Seeing Wen Ran crying so hard her whole body trembled, Ize’s heart ached for her.
His deep blue eyes darkened.
As Wen Ran continued to cry, her body gradually went limp, her strength draining away.
She ended up slumped against Ize’s chest, her voice hitching with sobs.
“There, there, don’t cry.
You’ll make yourself ugly if you keep this up,” Ize coaxed gently.
“You’re the ugly one!
I’m always beautiful, you know.”
The moment he said that, Wen Ran’s pampered-young-lady temper flared up.
She tilted her head back with a haughty little snort, opened her mouth, and bit his prominent Adam’s apple.
Then, she scraped her teeth lightly over the thin skin.
The man’s resigned sigh echoed in the room.
Wen Ran looked up to see Ize’s gaze had turned dark and intense, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
She grew a little frightened and tried to pull away, but a moment later, her wrist was seized.
Ize’s strong arm wrapped around Wen Ran’s waist, lifting her and setting her down on his lap.
Wen Ran nervously clutched the collar of Ize’s sleep robe, her voice trembling.
“I-I was wrong.
I’ll never bite you again.”
The young woman’s rose-like scent made his breathing grow ragged.
[Warning, your Frenzy Value has reached 80%.]
Hearing the Smart Brain’s alert, Wen Ran jumped in fright.
“Ize, your Frenzy Value…”
“Ignore it.”
Ize’s thumb brushed over the young woman’s crimson lips, while the cold White Lion Clan Emblem Ring on his index finger grazed her pointed chin.
Unsuppressible desire filled his deep blue eyes.
Wen Ran felt a surge of panic.
“Ize, mmph—”
The man leaned down, one large hand cupping the nape of her neck, and pressed his lips to hers.
This was their first real kiss, with both of them fully conscious.
His kiss was feather-light, as if he were testing to see if she would pull away.
Once he tasted how sweet her lips were, the kiss deepened, spiraling out of his control.
Wen Ran’s face flushed crimson, and she felt like she was running out of air.
She gave Ize a little push, and he finally let her go.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, gasping for breath.
Ize gazed at her flushed cheeks, a feeling of immense satisfaction welling up inside him.
He gently caressed the nape of her neck, his gaze falling to the wound on her shoulder.
The young woman’s shoulders were rounded, her collarbones exquisite.
A conspicuous bite mark marred the skin, a small amount of blood welling from it.
His eyes darkened.
He pressed his lips to the bite mark and kissed it lightly, as if to cover any scent left there with his own.
“Ngh…”
Wen Ran couldn’t stop a small cry from escaping her lips.
But Ize didn’t let her go, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly to keep her from escaping.
“Let me take you to see the snow-capped mountains.” They left as soon as he said it.
After enjoying the magnificent view, they returned to the room.
The bright overhead lights were turned off, leaving only the warm yellow glow of the light strips along the floor.
A shiver ran through Wen Ran, and she clutched the pink bedsheets in fear.
Ize’s expression was calm, but his gaze was deep and dark, intently fixed on the expression on her face.
The indescribable emotion in his heart subsided somewhat.
He took a few deep breaths, forcing down the heat coiling in his body.
‘That’s enough.’
‘This is as far as I can go.’
“Get some sleep.”
Ize started to get up, but his hand was suddenly grabbed.
Wen Ran bit her lip, gazing at him with undisguised longing.
“I’m scared.
Can you… stay with me?”
Ize sighed.
‘Such a troublesome little kitten.’
‘The little kitten was as soft as a cloud in the sky.
She would give way at a single touch, only to slowly bounce back to her original form.’
‘Perfectly intact, she would continue to hang proudly in the sky, like a goddess from a snow-capped mountain.’
He sat back down on the edge of the bed, tucked Wen Ran’s small hand into the blankets, and said softly, “Alright.
I’ll stay with you.
Rest easy now.”
Perhaps from the lack of oxygen after their kiss, Wen Ran fell asleep quickly.
Ize rubbed his fingertips together, recalling the feel of the cotton fabric he had just touched.
The young woman’s skin was delicate, so all her clothes were made of silk or soft cotton to avoid chafing her luminous, pale skin.
Wen Ran did not sleep peacefully that night.
She would whimper softly one moment, then wave her hands unconsciously in the air the next.
Resigned, Ize could only hold her hand to soothe her.
But as he did, he discovered needle marks in the crook of Wen Ran’s arm.
The color drained from his face.
He checked her other arm and found the same thing—more needle marks.
They were large, not the fine pinpricks left by an injection of a calming agent.
‘What in the world was going on?’
A wave of fury rose in his heart.
‘Who?
Who would dare to harm her!’
The next day, when Wen Ran regained consciousness, she found herself in her Spiritual Sea.
To her surprise, the small sapling among the rose bushes seemed to have grown.
The sapling, once only as thick as her thumb, was now as thick as her wrist.
Its green leaves had also become more lush, and it radiated vitality.
Five pink, baby-fist-sized fruits now hung from its branches.
Wen Ran reached out and touched one.
As she touched it, a surge of spiritual power flowed out, sending ripples across the windless sea of roses.
A small suspicion formed in Wen Ran’s mind.
By the time she got out of bed, Ize was already at the dining table eating.
But Wen Ran waited for a long time, and no servant came to bring her any food.
She looked at Hunter in confusion.
“I’m taking you to the hospital for a check-up in a little while.
You need to fast for now.”
“A check-up?
But I’m perfectly fine.”
After she spoke, Wen Ran realized Ize was concerned about her unique constitution.
‘A trip to the hospital might be a good thing.
I never had the chance in my past life.
Maybe this time, I can find a solution.’
As soon as they arrived at the hospital, a man in a white lab coat with shoulder-length, inky-black curly hair walked toward them.
The man greeted passersby with a faint smile, but it never quite reached his eyes.
“Well, hello there.
I’m Yan Bai, your big brother’s best bud.” Yan Bai added with a flirty wink.
Wen Ran felt a little intimidated and shuffled to hide behind Ize.
Ize’s eyebrow twitched, and he shot the man a piercing glare.
Yan Bai immediately surrendered.
“My bad, my bad.”
“Let’s get inside.
Getting your sister here checked out is what’s most important.”
Ize took Wen Ran’s hand, pulling her protectively into his arms, and strode forward.
Yan Bai followed behind, sizing Wen Ran up.
‘She’s a beautiful female, and from a good family, too.
But without a Spiritual Body, she can’t soothe a male.
What a shame.’
Before being led into the examination room, Wen Ran looked nervously at Ize, her glistening eyes full of reliance.
“Don’t be afraid.
I’ll be right outside,” Ize said, gently stroking her head to soothe her.
Wen Ran nodded and followed the nurse into the examination room.
Ize’s deep blue eyes were fixed on the scene inside, watching intently through the glass.
The small, delicate young woman followed the nurse’s instructions, obediently lying down in the medical pod and allowing it to perform a full-body scan.
Yan Bai saw his friend’s hand, hanging at his side, clench into a fist.
He couldn’t help but tease, “I never thought I’d see the day our esteemed Junior General gets nervous.
It’s just a little check-up.
Is all this tension necessary?”
“How is it?” Ize ignored Yan Bai’s teasing and looked at the tablet in his friend’s hand.
Yan Bai’s smile vanished, and he looked seriously at the data streaming onto the tablet.
“Everything looks normal so far.”
“Then why does she so easily go into…”