Chapter 153: Sir, This Time It’s My Turn to Be the Hero

"Yingxue, are you injured?"

As Wu Yingxue took the bowl…

Xu Xi noticed that the girl's movements were somewhat uncoordinated.

"Mm, during the battle today, I was accidentally bitten by a demon lurking underground."

The girl answered honestly.

She reached out to pull back the edge of her robe, revealing a wound on her left ankle.

The wound was no longer bleeding, but the scabbing process was very slow. Even a slight touch caused an itchy discomfort to spread up her leg.

This was why Wu Yingxue's movements looked so uncoordinated.

"It's nothing, Sir."

"It's just a small injury; it'll heal on its own by tomorrow."

Wu Yingxue said with a smile, telling Xu Xi not to worry.

Xu Xi, however, shook his head.

He found a relatively clean piece of white cloth and helped the girl wrap it tightly to prevent the wound from being exposed.

When he finished tying it and stood up, he met Wu Yingxue's somewhat dazed eyes.

"Yingxue?"

"Ah… ah, sorry, sorry."

Wu Yingxue snapped out of it and quickly apologized to Xu Xi, explaining the reason for her distraction: "I just suddenly remembered that when I first met Sir, Sir helped me like this too."

When exactly did he and the girl first meet?

Xu Xi thought back briefly.

Only then did he realize that the two had known each other for ten years now.

A ten-year period is very, very long.

A Mortal's life lasts a hundred years, but how many Mortals can truly live until a natural end at a hundred?

For many, ten years is already a sufficiently long time.

Usually, one wouldn't pay it much mind.

But when one looks back, the flow of time feels like it's surging and echoing in one's ears, bringing with it the traces of months and years.

"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."

Xu Xi felt quite sentimental.

As time passed slowly and steadily, the last of the orange sunset gradually faded from the horizon.

Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue sat together on a cold, rough stone, watching the changes in the sky, watching the sun set completely after casting its final touch of warmth.

The two talked about many things.

There were the past events in Qingniu Town and the ordeal of researching the Fools Art together.

There was the warmth of celebrating the New Year in Pingshui County and that plump, juicy chicken leg from back then.

There was the hard work of planning the breakout from the Hundred Thousand Mountains together after discovering the truth about Da Gan.

Those past events.

Those years.

Together, they formed unforgettable memories.

As they chatted, the topic turned to the world outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

"Sir, what do you want to do after we leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains?" Under the darkening sky, the girl propped her hands on the large stone beneath her and asked Xu Xi curiously.

"About that, I haven't really decided," Xu Xi said with a slight smile.

After all…

He had long prepared himself to die in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

A dying man does not think about the future.

Gazing at the dim sky above and feeling the increasingly close, terrifying aura, Xu Xi felt it was time to say something to the girl.

"Yingxue."

Xu Xi paused, then continued: "Take everyone and go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be out of danger."

"Then Sir, what about you?"

The girl's intuition was sharp, immediately catching the omission in Xu Xi's words.

She looked at Xu Xi, her clear eyes reflecting his figure: "Sir, do you not plan on coming with us?"

"I… I'll arrive a bit later."

The setting of the sun seemed to take all vitality with it.

The world became quiet because of it.

The deepness of the night mixed with the rustling of the leaves, forming a pure and flawless tranquility.

Xu Xi comforted Wu Yingxue: "With you there, the demons ahead can be dealt with, but someone ultimately needs to stay behind to prevent the demons from pursuing from the rear."

"Don't worry, I'll return quickly after I hold off the demons."

After a long time…

Xu Xi told a white lie.

He knew that with Yingxue's impulsive personality, if she knew his true plan, she would definitely not agree to him staying behind alone.

"But, but!"

"Sir, let me be the one to stay behind!"

The girl's reaction was more intense than Xu Xi had expected.

She reached out both hands and gripped Xu Xi tightly, as if clutching onto something that was about to vanish.

"It's fine, Yingxue."

"I'm just guarding the rear, nothing will go wrong…"

"Don't lie to me anymore, Sir!"

The girl gripped even harder, making Xu Xi's arm ache. Xu Xi saw the plea in the girl's shimmering eyes.

"I know, I've known all along."

"Sir, from the very beginning, you never planned on leaving with us."

"I will absolutely not accept such a thing!"

"Sir, let me stay behind. Just this once, just this one time!"

The girl gripped Xu Xi's arm tightly.

The plea in her eyes gradually turned into a desperate beg.

Her usually lively voice also turned into a mournful cry the likes of which Xu Xi had never seen.

After a long silence, Xu Xi reached out and for the first time stroked the top of Wu Yingxue's head: "Sorry, Yingxue, I can't agree to it this time."

The stroking hand suddenly turned into a palm strike.

He lightly struck the side of the girl's neck.

Causing her to fall into a daze.

"Sleep well," Xu Xi said softly as he handed the temporarily unconscious girl over to the commoners of the Qiuhuo Army, letting them take her and flee.

The commoners were unwilling to leave, silently picking up their weapons, wanting to face the enemy alongside Xu Xi.

"Really…"

Xu Xi felt both warmed and amused.

Under his influence, everyone had become the same kind of fool; no one was willing to abandon anyone else. Thus, Xu Xi mobilized the Qi and blood in his body, leaving at a speed the commoners couldn't possibly keep up with.

He was glad.

Wu Yingxue was still so simple.

Everything she wanted to do was written directly on her face. If she had tried another way today, or if she had slipped away secretly like A-Niu…

Then Xu Xi would truly have a headache.

"One of me dies so everyone else lives; this is the best possible outcome."

Xu Xi murmured.

His death was not the end.

Having him guard the rear was the best course of action in every sense.

However, just as Xu Xi had traveled a short distance, he felt the world spin. His body actually fell from the air and tumbled onto the ground.

"Strange, I, I am…"

Xu Xi was bewildered and confused.

Drowsiness hit him uncontrollably.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, he saw Wu Yingxue, who should have been asleep. The trance was too strong, causing Wu Yingxue to appear as multiple blurred afterimages.

"Big fool Sir, please rest well."

"You are still so foolish, foolish enough to want to shoulder everything alone."

"Truly foolish…"

"A fool who only thinks about protecting others."

Wu Yingxue stepped out from the darkness, gently picking up the unconscious Xu Xi and handing him over to the commoners who had caught up.

Wu Yingxue had many things she wanted to say to Xu Xi.

For example, she had already grown up.

She was an adult in her twenties.

She was no longer that little girl who fell into Xu Xi's room and could only cry silently by herself.

Or for example, that she wasn't weak and that she could also protect Xu Xi.

"Sorry, Sir, this time it's my turn to play the hero and be the great warrior."

"I hope you won't blame me…"