Long Shi chuckled sheepishly and quickly left.
He couldn't afford to stay any longer; the pressure was too immense. After all, Li Chonglou was in his care, and he bore some responsibility even if unforeseen circumstances arose.
In the beast-fighting arena, as time ticked by, figures watched Fang Qian with worried expressions.
"Less than half a day left. Did that kid manage to..."
Old Lin dared not finish the sentence, afraid of hurting Fang Qian's feelings.
A man she had saved with her life, who, upon learning he could also save himself, had given up. Old Lin imagined how difficult that would be for anyone.
However, he didn't know that Fang Qian, at that very moment, felt a sense of peace.
"This is for the best. I won't have to overthink things."
A person's will to die wouldn't change on a whim. Although Old Lin's words had made her hesitate, she had now accepted her fate again.
Dying like this meant she wouldn't have to endure the torment of her illness.
Fang Qian suddenly walked to the wall and sat down silently.
Two more hours passed. Just as the figures in the arena let out sighs of disappointment, Li Chonglou burst out of a passage in the arena.
"Damn it,小白 (Xiao Bai), why did you bring me back here? I need flesh and blood, not a soul!"
Li Chonglou's face was etched with anxiety, and his clothes were in tatters.小白 (Xiao Bai) lay on his shoulder, covered in wounds.
In response to Li Chonglou's question,小白 (Xiao Bai) weakly gestured towards another passage.
"Over there?"
Li Chonglou understood immediately and hurried in the direction小白 (Xiao Bai) indicated.
In his hand, he clutched a green, grass-like plant.
Only after he completely disappeared into the other passage did the figures react.
"Xiao Qian! You're saved!"
Old Lin shouted with delighted surprise. Fang Qian, who had already noticed everything, trembled slightly. If souls could weep, she would have been in tears at that moment!
"Wait, doesn't this kid seem a bit flustered?"
"Do you feel it too? I thought it was just my imagination..."
The figures exchanged glances.
In fact, Li Chonglou was indeed a bit flustered. After entering the core area, unsure which trial corresponded to the item he needed, he had gone through all of them.
The result was that he not only obtained the 回魂草 (Huíhún Cǎo) and the Soul Bottle but also encountered a wounded小白 (Xiao Bai) in one of the trials. If things had ended there, it would have been the best outcome.
But the reality was that they seemed to have caused trouble.
No, to be precise, it was小白 (Xiao Bai) who seemed to have caused trouble! He was the scapegoat!
"What the hell did you kill? How did something so terrifying suddenly appear! I've run so far, and I still feel like it's right behind me!"
While hurrying, Li Chonglou complained to小白 (Xiao Bai) with lingering fear. He hadn't spoken a word all the way, but he couldn't hold back any longer.
Even though he had left the core area, that terrifying aura still enveloped him, as if he were being watched!
"Never mind, let's save the person and leave! This cursed place is not for humans to stay in!"
Li Chonglou felt his horizons broadened. Even after experiencing unimaginable scenes in Iron Forest, he had never felt this way. It was only a moment ago.
With just one glance, he understood a truth: the world is vast and full of wonders!
Fortunately,小白 (Xiao Bai) recognized the way, and Li Chonglou quickly followed it back into the dark passage.
To his surprise, outside the door, he found not only Fang Qian's physical body but also Li Min.
"Boss?"
Li Min, who had been guarding Fang Qian all night, was both delighted and panicked to see Li Chonglou.
The delight was in meeting the boss again, while the panic stemmed from Fang Qian, whom Li Chonglou had entrusted to him, no longer breathing.
So, stammering with guilt, he said, "Boss, I'm sorry, I don't know why it suddenly became like this..."
Before he could finish, he saw Li Chonglou stuffing the green grass into Fang Qian's mouth.
However, as Fang Qian's soul was not present, she couldn't swallow the grass.
Li Chonglou frowned. Did he have to chew it and feed it to her?
He would only do such a thing as a last resort. Fang Qian already had feelings for him, and doing this would only make their relationship more complicated when she woke up.
Subconsciously, Li Chonglou looked at Li Min.
"Are you married?"
Li Min's expression froze. "Boss, what is this?"
"Just answer me."
Seeing Li Chonglou frown slightly, Li Min perked up and quickly replied, "No, no. I haven't even dated a girlfriend, let alone gotten married."
Li Chonglou's eyes lit up. He asked again, "Then you haven't done anything to her, have you?"
Li Min's face turned pale. He recoiled and waved his hands. "Boss, please don't misunderstand me. I haven't even touched her! Although I haven't dated a girlfriend, I'm a normal person, not some pervert!"
Li Chonglou nodded with satisfaction and handed him the green grass. "Alright, then chew the 回魂草 (Huíhún Cǎo) and feed it to Fang Qian."
"Huh? Boss, isn't this inappropriate? Doesn't she like you?"
Li Chonglou sighed and said, "I know, but I'm already married. I won't do anything that betrays my wife."
"Boss, what a good man!"
"Stop the nonsense. If the time runs out, she won't wake up," Li Chonglou retorted, urging him.
"Okay, but when she wakes up, don't tell her. I'm afraid she'll hit me."
Li Min finally took the grass and began to chew it.
Li Chonglou suddenly remembered something and added.
"Just in case, you should feed it to her mouth-to-mouth."
Li Min's expression changed, and he looked at Li Chonglou with some surprise. However, this was not intentional on Li Chonglou's part. He was unsure how the 回魂草 (Huíhún Cǎo) worked. If it wasn't just swallowing the grass but also required the chewed medicinal liquid to be effective, spitting it out and feeding it would increase the risk.
With the life-saving medicine at their lips, if they still couldn't save the person, they would be truly heartbroken.
"Do we really have to do this?" Li Min mumbled, his face full of pleading.
"Hurry up, don't dawdle."
Seeing Li Chonglou's insistence, Li Min could only bow down and close his eyes tightly.
"Miss Fang Qian, please don't blame me. I have no choice..."