“Um... water...” Yong Shanling was lying on the soft bed, feeling as if her throat was about to dry up. It seemed like she hadn't had a drop of water for half a month.
Just when her consciousness was hazy, a stream of sweet water saved her throat. The action was very careful, not a single drop of water spilled on her. After drinking two big glasses, she finally felt alive again.
At this time, she felt the pain all over her body so intense that she wanted to roll on the ground. It was as if she had been beaten up severely. Sensing the spiritual energy in her body, it was as dry as a desert, with not a trace of spiritual energy left.
She knew it was because she had over - drawn too much spiritual energy before. She was already injured in the fight against the Devouring Heavenly Python. Later, she forced herself to keep fighting, and was seriously injured by the python's self - explosion at the end.
Yong Shanling was lying in bed weakly, with a bandage on her head and her leg in a cast, hanging up. She looked like a broken doll, which made people feel pity. Her originally fair and rosy cheeks were now only pale, with a tinge of cyan.
The man holding the water cup beside the bed saw Yong Shanling's eyelids fluttering constantly. The look in his eyes, which had been like a stagnant pool, finally showed some ripples.
“Girl!”
Yong Shanling used all her strength to finally open her eyes. Her head was swollen and dizzy, as if it had been stirred violently in a washing machine. She even wished she could cut off her head.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a bearded man with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes. A look of pity flashed across Yong Shanling's eyes. Her big, round eyes were misty. “Uncle, you look like a wild man who just ran down from the mountain!”
“Yeah, I was so angry with you that I ran up the mountain.” Mu Yijie said with a smile in his eyes and didn't refute her.
A look of disbelief flashed across Yong Shanling's eyes. Why was Uncle being so easy - going today? On normal days, Uncle would surely teach her a good lesson.
“Ouch— What's wrong with me? Why can't I move?” Yong Shanling tried to raise her head, but it seemed to be held down by something. And her leg... She glanced down and saw that her leg was hanging up high like a stone.
She was still struggling to check why her arm couldn't move either when a big hand held down her lively head.
“Don't move. You have a concussion, so you can't move for the time being. And your left leg is fractured. Your arm is dislocated and strained because you exerted too much force...” Mu Yijie said with a gloomy face. “So you'd better not move around these two days. Otherwise, if your leg grows deformed, you'll never be able to wear your favorite little dresses again.”
Hearing it was so serious, Yong Shanling was like a kitten with its neck pinched. Her eyes were misty and she didn't dare to move, looking so pitiful.
“Will... Will I really never be able to wear little dresses again?” Just thinking about all the unworn little dresses in her wardrobe made her feel terrible. Those were all her favorites!
“As long as you obediently follow the doctor's advice, you'll be fine.” After that, Yong Shanling fully experienced Uncle's care like a gentle spring breeze.
At first, she was a bit flattered, but gradually it turned into—
“Uncle, I don't want to eat apples anymore. I want to eat dragon fruit.” Saying so, she stopped looking at the apple she had just taken a small bite of and stared longingly at Mu Yijie, who had regained his usual handsome look.
Mu Yijie directly stuffed the unfinished apple into his own mouth and took out a dragon fruit to peel it for her.
Seeing Uncle eat the rest of her food so naturally, Yong Shanling felt a bit embarrassed for some reason. It was strange. Why didn't she feel this way when Master ate it?
Seeing Yong Shanling's awkward look, Mu Yijie's eyes darkened.
“Uncle, I'm so bored. I want to watch *A Date with Life*, but the latest episode hasn't come out yet.” Yong Shanling said melancholy, while stealing glances at the expressionless man from the corner of her eye.
Not long after, Yong Shanling was hugging the tablet and laughing out loud. A closer look showed that it was the latest episode of the variety show that hadn't been released yet.
Assistant Fang, who was running around outside to meet all the little miss's demands, was not only very efficient but also smiling all day long.
For this little girl who had saved his job, even if she wanted the stars now, he would probably try to pick them for her.
In the ward, Mu Yijie, who was being ordered around by Yong Shanling, was not angry at all. Instead, he felt a bit better.
Only he knew how terrified he was when he woke up and saw Yong Shanling motionless, like a broken doll.
Until they were sent to the hospital, his hands were still trembling. He couldn't imagine a life without the little girl. His world would lose all its color.
“Uncle, by the way, how are those ordinary people now?” Yong Shanling suddenly remembered and wondered what had happened to those people after they were swallowed by the monster.
Mu Yijie lowered his eyes, recalling the old man's sharp - eyed look at him.
“Mr. Mu, I'll trouble you to take care of my girl for the time being. My girl helped you subdue demons and eliminate evil, but I hope my girl will always be happy. Do you understand?”
“She's a person who is going to achieve spiritual ascension in the future. The earthly love and affection will only hold her back...”
“You're the only outsider she has gotten along with for so long in these years. She regards you as a family member...”
Every word was like a knife cutting into his heart, making him lose sleep and appetite day and night.
“It's okay. Later, people from the state came and rescued everyone. The state's cultivators modified the memories of those ordinary people. Don't worry about it being exposed.” Mu Yijie's face remained calm as he carefully helped Yong Shanling lean on the bed.
“Oh, what about that Devouring Heavenly Python? Is it finally dead?” Yong Shanling remembered the monster that had caused her so many injuries. She even wished she could cut it into pieces and cook it into snake soup.
Seeing the girl's angry look, Mu Yijie hooked the corner of his mouth. It was so good that she was still the same as before.
“By the way, I feel that there's something wrong with that monster.” Mu Yijie frowned, his eyes full of solemnity.
“What's wrong?” Yong Shanling didn't notice anything amiss. She was only focused on fighting the monster and protecting Mu Yijie at that time.
Huh— Uncle didn't seem to distract her at that time, which meant—
“That monster didn't move Uncle the whole time, but the distance was already within fifty meters. Uncle, you, this big 'tonic pill', don't attract monsters anymore?” Yong Shanling was a bit stunned.
There was a hint of mystery in Mu Yijie's eyes as he recalled the little monster he had killed at home. “No, Hou Hua said that it could still be detected when getting closer.”
Hearing this, Yong Shanling's face immediately turned gloomy. She was smart for once. “Uncle, did someone say something in advance?”
“After all, no monster can resist Uncle's temptation, unless— there's a more powerful monster suppressing it.”
As they analyzed further, they both thought of the illusory formation last time, and their hearts grew heavy.