Chapter 96 Budding Feelings

"By the way, Brother Lone Star, you can just relax and focus on healing here with me from now on," Caroline said.

"You mean there's news?" Lin Xing's face lit up.

"Yes, I came by today just to tell you that," Caroline said happily.

Although more than a month had passed, Lin Xing was still worried the Divine Wind Sect might track him down. After all, his current location wasn't far from them. If they decided to investigate, they'd eventually find his trail.

If his whereabouts were found out, it would definitely drag Caroline's family into it. Even though Caroline's family was a big deal in the Elba Duchy.

However, the Elba Duchy was just a duchy, and no matter how influential Caroline's family was, their clout only went so far. After all, it wasn't an empire. They hadn't been a major power for very long, so while they might have some hidden forces and experts, they definitely wouldn't be overwhelmingly strong.

The Divine Wind Sect was different. It was a large sect on the continent, with numerous experts among its ranks. Dealing with a mere major power in a duchy would be a walk in the park for them.

This was Lin Xing's greatest concern. Him being found wasn't the main issue, but if it led to trouble for Caroline's family because of this, Lin Xing could never live with himself.

So, he had asked Caroline to look into it for him. However, doing so inevitably meant telling Caroline what had happened. But that came with risks. If the Divine Wind Sect was still searching for him, and he foolishly revealed everything, Caroline's family might just sell him out for their own interests!

After all, he was only familiar with Caroline, not her family. They wouldn't risk offending a powerful enemy like the Divine Wind Sect for a stranger. The consequence of offending them would be the instant annihilation of their family!

Therefore, Lin Xing made up a story, briefly explaining the reason for his injuries. Of course, he didn't mention the Divine Wind Sect. He said it was an unknown organization doing evil deeds. He happened to pass by, wanted to help out of a sense of justice, but unexpectedly couldn't defeat them. Instead, he was injured and pursued, forcing him to flee here.

The naive Caroline believed Lin Xing's fabricated tale. As he requested, she returned to her family and asked them to investigate whether there were any people or organizations within the Elba Duchy pursuing and killing others.

Caroline's family honored her request, and now there was news.

"According to the message from my family, no such people have been found within our Elba Duchy!" Caroline said happily. "That means you won't have to look over your shoulder for them anymore."

Lin Xing was also delighted to hear this. The information from Caroline's family was relatively reliable. After all, they were a major power in this country. If they couldn't even uncover something like this, they wouldn't deserve to be called a great family.

Lin Xing let out a sigh of relief. Now he no longer had to worry about the Divine Wind Sect. He no longer had to worry about implicating Caroline's family. After all, Caroline was the one who saved him. If he ended up harming them, anyone would feel uneasy.

Now, he could finally stay and recover from his injuries with peace of mind. Having resolved this matter, Lin Xing felt a wave of relief. He'd found a perfectly good reason to stick around.

But why did he so strongly want to stay here? Lin Xing thought about it but couldn't figure it out. Perhaps the environment here was good and suitable for recovery. Lin Xing found an excuse for himself.

In the following days, Lin Xing stayed here to recover. His body gradually improved bit by bit as time passed.

"Brother Lone Star." Lin Xing, who was daydreaming in the room, suddenly heard Caroline calling him.

Lin Xing turned to look at Caroline, his face lit up. For some reason, Lin Xing really enjoyed spending time with Caroline.

"Brother Lone Star, I have to go back," Caroline said, her face falling a little. Caroline also enjoyed being with Lin Xing very much; otherwise, she wouldn't have come here so often or specifically arranged for him to stay and recover here.

"You have to go back?" The light vanished from Lin Xing's face, replaced by clear disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I originally wanted to stay and play with you for a few days, but now..." Caroline said apologetically.

"It's okay," Lin Xing managed a weak smile and said generously. At the same time, he pretended to ask casually, "So, when will you come next time?" His tone, however, couldn't help but reveal a hint of hope and anticipation.

"I don't know either, but I'll come as early as possible," Caroline said with a forced smile.

"I see. Then we'll see each other next time," Lin Xing said, putting on a casual tone. But why did he feel a bit unhappy deep down?

After waiting for a moment and seeing that Lin Xing showed no particular reaction, Caroline couldn't help but reveal a hint of disappointment on her face. She said softly, "Lone Star, then I'm going back."

"Mm. Goodbye," Lin Xing said, pretending to be relaxed. In reality, his heart was filled with reluctance. But Lin Xing wasn't someone who expressed emotions easily, so he could only suppress this feeling deep inside.

After Caroline returned to her family, Lin Xing was left alone here, bored out of his mind, going through the same healing routine day after day. Although Lin Xing felt reluctant about Caroline's departure, he had already gotten used to it. From the time he woke up until now, Caroline often went back. After all, this wasn't her family's main residence; it was just one of their estates.

"So boring," Lin Xing sighed and opened his eyes. "Another day has passed." His body hadn't fully recovered, and his Zhen Qi had only restored a little. Lin Xing estimated it would take at least another half a year to completely recover.

However, Lin Xing wasn't overly worried now. Instead, he felt a secret thrill. But why he felt this way, Lin Xing still didn't understand. He just vaguely felt that staying here to recover made him very happy. He liked staying here to recover. The current Lin Xing had long forgotten everything from before. The Monster Forest? Lin Xing subconsciously avoided that topic.

"Caroline has been back for several days now, and there's still no news." Lin Xing couldn't help but think of Caroline again. Remembering the feeling of being with her, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. It was a happy, joyful smile.