By the time Lin Mo returned to the studio, night had fallen.
He pushed the door open quietly, but Ning Rongrong still noticed. His right hand was trembling, and he nearly failed to grip the doorknob.
"What happened to your hand?" she asked.
"Nothing." Lin Mo walked inside, but after two steps he had to brace himself against the wall and slowly crouch down.
Ning Rongrong hurried over and saw that sweat covered his forehead. His face was frighteningly pale.
"Y-you just said you were fine..."
Lin Mo didn't answer. He just crouched there, gasping for breath. A long while later, he slowly got to his feet and made his way to the sofa. He sank into it and closed his eyes.
Ning Rongrong stood nearby, unsure what to do.
She remembered that when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's healers treated someone, they first had the injured person lie down, then used Soul Power to examine their injuries. But she didn't know how to heal. All she could do was provide support.
She bit her lip, then suddenly reached out. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in her palm.
"Fourth Spirit Skill, Soul Power Amplification."
Rainbow-colored light fell over Lin Mo.
Lin Mo opened his eyes and stared at her, momentarily stunned.
Ning Rongrong felt awkward under his gaze and turned her head away. "What are you looking at? Soul Power Amplification can speed up recovery. That's what the healers in our sect said."
Lin Mo said nothing and closed his eyes again.
A few minutes later, his complexion had indeed improved. He opened his eyes, looked at Ning Rongrong, and said, "Thank you."
Ning Rongrong put away her Martial Soul and sat down on the chair beside him. "That purple light just now... What was it?"
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then raised his right hand. The purple characters in his right eye appeared again, flickering in the air.
[Host: Lin Mo] [World Origin Points: 500] [Summoned: Ning Rongrong (Level 42 Support-type Soul Master)] [Time until Dual World Collision: 441 days]
"See for yourself," he said.
Ning Rongrong stared at the glowing characters and read them line by line. When she saw "Time until Dual World Collision: 441 days," she furrowed her brow. "441 days? Wasn't it 365?"
"Killing Shi Nian added 76 days."
Ning Rongrong was stunned, then continued reading. Lin Mo silently thought, Scroll down, and the contents of the screen began to move.
[System Functions,] [1. Summoning Mechanism] [You can perform targeted or random summons by consuming World Origin Points. Current World Origin Points: 500. Targeted summon cost: 1,000 points. Random summon cost: 200 points.] [Note: Summoned individuals come from different points in time on the Douluo Continent. They retain their full memories, personalities, Martial Souls, and Soul Power Levels.] [2. Life Bond] [You can form a Life Bond with a female summoned individual. Requirements: both parties must consent; the bond is formed through intimate contact (kissing/embracing/more intimate contact).] [Effects of a Life Bond:] [1. The female summoned individual will permanently remain on Blue Star.] [2. Each time a new life is conceived, the Dual World Collision will be delayed by 90 days (90 days the first time, 75 days the second, 60 days the third, and so on).] [3. Both parties gain a Bond Skill, which grows stronger as their affection increases.] [3. Slaughter Harvest] [Each kill will accumulate "Karmic Debt." Excessive Karmic Debt will affect the affection of female summoned individuals and may trigger unknown consequences.]
Ning Rongrong finished reading and fell silent.
For a long time, the only sound in the room was the occasional passing car outside.
Then she raised her head and looked at Lin Mo, her voice perfectly calm.
"So you brought me here to have your children?"
Lin Mo looked at her, wanting to say something, but Ning Rongrong didn't give him the chance.
"I asked you a question." Her voice remained calm, but her eyes began to redden. "Is that right?"
"At first, yes," Lin Mo said.
"At first?" Ning Rongrong gave a small, chilly laugh. "What about now?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment. "Now, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I know why the system brought you here," he said. "But I'm not sure why I want to protect you."
Ning Rongrong froze.
