“I’m sorry, Sister. I just woke up in a daze and treated you like a piece of meat.”
Lin Hong apologized awkwardly.
This time, he didn’t even have to act; he was genuinely embarrassed.
He had bitten a girl like a piece of meat, even drawing blood.
At the same time, he reached out and brushed his hand over her arm, circulating the energy within his body with a light touch.
Naturally, he didn’t forget his disguise.
He manipulated the form of his energy to make it appear identical to the low-level healing magic of this world, emitting a soft green glow.
As his fingertips brushed against the wound, the effect was immediate.
In just two or three breaths, the bite marks on Lovella’s forearm were repaired.
The bleeding stopped, and her skin became as smooth and tender as before.
“I’m sorry, Sister. I really didn’t mean to,” he apologized again.
Lovella remained silent throughout.
She simply watched him quietly, then slowly withdrew her hand and looked down, her other hand gently stroking the patch of skin that had just been healed.
Then, she lifted her gaze, the expression in her deep blue eyes complex and difficult to decipher.
“When did you learn healing magic?”
“?”
Lin Hong was stunned for a moment.
Was there a problem?
He had paid close attention to the young Evan’s memories.
This lowest-grade [Heal] spell was a mandatory part of the magic curriculum at the academy.
Though the young Evan was lazy and lacked talent, he still knew the most basic spells.
Otherwise, Lin Hong wouldn’t have dared to use it.
Of course, he was using the energy he had cultivated within himself, which was of a much higher level than that specific magic.
However, the spell was indeed that spell.
After all, he had been dealing with various priests and nuns lately and had seen it enough to become familiar with it.
“Isn’t this the most basic [Heal]? They taught it at the academy.”
Lin Hong looked utterly bewildered and innocent.
Lovella didn’t respond, merely staring at Lin Hong in silence.
Lin Hong didn’t blush or panic, meeting her gaze with righteous confidence.
Finally, Lovella let out a sigh so faint it was barely audible.
She didn’t press him further, nor did she reprimand him for the biting incident.
She stood up slowly, her movements as elegant as ever, as if she hadn’t been on the verge of tugging his ear in anger just a moment ago.
“Get some rest.”
She said those words and then departed with steady steps.
Lin Hong watched her leave, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
His intuition was ringing alarm bells.
Because his perception was extraordinary, how could he not notice that Lovella’s mood was off?
It clearly wasn’t as simple as him taking a bite out of her.
‘Was it because I dodged that ear-tug?’
Lin Hong immediately considered the possibility but quickly dismissed it.
In the young Evan’s memories, the relationship between the siblings had been strained for several years.
The young Evan had spent years avoiding Lovella whenever possible, or being perfunctory when he couldn’t, only to look for another chance to hide.
So, there shouldn’t have been anything wrong with him dodging just now, right?
Then what exactly was she concerned about?
Lin Hong pondered for a moment, but since he couldn’t figure it out, he promptly gave up and pushed the doubt to the back of his mind.
Because he was too hungry!
He immediately went to bathe to wash away the sticky layer covering his body.
He had just undergone a violent metamorphosis.
His body was sticky and drenched in sweat as it expelled various impurities.
It could only be said that it was a good thing Lovella hadn’t stayed long; otherwise, the stench might have knocked her over.
Afterward, Lin Hong began to eat voraciously, devouring everything like a whirlwind.
He had walked the path of cultivation once before and knew what to expect, so he had prepared plenty of food in advance.
Finally, he was full and felt immensely satisfied.
Next, he examined his internal state.
Inside his body, after his innate and acquired Qi had consumed a large amount of primal essence as nourishment, his internal circulation’s speed and intensity had increased significantly.
Every inch of his physical body was being nourished, greedily swallowing the essence.
At the same time, the nourished and strengthened physical body fed back into the internal circulation, providing a better foundation and momentum, which in turn increased efficiency.
It was a virtuous cycle!
Lin Hong stood up and went outside.
By then, the night was deep.
There was no moon that night, not even stars.
A heavy night sky shrouded the earth.
Once one moved even a short distance away from the magic lamps, it became pitch black.
However, Lin Hong wasn’t affected in the slightest.
He could easily see through the darkness, clearly spotting even the slight wear on the dome of the distant Imperial Palace.
