Time flowed peacefully through the valley. Before they knew it, a month had passed.
Lin Qin had mostly recovered from his injuries, and his Saint Power had returned to around fifty or sixty percent. He could move around normally and do some light training, but his damaged core still needed a much longer time to heal.
One morning, after a night of breathing exercises, Lin Qin opened his eyes and saw Aileen with her back to him, carefully manipulating the water by the pool to wash several freshly gathered wild vegetables, still covered in dew. She was completely focused. The hem of her blue mage robe was smudged with dirt, but she didn't seem to mind.
"You're awake?" Aileen sensed the movement and turned around, a warm smile on her face. "I found some wild vegetables we can eat. I'll make soup in a bit."
Lin Qin watched the sunrise gild her profile and the busy light in her eyes, and felt a faint stir in his heart. If it hadn't been for Aileen's attentive care and protection, he could never have recovered so quickly.
"Mm." He got to his feet and stretched his stiff limbs. "Your magic seems to have improved quite a bit."
Aileen put the washed vegetables into a clean earthenware pot—she had found it in a corner of the valley, and it might have been left behind by a hunter. As she started a fire, she said, "Yeah. I feel like I'm close to breaking through to level eight. Practicing in peace here seems to work even better than at the Magic Guild."
She wasn't exaggerating. With no outside distractions, she could focus entirely on training and caring for Lin Qin. Her mind had grown exceptionally calm, and her understanding of water elements had deepened.
Lin