Xiao Tianyang had no idea how long he had been asleep.
When he suddenly woke up, he felt a splitting headache, as if his mind had been flooded with countless new memories. Strangely, these memories were hazy and indistinct.
He wanted to grasp them, to understand them, but they remained just out of reach, elusive and unclear.
What surprised him the most, however, was that he didn't feel any resistance toward these memories.
It was as if they had always been a part of him, merely forgotten until now.
As for why he couldn't fully access them at the moment, Xiao Tianyang had no clue.
"Xiao Tianyang, Xiao Tianyang…"
In his dazed state, Xiao Tianyang heard a soft, anxious voice calling his name.
The voice was gentle and sweet, undoubtedly belonging to a beautiful woman. If it weren't for the throbbing pain in his head, he would have surely teased her a little.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was a delicate, pretty face—one that looked very familiar.
"Oh, It's you…"
Xiao Tianyang realized that his perspective was unusual; he seemed to be looking up at the other person.
This puzzled him for a moment, but then he noticed the softness beneath his head and the faint, pleasant fragrance surrounding him.
"Could it be…" For a moment, Xiao Tianyang forgot about the pain. His pupils focused as he stared at Qian Renxue.
"Phew, you're finally awake."
Seeing him regain consciousness, Qian Renxue first felt a wave of relief, but it was quickly replaced by concern. "Do you know? You've been unconscious for three days."
"I am awake now. Where are we?" Xiao Tianyang asked, his face filled with confusion. "I remember I was absorbing a soul ring and then suddenly fainted. How did you bring me here?"
"How dare you bring that up!" At the mention of the soul ring, Qian Renxue's anger flared, though she held back from scolding him, given his weakened state.
Instead, she sighed bitterly. "Let me tell you now—the Magma Flame soul beast is a unique species among soul beasts. For them, fifty thousand years is equivalent to their limit."
"The one you absorbed was over seventy thousand years old, which is comparable to a hundred thousand years old soul beast, or even a divine beast-type soul beast!"
After saying this, she glanced at him with a mix of exasperation and worry. "You're lucky to be alive. I really don't know how someone as reckless as you has managed to survive this long."
To be honest, when Qian Renxue had first seen Xiao Tianyang lying on the ground, covered in blood, she had been utterly stunned.
An inexplicable sadness had washed over her, though she couldn't quite understand why she felt that way.
Once she regained her composure, she quickly carried him away from the dangerous area.
Qian Renxue brought him to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, finding a quiet cave where she could tend to his wounds.
As she treated him, her heart ached. She had never seen injuries so severe.
Xiao Tianyang's body looked like a shattered porcelain doll that had been hastily glued back together.
There were reasons she hadn't sought help from others.
For one, her status made it inconvenient. Secondly, while the Spirit Hall could protect Xiao Tianyang, she doubted a genius like him would ever be allowed to leave once he entered.
And what would happen to someone as unique as him within the Spirit Hall? Thinking of the methods employed by that woman, Qian Renxue immediately dismissed the idea.
She didn't know why she was acting out of character to help him.
Fortunately, Xiao Tianyang's condition gradually improved, and his injuries began to heal visibly.
By the time she brought him here, she was finally able to relax. But as she thought about the soul ring he had absorbed, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.
There was another reason she hadn't mentioned earlier—the soul ring of the Magma Flame soul beast carried a backlash effect! That's why Qian Renxue had said Xiao Tianyang was lucky to be alive. Anyone else might have died without even realizing what had happened.
Hearing this, Xiao Tianyang smiled inwardly. Her worry and complaints about his recklessness were signs that she cared—proof that the fish had taken the bait.
But he didn't let it show. Instead, he tried to sit up, only to fail miserably.
Although his external injuries had healed, the damage to his meridians was severe.
The Emperor Flame could keep him alive, and the Flame of Life could bring him back from the brink of death, but there was a limit to what they could do.
If his body fell below a certain threshold, the healing effects would cease.
For example, when he had been seriously injured before, he had recovered in just a few days. But this time, his internal injuries required a much longer period of rest and recuperation.
"I have no strength right now," Xiao Tianyang finally admitted, giving up and resting his head back on Qian Renxue's soft thighs.
"Is there any hidden injury in your body?" Qian Renxue asked, her worry resurfacing.
She had thought that once he woke up, everything would be fine. But seeing him so weak, she couldn't help but feel anxious again.
Xiao Tianyang suddenly had an idea.
He coughed weakly and said, "Listening to what you just said, I recklessly absorbed the soul ring of the Magma Flame soul beast and brought this upon myself. But it doesn't matter. I'm already as good as dead…"
"No, you've already woken up, and your injuries are healing. You'll recover soon!" Qian Renxue's heart tightened. She bit her red lips lightly, her teeth pressing into the soft flesh.
"It's my body and know it best," Xiao Tianyang said, coughing again.
He covered his mouth with his hand, and when he pulled it away, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Though the external injuries have healed, the internal damage remains. But dying beside a beautiful woman… that wouldn't be so bad."
"Don't talk nonsense! You won't die!" Qian Renxue said firmly, trying to help him up. "I'll take you somewhere right now. There must be someone there who can save you!"
"Even the Spirit Hall can't save me," Xiao Tianyang said, taking her hand and placing it on his chest. "And you can't move me now. The journey would only hasten my death. It's better to let me die quietly here."
"No, no! You have the Heart Protection Pill and so many other treasures. How could you not be able to save yourself?" Qian Renxue panicked, shaking her head in denial.
In her distress, she didn't even notice that Xiao Tianyang had guessed her identity.
But then, she felt something sticky on her hand. She looked down and saw blood.
"It's blood!" Her heart sank. The worst had happened. She was at a loss, unsure of what to do.
"It's okay. I've gotten used to spitting it out," Xiao Tianyang said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "But honestly, we've known each other for so long, and you still haven't told me your name. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
"At a time like this, you're still saying such things?" Qian Renxue thought he was trying to change the subject, and her eyes darkened.
From the entrance of the cave, Bubu watched the scene unfold.
He couldn't help but shake his head, silently mourning for three minutes on behalf of Qian Renxue.
As the saying goes, life is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills. His master's methods of winning over women were becoming more and more refined.
He was truly an arsonist—setting hearts ablaze with ease.
…
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