Return To Sect

Ava observed Leo with curiosity as he headed towards a corner, apparently intending to cultivate. To her surprise, he instead lay down and fell asleep. Given his background, Ava had assumed that Leo would spend every spare moment in diligent cultivation, but it appeared that he was not as ambitious as she had thought. Nevertheless, Ava found herself increasingly drawn to the boy, as if she had discovered a rare species. She realized that she was becoming slightly obsessed and tore her gaze away from him. Instead, she moved to the opposite corner of the room, assumed a lotus position, and began to focus on her own cultivation.

As Ava continued her cultivation, she suddenly heard groans and teeth grinding sounds coming from in front of her. She wasn't the only one who noticed it; Rose, Jack, and Peak Master Derek also seemed to have heard it. Rose voiced her thought, "Is he having a nightmare?" Jack, with a concerned expression on his face, added, "Even if he's having a nightmare, it must not be a simple one. From the looks of it, he's shuddering all over and sweating a lot." Jack then asked the Peak Master, "Elder, should we wake him up?" Ava saw Peak Master Derek pause and give a thoughtful expression on his face. He then looked over to her and gave her an instruction, "Ava, we need to cool him down and restrict his body's response to a normal level so that he wouldn't harm himself. Can you please use your Ice Qi to balance his trembling and sweating?" After hearing the Peak Master's instructions, she asked, "How long do I need to do it?" and heard his response, "Until he wakes up."

Ava headed towards Leo, sat on her knees in front of him, and put her hand on his forehead. After noticing how hot he was, she carefully decreased his fever with her Ice Qi. Looking into Leo's face up close, she could see that he was in a lot of agony. He was trembling all over, and as she gazed at him, she found herself getting more worried with each passing minute. After realizing her sudden feelings, she couldn't believe herself and couldn't find an answer as to why she was feeling like this. This was the first time she had worried about someone other than her master and towards a boy whom she had only recently met.

After Rose and Jack saw how Ava was carefully treating Leo, both of them were shocked. They looked at each other and communicated through their eyes, confirming each other's thoughts, 'Don't you two feel that Ava is acting differently than usual?' After that, they decided to keep watching.

After an hour had passed, Ava noticed that Leo was slowly starting to feel better. His sweating had stopped, and his fever had subsided, leaving him trembling slightly. Although she could have removed her hand from his forehead, she found herself hesitant to do so. She eventually decided to stop using her ice Qi, but she kept her hand in place.

Ava heard the Peak Master's voice calling out to her. "Ava, how is he? Has his fever stopped?" she panicked at the inquiry and decided not to tell him that Leo's fever had subsided. However, as she was about to respond, she noticed Leo's condition worsening, and this time it was different than before. He looked much worse and started murmuring in a painful, pleading voice, "Please don't send me back" repeatedly.

Jack could sense that everyone on the flying boat had become concerned after hearing Leo's murmurs. He also heard Rose's voice with a worried tone, asking, "Why did he suddenly become worse again, and what is he talking about?" Jack pondered to find a reason for Leo's sudden change, but the only thing that came to his mind was, 'After the Peak Master spoke again, he suddenly became worse. Is there a connection?' However, he dismissed this idea as unlikely and shook his head in response to Rose, indicating that he, too, didn't know the reason behind Leo's deterioration.

Ava began to channel her ice Qi once more and wondered, "What is making him so scared?" She turned to the Peak Master and replied, "He was showing signs of recovery, but suddenly his condition worsened." Fearing the worst, she continued, "How much longer until we reach the sect, Elder? He needs urgent medical attention from the sect's medicine hall."

As Ava spoke, she felt the Peak Master accelerate the flying boat and heard him say, "We will arrive at the sect in an hour."

After an hour, they reached the sect. Peak Master Derek brought them to a quiet part of the medicine hall while saying, "We don't need to make a scene." Then, Ava heard him say, "Ava, you don't need to continue to treat him." He then turned his gaze towards all of us and spoke, "You guys can return to your living quarters. I'll take over from now on."

Ava heard Rose and Jack refusing to leave. Only after repeated efforts by Peak Master Derek did they eventually agree to leave. Then, Ava saw Rose turn to her and gesture to leave, but Ava didn't want to go. For some reason, she thought that Peak Master Derek wouldn't be able to care for Leo well enough. So, she replied to Rose in a firm voice that conveyed her decision: "You guys go ahead. I will accompany Peak Master Derek." She saw Rose and Jack exchange a look, and then they said, "Okay, we will check on you guys later," and left.

After Rose and Jack left, Ava checked on Leo again, but felt that nothing had changed. As she was checking on him, she heard Peak Master Derek say, "Leave him to me. I'll carry him to a room in the medicine hall." Ava felt Peak Master Derek approaching her and Leo, but before he could touch Leo, Ava lifted him off the ground in a princess carry. She didn't want Peak Master Derek to touch Leo, as she had a feeling that things could turn bad if he did. She saw Peak Master Derek's face register a slight shock as he said, "I wouldn't hurt him. You don't need to be protective. What if other disciples saw you like this?"

Ava quickly found an excuse for her behavior and replied, "I just want to resume balance his fever with ice Qi. Thanks to you, Elder, for bringing us to a quiet place in the medicine hall where there isn't anyone around."

They made their way to the medicine hall through a secluded back entrance, ensuring that they wouldn't encounter anyone else. When they arrived at the room, Ava carefully laid Leo down on the bed, adjusting his position to make him more comfortable. She then pulled up a nearby chair and began to circulate ice Qi around him, hoping to alleviate his fever.

As she worked, Peak Master Derek left to seek the assistance of an elder from the medicine hall. Ava continued to focus on Leo, checking his pulse and watching his breathing. She couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering if there was anything else she could do to help him. But for now, all she could do was wait and hope that the elder would arrive soon.

After a while, an elder arrived with Peak Master Derek. Upon seeing the elder, Ava asked if Peak Master Derek had explained the situation to him. She heard the elder say, "I have heard his situation. Let me check on him."

After the elder completed his examination, Ava heard his conclusion. "He is in some kind of coma from not getting enough sleep. I'll prepare a medicine to alleviate his discomfort, and once he has slept enough, he should wake up."

Upon hearing that Leo's condition was caused by lack of sleep, Ava suddenly felt guilty for thinking of him as unambitious. She thought to herself, 'Maybe he was pushing himself to his limits to train more and improve his cultivation.'