Careful nurturing

Still the boundless vast sea of blood, and still standing above the blood sea is the towering figure in blood-red, wielding a sword!

However, this time, the figure is not standing still but slowly moving the sword in hand, slowly slashing towards the sky.

Strangely, although the figure swings the sword very slowly, Ye Dong cannot see the trajectory of the sword in his eyes.

The more he tries to see clearly, the more anxious Ye Dong becomes. In his haste, he inadvertently raises his body, only to be met with a tearing pain in his chest, and then his eyes open, and he wakes up!

There is no blood sea in front of him, no blood-red figure, just a very simple roof, a faint fragrance entering his nose. At the same time, a clear voice like a silver bell sounds in Ye Dong's ears: "You're awake, don't move, your injuries are severe and not fully healed!"

At this moment, Ye Dong feels pain all over his body, and he recalls what happened before he passed out. With a sudden movement, he sits up, but another sharp pain shoots through his chest, and he can't help but let out a muffled groan, sweat dripping from his forehead.

The silver bell-like voice sounds again, this time with a hint of reproach: "Oh, didn't I tell you not to move? You moved again and tore your wound, lie down quickly!"

Ye Dong reluctantly lies back down, feeling a bit less pain, and finally realizes that he is in a very rudimentary wooden hut, facing a young girl with an anxious expression. The girl's appearance is extremely beautiful, but there is a scar from her left eye to the corner of her right mouth, giving her a somewhat fierce look!

Although Ye Dong has no feelings for the opposite sex, he can't help but be startled when he sees this face suddenly. His mind finally clears up, and he forces himself to endure the pain in his body, opening his mouth to ask: "Did you save me?"

As he speaks, even Ye Dong is startled by his own voice, why does it sound so hoarse?

The girl reaches out her hands and gently presses on Ye Dong's chest, as if trying to push him down.

Ye Dong is stubborn by nature and didn't want to be pushed down like this, but the girl's hands exert a gentle force, effortlessly pressing him down, and she says: "I found you, my grandpa brought you back, but it's not us who saved you, it's you who saved yourself."

Ye Dong lies flat, feeling a bit less pain, and remembers the last shining-eyed masked man he saw, which makes him misunderstand: "Is that masked man your grandfather? Why did he bring me back?"

The girl sees Ye Dong finally lying down and walks outside in a hurry, answering as she walks: "My grandfather wouldn't wear a mask. But there's something strange about you. When I saw you, you were lying there barely breathing. If I left you there, you might have been eaten by the monsters that accidentally stumbled upon. So I asked my grandpa to bring you back. Do I need to explain why?"

As she speaks, the girl has returned, holding a steaming porcelain bowl in her hands, emitting a fragrant smell. 

Ye Dong realizes that the girl's grandfather is not the masked man he saw last.

"My grandfather went to gather herbs and will be back soon. He told me to feed you this soup when you woke up. Lie down and don't move, I'll feed you!"

Before Ye Dong can object, the girl has already scooped up a spoonful of soup, cooled it gently, and brought it to Ye Dong's mouth.

Ye Dong can only open his mouth and let the girl feed him spoon by spoon until he falls asleep again.

When he wakes up again, he feels refreshed, and his injuries are completely healed. Not only that, but his spiritual energy seems to have increased slightly, whether from the soup or the blood drop inside his body.

Feeling fine now, Ye Dong doesn't want to lie in bed anymore. As he is about to get up, he hears footsteps outside the door and smells a faint fragrance. He knows it's from the girl, so he quickly straightens his clothes and goes out to greet them.

Before him stand two people, the scarred girl and an old man with a hunched back.

Ye Dong knows that during the time he was unconscious, it was this girl who had been taking care of him meticulously, so he is filled with gratitude.

Although the old man looks very old, his eyes are clear and seem to carry an invisible power, as if he can see through people's hearts.

Seeing Ye Dong, the old man smiles and says, "Young man, you're awake!"

Ye Dong hurriedly bows and says, "I'm Ye Dong, thank you, sir, and miss, for saving my life!"

As he speaks, Ye Dong looks around and realizes that there are towering trees all around, blocking out the sky. It seems they are still in the Tian Duan Forest.

Realizing this, Ye Dong is astonished. Even when the three major families are patrolling the outskirts of the Tian Duan Forest, they dare not venture too deep. The Tian Duan Forest is definitely a forbidden place for cultivators, even for those with the Eighth Spirit Seal. How could he have ended up so deep in the forest?

Now, these seemingly inconspicuous old and young people in front of him can actually live and survive here, which means their cultivation must be high, at least comparable to that of Fang Yi from the Tianxin Sect.

Ye Dong has never seen any masters before, and the most powerful one he knows is Fang Yi. So he can only compare them like this.