Chapter 49 Sarcastic Words

After all, the sacred land of the Linlu tribe wasn't a place Ran Yian could stay for long. As a pure carnivore (wolf), even with his strong willpower, in an environment filled with the scent of "food," his instinctive hunting urges and hunger still piqued his nerves, making him feel extremely uncomfortable and dangerous. So, after confirming that Liao Feng's condition was temporarily stable, he quietly left that night.

Xu Nuoyan, an omnivore, had no such concerns. While waiting, he even checked the pulses of some unwell elderly and children of the Linlu tribe and offered soothing words. He had a natural disarming charisma, and could easily make everyone laugh with just a few words.

But he himself didn't laugh once.

He always watched other people's happiness quietly, and in his beautiful fox eyes, there was a trace of imperceptible loneliness and fatigue.

He didn't say it explicitly, but in a corner of his heart, he hoped that Ran Yian could stay. In this moment full of powerlessness and long waiting, he longed for someone familiar to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, even if they didn't say anything.

But they have broken up.

He said it himself that he wanted to forget Ran Yian, live his own life, and stop going crazy for that man.

But it seemed... he still couldn't do it. Whenever he saw that person, his heart would beat wildly and all his determination would collapse. This feeling of not being able to control his emotions made him both frustrated and helpless.

Time passed minute by minute, and exactly at the twenty-sixth hour, Xu Nuoyan took a deep breath, suppressed all his chaotic thoughts, stood up and walked to the tightly closed door of the stone chamber, raised his hand and knocked gently.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The clear knock on the door seemed particularly abrupt in the silent corridor of the holy land, and instantly woke up Ruan Xingfeng who was sleeping soundly in the holy spring due to excessive fatigue.

Ruan Xingfeng suddenly opened his eyes, still sleepy and with consciousness not yet fully restored, the first thing that caught his eye was Liao Feng's well-defined jawline and his chest so close to him. He then realized in shock that he had actually fallen asleep in his arms!

This realization instantly sobered him up. As if he had been scalded, he struggled frantically to break free from Liao Feng's arms, splashing water everywhere.

His cheeks flushed quickly, his heartbeat was like a drum, and he opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but he stumbled and couldn't even utter a complete sentence: "I...you...I'm sorry...I'm not..."

Liao Feng said nothing, not even a single movement. He simply tilted his head slightly, his deep, newly sighted eyes calmly looking at Ruan Xingfeng. There seemed to be no emotion in them, neither anger nor tenderness.

Then, he pointed lightly in the direction of the door with his eyes, meaning: go open the door.

This excessive calmness made Ruan Xingfeng feel more flustered and at a loss than any accusation.

He avoided Liao Feng's sight in embarrassment and almost staggered to his feet from the warm spring water. His wet clothes clung to his body, cold and heavy.

He walked towards the stone gate, and every step felt like he was stepping on cotton, and also like stepping on his broken heart.

He didn't know who was outside the door, let alone how to face the person outside after opening the door, and... the suffocating silence behind him.

When the door opened, Xu Nuoyan's gaze immediately passed over Ruan Xingfeng and eagerly cast towards the figure in the hot spring. When he saw Liao Feng, although still pale and weak, but clearly awake and even able to lean on the edge of the pool on his own, his nerves, which had been tense for over twenty hours, finally relaxed, and he let out a long, silent sigh.

However, just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he withdrew his gaze and suddenly noticed Ruan Xingfeng at the door. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and his clothes were soaked in water, tightly wrapped around his thin body. It was obvious that he had just come out of the hot spring.

They were soaking in a hot spring together?!

This thought flashed through Xu Nuoyan's mind like lightning! Thinking of what Ruan Xingfeng had done to Liao Feng, an indescribable anger and disgust instantly surged into his heart!

His eyes suddenly became as sharp as an ice cone, like a poisoned knife, piercing Ruan Xingfeng fiercely, full of doubt, anger and undisguised contempt.

Ruan Xingfeng's heart sank in fear at his terrifying look, and he almost instinctively took a small step back. The slippery ground caused his body to sway slightly, making him look even more embarrassed and helpless.