Lin Mo continued, "Last night, when you fell asleep, you were clutching that token so tightly. I watched you for a long time. I thought, This girl is pitiful. She was brought to a strange place for no reason, where she doesn't know a single person."
He paused.
"Later, you said you'd help me, and I'd protect you. I thought that facing this together with someone might not be so bad."
He looked at her.
"When Shi Nian appeared just now, I saw how scared you were. But before you ran, you looked back at me. Your eyes seemed to say, Stay alive. That's when I thought, no matter why you came here, I'd make sure you got back alive."
As Ning Rongrong listened, her eyes grew redder and redder.
But she bit her lip and stubbornly held back her tears.
"You..." she began, her voice trembling a little. "If you have something to say, just say it. Why say all that..."
Lin Mo said nothing more.
The silence stretched on for a long time.
At last, Ning Rongrong spoke first, her voice muffled. "Does that Life Bond absolutely require having children?"
Lin Mo was caught off guard by the question.
"That's what the system says."
"What if... we don't?"
Lin Mo thought about it. "The Dual World Collision happens, and both worlds are finished."
Ning Rongrong lowered her head and stared at her toes.
After a long while, she murmured, "I'm only twelve."
Lin Mo nodded. "I know."
"Where I come from, twelve is still young."
"I know."
"I don't understand anything."
"I know."
Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at him. "What do you know?"
"I know you're scared. I know you don't want this. I know this isn't what you chose."
He paused.
"I also know that even without this system, I'd still protect you."
Ning Rongrong stared at him for a long time.
Then she suddenly smiled.
It wasn't the strained smile she'd worn before, nor a cold one. It was real, a little helpless and a little soft.
"You..." she said. "You're such a pain."
Lin Mo didn't know what she meant, but seeing her smile, he felt inexplicably relieved.
Another car passed outside. Neon lights flickered in the distance, painting the curtains in a rainbow of colors.
Ning Rongrong stood and walked to the window, looking out at the night. After a long while, she said softly, "I used to have a fiancé."
Lin Mo didn't respond.
"His name was Oscar. He was one of the Shrek Seven Devils, too. He could make sausages, and his Martial Soul was a Food-type Martial Soul." She paused. "I didn't like him very much. But he treated me well."
Lin Mo still said nothing.
Ning Rongrong turned around and looked at him. "You know, when I thought of him just now, I suddenly realized his face was getting blurry."
Her eyes were bright—too bright.
"It's only been three days. I've only been in this world for three days, and I can hardly remember what he looks like."
"Maybe it's because everything here is so unfamiliar," Lin Mo said.
Ning Rongrong shook her head and said nothing.
She went back to the chair and sat down. Looking at Lin Mo, she suddenly asked, "Would you send me away?"
Lin Mo was taken aback. "What?"
"If one day I can go back, would you send me away?"
After a few seconds of silence, Lin Mo said, "No."
"Then you'd let me stay?"
"You can decide for yourself."
Ning Rongrong looked at him, and her eyes reddened again.
This time, she couldn't hold it in. Tears really did fall.
She hurriedly wiped them away with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more they came. In the end, she stopped trying and simply looked at him, tears falling one by one.
Lin Mo stood, walked over to her, and crouched down in front of her so they were eye to eye.
"Don't cry," he said.
Ning Rongrong sniffed and murmured, "I'm not crying."
Lin Mo looked at her tear-streaked face but didn't call her out.
He reached for the coffee table, pulled out two tissues, and handed them to her.
Ning Rongrong took them and wiped her face, then suddenly asked, "That Life Bond... does it require a kiss?"
Lin Mo hadn't expected the question. He froze for a moment, then nodded.
Ning Rongrong watched him for a while, then looked away and murmured, "Then... I'll think about it."
This time, Lin Mo was genuinely stunned.
"What did you say?"
Ning Rongrong's face turned scarlet, and her voice shot up an octave. "I said I'll think about it! Can't you hear me? Are you deaf?"
