'A Hero Saves a Beauty'?

Several days later, the trees in the forest began to grow sparse, signaling that the outer region was close at hand.

Xiao Yin felt somewhat more relaxed as well, planning what he would do after arriving in Heaven Dou City.

Just as he passed through a patch of woodland, the sounds of fierce fighting and a young girl's sharp cries faintly reached him.

Xiao Yin raised an eyebrow. He had no intention of meddling in other people's business.

But his keen senses caught the fact that the girl's Soul Power fluctuations seemed to be weakening?

He did not slow his steps, but he subtly changed direction and silently approached the source of the sounds.

Concealing himself behind a huge tree, Xiao Yin narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.

In the clearing before him, an extremely tall and voluptuous girl was fiercely battling a pitch-black Nether Shadow Leopard.

The girl looked to be around thirteen or fourteen. She wore a tight-fitting dark green leather armor that vividly outlined her figure, which was far more developed than that of her peers.

Her willow-slender waist seemed to contain astonishing flexibility. Every dodge was like the twisting of a spirit snake, carrying a peculiar beauty.

Her long, straight legs looked even more powerful beneath the leather armor.

She had a lovely face with a wild, heroic air, but her brows were currently knitted tight and sweat dotted her forehead. She had clearly expended quite a lot.

She held a Snake Head Staff in her hand, its serpent mouth emitting dark green Soul Power radiance.

The Nether Shadow Leopard fighting her appeared to be around eight hundred years old, judging by its aura.

The Shadow Leopard was clearly extremely cunning. Rather than confronting the girl head-on, it relied on its speed to repeatedly launch attacks from tricky angles, wearing down her stamina.

The girl's Serpent Cane martial soul possessed considerable attack power. Green light flashed with every sweep of the staff, yet the Nether Shadow Leopard was simply too fast, and nine out of ten of her attacks missed.

Instead, the Shadow Leopard's claws had left several scratches across her leather armor, making her look rather bedraggled.

"Damn it! This beast is too cunning!"

The girl gritted her teeth, her breathing uneven. She had clearly consumed too much Soul Power and was falling into a disadvantage.

Just as Xiao Yin was enjoying the show, the familiar mechanical voice abruptly sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Detected a light entertainment-type wish fluctuation! Task matching successful!]

[Task source: Otherworld No. [2333], avid youth idol drama fan 'Little Sweetheart'.]

[Wish core, starry-eyed version: 'Aahhh! A hero saving a beauty! Pinning against a wall! Princess carry! Please let that handsome big brother and that pretty big sister have a romantic encounter! I want ambiguity! I want blushing hearts!']

[Task adaptation, Douluo Continent real-time entertainment version: Host must use an "unintentional" method the target girl cannot resist to complete an ambiguous physical interaction, such as holding her waist, brushing faces, pinning her against a wall, and so on, while successfully saving the target girl from the soul beast's claws. Requirement: The contact must be natural and smooth.]

[Time limit: Before the target girl escapes danger.]

[Task reward: Wish Value +50; [Love-Stirring Chocolate] ×1 (after consumption, slightly increases the opposite sex's favorability toward the host).]

[Failure penalty: Host will receive the 'Steel Straight Man' title aura for 24 hours, with opposite sex favorability -30%.]

Xiao Yin: "..."

He nearly failed to catch his breath.

Looking at the task description in his mind, whose tone had suddenly gone completely off the rails, then at the voluptuous Serpent Cane girl battling the soul beast in the distance, along with that balls-aching "Steel Straight Man" punishment...

Xiao Yin's mouth twitched wildly.

"What the hell is this crappy system doing?!" he complained inwardly.

Ambiguous physical contact? And the reward was chocolate?!

What the hell was all this?

But... fifty Wish Value was still Wish Value, and that "Steel Straight Man" penalty aura sounded extremely bad!

"Fine... entertainment it is..."

Xiao Yin took a deep breath, his expression turning somewhat strange.

He rolled his wrists and fixed his gaze on the Nether Shadow Leopard that was about to pounce on the girl again, as well as the girl's snake-like waist, which held a deadly allure with every twist.

"Ambiguous contact... hold her waist... brush faces... tsk..."

He muttered under his breath, but his figure had already vanished from behind the tree.

At this moment, Meng Yiran was drenched in fragrant sweat.

Although her First Soul Skill, Snake Blade, was sharp, the Shadow Leopard always narrowly evaded it.

Her Soul Power consumption was enormous, and her movements had slowed by the slightest degree.

A cruel, cunning glint flashed through the Nether Shadow Leopard's dark green eyes. Catching the instant when Meng Yiran's old strength had faded and her new strength had yet to emerge, it lunged straight at her!

It was three parts faster than before!

"Not good!"

Meng Yiran's pupils contracted sharply. It was already too late to bring her Serpent Cane back to defend herself. In her haste, she could only twist aside with all her strength, but the Shadow Leopard's claws were already upon her!

She could feel that icy sharpness pricking her skin painfully!

At that critical instant—

"Screech!"

A sharp whistle through the air rang out like cloth being torn apart!

A black glint arrived after yet struck first, accurately and viciously piercing into the Nether Shadow Leopard's gaping bloody maw from the side!

"Awoo—!"

The distorted, miserable howl came to an abrupt stop!

The fiercely pouncing Nether Shadow Leopard seemed to have been smashed by an invisible giant hammer. With a bang, it crashed heavily into a tree trunk seven or eight meters away, twitched twice, and fell silent.

A bloody hole marked by savage bite wounds was clearly visible in its skull!

Meng Yiran was still reeling from the shock, her mind completely blank. She only saw a tall figure appear at her side as though by Teleportation.

Immediately afterward, a powerful arm caught her waist as inertia continued to carry her backward!

That palm was warm and strong, its touch clearly transmitted through the thin leather armor.

Meng Yiran could even feel the outline of his fingers! A masculine scent she had never experienced before instantly enveloped her!

To dissipate the force of her backward fall, the figure gracefully spun her half a turn on the spot.

During the turn, Meng Yiran's cheek inevitably brushed against his firm, broad chest, while a distinct scent carrying a faint trace of blood lingered at the tip of her nose.

Because of the centrifugal force from the spin, her full breasts inevitably pressed against that solid chest!

Time seemed to stretch at that moment.

When the spin stopped, Meng Yiran found herself half-embraced in an exceptionally standard "hero saves a beauty" pose.

Her back was pressed tightly against his chest, while that large hand still steadily supported her slim, toned waist.

His other hand, seemingly to maintain balance, had instinctively settled on the outer side of her... astonishingly elastic thigh?!

Their eyes met.

Meng Yiran saw a handsome face that carried a hint of wild, unruly charm.

Sword-like brows, starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and the corners of his mouth seemed to hold a trace of... helpless amusement?

Having never been in such intimate contact with an unfamiliar man before, Meng Yiran's mind went boom, instantly crashing.

An indescribable sensation surged from her touched waist and thigh, sweeping through her entire body and rushing straight to her cheeks!

Her fair, lovely face was dyed an intoxicating crimson at a visible speed!

Meng Yiran: Who is he? Where am I? He... me...?!