Chapter Ninety-Three: Vast Inner Power

He waited a little longer. Aside from a faint itch on her face, Chu Bing felt no discomfort at all, and only then did she relax. It seemed the system had finally been reliable for once.

Sensing what she was thinking, the system swallowed the explanation that had reached its lips.

Let the host remain blissfully confused.

Chu Bing checked Li Yuxi’s injuries and found no sign of worsening, so she set out to find a way out of that damned place.

She circled the mouth of the cave and discovered a path that could be climbed along the cliff face. Chu Bing decided to twist some vines into a rope and tie Li Yuxi to her back; otherwise, she had no way of carrying him up.

Inside the cave, not long after Chu Bing left, Li Yuxi opened his eyes.

He braced himself against the wall and sat up. Feeling the vast internal force surging within him, he clenched his fist, surprise flashing through his eyes.

That fruit Chu Bing had given him just now... what was it?

Why had his internal power increased so dramatically in an instant?

Li Yuxi slowly walked out of the cave. Seeing a giant boulder not far away, inspiration struck. He pointed a finger at it, and a sharp burst of force shot from his fingertip.

With a deafening blast, the boulder, towering more than ten Li Yuxis high, was blown to dust.

Li Yuxi stared at his own finger in disbelief, his peach-blossom eyes widening slightly, then gradually deepening.

With such overwhelming internal force, how many in this world could still injure him?

And all of it... had been given to him by Chu Bing.

"Chu Bing..." A smile touched Li Yuxi’s lips as he repeatedly savored the name in his heart, feeling as though his soul had been given new life.

At that moment, familiar footsteps sounded. Li Yuxi’s ear twitched, and he hurriedly lay back down in the cave.

If Chu Bing knew he had already awakened, she would surely part ways with him.

Chu Bing came in from outside and saw that Li Yuxi still had not woken. She kicked his shin in displeasure. "Why are you still not awake?"

The system was speechless. "Maybe... he doesn’t want to wake up?"

In the middle of the night, it had seen everything: how Li Yuxi had slowly, one finger at a time, placed his own hand into Chu Bing’s. Such a thing only a child would do, and yet he had done it with such seriousness. Fine if he wanted to act like that—but he still refused to admit it.

The system cast a sympathetic glance at Chu Bing, wondering what kind of reaction this foolishly adorable host would have upon discovering that Li Yuxi had long since awakened.

But Chu Bing knew nothing of it.

She had only been grumbling in passing. Since she had already rescued him from the jaws of that enormous fish, it would hardly be worth leaving him here to die.

Chu Bing tied Li Yuxi to her back with a rope and carried him out with her.

This cliff bottom must once have been visited by people, which was why a narrow path for climbing upward remained.

Dragging Li Yuxi along, Chu Bing’s legs shook with exhaustion.

"Why is this guy so heavy? He’s practically a pig!" she muttered in irritation.

She was just about to heave him upward with force when she discovered, to her surprise, that the person on her back had actually become a little lighter. Could she have simply grown used to carrying him? Had she stopped noticing his weight?

Lost in her chaotic thoughts, she had already reached the mountainside.

She leaned against a rock to catch her breath and, glancing back at Li Yuxi with his eyes still tightly shut, mumbled, "Why are you still not awake? Honestly, I’ve already gone above and beyond for you this time. When you wake up, you’d better repay me properly. If you turn out to be one of those ungrateful wretches who repays kindness with betrayal, I definitely won’t let you off!"

As she spoke, she even waved her fist deliberately to lend weight to her words.

The corner of Li Yuxi’s lips seemed to lift. By the time Chu Bing looked over, he was once again the same as before, pale-faced and motionless.

She must truly be exhausted; her eyes were probably playing tricks on her. Chu Bing sighed.

Li Yuxi secretly watched her. After he had eaten that fruit, the injuries on his body had already healed almost completely.

But he did not want to wake up. Once he did, Chu Bing would surely no longer carry him along.

He... wanted to keep clinging to this woman.

Looking at Chu Bing’s clear, lively eyes, Li Yuxi’s gaze burned hot.

How he wished time could freeze at this moment forever.

After resting for a while, Chu Bing gathered herself and, gritting her teeth, continued climbing upward with Li Yuxi on her back. Fortunately, she had now grown used to his weight and did not feel too exhausted. Gathering her inner strength, she soon climbed to the top of the cliff.

The upper ground was still silent, with no sound at all. Presumably Ren Changfeng and the others had already left.

Chu Bing let out a breath of relief. If they ran into pursuers again, she really would have no way to deal with them.

She carried Li Yuxi back into the stronghold. The corpses there had already been cleared away, likely by Ren Changfeng.

The bodies could be removed, but the charred houses and ruined structures had been left untouched.

Looking at the broken walls and shattered remains before her, then at Li Yuxi on her back, Chu Bing suddenly felt that this man was rather pitiable. In the Li family residence, he had never been favored by his father. After finally building himself a foundation through his own efforts, it was wiped out in one fell swoop not long after. And now he was injured too—no one knew when he would be able to stand again.

Thinking of it that way... Li Yuxi really was miserable.

Chu Bing took Li Yuxi to a courtyard in the stronghold. She wanted to find some medicine. Both she and Li Yuxi had a few superficial wounds, nothing serious, but they still hurt.

Better to treat the wounds early and then check why this man still had not woken up.

Could he have injured some internal organ?

Night fell. Chu Bing found an unburned room with Li Yuxi and decided to stay there for the night.

She held the wound medicine in her hands and carefully applied it to Li Yuxi’s injuries.

The cool moonlight spilled over her face, softening her expression.

Seeing her profile, Li Yuxi’s heart stirred faintly.

After tending to this young lord, Chu Bing rested her hands behind her head, leaned against the bedpost, and stared blankly at the roof.

She had already been in this ancient world for too long—so long that she was almost beginning to forget her life in the modern world.

Chu Bing closed her eyes.

If only she could go back...

A clear, melodious song slipped from Chu Bing’s lips, carrying an oddly touching beauty.

Li Yuxi raised his brows in surprise. He had not expected this bold, unruly little girl to sing as well. And... rather nicely, too.

He could not help sitting up a little straighter and leaning closer to Chu Bing.

With her eyes closed, she had no idea that a man was quietly drawing near, his gaze burning with intensity.

Chu Bing seemed to be drifting off to sleep, her singing growing softer and softer. Li Yuxi’s eyes suddenly fell on her ear, pale as jade, delicate and exquisite among her thick black hair, so small and lovely that one wanted to pick it up and toy with it in the palm of one’s hand.

His heart gave a faint jolt. A surge of impulse proved impossible to restrain. Suddenly, he parted his thin lips and blew softly toward Chu Bing’s ear.