Looking at her flushed face, Lin Mo couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
"What are you smiling at!" Ning Rongrong snapped, mortified. "I'm doing this for the sake of both worlds! Not for you!"
Lin Mo nodded, trying hard not to laugh. "I know."
Ning Rongrong glared at him, turned, and headed for the inner room. After two steps, she stopped and said without looking back, "I'm sleeping inside. You sleep on the sofa."
Lin Mo said, "Okay."
Ning Rongrong took two more steps, then stopped again. "What are we eating tomorrow?"
"What would you like?"
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and murmured, "Those buns."
Lin Mo smiled. "All right."
Only then did Ning Rongrong go inside, slamming the door shut behind her.
Lin Mo stood in the living room, looking at the closed door. Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't quite so tired anymore.
He lay back down on the sofa and closed his eyes.
His right eye suddenly stung again.
The purple screen popped up on its own.
[Detected change in Ning Rongrong's affection,] [Current affection: 58 (Trust established)] [Note: She's beginning to consider your presence. This is the first step.]
Lin Mo froze, then smiled.
This lousy system was quite the gossip.
He was about to dismiss the screen when the system popped up another new message.
[Second "Crisis Summon" about to trigger,] [Target: Huyan Li] [Identity: Direct disciple of the Elephant Armor Sect, wielder of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul] [Soul Power Level: Level 65 Spirit Emperor] [Arrival time: 72 hours] [Arrival location: To be determined] [Mission: Kill Huyan Li.] [Reward: 600 World Origin Points, 1 random Soul Bone.] [Failure penalty: Dual World Collision accelerated by 50 days.]
Lin Mo looked at the message. His smile slowly disappeared.
Another one.
Level 65.
Lower than Shi Nian, but still a Spirit Emperor.
He turned his head toward the closed door to the inner room. He heard a faint sound from inside. Ning Rongrong probably wasn't asleep yet.
He thought it over and decided not to knock.
Let her sleep.
He'd tell her tomorrow.
He closed his eyes and silently counted to himself.
Seventy-two hours.
Three days.
Three more days.
Outside the window, the neon lights still flashed. The occasional sound of cars in the distance mingled with the creaking of the Old Western-style House.
Lin Mo lay on the sofa and slowly drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he saw a gigantic figure, its entire body covered in golden diamonds, walking toward him.
With every step, the ground trembled.
The next morning, Lin Mo woke to a delicious smell.
He opened his eyes and saw Ning Rongrong standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a bowl of noodles and looking down at him.
"You're awake?" she said. "Breakfast."
Lin Mo blinked, sat up, and looked at the bowl of noodles.
Clear broth, thin noodles, a few slices of greens, a fried egg, and a sprinkling of chopped scallions.
It was exactly like the one he'd made.
"You made this?"
Ning Rongrong turned her head away, the tips of her ears red. "Obviously. You're injured, aren't you? This lady's feeling generous, so I made you a meal."
Lin Mo took the bowl and tried a bite.
It was too salty.
But he didn't say so.
He lowered his head and finished it one mouthful at a time, then handed the bowl to Ning Rongrong.
She took it and suddenly asked, "Was it good?"
Lin Mo looked up at her and smiled.
"It was good."
Ning Rongrong's ears turned even redder. She turned and headed for the kitchen, but after two steps, she stopped and said without looking back,
"Then... I'll make it for you every day from now on."
With that, she ducked into the kitchen and slammed the door shut.
Lin Mo sat on the sofa, watching the door, the corners of his mouth lifting higher and higher.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, warm and golden.
But just then, another message popped up from the system:
[Warning] [Abnormal fluctuations detected in the Plane Rift.] [Target "Huyan Li" may arrive ahead of schedule.] [Please prepare.]
Lin Mo looked at the message, then at the kitchen door.
The sunlight was still there, and so was the warmth.
But that oppressive feeling had returned.
Before you continue