In an instant, time froze.
He then flashed to Mei's side and slapped each wild dog across the face. Satisfied, he gently lifted Mei by the waist with both hands.
Ten seconds later, time resumed. The dogs instantly collapsed to the ground, but when they saw the figure before them, they quickly scrambled to their feet and fled in the opposite direction as if slipping on ice.
Mei instinctively wrapped her arms around Fu Lin's neck due to the sudden loss of balance. She then opened her violet eyes and stared blankly at his face, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
'So he secretly transformed into a human behind my back!'
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Fu Lin lowered his gaze to look at Mei in his arms, coughed lightly, and said, "Ahem, little girl, you can let go now."
"Um... just call me Mei." Mei landed on her feet, her eyes shifting uneasily. She nervously pinched the hem of her clothes, her body fidgeting slightly, while a faint blush crept onto her cheeks—a shyness that needed no words to describe.
'Mei is been blushing a lot and keeps smiling at me foolishly. Could it be that something is wrong with her body?'
Fu Lin stroked his chin and looked at the deeply flushed Mei with concern. He then grabbed her wrist and asked, "Have you been feeling unwell lately? Why is your face so red...?"
"...N-no, I feel... fine right now... Is my face really that red?"
Mei's face was burning like fire, the redness spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears, revealing her deep embarrassment. She waved her free hand frantically, but even the slight breeze against her face had no effect.
"Hmm... Your heartbeat is a little fast. Maybe you were just scared by that stray dog earlier. You should be fine after calming down."
Fu Lin let go of Mei's wrist, then, after a brief moment of thought, gently pressed his fingertip against her forehead.
A faint strand of "Honkai Energy" coiled around his fingertip and seeped into Mei's forehead under his control. Mei's heartbeat gradually stabilized as he regulated the flow.
At the same time, the Conquest Gem within Mei flickered slightly before settling back into silence.
"Mm~" Mei let out a comfortable moan as if a warm current had washed over her entire body. She felt utterly relaxed, to the point where she didn't even want to stand anymore.
And so, her body began to sway. After taking a few wobbly steps forward, she slowly collapsed into Fu Lin's arms. She instinctively nuzzled against him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and drifted into a deep sleep.
Fu Lin shook his head helplessly, gently shaking the sleeping Mei in his arms before muttering to himself, "Did I overdo it a little? There shouldn't be any side effects... right?"
However, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "You again! Let's see where you run this time!"
Fu Lin stiffly turned his head, his lips twitching as he saw the smirk on the other person's face. "...Would you believe me if I said this is a misunderstanding?"
Right at that moment, Mei let out a timely moan, "Ah~"
Fu Lin, "...I swear, I'm a good person!"
The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his belt. "...You can explain that at the station."
"Looks like I have no choice but to use my trump card."
Realizing that explanations were useless, Fu Lin's expression grew serious. The officer also sensed the shift in atmosphere and slowly reached for his gun...
"Nigerun da yo~"
"NANI?!!!"
Under the officer's dumbfounded gaze, Fu Lin swiftly hoisted Mei onto his shoulder, grabbed the bag on the ground, and turned to sprint toward home.
After a frantic escape, successfully evading the police, Fu Lin climbed through Mei's window and gently placed her sleeping form onto the bed, even tucking her in thoughtfully.
Once everything was settled, Fu Lin entered the Question-and-Answer Space. He looked at the still-standing 'Little Kiana' plaque, then took out the Treasures Pouch from the system space. Pressing his hands together in prayer, he began his ritual,
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Little Kiana, please manifest! I've drawn so much trash already! Even MiHoYo has a pity system, so shouldn't you have one too?"
"This time, I've gone all out with the ritual, so have some mercy..."
After his sincere prayer, an intense piece of music suddenly played from all directions...
All my people, All my people,Know everything about you,But all my people, All my people,Didn't know that I meant to you...
Feeling that the atmosphere was just right, Fu Lin reached into the Hundred Treasures Pouch. After a moment of rummaging—golden light burst forth...
"WOC! I actually got a gold item?!"
[Razor-Sharp Kitchen Knife: A must-have tool for the kitchen, perfect for chopping vegetables and poultry. Also an excellent choice for dealing with scumbags.
Exclusive Effect: When the enemy is a scumbag, sharpness +30%, bleeding +30%, pain +60%.]
"Well... not as good as the last time when I pulled 'Qi Refining Art (Honkai Version),' but it does conflict a little with Edge of Taixuan technique..."
[Exclusive Skill: The Malice of the World...]
When facing away from a scumbag: Raise the kitchen knife, increasing killing intent and reaction speed by 80%, but also raising the target's danger perception by 60%.
When facing a scumbag directly: Hide the kitchen knife behind your back, reducing the target's danger perception to 0 while increasing their inner fear by 80%.
[Remember to leave a five-star review for the publisher, dear~]
"Hiss~ This is kind of messed up, but still... I have to say: I don't understand, sumimasen."
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A brief explanation:
Qi Refining Art (Honkai Version): When activated, the body absorbs surrounding Honkai Energy, circulating it through a full meridian cycle to gradually compress, filter, and purify it. This removes the harmful side effects of Honkai Energy, refining it to the level of spiritual energy found in cultivation worlds (no longer needing to worry about Honkai Energy corruption, not that it was a concern to begin with). Finally, the purified energy is stored in the dantian. ("If you like fantasy novels, this should be easy to understand. doge)"
On the other hand, Edge of Taixuan technique does not cultivate Honkai Energy. Instead, Taixuan Sword Qi trains the body to become a conduit for Honkai Energy. Once the practitioner's sword heart and sword form reach mastery, they can freely draw in Honkai Energy, allowing it to flow through their meridians without obstruction. However, the dantian does not store Honkai Energy.
As for the Honkai Energy injected into Mei, it had already been compressed and purified by Fu Lin, making it an incredible tonic.
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