In the Xu family's courtyard.

When Zhao Ruhao rushed out of the door, Xie Heng was curled up into a ball because of his wound. He gasped for air and said anxiously to Xu Waner, who was beside the bed with a worried expression, "Go, go after him. Don't let him go."

"No." Xu Waner refused without hesitation. "Big Brother Xie, your wound is bleeding. I'll bandage it for you."

"Don't be stupid."

Xie Heng's handsome features were twisted together because of the pain, but his black eyes were as bright as obsidian. He said earnestly, "There's no need to — Ouch!!!"

The sharp pain suddenly came.

It was as if every bone in his body had been carefully crushed and sharpened inch by inch. Vines spread and wrapped around his limbs. Sharp thorns pierced his skin and drilled into his meridians through his blood vessels. The sharp ends aimed at his soft spleen and pressed down bit by bit.

Xie Hengyi clutched the bedding tightly and fell down silently.

This time, it was so painful that he couldn't even speak.

His vision was almost blurred. Xie Heng clenched his teeth. The sharp pain spread from his gums, but it couldn't compete with the pain that spread to his limbs and bones. His ears buzzed, and the young man's throat faintly tasted blood.

He vaguely heard a dog barking.

Was it an auditory hallucination?

Or was it Xu Waner?

… Bah.

Xie Heng scolded himself in his heart.

The girl kindly saved him, took him in, and took care of him, but he actually imagined that the girl was barking like a dog?

Ouch, it hurts!

… But there really was a dog barking!

…

In Hsieh's residence, Xie Ziyou was speechless. He laughed dryly as he watched Chepen throw the glazed sword bone and a few chicken bones in his hand. He picked them up and threw them away again and again. His heart was about to burst with blood.

Every bite of the brown dog seemed to be biting the tip of his heart. The clear sound of teeth grinding was sharp and ear-piercing. With every bite, Xie Ziyou's chest throbbed with pain.

All of his attention was focused on the bone that was taken away by the dog. In his daze, he heard Chepen say something about "Willow River Slope" and "Ancient Realm of Secret Void". He nodded his head and said, "Good." He just hoped that this guy would get out of here as soon as possible.

About half an hour later, Xie Peng finally got up and took his leave.

Xie Ziyou was so happy that she almost cried. She smiled sincerely for the first time that day and said happily, "Cousin, take care."

I won't see you off!

The System shrugged helplessly in his mind and sighed faintly.

After sending off Chepen and his dog, Xie Ziyou hurriedly ran to the corner of the house and picked out the Glazed Sword Bone from a pile of chicken bones that had been bitten off by the dog's sharp teeth.

His heart ached as he pulled his sleeve and used a silk satin to carefully wipe off the saliva on the Spirit Bone. Fair Complexion's delicate hand repeatedly stroked the surface of the bone.

Fortunately, there were no obvious teeth marks.

Xie Ziyou muttered in his heart. Fortunately, this thing was of good quality and was not bitten in half by the dog. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

Moreover, next year, if the protagonist came to kill him and dug out a bone with teeth marks from the villain's body, what would he think?

There were obvious loopholes in his previous strategy. He couldn't let it happen again.

It was fine if it was brought back to the dog's nest, but what if it was picked up by the servants who cleaned up the house and thrown into the cesspool …

Xie Ziyou couldn't help but shiver.

He secretly made up his mind that before he saved enough points to use illusions, he would never let the Spirit Bone leave his side!

Xie Ziyou washed the Spirit Bone and carefully put it in his arms. He carefully placed it against his chest.

The Spirit Bone that was soaked in cold water was slightly cold. When it suddenly came into contact with his white and tender skin, Xie Ziyou lowered his eyes and covered his chest. His fingers trembled slightly.

His body temperature slowly seeped into the Spirit Bone until the coldness completely dissipated and turned into a warm temperature that was like the warm sun.

In a place that Xie Ziyou couldn't see, the two ends of the Spirit Bone faintly glowed with a white halo. The dazzling light inside circulated and dazzled the eyes. The color of the two ends became lighter and lighter, becoming translucent like colored glass.

