Sir, this time I'll be the hero

"Yingxue, are you hurt?"

As Wu Yingxue took the bowl from Xu Xi, he noticed that her movements were somewhat uncoordinated.

"Yes, during today's battle, I was bitten by a subterranean demon."

She answered honestly.

She reached out and lifted the hem of her robe, revealing the wound on her left ankle.

The wound had stopped bleeding, but the scabbing was slow, and even the slightest touch caused an annoying itch in her leg.

This was why Wu Yingxue's movements seemed so unsteady.

"It's okay, Master," she said with a smile, trying to reassure Xu Xi. "It's just a small injury; it'll heal on its own by tomorrow."

Xu Xi shook his head.

He found a relatively clean white cloth and carefully wrapped it around her ankle to protect the wound from exposure.

When he finished and stood up, he found himself gazing into Wu Yingxue's slightly vacant eyes.

"Yingxue?"

"Ah... ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, explaining her absent-mindedness. "I was just thinking about the first time I met you, when you helped me like this."

Xu Xi vaguely recalled their first encounter.

It dawned on him that the time they had known each other had already stretched to a decade.

Ten years was a long, long time.

A hundred years is the lifespan of an ordinary person, yet how many truly live to see a hundred?

For many, ten years is already a lengthy period.

It's not something one often thinks about.

But when you do, the passage of time seems like a roaring torrent, leaving behind the marks of years.

"Time really flies," Xu Xi said with a sigh.

As the final rays of the setting sun faded away, Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue sat side by side on the cold, rough stones, watching the sky change, the sun completely disappearing, leaving behind the last vestiges of warmth.

They talked about many things.

There were memories of their time in Qingniu Town, the struggles they shared while researching the 'Silly Skill'.

There were the cozy moments of celebrating the New Year in Pingshui County, savoring that plump, juicy chicken leg.

There were their efforts to uncover the truth about the Great Qian Empire and their joint plans to escape the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Those past events.

Those bygone years.

Together, they formed unforgettable memories.

As they talked, the conversation drifted to the world beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains.

"Master, after we leave the Ten Thousand Mountains, what do you want to do?" Wu Yingxue asked, her hands propped on the rock as she looked up at Xu Xi in the dim light.

"About that, I haven't really thought about it," Xu Xi replied with a faint smile.

After all,

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

A man destined to die doesn't think about the future.

Looking up at the darkened sky, feeling the ominous aura drawing ever closer, Xu Xi felt it was time to tell Wu Yingxue something.

"Yingxue."

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

"And Master, what about you?"

Wu Yingxue's instincts were sharp, and she immediately caught the hole in Xu Xi's words.

She turned to look at him, her clear eyes reflecting his figure: "Master, aren't you coming with us?"

"I... I'll catch up later."

The setting of the sun seemed to have sapped all life from the world.

The world grew silent.

The deepening darkness, mixed with the rustling of leaves, created a pure, unblemished tranquility.

Xu Xi reassured Wu Yingxue: "The demons ahead can be dealt with by you, but someone needs to hold the rear to prevent pursuit."

"Don't worry, I'll hold them off and catch up soon."

It had been a long time.

Xu Xi told a kind lie.

He knew that if Wu Yingxue found out his true intentions, she would never agree to leave him behind.

"But, but!"

"Master, let me stay back!"

Wu Yingxue's reaction was more intense than Xu Xi had expected.

She reached out and tightly grabbed his arm, as if clutching onto something about to vanish.

"It's okay, Yingxue."

"I'm just holding the rear; nothing will happen..."

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

Wu Yingxue clutched even harder, her grip causing Xu Xi pain. Xu Xi saw the pleading in her glistening eyes.

"I knew it, I always knew."

"Master, from the very beginning, you never intended to leave with us."

"I absolutely can't accept this!"

"Master, let me stay back this time, just this once!"

Wu Yingxue gripped Xu Xi's arm tightly.

The pleading in her eyes gradually turned to supplication.

Her usually lively voice transformed into a mournful cry Xu Xi had never heard before.

After a long silence, Xu Xi reached out and placed a hand on Wu Yingxue's head for the first time: "I'm sorry, Yingxue, but this time I can't agree to you."

His caressing palm suddenly transformed into a palm knife.

Hand shifted to a strike, gently hitting the girl's neck.

Causing her to fall unconscious.

"Sleep well," Xu Xi murmured, handing the temporarily unconscious girl over to the villagers of the Survival Army, instructing them to flee.

The villagers didn't want to leave, silently picking up their weapons, ready to fight alongside Xu Xi.

"You really are..."

Xu Xi felt both warm and amused.

Under his influence, everyone had become equally foolish, no one willing to abandon the other. So Xu Xi activated his internal energy and left at a speed the villagers couldn't match.

He was relieved.

Wu Yingxue was still as pure as ever.

Everything she wanted to do was written all over her face. If today had played out differently, or if she had snuck away like Ah Niu, Xu Xi would truly have been in trouble.

"Sacrificing myself to save everyone is the best possible outcome."

Xu Xi murmured.

His death was not the end.

Staying behind was the truest form of the best solution.

However, just as Xu Xi left, he felt a sudden dizziness, his body falling from the air and crashing to the ground.

"Strange, I... What's happening to me?"

Xu Xi was bewildered.

An irresistible drowsiness took over.

In his final moments of consciousness, he saw Wu Yingxue, who should have been unconscious, appearing with multiple, disorienting shadows.

"You big fool of a Master, please rest well."

"You're still so foolish, trying to bear everything alone."

"Really, such a foolish..."

"A fool who only thinks of protecting others."

Wu Yingxue emerged from the darkness, gently lifting the unconscious Xu Xi and handing him over to the villagers who had caught up.

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

Like how she had grown up.

She was a twenty-something adult now.

No longer the little girl who had fallen into Xu Xi's house all those years ago, silently weeping by herself.

And that she wasn't weak; she could also protect Xu Xi.

"I'm sorry, Master, this time I'll be the hero. I hope you don't blame me..."