At this tense moment, Liao Feng's voice was heard from the hot spring.

His voice was still a little hoarse, and the volume was not loud, but it carried a strange, unquestionable calmness, and it was clearly heard by the two people:

"Yanyan, don't scare him."

In an instant, Ruan Xingfeng felt a buzzing in his ears and his brain went blank, as if a thousand-pound hammer had hit his heart, making him dizzy and almost unable to stand.

Liao Feng…didn't blame him. He didn't look at him with resentment. Instead, at this moment, he protected him again with that tolerant tone that he was once so familiar with but now felt so out of reach.

It was Liao Feng himself who was clearly the weakest and most in need of protection.

But the first words Liao Feng said were still to protect him.

The huge, overwhelming guilt and sorrow instantly overwhelmed Ruan Xingfeng. It was colder than the water in the holy spring, and also hotter and more burning than the spring water.

He suddenly lowered his head and bit his lower lip with his teeth, barely able to hold back the tears that were about to burst out and the urge to sob in his throat.

Xu Nuoyan was also obviously stunned. He turned to look at Liao Feng in the hot spring in disbelief, his eyes full of confusion and frustration.

But when he saw Liao Feng's calm yet deep eyes, he finally suppressed all his anger, and just snorted lightly from his nose, which was full of dissatisfaction and heartache, and turned his face away.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber became extremely strange and complicated. Liao Feng easily drew the line with just one sentence, and once again put Ruan Xingfeng in a protected but even more embarrassed situation.

This silent, scarred protection hurt Ruan Xingfeng more than any accusation.

Ruan Xingfeng was still completely immersed in the huge shock and sadness brought by Liao Feng's words "Don't scare him". He was completely confused and even had a bit of unrealistic fantasy.

However, Liao Feng spoke again. His voice remained calm, without even a hint of emotion, but every word was like a carefully polished ice needle, precisely piercing Ruan Xingfeng's most painful nerve:

"How dare I blame him?" Liao Feng said lightly, a faint, cold arc seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth. "President Ruan is so 'great', planning and planning, with every possible plan. And... didn't he also help me 'solve' the biggest problem? I have to thank him."

"Solve the biggest problem," which undoubtedly refers to the death of the Führer.

To Ruan Xingfeng, these words were nothing less than the sharpest taunt. They instantly shattered the pitiful bubble of warmth he had just felt, turning him back into his true form: a conspirator who deliberately schemed, hurt others, and then pretended to be a savior.

This "thank you" made Ruan Xingfeng feel more ashamed than any scolding. His heart was painful and numb, as if it had been hit by an electric current.

Once again, he felt immense shame and regret for having easily believed the lies of the Head and the fake Liao Chen, causing such severe harm to Liao Feng. His face turned pale, his lips moved, but he could not utter a word.

Xu Nuoyan stood aside, listening to Liao Feng's cold and stinging words, with no expression on his face, but a complex emotion seemed to pass through the depths of his eyes, as if he felt sorry for Liao Feng, and as if Ruan Xingfeng deserved such indifference.

He didn't say anything else, but turned around and took out a bag that had been prepared long ago from outside the door, walked to the hot spring, and threw it directly onto the edge of the pool next to Liao Feng.

"Change your clothes if you can move." Xu Nuoyan's tone was businesslike, leaving no room for doubt. "We should go back. It's inconvenient for carnivores to stay in the territory of herbivores."

After he finished speaking, without even glancing at Liao Feng, he turned and left the stone chamber, leaving the space to Liao Feng alone. His attitude was clear: the rescue mission was completed, and it was not appropriate to stay here for long.

Ruan Xingfeng was left alone, facing Liao Feng in the water and the bag of clothes, feeling caught in a dilemma. He glanced at Liao Feng, and finally whispered, "You...take your time to change." He also retreated awkwardly, gently closing the door.

He leaned against the wall outside the stone chamber, his heart still beating violently. Liao Feng's cold sarcasm and the sudden protection before him kept intertwining in his mind, making him confused.

After a while, the door of the stone chamber was pushed open from the inside.

Liao Feng came out.

He had already changed into the clothes that Xu Nuoyan brought him, still his most familiar and common outfit: a straight black suit jacket with an ironed white shirt underneath.

