"Damn it!"
In the giant monkey's arms, Shao's head felt so dizzy he wanted to vomit. Suddenly, one day he had woken up buried alive; although they cleaned him up and rescued him, he ended up being kidnapped by a monkey. He was scared and restless; he could hear the voices and shouts of his saviors.
Through his eyes, everything was blurry, fleeting; he couldn't understand anything. Drops of blood spattered his beautiful, young face. He didn't know when or who had been injured; he was so dizzy he couldn't see clearly.
He could see many trees around him and figures in white robes. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up his back to his head, making him cry out in pain. He had fallen… or rather, he had been snatched from the arms of that giant ape. He could barely keep his eyes open.
"Kido? Kido, are you alright?" were the last words Shao heard before he fainted.
His face was so pale that, were it not for his shallow breathing, Feng Wu and Linyuan would have thought he was dead. Even Linyuan suspected as much, without mentioning Feng Wu.
"He's definitely dead."
"Shut up!"
"Linyuan, look at him. Even if we save him, he might turn into an idiot."
"We'll find a place for him to rest and heal his wounds."
"Why are you helping this brat? You even get angry with me over that kid! I'm your brother, but you treat me worse than a dog, worse than an animal."
While Feng Wu was making a scene, Linyuan glared at him as if he were the biggest idiot and gently scooped Shao up in his arms. The child was so small and fragile that it broke his heart just to look at him. He was barely a child, but he had already suffered so much.
"Did you inform the sect about what happened?" Linyuan asked.
Hearing that, Feng Wu stopped complaining, became serious, and nodded.
"I informed them that we found an intermediate-level poison-tailed chimpanzee. Even if we take a while to return, they won't be angry with us."
Linyuan nodded slightly.
"After we heal this child, we'll take him to the sect to be accepted as a disciple."
Her face darkened.
"He's just a child. Not only was he abandoned and kidnapped, but he's also seriously injured and defenseless. We can't leave him here."
Before Feng Wu could reply, Linyuan had already left with the child in his arms.
Feng Wu sighed deeply and slumped to the ground, annoyed. He didn't want to talk to Linyuan; he thought it was ridiculous to risk his life for a child.
Linyuan, however, had no idea that his martial brother was silently criticizing him. He was busy cleaning the boy's wounds and channeling spiritual energy. Even though Shao was a mortal, if he could still save him, that would be enough. He wasn't in a hurry; he was badly injured. He began bandaging the scrapes to speed up his recovery.
As she removed the clothes that had been hastily put on her, she noticed something strange…
During his unconsciousness, Shao had many recurring dreams: a woman behind him, a glowing red sword embedded in a rock, a fierce battle against a woman dressed in white… His memories of his previous life intruded. He remembered how he had begun cultivating until he broke his mortal shackles, how he had become a demigod who ruled an entire continent. Everyone knelt before him, fearful and respectful.
He remembered a white castle filled with carriages and numerous women: truly beautiful women.
Beside him was a servant who had been with him since the beginning. They were the same age, but when Shao broke his mortal shackles, he stopped aging; his servant, however, was not so fortunate. Over time, he aged.
He remembered the Plant of the Sun and the Moon, and also the moment when he asked his faithful servant to kill him with a weapon of the soul.
A sharp pain shot through him, and he slowly opened his eyes. It hurt like hell.
"It hurts..." Shao murmured, stiffening at the sound of his own voice. It was a child's voice. A little girl's!
Shao nearly jumped in fright, but the pain still overwhelmed him. He watched the teenager who had rescued him earlier apply ointment to his legs and bandage them. His face was as red as a tomato.
Shao didn't understand why, until he realized: he was completely naked.
'You can't undress such a young girl to give her medicine! What kind of pervert are you? Even I wasn't that brave!' Shao thought to himself
But it was true: she was badly beaten and had no spiritual energy whatsoever. He estimated she was about five years old at most.
His memories were still fresh, and his head throbbed. He wanted to tell the teenager to stop; that, as a man, being touched and bandaged by another was too uncomfortable. But if he said that, they would think he'd lost his mind, and they would abandon him. That couldn't happen. He wanted to live. As simple as that.
What worried her most was her new body. She was a woman!
Before, she'd had a harem of beauties. And now she was going to become part of another man's harem?
Definitely not. Even as a woman, being with a man wasn't an option. She'd rather bury herself alive again.
The teenager watched her: her beautiful, round face wore an expression of displeasure. He thought it was from discomfort. He never imagined that the girl was thinking about how to avoid becoming part of another man's harem.
"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked.
Shao snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head repeatedly.
She couldn't see herself, so she didn't know how adorable she looked shaking her little head with that round face.
Linyuan thought she was lying, but decided to say nothing. She sighed.
"Even if you're uncomfortable, you're badly hurt. If I don't treat you, it will get infected, and it will be harder to heal later. We can't protect you forever, so just bear with it a little longer."
Of course, Shao knew. She wasn't stupid; she understood that she was a burden and that they couldn't protect her forever. Even so, she was genuinely grateful.
"Don't worry, I understand," she said softly.
She thought her answer was clear, but Linyuan interpreted it differently. Her face darkened as she quickly finished bandaging her, dressed her, and helped her to her feet.
Shao glanced at the teenager: he had delicate features, pink lips, and a refined nose. He seemed familiar, as if he remembered one of his former wives. He was attractive, yes, but compared to his own former appearance, Shao was undoubtedly far more beautiful.
Noticing the girl's gaze, Linyuan felt uneasy. Even though she was just watching him, he had the feeling she was mocking him. "Oh well, it's just my imagination," he thought.
"Can you get up?"
"I'll need a little help," she replied.
Linyuan nodded and gently helped her up. Shao could barely stand; she wanted to cry, but she didn't have any tears. She managed to get to her feet with difficulty.
But standing and walking were very different things.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," Linyuan said.
'You're going to help me, you're going to help me! You always say the same thing. If you're going to do it, then do it! Are you an idiot or what?'
That's what she thought, but her beautiful face revealed nothing.
She took a first step… and almost fell. Luckily, Linyuan caught her in time, letting out a sigh of relief.
"You need to be more careful, you almost fell." Shao rolled her eyes inwardly. Of course she knew she'd almost fallen; she wasn't stupid.