling considerable apprehension towards that grim reaper-like man.
“If Ye Xi is not mistaken, the ones pursuing her this time are likely from the cult organization that attacked Pecoin City and then escaped.”
Rocco’s expression subtly changed. A month had passed, and the news had already reached the royal capital. Rod, having been away to pay respects to his mother a month prior, was unaware of the events in Pecoin City and didn’t quite understand Adair’s meaning.
Rocco asked in a low voice, “What are they doing here?”
Adair explained, “From the intelligence Ye Xi gathered just now, Baron Quentin has been raising funds for this cult organization. Ye Xi happened to stumble upon it this time, and that’s how all this happened.”
Rocco’s face darkened. “That bastard. It seems we’ve been too lenient with him.”
Rod looked left and right, sensing that something very bad had occurred, yet unsure what to ask.
Adair immediately urged, “I advise you to leave here at once. That cult is incredibly fanatical; there’s no telling what they’ll do once they’re discovered.”
Rocco let out a laugh. “I thought you’d try to persuade us to stay.”
“I’m not that despicable. This is already very dangerous.”
Rod, still not fully grasping the situation, was about to be persuaded to leave. He said reluctantly, “But, but…”
Adair stated sternly, “This is no time for foolishness, Rod. The situation is dangerous, beyond the scope of our current control. You have plenty of time to grow, but all of that hinges on you being alive.”
Rod was left stammering, unable to speak. Rocco, beside him, smiled bitterly. His younger brother wouldn’t listen to him, but he’d listen to Adair, their recognized elder brother.
Rocco felt this was a chance to salvage his own authority. He stepped forward and said, “It hasn’t reached that point yet, Sir Adair.”
Adair frowned, about to speak, but Rocco interrupted, “Some things aren’t as they appear on the surface, are they?”
Adair looked at the confident Rocco and had a sudden realization. It seemed there were others secretly protecting Rod and his family.
Rod happily looked at his elder brother and asked, “Really? Second Brother, please don’t push yourself. I’ll be very obedient.”
Rocco’s mouth twitched. ‘If you were obedient, you wouldn’t still be here,’ he thought. He wasn’t foolish enough to say anything to diminish his standing at this moment. Instead, he smiled. “No strain, no strain at all. Alright, it’s getting late. You should go rest. Sir Adair and I still have things to discuss.”
“Okay.” Having just received a sweet assurance from his second brother, Rod seemed exceptionally docile, skipping away cheerfully.
Rocco shook his head helplessly. ‘This child.’
Poor Yuzu.