The sky had completely darkened. The patrol squad soldiers began setting up tents for everyone. The canvas tents were neither too large nor too small—if they squeezed together, they could sleep two or three people.
The soldiers worked quickly, and in less than fifteen minutes, a row of tents was set up in the center of the camp.
“Six tents.”
The patrol captain counted, then turned to the two squads. “You’re ten people. Divide them among yourselves.”
The Wolf Squad received three tents, and Xuanxi’s squad also received three.
Elsa was the first to speak, her voice weak and tired. “I’ll share with Valeris. She’s too weak and needs someone to take care of her.”
Valeris leaned against the rock wall, her ice-blue eyes half-open. She glanced at Elsa without refuting. Her spiritual energy was almost completely depleted; she didn’t even have the strength to speak.
“Then Reginald, you take one yourself.” Elsa glanced at Reginald. “Anyway, you’re a man, and you have the lightest injuries. You can sleep alone.”
“I have no objections.” Reginald’s voice was still as indifferent as ever.
“Then Xuanxi and Xige—”
“Mm-hm.” Hildegrifa’s voice was expressionless, but her footsteps had already headed toward the remaining tent.
Rex Wolf stood nearby, his right arm still in a sling. He looked at the tent distribution, then at the bandages on Xuanxi’s wounds. He lowered his head and thought for a moment.
Five people, three tents—they could actually spare one for Xuanxi’s group. So he walked up to Hildegrifa.
“We can spare one tent for you. After all, your squad saved us today. Two people squeezing into one tent is a bit small—”
He paused. “I can squeeze in with Reginald.”
Hildegrifa turned around. Her amethyst eyes looked at Rex Wolf. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her chin slightly tightened, and her gaze was as calm as a stagnant pool.
But Rex Wolf saw what was beneath that stagnant pool. It was as if Xige whispered in his ear: ‘If you dare to take Xuanxi away from me, I guarantee you’ll regret it.’
He stepped back half a pace, raised his uninjured hand, and made a “I was wrong. I didn’t say anything” gesture.
“Medicine.”
He took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Xuanxi.
“Good quality healing potion from the Wolf Family. It’s much better than what the Academy dispenses. Apply it to your wounds before sleep; it will speed up recovery.”
Xuanxi took it and nodded. “Thank you.”
Rex Wolf turned and walked away. After two steps, he stopped but did not look back. “From the Edelstein Family, I am not and do not wish to be your enemy.”
He left. His silver-gray hair glinted in the twilight, and he disappeared into his tent.
Hildegrifa stood still, her amethyst eyes following his departing direction. Elsa next to her whispered to Valeris, “Her gaze is so scary,” and then was pulled away by Reginald.
Xuanxi stood at the entrance of the middle tent, her right arm tightly wrapped in bandages, a band-aid still on her face, and a dull pain in her abdomen. Hildegrifa stood beside her, her silver-white long hair blown by the night wind of the canyon, making her look like an angel.
“Go inside.” Xige said.
“You go first.”
“You’re the one injured.”
Xuanxi did not answer again. She knew she couldn’t argue with Xige, so she bent down and entered the tent first, with Xige following behind.
The tent was not large. Two ground pads were laid side by side. This kind of tent allowed you to sleep but not comfortably. Besides, Xuanxi was in no position to be picky.
Her right arm could no longer be lifted, touching her right shoulder hurt so much it brought tears to her eyes, and her abdomen throbbed with every breath.
She crouched down and used her left hand to unzip the sleeping bag. Her movements were very slow; she paused after every motion, waiting for the wave of pain to pass before continuing.
Hildegrifa sat down beside her. She unzipped and laid out the other sleeping bag, then pulled something out of the dark gray pouch on her waist—the healing potion that Rex Wolf had given.
She pulled out the stopper. The light pink liquid—this was the Wolf Family’s exclusive healing potion, said to be much better than what the Academy dispensed.
“Xuanxi, take off your clothes.” Xige’s voice was flat, as if stating something very ordinary, her amethyst eyes on the medicine bottle and the instructions in her hand.
Xuanxi froze. “What? What are you doing? Here?”
“I’m applying the medicine for you. What were you thinking?” Xige placed the medicine bottle on the ground pad. “It will hurt if you do it yourself.”
Xuanxi opened her mouth, wanting to say she could do it herself, but she looked down at her right arm—from shoulder to fingertips it was wrapped in thick bandages. Her right hand couldn’t even make a fist; she had no strength at all.
“I can do it—”
“Don’t be stubborn. You can’t do it.”
Xige’s voice was still calm and unruffled. She looked up, her amethyst eyes on Xuanxi. Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the tent, falling on her face.
In her amethyst pupils was the reflection of Xuanxi—her long hair a mess, a band-aid on her face, bandages on her body, and her cheeks red enough to drip blood.
A triumphant smile appeared on Xige’s face, so subtle that if you didn’t look closely you wouldn’t notice it, but Xuanxi happened to notice it and couldn’t do anything about it.
Xuanxi took a deep breath. She used her left hand to unbutton her uniform, her fingers trembling. The buttons were small; it took three tries to undo the first one.
Hildegrifa did not rush her. She just sat quietly beside Xuanxi, her silver-white hair hanging at the side of her face, moonlight coating her eyelashes with a silver glow.
The second button, third button. The uniform was finally undone.
Xuanxi slipped her left sleeve off her shoulder. The bandages on her right arm were too thick; the sleeve got stuck at her elbow. She tried several times to pull it off but couldn’t, and she winced in pain.
Seeing this, Hildegrifa reached out and helped her pull the right sleeve off over the bandages. The uniform was set aside. Xuanxi’s upper body was left wearing only a thin white undershirt, the collar open, revealing her collarbone and a small section of pale shoulder.
Xuanxi’s face was as red as it could get. She looked down at the ground pad, her earlobes like two ripe cherries, her chin almost touching her collarbone.
The bruises, black and blue, were shocking to Xige. Several wounds cut by broken stones, though already treated, were still oozing slightly at the edges.
Hildegrifa looked at the wounds on her shoulder, her lips pressing tighter. She picked up the medicine bottle, poured the light pink liquid into her palm, then dipped her finger into the liquid and applied it to Xuanxi’s wound.
Starting from the shoulder, she spread it along the black-and-blue bruises, little by little, her movements very gentle, afraid of hurting Xuanxi.
When the liquid first touched her skin, it was cool—a coolness that slowly seeped in from the surface, with a slight stinging sensation. Xuanxi didn’t make a sound, but her shoulder trembled.
“Does it hurt?” Xige’s voice was very soft.
“It doesn’t hurt. Just a little cool.”
Hildegrifa did not speak. Her hand continued to move—from arm to shoulder, from shoulder to collarbone, from collarbone to neck. The cool fingertips, with the cool liquid, left trails of light pink on Xuanxi’s skin.
Outside the tent came footsteps—it was the patrol squad sentry. Boots crunched on the gravel, the sound drawing near then fading away. Someone was speaking softly, but the words were indistinct.
From Elsa’s tent came a dull thud, followed by her voice saying, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” and from another direction came Reginald’s snoring.
All these sounds seemed to be muffled by a layer of water; Xuanxi couldn’t hear them clearly. Her entire attention was on Xige’s fingers, on every movement—very slow, steady, with a reassuring focus.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the two were cast on the canvas of the tent. The shadows were very close together, indistinguishable from each other.