Chapter 70 The Strange Rose

Hearing Lin Xing say he was leaving, Rose couldn't help but blurt out, "What? You're leaving?" Her tone was laced with panic and reluctance.

"Yes, of course I'm leaving. Everything here has been resolved, so why wouldn't I go?" Lin Xing said, looking at Rose with a puzzled expression.

Realizing she had lost her composure, Rose's face instantly flushed with embarrassment. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Xing, and twisted her fingers together nervously, remaining silent.

Sister Ye, who was standing nearby, glanced at Rose's strange behavior and then at Lin Xing before speaking up. "Young Master Lin Xing, are you really leaving just like that? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet."

"My injuries are nothing serious—just superficial wounds. Besides, they're almost healed already," Lin Xing replied.

"That fast? No way! You must stay and recover properly before leaving!" Sister Ye insisted firmly.

"Really, it's fine," Lin Xing said, eager to set off for the Monster Forest as soon as possible.

"No. You must recover fully before you go. I still want to repay you for saving my life," Sister Ye stated.

Lin Xing opened his mouth to say something, but Xiao Bao cut in first. "That's right, Brother Lin Xing! Your injuries are so severe, we're all worried. Please stay with us for a few days to recover before you leave!" Xiao Bao said with hopeful eyes.

Rose, who had been keeping her head down, now looked up at Lin Xing, her eyes filled with hope and shyness.

Seeing the hopeful and enthusiastic expressions on Rose and the others, Lin Xing couldn't bring himself to refuse them. He agreed to stay at Sister Ye's home for a few days to rest.

However, Lin Xing was still a bit puzzled. Wasn't Sister Ye from Rose's village? Why was she going back there? Unable to figure it out, he simply asked, "Sister Ye, isn't your home in Xiao Bao's village?"

Sister Ye glanced at Lin Xing and smiled without answering directly. Instead, she asked, "Why do you think my home is there?"

"Uh..." Lin Xing hesitated.

Of course, Lin Xing had assumed so based on common sense. After all, she and Xiao Bao were so close, and they had been captured together. Wouldn't that mean they were from the same village?

"You didn't think that just because I'm so close to Xiao Bao and we were captured together, I must live with them, did you?" Mentioning the capture reminded Sister Ye of her ordeal, and her expression darkened as she fell silent.

"I'm sorry for bringing up unpleasant memories," Lin Xing immediately apologized.

After a moment of silence, Sister Ye forced herself to lift her spirits and managed a weak smile. "It's fine. It's all in the past now."

Although she said this, deep down, she still felt a pang of sadness. After experiencing such an event, anyone would carry a thorn in their heart. It would never feel completely comfortable, and who knew when this wound would truly heal.

Lin Xing decided not to press further. This topic only reminded them of their painful past and would likely make everyone feel awkward.

Thus, a silence fell over them, walking along without speaking.

"When I was little, I lived next to Xiao Bao's family. Rose and I grew up playing together," Sister Ye suddenly said.

Lin Xing didn't respond, simply listening as Sister Ye continued.

"Later, I moved with my parents to a town some distance from the village. But I still visited the village often. After all, it's where I grew up, and I'm familiar with everything there. I have deep feelings for the place."

"But now, it's probably in ruins, isn't it?" Sister Ye said sadly. Anyone would feel this way if their village had been destroyed.

"Later, both my parents passed away, leaving me alone. Although my family had money and life in town was better than in the village, I still often stayed at Rose's house for a while. Because Rose and her family are practically my only relatives now."

"But then, that incident happened that day! After that, I ended up here. You know the rest," Sister Ye said. She was quite resilient; after a moment of sadness, she composed herself.

So that's how Sister Ye was captured. Lin Xing had assumed she originally lived in the village.

"By the way, Young Master Lin Xing, do you know who those villains were?" Sister Ye suddenly asked.

Hearing Sister Ye's question, Lin Xing pondered for a moment, considering whether to tell them about the Divine Wind Sect. But after thinking it over, he decided it wasn't necessary. If they accidentally leaked the information, it might put them in danger.

"They're part of a mysterious organization with immense power. I don't know much about them," Lin Xing chose to share only selective information about the Divine Wind Sect.

Walking beside them, Rose stole another glance at Lin Xing, then blushed and lowered her head to fiddle with her fingers again.

Lin Xing had noticed Rose for a while now. Seeing her face constantly flushed, he thought something had happened. "Sister Rose, are you okay?"

Hearing Lin Xing call her, Rose tensed up immediately, her heart racing. "He noticed me! What should I do?" she thought anxiously.

"Are you sick? Why is your face so red?" Lin Xing asked with concern.

"N-no, I'm not," Rose stammered nervously.

"Then why is your face so red, like you have a fever?" Lin Xing asked curiously.

"It's nothing! I'm just warm," Rose blurted out in a panic.

"Warm?" Lin Xing looked at the others, but none of them seemed affected. Besides, they were walking on a flat road, not uphill. How could she be warm?

Seeing that Rose wasn't sick, Lin Xing didn't press further, though he still felt she was acting a bit strange.

Noticing that Lin Xing was no longer paying attention to her, Rose's tension eased, but she suddenly felt a sense of loss.

"By the way, Xiao Bao, didn't you say you wanted to become as strong as me?" Lin Xing suddenly remembered Xiao Bao's earlier words.

"Yes, Brother Lin Xing! I want to be just like you! I want to protect my sister and my friends from bad people!" Xiao Bao exclaimed excitedly.

"Xiao Bao, do you know any martial arts or magic now?" Lin Xing asked, noticing that Xiao Bao seemed to know nothing.

"No. No one taught me, and no one in our village knew how," Xiao Bao replied, his expression turning somewhat gloomy.

But then he looked at Lin Xing, his eyes filled with eager expectation...

"Would you like to learn?" Lin Xing asked with a smile. He had already checked Xiao Bao's physique earlier and found it exceptionally suited for martial arts training.

"Yes!" Xiao Bao said, his eyes burning with passion.

"Then how about I teach you?" Lin Xing naturally didn't want to waste such a promising talent.

Hearing this, Xiao Bao jumped for joy and immediately tried to kneel before Lin Xing.

Lin Xing quickly grabbed him. "Xiao Bao, what are you doing?"

"Paying my respects to you as my master! Don't you have to bow to a master to learn from them?" Xiao Bao asked, confused.

Lin Xing couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. "I'm not taking you as my disciple."

Xiao Bao's face fell. "But didn't you say you'd teach me martial arts?"

"I never said I'd be your master!" Lin Xing said with a laugh.

"So you'll still teach me how to train?" Xiao Bao asked excitedly. Lin Xing nodded.

"Oh, yay!" Xiao Bao jumped up happily. "I'm going to become a powerful warrior too!"

Watching Xiao Bao's excitement, Lin Xing simply smiled faintly.

After a while, Xiao Bao snapped out of his excitement and ran over to Lin Xing. "Brother Lin Xing, when will you start teaching me? I can't wait!"

"We'll start when we get to Sister Ye's house," Lin Xing replied, eager to begin so he could leave sooner.

Hearing this, Xiao Bao happily hopped about, while Rose secretly rejoiced, "Now he'll stay longer. I'll have more time to spend with him."