Ren Yuanhao sprinted, carrying Ziyuan, but when they reached a dark river, Ziyuan let go of his clothes.
"Let me down."
Ren Yuanhao complied. He looked around and saw plants with broad leaves swaying in the wind. Moonlight slanted down, casting sparse shadows. Ahead, the forest trees were towering, and scattered light spots flickered in the wind, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
"Ziyuan, what exactly is going on?"
Ren Yuanhao felt that Ziyuan was hiding something.
"It's nothing. Aren't men all like this? Your body seems to have recovered too. I won't keep you."
Ziyuan crouched down. With a casual grasp, Ren Yuanhao looked closely and saw fireflies, something he hadn't seen in a long time!
"Once these insects emit light, they can only survive for 4 to 5 days. It's like a person's life; after a brilliant moment, it's enough."
Ziyuan's voice was very soft, like the trajectory of the fireflies' flight, light and ethereal. These insects feared light, but they glowed during courtship. Therefore, they had almost disappeared in areas with severe light pollution. Even Ren Yuanhao could only see these little creatures in his hometown.
"Ziyuan, exactly—"
"Don't ask anymore. You should go."
Ziyuan released the fireflies in her hand. Large swarms of fireflies turned into brilliant bands of light, like a long river, so beautiful it was suffocating.
At this moment, the system voice suddenly chimed in.
"Beep beep, you rascal, she's a good girl. I can't stand it anymore. All the injuries on her body are because of you."
"Because of me?"
"Otherwise? Do you really think you're exceptionally gifted and heaven favors you? Your Dantian was shattered, solid and real. Repairing it in your condition would be extremely difficult."
"So Ziyuan saved me?"
"Nonsense. To save you, she didn't hesitate to agree to Wumu's marriage proposal in exchange for a map to the Dragon Saliva Pearl's growing location, and she risked going there. When she returned, she was a bloody mess! Anyway, it's hard for me to describe the scene to you. I've never seen a woman do this much for you. You might want to look at the bloodstains trailing away from the entrance of the Shangjia residence; that's the trace of her crawling back while holding onto her last breath!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ren Yuanhao immediately recalled the tattered, blood-stained night-walking suit, and his entire being was pulled back to reality.
He vaguely remembered a warm current circulating in his abdomen during meditation, a warm current that continuously soothed him, like a woman's incredibly gentle hand.
He looked at the slender figure. Moonlight flowed, and faint light filtered through the forest onto her, making her look like an elf standing gracefully in the night breeze.
Ren Yuanhao felt he should do something now, but that figure carried a sense of determination and an aura of pushing people away.
"Ziyuan, thank you."
"Thank you for what? Without you, I probably wouldn't be alive."
"Your family—"
"My parents were terminally ill. I couldn't save them."
Ziyuan's voice was very faint, so faint that Ren Yuanhao felt she might disappear with the fireflies at any moment.
"I'm sorry, I—" Ren Yuanhao wished he could slap himself.
"It's okay. Falling leaves return to their roots. At least I brought them all back to their homeland, didn't I?"
Great sorrow flowed through Ziyuan's heart. Suddenly, she was completely embraced by a pair of strong hands from behind.
"I'm not very good at comforting people, but I know your pain, and I know how much you've done for me these past few days. Without you, there would be no Ren Yuanhao. I also said that once I hugged you, I would be responsible for you. Of course, I might not be able to give you any status or further promises. We are both ability users. In this turbulent time, we are merely fish on a chopping block, living each day by the moment, perhaps like fireflies, who knows?"
Ren Yuanhao's words came from the bottom of his heart. His lifespan destined him to be like these fireflies that momentarily blazed before extinguishing. He couldn't offer more promises, and perhaps he wasn't even worthy of loving someone.
At least, that's what he thought.
"Ren Yuanhao, I don't need you to guarantee anything. This is all my willing choice. After all, you pulled me out of hell. However, I have no attachments left in this world, and you don't need to worry about me. We are even."
Ziyuan didn't struggle. Her face was as indifferent as the hazy moon in the sky, but her heart was churning like a stormy sea.
Since the deaths of her brother and parents, she hadn't felt protected by anyone like this before. She knew very well that the more this happened, the more she would develop a dependency. But now, her face was almost disfigured, and the skin all over her body was like dry, cracked earth. She felt she was no longer worthy of standing by Ren Yuanhao's side.
She didn't want Ren Yuanhao to look at her with pity. She possessed a decisiveness and dignity rare among women.
"But you're alone now. I'm worried."
"Don't worry, I'm an ability user after all. I can take care of myself. Don't you believe me? Let's spar."
Ziyuan raised her right hand. The silk red sleeve slid down her skin, revealing the shocking scars that seemed even more hideous and terrifying in the moonlight. There were bite marks from jackals, stings from white reeds, and even scrapes from rubbing against rocks. She was completely different from the Ziyuan Ren Yuanhao knew before!
"You, your hand—!"
"Don't look. I'm still alive, aren't I?"
Ziyuan tightly wrapped her sleeve, wishing she could hide her face as well.
A woman who was once breathtakingly beautiful, even if she didn't care much about her appearance, would still feel inferior when she became like this.
Just then, the system's gentle voice descended.
"Hey, Ren Yuanhao, don't get discouraged yet. Call me sister, and I'll take care of this little lady's scars."
"If there's such a medicine, I'll obtain it at any cost."
"Consider yourself lucky. Here, take this 'Skin Rejuvenation Cream.' It's only two hundred points, not a big deal. Don't forget, I'm an S-class ability!"
Ren Yuanhao, now holding the medicine, felt a little relieved. "Ziyuan, I know you care a lot about your scars. Here, I'm a man with a treasure chest. Take this."
He placed a bottle of ointment from his pocket into Ziyuan's hand. "Ziyuan, come with me. There are too many sad memories here. We can keep each other company."
Ziyuan looked at the ointment in her hand, and suddenly remembered the scene of their first meeting. At that time, when she was unconscious, she had felt a gentle hand caressing her wounds. Her face couldn't help but blush. "Really?"
"Of course. I was actually very worried about the source of the Mandara gene. I originally planned to retrieve the Mandara gene and follow the clues, but—"
"I'm sorry, I—"
Ren Yuanhao gently stroked her hair and said, "It's fate. What we can do is not to regret, but to salvage."