… …

In the Xu Family's small courtyard, Xie Ziyou, who had curled up into a ball, finally gasped for breath. He stretched his body and his tense back gradually relaxed.

The pain that he didn't know where it came from gradually faded away. The youth blinked his eyes hard and his vision slowly became clear again.

Beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead and dyed his hair. They condensed into strands and slowly dripped down the ends of his hair. They dripped onto his jet-black gauze robe, creating a thick ink-like halo.

After the pain faded away, a wave of soreness spread throughout his body. Xie Ziyou smiled bitterly and finally lay down weakly.

"Sorry," he nodded apologetically to Xu Waner, who was busy beside the bed. "I've troubled you again."

"Big Brother Xie, don't say anything."

Xu Waner had just finished boiling a pot of water. At this moment, she was soaking a towel in the hot water. She then took it out, wrung it dry, folded it, and carefully placed it on Xie Ziyou's forehead.

Xie Ziyou closed his eyes slightly. After resting for a while, he gradually regained some strength.

He tried to lift his sore hand and handed over the Xuanling Sect's token. He said to Xu Waner in a low voice, "I don't need this. Since your father left it for you, you should keep it well. It will come in handy in the future."

The busy girl lowered her body and suddenly stopped what she was doing.

After a moment, she continued wringing the towel as if nothing had happened. She didn't raise her head and casually said, "What, Big Brother Xie, do you also look down on me?"

"How could that be?" Xie Ziyou smiled bitterly.

"You are … the most considerate and gentle girl I've ever met."

The young man chose his words carefully and said carefully, "Without you, I don't know which gully I would be floating in. The weather is so humid, I'm afraid I would be smelly."

Xu Waner lowered her head and smiled happily. The water in the basin reflected the girl's cheeks, which were as bright as spring flowers. Then, she looked up with a straight face and asked, "Why aren't you the most beautiful and cute girl?"

"Uh …"

Xie Ziyou looked at the beam in distress.

Just now, he really wanted to say "beautiful", "cute", and other similar words. However, when the words reached his mouth, he didn't know why, but he swallowed them back. It was as if something was blocking his throat, preventing him from saying them.

At the same time, a blurry figure flashed in front of his eyes. It was the side of the face that he had caught a glimpse of before. He couldn't see the face clearly. It was just a silhouette. The amber eyes were glittering, but for some reason, Xie Ziyou's heartstrings tightened.

Xie Ziyou paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "… because 'beautiful' and 'cute' are too ordinary. They are too perfunctory."

"You don't have to comfort me." Xu Waner picked up the towel and wrung it hard, causing the sound of water splashing down. "I know I'm not beautiful or cute.

You've seen it. I really have a bad temper. As for being gentle and considerate … hmph. "

"Okay." Xie Ziyou smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with having a bad temper. Doesn't Zhao Ruhao like you very much?"

And you have him in your heart.

However, before Xie Ziyou could finish his sentence, Xu Waner seemed to have been provoked. She threw the towel into the basin and said loudly, "Who wants him to like me?"

Xie Ziyou: "…"

Wrong, he thought helplessly. He shouldn't have brought up this topic.

The young man thought for a moment and said, "Sister Wan'er, what's going on with your family's saber field? What's with the audit?"

He couldn't repay her for saving his life.

In any case, he still had the vision of a genius swordsman. If he could help the girl in front of him get through this difficult time, it could be considered as repaying her kindness.

The matter of the saber field was actually very simple.

Xu Waner's father was a famous saber master in the area. He was a fifth-rank expert and had a sixth-rank saber technique. He usually made a living by opening a saber field and teaching saber techniques.

In a remote town, a Rank-5 martial artist was already a rare and valuable expert. Therefore, the Xu family's saber field was set up in a flourishing manner, and they had friendly relations with several neighboring families. Scholars came and went in an endless stream.

However, Xu Waner's father had a strange rule.

Anyone who came to study would only be taught for ten days. After ten days, they would pack up and leave immediately.

Even if they were talented and had extraordinary qualifications, he wouldn't make an exception for them.

This rule lowered the threshold for admission, but it also excluded a large number of outstanding students.

