Applying Medicine to Luo Li

"If you're afraid of dying, hand over the antidote, and I might spare your life."

Lin Suchou looked at the terror on his face, held out his left hand, and crooked his fingers.

"Hmph, take it."

Zhao Tiandu had already exhausted much of his strength fighting Luo Li. Fighting Lin Suchou now would only put him at a greater disadvantage.

So he decisively took out a small wooden box from his Storage Bag and tossed it to Lin Suchou.

Lin Suchou caught it, slid open the lid, and found a sticky black ointment inside.

"For external use?"

"Obviously!"

Zhao Tiandu rolled his eyes at Lin Suchou's question.

"Very well. Now you can die."

As soon as Lin Suchou finished speaking, he drew a Fiery Red Longsword and sent it shooting straight toward Zhao Tiandu's heart.

Then, gripping a Dagger, he charged at Zhao Tiandu again.

Clang!

Zhao Tiandu knocked the longsword aside with a backhand strike and roared at Lin Suchou, "You're even less trustworthy than a scoundrel like me!"

"There's no need to keep promises with scoundrels like you!"

Lin Suchou retorted as he continued attacking Zhao Tiandu with the Dagger.

But Zhao Tiandu was no pushover either. The Battle Saber in his hand whistled with fierce force.

Feeling his strength nearing its limit, Zhao Tiandu gritted his teeth, pulled out a handful of Lime Powder, and hurled it at Lin Suchou.

Fortunately, Lin Suchou had enough distance to evade it. He rolled to the left, thwarting Zhao Tiandu's attempt.

"If you kill me, aren't you afraid Brother Ji Xuan will come looking for you!?"

Zhao Tiandu had run out of tricks and began making threats.

"Hmph, if I dared to kill you, then I'm not afraid of his revenge!"

As Lin Suchou spoke, he charged Zhao Tiandu once more and engaged him in close combat.

Zhao Tiandu had no strength left by then. Though the Battle Saber in his hand was incomparably sharp, Lin Suchou evaded every strike.

Finally, with an over-the-shoulder throw, Lin Suchou pinned the exhausted Zhao Tiandu to the ground and slit his throat with one swipe of his Dagger.

He then began looting the spoils. Aside from some sharp Spirit Artifacts, low-grade Spirit Arts, poisons, and antidotes—

His greatest gain was still the Blood Tokens. The total number of Tokens Lin Suchou possessed had now reached nine.

Pfft.

At that moment, Luo Li behind him suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood before fainting in a daze.

Seeing this, Lin Suchou could no longer bother destroying the evidence. The nearby Spirit Beasts would take care of it themselves.

Carrying Luo Li on his back, he went to a stone cave beside a small stream. After placing her on a stone bed, he took out the antidote Zhao Tiandu had given him.

Since it was for external use, he had to see where Luo Li was injured.

He gently undid Luo Li's Black Lotus Dress, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

However, a large purplish-red patch covered the left side of her chest.

That seemed to be where the poison had taken effect.

Scooping up some black ointment, Lin Suchou looked at her jade-like body and calmed himself. Forcing himself not to entertain improper thoughts, he began applying the medicine.

Still, applying medicine naturally involved physical contact, and it made Lin Suchou extremely nervous.

Only after Lin Suchou finished applying the ointment did Luo Li's complexion begin to improve.

While waiting for Luo Li to recover, he speared several large fish by the stream with his longsword.

After cleaning them, he lit a bonfire at the cave entrance and began roasting the fish.

Just as the fish finished roasting and Lin Suchou was about to get up to check on Luo Li, something cold suddenly pressed tightly against his neck.

"You're awake?"

Looking at the blade resting against the right side of his neck, Lin Suchou passed the roasted fish behind him. "Are you hungry? I roasted this fish."

"You... defiled my body?"

Lin Suchou's brow twitched at those words.

It was true that he had entertained the thought, but taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable state was beneath him. Besides, system rewards were more important.

