After a day and a night of anxious waiting without any sign of Eddie and Sophia, Princess Jean, Laura, and Rue were fraught with worry.
Their anxiety was shared by Yehken, Hessian, and the Ly brothers, who had never seen anyone spend so much time inside the temple.
Originally, Eddie and Sophia entered the Gemini Temple at noon the previous day, but by dusk the following day, there was still no sign of them.
Just as despair was setting in, the mysterious book-loving lady arrived, her eyes filled with concern. She immediately comforted the worried group, insisting with unwavering confidence that Eddie would surely overcome the challenge.
Princess Jean blamed herself for encouraging Eddie to face the Twelve Zodiac Temples, especially the Gemini Temple.
However, the mysterious lady reassured her, asserting that such trials were necessary for a man to stand tall in the world.
The group's spirits were lifted by her words, and just as they were about to lose hope, the portal flashed with light, signaling Eddie and Sophia's return.
Eddie, covered in blood and wounds, stumbled out, accidentally knocking Princess Jean to the ground in his haste.
Sophia, though less injured than Eddie, was visibly traumatized and broke down in tears upon seeing her sister and Laura.
The mysterious lady sprang into action, directing the group to provide immediate medical attention to Eddie and Sophia.
She reassured everyone that Eddie's vital signs were stable despite his severe injuries. With Rue's healing abilities and the collective effort of the group, they began to treat the siblings' wounds.
This intense moment not only showcased the deep bond among the group but also highlighted the courage and resilience of Eddie and Sophia.
The mysterious lady's presence and her calm handling of the situation provided a source of strength and hope for everyone involved.
"What are you all whispering about? Is this something you can discuss?" The Captain of the Golden Guards yelled sternly.
"No, we were just..." Several Silver Guards trembled in fear.
"Memory Erase!" Suddenly, the Captain of the Golden Guards pulled out a crystal wand engraved with special runes from his bosom, raised it high, and in an instant, a light a million times brighter than the sun engulfed the entire area outside the Twelve Zodiac Temples, drowning it in a sea of light.
Ten seconds later, the crystal wand in the hands of the Captain of the Golden Guards vanished along with the light.
All the Silver Guards lay on the ground.
The Captain of the Golden Guards went around waking them up, shouting, "What are you doing? Sleeping on duty?"
Terrified, the Silver Guards quickly got up, their faces blank, completely clueless about how they ended up sleeping on the ground while on duty.
Yet, they dared not ask further questions, quickly lining up in two neat rows, continuing to guard the entrance to the Twelve Zodiac Temples earnestly.
Despite this, the Captain of the Golden Guards remained uneasy, carefully observing the eyes of each Silver Guard, fearing the memory erase wasn't thorough enough.
Outside the Windchime Inn, Yehken, Hessian, and the Li brothers were pacing around in circles.
Entering the room, they knew they couldn't be of any help.
But not waiting here for news made them restless.
After a long while, the mysterious lady and Princess Jean finally came out.
Seeing Yehken and the others approach, the mysterious lady immediately gestured, "Don't worry, Eddie is out of danger now, but it will take some time before he fully recovers. "
"You all should head back to the Ivy League Academy right away, just like you're returning from regular training, and participate in the Elite School Tournament. "
"We will catch up quickly. Except for Granny Wendy, the Dean, and the Vice-Dean, do not reveal any information about Eddie's challenge to anyone else. The less people know about this, the better."
"If you can find Inan, have her come here quickly. She seems to be proficient in healing as well and should be effective in aiding Eddie's recovery."
"Understood," Yehken responded, immensely relieved.
As long as Eddie was safe, everything else was manageable.
Hessian was even more excited, realizing that what Sophia had said was true; Eddie really had made it from the Gemini Temple to the Virgo Temple. Otherwise, Eddie wouldn't have sustained such serious injuries.
Of course, Hessian believed Eddie's capabilities were exceptionally outstanding; such injuries might not mean much to him. Deciding it was best to wait for good news, Hessian exchanged glances with Yehken and quickly turned to leave.
