Where there is a will, there is a way

Benben lay curled up on the grass, making soft snoring sounds from his nose.

He had rushed here carrying people before dawn, and now he needed to catch up on his sleep. He wouldn't open his eyes until it was time to eat.

Below us lay the border of Blackwater City, a dense thicket of trees, uncontrolled by any authority.

Although he didn't know what he was supposed to do, Rong Yan had a vague sense of unease.

Lin Yueyao walked alone into the dense forest without saying a word. After the firelight flashed and the forest crackled and roared, she emerged with a swagger, carrying a bulging spirit pouch in her hand.

Rong Yan stood still, and Lin Yueyao opened the spirit pouch manually in front of him.

"go--"

A dozen or so bat demons poured out, accompanied by sharp whistles, and followed Rong Yan.

The grass was slippery with morning dew, and Rong Yan's knees buckled, causing him to fall to the ground in a sorry state.

He clumsily got up, making Lin Yueyao frown.

The bat demon hovered in the air, chasing after Rong Yan and pecking at his back.

Rong Yan winced in pain, his heart trembling and his soul nearly leaving his body. Terrified, he cried out helplessly, "Senior Sister—"

Lin Yueyao became even angrier at the shout, summoned Wenqing, raised her three or four feet off the ground, stepped on it, and chased after Rong Yan with the little demon.

Rong Yan ran ahead, tears streaming down his face.

The little demon was close at hand, flapping its webbed feathers and mocking him.

With sharp claws, it hooked onto his back and gently lifted him up. Rong Yan's limbs swung, and he was lifted off the ground without realizing it. When he came to his senses, he had already fallen to the ground.

Rong Yan fell hard on his butt and couldn't get up for a long time. His trouser legs were even torn from the fall.

Seeing Lin Yueyao's furrowed brows, he endured the pain and continued to get up.

Seeing that he had no ability to resist, the little demon boldly pecked at him, even landing on his shoulder.

With a downward press on his shoulder, Rong Yan, who had little strength, cried out and frantically patted himself in a panic.

"Where are the spells I taught you?!" Lin Yueyao was furious and couldn't help but shout.

He frantically searched for talismans, but Lin Yueyao couldn't bear to watch any longer. She threw out a burst of spiritual fire, which, with a loud bang, killed a small bat demon.

The demons were alarmed and began screaming loudly around Rong Yan.

Ignoring the talismans, Rong Yan fled first.

Unable to exert any strength, and unable to even activate spiritual power.

The little demon screamed and chased after Rong Yan, scratching him in the chaos. His neck was scratched, and in her panic, the little demon rammed into him.

That impact displaced all of his internal organs.

His body went limp and he collapsed forward, never to get up again.

Benben's snoring was as loud as a bell, unwavering.

Lin Yueyao was suspended in the air, with Wen Qing steadily supporting her beneath her feet.

She landed gracefully, then flew off to chase after the scattered bat demons.

A short while later, all the little demons flying in the sky vanished, turned to ashes, and fell into the grass, becoming fertilizer for the plants.

The boots sank into the grass, their edges stained with flower juice, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

The owner of the shoes stopped beside Rong Yan.

Rong Yan opened his half-closed eyes, his face streaked with tears, and said weakly, "Senior Sister..."

He struggled to sit up straight, quickly covering his knees with his small hands.

Lin Yueyao stood still, staring at his hand. "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt." He shook his head and covered himself up even more tightly. "It doesn't hurt at all."

The abrasions stung, and the skin around the wounds was curled up from the friction.

Lin Yueyao composed herself, her expression softening considerably. She turned her back to Rong Yan, squatted on the ground, revealing her slender back.

Rong Yan leaned closer and wrapped his arms around her neck.

She got up, turned her back to Rong Yan, and returned to Benben's side.

After sleeping for half a day, Benben woke up and saw Rong Yan covered in injuries. Because of Lin Yueyao's gaze, he obediently lowered his body and let them climb onto his back.

Benben carried them back along the same route.

Back at the inn, Lin Yueyao took out some ointment from her pouch and went to Rong Yan's room.

The simple-minded demon was of little help and was kicked out of the room by Lin Yueyao, where he stood guard outside the door.

Rong Yan hadn't changed his clothes, and Lin Yueyao hadn't thought of that. She carefully applied medicine to him.

The two sat at the table, one of his legs resting on his senior sister's knee, leaning against the edge of the table. "Senior sister, why did you scare me?"

Lin Yueyao squinted at him, her meaning quite clear.

"Who told you to be such a coward?"

Rong Yan was speechless; he was indeed very afraid of demons. "But will this give me courage?"

"Otherwise what?" Lin Yueyao retorted, tightening her grip, causing Rong Yan to cry out in pain, "Senior Sister, it hurts..."

"It hurts," she said coldly, grasping his small ankle.

After applying medicine to the wound, the pain subsided considerably. After wrapping it with gauze and resting for a few more days, it will be fine.

"It's not here that hurts," he explained weakly, casting an innocent look at her.

Lin Yueyao put his feet down and placed them on her knees, then took one of his hands and examined his spiritual veins.

A faint flow of spiritual energy was detected, but nothing unusual was found after examination.

She let go of his hand. "You won't die."

"I just feel pain..." He pointed to his stomach, "My stomach hurts."

It must have broken.

Lin Yueyao glanced at him and concluded, "He's overeating and has a bloated stomach."

Hearing this from outside the door, Benben covered his mouth and chuckled.

The door opened, and light seeped in, illuminating Benben's face. Lin Yueyao stopped by the door, holding a tray, and told Rong Yan inside, "Sleep well tonight."

As I passed by Benben, Benben darted inside and closed the door.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Rong Yan was taking off his clothes when Benben stopped him, saying, "You'll tear your wound open like that."

