Xia De looked down at the empty alley, his expression blank and his heart completely unbothered.
In the afternoon, while Red Thorn was receiving treatment, Xia De had gone back to submit his quest.
He had learned about the entire incident from the hushed whispers of the other adventurers in the guild.
Hearing the story had left him a little troubled.
He was troubled because Hilia had gone too easy on him. She had only severely injured him instead of completely ruining him.
Back then, in order to stabilize the emotions of that delicate youth who possessed ten million hidden Combat Power, Xia De had secretly exerted enough force to knock Red Thorn unconscious.
As for why he hadn't seized the opportunity to let the youth kill him?
That was because the youth back then clearly had the mindset of a child who had never experienced the harsh beatings of society. Forcing him to kill someone on the spot would have only made his emotions even more volatile.
Who would have thought that as soon as this guy's injuries healed, he would immediately provoke Hilia?
As the woman who had spent the most time alone with him in this world, Xia De knew exactly what kind of person Hilia was.
She was intelligent and stubborn.
She could be ruthless to those she didn't care about, and she was even harsher on herself.
This was obvious from her extreme sword techniques and her constant demands for him to increase her gravity training over the past few days.
Even looking at the hidden injuries within Red Thorn's wounds, Xia De could clearly see the faint wind magic lingering beneath the cuts Hilia had inflicted.
These currents of wind were weak, but they would continuously ravage his body. Within about three days, Red Thorn would be completely crippled.
Xia De actually quite liked people like her—not a saint, but someone who repaid grudges with interest.
He had only come here to tie up loose ends. Because Hilia couldn't easily kill someone in town, she had only severely injured Red Thorn.
After learning that the man had been healed, Xia De had followed him, worrying that some other variable might arise. He had waited until the man walked into the alley alone before taking action.
He had originally only planned to cripple the guy, since Xia De didn't consider himself a murderous maniac.
But unfortunately, Red Thorn just had to say that he would kill Hilia.
He had exposed his own killing intent.
In that case, he was out of luck.
Hilia was associated with him. Wanting to kill Hilia was equivalent to wanting to kill him. Since the man had shown killing intent toward them, Xia De could only politely ask him to die.
“Alright, the trash has been cleared. Time to go home early for dinner. After all, Hilia is leaving tomorrow.”
Stretching his back on the roof, Xia De let out a yawn, then lightly leaped down to the ground and blended into the crowd.
With a click, the door opened, and Xia De returned home.
He was greeted by the sight of Hilia wearing an apron, busy cooking in the kitchen. A light, cheerful expression graced her delicate face as she smiled and hummed a little tune.
The warm yellow light of the room bathed her, making her pale gold hair shimmer softly.
What a heartwarming scene.
Hearing the door open, Hilia turned around. When she saw it was Xia De, a brilliant smile blossomed on her face.
“You're back! Dinner will be ready soon. I gathered a lot of ingredients while doing quests.”
Xia De was not one to reject the kindness of others, and he always reciprocated goodwill. Thus, he smiled back at Hilia.
“Cooking so much? It looks like I'm in for a treat today.”
He walked into the kitchen, stopping beside Hilia, and asked softly, “Are you sure you don't need me to help you out?”
“No need.” Hilia placed both hands against Xia De's back and gently pushed him out of the kitchen. “I'm leaving tomorrow, so let me cook a good meal for you tonight. Just let me have my way this once, okay?”
She patted his shoulder and smiled. “Don't worry. Although it won't be as delicious as your cooking, it won't be inedible either. Just trust your big sister this once.”
Just as before, Xia De wouldn't reject her goodwill, so he followed Hilia's wishes and sat down on the sofa to wait.
While enduring over a hundred times gravity.
(Sofa: ?)
Xia De chuckled and spoke to Hilia, who was busy cooking.
“You really are hardworking. In just seven days, you've already adapted to five times gravity, and your cultivation has even broken through to peak Tier Three.”
