Free Web NovelChapter 230: Chapter 230: Encountering Another Squad
The moment the Ghost-faced Red Vine retreated, Chen Nan felt as if he’d been skinned alive. Every inch of his body screamed in pain.
What’s more, the pain grew steadily worse, forcing him to cry out.
"Contractor, Ah Nan is in so much pain." Tears streamed down Chen Nan’s face.
"Here, drink this. It’ll stop hurting once you take the medicine." Ning Xuan, who had been searching for it the whole time, took out the Healing Medicine she’d found and fed it to Chen Nan.
Chen Nan obediently took the medicine, sneaking glances at Ning Xuan’s expression and letting out an occasional cry of pain. Soon, the entire vial of medicine was gone. Ning Xuan’s hand lingered by his lips as she gently wiped away the dregs.
Seeing the distressed look on Ning Xuan’s face, Chen Nan suddenly turned his head and gave a soft cough. Though he only coughed once, he immediately hissed in pain. Ning Xuan saw blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and frantically moved to wipe it away, but he caught her by the wrist.
"I’m fine, Contractor," the young man said, the corners of his eyes tinged with red as he gave her a heart-wrenchingly pitiful look.
Ning Xuan, feeling a little awkward, cleared her throat. "Last night... it was my fault. You were wronged."
This time, the rims of Chen Nan’s eyes reddened. Ignoring the pain racking his body, he threw himself into Ning Xuan’s arms. "Ah Nan isn’t wronged! Ah Nan is happy!"
Seeing how genuinely happy he was, Ning Xuan felt a pang of guilt.
"Focus on recovering. You can stay here until you’re healed. Don’t get out of bed. I’ll have Lan Xin come take care of you." At the thought of Lan Xin, Ning Xuan’s feelings grew complicated.
That incident with Lan Xin had happened so suddenly, and she’d had no choice but to save him. But it was precisely because she saved him that the subsequent events had unfolded. Therefore, Lan Xin also bore some responsibility for Chen Nan’s injuries.
Chen Nan was naturally thrilled that he could stay in Ning Xuan’s cave chamber to recover, but he didn’t much like the idea of Lan Xin taking care of him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Contractor," Chen Nan said, tactfully refusing. "There’s no need to trouble anyone else. I can look after myself." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"You... alright, if you say so. How about I bring you some food in a little while and feed you myself?" Ning Xuan, already dressed, was about to head out to eat.
"Thank you, Contractor," Chen Nan said with a happy grin.
Ning Xuan left the cave chamber and found Lan Xin kneeling outside the entrance. There was no telling how long he had been there.
Lan Xin’s head was bowed, his long, seaweed-blue hair spilling in front of him and obscuring his face.
Hearing the door open, Lan Xin looked up. The moment he saw Ning Xuan, he immediately pressed his forehead to the ground. "Your slave, Lan Xin, thanks Master for the gift of life."
"Master faced grave danger to save this slave. This slave deserves to die," Lan Xin said, remaining prostrated at Ning Xuan’s feet in a display of respect and gratitude.
"Your situation yesterday was indeed perilous; I couldn’t just stand by and watch you die. In any case, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Your power has taken a quantum leap, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove your worth in the future. Get up." Ning Xuan walked past Lan Xin without a second glance, having no intention of helping him to his feet.
Lan Xin rose obediently. When they reached the dining hall, he once again knelt beside Ning Xuan as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ning Xuan, while not warm, did not reject Lan Xin’s natural tendency to stay close.
After breakfast, Ning Xuan took the damaged Red Fruit out from her Space Ring. The aroma from its juices could only allure low-Level Spirit Controllers or Half-beastmen.
Within Ning Xuan’s team, only Tang Xue, Zhang Nan, Nine-tailed, and a few other Spirit Controllers with a Spiritual Power Level of S or below were susceptible to the fruit’s allure. The moment they smelled the juice, they felt an irresistible urge to devour the fruit. The others, depending on their own power, were able to resist the temptation to varying degrees.
Ning Xuan, for example, could smell its sweet fragrance but felt no strong desire to consume it.
As for those on the Level of Di Youlin and Qinghe, they couldn’t smell the fruit’s fragrance at all.
"This thing is a real game-changer!" Tang Xue said excitedly, recalling the recent, overwhelming urge she’d felt. "If we run into a group of pack creatures, we just have to break the skin on one of these and toss it into their midst. Wouldn’t that take care of any that eat it?"
"That makes sense," Ning Xuan agreed. "There are so many fruits on that tree anyway. We should harvest them all and study them properly." She was very interested in the Red Fruit and felt it must have other uses.
Yun Han and a few others remained in the tree hollow while Ning Xuan’s group went to harvest the Red Fruits. Just as they were about to finish, a dense volley of arrows rained down on them.
Ning Xuan had just plucked a Red Fruit. It lay quietly in her palm, seeming to emit an eerie, blood-red glow.
"Everyone, watch out! It’s an ambush!" Zhang Nan’s warning came at the same instant the arrows began to whistle through the air.
The arrow-rain sliced through the air. Ning Xuan spun and, with a single sweep, deflected the dense barrage.
"Lin Mo, Guardian Barrier! The Red Fruits cannot be damaged! Everyone else, finish harvesting them, quickly!" She stored the fruit in her Space Ring and summoned countless vines, which whipped through the air before her.
The countless thrashing vines blocked the arrows, as a white curtain of light enveloped the great tree.
But these were no ordinary arrows; they were imbued with energy. The dense, seemingly endless volleys came from all directions, and soon, the Guardian Barrier was on the verge of collapse.
"Master, my Water Mirror Technique has been upgraded. Let me hold them off for a while." Lan Xin extended a finger and swiped it through the air. The Water Mirror Technique, originally a spell used for reconnaissance, had now transformed completely.
Ice-blue energy flowed from his body, coalescing into a transparent curtain of water that enveloped the great tree.
The arrows struck the flowing ripples and seemed to stagnate, as if sinking into a deep pool. Each projectile was encased in layers of a watery film, unable to advance or fall away. Soon, the transparent curtain was studded with suspended arrows.
"Stop struggling. Surrender now," a tall young man said, stepping out from the shadows and fixing his gaze on Lan Xin.
As he appeared, the sound of disciplined footsteps arose, and hundreds of people swarmed out as if from thin air.
They were dressed in uniform armor with their faces masked, and they carried standard-issue bows. A single glance revealed they were a well-trained army.
"There are less than ten of you, while I have three hundred men. Hand over all the Red Fruits you just picked, and I might spare your lives today," the young man said with an arrogant sneer.
Ning Xuan casually tossed a Red Fruit in her hand. Then, she slit its skin with her finger and hurled it into the crowd.
The color drained from the young man’s face. "Get away from it!" he screamed. "Kick the fruit away!"
Seeing his panicked reaction, Ning Xuan knew. ’This man knows a thing or two about the Red Fruit.’
"So, you already know the secret of the Prajna Fruit." As the young man spoke, lightning flared violently around his body.
