Ye Nan Cheng didn't hesitate, speaking directly.
"Uncle Yi, you take Lin Ru and retreat first, I'll deal with these guys!"
Chu Yi nodded, then had Lin Ru follow him closely.
At this moment, the other side had already advanced together.
However, Ye Nan Cheng knocked down several of them with just a few punches and kicks.
On the other side, Chu Yi took advantage of the situation, immediately taking Lin Ru and escaping through the encirclement.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
On the side, Zheng Peng was almost scared to death.
Seeing a way out, he didn't even bother with his equipment, chasing after them without looking back.
Suddenly, he heard an angry roar from behind.
"Ma De, send a few men to chase! Cut them down on sight! Don't leave a single person alive!"
"The others are here to deal with this kid; he's incredibly difficult to handle!"
Zheng Peng was terrified, his mind racing, and he quickened his pace.
However, this deserted village was full of twists and turns.
He was originally following behind Zhou Yi and Lin Ru, but after a few turns, he couldn't see them anymore.
"Where... where did they go?"
At this moment, Zheng Peng heard the sound of pursuit behind him growing louder and louder.
There was no way around it; he didn't care about anything else and just randomly chose a path to continue fleeing.
...
Meanwhile, Zhou Yi and Lin Ru were desperately running away.
Although he was fine, Lin Ru's stamina was definitely not good.
Even with Zhou Yi pulling her along, she couldn't keep up with the pursuers.
Having no other choice, Chu Yi had to turn left and right.
After circling around a few times, he directly pulled Lin Ru into a room and covered her mouth.
Soon, he heard people running towards them.
Only after those people had gone far away did Chu Yi release his grip.
"At least it should be safe now."
Lin Ru anxiously asked, "Uncle Yi, how's your back wound?"
A back wound?
Chu Yi was stunned for a few seconds before remembering.
Ah, he had just been slashed in the back.
However, this was actually intentional.
With his strength, he could have completely saved Lin Ru without harm.
But if he did that, how could he leave a sufficiently deep impression on Lin Ru, making it easier to win her over?
Besides, the back wound hadn't injured any vital organs.
Just go back and bandage it up properly, that'll be fine.
But Lin Ru didn't want that.
She only saw that the wound on Zhou Yi's back was still bleeding.
Moreover, Zhou Yi was an old man.
Even a young person would probably be uncomfortable after such a stab, let alone an old man.
Therefore, she was extremely worried.
"No, I need to bandage Uncle Yi's wound!"
But there were no bandages now, what could she use?
In desperation, Lin Ru directly used her sleeveless belt as a makeshift bandage, tearing it into pieces to bandage Zhou Yi's wound, leaving only one piece of clothing on her upper body.
Zhou Yi's eyes widened at this sight.
My God, this girl's willpower is even greater than Lin Wanru's!
In her excitement, a little more blood even appeared on the wound.
Lin Ru looked at it, becoming even more anxious.
"Uncle Yi, you absolutely mustn't be in trouble!"
Seeing this, Chu Yi immediately feigned weakness: "Alas, this old man probably won't make it this time."
"Lin Ru, you'd better hurry and escape alone."
Lin Ru's eyes welled up with tears: "No, I can't leave you here alone, Uncle Yi!"
"As long as it can make you better, I'm willing to pay any price!"
"Any price?" Chu Yi pretended to hesitate for a long time, then sighed.
"Alas, I'll just forget about this method. I can't harm you!"
"A method?" Lin Ru keenly grasped this information.
"Uncle Yi, do you have a solution?"
Chu Yi's face showed pain: "No, this method, although effective, requires a lot of effort from you!"
Lin Ru's attitude became even more resolute.
"Uncle Yi, don't worry, as long as it can save your life, I will do my best!"
Under her persistent requests, Zhou Yi had no choice but to nod.
"Alright, I'll tell you the method first, but you shouldn't blame me!"
Lin Ru nodded: "Rest assured, Uncle Yi, just tell me!"
Then, Zhou Yi leaned close to Lin Ru's ear.
At first, Lin Ru had a sincere expression.
But as she listened, a blush spread across her beautiful face.
"You... You said you have an ancestral cultivation method, and all it takes is for a woman to help you with... that..."
"Healing injuries?!"
