When the sunlight had shifted from overhead to the western sky, Zhang Mo woke up.
He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ning Rongrong's chin. She was looking down at him, and their gazes met.
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then her face turned bright red.
"You... you're awake?"
Zhang Mo tried to sit up, only to realize his head was resting on her lap. He braced himself against the ground and sat upright, then turned to look at her.
Her face was still red, but her eyes were red too, as if she had been crying.
"How long have you been waiting?" he asked.
Ning Rongrong turned her face away and answered in a muffled voice, "I don't know. The sun moved from over there to over here."
Zhang Mo checked the sun's position. It had probably been three or four hours.
He looked down at himself. His chest still hurt, but it felt much better than before he'd passed out. He could move his left arm too, though it still hurt. He tried clenching his fist. About half his strength had returned.
Ning Rongrong watched him from beside him and asked softly, "You... you're all right?"
Zhang Mo shook his head. "I'm fine."
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "You're such an idiot."
Zhang Mo looked at her.
She didn't turn around, but her ears had gone crimson.
"Who told you to share your life with me?" Her voice grew even quieter. "I never asked you to do that."
Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then said, "You were about to die."
"Even so, you can't..."
"I can."
Ning Rongrong froze.
Zhang Mo stood up and rolled his arm to loosen it. Looking at the sunset in the distance, he said, "You saved me once, and I saved you once. We're even."
Ning Rongrong watched his back. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only gave a huff.
"Who said we were even?" she muttered.
Zhang Mo didn't hear her. He walked back to where he'd been lying and bent to pick something up—the skull Shi Nian had left behind.
The Illusion Wisdom Skull.
It was about the size of a fist, bone-white all over. The green flames had vanished from its eye sockets, leaving only two dark holes. In his hand, it gave off a faint chill.
Ning Rongrong came over to look.
"This is a Spirit Bone?"
Zhang Mo nodded and handed it to her. "It's yours."
Ning Rongrong froze, but didn't take it.
"Didn't you say you couldn't use it?" she asked.
"I can't use it, but you can. It can resist illusions and strengthen your mental power. You're a support-type Spirit Master, so stronger mental power will also improve your amplification effects."
Ning Rongrong looked at the skull, then at Zhang Mo.
"Do you know how much this thing is worth on the Douluo Continent?"
Zhang Mo didn't.
Ning Rongrong continued, "A Spirit Bone. There are barely a few of them on the entire Douluo Continent. Even Titled Douluo fight over them. And you're just giving it to me?"
Zhang Mo looked at her and suddenly smiled.
"What else would I do? Keep it as a decoration?"
Ning Rongrong had no reply. She took the skull, and the moment she touched it, it turned into points of light and merged into her brow.
She closed her eyes. A faint purple glow rose around her.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes. They looked brighter than before.
"How is it?" Zhang Mo asked.
Ning Rongrong tested it and said, "My mental power has increased by at least thirty percent. As for resisting illusions... I think I can now, but I haven't tested it, so I don't know how well it works."
She paused, looked at Zhang Mo, and suddenly asked, "You really don't want it?"
Zhang Mo shook his head.
Ning Rongrong stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and said quietly, "Then... thank you."
Zhang Mo paused. This was the first time she'd thanked him so naturally.
He was about to say something when a sudden pain stabbed through his right eye.
A purple screen popped up:
[Congratulations, host, on killing Shi Nian (Level 76 Spirit Saint)—kill confirmation updated] [World Origin Points obtained: 500 (credited)] [Spirit Bone obtained: Illusion Wisdom Skull (transferred to Ning Rongrong)] [Dual World Collision delayed by: 76 days] [Time remaining: 441 days] [First confirmed kill detected. Additional reward: 100 Basic World Origin Points] [Total World Origin Points: 600]
Zhang Mo looked at the "600" and silently did the math. A targeted summon cost 1,000 points. He was still 400 short.
Ning Rongrong leaned over to look at the glowing words and suddenly asked, "What are World Origin Points for?"
"Summoning," Zhang Mo replied. "Once I get 1,000 points, I can summon someone of my choice."
Ning Rongrong froze. "Summon someone else?"
Zhang Mo nodded.
Ning Rongrong fell silent. A few seconds later, she asked softly, "A man or a woman?"
Zhang Mo glanced at her. "I don't know. The system didn't say."
Ning Rongrong gave a small "oh" and didn't ask anything else.
But she lowered her head, lost in thought.
Zhang Mo closed the system panel and checked the sky. The sun was nearly down. If they didn't leave now, it would be dark.
"Let's go," he said. "Back."
Ning Rongrong nodded and followed him out.
When they reached the maze, Ning Rongrong suddenly stopped.
Zhang Mo turned to look at her.
She pointed at the pile of rubble. Huyan Li's corpse was still there, but it had already begun dissolving into points of light.