"You can check for yourself, can't you? And if you could walk over here to kill me, that proves your lower body doesn't hurt."

Lin Suchou looked helpless.

After a long while, Luo Li withdrew her sword and sheathed it again.

"That's more like it. I'm just a kindhearted passerby. Here, roasted fish."

Lin Suchou turned around and handed her the fish.

"I'm not hungry."

Luo Li shook her head, but perhaps because she smelled the roasted fish, her stomach suddenly let out a pitiful growl.

At that sound, even Luo Li's cool Pretty Face was tinged with two rosy flushes.

"Eat. Pretend I didn't hear it."

Seeing Lin Suchou insist on offering it to her, Luo Li finally accepted it and sat beside the bonfire.

By then, the sun was already slanting westward. The crimson glow happened to shine into the west-facing cave and fell across Luo Li's face, lending an unusual beauty to her fair complexion.

She looked like a dancer in the desert. It would be even better if she smiled.

Swish!

Seeing Lin Suchou staring at her, Luo Li drew her sword again with her right hand and placed it against his neck.

"Don't, I won't look anymore. I won't."

Lin Suchou hurriedly lowered his head and ate his roasted fish.

Seeing him like that, a trace of amusement flashed through Luo Li's eyes, only to be caught by Lin Suchou when he happened to look up.

Seeing her expression, Lin Suchou could not help staring at her in a daze again.

"Still looking!"

Luo Li's beautiful eyes glared at Lin Suchou, her voice carrying both coyness and resentment.

"I'm not looking, I'm not looking."

Lin Suchou committed the image of the beauty to memory and continued eating his roasted fish.

After a while, he asked with concern, "How are your injuries now?"

Luo Li nodded. "They don't seem to be a problem anymore. But don't think I'll repay you."

"It's fine if you don't. That's your freedom, just like I said before."

After saying that, Lin Suchou asked the system in his heart, System, has my favorability with her reached the maximum? I can make a contract now, right?

"Ding. It has been detected that the host's favorability with the target has met the requirement. A contract may be formed... Does the host wish to contract Luo Li as the first Goddess?"

Contract!

"Ding. Congratulations to the host for successfully contracting the Goddess Luo Li. The Personal Panel function has been unlocked.

It has been detected that the current intimacy value between the host and Goddess Luo Li is 4. Each time the host's intimacy with a contracted Goddess increases by 5 points, the corresponding reward may be obtained."

Hearing the system's explanation about unlocking rewards, Lin Suchou sighed.

His intimacy value with Luo Li was only 4 right now. He still had a long way to go.

Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Suchou quickly finished one roasted fish.

Seeing that Luo Li had nearly finished eating as well, Lin Suchou picked up another roasted fish and handed it to her. "Here, eat more. It'll help you recover."

Just as Luo Li was about to reach out and take it, her slender hand suddenly stopped in midair. Her red lips pressed together, and her gaze turned cold. "No need. You eat it yourself."

As soon as she finished speaking, she returned to the stone bed and lay down.

"Tomorrow, we'll go our separate ways. Give me the antidote, and when we reach Guardian Land, I'll repay you."

Hearing the distant coldness in her voice, Lin Suchou gave a bitter smile. This mission to win over a Goddess was truly difficult.

It would have been nice if he had a system that let him level up mindlessly and enjoy easy victories.

But then he remembered that, in the original novel, Luo Li had chased Mu Chen for six months before she developed any favorability toward him.

He could not give up now!

With that thought, Lin Suchou fiercely bit into the fish.

After washing his hands, he walked over to Luo Li again and hesitated before saying, "Luo Li, it's time to apply the medicine again tonight."

"Bring me the ointment. I'll apply it myself."

Luo Li sat up and held out her hand to Lin Suchou.

"Mm, Luo Li, what's wrong!?"

Looking at Luo Li before him, Lin Suchou's face tightened with concern.