Zhang Mo had been woken by pain.
It wasn't a sharp pain, but a dull ache that seeped out from between his bones. His chest, left arm, back—there wasn't a single part of him that felt comfortable.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the sofa. It was still dark outside the window, and he had no idea what time it was.
He slowly sat up and looked down at his chest. There were dried bloodstains on his clothes, but his wound no longer hurt. His left arm could move too, though it still felt a little sore and swollen.
The system's screen flickered before his eyes:
[Host's current condition: moderately injured, recovering]
[Estimated time to full recovery: 48 hours]
[Recommendation: Get plenty of rest and avoid strenuous activity]
Zhang Mo glanced at it twice, then closed the screen.
He turned to look at the door to the inner room.
The door was shut, and there was no sound from inside.
He stood up and tiptoed to the door, pressing his ear against it to listen. The sound of steady breathing came from within. Ning Rongrong was fast asleep.
He returned to the sofa and sat down, then suddenly remembered something and felt around in his pocket.
The golden Spirit Bone was still there.
He took it out and examined it in the streetlight filtering through the window. It was palm-sized, entirely golden, and glimmered faintly. As he held it, he felt a warm force creep up his arm.
The system's voice sounded again:
[Spirit Bone detected: Strength Boost Right Arm Bone]
[Absorb?]
Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then asked silently, How long will it take to absorb?
[Approximately ten minutes. The host will be unable to move during the absorption process.]
Zhang Mo glanced outside the window. It was still dark, with at least two or three hours until dawn. Ning Rongrong was asleep and probably wouldn't come out.
Holding the Spirit Bone, he walked to the corner and sat down with his back against the wall, facing the door to the inner room.
That way, if anything happened, he could see it right away.
He said silently, Absorb.
The Spirit Bone began to glow.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, until the entire Spirit Bone turned into a stream of light and surged into his right arm through the hand holding it. As the light burrowed inside, his whole arm grew hot and swollen, as if countless needles were pricking him all at once.
Zhang Mo gritted his teeth and made no sound.
The heat climbed up his arm, passed through his shoulder, and spread throughout his body. He could feel his damaged areas being repaired—the broken bones in his chest were knitting back together, and the wound in his left arm was healing too.
Ten minutes later, the light vanished.
Zhang Mo lowered his head and looked at his right arm.
There was no visible change, but when he clenched his fist, he could feel a surging force. He lightly punched the wall. With a muffled thud, a shallow crack appeared in it.
He stared at it for a moment.
And that had only been a casual punch.
What if he used all his strength...
The system's voice rang out again:
[Spirit Bone absorption complete. The host has gained the following enhancements:]
[Right arm strength permanently increased by 150%]
[Skill acquired: Mammoth Power (instantly unleash three times your strength for 10 seconds; 24-hour cooldown)]
Zhang Mo stared at the "150%" for a few seconds, silent.
He was beginning to understand why Spirit Bones were so valuable on the Douluo Continent.
He stood up and rolled his right arm. It felt great, like he'd just had a massage.
The sky outside was beginning to grow pale.
He went to the door of the inner room and listened again. The breathing was still there, steady and even.
He returned to the sofa, lay down, and closed his eyes.
This time, he should be able to get a good night's sleep.
But just as he closed his eyes, the system popped up another message:
[Abnormal condition detected in Ning Rongrong—]
[Current status: deep sleep]
[Cause: mental exhaustion + Spirit Bone fusion reaction]
[Estimated time of awakening: this afternoon]
[Note: No danger to life; no intervention required]
Zhang Mo read it twice, then breathed a sigh of relief.
He rolled over to face the door to the inner room and slowly drifted off to sleep.
When he woke again, the sunlight was what roused him.
The sun shone through the window, straight onto his face. Zhang Mo squinted as he sat up and checked the time. It was eleven in the morning.
He'd slept for about six hours.
He stood up and went to the door of the inner room, pressing his ear against it.
There was no sound inside.
He gently pushed the door open and peeked in.
Ning Rongrong lay curled up on the bed, the blanket kicked aside. Her pink-and-blue hair was spread across the pillow, her face turned toward the wall, and her breathing was faint.
Zhang Mo walked in, picked up the blanket, and covered her with it.
Her brow furrowed. She rolled over to face him and mumbled something.
Zhang Mo couldn't make it out. He bent closer to listen—
"Zhang Mo... don't die..."
Her voice was faint, like a murmur in her sleep.
Zhang Mo froze for a moment, then straightened and watched her for a while.
Her brow was still furrowed. He had no idea what she was dreaming about.
He quietly left the room and closed the door.
In the kitchen, he started making lunch.
He kneaded dough, chopped the filling, and wrapped the buns. There was a little meat left from what they'd bought yesterday, enough for a few. He put the buns in the steamer, cooked a pot of porridge, and cut up some pickles.
