Free Web NovelChapter 177: Chapter 177: The Effects of the Spiritual Connection
"No, it’s not your fault. It’s theirs—their jealousy and greed. It has nothing to do with you."
Shi Lan’s voice was choked with emotion. He Hanshi gently kissed her reddened eyes, the corners of his lips curving up slightly. "Don’t cry."
"I know."
He actually understood deep down that it had nothing to do with him, but he also felt like he was the source of the calamity, an existence born of misfortune. That was why this had always been a thorn in his side, why he never wanted to hear anyone mention his parents.
But now, he had voluntarily reopened his own wounds just to tell Shi Lan, "Thank you for coming into my life."
He felt as if he’d finally been blessed by fortune.
Shi Lan nestled closely against him. Her eyes were still red-rimmed, and her face grew a little hotter. She shook her head. "I’m also very happy to have met you all."
’It seemed her solitary, wandering soul had finally found a family to lean on.’
Shi Lan remained curled up in He Hanshi’s arms, the two of them sharing their warmth.
After a while, she returned to the important topic she hadn’t finished earlier. "He Hanshi, your collapse value is rising too quickly. From now on, you must pay close attention to your condition. If it’s convenient, you can come find me, or I’ll go to you so I can treat you. In an emergency, don’t just do what you did before. You can let a Military Doctor perform Basic Healing first. At the very least, it can stabilize your collapse value..."
"Understand?"
It was rare for Shi Lan to be so naggy. He Hanshi quietly lowered his gaze to look at her, patiently nodding at everything. "Okay, I’ll listen to whatever Lanlan says."
’But that last part... that isn’t going to work.’
Shi Lan didn’t know that after being marked by a female, a Spiritual Connection could only be treated by that specific female. All other females would be rejected, their healing rendered ineffective. This was vastly different from the spiritual bond formed in an ordinary male-female pairing.
Mu Tangfeng and the others hadn’t known about this side effect of the Spiritual Connection at first, but he and Yan Huoshui had told everyone long ago. No one had backed down.
Perhaps they had already prepared themselves for a do-or-die situation in their hearts: either become Lanlan’s partner or return to a state of High Level collapse and wait for death.
They had no fear of death. And He Hanshi, having fought the Insect Clan for so long, had never placed much value on his own life.
But now, he cherished his life more. After all, Lanlan had given him a new lease on life. He now had someone tethering him to the living world; he couldn’t bear the thought of dying.
He Hanshi didn’t want to pressure Shi Lan or make her think she *had* to become partners with them.
He wanted everything to be of her own free will, so he didn’t reveal the whole truth.
He simply said, "I’ll monitor my spiritual power collapse value every day. As soon as it gets serious, I’ll come find Lanlan for help."
"I hope Lanlan doesn’t find me troublesome."
Shi Lan poked his face as he leaned in to nuzzle her again. "Don’t be silly. It’s not troublesome. I’m very happy that you think of me when you need help, and I’m glad I can help you."
"Mm, okay."
He Hanshi’s eyes curved into a smile. In his blue irises, a thousand shards of ice seemed to shatter in an instant, leaving only gentleness behind.
The two of them spent almost the entire afternoon in the Hovercar. They had laughed and teased each other to their hearts’ content. Shi Lan glanced at the time, and knowing He Hanshi had other things to attend to that evening, told him it was time to head back.
Back at Shi Lan’s house, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng had been waiting impatiently. When Shi Lan and He Hanshi didn’t return after a long time, both of them, suppressing a sour, resentful feeling, decided to fight it out in the game pods. They didn’t log out until they heard the sound of the Hovercar in the real world.
To vent their frustrations, both had used a lot of force inside the game pods.
Now that they were out, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng were both wincing in pain. Mu Tangfeng couldn’t help but roll up his sleeve to look. There were no bruises on his fair skin, but he could still feel a deep ache in his bones.
He struggled to climb out of the game pod and shot Jiang Xia an angry glare. "You damn short-legged beast, you went way too hard."
Jiang Xia rubbed his own face, even more furious. "There’s a rule against hitting the face! How dare you criticize me? It hurts like hell."
Mu Tangfeng glanced at his face and instantly felt a bit better.
Jiang Xia always loved to play the pitiful victim to get Lanlan’s sympathy. Mu Tangfeng had wanted to punch him in the face for a long time now; it would save him the constant nausea.
The two of them sat on the game pods for a moment to recover before rushing downstairs.
The moment he saw Shi Lan was back, Jiang Xia excitedly ran over and hugged her. In a wheedling tone, he said, "Lanlan, you’re finally back! It was so boring this afternoon without you."
But the aftereffects of the game pod were probably still lingering, as his face twitched a few times while he spoke. Thankfully, he was so good-looking that even so, he just looked playfully cute and full of life.
Jiang Xia always loved to get close and cling to her like this, and Shi Lan would usually stroke his soft, silver hair. But right now, He Hanshi was still beside her, their hands linked. She couldn’t help but glance at him, a strange feeling of guilt washing over her, like a wife caught cheating by her husband.
He Hanshi, however, still wore a faint smile, his expression as gentle and warm as ever.
Shi Lan used her other hand to stroke Jiang Xia’s silky long hair. She loved his hair; it felt cool to the touch, not at all frizzy, and was very pleasant.
Jiang Xia, like a clingy kitten, reveled in her affection.
Mu Tangfeng, who had fallen behind, glanced at Shi Lan’s hands. One was holding Admiral He’s, the other was occupied by Jiang Xia. Only he was left with nothing.
Unhappily, he deliberately made a loud noise, clearing his throat several times.
Shi Lan looked at him, beckoned with her free hand, and took his to soothe him.
Mu Tangfeng finally felt a little more balanced inside and quieted down.
He Hanshi let go of Shi Lan’s hand and spoke in a calm voice, "It’s getting late. Lanlan, I’ll go make you dinner."
As he spoke, he started looking for the kitchen.
Shi Lan looked at his tall, retreating back and his now-empty hand. Then she glanced at Jiang Xia, who was hugging her waist, and Mu Tangfeng, whose hand she was holding with her other. ’I suddenly feel like such a scum woman,’ she thought. ’One on my left, one on my right...’
A slight sense of guilt crept into her heart. ’When all five Beast Husbands are together in the future,’ she wondered, ’how are we supposed to get along?’
’And what about sleeping arrangements?’
Shi Lan felt a headache coming on. For now, though, she pushed those worries aside, pulled away from the two men, and ran over to help.
’He Hanshi has finally come to visit; how can I let him be the one to cook?’
She hurried into the kitchen. He Hanshi had already skillfully taken out some ingredients and put on an apron.
He was tall and long-legged, but the apron Shi Lan had bought was sized for herself. On He Hanshi, it looked like an adult trying to wear a child’s clothes. The apron seemed tiny on him, so much so that he was having trouble tying the waistband.
Shi Lan walked over and took hold of his hands as he struggled to tie the straps behind his back.
"Let me. You’re already so tired, you should get some rest."
As she spoke, she tried to take the apron off him. With his back still to her, He Hanshi reached back, grabbed her hand, and pulled her against the kitchen counter, pinning her there. He used his other hand to cushion the space behind her, preventing her from getting hurt.
