Huaiying and Abu followed slowly behind the group, both of them very excited, constantly talking in hushed tones, which made Xuanming even more upset.

"You two in the back, are you here for a spring outing?" Xuan Ming asked, arms crossed, his face dark and sour.

The two of them shuddered as they were stared at by everyone. Embarrassed, they suppressed their smiles and obediently followed behind the group. However, Huaiying secretly glared at Xuanming several times.

The group arrived in the central part of the Demon Realm when a strong sandstorm scattered them. The others in charge stabilized the group, while Xuanming went to find Huaiying immediately.

But the two people who were originally following behind the group have vanished without a trace...

Xuan Ming abandoned his disguise, his aura turning chilling and terrifying, sending shivers down everyone's spines. The team leaders who knew Huai Ying's true identity were already trembling with fear.

——

When Huaiying regained consciousness, all she saw was darkness, and she could hear the dripping sound of water, as if she were in a cave.

She shook her groggy head and touched something warm.

"who?"

"I," Abu said hoarsely, struggling to speak.

"Is he still alive?" Huaiying groped her way to his neck.

"No, I... I still have... breath left." Abu said, unable to control himself, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

At this point, Huaiying dared not move again. She took out a fist-sized luminous pearl from her pocket, which allowed her to barely see Abu.

He was severely injured, his face was covered in blood, and his clothes had many long bloodstains.

Huaiying was only stunned for a moment when she saw his appearance, then quickly checked the things in her bag and treated Abu who was lying quietly.

The two rested for a while before they recovered.

Huaiying had been unable to contact Xuanming, so she began to search for an exit.

"Ying, where are you going?" Abu vaguely saw the light from the luminous pearl moving away from him, and quickly reached out, just in time to touch Ying's ankle.

"ah!"

Two screams rang out, one weak and suppressed, the other filled with panic. A faint light source slipped from his hand and rolled away into the distance along the uneven ground.

Huaiying propped herself up from Abu, but accidentally pressed her hand on his wound.

"You idiot, why did you trip me!"

Huaiying took out another luminous pearl and placed it next to Abu's ear, making his pale face, which was already pale from blood loss, appear even paler.

"I didn't mean to, I thought..."

"You thought I was going to abandon you and run away?!" Huaiying reached out and grabbed Abu's cheeks.

“No… I don’t want to cuddle… you need to get rid of the yarn…” Abu replied with difficulty.

Looking into his burning gaze, Huaiying softened her attitude, loosened her grip, and gently wiped away a drop of congealed blood from his face with her fingertips.

Abu's expression changed slightly. He endured the itching on his face, met her gaze, and gradually blushed. "We don't know what the situation is outside yet. Don't act rashly."

"I haven't asked you yet why you were so badly injured." Huaiying shook her head, avoiding his gaze, her tone somewhat uneasy.

"Can you get off me first? The wound on my waist has reopened..." Abu said, suppressing the pain.

"You should have said so earlier!" Huaiying felt a surge of heat rush to the top of her head and hurriedly moved to the side. "I... I bandaged your wound myself, and you don't even care about it!"

Abu: ...You're loud, so you're right.

“The Swift Beasts, unfortunately, we’ve been carried off,” Abu said weakly. “This place is very likely their lair.”

"The caves are winding mazes that they have created themselves. There are almost no paths to walk on, and they don't need to find their way. They just follow the frequency of the wind to enter and exit."

"So, it's incredibly difficult for us to get out." Huaiying also recalled the information she had read. "We don't know whose food reserves these are."

Xuan Ming must not be here. If he manages to get caught by the Si Xing Beast, he won't be able to hold his head high in front of his brother for the next few decades.

"Is there any good way?" Huaiying asked as she re-bandaged his wound.

"No," Abu answered with difficulty, his brow furrowed.

“I have one,” Huaiying said, taking out another luminous pearl and handing it to him.

"What method?" Abu took the warm luminous pearl, and the chill in his body instantly dissipated.

"Wait," Huaiying looked up, only to be met with complete darkness, and then silently lowered her head again.

Xuanming will come looking for her. If she can't find him, she'll look for her brother. No matter what, her brother will find her. She just doesn't know how he'll be punished when they get back.

"If we're lucky enough to be rescued, just say all your injuries were done to save me," Huaiying instructed worriedly.

"Why?" Abu asked anxiously, checking if she was injured. "By the way, speaking of injuries, how are you? Are you alright?"

"I was lucky, I wasn't hurt." Huaiying took a step back, avoiding his presumptuous concern.

"Then why..." Abu persisted in asking.

Huaiying looked dazed and murmured, "Because... I believed you would save me."

But what she really wanted to say was that he would be blamed. Although it wouldn't be life-threatening, she didn't want him to be banished to some remote corner.

For the first time, she felt that she had been too honest with Xuan Ming. In fact, she should have had some secrets of her own, so that she wouldn't have to go to great lengths to lie in order to protect this little darling.