0141: Wanting to Become Stronger

It turned out that her deduction had been correct. She had barely set foot in the place where they had been attacked the previous day when she found, beside the enormous pit, several herbs suitable for treating burns.

The little plant beneath the tree, blooming with tiny white flowers, was a commonly used medicinal herb in this world for reducing inflammation. Though slow to take effect, it was plentiful, inexpensive, and easy to find. Not far from the pit grew an inconspicuous green plant with a long stalk—the very plant she had nearly crushed beneath her foot the night before. It was an excellent remedy for stopping bleeding. Each time, only a small section of its stem needed to be crushed and mixed with other herbs before use. It was remarkably versatile, compatible with nearly every other medicinal plant. Truly, it was a rare and precious herb.

She gathered the usable herbs little by little. There was not much, but it would be enough to get them through the next few days. Besides, leaving a severely wounded patient alone on a large net was simply too unsettling. The night had passed peacefully, but if anything happened while she was away, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

She gathered the herbs in her hands and wrapped them in a large leaf she had just found. Then she straightened up and rubbed her aching lower back after crouching for so long. Finally, she cast one last look around. Once she had confirmed that she had dug up every useful herb in the area, she hurried back toward Huanluo.

The enormous beast’s presence had faded almost completely, as though it had never returned. Even so, she carefully concealed her own aura and made her way back on silent feet, afraid that she might leave behind some trace for the monstrous creature to follow.

When she returned to their temporary camp, Huanluo still had not awakened. The sun, approaching noon, cheerfully scattered its light and warmth across the world. Bathed in the gentle sunlight as she lay resting in the tree, Huanluo shimmered like a woodland fairy wrapped in a sacred glow.

Yet the warmth did nothing to improve her complexion. Her face remained as pale as a sheet of standard white paper.

With a helpless sigh, she carefully untied Huanluo from the tree and lowered her down. The girl, once filled with strength and vitality, had been worn painfully thin by the successive blows she had suffered. Even she could now lift Huanluo with ease.

Looking at Huanluo’s cheeks, which had gradually grown hollow, she could only cry out silently to the heavens on the girl’s behalf:

Why must you bundle together so many tragedies—tragedies that even a grown man might not endure—and dump them all on this poor child, who has already been starved of love?

Unfortunately, the silent heavens offered no answer. She could do nothing but squat down beside Huanluo and begin preparing medicine for the poor girl.

Calling it medicine-making was somewhat generous. In truth, she merely processed the herbs she had gathered: crushing those that needed to be crushed, squeezing juice from those that required it, and mixing together the ingredients that belonged together. She sealed the prepared medicines in bottles and set them aside.

Then she went beneath the tree, lifted Huanluo up, and carefully removed the bandages she had tied around her the previous day. She cleaned each wound thoroughly, applied medicine, and replaced the bandages.

The fire had spread with such ferocity that it had caught them completely off guard. Fortunately, she had arrived in time. Huanluo’s burns were not too severe; only the affected area was extensive. Apart from the worst injuries on both arms and across her back, the rest would cause no serious problems as long as she rested properly, kept them away from water, and protected them from dust.

After letting out a long breath, she finally finished treating Huanluo’s wounds.

Now only two major problems remained: food and travel.

Before Huanluo had been burned, their meals had been taken care of entirely by the dried rations Andy had provided. But with Huanluo injured, there was no way she could survive on those nutritionally poor provisions. And Huanluo still showed no sign of waking, which meant she could only eat liquid food—a truly troublesome situation.

As for traveling, that could only be postponed. No matter how strong she was, she could not transform into Popeye overnight, eat a little spinach, and carry everything while sprinting without the slightest strain. Besides, Huanluo was in no condition to endure a bumpy journey.

Her gaze kept drifting toward the distance. Hidden beneath layer upon layer of forest trees, the landmark lake was not easy to see. She could say without exaggeration that even with her excellent eyesight, staring straight ahead had revealed not the slightest glimmer of water, much less anything as grand as a lake.

Liangyin, you have to hold on. It is not that I am refusing to come save you. I truly cannot get past this situation right now. I cannot abandon Huanluo.

Still, life had to go on. She clapped her hands and encouraged herself.

“Don’t worry. This definitely won’t be the worst moment of your life. You have to hold on until the truly disastrous moment arrives. Hold on…”

And yet, after struggling so hard to reassure herself, she could not help thinking:

If only someone could come and help me right now. That would be wonderful.

A familiar, handsome face flashed involuntarily through her mind, wearing a gentle smile. Startled by her own sudden imagination, she froze for a moment. Her hand moved faster than her thoughts, and through sheer habit she slapped herself hard across the face.

Smack!

The crisp sound rang out. She covered her swollen cheek with tears in her eyes, deeply despising herself for that momentary weakness. The voice of her self-reproach echoed incessantly through her mind:

You’re not still thinking about that heartless bastard, are you? He is no prince at all. He is nothing but a liar. He deceived you, Huanluo, and everyone who trusted him. He used you to enter Acacia. Through Bradley’s hand, he eliminated his own brother. Then, using the remnants of his brother’s army, he destroyed the marshal of the White Tower Kingdom. In the end, he turned around and swallowed Acacia whole.

This hatred and this grudge could never be reconciled.

Fueled by her anger, she drove every trace of weakness from her heart. She rose from the ground and struck a heroic pose, standing proudly beneath the heavens.

“Heaven is about to entrust me with a great mission. Sooner or later, I will prove to certain people what a terrible mistake it was for him to scheme so carefully and deceive me back then.”

Forcing a smile toward the sky, she patted her chest and silently swore:

“Too many people’s lives are resting on my shoulders now. No matter what happens, I cannot fall. Not only will I stay standing—I will become even stronger. Strong enough to protect everything I want to protect.”

She placed Huanluo back into the net in the tree, where she seemed temporarily safe. Then she turned and walked toward the lake, intending to find something nutritious and edible to bring back for Huanluo.