Saving

“Mmm~” As the mana entered her body, Leona, who had been frowning, suddenly let out a soft moan. The sound was filled with such relief that it made Zhang Ye’s eyebrows twitch.

I don’t know anything, I’m totally innocent...

Leona’s surface temperature was likely around seventy or eighty degrees and was still rising. Even though he was holding her arm, which was slightly cooler, Zhang Ye felt as if his palms were being seared. It was incredibly hot!

Not only that, but the moment he grabbed Leona’s hand, the mana in his body began to flow into her at a terrifying speed. At this rate, his mana would be sucked dry in less than twenty seconds. Even with his mana recovery, it wouldn't be enough!

“Immediately enter a state of meditation to accelerate your mana recovery!” Ella commanded.

Zhang Ye was stunned. “I can cultivate at a time like this?”

“Why not?” Ella said. “As long as you can enter meditation, you can cultivate just the same. Hurry up! If the mana supply becomes insufficient, her mana could completely riot at any moment!”

“If that happens, you definitely won't be able to escape the blast radius. You’ll be buried with her!”

“Who said anything about running!” Zhang Ye gritted his teeth. In just that short moment, his hands had already been scorched. If his physique hadn't reached Tier Three, he wouldn't have been able to hold on at all.

Even so, the pain of the burns made him clench his teeth. Combined with the heat waves hitting his face, he felt like he was in a very bad spot.

With his internal mana being violently drained, he felt a cold sense of emptiness, yet his exterior was being lashed by waves of heat. It was a literal mix of fire and ice!

Zhang Ye wanted a “fire and ice” experience, but definitely not this kind!

“When you wake up, if you don’t marry me to repay this, you’ll definitely owe me!” Zhang Ye gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and forced himself to ignore his burning palms as he entered a state of meditation.

He had originally thought the pain would lessen once he entered meditation, but the reality was—it was still just as painful!

But he had no choice. Under meditation, his mana recovery was three times faster than usual, which barely kept pace with the speed at which Leona was absorbing it. His mana had just been sucked down to only a fifth of its capacity, and from this point on, the supply to Leona could not stop for a single second. He had to maintain this state.

It hurts... it hurts... it hurts so much...

I’m supposed to be afraid of pain...

He felt as if his hands were being boiled in water. The intense pain made his entire body tremble, and he nearly dropped out of meditation several times. Fortunately, with Ella’s reminders, he managed to persevere.

But the agonizing pain grew stronger. He even started to smell something fragrant.

A fragrance... Holy crap, are my hands cooked?!

Should I add some honey so I smell better when I die?

But at this point, Zhang Ye couldn't care about that anymore.

He could no longer feel the existence of his hands. The sensation in his palms had vanished, and the burning feeling began to spread from his palms up his arms.

Gradually, a scorched smell wafted through the air.

He knew his palms were already charred. Next would be his arms. If he continued like this, his entire arms would be cooked through.

The intense pain caused the veins on his forehead to bulge. He even wanted to just pass out.

“Dammit... it hurts so much!” he hissed through his teeth. “I don’t know how those firefighters endure the heat of the flames...”

“Firefighters really are great!”

Ella: “...”

Is this really the time to be talking about that?!

Minutes and seconds ticked by. Zhang Ye didn't know how long he had been holding on. He only knew that his hair seemed to be curling from the heat, and his clothes were scorched yellow and wrinkled. His entire body throbbed with the pain of severe burns.

His whole body was burned.

The temperature in the cave was forty or fifty degrees, and Leona’s body temperature had already exceeded a hundred. That wasn't all; because he was so close to her, the temperature around him had reached eighty or ninety degrees. In this environment, it was practically like being slow-roasted.

He felt like he was about to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

He didn't even know how he was withstanding the waves of agony crashing over him.

Maybe it was because if he didn't withstand it, he would die.

Or maybe it was because his hands had lost all sensation and simply couldn't let go anymore.

Regardless, he kept persisting.

In the end, his consciousness began to fade, and he was only meditating out of pure habit.

Suddenly, a white light flashed.

He had reached Tier Four. His 【Copy and Analyze】 ability could now process magic up to two tiers above his own.

This breakthrough allowed him to regain a bit of clarity.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He had sweat everything out and was severely dehydrated. His lungs were scorched by the hot air, and his throat hurt as if it were being sliced by knives. He couldn't make a single sound.

Suddenly, Leona’s body temperature dropped rapidly, seemingly returning to normal, and Zhang Ye felt that she was no longer absorbing his mana.

Is it... finally over...

He thought to himself. Having been burned like this, he didn't know if he could ever recover.

My handsome face better not be disfigured!

But this was a fantasy world where anything was possible, so he should be able to recover... right?

With that thought, his consciousness relaxed, and he plunged into darkness.

As Zhang Ye lost consciousness, Ella’s figure also vanished.

She was a system sprite and could only manifest a physical form when Zhang Ye was conscious. Once he fainted, she could only return to his consciousness space.

The moment she disappeared, Leona opened her eyes.

