Lin Xiaoxiao immediately summoned a savage beast at the second level of the Heavenly Realm while simultaneously drawing her sword, positioning herself protectively in front of Ye Liuyun.

In her panic, she hadn’t even noticed Ye Liuyun’s expression—all she knew was that he had been poisoned, and it was her duty to shield him.

Yet, there wasn’t the slightest trace of poisoning on Ye Liuyun’s face. Even Lin Moyu was convinced that Ye Liuyun was merely putting on a brave front, secretly unable to muster any of his true energy.

Even if Ye Liuyun could still tap into his power, Lin Moyu had plenty of men at his disposal. Killing one man would be effortless. The fact that Ye Liuyun hadn’t summoned any beasts yet only reinforced the suspicion that he had none left.

"Xiaoxiao, don’t worry about me—I’m fine!" Ye Liuyun tried again when she ignored him.

"Don’t worry, I won’t let them lay a finger on you!" she declared, swinging her sword as she charged at the soldiers.

She even activated a defensive treasure, enveloping herself in its protective glow. As the daughter of a deputy commander, it was only natural she’d have life-saving artifacts at her disposal.

"Don’t waste time on her—you won’t break through that shield. Focus on killing Ye Liuyun! That treasure will wear off soon enough. Leave her to me!" Lin Moyu warned the others.

He knew all too well what kind of treasures Lin Xiaoxiao carried and had already devised a countermeasure.

"Lin Moyu! My father will never let you get away with this!" Lin Xiaoxiao seethed, furious at how thoroughly he had anticipated her moves. But for now, she could only hold out as long as possible.

Alone and not particularly strong to begin with, holding off so many enemies was unrealistic. In desperation, she shifted her defensive treasure’s protection onto Ye Liuyun instead.

"Master Ye, run!" she urged him.

"And leave you here? What about you?" Ye Liuyun found her actions somewhat amusing, but her fierce protectiveness touched him deeply.

"I—I’ll fight them off! They wouldn’t dare kill me!" Lin Xiaoxiao insisted.

She had just realized the soldiers were hesitant to strike her directly, which made her feel safer—at least for the moment.

"You vile wretch!" Lin Moyu spat out the insult and lunged at Lin Xiaoxiao without hesitation.

Lin Xiaoxiao was no match for Lin Moyu to begin with, and within moments of their clash, she was already struggling to hold her ground. It was only thanks to Ye Liuyun, who intercepted the attack with a defensive artifact, that she was spared.

"What about him?" Ye Liuyun asked Lin Xiaoxiao calmly, as if unfazed. "You gave me your artifact—how are you supposed to deal with him now? What if he defiles you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was on the verge of tears, her voice trembling with desperation, yet her concern remained solely for Ye Liuyun.

"Just go! Go back and tell my father—tell him to avenge me!"

"Go? Neither of you is going anywhere!" Lin Moyu sneered. "He’s poisoned—he won’t make it far before he drops dead! And you? With or without that artifact, you’re not escaping me today!" With that, he launched another assault at Ye Liuyun.

Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao’s tears spill over in sheer panic, Ye Liuyun decided he couldn’t let her suffer any longer. He admired her courage—she had done more than enough.

In an instant, he activated his temporal power, freezing time itself. With swift precision, he cut down the dozen or so guards one by one, their heads rolling before their bodies crumpled to the ground with dull thuds. Only then did he seal Lin Moyu’s spiritual energy, strip him of his Interspatial Ring, and confiscate his weapon before allowing time to resume.

To Lin Xiaoxiao, it was as if the heads of those around her had suddenly flown off their shoulders, their lifeless bodies collapsing in grotesque succession. Even Lin Moyu stood frozen, arms limp at his sides, utterly bewildered.

Ye Liuyun returned her protective barrier to her and summoned his falcon, letting it claim the corpses as its spoils.

Mistaking the falcon for their savior, Lin Xiaoxiao immediately dismissed her barrier and threw herself into Ye Liuyun’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I thought—I thought I was going to be taken by Lin Moyu! I thought you were going to die!"

"It’s alright now," Ye Liuyun murmured, patting her head gently before attempting to nudge her away. But she clung to him, refusing to let go, so he simply held her as she wept.

Meanwhile, Lin Moyu snapped out of his daze and tried to flee—only for the falcon to pin him in place with an oppressive aura. The bird gathered the scattered corpses into its Interspatial Ring, resisting the urge to feast as it fixed its predatory gaze on Lin Moyu, awaiting Ye Liuyun’s command.

Realizing escape was impossible, Lin Moyu dropped to his knees, kowtowing frantically as he begged for mercy.

"Mr. Ye, I was momentarily blinded by greed. The antidote is in my Interspatial Ring—please take it quickly!" Lin Moyu feigned generosity, revealing the antidote’s location.

Ye Liuyun responded with a cold laugh. "Did you really think your petty poison could affect me?"

"Wait... how come you’re not poisoned?" Lin Xiaoxiao finally caught on, still clinging to Ye Liuyun’s waist as she tilted her head up to look at him. Though tears shimmered in her eyes, curiosity overpowered her distress.

After a brief pause, Ye Liuyun transmitted the *Ten Thousand Toxins Scripture* directly into her mind through spiritual sense—a reward for her risking her life to save him.

"Start cultivating this technique now. Conveniently, his Interspatial Ring has plenty of poison to work with." Ye Liuyun retrieved Lin Moyu’s ring, sifted out the toxins, and handed them to her. He even produced some poisonous herbs from his own spatial realm.

"With me here guiding you, you can safely refine a toxin core. Nothing will go wrong," he assured her.

Lin Xiaoxiao gathered the poisons into her Interspatial Ring with one hand but made no move to begin cultivation. Instead, she tightened her grip around Ye Liuyun, refusing to let go.

"I’ll practice later. My nerves are still frayed—let me rest a bit longer," she murmured softly.

*This girl... really can’t get enough of clinging to me,* Ye Liuyun thought, exasperated.

"But I still have to deal with *him*," he said, using Lin Moyu as an excuse.

"Let him kneel there! Or better yet, feed him to your falcon!" Lin Xiaoxiao declared bluntly.

Truthfully, Ye Liuyun had spared Lin Moyu precisely to let her decide his fate. Hearing her verdict, he wasted no time. "He’s yours," he told the hunting falcon.

"Mr. Ye... Xiaoxiao... I was just confused—give me one more chance—"

Lin Moyu’s tearful pleas were cut short as the falcon lunged, its talons splitting his skull in one swift motion. This time, it didn’t hesitate before beginning its meal.

Lin Xiaoxiao peeked out briefly, but the gruesome sight made her bury her face back into Ye Liuyun’s chest with a shudder. Ye Liuyun sighed helplessly, allowing her to cling to him.

For a falcon of that colossal size, devouring a human took merely a few gulps—it was over in moments.

"Alright now? It’s finished eating," Ye Liuyun reminded her.

Only then did Lin Xiaoxiao sheepishly release him, though the warmth of his embrace lingered pleasantly in her memory.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun finally explained why he had brought her along to hunt the beast.

"So you used me as bait to lure Lin Moyu into revealing his true form? This wasn’t about spending time alone with me?"

Though inexperienced, Lin Xiaoxiao was no fool. Ye Liuyun had spelled it out plainly—how could she not understand?