After speaking, Yun Ya coughed once and slowly sat upright.

His movements appeared laborious. By now, Feng Miaojun’s eyes had adjusted to the dim light, and upon seeing his condition, she couldn’t help but be startled: “You’re wounded so severely!”

Yun Ya’s originally neatly tied black hair now hung loose, sticking to his blood-stained cheeks, chest, and back. His outer garment and middle robe were probably magical artifacts, but they had now been burned to tatters. He simply stripped off his outer garment and tied it around his waist as a tourniquet.

This also allowed Feng Miaojun to see his injuries more clearly.

His abdomen, below the ribs, thighs, and arms were severely burned, not only with red swellings and blisters, but the injuries also had tiny red traces floating around them. Feng Miaojun understood that this was the fire spirit energy still wreaking havoc in his body, preventing his wounds from healing.

The most severe wound was in the center of his chest, slightly to the right, where a hole the size of a ping-pong ball had been opened. It had already damaged his lungs and nearly reached his heart vessels.

All his wounds had been hastily treated with medicine, but Yun Ya had likely been running at full speed, causing the blood flow to wash away the medication.

His condition was terrible; even breathing seemed difficult. His face was shockingly pale, while the rest of his skin was red—scalded red.

Feng Miaojun stared at him intently and stepped back one step at a time: “Can I leave now?”

“I’m afraid not.” He surprisingly still had the mood to smile at her. “I’ve set up a formation outside that can only be removed by my hand. Anyone who tries to break through will experience five thunderbolts striking their head.”

Are thunderbolts striking the head? Feng Miaojun’s expression slightly crumpled as she anxiously said: “You said if I helped you greatly, you wouldn’t make things difficult for me!”

“I said I would ensure you safely left Cliff Mountain.” Yun Ya pointed toward the cave entrance. “I’ve done that. This is Miaoji Mountain, already twenty li away from Cliff Mountain.”

She glanced with the corner of her eye and indeed saw that in the distance, beyond the mountain ranges, there was a peak covered in white snow—that was Cliff Mountain.

They had indeed left Cliff Mountain, though they remained within the White Elephant Mountain Range. Yun Ya hadn’t broken his word.

In such a short time, he had already traveled twenty li? Is this guy seriously injured? How could he run faster than a horse? Feng Miaojun bit her lip and said: “If you let me go, I promise not to tell Master about your whereabouts. I can swear.”

“Your master?” Yun Ya let out a light snort. “Mo Tizhun was long ago left behind by me. He still needs to escort Princess Hanyue out of the mountains. He abandoned you and left in another direction. Even if you went looking, you might not catch up.”

Feng Miaojun pouted slightly. Yun Ya was truly cunning; even at such a time, he didn’t forget to say a few cutting words. Fortunately, she wasn’t Mo Tizhun’s disciple, so she wouldn’t be heartbroken over this.

She was just a little disappointed, only a little.

She had no choice but to ask in a soft voice: “What do you want from me?” Yun Ya always had a strong purpose in his actions. There was a reason he kept her alive before, and there must be a reason now.

Yun Ya moved, and the small bottle by his feet clinked against the stone with a “ding” sound, startling Feng Miaojun into taking another step back.

This little girl fears him this much? Yun Ya found it somewhat strange but felt more at ease: fear would make people more obedient. “I’ve planted a venomous insect in your stomach. If you don’t obey, it will bite through your intestines.”

Unexpectedly, Feng Miaojun blinked: “You mean the thing you secretly fed me in the Magma Sea?” Her eyes flashed, “It didn’t work then. Are you sure it will work now?”

Young girls these days aren’t so easily fooled. Yun Ya coughed again, wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth: “I’m not sure. Otherwise, shall we test it?”

“No!” Feng Miaojun immediately gave in. How could she dare to test this? What if the venomous insect master had merely been sleeping before and could now hear commands? She would never gamble with her own life. “I’ll be obedient and listen. Don’t hurt or kill me.”

“Come here.” She was wasting too much time, and his strength was draining faster. This couldn’t continue.

Feng Miaojun was extremely reluctant internally and moved over almost inch by inch.

“Faster!” Even ants could crawl faster than her. Seeing her face full of grievance, Yun Ya felt inexplicably helpless. He prided himself on being inscrutable, rarely showing killing intent on his face. Why did she look at him as if he were a man-eating demon?

She had no choice but to take two more steps forward—in truth, the distance between them was already quite close.

He picked up the small bottle and pushed it into her hands: “Go inside and fetch a few items for me.”

As their skin touched, his fingertips were very cold.

Feng Miaojun was slightly startled, seeing that his complexion had worsened, and she began to fear that he might die—for years, Yun Ya had been the nightmare in her heart. She had grown accustomed to this fear. Now that they were so close, she always found it difficult to control the urge to turn and flee.

But observing his injuries and his complexion, Feng Miaojun suddenly realized:

Yun Ya wasn’t made of iron either, despite how shocking it had been earlier when he single-handedly fought against three great fire spirits.

With such severe injuries, if they weren’t properly treated, even with his vast powers, wouldn’t he die from blood loss?

He absolutely must not die!

So she listened carefully to his requests, nodding as she listened, before reciting the incantation to enter the small bottle.

Yun Ya could monitor her every move through the bottle’s walls. He watched as the little girl entered and exited the wooden house in just a few dozen breaths, then surprisingly headed into the dense forest of the back mountain.

What was she doing in the back mountain?

Not long after, she emerged from the bottle, bringing not only the things he had asked for but also holding a golden pheasant in her hand.

This fat chicken from the back mountain, which had been free-ranging for over a year, could barely fly anymore. She had easily caught it and broken its neck. By Yun Ya’s standards, that twist was clean and efficient.

“What are you doing?” He had never liked others randomly touching his belongings, so his expression wasn’t very pleasant.

His face was already unpleasant, and Feng Miaojun couldn’t tell any difference, so she naturally replied: “Dinner.” She weighed the golden pheasant, “The pheasant is so fat. Wasn’t it raised to be eaten?” Come to think of it, Yun Ya was quite the forward planner, keeping mountain birds and aquatic creatures in his bottle. He certainly didn’t deprive himself.

“…” Yun Ya’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything more. “Go ahead and eat it.” Was this a golden pheasant? Since when could regular pheasants fan their tails like peacocks?

This was a rare species called “Juya,” with a white phoenix crown on its head, seven-colored feathers, and rainbow light when it spread its tail. It was a bird of good fortune presented as tribute from the Hongtu Kingdom, which could produce pearls larger than soybeans after eating rich soil!

He had been keeping it as an ornamental bird. Who wouldn’t treat it like a golden goose that laid eggs and cherish it?

Well, it did indeed look a lot like a pheasant.

She had already killed it, so what was the point of being angry? “Help me apply medicine first.” While she was in the bottle, he quickly treated the wounds on his body, but there were some places he couldn’t reach.

After speaking, he leaned slightly forward, moving away from the large stone behind him.

Feng Miaojun was about to go around behind him, but Yun Ya grabbed her wrist in one swift motion: “Listen carefully, don’t try any tricks, or you will die before me.”