“Chapter 49: It Seems I Arrived at the Wrong Time?”

Chen Qingyan was equally frustrated; she could hold her breath on her own now. 

However, the oppressive silence made her a bit anxious, which is why she tolerated Lin Fengmian's teasing for so long.

Finally, she decided she couldn't take it anymore as he continued to tickle her.

"Enough is enough!" 

Irritated, she bit him back, only to get a mouthful of mud, making her regret it a bit.

They lay silently for another hour, and with about half of her power restored, Chen Qingyan released her spiritual sense to scan the area but found no one.

She summoned her sword and, with both of them, soared upwards, emerging from the muddy pit and landing not far away in the woods.

Lin Fengmian was startled and opened his eyes, realizing it was Chen Qingyan who had taken the initiative to fly out.

At that moment, Chen Qingyan looked like a mud doll, completely blackened and unrecognizable, spitting out the mud and water from her mouth.

Seeing the usually elegant and cold Chen Qingyan in such a state made Lin Fengmian burst into laughter. 

"Senior Sister, your look is just like a mud doll! Hahaha... I'm dying from laughter..."

Seeing this annoying guy laughing at her, Chen Qingyan's teeth ached with anger. She wiped her sword and asked, "Is it that funny?"

Lin Fengmian looked at her gleaming sword and stifled his laughter. "No, no! You look great!"

Chen Qingyan huffed and turned to leave, though she couldn't help but smile slightly at the corner of her mouth.

"You call me funny, but look at yourself, you're a mud person too!"

Fearing she might be angry, Lin Fengmian quickly chased after her. "Senior Sister, it was an emergency earlier, please understand."

Chen Qingyan glared at him, frustrated. "Then you..."

Lin Fengmian pretended to be clueless. "What about me?"

Chen Qingyan didn't know how to describe it, her ample chest heaving, but with all the mud, it lacked any charm.

Lin Fengmian quickly changed the subject. "Senior Sister, where should we go now?"

Chen Qingyan gritted her teeth. "To wash up!"

She said this and flew towards the river.

Lin Fengmian hurriedly followed her, riding Qingfeng Ye, suggesting, "Senior Sister, why don't we go back to the original cave and reassess? The most dangerous place is often the safest."

Chen Qingyan didn't reply, indicating her agreement.

The two muddy figures splashed into the water, instantly clouding it, but the river quickly washed the mud away.

As they swam upstream, Lin Fengmian finally realized that Chen Qingyan was not a strong swimmer, so he pulled her along.

She didn't resist and let him guide her back to the cave.

The cave had two exits, and as long as they weren't blocked simultaneously, they could always escape.

Chen Qingyan didn't rush up but pushed Lin Fengmian forward, saying, "You wait inside; don't come out!"

Lin Fengmian noticed her half-submerged, beautiful figure and realized she wanted to bathe.

"Be careful."

Chen Qingyan coldly acknowledged him and released her spiritual sense to ensure no one was approaching.

Once he left, she stripped off her clothes and scrubbed herself in the water, trying to wash away all the mud.

Lin Fengmian wasn't as particular; he jumped into the other cave entrance, cleaned up, and changed into fresh clothes before returning.

Before long, a drenched Chen Qingyan emerged, looking like a fresh lotus, stunning Lin Fengmian.

She noticed his intense gaze and coldly huffed, still a bit angry.

"Senior Sister, what's our plan next?" Lin Fengmian asked.

Chen Qingyan sat cross-legged and said, "First, we need to restore our strength, then go out to find the others and make further plans."

Lin Fengmian agreed, sighing, "I hope they're all okay!"

But just as the trees wished for calm, the wind refused to stop. Soon, Chen Qingyan opened her eyes and said, "Someone's coming!"

Lin Fengmian grew anxious, preparing to flee.

However, Chen Qingyan had regained most of her strength and could sense the visitor's presence.

"It's Liu Mei!"

Lin Fengmian felt a rush of joy and moved to greet her, but froze in place when he saw her.

Liu Mei was covered in blood, holding her abdomen with one hand, limping as she walked, her formerly radiant face now pale and weak.

Even in such a state, she managed a smile. "Oh, it's you, Fengmian! I thought it was some wild man that Chen Shimei had robbed."

She teased, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything between you two?"

Lin Fengmian rushed to support her, filled with concern. "What happened to you? Did those demon monks do this?"

Liu Mei leaned weakly against him and replied, "No, no! I ran into a strong man on the way."

"He had some peculiar tastes, and he was reckless—didn't care at all about a lady's dignity, and now I can barely walk!"

Lin Fengmian's face turned stiff, a surge of unnamed anger rising within him, and he didn't even know why he was upset.

Liu Mei chuckled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What's wrong? Jealous? Don't worry, you're still my favorite."

She settled against him, feeling at ease. "Now that I see you, I can relax. I'm going to take a little nap."

And just like that, she slumped against him.

Though Lin Fengmian was angry, seeing her weak state, he could only pick her up and carry her to a nearby spot to rest.

As he examined her, he noticed blood on her clothes and couldn't help but pull up her skirt, gasping in shock.

Her thigh had been hastily bandaged, but unwrapping it revealed countless puncture wounds.

No wonder she could hardly walk; it seemed she had lost a lot of blood.

"Damn it, who did this?!"

Lin Fengmian was both furious and heartbroken.

This reckless woman, with so many wounds, dared to go into the water—did she have a death wish?

He scrambled to retrieve medicine and sprinkle it on her wounds, only to find more injuries on her body.

As he was about to remove her clothing to bandage her properly, he noticed a pair of cold eyes watching him.

Chen Qingyan coldly stated, "You go outside; I'll handle this."

Lin Fengmian forced a smile, placing the medicine down, and walked outside, waiting anxiously.

After a while, Chen Qingyan's icy voice called out, "You can come in now!"

When he entered, he saw that Liu Mei had changed into clean clothes and her wounds had been properly bandaged.

His expression darkened. "Did she fall into the hands of those demon monks?"

Chen Qingyan shook her head. "If she had fallen into their hands, she wouldn't have escaped in this state. These injuries seem to be self-inflicted, likely to counteract the 'Joy Mist.'"

Lin Fengmian was shocked; he hadn't expected these two women to be so tough, feeling a bit guilty.

Had he been too reckless with his teasing and scolding?