Chapter 112: I will protect you.

Chapter 112: I will protect you. “Hmm?” By the campfire, amidst an awkward atmosphere, Shane suddenly lifted his head, his eyebrows slightly raised. At that moment, Shane’s “Enemy Detection” skill had reacted, informing him that someone nearby harbored hostility, even murderous intent, towards him. Shane glanced in that direction and appeared to understand something, a mocking expression emerging on his face. This left Merica, who had been secretly watching Shane, somewhat stunned, and after hesitating, she ventured to speak in a trembling voice. “What... What’s the matter?” ... Finally, after half an hour, someone broke the awkward silence. “It’s nothing,” Shane shook his head, smiling meaningfully, “Just marveling at how some young masters really don’t have the patience I imagined they would, and even more at their strong possessiveness. They’re truly the spitting image of medieval prodigal nobility.” “Young master? Medieval prodigal nobility?” Merica seemed not to understand. However, the words “young master” and “nobility” struck a nerve and made Merica tense up. “Could it be...?” Merica guessed what was happening and her expression became bewildered. Source: , updated on ƝονǤᴑ.ᴄ0 Seeing this, Shane couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Are you that afraid of him?” Shane asked incredulously, “Even though he’s a noble, you’re an elf, a race revered as blessed by the gods. Your level is much higher than that prodigal young master’s. Despite being oppressed by him like this, wouldn’t you just blast him with a spell?” In fact, Shane had wanted to say this for a long time. No matter how you looked at it, Merica was a Level 42 Elf Mage. If she truly fought back, even with high-quality equipment, the upstart young master at only Level 38 couldn’t possibly bully Merica, could he? But time after time, Merica was unable to deal with him, which was indeed baffling. After much thought, Shane could only come up with one possible reason for this situation. That was that Merica didn’t want to fight, or rather, she dared not fight. “No... I can’t!” Merica said, shaking her head vigorously, and quickly explained, “Magic is a very dangerous power. The Flame Series and Ice Series I’ve learned both have high damage outputs. Even the least powerful Basic Magic can cause great harm to the human body, so it’s not something you can just use on people at will!” She seemed to genuinely believe that. But Shane didn’t understand and became somewhat annoyed. “The other person wants to hurt you, yet you’re still worrying about hurting them, are you foolish?” Shane spoke with a mix of frustration and iron-willed concern, “Look at Tielle, at the first sign of conflict, she goes straight to chopping people’s limbs off. Surely that’s more harmful than you using a Basic Spell, right?” The implication being, if Merica decisively hit them with a Basic Spell, one wouldn’t suffer as severely as being dismembered. “Sometimes, a person’s kindness doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes, you know?” Shane was being as patient as he could. To this, Merica wanted to say something but found herself speechless. She understood the principle. But... (...I’m actually just too nervous and scared, so I forgot how to chant the Magic Spell. If I admit such a truth, it feels so embarrassing.) Merica’s face turned beet red, nearly consumed by embarrassment. This was, in fact, one of Merica’s weaknesses. As someone with high natural affinity for magic, when facing demons or the Demon Clan, even if danger loomed close, she could steadfastly complete the Chanting and calmly blast her opponent away. However, when the opponent was of the Human Race, for some reason, Merica would get so nervous that it caused her Chanting and meditation to be intermittent, preventing her from successfully performing Magic. This condition was relatively common among elves. Due to their innate kindness, when facing humans, they often inherently held back, and even when they had to strike hard, most elves couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment. Merica, in particular, had severe issues in this respect, not just due to her kindness, but because she got easily nervous and was quite clumsy in combat against humans, even more so than the timid and shy Lu Muya. Lu Muya, despite her timidity and shyness, always mustered her courage to fight when necessary, otherwise she wouldn’t have charged at the demons without hesitation, sending all the enemies flying with a single punch. In contrast, Merica was neither particularly timid nor shy. However, due to her excessive wariness of others, she became easily tense, leading to problems. This was a problem that Vivian, Tielle, and Lu Muya were all aware of, yet Shane was the only one who didn’t know. Merica didn’t want Shane to know either. The only reason was that she didn’t want Shane to look down on her. At the moment, all Merica could do was bow her head in silent despair. Shane didn’t wish to lecture her like some haughty life coach. Seeing Merica fall silent, he too didn’t want to say anything more. He simply shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back toward the source of the hostility, his eyes filled with mockery. There was Magre, clutching a tattered piece of parchment, growling continuously. “Come on! Put some muscle into it!” Early summer, Sea City. Mu Lan clutching a document bag drove towards the Empire Building, it contained the drafted divorce agreement. Throughout the journey, Mu Lan’s expression was calm, showing no signs that she was a woman about to get divorced. At eighteen, Mu Lan had tried everything to marry Huo Tingxiao. Seven years had passed, and she thought even a stone would have warmed up by then. Unfortunately, no matter what she did, Huo Tingxiao treated her as if she were air, just as he had said those years ago, “You will only get the title of Mrs. Huo, nothing more.” Pale