Published: February 6, 2025
Standing atop a ground littered with corpses, Xia Bai spread her hands and watched as the wound from a few hours ago rapidly healed. Even her normally stoic face revealed a hint of surprise.
Why is this happening...?
Is it just because I changed my shoes?
Ye Zhongming sat nearby, watching with a smile in his eyes.
Xia Bai was gravely wounded and on the brink of death. If it weren't for the deep obsession in her heart, her mind already altered from that incident, she might not have lasted so long. She would have succumbed to her injuries much earlier.
However, even after Ye Zhongming rescued her, her chances of survival were slim. Her body was too severely damaged.
When Park Soo-young wasn't around, Ye Zhongming only had one method to save Xia Bai.
Bloodstained Battle Boots and star-absorbing satan.
In the mountains near Dairun Reservoir, the jungle was dense. If it were an ordinary injury, simply standing in Bloodstained Battle Boots for a few hours might suffice for recovery.
But Xia Bai's injuries were too severe. She had first been heavily injured by the explosion from the shadow of her twin brothers and then beaten by Young Master until she lost her ability to resist. On Lake Heart Island, she was lashed hundreds of times, just a step away from death.
With such injuries, it was impossible to recover just by absorbing life energy from plants.
Fortunately, Ye Zhongming had ample experience. He first utilized Xia Bai's blood scent and the frequent activities of mutated life forms in the nighttime forest, using Edge of the Moon to lay out a bed of flesh and blood for her.
This allowed her to rapidly absorb energy while lying on this bed of flesh.
At the beginning, Xia Bai couldn't even stand. It was Ye Zhongming who helped her to her feet after changing her shoes. Within just an hour, Xia Bai was already able to stand on her own.
However, Ye Zhongming said nothing about it, and Xia Bai didn’t ask. Still, Ye Zhongming could see gratitude and, surprisingly, a strong sense of... appeasement in her occasional glances.
Ye Zhongming knew the word wasn't entirely appropriate, but it was the truth. He had only seen this kind of gaze in the eyes of the earth yellow pill; that creature looked like this when it wagged its tail, seeking food and affection.
How could a human have such a gaze?
Previously, Ye Zhongming occasionally noticed that Xia Bai looked at him differently, but he didn't think much of it. After all, he had saved her from dire straits and transformed her from an ordinary person into a two-star evolver. It was normal for her to feel grateful and loyal.
But now, after saving her again, her gaze was like that of a pet looking at its beloved owner, as if he were her lifeline and one true master.
Ye Zhongming smiled, surprised at first, but then he let it go.
It didn't matter. There was nothing wrong with it; what he needed was someone who could live and die for him.
Footsteps approached as this woman stepped down from the bed of flesh.
Ye Zhongming frowned. It had only been two hours, and there weren’t many high-level mutated life forms on the bed of flesh. Such a short time wasn't enough for her to heal. Based on Ye Zhongming's estimates, if he wanted Xia Bai to recover at least half of her usual combat power, they would need to wait until dawn.
"I’m ready," Xia Bai crouched beside Ye Zhongming, as if standing above him was a form of disrespect.
"I know you have matters to attend to. I’m ready."
Ye Zhongming looked at her for a moment and nodded.
"You'll ride this motorcycle back to the base. Have them organize a convoy to move things from that arms depot. The number of people can be fewer, but there shouldn’t be a shortage of vehicles."
Xia Bai nodded. She never asked why; she simply did as instructed.
Bending down to remove the shoes to return them to Ye Zhongming, she was stopped.
"Keep them on. Give them to me once you’re healed."
If it were Xia Lei, Ye Zhongming might have joked about not having smelly feet, but with Xia Bai, he really couldn't bring himself to say it.