Although they had been enemies at first, that was only because she was obligated to defend the valley. After learning that they were much stronger than she was, Xiao Bing let go of that notion.

Ever since she was a child, she had only ever admired the strong and powerful.

And this young man who had such an imposing manner did have an unimaginable strength that made her knees weak.

Moreover, throughout the time she was tied up, these people treated her pretty well. No one made any further trouble for her, whereas Yu Chengot beaten up several times.

Xiao Bing glanced inYao Tang's direction, her brows furrowed.

Despite speaking up for her elders, she also had a vague feeling that the girl was not unconscious due to the array formation. She had even woken up once and had spoken as she normally would.

Clearly, she had already escaped the illusion.

But why was Yao Tangstill in a coma? This was the mystery that they faced, one that they were having difficulty figuring out.

It was very odd, indeed!

Cheng Yan swept a glance over the crowd once, then proceeded to ignore them. He walked to the other room and approached the bed.

Yao Tang still had her eyes closed. Her face was quite pale, and her breathing was slow and steady. She looked like she was just sleeping.

With her eyes shut tight like this, her features seemed to soften in stark contrast to her usually aloof expression.

She was still deep in slumber.

Cheng Yan's eyes deepened with worry.She reached out to her, his fingers stopping just a hairsbreadth from her face. "When will you get enough sleep, hmm? When will you… recognize my voice?"

He was slowly sinking into a pit of despair.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Qin Hao stepped inside and came over to whisper in Cheng Yan's ear. "We finally managed to contact the person from the Medical Research Institute. He is asking you to send Miss Yao to the airport. He says he will come and pick her up himself."

"Call him right now."

Cheng Yan's voice was quiet, and his eyes never left Yao Tang's face.

Qin Hao quickly did as he was told. Soon, the call connected, and the other party's voice came over the line.

"Have you come to a decision, Mr. Cheng?"

The man sounded confident, as though he was already certain that Cheng Yan would hand Yao Tang over.

"No," Cheng Yansaid in the next second, shattering the other man's expectations. "I won't be sending her to your research institute. Don't bother tracing this call, either. I am in a special place, and you will never be able to pinpoint our location."

"Don't you want her to wake up faster?"

On the other end, the man was scowling. He wasn't expecting Cheng Yan's response. "I may not be able to pinpoint your exact location, but once I have a rough estimate, I'll immediately send someone over."

To him, their only hope of saying the girl was to study all of her abilities.

If it wasn't for the fact that he knew Yao Tang, he wouldn't be this insistent about taking her.

Miss Yao had a significant relationship with their master. If he could somehow wake her up from her coma, their master would probably indulge him in his request.

With that in mind, Doctor Zhen's lips curled into a cunning smile.

Cheng Yan, on the other hand, sneered. "Send someone over? Did you honestly think you would be able to meet her under these circumstances? I suggest you tell me the treatment method you have in mind now, and we will have our doctor administer it."

"Forget about it!"

Doctor Zhen was adamant and refused any form of negotiation.

He did want to save Yao Tang, but he didn't want to reveal the institute's secrets in the process. After all, he might need a lot of their precious formula in order to help withYao Tang's predicament.

He couldn't possibly turn over the Medical Research Institute's trump card to someone else, no matter how desperate they were.

There was no way he would do something like that.

"I see. In that case, I won't be forcing you against your will."

Cheng Yan motioned forQin Hao to end the call, then instructed, "Go and tell the people outside to be on the lookout for any outsiders, and to hide our tracks."

Qin Hao nodded and left to do as he was ordered.

He himself was harboring many doubts. He did not understand why Cheng Yanwas doing this.

It was Cheng Yanhimself who had first suggested seeking out the doctor from the Medical Research Institute, but now, he refused to sendYao Tangto them.

Why was he refusing when the other party was readily offering their help?

He had even gone so far as to try to cover up their tracks.

Qin Hao was confused, but as always, he kept his questions to himself. He lowered his head and retreated in silence.

Left alone again, Cheng Yan caressed Yao Tang's cheek.

His face was lined with worry.

What else could he do to wake her up?