fingers gripped the steering wheel, and during the drive, she received a call. Whatever the other person said, Mu Lan got distracted. To avoid a pedestrian suddenly crossing the road, she instinctively made a sharp turn, causing her white Maserati to spin out of control and crash into the roadside railing. With a “bang”, the airbag deployed instantly! The huge impact buzzed in her head, the sudden car crash drew more and more onlookers. “There’s someone in the car, call 120 quickly.” “My gosh, she’s bleeding so much, the lady looks badly hurt.” “Miss, miss, can you hear me speak? Can you tell me your family’s contact information?” Mu Lan’s vision was blurry; she could only see the mouths of the people around her moving, but couldn’t hear their voices. Her mind was filled with the words the person on the phone had said, continuously agitating Mu Lan. Suddenly, her eyelids uncontrollably drooped, and the next second, she lost consciousness entirely. ————— The next morning. High-level surgical ward at the First People’s Hospital. Standing beside the bed, the man frowned deeply at the still-unconscious Mu Lan. Upon receiving the news of Mu Lan’s car accident and hospitalization, Huo Tingxiao did not rush back immediately but waited until he had finished all his work before arriving at the hospital. His physique was tall and straight, wrapped in a dark shirt, and his features were sharp, especially his eyes, which, when looking at someone, resembled a black panther locking onto its prey, emitting an intimidating aura. “Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” The tone was as cold as an ice-pick, scaring the attending physician behind him into shivering. “Huo... Mr. Huo, Mrs. Huo’s condition is somewhat special; the car accident caused a head impact, thus forming a clot, so...” Before he could finish explaining, Mu Lan showed signs of response on the bed. This made the attending physician sigh with relief; thank goodness, if she hadn’t woken up, he really feared that Huo Tingxiao would freeze him to death with his gaze. However, before his heart could settle, a new crisis emerged. Mu Lan moved slightly, and involuntarily let out a moan from her lips. “Hiss...” Headache! She slowly opened her eyes, looking bewildered at the entirely unfamiliar surroundings. Mu Lan’s mind blanked for a moment. The white ceiling, the faint smell of disinfectant in the air, and certain fragmented images momentarily flashed through her mind. Her gaze landed on the unfamiliar man before her, and instinctively, Mu Lan became somewhat defensive. “This... Where is this? Sir, you... who are you?” Sir?! This term made Huo Tingxiao’s already furrowed brow look even more twisted. The doctor was also confused by the situation in front of him, a bad premonition swirling in his mind. He held out two fingers in front of Mu Lan and waved them. “What is this?” Mu Lan couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “2” “What’s your name?” “Mu Lan.” “And him... who is he?” “I don’t recognize him.” Huo Tingxiao’s face completely darkened, already somewhat unapproachable, now he looked even more like King Yama. The attending physician, on the verge of tears, wondered if this was some kind of stunt Mrs. Huo was pulling during an argument. “Then do you remember what happened before?” “Of course I remember. I felt awful with menstrual pain during the comprehensive science exam this morning, and I fainted right after I finished the answer sheet...” Mu Lan sat up, her tone already somewhat impatient. What was with this doctor, asking her all these unnecessary questions. “Exam... Comprehensive science? Filling in an answer sheet?” This answer baffled the attending physician. Of course, seeing him like this, Mu Lan was even more confused. “Yes, it’s the second day of college entrance exams today, the comprehensive science test in the morning. This... isn’t this the school infirmary?” “Mu Lan, enough, this act is really boring.” The tone of Huo Tingxiao’s voice made Mu Lan frown and retort sharply. “Who are you, sir? Speaking so rudely. What’s this about boring or not boring? Glancing at the wall clock, Mu Lan, in a rush, pulled out the IV needle from her hand and attempted to get out of bed. “It’s already noon, and I still have an English exam at three. I don’t have time to dilly-dally with you all.” But she had barely lifted the corner of the blanket when Huo Tingxiao restrained her, the difference in strength rendering her completely immobile, crouching on the hospital bed like a small quail. Their distance suddenly so close they could feel each other’s breath, Mu Lan staring blankly at the handsome face before her, the complex emotions in Huo Tingxiao’s eyes deep as dark pools, almost seeming to suck her in completely, leaving her momentarily disoriented. The situation was completely unexpected, frightening the attending physician into hastily arranging a series of tests for her. But just after the CT scan, Mu Lan protested. “What’s wrong with you people? I just have menstrual pain, I don’t need any tests. If you delay any longer, what if I’m late and can’t take the exam? Can you all just let me be? Hey! Why are you carrying me?! Ah! Help! Kidnapping! Is there no law anymore?!” The attending physician secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, pondering to himself — law? In Sea City, the law is Huo Tingxiao. After the examination, Mu Lan was taken back to the ward by the bodyguards, while Huo Tingxiao was led to the consultation room, where five or six specialists and the dean surrounded the new CT and lab reports, discussing her condition. The conclusion reached was — Mu Lan might have lost her memory. “Memory loss?” A tone full of skepticism. Clearly, Huo Tingxiao did not accept this conclusion. Shane instinctively caught Merica, finally realizing he had gone too far. Meanwhile, Magre had completely lost control. “I’ll kill you!” From the corner, Magre charged out, filled with raging fury.