Chapter 76: Meticulous Care
"His injuries are severe. I had no choice but to use such a special method. If I hadn't done so, he might have already..." Makoto responded.
"...I understand." Morax looked at Yu Xie, who was lying on the bed, pausing for a moment. Although time had passed, he didn't feel like he had made a mistake.
The person lying on the bed was Yu Xie, the former General of the Guard at Guili Assembly. But now, Yu Xie was the Captain of the Raiden Shogun's personal guard.
What had happened in between? Perhaps once Yu Xie woke up, everything would become clear.
"Time waits for no one. Let's begin." Morax said.
Golden and gentle light filled the tent, and outside, the soldiers could sense an extraordinary power and presence, though they didn't know exactly what was happening.
Chiyoi, who was waiting outside the tent, showed clear signs of anxiety.
Time passed slowly, and as the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, the light in the tent gradually faded.
"Morax, thank you. If you hadn't come, I might have truly been unable to do anything..." Makoto sat beside the bed, wiping the sweat from Yu Xie's forehead as he remained unconscious.
Morax could see that the concern Baal had for Yu Xie had long since exceeded that of a mere commander to a subordinate.
For a moment, memories from Guili Assembly resurfaced in Morax's mind.
"It must be fate." Morax said, "I came here to track the Abyssal beast's trail, but I never expected it to attack your camp."
At this moment, Yu Xie's eyelids fluttered.
Makoto, who had been worried, finally relaxed, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
"Yu Xie, you're awake?" Makoto asked gently.
Yu Xie slowly opened his eyes, and the familiar face of Makoto came into focus.
"Makoto..."
"Thank goodness..." Makoto whispered, her eyes trembling with emotion.
Yu Xie moved slightly, trying to sit up, but Makoto stopped him.
"Your body is still very weak. Don't move around."
Yu Xie gave up on his attempt to sit up and, from the corner of his eye, noticed Morax standing by.
"Zhongli?"
"Yu Xie, long time no see." Morax said.
Yu Xie, who had just woken up, was still a bit disoriented and didn't quite understand the meaning behind Morax's words.
"I see, you don't remember me." Morax understood the implication of Yu Xie's reaction.
Was this a kind of erosion, he wondered.
"Did we... know each other?" Yu Xie asked softly.
"That was a long time ago. If you can't remember, there's no need to force yourself. You should rest now." Morax said as he turned around. "The war is not over yet. There's still much to handle, so I can't stay long. I must leave."
"Wait..." Makoto started to speak, but was interrupted by Morax.
"There's no need to thank me, nor to see me off. I'm just helping an old friend of mine. Yu Xie, if fate allows, we'll meet again in the future." Morax smiled, then walked out of the tent without further delay.
Even after leaving the camp and leading his team away, Morax still felt a faint ripple of emotions within him.
It was as if it were a cruel joke of fate—Yu Xie was still alive, but had forgotten everything.
When he returned, should he tell Liu Yun and the others about what happened today? Morax hesitated.
The war was still ongoing, and time passed quickly again.
Yu Xie's condition gradually improved. Over the past few days, he had been staying inside the tent, with Makoto and Chiyo watching over him closely, not allowing him to go anywhere.
One morning, Yu Xie woke up from his sleep, and once again saw Makoto asleep beside his bed.
"Makoto." Yu Xie called softly.
"Good morning." Makoto woke up, slightly adjusting her disheveled hair from her sleep.
"You don't have to stay by my side every night like this. You'll wear yourself out." Yu Xie said.
"You risked your life to save me, and now I'm just taking care of you. It's nothing." Makoto smiled gently. "I'll go get some water for you to wash your face. Stay in bed and don't move around too much."
Yu Xie watched Makoto leave the tent and slowly sat up with some difficulty.
Although his body was recovering, it still wasn't back to its full strength. Part of the reason was the severity of his injuries, and another part was that his body was still absorbing the aura of the Archon.
For now, he couldn't move freely. Every time he tried to get out of bed, someone had to help him.
[New Skill Acquired: Pure Soul of the Blessed Land (Elite)]
Yu Xie didn't know if it was the influence of the Archon's aura, but soon after waking up, he had gained a new skill.
Just as Makoto left, footsteps sounded again outside the tent.
The tent flap was lifted, and Chiyo walked in, holding a few apples.
"I picked these from the forest near the camp. You need to eat more fruits now. Let me peel them for you." Chiyo placed the apples on the table, and without waiting for Yu Xie to respond, she took a knife and began peeling the apples for him.
"By the way, where's Makoto?" After a moment, Chiyo realized that Makoto wasn't there.
"She went to get me some water." Yu Xie answered.
"You're really living the high life. The Shogun herself gets you water." Chiyo said with a smile. "We don't get such treatment."
Yu Xie didn't quite know how to respond to that.
Before long, Makoto entered the tent, carrying a basin of hot water.
Yu Xie tried to get out of bed, but Makoto stopped him.
"Don't move, I'll wash your face for you."
"I'm not completely immobile, I can wash my face by myself." Yu Xie said.
"Don't move." Makoto looked at Yu Xie seriously, her tone firm.
Seeing the seriousness in her voice, Yu Xie decided to comply.
Over these days, Makoto had been taking care of him meticulously, just as Chiyo had said. Not everyone was treated like this.
But Yu Xie wasn't used to it. He was accustomed to doing everything for himself.
After his face was washed, Yu Xie remained sitting on the bed. Suddenly, a question crossed his mind.
"Makoto, Chiyo, in the first few days after I woke up, I wasn't always fully conscious, but I felt like someone helped me clean my body. That wouldn't have been..."
"I asked the captain of the first squad to help you." Makoto quickly replied, but turned her face away, avoiding looking at Yu Xie.
"Yes! That's right. We couldn't let you stay all dirty." Chiyo also looked to the side, seeming a little guilty.
"I see." Yu Xie nodded thoughtfully, "But I could've sworn there were two people helping me clean my body at the time."
Though he wasn't fully conscious at the time, Yu Xie still remembered this detail.
"And there was the captain of the second squad too." Chiyo quickly added.
"Ah, I see..." Yu Xie pondered the situation, though it was still quite hazy in his memory.
End of chapter
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