“How are things in the city now? Is everything all right?” Jiuye asked again.

Yinxin shook her head. “I only left the city the day before yesterday. The monsters retreated for the time being because of the Dragon General. I don’t know what’s happening there now.”

Jiuye nodded and glanced toward Dragon City.

“Dragon City is still a long way from here. Even if we hurry at full speed, the earliest we can arrive is tomorrow. I hope the Dragon General is keeping Dragon City safe,” the young man murmured. Then he turned to look at Yinxin again.

“Yinxin, are you still gathering herbs?”

She gave a timid nod.

“You don’t need to gather any more. Let’s head to Dragon City now.”

When Yinxin looked at him in confusion, Jiuye smiled and explained, “I’m a doctor. There’s no poison in this world I can’t cure. I’ll help you. Let’s go now.”

It was the kind of thing you could say offhand, but hardly anyone would believe it. Seeing Yinxin still hesitate, Jiuye gave her a helpless smile.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I…” Yinxin lowered her head, unsure how to answer.

The young man could understand how she felt. It was hard to believe him, after all.

“All right, then. Tell me what herbs you need, and I’ll help you gather them. You’re a young woman out here on your own, so it’s only natural you might run into monsters. If something like what happened just now had happened while I wasn’t around, you’d be in danger.”

Yinxin lifted her head and stared blankly at Jiuye.

“I… I believe you. Let’s go. You have to save them.”

Now that Yinxin trusted him, Jiuye felt a weight lift from his heart.

“Good. Then let’s hurry back.”

“Mm.”

With that settled, the two of them set off. But after they’d taken only a few steps, Jiuye noticed Yinxin limping. He stopped and glanced at her, immediately realizing what was wrong.

“Yinxin, did you twist your ankle?”

Yinxin lowered her head, her face turning pink. She didn’t dare look at Jiuye.

Jiuye came over and took her by the wrist to steady her. At first, he hadn’t noticed anything wrong, but when he saw her face grow redder and redder, he finally realized. He wanted to let go, but was afraid she might fall.

“Um… sorry. That was rude of me. Come with me. Sit over there for a moment, and I’ll take a look at your foot.”

Yinxin didn’t say anything. She nodded, then, cheeks flushed, let Jiuye lead her to a rock by the roadside and sat down.

Only after getting Yinxin’s permission did Jiuye remove the green shoe from her injured foot, along with the white knee-high stocking she was wearing. By then, Yinxin’s face was flushed with embarrassment—and Jiuye was just as awkward. He’d never done anything like this before.

Once he’d pulled off the white stocking, Jiuye gently held Yinxin’s small foot. Seeing the twisted ankle made his heart ache. It didn’t look like she’d just twisted it; judging by its condition, she might have hurt it a whole day ago. He couldn’t believe such a delicate girl had been walking around outside like this.

Jiuye moved carefully, afraid to use too much pressure and hurt Yinxin. It took him about ten minutes to finish treating her foot.

With the young man’s help, Yinxin slowly put her stocking and shoe back on. She could stand without much trouble, but walking was still difficult. At least it didn’t hurt as much as before.

Given Yinxin’s condition, the more than two hundred kilometers ahead of them felt endless.

“Yinxin?”

Yinxin looked back at Jiuye. “What is it, Lord Jiuye?”

Lord Jiuye? What kind of way was that to address him?

The young man didn’t say anything about it. He walked over to Yinxin and crouched down.

“I’ll carry you.”

Yinxin’s face flushed with embarrassment again.

“I…”

“How are you supposed to travel like that? Come on, climb on. We need to hurry back to Dragon City.”

Yinxin looked at Jiuye and hesitated for a moment. In the end, she blushed and climbed onto his back.

Jiuye nodded and snapped his fingers. A breeze sprang up around them. It wasn’t a natural wind; Yinxin could clearly feel the difference.

“Hold on tight.”

As soon as the young man said it, he sprang high into the air with Yinxin on his back. But instead of falling, he glided forward smoothly and swiftly.

…