(A/N: We reached Chapter 300 of this story, thank you for all the supports!!)
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--- Chapter 300 ---
The sound of clattering carriages' wheels reverberated through the lush woods. They hurriedly made their way out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Once they arrived outside the perimeter of the mountain range and came to a stop near the official road, someone cheered excitedly.
"We are out!" Xue Ni gasped, raising her hands happily.
"Finally," Ruo Ling sighed in relief and pulled out a map.
Then, her expression darkened a little. "We are currently in a small region on the western border of the Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire, which means we are actually several thousand miles away from our original goal, Tager Desert."
"What? Are we that far away?" Xiao Yu was shocked.
If they had used the official route from the start, they could have reached the Tager Desert quickly, but due to the sudden change of plan, they were far away from that place.
Han Yuan, Xiao Yixian, and Gu Xun'er weren't surprised by this because they had calculated the distance with their spiritual power and Heavenly Demon's Eyes.
Yes, Gu Xun'er has cultivated this niche technique and mastered it enough to control her innate immense mental strength. While her spiritual power wasn't as strong as that of a trained or genius alchemist, her perception of the surroundings had increased significantly.
In fact, Gu Xun'er didn't expect Han Yuan to possess such a technique at first, but her current mastery over spiritual power said otherwise.
'Does it still follow us?' asked Gu Xun'er through telepathic power.
Xiao Yixian groaned inwardly, 'Of course, that little purple cat has been sniffing our trail from the camp. Teacher Ling was too impulsive and didn't clean our camp before leaving.'
'Alright, alright, don't blame Teacher Ling too much. She panicked a little and cared for her students.' Han Yuan interrupted while giving the two girls a helpless look.
At first, he thought only he would notice the magical beast. However, Xiao Yixian and Gu Xun'er surprised him, especially the latter.
'Should I ask Ling Ying to deal with it?' asked Gu Xun'er as she gazed at Han Yuan meaningfully. She knew Han Yuan didn't want to reveal himself too much.
After all, if Han Yuan wanted to know, a mere Rank 6 Magical Beast can't even make him sweat or warm up his body.
'No, let it be,' Han Yuan answered with a faint smile. 'We can use it to improve our images in Ruo Ling's heart later.'
'Damn, that sounded so evil.' Xiao Yixian commented, though she smiled wickedly, too.
Gu Xun'er saw this pair of siblings and then shook her head helplessly, as they are indeed good people, but sometimes, they act like this. Of course, she has no problem with this.
At the end of the day, neither Han Yuan nor Xiao Yixian harmed innocent people. Gu Xun'er, although not as love-minded as before, had learned from her own experience how to differentiate between being malicious and cunning.
She won't believe in Han Yuan right away, as she did with Xiao Yan for years, and instead started analyzing his 'crafty' idea from different perspectives.
Still, Gu Xun'er was inclined to believe Han Yuan anyway. She knew he wouldn't do bad things without a reason.
'Alright, I will keep Ling Ying in the shadows then,' Gu Xun'er nodded while gazing at the forest not far away. 'Rank 6, huh? I wonder how Han Yuan is going to play with it later.'
Meanwhile, Ruo Ling reorganized the group and then decided to move west toward the Chu Yun Empire. A few moments later, they came to the small town and decided to stop by to rest.
Naturally, the sleeping beauty that Han Yuan rescued also settled in one of the inn's rooms. However, because the beauty in question just couldn't let go of Han Yuan's hand, he could only stay in her room.
Xiao Yixian teased Han Yuan about it, and he gave her a karate chop to the head.
---
The night comes.
"Where am I?" A melodious yet confused voice sounded in the dimly lit room.
Han Yuan yawned slightly and stared at the bed before him, seeing that the sleeping beauty was finally awake. He gazed at those confused dark eyes, which seemed to possess a hidden and powerful charm.
"You're currently in the inn's room," Han Yuan replied casually. "We found you on the river, dying, and helped you."
"However, it seems your opponent wasn't so kind, so we left the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
"That's right, Amethyst Winged Lion!" The woman sat up on her bed in panic.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. You have just recovered, so it would be best if you don't move so haphazardly." Han Yuan pressed his other hand on her shoulder, pressing her back to the bed.
The woman calmed down, and her breathing gradually became more relaxed as she gazed at Han Yuan's silver eyes with gratitude. "Thank you."
"But where is this?"
"More importantly, who are you?"
Han Yuan smiled faintly, "The name is Han Yuan. I am a newly recruited student of the Jia Nan Academy, and when we travelled on the periphery of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, we found you stranded on the river."
"You could also say that I'm your saviour. You were on your deathbed a few hours ago, numerous internal injuries are enough to kill you, and even if you recovered."
"If any other people treat you, your foundation would no longer be the same, and your cultivation would decline."
"But I pulled you out of that possibility by paying some price."
He then retorted, "What about you, lady? What did the beautiful and fairy-like Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect like you do in a place like Magical Beast Mountain Range?"
"You can't be there to have a picnic, right?"
"Y-You... Knew me?" Yun Yun was stunned by his question. She gazed at Han Yuan with newfound astonishment.
Han Yuan shrugged, "Don't forget that I was the one who treated you, and a female Dou Emperor expert is rare, especially in the Jia Ma Empire and its surroundings."
"In fact, I couldn't think of anyone with stronger wind Dou Qi than my teacher, so it could only be you."
"I..." Yun Yun doesn't know what to say.
She literally just woke up!
Yes, at the moment, she was the definition of a lady who was too stunned to speak.
Han Yuan chuckled, "Alright, don't be too surprised. Considering how famous you are, only a fool wouldn't recognize you."
"Is that so?" Yun Yun rubbed her forehead.
All of a sudden, she felt tired.
She's unlike the Sect Leader of Misty Cloud Sect that everyone knows, but merely an exhausted woman.
Han Yuan saw through this and commented, "Honestly, it would be better if you kept resting."
"And if you don't mind, can you release my hand?"
Yun Yun narrowed her eyes at Han Yuan and then realized her hand was holding Han Yuan tightly. She was dumbfounded and hurriedly released his hand, feeling her cheeks getting hot. How embarrassing.
"H-How long have I been holding your hand?"
"Well, about since I healed you?" Han Yuan replied bluntly. "But don't worry, I haven't done anything but press your head and hands a few times."
"Someone else helped me clean your body and dress you back."
"Anyway, now that you're awake," He stood up, patting his thigh twice. "I might as well have my own rest, too."
Yun Yun stared at Han Yuan's leaving back. Words stuck in her mouth as she tried to extend her hand and grab him back. Yet, something deep inside stops her.
She stared at her reaching hand and pursed her lips weakly. She had a dream, it was obscure and felt like it would last forever.
And right when she was about to fall into the abyss of coldness, someone stretched their hand and pulled her out.
Yun Yun struggled, and when she caught that hand, she didn't want to let it go.
"Oh, right," Han Yuan suddenly stopped by the door frame, and Yun Yun instinctively looked up, seeing the young man's bright smile. "If you ever need something, my room is right beside you."
"Good night, Fairy Yun." He walked away casually while waving his hand.
The door slowly closed, and Yun Yun finally muttered a word of response back. "Thank..."
"Thank you."
---
Alternative Title: Yun Yun Finally Woke Up