Chapter 19, Joker!

Phoenix exclaimed, "Tang Fei, what are you doing?"

As she spoke, the Phoenix Whip automatically appeared in her palm.

If Tang Fei made even the slightest wrong move, she would whip him.

This time she didn't activate the light saber attack mode of the whip, just an ordinary whip. It wouldn't kill, just force someone to pull back.

If it had been like the time she faced the Flame Shrine's members, this whip would have sent Tang Fei's head flying from his shoulders.

Although she was alarmed and astonished by Tang Fei's actions, she hadn't thought about truly wanting to kill him.

Through their time together, Tang Fei had made a deep impression on her.

She found it difficult to define what kind of person he really was, but he was definitely not a bad person.

Of course, if he really did take off his pants, that would be a different story.

"Acid rain..." Tang Fei, in the midst of taking off his pants, felt a bit uneasy seeing the whip in Phoenix's hand and stopped pulling them down to explain, "Some acid rain fell on me... and it's corroding my skin..."

While Phoenix was blankly pondering whether to protect his body and let Tang Fei continue undressing, or to protect her own reputation and make him stop immediately, Tang Fei had already neatly slipped his jeans off.

Fortunately, Tang Fei was wearing long johns underneath.

This man was actually wearing long johns?

On New Star, this would be a laughing stock among the young nobility.

After taking off his pants, Tang Fei searched around on his thighs, then glanced down at his crotch.

Good, both brothers were intact.

It was just the scorching pain on his back, clearly, the acid rain that had eaten through his clothes was now injuring his skin.

Tang Fei quickly fished out a small cloth sack from his waist pouch, which contained fresh Snake Skin Grass leaves.

He grabbed a handful, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed for a while, then spat the juice onto his palm and said to Phoenix, "Please help me apply it... I can't reach that spot."

"?"

Phoenix's eyes widened at the sight of the sticky liquid in Tang Fei's palm, her pupils dilated, and her eyes wide open, feeling quite at a loss for how to proceed.

His intention was... for her to take that glob and smear it on his back?

Healing should indeed overlook many things, but that glob of medicinal juice… she really couldn't bring herself to touch it with her hands.

"Hurry!" Tang Fei urged, "If we don't apply it now, the acid rain will corrode deeper, and the injury will get worse..."

"Is there another way?" Phoenix, her face flushed with effort, knew she should help Tang Fei with the medicine. After all, he had done the same for her, but the thick liquid he had just spat out was making her hesitate. "Is it only effective if you chew it? What if I... I chew it for you?"

Tang Fei paused, then realized some things really didn't require his personal touch.

Thus, he handed the sack to Phoenix and said, "Of course, it's fine if you chew it too..."

The glob of greenish liquid in his palm made him feel a bit disgusted.

Yet, he didn't want Phoenix to think his actions foolish, so he slapped it onto his healthy calf with a 'smack', saying, "I got some acid rain there too... I can apply this myself..."

Phoenix took the sack, no longer delaying. She grabbed a handful of leaves, put them in her mouth to chew, and when she felt she had chewed enough, she spat it into her palm, then aimed for the scorched area on Tang Fei's back, and slapped it down just as he had done.

Smack!

Her soft palm and Tang Fei's back made contact, their skin separated only by a layer of sticky liquid; both of them felt an unusual sensation.

It was Phoenix's first time doing such a thing; she had never healed anyone before, let alone had such intimate contact with a young man.

If anyone discovered this, it could cause a scandal throughout the entire Empire and even on the whole of New Star.

And as for the young man, he would probably vanish without a trace...

She had spat out the medicine she had chewed, then applied it to a man's solid back; the sensation was...

If rounded up, it was like she had kissed Tang Fei's back.

Her father had told her to remain calm in the face of major events. Her complex life had forced her to mature early, developing the skill to be impassive regardless of how she felt.

Yet, doing this made her heart race with a nervous excitement.

Her cheeks burned as if there was a raging fire in front of her.

Tang Fei's thoughts were also unsettled; he thought it was just a matter of chewing some Snake Skin Tree leaves, then 'smack', applying it to the wound...

He had done this countless times to himself and others.

But when Phoenix did this, he knew his feelings were different.

He was tense, his muscles tensed up after the application, and even more tense were his nerves.

He was shy, with an indescribable emotion emerging, one he had never experienced before, leaving him at a loss for words for a moment.

He pondered, questioned,

and he grew.

"Is that all?" Phoenix's voice came from behind, calm and unmarked by elegance – a tone she often used with strangers that helped her keep her emotions stable and that gave her a sense of security – she asked, "Is there anywhere else that needs medicine?"