Saved her? Could his half-joking, fooling around behavior even be called saving?

Xuan Yi used her sleeve to wipe away the cold sweat on her forehead. The wound on her right leg truly hurt her to death. Having lived this long, she had never suffered such hardship. At this moment, she was holding a bellyful of resentment—sometimes angry at Fucang for dragging her into this mess, sometimes angry at Qi Nan and Baize Dijun for forcing her to descend to the lower realm, and sometimes angry that the catfish demon was too ferocious. But she was already dead, so being angry at her had no meaning.

The catfish demon’s gray corpse was handed over by Baize Dijun to Leize Shenjun. Zhi Xi felt unbearable pity in her heart and didn’t want to watch anymore. She had originally wanted to ask why Shao Yi was also here, but when she turned back to look, Gu Ting’s expression was ugly, Xuan Yi had her eyes closed pretending to sleep, and Fucang’s hair was disheveled and his whole body covered in blood. She could only put the matter of Shao Yi aside.

“I happened to go to the South Heaven Gate today and saw Senior Brother Gu Ting riding the Nine-Headed Lion, bursting in panic-stricken. Hearing that you all encountered formidable demon clans in the lower realm, I was quite shocked. Who would have thought there was such a powerful demon in the Wujiang River? It’s so wonderful that you’re all safe… Junior Brother Fucang, your hair, all this blood on your body…”

Zhi Xi had the intention to show concern, but unfortunately, this Fucang Shenjun was usually taciturn, rarely engaging in lengthy discussions even in front of Gu Ting, and exchanged even fewer words with her. Last time, because of the matter with Feilian Shenjun, in her urgency she had been overly concerned and only got snubbed. Now she could only try her best to make herself appear not overly solicitous.

Fucang slowly shook his head. “I’m not injured. There’s no need to trouble Senior Sister.”

He turned around, pulled off the silk ribbon binding his hair, and re-tied his uneven hair. Then, without any courtesy, he lifted Xuan Yi’s skirt hem—lifted her skirt?!

Zhi Xi was stunned. When she saw Xuan Yi’s right leg dripping with fresh blood, she was so shocked she nearly jumped up.

“You’ve lost so much blood!”

She rushed over to examine the wound. Xuan Yi drew her leg back. “No need to worry about me.”

“What do you mean no need to worry!”

Zhi Xi frowned as she watched Fucang rather inelegantly lift her skirt hem, unwrap the sleeve wound around the injury, then roll up Xuan Yi’s undergarment pants bit by bit. The hideous wound on her right calf was immediately exposed.

Zhi Xi’s face turned pale. While releasing a healing technique for her, she said urgently, “Wasn’t it said that the Zhuyin Clan has dragon scales covering their entire body, not only unafraid of the Five Elements techniques but also unafraid of divine weapons? How did you get injured this badly!”

She was only over nine thousand years old—where would dragon scales have grown on her legs yet? Xuan Yi sighed and pressed down on Zhi Xi’s spell-casting hand, saying calmly, “No need to keep trying. It would be good if Senior Sister Zhi Xi could lend me your silk sash.”

…She had forgotten that the Zhuyin Clan was immune to all techniques—spells couldn’t harm them, so naturally they also couldn’t heal them. Zhi Xi silently pulled off her silk sash and handed it to Fucang. He took it but didn’t use it immediately. He recited an incantation to summon a bit of rain and dew, carefully washing Xuan Yi’s blood-covered right leg, then lowered his head to examine it closely.

Earlier, above the Jade Rat Dajun’s underground palace, Shao Yi had somehow made the wound heal slightly. But now the wound had not only torn open again, it was much more severely damaged than before. The hundred thousand poisonous soft barbs the Wujiang Fairy mentioned were probably not things visible to the eye. They could only be probed and extracted using divine power, but unfortunately the Zhuyin Clan was immune to all techniques…

Fucang pondered for a long while—so long that Xuan Yi was about to lose her composure and prepare to fight physically—before he finally wrapped the injury tightly with the silk sash. Looking up to see her unfriendly gaze and raised hand, he dropped her skirt hem and returned an equally unfriendly look. This dragon princess—when she was a goddess, how could she be so detestable?

Zhi Xi paced anxiously on the side, repeatedly saying, “What should we do about this? Just leave it alone? Does it hurt?”

Xuan Yi looked at her with a beaming smile. “Is Senior Sister feeling sorry for me?”

Zhi Xi glared at her fiercely. “Still so mischievous even when injured! I’m not feeling sorry—I feel guilty! Who would feel sorry!”

Xuan Yi said in a delicate voice, “If you feel guilty, help me give that bastard called Fucang a beating.”

