Ian Song walked to the bedside, gently brushed Shelly Song’s cheek, and said with deep concern, "Shelly, it’s my fault you suffered so much. But don’t worry—none of those who hurt you will escape me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ian activated his Radiance of Life.
Light flashed as Radiance of Life entered Shelly’s body, rapidly healing her internal and external injuries. In just a few seconds, the cross-shaped scars on her cheeks vanished, and her hidden wounds were cured.
Strangely, even though her wounds were healed, Shelly didn’t wake up.
"Shelly." Ian called softly by her ear.
Again and again, he called her dozens of times before Shelly finally responded—her eyelids trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Ian was overjoyed. "Shelly, it’s me—your big brother. Open your eyes and look at me."
Shelly’s eyelids trembled more and more, and finally, she opened them fully—though her gaze was still a little confused.
"Shelly, you finally opened your eyes. You scared me so much!" Ian couldn’t help but grasp her small hands emotionally.
"Brother, is that you?"
"Silly girl, of course it’s me. I’m sorry I was late and let you suffer." Ian’s face showed guilt.
"Wah—Brother, you finally came!"
Shelly sat up excitedly in bed, then threw herself into Ian’s arms and burst into tears.
"It’s okay, Shelly, don’t cry. I’m here now—everything will be alright!" Ian gently patted Shelly’s back, his tone impossibly gentle, and to Shelly, it sounded so warm.
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her pretty face turned pale.
She abruptly pushed Ian away, then pulled up the blanket and covered her head.
"Shelly, what are you doing?" Ian asked in confusion, but quickly realized she must be afraid to show her face because of the scars.
Shelly’s sad voice came from under the blanket: "Brother, I’ve turned into an ugly monster. I can’t face anyone. Just go."
"Silly girl, how are you ugly? You’re obviously beautiful." Ian said, amused.
"My face was slashed—wah—I’m disfigured. Brother will never like me again!" As she spoke, Shelly started crying again, fragile as a little girl.
Hearing Shelly crying, Ian hurriedly said, "Come on, let go of the blanket. Whether you’re scarred or not, I’ll still like you just the same."
"Liar, how could you like an ugly girl?" Shelly’s tone softened a little.
"Shelly, the scars on your face are already healed. So you’re not ugly at all—you’re just as pretty as before!"
"I don’t believe it!" Shelly shook her head.
Even though Shelly didn’t believe him, she instinctively touched her cheeks. Her fingers felt smooth, soft skin—no trace of scars. For a moment, she was stunned. Could it really be healed?
Suddenly, Ian pulled the blanket away and produced a mirror, holding it up to Shelly. "Here, if you don’t believe me, look in the mirror!"
"I don’t want to look! Take it away!" Shelly waved her hands in panic, then covered her eyes.
Seeing this, Ian couldn’t help but laugh and said softly, "Shelly, don’t you even trust your brother? Just open your eyes and you’ll see your wounds are gone. Be good, listen to me, and take your hands away."
After hesitating a while, Shelly finally removed her hands from her eyes. When she saw her face in the mirror, she was overjoyed. She clearly remembered Monica Mo slashing her with a knife—how could there be no scars at all?
"See? Aren’t you beautiful? I didn’t lie to you!" Ian said with a smile.
Shelly stared at him in confusion. "Brother, what’s going on? Why is my face—I remember it clearly..."
"Of course it was your brother who healed you." Ian said, a little smug.
"You’re lying again." Shelly pouted, looking extra cute.
"Don’t believe me? Then I’ll prove it to you." As he spoke, Ian pulled out a dagger and sliced his own arm. Blood welled up, leaving a cut several centimeters long.
Shelly was horrified and burst out crying. "Brother, how could you hurt yourself? I believe you!"
"Silly girl, don’t close your eyes—watch closely!" Ian chuckled unconcernedly, then activated Radiance of Life. Instantly, the bleeding stopped and the wound began to heal before her very eyes.
He wiped away the blood, and the cut on his hand was already smooth and unblemished.
"See?" Ian held his hand out for Shelly to see.
A wound healed in just a few seconds—Shelly was dumbfounded. She stared at Ian in a daze. "Brother, what is this? Is it magic?"
Ian nodded. "Mm, you could call it that."
Hearing Ian admit it, Shelly felt her head spinning. "Brother, are you some kind of immortal?"
Ian couldn’t help but laugh. "Of course I’m not an immortal. At best, I’m just a cultivator."
Ian then explained to Shelly what an Immortal-Dao cultivator was, and showed her a fire spell. He wasn’t showing off—he planned to teach her how to cultivate.
He didn’t want Shelly to ever be powerless again if something like this happened.
Gurgle.
Suddenly a strange noise sounded. Ian instinctively looked at Shelly’s stomach, and her face turned bright red.
"Are you hungry?" Ian asked.
"Mm!" Shelly nodded shyly.
"Let’s go. You’re healed, so let’s leave this place."
"I’ll do whatever you say, Brother!"
There wasn’t much to pack in the ward. But as Shelly got out of bed, she looked embarrassed. "Brother, can you help me find some clothes?"
Seeing Shelly still in her hospital gown, Ian slapped his forehead, blaming himself for being careless. "Wait here, I’ll go buy you some clothes!"
"Don’t go!" Seeing Ian about to leave, Shelly panicked and grabbed his arm.
"What’s wrong?" Ian turned back to look at her.
"Don’t leave me, okay? I’m scared."
Seeing how soft and fragile she looked, Ian couldn’t help but hold her close. "Don’t worry, I won’t leave you. Let’s go—once we leave the hospital, we’ll buy clothes together."
After comforting Shelly, Ian let her cling to his arm as they walked out of the ward.
But just as they left, two burly men stood outside. Seeing Ian and Shelly, both looked confused. Then one glared at Ian and barked, "Hey, who are you? When did you sneak in?"
Ian’s expression instantly turned cold. He shot back, "And who are you?"