"I really owe you one," Wang Hao muttered, activating his Wooden Shield Technique. He tossed a handful of talismans in front of himself, then charged forward and scooped Li Derong into his arms, turning to shield her.
The tremendous impact nearly knocked him unconscious. He spat out a mouthful of blood, didn't dare look back, and immediately tunneled underground, carrying Li Derong with him.
Aquatic demons like the Demon Fish cannot stay far from water once they reach the Transformation stage. Seeing the two of them disappear into the earth, it merely roared in fury. Its awakened skills all relied on water-based attacks—how could it strike Wang Hao, now safely hidden underground?
Wang Hao used his Earth-Digging Technique to travel more than a hundred li (tens of kilometers) before finally daring to surface. Once he broke through to the open air, he looked at Li Derong: she lay unconscious but still breathing, clearly alive.
Heh, this woman is truly something else when it comes to getting hurt.
This place was far too dangerous. Wang Hao didn't dare linger. He gave her a few medicinal pills, took some himself, repositioned her gently on his back, and hurried onward.
The next day, Li Derong woke. Realizing she was being carried by Wang Hao—her bodies pressed together—she instantly felt both embarrassment and anger, and she flailed:
"Let me go!"
"Woman, don't test my patience. If you want to die, I can oblige!" Wang Hao shot back, equally irritated. He had saved her twice already, only to receive that attitude? He gave her a brusque shake to adjust her position, then continued carrying her.
Li Derong was badly wounded and lacked the strength to struggle. Besides, she was not the sort to make a fuss without reason. When she recalled how Wang Hao had risked himself to protect her—and remembered fighting side by side against the giant python in that underground cave—she couldn't deny that her heart had softened. So she kept silent.
In truth, she had spent a long time reflecting. That day, Wang Hao had merely helped staunch her bleeding—any contact had been purely situational. Her grudge against him was partly irrational. She had intended, once she found a safe way out, to apologize to him. But who could have expected to be saved by him a third time?
The two journeyed on in silence for over a thousand li before stopping.
Wang Hao found a relatively spacious spot and carefully laid Li Derong on the ground. As he stood up, he felt his vision blur and collapsed to the earth.
"Damn, how can I, a cultivator, also suffer from hypoglycemia!" Wang Hao grumbled, realizing he'd run for three days straight without eating.
"Are you all right?" Li Derong asked, concerned.
"I'm not dead yet. And you?" Wang Hao replied. Yet inwardly he thought, "She's finally speaking normally. Saving her again must have helped!"
"I only expended my spiritual energy and suffered some superficial wounds—nothing serious," Li Derong said, shaking her head.
"Heh, stop pretending you're so tough. I took a blow from the Demon Fish and even suffered internal injuries. You, who fought it far longer—don't try to convince me those were just superficial wounds!" Wang Hao shook his head. This woman was far too proud.
Li Derong glared at him. She wasn't ungrateful, but Wang Hao's teasing tone irritated her. Still, since they were trapped in this place, deception served no one:
"I did suffer internal injuries. It'll take a year or two for a full recovery!"
Then she asked, "You've been trapped here two years—found any way out?"
"If there were an exit, would I still be here after two years?" Wang Hao said, vexed. But seeing her about to erupt in anger, he added, "Once you recover, there might be a chance!"
With Li Derong's presence—she was a Ninth-Level Qi Refinement cultivator with formidable combat prowess—the three of them would stand a good chance against the Lake Jade monsters. Even if they couldn't slay them, they could at least steal the Ningyuan Fruits.
"You saw there are Ningyuan Fruits there. If we work together, it's not impossible to steal a few. Once someone reaches Foundation Establishment, they can escape this place!"
"That means we'll have to wait years?" Li Derong looked visibly disappointed. She'd also noticed that the Ningyuan Fruits were not yet fully ripe.
"What else can we do?" Wang Hao spread his hands. "Even if we try to take them now, they'd do no good! By the time you recover, my Eighth Uncle should also reach Ninth-Level Qi Refinement. You two can distract the Demon Fish while I make off with the Ningyuan Fruits!"
"Oh, and that time you never told me how you ended up in this place. Care to share now?" Wang Hao smiled faintly. "I used to have a bad reputation, but people can change, right? Feel free to ask, Fairy Li: you passed out twice, and I never tried to take advantage. On the contrary, I saved you twice. Now we're all in the same boat—we must trust one another!"
Li Derong's face flushed slightly. Indeed, Wang Hao had behaved admirably. And any physical contact had been unavoidable. She told Wang Hao her story: nothing extraordinary—it was simply that she had been gathering spiritual herbs, parted ways from her family's hunting party, and during a fight with a demonic beast, fell off a cliff.
She also shared some news about Wang Hao. Over the past two years, the Wang Clan had mobilized countless people to search for him and his uncle. Wang Yanzhao himself had ventured deep into the Broken Mountains multiple times—once even returning grievously wounded. Truly worthy of being called a good father.
"Actually, I have a plan to deal with the Demon Fish. When I entered the mountain, I prepared a Three-Talent Demon-Capturing Formation, which should hold it for a while," she said, looking somber. "Unfortunately, I became so focused on the Ningyuan Fruit that I was caught off guard and gravely injured!"
"A low-quality Second-Rank formation, combined with the strength of the three of us, shouldn't be a problem," Wang Hao said hopefully. "You should recover first. My Eighth Uncle is in seclusion as well. Let's wait a bit more—the spiritual energy here is abundant and won't hamper our cultivation!"
Three days later, Wang Hao had regained around 70–80% of his strength. His few lingering internal injuries would heal with time. He looked up and saw Li Derong seated cross-legged by the stream, still wearing her torn magic robe. She probably had no other to change into. Some tears had been sewn, but the robe's hem sat higher now, revealing a portion of her jade-like calf. The water's surface gleamed, making it hard to distinguish, but her skin looked more stunning than the reflection itself. Watching her calm, serene expression, Wang Hao hesitated to disturb her.
Shaking his head to cast aside the thoughts, he cleared his throat: "Let's head back and meet my Eighth Uncle. The alchemy furnace is there, and it's not safe to linger here!"
Li Derong hesitated a moment, then said quietly, "Why don't you go on ahead? I still need some time to recover!"
"Without medicinal pills, how long would your recovery take?" Wang Hao realized and couldn't help but glance again at her calves, a mischievous smile forming. "Can't you walk? I'll carry you!"
Li Derong flushed at his burning gaze: "Y-you go first. I don't want to!" she snapped, tugging at her robe's hem to cover her legs.
"What are you afraid of? It's not as if I've never carried you before. And besides carrying, I've also held…"
Li Derong's face turned ice-cold: "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll fight you—even if it costs me my life!"
"All right, all right, I'm sorry. But you know I mean no harm. Though there are no high-level demonic beasts here, there are plenty of venomous insects. In your current state, how could I bear to leave you alone here?" Wang Hao dropped the teasing tone and spoke earnestly. "We cultivators must put the Great Dao above all and not fret over such worldly details. As long as our hearts are pure… Also, no one else will ever come here!"
"Moreover, if we talk about seniority, we're from different generations. I'd have to call you 'Aunt.'"