Her left eye was shrouded in darkness, and her pupil glowed with an eerie purple light. However, a moment later, the darkness and purple light converged toward her pupil, being completely absorbed like a black hole. Her eyes returned to a ruby-like fiery red.

A light of excitement flashed in her eyes.

She had succeeded!

The Demon Realm power had been subdued!

From now on, this invasive Demon Realm power would become her own, making her even stronger!

And all of this... was because of the guy beside her.

She turned to look at Zhang Ye.

She found him sitting cross-legged beside her, still clutching her arm.

While she was fighting the Demon Realm power, her mana had been on the verge of exhaustion. Just when she thought all her efforts would be in vain, a stream of mana had poured into her body. That comforting sensation had made her moan out loud.

Then she had begun to greedily absorb that mana, constantly and without pause.

She had wondered where the mana was coming from.

Because when she had shut down her senses to focus entirely on fighting the Demon Realm power, Zhang Ye was only Tier Two. He shouldn't have possessed such a massive amount of mana. But now she realized she was wrong.

In just a few days, she was shocked to find that Zhang Ye had already reached Tier Four!

Furthermore, he possessed a mana reserve far larger than a typical Tier Four!

But now, his aura had become incredibly weak. His body was severely burned, his skin was peeling, and his hair was charred and brittle to the touch. His hands were completely blackened, almost unrecognizable.

Looking at Zhang Ye’s face, which was scorched beyond recognition, her gaze softened significantly.

She reached out and gently stroked his face as her sultry voice drifted through the air.

“Is he really trying this hard just to get this lady to marry him?”

“Not a bad kid.”

With that, a gentle flame condensed from her hand and covered Zhang Ye’s body. It didn't burn him; on the contrary, his severe injuries began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. Even his dry, scorched clothes slowly smoothed out.

【Phoenix Breath】!

Before long, seventy to eighty percent of his injuries were healed, leaving only his hands.

His hands were too severely burned. Even with Leona’s healing magic, they couldn't be cured in a short amount of time.

She moved her arm and found that Zhang Ye was still tightly gripping her hand.

As she moved, Zhang Ye actually let out a soft grunt and began to inject mana into her body again.

Leona was stunned, only to realize that Zhang Ye was still unconscious.

Her gaze grew even softer as she looked at him. Suddenly, she gave a light chuckle, gently pried Zhang Ye’s hand away, and tapped her slender finger on his forehead. His furrowed brow immediately smoothed out, a peaceful expression appeared on his face, and his breathing became long and steady.

Leona laid Zhang Ye down flat.

“Why did you save me?” She lay on her side next to him, propping her head up with one hand as she watched his handsome face, asking softly as if talking to herself.

“You clearly don't know me, so why suffer like this just to give me mana?”

“An ordinary Tier Four doesn't have as much mana as you. Just who are you?”

At this, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind.

That year, she was sixteen.

Flame Lion City. Ruins, a sea of fire, screams...

She had caused all of it.

The flames inside her were rampaging, and she thought she would take everyone in the city with her in that riot of fire. But at the last moment, she was saved by that person.

She had asked why he saved her.

She was clearly a sinner!

But he had said, “Does saving someone need a reason?”

She had cried, crying very loudly. The man had pinched her cheek and laughed. “Don't cry. You have to face life with a smile.”

“But I caused all this! I—I’m a sinner!” she had sobbed.

“You’re not a sinner. You’re Leona.”

“The one who will become the strongest Red Lotus Lion of the Salomon family!”

“B-but I’m a girl. How can I become a Red Lotus Lion?”

“What’s wrong with being a girl?” the man laughed. “You should know that on the savanna, it’s the lionesses who do the hunting!”

“Here, have a piece of gum. This is called being open-minded. Hehe, smile into strength!”

“You have to smile to become strong.”

“The more magnanimous your smile, the stronger you’ll become!”

“Alright, time’s up. It’s time to say goodbye,” the man said with a smile.

“Are you leaving?” she had asked. “What’s your name? Will we see each other again?”

“Yeah, I have to go. As for my name, you’ll find out later.”

“I promise you, we’ll meet again.”

“At that time, you have to...” Before he could finish, the man vanished right in front of Leona.

She couldn't remember his face. Or rather, he had been wearing a mask at the time, so she couldn't see it. Even his voice had gradually blurred with her memories.

But Leona knew that man had changed her life.

He was the one who made her who she was today.

She wanted to find him, to let him see how strong she had become, and let him hear how magnanimous her laughter was!

And today, she had met another guy.

A guy who, just like that man, had saved her without a reason.

He said he wanted her to marry him, so how could there be no reason?

No, Leona could feel that he hadn't saved her just for that.

Would someone risk their life for beauty?

Perhaps some would, but definitely not him. During these many days of her being unconscious, he hadn't made any inappropriate moves. Aside from feeding her, there was very little physical contact.

Would such a person risk their life for beauty?

Impossible.

She was very curious about why Zhang Ye had saved her.

She decided to ask him for the truth once he woke up.

...

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