Bai Lian held the bowl of soup, asking, “When your younger sister was sick, did you also take care of her like this?”

Mentioning Jiang An’an, a natural smile appeared on Jiang Wang’s face.

“She’s a very well-behaved child, never making a fuss when she’s sick. And she’s happy as long as you buy her something delicious. So, I bought her things, like Cai Ji’s mutton, Du Dewang’s soup pot, Gui Xiang Zhai’s pastries…”

Jiang Wang listed Jiang An’an’s favorite foods one by one, and the more Bai Lian listened, the more displeased she became.

The soup in her hand suddenly… it was never fragrant to begin with.

You treat your sister with this and that when she’s sick, delicacies of every kind. I nearly died to save your life, and you give me this kind of swill?

She roared inwardly, but forced a dry laugh on her face.

“Alright, thank you.”

Bai Lian cut off Jiang Wang’s words.

She realized that he wasn’t much of a talker usually, but as soon as his sister was mentioned, he suddenly became very expressive.

“Well, your body is weak, so you should talk less.” Jiang Wang raised his hand. “Drink, drink. There’s more in the pot. I’ll refill it for you after you finish.”

Bai Lian automatically filtered out the last sentence, hesitated a few times, and brought the soup to her face.

She suddenly stopped, and looked at Jiang Wang again, her beautiful eyes blinking. “Do you want to watch me drink it? Do you want to know… what I look like?”

“Sorry, sorry. I forgot, my apologies.” Jiang Wang turned and walked towards the cave entrance.

“Hey!” Bai Lian called out, and when he turned back, she said with a smile, “Help me remove my veil…”

The voice was gentle, charming, and captivating.

Jiang Wang felt his lips were a little dry. It was impossible to say he wasn’t curious about Bai Lian’s appearance. Although they hadn’t spent much time together, every encounter had been memorable.

This woman’s figure, voice, and even the eyes that were visible were all exceptional. Jiang Wang couldn’t deny his curiosity about what lay beneath the veil, or even the faint anticipation.

And now, Bai Lian was asking him to remove it.

No need to hesitate.

Jiang Wang strode forward, reached out, grasped the veil, and gently lifted it…

Beneath the veil…

Was a beautiful…

Mask.

It was an exquisitely crafted mask with a beautiful lotus pattern. It wonderfully combined both holy and eerie styles.

“Hahahaha!” Bai Lian laughed until her entire body trembled.

Jiang Wang’s hand froze in mid-air, then awkwardly retracted.

I should have known… he thought.

“Drink your soup,” he said coldly, before a frustrated Jiang Wang stormed out of the cave, having been tricked once again.

Bai Lian’s laughter echoed behind him, lasting a long time.

Jiang Wang stood outside the cave, looking at the sky, a melancholic expression on his face.

Inside the cave, the black bear looked at his back, also with a melancholic expression.

When the laughter finally ceased…

“Glug~”

“Ptooey!”

Bai Lian’s roar erupted, “Jiang Wang! Are you trying to kill me? It’s even more disgusting than it is ugly!”

…

“Here, this is jam I made myself. I used the sweetest wild fruits, water-attribute magic to condense the purest water, wood-attribute essence to nourish it, and then carefully controlled the fire, and used my heart to harmonize it.” Jiang Wang said with a sincere face, “Will you try it again?”

Bai Lian looked at the garishly colored mess and returned Jiang Wang’s sincere gaze. “Jiang Wang, I’m begging you, just pick wild fruits and give them to me directly. I like to eat them raw, really.”

Looking at Bai Lian’s earnest eyes, Jiang Wang felt refreshed.

This was the first time Jiang Wang could recall Bai Lian softening towards him. All because of his extraordinary cooking skills.

It’s good to have many skills, the ancients didn’t deceive me!

After running out again and picking a large pile of wild fruits, Bai Lian ate fruits in the cave, while Jiang Wang continued to guard outside.

He looked at his two “pots,” feeling troubled.

Was it really that bad?

The so-called pots were just large stones with a hole dug in the middle.

One pot of vegetable soup, one pot of wild fruit jam.

One pot was multicolored and vibrant, the other was kaleidoscopic. They were beautiful and complemented each other.

He approached his culinary creations, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately didn’t dare to try them. After all, Bai Lian had looked too miserable. Even when she was being brutally beaten by Ji Xuan last night, she hadn’t screamed like that.

But he couldn’t bear to throw it away. After all, he had worked very hard and put in his heart and effort.

“It’s such a waste…”

Jiang Wang muttered, his gaze wandering aimlessly, and landed on the black bear that was sitting there obediently.

“You, come here.” Jiang Wang beckoned it over.

…

…

Jiang Wang had been gone for a long time.

He was a disciple of the Taoist academy, with talent and a willingness to work hard, with a bright future. He had his own life, good friends, and a lovely younger sister.

His life was originally peaceful and bright.

Bai Lian sat quietly in the cave, a lost look in her eyes.

In fact, her body was recovering well. The Flesh Rebirth Soul Return technique worked incredibly well.

That was a secret technique she had only heard of and never mastered, a power from the depths of the Yellow Springs.

This undoubtedly strengthened her judgment.

However, she felt a rare moment of hesitation.

Was it because of that terrible vegetable soup?

Or was it the sudden, warm embrace when she was ready to face death?

Bai Lian couldn’t tell.

She wasn’t a soft person by nature, but she had surprised herself by playing weak for half a day.

She sighed deeply.

But everything comes to an end, just like last night had passed.

…

When the White Bone Envoy appeared, Bai Lian had already re-veiled herself with the black gauze, looking like her breathing was steady and she wasn’t seriously injured.

Outside the cave, there was also a black bear lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

“Just a beast, kill it and be done with it. Why torture it?” the White Bone Envoy said, standing outside the cave.

“You’re surprisingly merciful,” Bai Lian said as she gracefully walked out of the cave.

“It seems the rumors are wrong, you weren’t injured.” The White Bone Envoy certainly didn’t care about a black bear foaming at the mouth, he just used it as an excuse to start a conversation, continuing, “I was worried when I got the news, thankfully it was just a false alarm.”

Bai Lian automatically ignored the latter half of his sentence, and said softly, “I wonder who wants my life so badly, they know my whereabouts like the back of their hand, and even managed to hook up with Ji Xuan. Aren’t they afraid I’ll be captured alive… and expose all the secrets of the organization?”

“It’s definitely not me. If it were me, I wouldn’t have come alone.”

“Of course. If I die now, it wouldn’t benefit you in the slightest. Later on, well, that’s hard to say.”

“Look at what you’re saying, I’ll be very sad no matter when you die.” The White Bone Envoy turned to leave, carefully brushing away any branches blocking the way.

The two of them traversed the mountains and forests, their feet rustling through the fallen leaves.

The distance between them was delicate, seemingly close, yet wary of each other.

They could certainly be teammates fighting side by side, or fellow disciples striving for the same ideal. But a moment of carelessness could turn them into predators, devouring each other.

It had to be said, this feeling of walking on the edge of a blade was the state Bai Lian was most familiar with.

Her steps became lighter and lighter, and as they walked, she suddenly asked, “Envoy, has anyone ever risked their life for you?”

“Yes!” The White Bone Envoy didn’t turn his head. “Those who want to kill me, they often risk their lives.”

“That’s true.” Bai Lian chuckled softly. “For people like us.”