"How can you sleep without taking off your clothes?" Rong Yan asked him back.

"But your injury will never heal."

"What's the big deal?" Rong Yan said nonchalantly, taking off his outer garment, leaving only his trousers.

"I'll lick it for my master." Benben transformed into a wolf, wagging its tail, and lay down at his feet.

What are you licking?

The gray wolf spoke in human language and explained earnestly, "Our wolf saliva helps with healing and can make wounds heal faster."

After hearing this, Rong Yan shook his head and refused, "I don't want to."

"Why?"

"The slower the wound heals, the more time my senior sister will have to care for me," he said excitedly, his clothes tugging at the wound, causing him to wince and gasp for breath.

Seeing how much pain he was in and how difficult it was for him to even get into bed, Benben couldn't understand it and thought that humans were really strange.

In the evening, Lin Yueyao personally delivered dinner. Rong Yan had difficulty getting out of bed, so Benben fed him herself.

Benben moves around a lot in his sleep, and I was afraid of touching his wound, so I simply lay down on the ground to sleep.

The two were fast asleep when a strong wind suddenly blew open the window with a creak.

A boneless claw, devoid of flesh and skin, climbed up the windowsill, gripped the windowpane, and secured itself to the top.

Benben slept soundly, unaware of the slightest movement.

The skeleton swayed its bony frame, creaking as it walked, looking as if it could fall apart at any moment.

It sat by the bed and pinched Rong Yan's philtrum. Rong Yan, who was asleep, felt it and turned his head away.

After a while, Rong Yan opened his listless eyes and saw a skeleton sitting by the bed.

His eyes widened, and he instinctively tried to run, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to be unable to move and breaking out in a cold sweat.

Benben is sleeping soundly and can't hear anything.

"Great Bone Immortal, spare me! Great Bone Immortal, spare me!" Rong Yan clasped his hands together and hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Hey—where did this brat come from? This great immortal will devour you right now—"

The skeleton demon stood by the bed, hands on its hips, green light emanating from its eye sockets, its jaws opening and closing, constantly emitting black smoke.

"Great Immortal, have mercy! Please don't eat me!"

The skeleton spirit then asked, "Then let me ask you, why can't I eat you?"

Rong Yan sat on the bed, his face pale. "Because I have thick skin and don't taste good at all."

"Is that so? But I've heard that children like you are the most delicious, with tender flesh, making them the best tonic."

Lin Yueyao from the next room relayed her words verbatim. Whatever she said, the skeleton spirit said, and it could even synchronize with her movements.

"No, I'm not very fleshy, just all bones, and I get food stuck in my teeth easily," he hurriedly explained, rolling up a section of his sleeve to reveal his slender, lotus-root-like forearms.

Lin Yueyao pretended to suddenly realize something and slowly moved around the room. "Since you don't taste good, then I'll eat this wolf instead."

"No, that won't do." He wouldn't allow it.

"At least you have a conscience," Lin Yueyao nodded with relief, giving a soft "hmm" in a questioning tone.

Rong Yan explained cautiously, "If we eat here, people will find out. If you want to eat, please take it out secretly."

Lin Yueyao remained silent for a moment, then said, "After much thought, I still think human flesh is the most palatable. I think the woman next door is quite nice."

"No—" he shook his head desperately.

"You dare to stop this immortal? Aren't you afraid of losing your life?" The skeleton demon opened its mouth, spewing out puffs of black gas, its eyes gleaming.

"Even if you want to eat it, I won't allow it." Rong Yan broke out in a cold sweat and unconsciously reached for the spirit pouch beside his pillow.

Since being captured by the minotaurs, he has never dared to slack off. He carries protective talismans in his sachet with him every day.

Aren't you afraid of me?

"I'm scared." Rong Yan frankly admitted, mustering his courage to look up at it, his eyes finally no longer darting away.

"If you're afraid, then don't meddle in other people's business," Lin Yueyao scoffed.

"No, she's my senior sister, I won't let you eat her." His eyes were as resolute as wild grass, more determined than ever before.

"You can't stop me," Lin Yueyao sneered. "Because you're too weak."

"Being weak doesn't mean I'll be weak forever. I will grow. One day, I will become strong enough to protect my loved ones."

Lin Yueyao remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Then prove it to me."

She used her spiritual power, and the skeleton spirit began to move, heading towards the door.

Rong Yan threw off the covers and quickly threw out an explosive talisman. After it exploded with a bang, pink mist rose into the room.

Benben on the ground was still fast asleep. The sleeping potion in the food was enough to knock out a monster that had been around for a hundred years. Benben had eaten so much that he could sleep until noon the next day without any problem.

Rong Yan obviously hadn't thought that far ahead; he simply assumed that Benben was prone to sleepiness.

As the powdery mist dissipated, his hand trembled slightly. It was the first time he had activated a talisman, and he couldn't control his strength. His thumbnail was knocked off, and his hand was covered in blood.

The room brightened, and Lin Yueyao appeared in the territory where the skeleton spirit was.

Her gaze shifted downwards, but she didn't reveal that she was the one who orchestrated it. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," he hurriedly explained, not wanting to disappoint his senior sister with his cowardice. His hand was injured, so he hastily stuffed it under the blanket, while the wound on his leg was torn open.

Rong Yan forced a smile, which made people feel sorry for her. "The doors and windows are open. Could you help me close them, Senior Sister?"

She remained silent, got up, closed the window, and went back to her room.

"Goodnight, senior sister."

Rong Yan watched her retreating figure and said affectionately.

Inside the Blackwater City cave, the spiritual energy fluctuations generated by Rong Yan in his moment of crisis were sensed by the city lord. Such spiritual energy was extremely pure, but tiny and weak, almost negligible.

How could that be? If he were Nianci's child, how could he be so cowardly?