Chapter 298: Interests

“Don’t move.”

Ye Lan’s voice remained flat, revealing no emotion.

Her movements were light and practiced, far more professional than Mu Xi’s had been.

The disinfectant swab carefully cleaned around the wound, removing the grit and dirt embedded in the flesh bit by bit.

Each wipe brought a subtle but sharp sting.

Mu Xi gritted her teeth, forcing herself to endure it.

She could feel Ye Lan’s cool fingertips occasionally brushing her skin, bringing an extremely uncomfortable, unfamiliar sensation.

This person, not long ago, had tortured her in various ways, making her life a living hell.

And now, she was tending to her wounds.

Absurd.

Absolutely absurd.

Mu Xi couldn’t help letting out a low, dry laugh, bitter and full of self-mockery.

“How ridiculous,” she said, turning her head away from Ye Lan’s focused profile, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Not long ago, I wanted nothing more than to kill you with my own hands, and now you’re here treating my wounds.”

Ye Lan’s movements didn’t pause in the slightest, as if she hadn’t heard her.

Anger flared up again in Mu Xi’s heart.

She whipped her head back, staring at Ye Lan, and said each word with crystal clarity: “Don’t think that just because I apologized earlier means I’ve forgiven you, let alone that I have any good feelings toward you!”

“My hatred for you,” she paused, each syllable squeezed through clenched teeth, “hasn’t changed one bit!”

She wanted to make it clear: don’t even think about using this method to soften her or buy her off.

She would never forget the vengeance owed to her parents, never forget the humiliation and torment she had suffered.

Ye Lan lifted her head, her deep, phoenix-shaped eyes meeting Mu Xi’s hate-filled gaze.

Ye Lan finally stopped what she was doing.

There was no anger, hurt, or even a flicker of emotion in those eyes, not as Mu Xi had imagined.

Only an unfathomable calm, and even a hint of incomprehensible relief.

Then Ye Lan spoke.

The corner of her mouth seemed to lift into the faintest smile, so fleeting it was almost an illusion.

Her voice was still hoarse, but carried a strange lightness.

“That’s good.”

“Then I can rest easy.”

‘What…?’

She was completely stunned.

What did Ye Lan mean by that?

Relieved?

She hates her, and Ye Lan is relieved?

This was even more absurd than her treating her wounds!

Ye Lan stopped looking at her, lowered her head, and continued what she was doing.

She picked up the ointment, evenly spread it over the cleaned wound with a cotton swab, then took out clean gauze and bandages.

Her movements were still steady and precise, as if those shocking words had never come from her.

Mu Xi’s mind was a mess.

Ye Lan’s reaction had completely exceeded her expectations.

What is this woman thinking?

Is she really a complete lunatic? Does she enjoy being hated?

Mu Xi couldn’t figure it out, and didn’t want to.

She only felt more exhausted, drained.

Ye Lan quickly finished dressing the wound on her arm and began examining the tear in her pants leg.

The fabric was cut, revealing several shallow but dirt-caked blood marks.

Ye Lan didn’t say anything more, repeating the steps: disinfect, apply medicine, bandage.

Throughout the process, Mu Xi’s body remained rigid, like a soulless doll, letting herself be manipulated, her empty gaze fixed on some unknown corner.

When the last wound was treated, Ye Lan packed up the first aid kit and put it back in its place.

The compartment fell silent again.

Only the low roar of the engine and the howl of wind scraping against the vehicle reminded them they were still in danger.

Ye Lan leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, as if resting.

Mu Xi watched her pale profile, the faint small scars on her neck, her long closed lashes… that indescribable emotion surged up again in her heart.

The hatred was still clear, but seemed to be mixed with something else.

She shook her head hard, trying to drive away those unwanted thoughts.

She couldn’t waver.

Absolutely not.

Mu Xi averted her gaze, turned her head toward the other window, showing Ye Lan the back of her head.

The yellow sand outside was still blowing, but visibility was indeed much better than before.

The armored vehicle sped across the relatively stable ground, heading in an unknown direction.

“Has communication been restored?” Ye Lan asked suddenly, eyes still closed, her voice carrying a trace of weary hoarseness.

The driver’s voice came through the internal channel, with a barely perceptible tension:

“My Lady, we’ve attempted to connect to Stone City command center. Signal interference persists, but a short-range encrypted communication link has been established.”

Ye Lan leaned back, her closed lids hiding her deep phoenix eyes, leaving only a few fine scars on her pale face, evidence of the recent fierce battle.

Her breathing was steady, as if asleep, but the aura she radiated was still sharp and oppressive.

“Connect me to Nan Qiao.” Her voice was low, hoarse from injury, but it reached every corner clearly.

“Yes.” The driver responded, fingers moving quickly over the control panel.

After a soft crackle of static, a bright, slightly husky female voice came through the communicator—it was the lord of Stone City, Nan Qiao.

“Ye Lan? How are things on your end? I almost went crazy when I got your distress signal!”

Nan Qiao’s voice sounded energetic, with her characteristic boldness, but upon closer listening, a hint of barely concealed tension seemed to underlie the warmth.

Ye Lan opened her eyes, her gaze clear, the earlier fatigue instantly dispelled, leaving only her usual calm and control.

“We’re fine. Ran into a little trouble, but it’s handled.” She was concise, omitting the harrowing details.

“Good to hear, good to hear!”

Nan Qiao repeated twice, her tone seeming more genuinely worried, but then she immediately changed the subject. “The Sand Wolves have been stirring a bit. I’m busy with defenses. You two should hurry back. It’s not safe out there.”

The words sounded like concern, but the sense of urgency and the underlying implication of “you’re causing me trouble out there” made the atmosphere in the vehicle subtle.

Mu Xi sat across, head lowered, her long silver hair covering most of her face.

She listened to the conversation over the communicator. Nan Qiao’s voice seemed different from the woman in her memory who laughed heartily and promised to take care of her, patting her chest.

The warmth was still there, but it felt like there was an invisible film, a certain businesslike distance.

“Understood,” Ye Lan replied flatly. “Estimated arrival in half an hour.”

Her voice paused, as if she wanted to say something more, but finally it turned into a simple closing remark: “Stay safe.”

“Alright, I’ll have the gates ready. We’ll talk when you’re back.” Nan Qiao’s communication was cut off, and the green light went dark.

“She doesn’t seem too happy either.” Mu Xi finally looked up at Ye Lan. The hatred on her face hadn’t faded, but now it was mixed with more curiosity.

This wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

Ye Lan didn’t deny it. She turned her head, gazing at the barren landscape racing past outside, a faint trace of mockery passing through her phoenix eyes.

“Just a conflict of interests,” she said, seemingly not minding letting Mu Xi know. “Not long ago, I helped her deal with that troublesome pack of Sand Wolves in the west, eliminating a major obstacle to her expansion.”

Mu Xi listened quietly.

The Sand Wolves were an extremely ferocious group of raiders in this wasteland, known for their cruelty and cunning, and had always been a thorn in Stone City’s side.

Ye Lan actually helped Nan Qiao deal with them?

“According to the agreement, we were supposed to split the spoils and subsequent resources seventy-thirty.”

Ye Lan’s voice was calm, as if recounting something irrelevant to her. “But the Head of the Nan Family has quite an appetite—she wants a ninety-ten split.”