"This... This might be too much..."
Lin Ru was completely bewildered, not knowing what to do.
Zhou Yi continued to sigh: "Ah, I knew you wouldn't believe me. Just pretend I never said such things!"
"Don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will protect you!"
Saying this, he stood up, his peripheral vision catching Lin Ru's broad-mindedness.
A little more blood oozed from the wound on his back.
Lin Ru hurriedly told him to sit down: "Uncle Yi, don't be so hasty!"
"I didn't say I didn't believe you!"
Zhou Yi once again used a tactic of retreating to advance: "Even if you believe me, I can't harm you for the sake of my own life!"
Hearing this, Lin Ru seemed about to get angry.
"Uncle Chu, what are you saying! You just risked your life to save me, how could I abandon you!"
"It's not that... I... I..."
The words reached her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.
It seemed like she was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
Chu Yi knew this couldn't be rushed; it was best to proceed cautiously.
So, he said, "Actually, the wound on my back doesn't require you to make such a great sacrifice, just..."
Chu Yi whispered something in her ear.
Lin Ru heard it, her face flushed even more, and she pointed to her lips.
"You mean, just like that... That's all?"
Chu Yi nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Lin Ru still hesitated for a long time.
But thinking about it carefully, wouldn't it be easier to accept if it were confirmed like this before?
Having made up her mind, Lin Ru finally asked, "Uncle Yi, you're really not joking with me, are you?"
Zhou Yi's gaze was very firm: "I'm not joking."
"Besides, wouldn't the truth be clear when we see if the wound has healed?"
Having said this much, Lin Ru nodded slightly.
"Okay."
Then, she shyly squatted down: "Then... let's begin..."
"I'm not very clear on how to do it, I'd like to ask Uncle Yi..."
"Just give me a little guidance..."
...
After a short while, the conversation ended.
Lin Ru felt her face burning with embarrassment and kept rubbing it.
Zhou Yi felt refreshed and invigorated.
At the same time, he received a system notification.
[Ding! Successfully cut off Lin Ru's favorability towards the Dragon King's confidante, rewarding mastery of the Huo Family's Mysterious Steps!]
[Huo Family's Mysterious Steps: Pass through a thousand dust clouds, not a single piece of armor clinging to you!]
[Lin Ru: Lin family's daughter, host of the Dou Yin platform with millions of followers, current favorability: 20!]
At first, Zhou Yi was a little surprised.
Why wasn't there a notification about the mission to interact with Lin Ru?
Later, he realized that the mission required in-depth interaction, which was at most superficial; it couldn't be counted in numbers.
It seems he'll have to work even harder in the future.
However, even so, the reward is already quite generous.
Someone said that with the Huo family's mastery of the Mystical Steps, even when facing multiple attackers simultaneously,
he could easily dodge them, remaining in an invincible position.
Not to mention, it even boosted Lin Ru's favorability rating to 20.
The higher the favorability rating, the higher the level of communication and acceptance later on, and it's likely they can take it a step further next time!
Just as Zhou Yi was feeling smug,
He heard Lin Ru's hesitant voice: "That... Uncle Yi, how's your back?"
"Do you want to see if it's recovered?"
Zhou Yi knew that Lin Ru was concerned and also wanted to confirm.
So he didn't hesitate and directly revealed his back: "It's already recovered, take a look!"
Lin Ru looked and immediately gasped in surprise.
The wound on his back had actually stopped bleeding and scabbed over!
This means Uncle Yi didn't deceive me?
I thought he was lying before, truly judging a gentleman's heart with a petty mind!
Thinking about it again, Uncle Yi not only risked his life to save me,
but also thought of me, enduring the pain and refusing to use this method to treat his wound.
Even if it meant he would bleed to death.
He's simply... truly...
Thinking of this, Lin Ru was so moved that her eyes welled up slightly.
[Ding! Lin Ru's favorability increased by 5 points, now at 25!]
This time, it really surprised Zhou Yi.
How did his favorability suddenly increase?
At that moment, a series of footsteps sounded from outside, as if someone was approaching.
"An old man and a young woman, they definitely haven't gone far, they're probably hiding in a nearby room!"
"Once we find them, the old man will just kill them, and the young woman..."
"Hehe, we'll all share the good fortune!"