But perhaps because his body had not fully recovered, or perhaps because he looked fragile, he did not wear a tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were casually open, revealing the clear lines of his collarbone.

His damp black hair was a little messy and draped over his forehead. His face was still pale, but his eyes, which had regained their spirit, were deep and calm, even with a hint of indifference and alienation after experiencing a huge trauma.

This familiar outfit made Ruan Xingfeng feel dazed for a moment, as if nothing had changed.

But the lingering feeling of weakness and the cold alienation clearly reminded him that everything was different.

However, one had to admit that Liao Feng had lost his former fierceness and domineering aura, and had an unprecedented, fragile, and broken handsomeness, a more complex and intriguing temperament, which made Ruan Xingfeng's heart tighten again involuntarily.

"Let's go back to Chuangyu." Liao Feng was the first to break the silence. His voice had regained some of its usual calmness, although there was still a hint of imperceptible weakness.

He noticed Ruan Xingfeng's gaze on him, but chose to ignore it. He walked straight to Xu Nuoyan and patted his shoulder naturally. "Xue Xi has been busy for so many days, she must be exhausted."

These words seemed to be spoken to Xu Nuoyan, but also to himself, and his tone contained gratitude to Song Xuexi and a barely perceptible trace of guilt.

Xu Nuoyan said nothing, merely nodded, and followed his lead. The two of them walked out of the deep passageway of the Forest Deer Tribe's sacred ground, one in front of the other. When they had completely left the territory of the Forest Deer Tribe, the Tiger Tribe guards, who had been lurking in the shadows, retreated silently and ghostly.

There were still fine snowflakes falling outside and the air was chilly.

In previous years, or even just a few days ago, this cold would have been enough to make Liao Feng feel bone-piercing and unbearable. But at this moment, standing in the wind and snow, he did not feel the familiar, icy pain that penetrated his bones.

Perhaps because his coat was warm enough, he subconsciously gathered his collar.

Thinking of coats, Liao Feng couldn't help but think of the three he often wore. One was gray, which he bought himself. The style was fashionable, but the warmth was average, but he liked the casualness of it.

The other one is a very old-fashioned black coat, which was a relic of his grandfather. It was a gift from the wolf tribe when his grandfather became the chief of the lion tribe. It was of great significance and was rarely worn except on important occasions.

The one he is wearing now is a black cashmere coat with a modern cut and a calm style. It was a gift from Xu Nuoyan on his 17th birthday. It still fits him well, the thermal insulation effect is as good as before, and the style is in line with contemporary aesthetics.

An indescribable warmth passed through my heart, but was quickly replaced by another physiological need.

He habitually touched his coat pockets and trouser pockets, but didn't find what he wanted. The urge to smoke came up without warning.

He turned to look at Xu Nuoyan, who was about to open the driver's door, and said in a very natural, even righteous, tone: "I'm craving a cigarette, give me one."

Xu Nuoyan paused in his motions to open the car door. He turned around, his foxy eyes piercing Liao Feng, filled with a mixture of disbelief, "You're kidding me!" and the undeniable certainty of a doctor. "You're only just starting to feel better now! Your internal organs were practically shattered into dust and are just being pieced back together! I don't care what addiction you have! Just behave! For the next few months, don't even think about alcohol or cigarettes!"

Liao Feng was scolded by him and touched his nose in frustration. He actually felt a little guilty, but he couldn't help but grumble in a low voice, with a long-lost, almost childish complaint: "...Isn't it just a cigarette? Why are you so stingy..."

This look was a bit more lively than his previous cold, sarcastic or weak and broken look.

Xu Nuoyan was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore. He opened the car door and said in a bad mood, "Get in the car! If you keep talking, I'll give you a sedative and let you sleep back to the Innovation Zone!"

Liao Feng curled his lips, but finally bent down and got into the warm car. Outside the car, Ruan Xingfeng silently watched the familiar and natural interaction between them, as if he was a complete outsider. But when he thought about it, it seemed that he was indeed an outsider. From the moment he left the wedding scene, he and Liao Feng had been separated.