"I..."
Before Lin Chu could speak, he was struck by a palm from the woman in white, his body sent flying. Fortunately, the woman in white was clearly severely injured, and the palm strike was not very strong. Moreover, Lin Chu's physical body, modified by the Fire Spirit Heart, was already far stronger than an ordinary mortal.
This palm strike only sent Lin Chu flying, causing no significant injuries.
Yet, even so, Lin Chu felt his blood and qi churning violently, making it difficult to breathe.
"Cough, cough..." After coughing a few times, Lin Chu managed to sit up from the ground. He glanced at the woman in white, who had once again fallen unconscious. Clearly, that palm strike had exhausted all her strength.
"She's mistaking me for him?" Lin Chu gave a wry smile as he looked at the gray-robed man lying on the ground. He shook his head slightly, stood up, and walked back to the woman in white's side, placing his hand on her wrist to check her pulse.
After a moment, Lin Chu's brow furrowed slightly.
He had accompanied his grandfather to gather herbs for over ten years, so he could diagnose some simple illnesses. Now, by taking her pulse, he could see that the woman in white's injuries were extremely severe. If she were a mortal, she would have already died.
"Is this the power of cultivators..." Lin Chu examined the woman in white, then looked around, feeling troubled.
Given the woman in white's injuries, if she were not treated, she would likely die before dawn. However, to treat her, he would need to find medicinal herbs, and at this hour, the risk of doing so would be several times greater than during the day.
"Forget it. Grandfather said that healers must save all patients, regardless of their nature, and cannot refuse to save a life. Fortunately, I can see clearly now; otherwise, even if I wanted to save you, it would be difficult."
Looking at the woman in white's tightly furrowed brows, Lin Chu shook his head helplessly and said.
A moment later, Lin Chu blocked the entrance of the stone cave. Holding his curved saber, he chopped some dry grass and placed it on the corpse of the gray-robed man, setting it alight. Then, he glanced at the mountain peak, gritted his teeth, and began to ascend.
As he went up the mountain, Lin Chu was exceptionally cautious, sweat beading on his palms as he gripped the curved saber. The sounds of wild beasts echoed around him as if they were right beside his ears.
After more than ten minutes, Lin Chu stopped. The bonfire below, not far from the stone cave, now only had scattered embers glowing.
The deep night of the mountain once again came alive.
"I hope there's Golden Apricot Grass," Lin Chu prayed silently as he looked at the dense wild grass on the mountain wall. He then brandished his curved saber, cutting off a tree branch to clear the area.
With such dense wild grass, the consequences of snakes or insects lurking within were naturally unimaginable. After a moment, Lin Chu narrowed his eyes and searched patiently.
Time passed, and after a full fifteen minutes, Lin Chu had still not found the needed Golden Apricot Grass, all while being vigilant for the appearance of wild beasts. Lin Chu's attention was highly concentrated, and a fine sheen of sweat slowly formed on his forehead.
"Strange, according to Grandfather, Golden Apricot Grass usually grows on cliffs. This cliff has no Golden Apricot Grass." After examining the last patch of wild grass, Lin Chu raised his head helplessly and shook it with a hint of dejection.
As he looked up, a faint golden light caught his eye in a crevice at the top of the cliff.
"Golden Apricot Grass!"
Lin Chu's face lit up with joy at the sight. Holding his curved saber, he carefully dug it out. Smelling the faint fragrance emanating from the Golden Apricot Grass, Lin Chu nodded happily and hurried back to the cave.
"Still breathing." Upon returning to the stone cave, Lin Chu checked the woman in white's breath again and smiled with relief. He then opened the cloth bag, took out a medicinal bottle, poured out a pill, and placed it into the woman in white's mouth.
Next, Lin Chu rubbed the Golden Apricot Grass into a ball with his hands until it was the size of a pill before stopping. He then also placed it into the woman's mouth.
"I hope you can live," Lin Chu put down his water flask, confirmed that the woman in white had swallowed it, and looked at her face again. As he watched, he leaned his head and fell asleep.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
As the sound of birdsong filled the air, Lin Chu rubbed his eyes and woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, Lin Chu looked towards the woman in white. To his surprise, the woman in white was no longer lying down as she had been when he carried her into the cave. She was now sitting with her knees crossed in a meditative posture.
"It seems the Golden Apricot Grass really worked." Although somewhat surprised, seeing the woman in white's complexion become increasingly rosy, Lin Chu smiled happily.
"You saved me?" At that moment, the woman in white suddenly opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes gazing at Lin Chu as she asked.
"Ah! You... you're awake? Sister, my name is Lin Chu. Are you feeling better?" The sudden opening of the woman in white's eyes startled Lin Chu.
The woman in white looked Lin Chu up and down and shook her head with a hint of disappointment. "I didn't expect you to be a mortal."
"Sister, you... are you a legendary cultivator?" Lin Chu's eyes lit up at this, and he quickly asked.
"Cultivator?" The woman in white frowned slightly at the question.
"You know, the kind of powerful individual Uncle Mo talks about, who can summon clouds with a flip of their hand and rain with the other. Sister, you are one, aren't you?" Lin Chu said eagerly.
"Sister..." Bai Yu Wei looked at Lin Chu before her, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.
How many years had it been since she became the Saintess of the sect? This was the first time in a long time that someone had called her "Sister."
"Since you saved me, you can ask whatever you wish." Bai Yu Wei suppressed her emotions and nodded slightly at Lin Chu's hopeful gaze.
Lin Chu became excited. "Sister, you are a cultivator, aren't you?"
Bai Yu Wei nodded slightly and continued to look at Lin Chu.
Seeing this, Lin Chu spoke again. "Sister, since you are a cultivator, can you take me away from here?"
Bai Yu Wei looked at Lin Chu with some surprise. "Leave here? Don't you live here?"
Lin Chu's joy instantly faded, and he murmured, "Now, I am the only one left here."
Seeing Lin Chu's lonely expression, Bai Yu Wei felt an inexplicable tenderness in her heart. Her voice involuntarily softened. "Can you... can you tell me about it, Sister?"
Lin Chu nodded and recounted everything about his life with Lin Xuan, his grandfather, and Wang Zhai, the death of his grandfather, the appearance of the three purple-robed men, and how he inexplicably ended up here.
Bai Yu Wei listened intently to Lin Chu's story. When she saw Lin Chu shed tears while mentioning his grandfather, she gently took Lin Chu's hand and patted it.
"So, you want me to take you out because you want to find your brother Lin Xuan and your family?" After listening to Lin Chu's account, Bai Yu Wei asked, looking at him.
Lin Chu nodded and looked at Bai Yu Wei with hopeful eyes.
"How old are you?" Bai Yu Wei asked again.
Lin Chu immediately replied, "I'm sixteen."
"Sixteen... Alright. When Sister's injuries are a little better, Sister will take you out," Bai Yu Wei said with a smile after a moment of thought.
"Thank you, Sister." Lin Chu became excited.
"By the way, the person who fell down with me, is he still alive?" Seeing Lin Chu's smile, Bai Yu Wei seemed to remember something, and her expression became solemn.
Lin Chu replied, "That person was already dead when he fell. I was afraid his blood would attract wild beasts, so I burned him."
Bai Yu Wei felt a lot of relief. Then, as if making a decision, she looked at Lin Chu with a serious expression and said, "Lin Chu, when we find your brother Lin Xuan, would you be willing to return to my sect with me?"