As he busied himself, he heard footsteps behind him.
Zhang Mo turned around and saw Ning Rongrong standing in the kitchen doorway, her hair a mess and her eyes not yet fully open.
"What time is it?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"Almost twelve."
Ning Rongrong murmured, "Oh," then spotted the steamer on the stove and sniffed.
"Buns?"
Zhang Mo nodded.
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, but she soon returned to her dazed, sleepy expression. Leaning against the doorframe, she watched Zhang Mo work and suddenly asked:
"When did you wake up?"
"In the morning."
"How long was I asleep?"
"From last night until now."
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "So you stayed up watching over me the whole time?"
Zhang Mo didn't answer. He took the buns out of the steamer.
Ning Rongrong watched his back and didn't ask anything else.
But the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
They set lunch on the coffee table.
Ning Rongrong ate with gusto, taking a bite of bun and a spoonful of porridge, her cheeks puffed out. When she got to her third bun, she suddenly stopped and looked at Zhang Mo.
"You absorbed that Spirit Bone?"
Zhang Mo was taken aback. "How did you know?"
"I could feel it." Ning Rongrong pointed to the space between her brows. "After fusing with the Illusion Wisdom Skull, my mental power got stronger. I can sense the change in your aura."
Zhang Mo gave an "oh."
Ning Rongrong asked again, "What does it do?"
Zhang Mo thought for a moment, raised his right arm, and punched the coffee table—
Bang!
A crack appeared in the solid wood tabletop.
Ning Rongrong's mouth fell open, and the bun in her hand nearly dropped to the floor.
"This... this is what that Spirit Bone can do?"
Zhang Mo nodded. "My strength increased by about one and a half times. It also gave me a skill that lets me unleash three times my strength for ten seconds."
Ning Rongrong stared at his right arm for a long while, then said quietly:
"You're almost as strong as a Strength-type Soul Ancestor now."
Zhang Mo didn't know what rank a Soul Ancestor was, but judging by the name, it probably wasn't low.
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "That Life Bond... if we establish it, could you become even stronger?"
Zhang Mo was startled. He hadn't expected her to ask that.
He thought for a moment, then said, "The system didn't say."
Ning Rongrong murmured, "Oh," and continued eating her bun.
But she seemed distracted, her eyes repeatedly drifting toward Zhang Mo.
Zhang Mo pretended not to notice.
After they finished eating, Ning Rongrong offered to do the dishes. Zhang Mo sat on the sofa and brought up the system panel to check it.
[Current World Origin Points: 600]
[Countdown to next Crisis Summon: 6 days]
[Time remaining in current Dual World Collision: 441 days]
He stared at the line that read "6 days" and fell silent for a while.
Ning Rongrong finished washing the dishes and came out. Seeing him lost in thought, she walked over and sat down.
"More enemies?"
Zhang Mo nodded.
"When?"
"In six days."
Ning Rongrong was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Do you know who it is?"
Zhang Mo shook his head. "The system didn't say."
Ning Rongrong leaned back against the sofa and gazed at the ceiling. Suddenly, she smiled.
"Six days," she said. "We can rest for six more days."
Zhang Mo turned to look at her.
She was still gazing at the ceiling. There was little expression on her face, but the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.
He suddenly remembered what she'd murmured in her sleep last night.
"Zhang Mo... don't die..."
He looked away and leaned back against the sofa too, gazing at the ceiling.
The sunlight outside was warm and bright.
They sat there like that, neither of them saying a word.
After a long while, Ning Rongrong suddenly spoke:
"Zhang Mo."
"Yeah?"
"That Spirit Bone. Did it hurt when you absorbed it?"
Zhang Mo thought for a moment. "It felt a little swollen."
Ning Rongrong murmured, "Oh," then said softly:
"It hurt when I fused with the skull yesterday too. But only for a little while."
Zhang Mo turned to look at her.
She was still gazing at the ceiling, but her eyes were a little red.
"At the time, I was thinking," she continued, "what if the lives you gave me went to waste?"
Zhang Mo said nothing.
She suddenly sat up and looked at him, her eyes bright.
"So don't go dying on me again."
Zhang Mo looked at her and nodded.
"Okay."
Ning Rongrong stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and said quietly:
"Then it's a promise."
Zhang Mo said, "It's a promise."
Outside, the sun shone bright.
Every now and then, birds called in the distance.
Ning Rongrong lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes as if she were going to sleep.
But after a while, she opened her eyes again and looked at Zhang Mo.
"What's for dinner?"
Zhang Mo thought for a moment. "What do you want to eat?"
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment. "Buns."
Zhang Mo smiled. "Didn't you have those for lunch?"
Ning Rongrong said with complete justification, "Just because I had them for lunch doesn't mean I can't have them for dinner."
