I Have a Penglai Immortal Island

After distancing themselves from the ship on the surface, they finally dared to come up for air.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Zhao had been pulling the unconscious Ding Wei, helping Siren break through the resistance to speed up their escape. Soon, her face turned pale, exhausted of her spiritual power.

Yaoguang felt both pity and exasperation, thinking that if she had cultivated more diligently, she wouldn't have been in this situation today.

Once they were far enough from the enemy's territorial waters, they slowed down. Qiao Jinnian's signal was lost, so he gestured for Zhao Zhao to call for help.

Zhao Zhao found the locator and pressed it, helping Qiao Jinnian remove his helmet. He had been shot in the right arm and was still bleeding, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.

They adjusted their positions on Siren's back and removed Ding Wei from his heavy diving suit. At that moment, Qiao Jinnian's eyes glistened with tears.

Ding Wei had been shot at close range in the chest and had been soaking in the icy seawater for a long time...

Seeing Qiao Jinnian's heavy expression, Zhao Zhao thought Ding Wei was dead and Yaoguang didn't tell her otherwise.

She quickly checked Ding Wei's carotid artery and happily told Qiao Jinnian, "He's still alive!"

Qiao Jinnian shook his head, his voice hoarse, "Given where he was shot... and the prolonged exposure to the damaged diving suit, his lungs... I shouldn't have let him come."

After a moment of silence, he spoke with a choked voice, "Even though we found the mission target, everything went wrong. You shouldn't have come, you shouldn't have gotten involved... He shouldn't have come either. He's Ding Xu's son. He always trains and takes on missions fearlessly, afraid of disgracing his father..."

Ding Xu was a well-known figure in China. "Is he the Ding Xu I know of? The one who died in the South China Sea 20 years ago?"

"Yes, Ding Wei joined his father's unit after coming of age."

They were miserable enough already, and Zhao Zhao felt like crying too, looking at Ding Wei, who was barely breathing. This man, who always flashed a smile with his little tiger teeth, was the son of the People's Hero Ding Xu, continuing his father's lifelong mission to protect the country...

Every year on Ding Xu's memorial day, Zhao Zhao would be moved to tears by the videos...

This man couldn't die.

Why wasn't the rescue here yet?!

Wait! She had the energy and blood-replenishing pills!

Zhao Zhao pretended to search her ethnic-style baggy pants pockets and took out the oiled paper package that Yaoguang had slipped to her. She opened it to reveal four sizable black pills.

Yaoguang had done a great job; the oiled paper even had water droplets on it.

"This is a life-saving pill made by my master. Hold his head up. I'll make him swallow it without water!"

Qiao Jinnian looked at the black pill, "Is this reliable?" The kid was scared and stammering. Could you just randomly give someone medicine? He had been shot; taking pills wouldn’t work for gunshot wounds, especially with his critical condition.

"Can he make it to the hospital in time? If we don't save him now, he won't make it! Hurry!"

Qiao Jinnian obediently propped Ding Wei up, and Zhao Zhao pried his jaw open, almost putting her hand inside his mouth to place the pill. She also pushed a condensed water sphere down his throat. Despite the effort, Ding Wei showed no reaction, so Zhao Zhao repeated the process, giving him another pill.

She couldn't give him more actually, since it contained spiritual medicine. She just wanted him to drink more spiritual water.

She handed the remaining two pills to Qiao Jinnian, "Here, take the rest. You don't need my help, right?"

Qiao Jinnian swallowed the pills without much thought.

Zhao Zhao: ...

I was just a second too late, and even with one hand, you're this quick.

"I was going to say one pill is enough, but it's okay. If you get a nosebleed, don't panic."

Qiao Jinnian: ...

Qiao Jinnian looked at Ding Wei for a while, then glanced at Zhao Zhao.

Zhao Zhao: "What's up? I told you, he won’t die for now."

Qiao Jinnian: "I meant to say, you look worse than him. Do you have more of those pills? Maybe you should take one too. I was in pain just now, but now I feel nothing."

This guy, silently enduring pain. Zhao Zhao thought he was fine.

Patting Siren’s big head to keep it afloat, Zhao Zhao replied, "It won't help me; I'm not injured."

Qiao Jinnian glanced at her head, "Where's your weapon?"

Such sharp eyes.

Her hair was loose now, and Ice Soul had been washed and stored in Yaoguang's realm to avoid suspicion. She used it to pry open the box in front of him.

No point denying it, she thought. "Can I buy your memory of tonight with those two pills?"

Qiao Jinnian suddenly laughed.

Even though he looked a bit disheveled with messy hair and a wounded arm, Zhao Zhao felt like she was seeing a sky full of stars on this cold winter night.

When someone is attractive, even frowning is a beautiful sight, not to mention a bright smile.

"This is the first time I've seen you smile. You should do it more often. Next time, I'll pay two pills for it." Zhao Zhao said.

"Shall we try?" Qiao Jinnian suddenly asked.

Feeling a bit impulsive but without regret.

"Try what?" Zhao Zhao asked innocently.

Yaoguang covered his head with his large wings, feeling embarrassed.

"Try being together. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"…Isn't the order a bit off?"

Qiao Jinnian smiled, about to say something, but Zhao Zhao quickly added, "Yes."

This time, he laughed out loud.

The pain in his organs seemed to fade. If he survived, he wanted to spend his life with someone interesting.

"You won't regret it?" he asked.

"Why would I? You're so good-looking!" Zhao Zhao said confidently.

Qiao Jinnian had received many confessions, but none so straightforward.

Zhao Zhao seized the moment to ask, "What about you? What do you like about me?"

He liked her looks, her humor, her passion, her bravery, and her kindness.

But he said, "I like that you're cute."

What?

Zhao Zhao couldn’t believe it. She asked Yaoguang, "Have I gained weight recently? He said I'm cute. Isn't that just a polite way to say there's nothing else good about me?"

Qiao Jinnian, seeing her disbelief, asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Zhao protested, "How am I cute?!"

Their injured comrade, unable to hold back, coughed. The new couple realized they weren't alone.

Ding Wei didn’t want to interrupt but felt uncomfortable with blood in his nose, so he coughed.

Both stared at him, and Zhao Zhao asked angrily, "When did you wake up?"

Ding Wei weakly replied, "...when he said 'I like that you're cute'."

The temperature seemed to drop.

Rescue came as a frigate approached.

Zhao Zhao warned Ding Wei, "I'm your savior, don’t talk nonsense!"

Qiao Jinnian was puzzled. Zhao Zhao, climbing the ladder, declared, "I'm not cute!"

Oh, that's what it was about.

Scared me for a moment.

 

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