The hand Hilia used to hold the kitchen knife paused for a moment before she resumed her movements, replying to Xia De's words.
“Well, after all, I still have to go back and investigate the Demon God Cult. A little more strength means a little more security!”
Then, she silently added in her heart: And I also want to get closer to you, so I can stand by your side sooner.
Xia De leaned against the sofa, quietly staring at the ceiling as the warm light washed over him, letting his mind drift for the first time in a long while.
It had to be said that Hilia's approach was indeed working. In just a few days, Xia De was already able to relax slightly around her.
This relaxation didn't stem from his immense strength, but rather from the person busy in the kitchen nearby.
The warm light bathing him made him feel lazy, inexplicably reminding him of the moments before dinner in his past life.
His father would sit on the sofa just like this, his mother would be cooking in the kitchen wearing an apron, and his younger self would run wild around the house.
One moment he would be talking to his father, and the next he would be bothering his mother.
Even though he had been very young back then, for some reason, as he grew older, the memories of that time only became clearer in his heart.
I should move the Elven Forest up on my travel itinerary.
Xia De thought silently as he stared at the ceiling, a single tear unconsciously slipping from the corner of his eye.
Time quietly ticked away, second by second.
“Dinner's ready!”
Hilia's pleasant voice interrupted Xia De's trip down memory lane, and he got up from the sofa to walk over to the dining table.
Hilia had just finished bringing all the dishes to the table and was untying her apron.
As she took off the apron, she was no longer wearing her adventurer attire. Instead, she wore an elegant, light green dress that revealed her creamy, smooth arms, with her green gemstone necklace resting on her slender neck.
Her pale gold hair was not let loose, but was instead woven into a long braid draped over her right shoulder, a happy smile on her face.
Seeing Hilia like this, Xia De reached out, his fingers twitching slightly as a gentle breeze emanated from his fingertips, naturally undoing her braid.
“W-What are you doing?”
Hilia's cheeks flushed slightly as she let out a gentle, coquettish huff.
Xia De coughed lightly, his gaze shifting away awkwardly.
“You probably shouldn't wear your hair like that in the future.”
Hilia rolled her emerald eyes, seemingly pondering the reason, before smiling and nodding, readily agreeing.
“Okay!”
An enticing aroma wafted into their noses, and the two turned their attention to the sumptuous dinner on the table.
Some of the dishes were just like the ones from his past life, only made with different ingredients. There was shredded chicken, braised beef, salt and pepper chicken wings, and so on. Others were unique to the elves, such as honey nectar and cakes made from flowers.
Looking at the dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, Xia De gasped in admiration.
“You're incredibly clever and skilled! I only taught you some of these once, and you've already made them look so authentic!”
Picking up a piece of beef and putting it in his mouth, Xia De smacked his lips.
“Delicious!”
There was not a single hint of pretense in his reaction; his eyes held only the pure happiness of eating delicious food.
Hilia looked at the excited Xia De with a smug expression, her little mouth practically curving up to the sky.
This is a vital part of bridal training!
“Hmph, I'm highly talented, you know! You can safely leave the cooking to me in the future!”
“Alright!”
Xia De didn't realize the underlying meaning in Hilia's words and readily agreed in one breath, digging back into the delicious food.
Xia De had to admit that Hilia's talent for cooking was simply absurd.
He had only taught her some of the dishes from his past life once, yet Hilia had perfectly replicated them, even making further improvements to the flavor.
Now, another label was added to Hilia's image in Xia De's mind.
Intelligent, stubborn, and highly skilled.
Xia De's happy, frantic eating infected Hilia.
Looking at him like this, a happy smile naturally formed on Hilia's face, and a deep sense of satisfaction welled up from the bottom of her heart.
It felt heavy, yet incredibly warm.
Eat up, eat up.
Once the affairs of the elves are resolved, I'll cook for you for the rest of my life, making it so you can never leave me.
Rate on N.U.