Later, after Xu Waner's father passed away unexpectedly, the saber field didn't even have a disciple who could hold up the front.

The families that were on good terms with the Xu Waner's father were all people who pursued profits. When they saw that the Xu Family had lost its expert pillar, they immediately turned hostile and divided up the remaining resources of the martial arts field in various ways.

In just half a year, Hsu's Saber Field had changed from being the best martial arts field in the city to a dilapidated business that was almost closed down.

This wasn't enough.

Now, they were eyeing the qualifications to open a martial arts field, as well as the only thing left behind by Xu Waner's father to Xu Waner — the Xuanling Sect's exemption certificate.

In a small town, the number of people who practiced martial arts was limited. The number of martial arts fields that could be opened was also limited. Xu Waner's father obtained the certificate with his fifth-rank cultivation. Every year, he still had to face the test sent by the sect's emissary. If he didn't pass the test, the certificate would be taken away.

Xuanling Sect was a local cultivation sect.

Xie Heng tried his best to recall the list of high-level sects he had seen, but he couldn't remember the name "Xuanling Sect". Then, with Xu Waner's description as evidence, he came to the conclusion that "this was an inferior sect."

An inferior sect that wasn't worthy of being remembered by the "Xie family genius" who was born with spiritual bones.

But for the local ordinary people, the Xuanling Sect was already standing outside of the secular world. It didn't care about the trifles of the mortal world, and it was an unattainable immortal sect.

"What's the test?

What's the test about? "Xie Heng asked.

"It's mainly about the martial arts level of the retainers and whether or not they are qualified to be teachers."

Xu Waner lowered his eyes, and his expression was gloomy.

"It's all my fault.

My father didn't let me learn the saber. He said that girls shouldn't learn martial arts, and that it's better to live a stable life. I actually, actually believed him … "

The young girl covered her face with both hands, and her soft sobs flowed from between her slender fingers.

There were thin calluses on her fingertips, and it was obvious that they had only grown recently.

Her biological father had passed away, and she had suddenly been reduced from a pampered princess to an orphan who was even worse than a servant girl. She could only use her thin shoulders to carry the heavy burden of life, and pick up the last thing her father had left behind.

It was too difficult.

But she couldn't give up.

"If they take away my father's saber field and give away the test exemption token, what will I have left?"

Xu Waner said helplessly, "I've never seen my mother since I was born. My father is my only family. If all these are gone, I won't be able to find any trace of him when I miss him …"

"Don't be afraid." Xie Heng tried to prop himself up and comforted her slowly. "Don't be afraid. It's just a test. I'll help you."

"Speaking of which, I really envy the relationship between you and your father."

"Unlike me, I called him 'father' for more than ten years, and in the end, I realized that I was just a little piglet he raised. Once I grew fat, I had to be cooked."

Xu Waner looked up in shock. There were still sparkling tears on her cheeks.

"Your father caused your injury?" The young girl sucked in a breath of cold air and said in disbelief, "How is that possible?

How can there be such a heartless father? "

"… Who said he wasn't?" Xie Heng tilted his head slightly.

Outside the window, dusk gradually closed, and the shadows of the mountains covered his head. The last wisp of clouds on the horizon was reflected in the young man's clear pupils, shaking out a dazzling colorful light. Then, the horizon suddenly split open like a big mouth, swallowing all the light.

Night fell.

"So, I have to live well."

Xie Heng looked at the undulating shadows of the mountains outside the window and said faintly, "I have to live better and longer than him. Sooner or later, I will stand in front of him and ask him what is going on … Hey, don't you feel a little hot?"

The topic changed abruptly, and Xu Waner didn't react for a moment. She shook her head in a daze.

Xie Heng touched his nose suspiciously and stared at his slightly wet fingertips in a daze.

A thin layer of sweat condensed on the bridge of his tall nose, and his handsome facial features appeared particularly deep in the shadows. A faint blush appeared on his pale cheeks due to the loss of blood, which harmonized the previous dark and austere temperament, instead making him look elegant and sexy.

Why did it feel like … he was being hugged?