Zhi Xi helplessly chattered, “What time is it and you’re still bickering like this? Both of you settle down!”

Fucang withdrew his gaze from Xuan Yi. Half her face was buried in the soft lion fur, one pair of eyes exposed, glaring at him murderously with killing intent the whole time.

Sure enough, she was still more likeable as a loach.

Opposite them, Leize Shenjun and his subordinates had already taken the catfish demon’s corpse back to the divine realm to report. Baize Dijun held the jade hairpins in his hand and looked at them for a moment, letting out a long breath before turning to look at his bedraggled disciples.

He had thought this trip to the lower realm to retrieve the pearl string would be the most leisurely and relaxed task. Who would have thought such a major mishap would occur? The worst part was that the little brat from the Zhuyin Clan got injured. That clan had a peculiar constitution—once injured, all techniques were useless and they could only wait to heal themselves. How was he supposed to explain this to Zhongshan Dijun? The little girl came to be his disciple, and in just a few months she was injured and dripping with blood—he felt that precious dragon scale was about to slip away.

Gu Ting and Zhi Xi, who had followed him for many years, saw through his little thoughts at a glance. Zhi Xi pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “Master is definitely thinking about the dragon scale right now, not even coming to check on the princess’s injury! Really…”

She had always held immense respect for Baize Dijun. Even if he had those insignificant minor flaws, they were but slight blemishes on white jade, nothing major. But this time, sending Fucang and the others out to do hard labor, they nearly lost their lives. At this critical juncture, he was still thinking about the dragon scale—it was truly too much.

Baize Dijun approached with a somewhat guilty smile and coughed dryly. “Xuan Yi, your injury…”

Xuan Yi’s voice was very flat. “I’m fine. Master need not worry.”

He had to turn to Fucang. “Fucang, your injury…”

Fucang was also very calm—calmly shaking his head without saying a single word.

The Dijun had no choice but to continue turning to Gu Ting and Zhi Xi. Seeing that these two disciples who were usually the most obedient were ignoring him, he could only sigh and pat the largest head of the Nine-Headed Green Lion, full of affection. “This Nine-Headed Lion was frightened badly. Poor thing.”

The disciples on the lion’s back still had no reaction. Gu Ting suddenly seemed to have a flash of inspiration and said, “I have at home a pill refined by the Qingxuan Great Emperor from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. If mortals eat it, they gain eternal life and can grow flesh on white bones. I imagine it would also help the princess’s injury.”

Zhi Xi shook her head. “All pills must borrow the power of the Five Elements to be refined. I’m afraid it would be useless. No matter what, let’s send Princess Xuan Yi back to Zhongshan first. Her injury is too severe—it’s not good to linger long in the lower realm.”

Gu Ting suddenly understood. “That’s right! Let’s go, quickly send the princess back!”

With that, they rose and perfunctorily bowed to Baize Dijun, saying, “This disciple takes his leave.”

Before Xuan Yi could object, she was forcibly held down and taken back to the South Heaven Gate.

Baize Dijun slowly withdrew his hand and lowered his head dejectedly. This vast firmament had been bustling with activity just moments ago, and in the blink of an eye, only he remained here in a daze. He hadn’t even had time to eat before rushing over to save them. How could they bear to leave him here, solitary and alone?

*

The Nine-Headed Lion shuttled through the sea of clouds. The clear wind of the divine realm brushed past their faces. Returning to the divine realm from the lower realm roiling with turbid air made all the young celestial gods feel their spirits lift.

“Princess Xuan Yi.” Gu Ting suddenly called out softly.

What? Xuan Yi lifted her face from the soft lion fur.

Gu Ting hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, “I… want to apologize to you. I was blinded by prejudice, which proves my cultivation is insufficient. Master’s benevolent elegance and magnanimity are not the superficial things I pursued in the past. I was shallow. What I said that day in the South Garden was all said in anger. Please don’t take it to heart.”

And this time descending to the lower realm, as senior brother, he should have protected his junior brothers and sisters. Who knew that in the end, he was the one who fled, while Fucang and Xuan Yi suffered so much? He felt both ashamed and distressed. Just as he was about to carefully choose his words to continue apologizing, he heard Xuan Yi laugh softly.

“Just help me give Fucang a beating and that’ll be fine.” She answered leisurely.

…Just how much resentment did she have toward Fucang?

Gu Ting looked helplessly toward Zhi Xi and Fucang. One smiled bitterly, while the other seemed to not be paying attention to this side at all.

Alas, these two inexplicably antagonistic enemies—let them be, let them fight to the death however they want. He wasn’t going to manage it anymore.