Free Web NovelChapter 175: Chapter 175: Your Future Partner
The Hovercar had no destination set, so it was simply cruising along at a steady speed without any direction.
The vehicle moved smoothly, without the slightest jolt.
Inside the quiet Hovercar, the scent of wine mingled with the sweet, faint fragrance of roses, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Shi Lan propped her chin on her hand, resting her elbow on the armrest as she secretly watched He Hanshi. Perhaps a little bored, she started counting his eyelashes. After a moment, she realized she couldn’t get a clear count—they were just too thick. She pursed her lips, a little displeased.
Just then, she remembered the flowers He Hanshi had given her. When he had leaned in to kiss her, she hadn’t had time to think, worried she might crush the bouquet, and had immediately tucked it into her Space Bag.
She took them out again. It was a huge bouquet, one that required both arms to hold.
She looked down and curiously began to count them, one by one, and soon found herself chuckling at her own antics.
Perhaps it was the thought of what each flower meant, and that He Hanshi had picked them all himself, each one a small token of his affection. An unfamiliar sweetness she couldn’t suppress began to well up in her heart.
’Yes, they’re all mine.’
She couldn’t count his eyelashes, and in the end, Shi Lan couldn’t count the flowers either.
There were simply too many, and she would sometimes lose track of her count. But this time, a smile remained on Shi Lan’s lips the entire while.
With He Hanshi asleep, Shi Lan didn’t feel bored at all, alternating between watching his sleeping face and playing with the flowers.
After a while, she seemed to think of something. She put the flowers away and gently placed her hand on He Hanshi’s wrist.
Shi Lan closed her eyes and released a spiritual power thread, guiding it inside him. If this had been a stranger, such an act while they were unconscious would be quite dangerous. But perhaps because of their subconscious trust in each other, and having already formed a Spiritual Connection, she didn’t think twice about it.
As expected, her spiritual power entered his system unimpeded.
Shi Lan discovered that the Spiritual Poison in his limbs—which she had cleaned out before—had returned. Small, moldy-green dots drifted through his body, and they certainly didn’t look like anything good.
Her brow furrowed. ’It’s only been a little over half a month. How has the Spiritual Poison in He Hanshi’s body increased so much?’
Shi Lan couldn’t resist using Basic Healing to absorb the toxins. Thankfully, Basic Healing didn’t require a full Spiritual Connection, so absorbing these toxins went rather smoothly.
She finished the job in about ten minutes, then found herself unconsciously drawn by a blue spiritual power thread into his spirit sea.
Perhaps because it hadn’t seen her in a long time, the White Lion—still entangled within the Poison Cocoon in his spirit sea—sensed her arrival. It blinked its round, blue eyes, a hint of excitement showing through. It was no longer listless as it had been at first; it seemed much more energetic.
Shi Lan’s spiritual power thread sent it a greeting but was careful not to touch his core spiritual power, lest she wake the sleeping He Hanshi.
After greeting the White Lion, Shi Lan focused on counting the poison threads in He Hanshi’s spirit sea. She recalled that after her last treatment, his collapse value had dropped to just 20%. Now, having finished her count, she saw that several new poison threads had appeared.
This meant that He Hanshi’s frequent contact with the Insect Clan was still affecting the state of his spirit sea. She guessed that once his spirit sea became as densely packed with poison as it was initially, he might suffer another High Level spiritual power collapse.
Shi Lan grew worried. She couldn’t help but start trying to heal him again. However, less than three months had passed since the treatment in the prison, so her Spiritual Connection healing method was still incredibly slow.
So slow, in fact, that even expending the same amount of spiritual power couldn’t peel off a single poison thread.
With no other choice, Shi Lan could only withdraw. She looked at He Hanshi’s tranquil, handsome face, as perfect as a god’s, and propped her chin on her hand, letting out an imperceptible sigh.
He Hanshi didn’t sleep for long. He woke up after about an hour.
Though it was a short time, he felt he had slept well. His body even seemed a little lighter.
He gave his body a simple stretch and felt something sliding off him. His hand shot out instinctively to catch it. Looking down, he saw it was a blanket.
In that instant, He Hanshi’s heart became as soft and warm as the blanket. The corners of his lips curved up. Hearing the faint, even breathing beside him, he couldn’t help but turn his head, only to find that Shi Lan had fallen asleep at some point too.
’This silly girl,’ he thought. ’She knew to cover me with a blanket but didn’t leave anything for herself.’
Fortunately, the Hovercar had automatic climate control, so it wasn’t cold.
He Hanshi’s gaze fell upon her, and with a gentle expression, he draped the blanket back over her.
The silly girl was sleeping soundly, her seatbelt still properly fastened. Her hands were curled near the belt, her rosy lips were slightly parted in a picture of serenity, but her brow was furrowed as if something was troubling her.
He Hanshi couldn’t resist gently stroking the space between her eyebrows with his fingertip. At that moment, Shi Lan’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
He Hanshi said apologetically, "Sorry, I woke you."
His voice, still low and raspy from sleep, sounded especially pleasant to the ear.
Shi Lan rubbed her eyes. "It’s fine. I’m not short on sleep."
She wasn’t sure why she had dozed off while looking at He Hanshi and worrying about the Spiritual Poison. Perhaps it was because she had expended some spiritual power on the healing, and her body was trying to recover that energy and, in the process, better digest the Spiritual Poison she had just absorbed.
In any case, Shi Lan did feel quite refreshed after that short nap.
"Is that so? That’s good."
He Hanshi seemed to sense she was teasing him. A low, pleasant chuckle rumbled in his throat. While Shi Lan was still in a drowsy, just-woken state, he discreetly unbuckled her seatbelt and, with a single arm, effortlessly pulled her into his lap.
Shi Lan let out a cry of surprise. "Ah, what are you doing?"
Then, after landing in He Hanshi’s lap, she slapped his rock-hard shoulder with a hint of dissatisfaction.
He Hanshi let her do as she pleased, even saying, "My shoulder’s hard. Pick a different spot; don’t hurt your hand."
Shi Lan feigned a threat, hovering her palm next to his cheek. "How about here?"
He just watched her with a smile in his eyes, his gaze full of indulgence, letting her do whatever she wanted.
But after a moment, Shi Lan still couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, he leaned in and pressed his own cheek to her palm, playfully nudging her hand with his head until one of the "pats" landed with a surprisingly loud smack.
Shi Lan laughed at his antics. His nuzzling also tickled her hand, so she pulled it back, immediately forgetting to be upset about his sudden, unannounced maneuver.
Having placated his beloved, He Hanshi, now content in body and soul, pressed himself tightly against her. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, intoxicatingly sniffing her sweet scent. In an instant, it was as if his body had been filled with immense power, and the last vestiges of his weariness vanished completely.
A muffled, laughter-filled voice came from her shoulder. "My dear Miss Shi Lan, your future partner, with your help, has been successfully recharged!"
Shi Lan had wondered what he was up to, grabbing her so suddenly. ’So it was just a ’recharge’.’
However, more than his sudden intimacy, it was his words that made Shi Lan blush beet-red.
’What’s this about a ’future partner’...? Has he already defined his role so quickly?’
She let out a soft hmph. That’s what she thought, but she didn’t say anything to deny it.
