"Sister Huifen, what are you saying? Cindy Nang is just hurt, that's why I'm carrying her!" Ryan was speechless—this Sister Huifen really was invested.
"Okay, got it. You take her upstairs—should I bring dinner up for you?" Sister Huifen giggled, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"No need, I'll come down and get it later. I'm heading up now!" Ryan said, quickly striding off.
"Ah, young people these days are so impatient!" Sister Huifen shook her head, looking a little envious.
Ryan was completely speechless, but before he'd taken two steps, Cindy Nang grabbed his arm: "What do you mean, 'turning raw rice into cooked rice'? What do you mean, 'impatient'? You—you have bad intentions!"
(System note skipped: This is a standard web-novel chapter transition and not part of the story.)
"Are you sure?" Cindy Nang frowned tightly.
"Of course I'm sure. Otherwise, with how you dressed last night, you think I could've held back?" Ryan snorted.
"What? I dressed like that last night and you didn't react? Am I really that ugly? Is my figure really that unworthy of your attention?" Cindy Nang got angry—she wanted to punch him but had no strength, wanted to kick him but couldn't move, so she just went ahead and bit him.
"My dear Miss, are you done yet? I'll just toss you aside!" Ryan yelled immediately.
"Go on, toss me then!" Cindy Nang shouted back.
"You think I won't?" Ryan shot back. Just then, Cindy Nang let out a piercing scream, followed by a furious shout.
"If you dare pinch my butt, we're not done!"
...
"Mom, Uncle is so bad—he actually pinched Sister’s butt! That must hurt!" Xiaoru looked up in confusion.
"Xiaoru, don't talk nonsense. Go play outside!" Sister Huifen quickly pulled Xiaoru away, thinking to herself that this kind of butt-pinching probably doesn't hurt—in fact, they're probably enjoying it.
Sister Huifen smiled with envy, scooped up Xiaoru, and sensibly left the house. Granny Sha was out today too, so it was the perfect chance to give these two lovebirds some privacy—let them mess around as much as they want.
With a wicked smile, Sister Huifen had already walked well out of earshot.
...
Meanwhile, in the inner room, the two 'flirting and bickering' youths had already entered the bedroom.
Cindy Nang had put up a tough front, but her complexion was already growing pale—the poison was clearly beginning to circulate through her body.
"See? I told you not to move, not to yell, and now look—the poison's spreading all over your body!" Ryan grumbled, then tossed Cindy Nang onto the bed.
"Fine, I—I’m willing!" Cindy Nang pouted, still stubborn as ever.
"Alright then, just lie down. I’m not going to bother with you anymore!" Ryan was honestly getting fed up with this brat’s attitude.
"Waaah!" The moment Ryan said that, Cindy Nang actually started bawling, sobbing as she choked out, "Nobody’s ever dared to talk back to me, nobody’s ever dared to ignore me—only you! Sob sob sob, I hate you! Go away, just let me die…"
"Alright, alright, princess, you win! Don’t cry so loud, okay? I’ll help you, I’ll help you, is that good enough?" Ryan sighed. If anyone else overheard, they’d probably think he was bullying her.
"Hmph!" Hearing Ryan give in, Cindy Nang immediately stopped crying. Her eyes locked onto him, finally softening a little—her life was hanging by a thread, and Ryan was her only hope.
"Alright, don’t move. Let me check the wound!" Ryan dropped the banter and tore open Cindy’s collar, exposing a patch of snowy skin—but it was marred by a deep, festering wound that ran all the way down to her chest.
Ryan’s eyes widened in alarm. Not caring about modesty, he ripped open her chest garment too, and for a split second, her breasts were exposed right in front of him.
"Hey, what are you staring at? Don’t think you can cop a feel while you’re at it!" Cindy snapped.
Relax, they're not really my type!
"You—ugh, you’re disgusting!" Cindy’s face turned even paler with anger.
