Chapter 49 After the Sprouting

Another hour later.

Looking at the frantically fleeing goblins, the two exhausted figures exchanged a smile.

"You were amazing, Minghui. I truly didn't expect you to keep going until now. Are your arms completely numb?"

Both of them collapsed onto the ground, throwing away all concerns about appearance, as Shen Xing offered a heartfelt compliment.

"I... I didn't expect it either. I only thought about doing everything I could to help. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want you to die either. Thinking of that, I felt like I could hold on a little longer, and somehow I managed until now. Shen Xing, I'm sorry, but both of my arms are too heavy to lift right now, so I can't treat your injuries immediately."

Xu Minghui's delicate face was pale white from the burning ache in her arms, but she smiled happily, a look of profound satisfaction in her eyes.

"We are comrades-in-arms. Never say sorry to me again. They suffered too many casualties this time, so I feel it might take a while before they dare to stage a comeback. Unless they manage to come up with some clever strategy."

Shen Xing muttered, his body suffering from extreme depletion while his mind remained in a state of high agitation.

This sense of detachment was deeply uncomfortable, yet he had no way to alleviate it.

After a moment, he was the first to crawl up, rummaging through Xu Minghui's medical kit.

"Let me treat your wounds this time. It's the first time your arms have endured this level of intensity; if we don't treat them properly, the subsequent recovery will be very long and extremely painful."

With those words, Shen Xing poured out the medicinal liquid from the bottle and began applying it to Xu Minghui's arms.

He lacked any profound medical knowledge, but he could at least relax her muscles and soothe the pain from strained tissues.

Xu Minghui whispered a soft thank you. Watching Shen Xing's focused expression, a faint blush gradually crept up her cheeks.

Certain moments she had dreamed of throughout her youth were finally materializing at this very instant.

"Alright, the medicine is applied. Don't move for a moment until it's fully absorbed."

After bustling about for a while, Shen Xing gave her these instructions.

Then, he pulled out a biscuit and began to eat.

After a couple of bites, he suddenly realized that leaving Xu Minghui to watch him eat in empty envy was rather cruel.

So he broke off a small piece and held it out to her lips:

"Comrades should share weal and woe. Let's eat together."

Xu Minghui gazed dreamily at Shen Xing, the blush on her face deepening further.

Half an hour later, Xu Minghui was well-fed, and aided by the medicinal properties, her arms had basically returned to normal.

As long as she avoided strenuous movements, there would be no sharp pricking pains.

"I... I'm fine now. Can I apply the medicine for you now?"

Xu Minghui lowered her head and whispered softly.

"Are you really okay? Don't push yourself. Though it might be a bit awkward, I should be able to manage some basic treatment on my own."

Shen Xing asked with concern.

"I'm truly fine. I'm the medic, so you have to listen to me when you're injured."

Xu Minghui's sudden firmness took Shen Xing by surprise.

However, he didn't argue. With a nod, he lay flat on the ground.

He had already treated the wounds on his front, but reaching the ones on his back was simply beyond his capability.

As Xu Minghui applied the medicine now, feeling the cool liquid glide across his spine with her fingertips, Shen Xing experienced a rare moment of comfort.

The resentment he had harbored earlier over the long-delayed rescue also dissipated significantly.

Regardless of the reasons, the reality was that no rescue had come.

Shen Xing realized it was time to adjust his mindset.

If he stubbornly kept waiting for rescue as his sole objective, every single moment of vulnerability like this would destabilize his psychological balance.

"That's right, I must mentally prepare myself to survive without relying on rescue! But Xu Minghui... can she endure this?"

Shen Xing couldn't help feeling a trace of worry.

Yet what he did not know was that the way Xu Minghui was looking at him had completely changed.

After a brief wave of shyness and nervousness, a hint of madness had surfaced in her eyes.

"How I wish time could freeze at this very moment. If so, you could stay by my side forever. We are each other's closest companions, and each other's only reliance."

The sprout of romantic affection had grown, within an extreme span of time, into a powerful and pure possessiveness.

The direct result of this shift was that Xu Minghui no longer felt any fear whatsoever in her heart.

She even wished for such crises to happen a couple more times, so that their bond would become even closer.

Xu Minghui was utterly certain that this was the romance she had always dreamed of.

A scenario she once thought utterly impossible was now unfolding right before her eyes.

"Are the injuries on my back that severe? You seem to be moving very cautiously."

Shen Xing asked suddenly, startling Xu Minghui into a slight shiver.

"No, I was just... spacing out."

"Ah, missing home, right? Don't hold it in; if you want to cry, you can let it out. I won't tell anyone."

Shen Xing consoled her.

Xu Minghui was certainly not crying for that reason, so she bypassed his remark and shifted the topic.

"What about you? Do you have... someone you're especially terrified of never seeing again?"

"Me? I suppose you could say so."

The faces of Tang Xueer, Yang Qing, and Ouyang Lin flashed across Shen Xing's mind, though none of them settled as the ultimate image.

Yang Qing was in prison because of him, while Ouyang Lin shared an intimate physical connection with him and would become a close business partner in the future.

As for Tang Xueer, Shen Xing once again chose to evade the thought, refusing to dwell on her.

"Then... is it family?"

"No, my parents passed away when I was very young. I've been completely alone in the world ever since."

"I see. Then... is it a girlfriend?"

"Not that either. Alright, let's drop the subject. Whether we have people we want to see or not, we are going to make it out alive! We *must* make it out alive! It's getting late. I'll take the first watch, so you should hurry up and get some sleep."

Shen Xing did not elaborate further. Ending the conversation, he rolled over and pushed himself up.

"You sleep first. You're the main fighter, so of course the main fighter rests first. I also feel that they won't dare to come back in the short term, so you can sleep longer. When I can't hold on anymore, I'll wake you up ahead of time."

Xu Minghui shook her head and said earnestly.

Shen Xing considered it and found her reasoning sound.

Therefore, he lay down fully clothed and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Xu Minghui sat quietly by his side, gazing down at his handsome face, her eyes growing increasingly resolute.

"The look in his eyes earlier—he must have been thinking of other women. But it doesn't matter; it's normal for a man like you to attract women. However, once you've met me, you're not allowed to do that anymore. I will help you, help you clear away all those messy women. Your future only needs me by your side. Just the two of us, shoulder to shoulder, until we grow old..."

...

When Shen Xing woke up, five hours had passed.

All around was dead silence; the goblins had indeed not returned.

"Why did I sleep for so long? Minghui, you should have woken me up two hours ago."

"It's fine, I wasn't sleepy anyway. Besides, I've always been the type who needs very little sleep."