Seeing Chu Yang leave like that, even Yaoguang herself believed that Chu Yang intended to abandon her. After all, from the beginning, Chu Yang had been somewhat irritated by her and unhappy about her following him.
Now, with such a perfect opportunity to leave her behind and continue alone, it seemed only natural that he would do so.
There was a hint of despair on Yaoguang's delicate face. She knew very well that in her current state, survival was nearly impossible.
However, something unexpected happened.
Half a day later, the man who had abandoned her returned. Chu Yang came back, although now covered in numerous wounds, with blood streaming down his arms.
Chu Yang, already in a very weakened state, looked even more fragile now, as if he could collapse at any moment.
His eyes were resolute as he dragged the carcass of a recently killed deer behind him.
Yaoguang's gaze was filled with a complex mix of emotions as she looked at Chu Yang and asked, "Why did you come back?"
If Chu Yang had truly abandoned her, she wouldn't have to be so conflicted. She could thoroughly and completely hate him. But now, Chu Yang had returned, indicating he hadn't truly abandoned her, which made her feelings even more complicated.
Chu Yang ignored Yaoguang and began to methodically dissect the dead deer. He skillfully removed the hide, cut away the meat, and cleaned the organs before washing everything in the stream.
Chu Yang was well-practiced in these tasks, quickly processing the deer carcass. He then gathered wood from the surrounding forest and lit a campfire to roast the meat.
That night, after a long period of roasting, the delicious aroma of the meat began to waft through the air. The golden-brown meat glistened, with droplets of fat dripping down.
Seeing this, Yaoguang secretly swallowed her saliva. Her enchanting eyes were fixed on the meat, clearly tempted.
However, she knew that the man before her wouldn't share any food with her, so she could only watch and try to quell her hunger.
Chu Yang tore off a juicy deer leg and handed it to Yaoguang.
This surprised her.
She hadn't expected the man, who had been so cold and even somewhat disdainful towards her, to offer her food.
Despite her greedy gaze on the deer leg, Yaoguang turned her head away, not wanting to accept Chu Yang's offering.
"If you don't eat, you won't even have the strength to decide whether to kill me or not," Chu Yang said calmly, looking at the stubborn woman in front of him.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Yaoguang hesitated for a moment and then stopped resisting, taking the deer leg from Chu Yang's hand.
Without any concern for her image, she began devouring the large piece of meat.
Over the past few days, she had only eaten fruits, without any meat, and it wasn't enough to fill her. She hadn't felt full once during this time.
Taking a big bite of the deer meat, Yaoguang's eyes lit up.
She hadn't expected that the meat roasted by this man could be so delicious. It was the best food she had ever tasted.
After eating her fill, Yaoguang leaned against a large tree, her face showing satisfaction.
She looked at her full belly and smiled contentedly.
For a moment, she seemed to forget the troubles brought by her hatred.
At that moment, Chu Yang walked towards her step by step.
Yaoguang became wary, curling up and asking, "What are you doing?"
Chu Yang ignored her and knelt in front of her, taking off her shoes.
Her legs were covered in blood blisters, with bloodstains all over her thighs.
Yaoguang felt both embarrassed and angry. She quickly pulled her feet back, becoming even more guarded against Chu Yang.
"If these blood blisters aren't treated in time, it will take much longer to recover, and it could get worse," Chu Yang said casually. "Do you want my help, or will you do it yourself?"
Yaoguang hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, "I'll do it myself!"
Chu Yang nodded and handed her a sharp stone.
Yaoguang stared at the blood blisters, hesitating for a long time before gritting her teeth and making a cut.
The next moment, a scream like that of a slaughtered pig echoed from Yaoguang's mouth.
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the pain was unbearable.
Blood soaked the stone, and she couldn't continue due to the intense pain.
In the end, Chu Yang helped her deal with all the blood blisters on her feet.
After finishing, Chu Yang carried her to the stream, washed her legs, and wrapped them with animal hide.
Yaoguang lay down to rest.
Chu Yang organized the remaining animal hides and glanced at her, saying, "The weather is getting colder. These hides can make a scarf so you won't be a burden to me."
Yaoguang snorted, "None of your business!"
Despite her words, an unfamiliar emotion began to rise in Yaoguang's heart.
Before long, Chu Yang finished making the scarf from animal hides and personally put it on her.
Yaoguang fiddled with the scarf, grumbling, "It's so ugly. This is the ugliest scarf I've ever seen."
Ugly as it was, once she put it on, it indeed kept her much warmer.
This comfort allowed Yaoguang to sleep peacefully.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Chu Yang woke her up: "It's late, let's get moving."
Still sleepy, Yaoguang mumbled while clutching the scarf, "Just a little longer."
Chu Yang's mouth twitched, and he turned to leave: "Suit yourself."
Hearing this, Yaoguang immediately snapped to attention, watching Chu Yang's retreating back. Her sleepiness vanished: "Hey, wait for me!"
Yaoguang tried to get up and follow, but the intense pain in her legs made her face contort, and large beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks.
The pain was unbearable.
"Silly girl," Chu Yang sighed and quietly returned to her side.
He was about to carry her again.
Yaoguang, gritting her teeth against the pain, said proudly, "I can walk on my own!"
Chu Yang ignored her and effortlessly lifted her onto his back.
If he let her walk on her own, her legs might be permanently damaged before those blisters even healed.
Silently lying on Chu Yang's back, Yaoguang stopped protesting.
Her eyes, however, remained filled with a complex mix of emotions and inner turmoil.