Lin Qi was still alive.
When Yi Longlong ran to his side, she discovered the youth was still barely breathing as he lied in the pool of blood. Although the breaths were small, it gave Yi Longlong a boost in morale.
The first thought that came to Yi Longlong was to request for help from Leina and the others. Lin Qi’s injuries were heavy after all; if there were to be no expert treatment or good quality medication, he would essentially be impossible to save. But before the words even got out, another thought came to her. Yi Longlong’s paws flew out and snatched a broken arrow from the ground. She pointed the sharp arrowhead to her throat, and then turned to face Leina. “Save him, or else I’ll commit suicide, such that you won’t be able to gain anything at all.”
Her crystal eyes welled with tears of fear, yet her paws remained stable without a sliver of movement. She said to Leina, “The value of a living dragon should still be greater than a dead one, isn’t it?”
Leina did not hurry, but instead sneered with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Committing suicide, you got the guts?”
Although she couldn’t say that she had read dragons countless times, her experience interacting with humans told her that this dragon was weak, cowardly and basically nothing to be fearful of. When she gripped her from before, she could even feel the body tremble in her palm.
Yi Longlong stomached the pain and pierced the tip of the arrow into the skin at the top of her neck. Although she was extremely afraid, she still held a steady gaze with Leina. “I am indeed scared of dying, but that depends on the circumstances. Even if you were to stop me now, as long as there’s a chance in the future, I will still think of ways to die. Even if you can prevent it for now, you won’t be able to prevent it forever.”
She indeed did not like death, but that didn’t represent that she didn’t dare face it. When she was heavily sick in her previous life, the most important job everyday was to persuade and console herself, using a calm mentality to wait for the coming of the final day.
During those times, it was necessary for her to do it, or else she would be entrapped in inescapable pain.
She had already experienced death once. On this matter, she possessed a mindset bolder and clearer than others. She was also able to reach judgements and decisions more easily.
Leina had some hesitation. That weak and spineless-looking creature seemed to hold an unyielding resolve inside the little body. Although the sapphire eyes still remained fearful, it also carried another thing: That was an indomitable, resolute decisiveness.
Without freedom, she’d rather die.
Everything Yi Longlong had ever wanted to have and cherish was not just life itself. From her viewpoint, there were still many things equally valuable or exceeding in value, such as freedom, such as dignity.
Levi had already gone through the troubles of warning her about the outcomes of being captured by humans. At the time, Yi Longlong had the thoughts of dying again when the time called for it.
However, what was even more important than freedom and dignity was the youth who took up a sword for her, and readily placed it down for her.
Even till now, Yi Longlong was still clueless about who Lin Qi was, what his past was like, why he had appeared inside the tall tower, but even then, so what? Regardless of what the truth was like, Lin Qi was Lin Qi.
Actually, the ten short days of accompaniment were not enough for them to develop many deep sentiments. When she was with Lin Qi at the start, it was only to help each other out. Lin Qi didn’t know how to communicate with people, and Yi Longlong couldn’t be in the open and interact with people. Lin Qi taught her the letters, and she taught Lin Qi some common general knowledge.
At the start, it was this sort of subtle relationship akin to collaborators.
But when Lin Qi bled for her, everything was no longer the same.
No matter how it is put, as long as Lin Qi breathed, Yi Longlong would not give up on him. Even if it took her life and freedom to trade for it, it wouldn’t matter. This was the most basic moral of being human.
Now was the time for her to do something for Lin Qi.
She had become a dragon, yet the soul of a girl resided deep within, still deeply engraved with the greatest sincerity and goodness of human nature.
Lin Qi’s breathing gradually weakened. Yi Longlong panicked inside. Her paw tightened around the arrow tip and forcefully pierced it towards her throat. The next moment, Leina arrived in front of her and grasped the tip of the arrow with her powerful hand which was slightly rougher than an ordinary girl’s. “Fine.”
If she had to keep an eye on a suicidal dragon for the whole day, it would really be troublesome.
Leina delivered her orders. The priest went up and cast a divine art to heal Lin Qi’s injuries, and not long afterwards the bleeding stopped. Then, he used the best medicines on Lin Qi’s wounds and began to firmly wrap him up in bandages.
Yi Longlong and Leina stood by the side, watching them busying about. When she saw Lin Qi’s breathing become stabilized, Leina coolly spoke. “Alright, now you can put your worries to rest, but he will also have to come with us. This isn’t something you can prevent.”
She had originally planned to kill Lin Qi and destroy all traces of evidence, but since she could not kill him, she could only bring him away in case people found out it was them who did all of this.
Currently, the rogue was already cleaning up the traces left in the surroundings and disguising them as a fight between beasts and monsters.
Yi Longlong also understood the reasoning behind it. Leina was already making a concession by leaving Lin Qi alive, but Yi Longlong was irritated inside. She gave a snort. “Levi will find out,” she said with great unwillingness, “You departed in the morning, and Lin Qi and I then disappeared on that night. If Levi returns and asks the apprentice priest about the events in these past few days, he will easily place suspicion on you.”
Leina smiled and replied straightaway. “But he has no evidence. We left the temple early in the morning towards the sea of trees, and didn’t make our way back at all. As long as we hide you and this kid away and pretend we don’t know anything, no one will be the wiser. Even if Levi is any more capable, he’s still under the restrictions of the holy temple. Our conflicts can be handled through the mercenary troop’s foreign affairs.”
Before she sent the orders to capture Yi Longlong, Leina had already thought through this matter once, and even considered the consequences that may arise, but the answer she reached was that it was still worth taking the risk.
“The matter is about your identity, he can only settle it privately within a small scope. Should he be willing to expose you to everyone’s sights, we’ll then immediately hand you over to people with authority, in exchange for benefits and their protection.” She bent down and very gently touched Yi Longlong’s head, but it also carried a downright oppressive force. “So, coming with us obediently is the most correct choice. At least we can guarantee that you won’t be treated unfairly on this path.”
Disgusted, Yi Longlong avoided her hand and sneered. “Won’t be treated unfairly? Is it where after catching a small animal you shut them in a cage, cut off their claws, their life manipulated by your hands, and whenever you’re in a good mood you feed them a bit of good food? Is this what “won’t be treated unfairly” means?”
What is “won’t be treated unfairly”? She was not afraid for her face to redden when she said these words. Losing freedom was the greatest mistreatment.
Yi Longlong impatiently swatted away Leina’s hand. She looked up and met her gaze. “I will come with you, but I also hope that you will honor your promise. Do not secretly hurt Lin Qi.”
She and Lin Qi were both inexperienced novices. She essentially had no way of keeping guard against any of the opponent’s measures. She could only use the stupidest, but also the most absolute limit to threaten the opponents. “If Lin Qi dies, I will not hesitate to give up on living. On this matter, if I can say it, I can do it.”