Zhang Mo said nothing. He got up and headed for the kitchen.
Ning Rongrong called after him:
"Make extra! We can heat them up if we get hungry tonight!"
Without turning around, Zhang Mo waved a hand.
Ning Rongrong watched him go, the corners of her mouth curling up high.
She lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
This time, she really felt like sleeping.
Before she drifted off, a thought came to her—
We'll deal with what happens six days from now when it gets here.
For now, let's just eat buns.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, warm against her face.
The corners of her mouth still curved upward as she slowly fell asleep.
Ning Rongrong slept until dusk.
When she woke, the sky outside had turned a dusky red. She was lying on the sofa with a blanket over her—she had no idea when it had been put there.
She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and saw Zhang Mo sitting in the chair opposite, head bowed over a book in his hands.
The aroma of buns wafted out of the kitchen.
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered what had happened before she fell asleep.
She'd said she wanted buns, so he'd gone to make them.
She looked down at the blanket, then at the book-reading figure across from her, and felt something she couldn't quite put into words.
Zhang Mo looked up and saw she was awake.
"Awake?"
Ning Rongrong answered with a hum, folded the blanket neatly and set it aside, then got up and headed for the kitchen.
She froze when she reached the doorway.
Three baskets of buns sat on the stove, white, plump, and steaming. Beside them was a pot of congee and a small dish of pickles.
She turned and looked at Zhang Mo.
Zhang Mo had come over too, and stood beside her.
"I made extra," he said. "Enough for two days."
Ning Rongrong stared at the buns for a few seconds, then suddenly asked:
"Doesn't your hand hurt?"
Zhang Mo paused. "What?"
Ning Rongrong pointed at his right arm. "That Spirit Bone. You'd only just finished absorbing it, and you went straight to kneading dough?"
Only then did Zhang Mo understand. He moved his right arm. It did feel a little sore and swollen, but compared with the injuries he'd suffered before, this barely counted.
"I'm fine," he said.
Ning Rongrong pursed her lips and said nothing, but her eyes stayed fixed on his right arm.
At dinner, Ning Rongrong ate very slowly.
Not because the food was bad. She kept getting distracted. After a couple of bites, she'd look up at Zhang Mo, then lower her head and continue eating.
Zhang Mo couldn't figure out why she kept looking at him, but he didn't ask.
Halfway through the meal, Ning Rongrong suddenly spoke:
"Is your left arm better?"
Zhang Mo moved his left arm. "More or less."
"Let me see."
Ning Rongrong put down her chopsticks and reached for his left arm. Zhang Mo didn't pull away, letting her take hold of it.
She pushed up his sleeve, exposing part of his arm. A few bruises remained, but most had faded. She gently pressed one and asked:
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
She pressed another spot. "What about here?"
"That doesn't hurt either."
Ning Rongrong stared at the bruises for a few seconds, then suddenly said:
"That day... when Huyan Li slammed into you, it hurt just to watch."
Zhang Mo said nothing.
She let his sleeve fall and sat back down to continue eating.
After a couple of bites, she spoke again:
"Don't fight like that next time."
Zhang Mo looked at her.
She kept her head lowered, her voice muffled:
"You're not a Soul Master. You don't have Soul Power to protect you. If you fight like that, you'll end up getting yourself killed sooner or later."
Zhang Mo thought for a moment. "Then how should I fight?"
Ning Rongrong looked up and glared at him. "How should I know? Figure it out yourself!"
Zhang Mo couldn't understand why she was glaring at him, but he didn't argue.
After glaring at him, Ning Rongrong lowered her head and continued eating.
After a while, she suddenly said:
"I'll practice Heart Separation Control more during training from now on. That way, if you run, I'll be able to keep up."
Zhang Mo looked at her, startled.
She still didn't look up, but her ears were bright red.
He gave a quiet hum.
After dinner, Ning Rongrong went to wash the dishes. Zhang Mo sat on the sofa and brought up the system panel to take a look.
[Current World Origin Points: 600] [Countdown to next Crisis Summon: 5 days] [Remaining time until Dual World Collision: 441 days]
Five days.
One day sooner than before.
He stared at the words and fell silent for a while.
Ning Rongrong finished washing the dishes and came out. Seeing him lost in thought, she walked over and sat down.
"It moved up again?"
Zhang Mo nodded.
"How many days?"
"Five."
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "Then shall we keep training tomorrow?"
Zhang Mo looked at her.
Her expression was calm, as if she were asking what they would have for dinner tomorrow.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment. "What good would being afraid do?"
She paused, then added, "Besides, I still have you, don't I?"
Zhang Mo said nothing.
Ning Rongrong turned her gaze to the window.
It was already dark outside, and the neon lights in the distance flickered.
She suddenly said, "Zhang Mo."
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