Xiao Man hurried forward with Ze Fang. She could clearly hear people pursuing in her direction, and at this moment, she was utterly incapable of fighting back!
Ze Fang was filled with a mix of anger and anxiety. He shouldn't have followed. Having lost all his cultivation, he was nothing but a burden to Xiao Man. If it weren't for him, Xiao Man wouldn't have been so severely injured. If they were captured by the enemy now, there would be no chance of survival. What should he do?
Suddenly, a flash of light caught his eye. Ze Fang couldn't help but close his eyes. When he opened them again, he had tumbled out of Xiao Man's arms, and Xiao Man lay motionless not far away, her life uncertain.
Ze Fang scrambled over, "Daddy, Daddy, wake up quickly, Daddy..."
Ze Fang opened his hands. They were covered in blood. It was then that he noticed Xiao Man's back was a bloody mess. She must have been injured by an explosion while protecting him.
"Brat, stop shaking her," Elder Qin materialized, looking at Ze Fang kneeling beside Xiao Man with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Ze Fang stared at the suddenly appearing Elder Qin, his face etched with wariness. "Who are you?"
Elder Qin glanced, then used spiritual energy to lift Xiao Man and transport her into a small hut nearby. Although this space was not yet perfect, Xiao Man had been painstakingly bringing things in little by little. Now, all the necessities for living were there.
"Where is this place?" Ze Fang surveyed his surroundings. The spiritual energy was abundant, and all sorts of exotic flowers and plants were growing, even a Crimson Profound Fruit tree.
"Child, why so many questions?" Elder Qin laid Xiao Man on a bed. However, being a spirit body, he was unable to tend to Xiao Man's wounds. He looked at Ze Fang. "Do you know how to treat wounds?"
"Yes," Ze Fang nodded affirmatively. Although he had reverted to a child's appearance, he knew the basic methods of wound treatment.
"Clean her wounds with strong liquor."
"That will hurt a lot," Ze Fang frowned in disagreement. Treating wounds with strong liquor would be unbearably painful even for a normal person.
"Do as you are told and stop the bleeding as quickly as possible."
"Alright."
Ze Fang opened a nearby wine jar, dampened a cloth with the liquor, and began to clean Xiao Man's wounds on her back, removing fragments lodged within. Once the wounds were clean, Ze Fang immediately took out a hemostatic powder and sprinkled it evenly over them.
The hemostatic powder was something Xiao Man had given him before, and it was extremely effective. The bleeding stopped as soon as it was applied. Ze Fang breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to bandage Xiao Man's wounds, only to discover that her clothes were wrapped with numerous burnt cloth strips.
Ze Fang was puzzled. Cloth strips? Did this person usually wear cloth strips? Why so many? Ze Fang removed all the strips and used clean cloth to re-bandage Xiao Man.
Elder Qin had Xiao Man propped up on a pillow to make it easier for Ze Fang to bandage her. This created a gap between her chest and the pillow, allowing him to reach through.
Ze Fang reached through to grab another end of the cloth strip, but his hand touched something soft. Ze Fang's face showed confusion, and after a moment, he abruptly withdrew his hand and stumbled backward.
Elder Qin looked at the suddenly flustered Ze Fang with displeasure. "Little brat, what are you doing?"
"I... I..." Ze Fang stammered for a long time, unable to form a coherent sentence. After a moment, he said to Elder Qin, "You go out!"
Elder Qin looked utterly bewildered. "If I go out, do you know how to bandage her wounds?"
"I do, you go out, and don't you dare watch!" Ze Fang angrily shooed Elder Qin out. Elder Qin had no choice but to wait outside the door.
"I'll be right outside. If you can't do it, just call me."
"I can!" Ze Fang said loudly. His gaze fell on Xiao Man, lying on the bed, unconscious. He slowly calmed down. After a moment, he let out a wry laugh. "I searched high and low for you, and yet you were right beside me all along."
It was only now that Ze Fang realized Xiao Man's true identity as a woman. Ze Fang took out a pill, swallowed it, and after a moment, transformed from a child's appearance back to his original self. He walked to Xiao Man's side, his movements gentle, bandaged her wounds, put on her protective armor, and changed her into clean clothes. He sat by the bed, looking at Xiao Man's pale sleeping face, and gently caressed it with the back of his hand.
"It seems I can be wrong sometimes. Look, I was by your side, and I almost cost you your life."
Elder Qin drifted back and forth outside the house, deeply worried about Xiao Man's safety. He wanted to go in but feared the child's temper, so he could only press his ear to the door. "Little brat, are you done?"
Ze Fang did not answer Elder Qin. He simply looked at Xiao Man silently. After a moment, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Xiao Qin, you must remember your promise. You said you would like me as much as I like you."
When Ze Fang opened the door, he had reverted to a child's appearance again, his face stern. Elder Qin quickly flew into the room to check on Xiao Man. Seeing that Xiao Man's clothes had been changed and her complexion had improved significantly, he breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze fell on Ze Fang.
"Brat, whose child are you?"
"Shh!" Ze Fang held up a finger, signaling Elder Qin to step outside to talk. "Don't disturb her rest."
Elder Qin glanced at Xiao Man and nodded in agreement. The old man and the child walked out, one after the other. Ze Fang did not forget to close the door, which made Elder Qin click his tongue.
"Brat, who exactly are you?"
Ze Fang looked at Elder Qin with an innocent expression. "Elder, you look so kind and benevolent. You must be a relative of my father, right?"
"That's right, I'm practically her ancestor," Elder Qin said proudly. But his smile faltered midway, and he immediately resumed his serious demeanor. "I'm asking who you are!"
"I'm Xiao Qi."
Elder Qin leaned closer to Ze Fang. "Brat, stop playing games with me. Who are you?"
"My real name is Tian Ze."
"Tian Ze," Elder Qin frowned, thinking carefully. He hadn't heard of it. "Where are you from?"
"Jiuyang City."
"Jiuyang City..." Elder Qin was somewhat surprised. "What is your connection to the Lei family of Jiuyang City?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Ze Fang's eyes. This elder actually knew the Lei family of Jiuyang City, which meant he was not a simple person. "I have no connection to the Lei family."
"Jiuyang City is very close to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Do you have any connection to the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
"Elder, I have no connection to the Heavenly Sword Sect either." Ze Fang smiled brightly. "I've always been alone... No, that's not right. I'm not alone now. I belong to her."
Ze Fang pointed inside the room, indicating he belonged to Xiao Man.
"I know, you're the son she picked up!" Elder Qin said irritably. "If it weren't for you, my Xiao Man'er wouldn't be so badly injured!"
"Xiao Man'er..." Ze Fang seized on the key point in the elder's words. "So, her real name isn't Xiao Qin. Elder, what is her name?"
"I won't tell you!" Elder Qin acted like a child. But as Ze Fang produced a top-grade Dragon Ginseng, Elder Qin immediately surrendered. "Her real name is Xiao Man, as in 'man' from 'manmiao' (graceful)."