On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

The icy pain and blurred consciousness receded slightly like the tide, and Zhao Fan finally managed to open his heavy eyelids a crack.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dazzling expanse of white, almost within reach, and a breathtakingly pale blue arc.

He paused, his unfocused gaze straining to focus. A flawless profile, skin as smooth as fine warm jade, even the finest downy hairs were clearly visible in the hazy light cast from somewhere.

A pert nose, slightly pursed, bright red lips, and further down... a beautifully shaped jawline and a long, slender, fair neck.

His gaze continued to slide uncontrollably downwards, and Zhao Fan's breath hitched.

The woman leaned slightly closer to his ribs. She wore an extremely thin, form-fitting light blue gauze dress, made of a special material that became almost transparent when wet, clinging tightly to her body and outlining her breathtaking curves.

The dress was boldly designed with an extremely low neckline, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and a deep cleavage. The sleeves were short, reaching only to the elbows, revealing a pair of snow-white arms.

The hemline only reached mid-thigh, and her two straight, long, and dazzlingly white legs were casually bent on the rough stone ground beside her, stained with a little mud, which only accentuated a breathtaking beauty.

She looked to be no more than twenty years old, her long, jet-black hair clinging wetly to the back of her neck, adding to her languid and fragile beauty.

At this moment, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her clear, autumn-water-like eyes were focused intently on the deep, bone-revealing wound under Zhao Fan's ribs.

She held a small piece of dark green, ointment with a strange, cool medicinal scent in her hand, and carefully, yet with remarkable stability, applied it to the edge of Zhao Fan's wound with her slender fingers.

The moment the ointment touched the wound, an extremely comfortable, penetrating coolness spread out, suppressing most of the burning pain. You could even feel a slight tingling sensation at the wound site, as if the flesh was slowly wriggling and healing.

This medicine is far more effective than any pills he had taken before!

Zhao Fan was stunned, almost forgetting all propriety and shame, staring blankly at the stunningly beautiful face so close to his and that focused, almost indifferent expression, even forgetting to breathe.

Seemingly noticing his lingering gaze, the woman continued her work without pausing, not even lifting her eyelids, but simply spoke softly, her voice clear and melodious.

"Have you seen enough? If you have, save your energy and don't move around. The Jade Ointment needs a while to melt, and moving around will affect its efficacy."

Her tone was calm and even, without any hint of embarrassment or anger, as if the person in front of her had no gender distinction.

This unusual calmness jolted Zhao Fan out of his daze, and a great sense of embarrassment mixed with a deeper wariness welled up in his heart.

His face flushed, and he hurriedly looked away, not daring to look at the beautiful scenery so close at hand. His throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse.

"Where...where is this? You...who are you...?"

"You'll survive for now in the rocky hollow behind a waterfall near the pool where you fell."

The woman spoke succinctly, finally applying the last bit of dark green ointment evenly to the deepest part of the wound, and then straightened up.

As she moved, the soaked gauze dress clung to her body, revealing her breathtaking curves.

She casually wiped the ointment and bloodstains off her fingertips on the stone wall beside her before looking up and meeting Zhao Fan's gaze, which was filled with embarrassment, doubt, and wariness.

Their eyes met, and Zhao Fan saw that deep within her clear eyes, there was a calm, unfathomable pool of cold water, devoid of any extraneous emotion.

"As for who I am?"

The woman tilted her head slightly, raised her hand, and casually tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear, revealing her fair and intact earlobe.

"The man in black who was standing on the edge of the cliff just now, and you knocked him off, that was me."

Zhao Fan's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked the woman up and down. The figure of the man in black from before gradually overlapped with the woman in front of him.

As if to confirm, the woman casually nudged a clump of soaked black clothing on the stone ground beside her with her toe, revealing a tattered and deformed black leather mask inside.

The almost transparent light blue gauze dress she wore was clearly not an outer robe.

"Sun Yao, an outer disciple of the Suyang Sect."

The woman gave her name, her tone remaining calm.

Suyang Sect, Sun Yao? Zhao Fan tried to process the name, attempting to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

His severely injured mind was sluggish, but some images and sounds began to flash uncontrollably in the cold gaze of the former leader.

"Find out where the item is first!"

Although he was puzzled at the time, he couldn't care less about such things when it came to life and death. Now, looking back, he realizes that something was wrong.

An absurd yet seemingly plausible thought immediately leaped into Zhao Fan's mind, instantly chilling him to the bone, followed by an utterly absurd realization.

"them……"

Zhao Fan's voice was dry, tinged with surprise and doubt.

"The group that ambushed me... their leader, before he died, demanded that I hand over something. Did they think I had something important on me?"

"Now it seems you're the one they're looking for."

Sun Yao looked at him calmly, a hint of mockery in her clear eyes, but she didn't answer directly, remaining noncommittal.

Zhao Fan's heart suddenly raced, his thoughts racing rapidly under the stimulation of the excruciating pain and the effects of the medication.

Yes, it makes sense that he was targeted after showing off his wealth at the Baichuan Chamber of Commerce.

But the other side had laid a trap, with their leader personally overseeing the operation. It seemed that it wasn't just about money. The scrutinizing look in their eyes and the order to find out where the item was meant to be something they considered very important!

Almost simultaneously, another group was chasing after Sun Yao, who was disguised as a man in black.

As soon as he left the market, carrying spirit stones, he was seen as easy prey by the first group of people.

Sun Yao, for some reason, possesses a treasure or secret and is being hunted by another group of people, but both groups have mistaken her for someone else.

Therefore, the group that attacked him may have actually targeted Sun Yao, but they mistook him for someone else.

The group that was chasing Sun Yao were after his money!

What a damn coincidence! What a terrible misunderstanding!

Zhao Fan felt a tightness in his chest, and almost coughed up blood again.

The root cause of this unexpected disaster, this near-death experience, may actually be a twist of fate, a double misunderstanding targeting two people!

He suddenly looked at Sun Yao, his gaze incredibly complex, a mixture of surprise, lingering fear, and a sense of powerlessness and anger at being caught in the vortex.

"you……"

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to ask.

Sun Yao seemed to see through his thoughts. Her clear and calm eyes met his gaze without any attempt to dodge or offer any explanation.