"Enough, I’m done joking around. This is gonna hurt—a lot. You’d better brace yourself." Ryan summoned the ancient Heavenwood qi from within, but the wound was so severe that he’d have to cut away the rotten flesh, like slicing to the bone.
Cindy gritted her teeth and nodded fiercely.
Ryan took a quick breath, and in his hand, a blade of condensed Foundation-Building qi appeared. The first step was to cut away the dead flesh as fast as possible.
In a flash, the blade came down—Cindy Nang screamed instantly.
"Don’t scream! If you do, the poison will spread even faster!" Ryan warned, working quickly.
"Then—then what do I do?" Cindy shouted, sweating buckets.
"Bite something! If you bite down, it’ll help!" Ryan said, grabbing a wooden stick and handing it to her.
But Cindy Nang shoved the stick aside and, in a panic, sank her teeth right into Ryan’s shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but this was the critical moment for driving out the poison—he couldn’t flinch or move.
With Cindy Nang biting him like crazy, Ryan could only grit his teeth and endure. He brought the qi blade down swiftly, slicing away the necrotic flesh. The dead tissue was quickly removed, and then he dripped wood-element life essence onto the wound—instantly, Cindy’s ruined skin began to regenerate.
"Alright, that’s enough—let go of my arm, dog fangs!" Ryan slumped to the floor, his arm almost too sore to lift.
"Is it done?" Cindy Nang had kept her eyes shut the whole time, but now she opened them and saw her skin healing. Instantly, she broke into a smile. "Thank you for saving my life!"
"Yeah, your skin’s fine now, but my arm’s been chewed to bits!" Ryan blew on the bite marks, muttering that she really was part dog—the bite was seriously vicious.
"Sorry, I panicked and bit you!" Cindy Nang apologized quickly, then added, "Don’t worry, I’ll repay your kindness!"
(End of chapter note: This chapter isn’t finished yet~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
"Enough, don’t go promising anything weird like ‘repaying with your body’—I’m really not interested!" Ryan opened the door and looked out at the mountain path.
"Hmph, don’t worry—I wouldn’t fall for you anyway. I already have someone I like!" Cindy Nang huffed.
"Oh, you’ve got a crush? That’s great—who is it?" Ryan let out a relieved sigh.
"Why should I tell you?" Cindy turned away, clearly flustered but unable to resist bragging: "The guy I like is a true hero—he fought off Japanese invaders, reclaimed Shark-Hook Island, wiped out the Mitsui Group, brought blessings to the people, and pulled off a miracle at the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament. Some say he was killed by Philip Qin, but I’m sure a genius like him can’t be dead. He’s still out there, and that kind of legendary man is the only one I’d ever fall for!"
"Oh, so you mean him." Ryan’s face flushed red—he never expected to have such a secret fangirl. Should he be embarrassed or flattered?
"You know him?" As soon as the topic changed, Cindy Nang became visibly excited.
"Sort of!" Ryan coughed awkwardly, then pressed, "Are you sure he’s not dead?"
"No way, he’s definitely alive! I can feel it. After what happened in Jinling, I’m sure he came to the South Sea. That’s actually one reason I begged my dad to send me to Sansha Island for this anti-Japanese mission!" Cindy jumped to her feet, her whole face bright with joy.
"Your sixth sense is scary accurate..."
"What did you say?" Cindy Nang turned her head, curious.
"Nothing, just hope you get to meet him!" Ryan turned away, feeling his brain was about to explode.
"Hehe, don’t be discouraged. Honestly, you’re pretty impressive too! But compared to my hero, you’re just a little bit short. Maybe I’ll help you find a nice girl someday. As for me, well—I only belong to him!" Cindy giggled, blushing with embarrassment.
"Alright, I surrender. Totally surrender." Ryan was speechless—he felt he was still miles away from being a real playboy. But just then, a piercing whistle sounded outside.
"Something’s up—the Japanese are making a move for real this time!" Cindy Nang dropped her smile and dashed out. Ryan hurried after her, surprised the enemy was acting so fast. Clearly, the treasure they were trying to smuggle out was no ordinary thing…