Chapter 149: Yun Ruoxi doesn’t seem to have changed much

Zi Jiu carried Yun Ruoxi in a princess hold all the way.

The petite blue-haired girl curled up in her arms.

The wounds on her wrists and ankles had been temporarily wrapped with clean gauze by Lin Zhen and the others along the way.

Splash!

The dormitory door opened.

Zi Jiu gently placed Yun Ruoxi on the bed, straightened her legs, and covered her with a blanket.

Then she gestured to the others.

They all quietly left the room together, leaving only Aili sitting by Yun Ruoxi’s bedside to keep her company.

“Xiaoxi’s physical condition doesn’t seem to be a big problem.”

Zi Jiu could feel Yun Ruoxi’s heartbeat was still fairly strong as she carried her just now.

“But she’s definitely been through serious torment.”

Lin Zhen peered through the crack in the door at the two girls inside, and continued, “And compared to the visible physical injuries, I’m even more worried about her mental state.”

“Xiaoxi… already had psychological trauma before.”

“Mm, that’s a concern. Maybe, for now, we shouldn’t tell Xiaoxi about Viper and the others.”

Chaos suggested.

Given how protective Yun Ruoxi was of Aili, if she found out Viper had been making trouble for Aili all this time, things would get out of hand. She might even drag her sick body out there to beat them up.

“That’s right, this needs to be kept secret. Zi Jiu, go in and call Aili out, tell her not to talk about it.” Lin Zhen instructed.

Zi Jiu nodded, pushed open the door, went inside, and called Aili out to explain the situation.

Aili understood it was for Yun Ruoxi’s own good, so she didn’t object.

“I think it’s best to let Xiaoxi rest quietly for a while, and try to keep her away from the other students,” Yun Che added, “so she doesn’t get agitated, and we can also observe her condition.”

Lin Zhen nodded, “Alright, that works. I’ve always worried… they might do something to Xiaoxi. When she opened her eyes before, that dead look in them made me uneasy.”

He didn’t say it too bluntly, but everyone understood what he meant.

He was worried that the Hand of Saints might have done something to Yun Ruoxi, to prevent her from escaping again.

“Did any of you notice that mask just now? And that collar on Xiaoxi’s neck?”

Lin Zhen pointed at the black collar on the blue-haired girl’s neck inside the room, noticeably thicker and more out of place than those on the other students.

“The mask? I didn’t notice, but it did look like some kind of high-tech device. Maybe it’s just as the doctor said.” Zi Jiu shook her head.

“As for the collar, it’s heavy and sturdy, but the material doesn’t seem metallic. Maybe it’s used for…”

“Mm, I think so too.”

The others shared similar opinions with Zi Jiu and didn’t see much problem with the mask.

Even Lin Zhen was only suspicious about the mask, without knowing exactly what was wrong.

But the collar was different; the fact that it was different from the other students’ was enough to show there was something off about it.

Lin Zhen now regretted not using the last opportunity to establish a communication channel with Chicha.

Otherwise, he could have found out more about the mask and the collar without relying on the Battle Camp.

“It’s hard to tell anything in the short term. Let’s just leave it for today. When you’re looking after Xiaoxi in the next few days, pay close attention to any changes in her.”

Considering everyone still needed to train—especially Anvil, whose training as a martial artist was especially grueling—Lin Zhen assigned people to look after Yun Ruoxi and then allowed the others to leave.

“Aili, you’ll be staying here for a while. Take good care of your sister.” Lin Zhen stopped Aili as she was about to enter the room.

The Battle Camp didn’t allow students to switch dorms on their own.

But now that it was the third year, management was much more relaxed, so staying a few nights elsewhere wasn’t a problem.

“Mm.” Aili nodded softly, pushed the door open, and quietly sat by Yun Ruoxi’s bed, watching her.

Lin Zhen sighed, then turned and left.

After a week of care, Yun Ruoxi’s physical and mental state both steadily improved.

And from their observations, Lin Zhen and the others found—

Compared to before, Yun Ruoxi didn’t seem to have changed much.

Her personality was still the same: gentle and always smiling, doting on those around her in every way. She even pouted and complained when they forced her to stay in the dorm to rest.

She was as lively as ever, nothing like a girl who’d just endured three months of torment.

Her strength was still intact.

In fact, her star energy index was even a few points higher than before.

But for some reason,

Yun Ruoxi had developed a new quirk. While talking or doing things, she would suddenly freeze, staring blankly at a spot as if lost in thought, and it would take several seconds for her to come back to herself.

It was as if—

Even though she’d come back whole,

A part of her self seemed to be forever left behind in the Hand of Saints’ prison.

Lin Zhen and the others had tried using a force field therapy device to treat Yun Ruoxi’s absent-mindedness.

But it didn’t help.

So they suspected—

Perhaps Yun Ruoxi’s mind had suffered severe trauma, and the three months of memories she’d blocked out were the main cause.

After consulting Dr. Forefinger, his examination not only confirmed their theory, but he even enthusiastically offered to help solve the problem.

But considering the trauma that might come from restoring her memories could be far more serious than just a bit of absent-mindedness, Lin Zhen turned down Dr. Forefinger’s offer on Yun Ruoxi’s behalf, deciding to let time heal her wounds.

“Sis, Sis, look!”

That day, Yun Ruoxi sat on her bed, reading from a personal terminal Lin Zhen had no idea where she got.

Aili suddenly burst into her room, excitedly holding something furry in her hands, and looked at her with sparkling eyes.

“What’s that?”

Yun Ruoxi looked over curiously. In the girl’s palms was a fledgling bird, its downy feathers newly grown.

“A bird? Where did you get that, Aili?” she asked, intrigued.

“Didn’t we go to Misty Forest for field training yesterday?” Aili said excitedly. “I found it on a tree and thought you must be bored in here alone, so I brought it to keep you company.”

As she spoke, she raised her hands higher.

“Sis, pet it! I’m sure it likes you.”

“Really?” Yun Ruoxi carefully took the fledgling and gently stroked its head, casually asking, “Did the instructor let you bring this in?”

“Emm… Jiao Guan Xia Guang saw it, but didn’t say anything, so I guess it’s allowed?” Aili replied hesitantly.

“Jiao Guan Xia Guang is a good instructor.”

Yun Ruoxi said, then suddenly sighed, “But Aili, did you ever think that this little bird has its own parents too? By taking it, you’ve broken up their little family, haven’t you?”