Both the strength of his vision and his distance limit had increased dramatically!
At the same time, his hearing, smell, and touch were all enhanced.
The whole world felt vivid, as if a mysterious veil had been lifted.
Lin Hong was incredibly satisfied.
This tangible feeling of improvement was addictive.
He wanted to perform some more tests, such as on his strength, speed, and reflexes.
Unfortunately, at that moment, a visitor arrived at the edge of his perception.
It was a court priest coming to perform the physical examination that took place three times a day.
This time, however, there seemed to be an extra step.
Besides the physical checkup, a soft healing light also enveloped his head, seemingly intended to soothe his spirit.
“Young Master Evan’s recovery is going well, far exceeding expectations. May the Goddess of Life bless you.”
A moment later, the priestess offered a gentle and sincere smile, congratulating Lin Hong.
“However, Young Master Evan, please allow me to say a few more words.”
“Please go ahead,” Lin Hong said politely.
“Before I came here, Lady Lovella came to see me. She is very worried about you.”
Lin Hong raised an eyebrow, feigning a look of surprise.
“Lady Lovella believes that after experiencing such an event, in addition to physical injuries, you might have suffered some mental — or rather, psychological — trauma. She asked me to look after you.”
“Ordinary soul-level trauma can be detected and treated with magic, but…” The priestess explained, her voice turning even softer.
“Psychological trauma is difficult to specifically detect or quantify, and there is no healing magic that can directly erase it.”
“So, please understand that your sister cares for you very much. If you feel fear or unease, please do not bottle it up. You must speak out. We may not be able to erase those emotions directly, but we can provide comfort, which can help to some extent.”
Lin Hong nodded obediently, but he laughed inwardly.
‘Fear or unease?’
He did have those.
He would feel fear if he hadn’t killed enough of the Evil Clan, and he would feel unease if he couldn’t find where the Evil Clan was hiding to kill them.
However, he also realized something.
Was this the source of Lovella’s strange behavior?
She was worried about his psychological well-being.
‘What a good sister.’
Lin Hong thanked her sincerely.
“Thank you, and thank my sister as well. But I really haven’t felt anything unusual so far. If I do, I definitely won’t bottle it up.”
“It’s wonderful that you think that way. Seeking help is never a sign of weakness,” the priestess chuckled.
“In that case, I won’t disturb you any further. Please get some rest, Young Master Evan. Goodnight.”
She took her leave.
Over the next three days, Lin Hong often felt restless, as if he were wearing shackles.
In his home universe, whenever he underwent such a major transformation, the first thing he would do after completion was rush to various levels of the Cosmic Rift Battlefield to test himself in battle and solidify his foundation.
Now, he couldn’t do that.
He was forced to stay in his room and “recuperate.”
At most, he could practice some physical killing techniques, and even that had to be done in secret.
Because there were constant visitors.
Lovella would visit often.
She didn’t necessarily do anything; she just sat quietly, reading a book.
Occasionally, after she left, the dutiful priestess would arrive, as regular as clockwork three times a day.
In addition to the physical check, the soft magic light would always linger on his head for an extra moment.
It was practically like being in prison, and it was incredibly annoying, yet he had to greet them with a smile.
Finally, after being forced to be a good boy for three days, a court mage arrived on the morning of the fourth day with an order from the Emperor.
Lovella’s injuries were completely healed, and the transfer of affairs within the Duke’s Mansion had been completed.
Thus, under the guidance of the court mage, he and Lovella arrived at a side hall.
There was nothing in the hall except for a massive teleportation magic circle inscribed on the floor.
It was already activated, shimmering with a ghostly blue light.
The two of them stepped into the glow.
The court mage began to chant, his hands quickly forming seals.
The ghostly blue light on the teleportation circle flared intensely, completely swallowing their figures.
A sensation of weightlessness and spatial stripping washed over them.
A moment later, the light vanished, and their feet hit solid ground.
The scent of vegetation and damp earth from the wilderness flooded his nostrils, replacing the incense that constantly permeated the Imperial Palace.
The sound of wind, birdsong, and the somewhat noisy chatter of people reached his ears.
Lin Hong blinked, his gaze quickly sweeping across the surroundings.
“?”
He was a bit dazed.
Weren’t there a few too many people here?