Inside the cave, a fire crackled, casting a warm golden glow against the stone walls. Jun Zhu sat by the flames, absentmindedly poking at the fire with a thin stick. The silver chain on his forehead shimmered under the flickering light.

The cave was eerily quiet, with only the occasional crackle of burning wood disturbing the silence.

Suddenly, the motionless figure lying on the stone platform twitched a finger. Jun Zhu, who had been keeping an eye on him, immediately tossed the stick aside and stepped forward to observe Lu Yunzou’s condition. Judging from his breathing, he was about to wake up.

Sure enough, moments later, Lu Yunzou let out a low groan before slowly opening his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a pair of clear, dark eyes staring directly at him. A handsome face loomed close, making Lu Yunzou momentarily dazed. Once he processed the situation, his instincts kicked in, and he reflexively tried to move away—only to tug at his wounds. Pain shot through his body, his face turning deathly pale as dizziness overtook him.

“Don’t move. If your wounds reopen, I’ll have to reapply the medicine all over again.”

Noticing the once-white bandages staining red again, Jun Zhu frowned and firmly pressed Lu Yunzou down to keep him still.

Once the sharp pain subsided, Lu Yunzou finally took stock of his current state. His entire body was wrapped in bandages, making him look like a bound rice dumpling.

Piecing together what had likely happened, he assumed that after falling from the cliff, he had been saved by this young man before him.

“I am deeply grateful for your help. I, Yunzou, will surely repay this kindness in the future.”

Seeing him attempt to rise, Jun Zhu pressed him down even harder. Only when Lu Yunzou finally gave up struggling did he release his grip.

Just as Jun Zhu was about to relax, Lu Yunzou, who had only just settled down, suddenly bolted upright, his face filled with panic. He frantically searched around him, seemingly unaware that his sudden movements had caused his wounds to reopen. Blood seeped through the bandages, but he didn’t even flinch.

Jun Zhu swiftly stepped in to stop him from getting out of bed, about to ask what was wrong—only for Lu Yunzou to grab his hands first, speaking urgently.

“Have you seen my jade pendant? A purple jade pendant—I was wearing it.”

His tone was filled with anxiety, a stark contrast to his composed demeanor moments ago.

Jun Zhu thought back carefully. Ever since he had brought Lu Yunzou back, he hadn’t noticed any jade pendant on him. Shaking his head, he replied, “No, I haven’t.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunzou immediately released his grip on Jun Zhu and tried to get off the stone platform. However, his injured legs couldn’t support him, and he collapsed onto the ground. The impact tore open his wounds once more, fresh blood staining the bandages a deep red.

Cold sweat dripped from his pale face, but Lu Yunzou paid no attention to the pain. He forced himself to get up, limping toward the cave entrance.

Watching him undo an entire day’s worth of careful treatment, Jun Zhu felt his patience snap. In a flash, he appeared beside Lu Yunzou, pressed a few acupuncture points to immobilize him, and carried him back to the stone platform. Before Lu Yunzou could protest, Jun Zhu stuffed a healing pill into his mouth and met his panicked gaze.

“Stay here. I’ll find it for you. Wait for me.”

Without giving Lu Yunzou a chance to argue, he turned and left.

Before departing, Jun Zhu placed a barrier outside the cave to prevent any wild beasts from entering and harming Lu Yunzou.

Outside, the sky was darkening, the sun sinking toward the horizon. Jun Zhu confirmed the direction they had come from the previous day, then transformed into a streak of blue light, vanishing into the twilight.

It didn’t take long for Jun Zhu to return to the place where he had rescued Lu Yunzou. As he arrived, he spotted three men sitting among the scattered rocks, engaged in conversation.

“I don’t know why Elder Zhou wants that jade so badly. He personally ordered us to take it from Lu Yunzou. That brat refused to hand it over even at the cost of his life, so we had to beat him off the cliff. Who knows if he’s dead or alive now.”

“With his level of skill, there’s no way he survived a fall from this height. Did you see the bloodstains earlier? That must’ve been his. I bet some wild beast already dragged him off—probably not even bones left by now.”

“Hah! That brat was tough, though. Took a real beating before going down. Maybe there are still some bones left. We should search later—help him gather his remains, burn them to ash, and scatter them to the wind. Who knows, he might even be grateful that we gave him a proper send-off! Hahaha!”