She opened her spirit pouch, raised an eyebrow, and gestured, "Come in and hide well. Don't move without my permission."

Xiao Hei had no choice but to do as he was told.

After repeatedly confirming that she had sealed the spirit bag properly, Lin Zhenzhen got up and walked towards Xuan Yuanzhao.

He was half-reclining against the rock, his long legs dangling into the icy, dark river water. His handsome brows were furrowed, his expression grave, as if he were trapped in a terrible nightmare.

A strange sense of pleasure welled up in Lin Zhenzhen's heart.

Since arriving in this small world, I've been constantly coughing up blood. I never expected to see this usually aloof man in such a sorry state.

She reached out and gently patted Xuan Yuanzhao's pale cheek.

"Young Sect Master, wake up. Xuanyuan Zhao?"

The person in front of me suddenly opened their eyes, but those eyes were a bloodthirsty red, filled with endless hatred and murderous intent.

Xuan Yuanzhao suddenly attacked, flipping over and pinning Lin Zhenzhen beneath him, his two large hands gripping her neck like iron arms.

For a moment, Lin Zhenzhen thought he had discovered her conversation with the old man.

But soon she realized that something was wrong with him.

His palms were like branding irons, burning hot. Although he was pinching himself, he wasn't using his full strength.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, and although he was the one who was injured, he seemed to be in even more pain, as if he were suffering from some kind of mental torture.

Lin Zhenzhen lowered her voice and gently comforted him, "Xuanyuan Zhao, open your eyes, everything is alright now."

Gradually, Xuanyuan Zhao's eyes regained their clarity.

He stared blankly at Lin Zhenzhen's face, and called out her name uncertainly: "Lingzhen?"

"It's me." Her cheeks turned red from lack of oxygen, and tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.

Xuanyuan Zhao released his grip and stood up from his half-kneeling position.

It has to be said that their current posture is rather...inappropriate.

However, the man didn't seem to be fully awake yet; he was just staring blankly into the distance.

Lin Zhenzhen could only support herself with her hands on the ground and move her body outward little by little, but she got stuck at her hip bone.

She could only grit her teeth and call out Xuan Yuanzhao's name: "Could you lift your leg a little?"

Xuanyuan Zhao then realized the situation. He sprang up from the ground as if he had been electrocuted, jumping a great distance.

...This man is acting like I'm taking advantage of him.

Lin Zhenzhen awkwardly straightened her clothes and coughed lightly twice: "Let's continue walking along this river and see what happens."

Now that the owner of this cave has shown himself, the illusion should be broken.

Xuanyuan Zhao, his face dark, gave a curt "hmm".

It was the familiar order of one in front of the other, but this time the two hadn't walked far before they saw a ray of light ahead.

It seemed the exit was just ahead, but Xuanyuan Zhao stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

His voice turned icy cold again: "I smell a demonic beast, it's a Horned Weasel."

"Huh?" Lin Zhenzhen guiltily moved the spirit pouch behind her and laughed it off, "Maybe it just happened to pass by?"

"I'll go check it out, you stay here for now." Xuan Yuanzhao had barely finished speaking when he rushed out.

Lin Zhenzhen disobeyed and ran out.

He was squatting under a large banyan tree, picking up some soil from below and smelling it.

"They came, and then they left."

His eyes flashed with a cold light, and the flames that sprang from his fingertips enveloped the clump of soil.

"Let them get away. One day, I will wipe out these disgusting and vile creatures."

Lin Zhenzhen felt her spirit pouch jump, so she quickly pressed down on Xiao Hei and changed the subject, saying, "Ah, my head hurts so much."

As he spoke, he swayed and staggered backward, groaning in pain.

Xuanyuan Zhao indeed stood up, frowned, and helped her up.

"Your injuries are too severe, and your meridians are damaged. Only my own spiritual power can completely heal you."

He drew a golden teleportation array under his feet, then reached out and pulled Lin Zhenzhen into the teleportation range.

"Hold on tight if you feel dizzy."

Lin Zhenzhen immediately obeyed and gripped his waist tightly.

Xuanyuan Zhao's body stiffened for a moment, then a burst of golden light appeared, and the two disappeared from the spot.

-------------------------------------

It was the familiar sandalwood scent again, only this time the fragrance was several times stronger than the one on Xuanyuan Zhao.

Lin Zhenzhen realized that she was in the back hall of the Tianhe Sect.

Perhaps he is lying on Xuanyuan Zhao's bed.

With no one around, she tried to activate her spiritual power and found that the damaged parts had been repaired and were even functioning more smoothly than before.

Wait, where's Xiao Hei? Where's her spirit pouch?!

Lin Zhenzhen got out of bed and looked around but couldn't find the spirit bag.

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Xuanyuan Zhao walked in from outside.

There was still a faint frost between his brows, and he looked like he wasn't in a good mood.

Seeing Lin Zhenzhen walking around restlessly on the ground, his face darkened even more.

"It seems you're still not badly injured."

Lin Zhenzhen scratched her head and complimented, "It's all thanks to your excellent treatment, Young Sect Master."

The words "Young Sect Master" ignited a surge of anger within him.

Xuanyuan Zhao sneered, "Why don't you call me by my name now? Lingzhen, how come I didn't realize you were so perceptive before?"

Why is this man so petty?

"I offended you in a moment of panic," Lin Zhenzhen said softly, avoiding his gaze. "Since I'm fine now, I won't bother the young sect leader any longer."

After she said those words, she felt the temperature around her drop sharply, especially on Xuan Yuanzhao in front of her, who was like a giant freezer, emitting a chilling aura.

He sneered, "Fine, then you can leave."

Seeing that Lin Zhenzhen was still keeping her head down and not moving, he continued to mock her, "Why aren't you leaving? The door is over there. Don't tell me you don't know the way."

“Um,” Lin Zhenzhen spread her hands, looking embarrassed, “I didn’t see my personal spirit pouch.”

A black cloth bag flew into her arms with a "whoosh," and Lin Zhenzhen quickly covered her mouth, afraid that Little Black would roll out of it if she wasn't careful.

She walked towards the gate with a beaming smile, without even glancing at herself.

Xuanyuan Zhao's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he shouted at her to stop.

"stop!"

Lin Zhenzhen suddenly stopped in her tracks, only to hear Xuan Yuanzhao's voice slowly ringing out behind her.

"I gave you a chance to confess, but you didn't cherish it."