"What about him?"
Zhang Mo glanced over. "Leave it. The system will take care of it."
Sure enough, the points of light grew more numerous until Huyan Li's corpse disappeared completely, leaving only something on the ground.
Zhang Mo walked over and picked it up.
It was a bone.
Golden all over, it gave off a faint glow and was about the size of his palm.
[Spirit Bone detected: Strength Boost Right Arm Bone (from Huyan Li, Level 65 Spirit Emperor)] [Attribute: Strength-type] [Skill: Mammoth Power (instantly unleashes three times the wielder's strength for 10 seconds; 24-hour cooldown)]
Zhang Mo looked at the Spirit Bone, then at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong hurriedly waved her hands. "I don't want it. It's for attacking. It'd be useless to me."
Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then put the Spirit Bone in his pocket.
"Let's go."
The two of them left the ruins and headed back the way they'd come.
After walking for a while, Ning Rongrong suddenly asked, "When you gave me the Spirit Bone just now... what were you thinking?"
Zhang Mo considered it. "I was thinking about whether you could use it."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "You really are..."
Zhang Mo waited for her to finish, but she didn't.
After a while, she asked again, "You're really not in a hurry about that Life Bond?"
Zhang Mo glanced at her. "No."
"Why not?"
Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then said, "You're only twelve."
Ning Rongrong froze, then lowered her head.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly said, "I'm thirteen."
Zhang Mo didn't understand.
Ning Rongrong added, "According to the way this world counts age, I'm thirteen."
Zhang Mo looked at her, unsure what she meant.
Under his gaze, Ning Rongrong's face flushed again. She quickened her pace and walked ahead without looking back.
"I'm just telling you, that's all. It doesn't mean anything."
Zhang Mo watched her back and suddenly smiled.
He hurried to catch up and walked beside her.
The sunset stretched their shadows long across the ground, one tall and one short, side by side.
A car passed in the distance, its horn sounding faintly.
Ning Rongrong suddenly reached out and caught his sleeve.
Zhang Mo looked down at her.
She didn't look up. She just held on to his sleeve and said softly,
"That Huyan Li... you did pretty well against him."
Zhang Mo paused, then answered, "Mm."
Ning Rongrong continued, "If someone else comes after us, fight like that again."
Zhang Mo gave another "mm."
They kept walking like that.
The sun sank slowly, and the edge of the sky turned dark purple.
Still holding his sleeve, Ning Rongrong suddenly said,
"Zhang Mo."
"Yeah?"
"From now on... don't go handing your life over to other people."
Zhang Mo looked down at her.
She still didn't look up, but her voice was muffled.
"Your life still has its uses."
Zhang Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said,
"Okay."
Ning Rongrong said nothing more.
But she never let go of his hand.
By the time they returned to the studio, it was already dark.
As soon as Ning Rongrong stepped inside, she collapsed onto the sofa, too tired to move. Zhang Mo went to the kitchen and made two simple bowls of noodles. When he brought them out, he saw that Ning Rongrong had already fallen asleep.
He set down the bowls and looked at her.
She was curled up on the sofa, her brow faintly furrowed, one hand still clutching the token at her waist.
Just like the first night.
Zhang Mo stood there for a while, then went into the other room and fetched a blanket, gently covering her with it.
He returned to the coffee table, picked up his bowl, and ate slowly.
After a few bites, he suddenly remembered something and pulled the golden Spirit Bone from his pocket.
The Strength Boost Right Arm Bone.
He looked it over in his hand, then put it back in his pocket.
The system's voice suddenly rang out:
[Host possesses an absorbable Spirit Bone. Absorb it?] Zhang Mo paused, then asked in his mind: What happens after I absorb it? [After absorption, the host will obtain all the attributes and skills of the Spirit Bone. The right arm will also be strengthened, permanently increasing its strength.] Zhang Mo thought it over, then asked: Are there any side effects? [No side effects. However, a Spirit Bone can only be absorbed by one person. Once absorbed, it cannot be transferred.] Zhang Mo glanced at Ning Rongrong, asleep on the sofa, and said in his mind: I'll hold off on absorbing it. [Confirm?] Yes. The system said nothing more.
Zhang Mo continued eating.
The clamor of the night market drifted in through the window, and neon lights flickered in the distance.
After finishing his noodles, he washed the bowl, then lay back down on the sofa.
His right eye began to sting again.
A purple light screen popped up:
[Second "Crisis Summon" detected as complete.] [The next "Crisis Summon" will be triggered in 7 days.] [Target information: unknown.] [Host, please prepare.]
Zhang Mo stared at the words, silent for a few seconds.
Seven days.
Another one.
He turned and glanced at the closed door to the inner room.
Inside, Ning Rongrong was fast asleep.
He closed his eyes and silently counted in his heart.
Seven days.
Just seven more days.
Before you continue