Lin Xiao's hands trembled as she applied a temporary seal of green Qi to Fang Yuan's chest. The friction between his dense, Rank 5 energy and her fragile Mortal-grade Qi caused small sparks of light to dance in the air.
"I can't stabilize you here," she said, her voice urgent. "The forest is teeming with 'Wither-Spore' beasts at night. If they scent your blood... we're both dead. Can you walk?"
Fang Yuan didn't answer. He simply leaned his weight against her small frame. To Lin Xiao, it felt like leaning against a mountain made of cold iron. Each of his steps left a deep indentation in the mossy earth, a testament to the World Breaker density he had achieved.
As they moved through the glowing purple flora, the "Jade Mist" began to thicken. This wasn't natural fog; it was the world's immune system, trying and failing to filter out the rot.
"Our village, 'Quiet Leaf', is hidden behind the Emerald Falls," Lin Xiao explained, her breath coming in ragged gasps from the effort of carrying him. "We are the last of the 'Herbalist Clans'. The Higher Realms... the ones we call the 'Cloud Sovereigns'... they've abandoned us. They only send their ships to collect the tribute of refined pills, ignoring the plague that is eating our children."
Fang Yuan's eyes remained half-closed, but his mind was absorbing every word. Cloud Sovereigns. Likely the Azure Sect or a similar branch of Dimension Walkers who treated Rank 2 worlds like disposable farms.
"They say the Wither-Rot is a curse from the stars," Lin Xiao continued, a hint of bitterness touching her gentle voice. "But I've seen the ships. I've seen them dropping the black canisters into the atmosphere before the plague started. They aren't our protectors, Fang Yuan. They are our executioners."
Fang Yuan's bloody lips twitched. It was the same script, different world. The "Hero" (Lin Xiao) was being groomed to find a cure through suffering, while the "Higher Realms" waited to harvest the result.
"Why help me?" Fang Yuan asked, his voice a low vibration that made the surrounding leaves shiver.
Lin Xiao paused at the edge of a massive waterfall that shimmered like liquid jade. "Because when you fell from the sky, the Mist didn't reject you. For a second, the Rot itself seemed to shrink back from your shadow. If the Heavens won't save us... maybe a monster will."
They stepped through the veil of the waterfall. Behind it lay a hidden valley, filled with small wooden huts and the overwhelming scent of drying herbs. But the air here was heavy with the sound of coughing—a dry, rhythmic sound that signaled the end of life.
[System Status: Location Authenticated. Quiet Leaf Village.]
[New Objective: Plunder the 'Herbalist Legacy'. Heal the Core using the 'Life-Seed' of the Village.]