"What are you all discussing? Is this something you can discuss?" Captain Gold roared sternly.
"No, we were just..." Several Silver Guards were startled into trembling.
"Erase Memory!" Suddenly, Captain Gold took out a crystal rod inscribed with special runes from his bosom, raised it high, and in an instant, a light millions of times brighter than the sun enveloped the entire area outside the entrance to the Heaven-Reaching Tower, submerging it in a sea of light.
Ten seconds later, the crystal rod in Captain Gold's hand, along with the light, vanished without a trace.
All the Silver Guards lay on the ground.
Captain Gold went around waking them up, shouting, "What are you doing? Sleeping on duty?"
Frightened, the Silver Guards quickly got up, their faces confused, completely clueless about how they ended up sleeping on the ground while on duty.
Yet, they dared not ask further questions, quickly lining up in two neat rows, continuing to guard the entrance to the Heaven-Reaching Tower earnestly.
Despite this, Captain Gold remained uneasy, carefully observing each Silver Guard's eyes, fearing the memory erase wasn't thorough enough.
Back inside the Windchime Inn, Yehken, Hessian, and the Li brothers were anxiously pacing around outside.
Entering the room, they knew they couldn't be of any help.
But not waiting here for news made them restless.
Finally, the mysterious lady and Princess Jean came out. Seeing Yehken and the others approach, the mysterious lady immediately gestured, "Don't worry, Eddie is out of danger now, but it will take some time for him to fully recover. You all should head back to the Capital Academy right away, just like you're returning from regular training, and participate in the Elite School Tournament. We will catch up quickly. Except for Granny Wendy, the Dean, and the Vice-Dean, do not disclose any information about Eddie's challenge to anyone else. The fewer people who know about this, the better.
If you can find Inan, have her come here quickly. She seems to be proficient in healing as well and should be effective in aiding Eddie's recovery."
"Understood," Yehken replied, immensely relieved.
As long as Eddie was safe, everything else was manageable.
Hessian was even more thrilled, realizing that what Sophia had said was true; Eddie really had made it from the Gemini Temple to the Virgo Temple. Otherwise, Eddie wouldn't have sustained such serious injuries.
Of course, Hessian believed Eddie's capabilities were exceptionally outstanding; such injuries might not mean much to him. Deciding it was best to wait for good news, Hessian exchanged glances with Yehken and quickly turned to leave.
After saving Eddie, they hadn't had much time to think about anything else.
Now that they had finished helping him, the memory of everything they had seen, including Eddie's distinctly masculine features, couldn't help but bring waves of blushing embarrassment to their minds.
Eddie slept soundly, oblivious to the fact that Laura, Jean, and the others had seen everything. Of course, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't mind.
After all, they were bound to 'face the truth' sooner or later...
The next day, when Eddie woke up, he found Laura's head resting near him on the edge of the bed, while Jean was curled up asleep in the corner of the room. On the floor, laid on a thick white felt, Sophia was sleeping, one of her feet having kicked off the blanket. His cousin Rue seemed to be busy in the kitchen. Eddie glanced around the room, feeling like someone was missing. He remembered seeing that book-loving lady waiting outside before he fainted; where had she gone?
In the morning, Eddie still felt a bit weak from the blood loss.
But by noon, after consuming three large bowls of meat soup, Eddie's condition visibly improved, especially after Little Wenli came out and cast a cleansing orb on him. Eddie then hurriedly rushed to the bathroom, and upon unzipping his pants, he exclaimed in shock, "Who bandaged this up? And there's even a bow tied on it! I wasn't injured there at all!"
Hearing Eddie's outcry, Jean and Laura, who were in the room, blushed deeply.
It seemed the bandaging was their handiwork.
Sophia, however, was puzzled, blinking her big eyes, seemingly curious about what hadn't been injured yet was bandaged. Seeing Sophia's innocent and inquisitive look, Jean, Laura, and Rue felt even more embarrassed.
To change the subject, Rue quickly asked Sophia, "Sophia, what exactly happened yesterday? Tell us about it!"