I like you

In her panic, Lisa flailed with both hands and, by sheer chance, caught Han Shuo's trouser leg in midair. Then she gave it a violent tug. Han Shuo lurched and fell toward the bottom of the pit along with her.

Han Shuo had stolen a glance at the bottom of the pit just moments before. By the moonlight, he had seen that there were no sharp blades or spikes down there, only a few protruding rocks. Even those few rocks, however, would dig painfully into anyone who fell onto them.

Listening to Lisa's screams, Han Shuo was surprisingly calm. He did not know whether it was because of his cultivation of the Demonic Cultivation Art, but lately, whenever danger struck, his first reaction was not panic. Instead, he rapidly considered how to resolve the crisis, and this time was no exception.

The hastily prepared pit was only a little over three meters deep, yet even in that split second of falling, Han Shuo still had the capacity to think about other things. As Lisa's screams rang in his ears, the Demonic Essence that had just dissolved the fighting aura suddenly began circulating several times faster than usual.

Just before the two of them slammed onto the protruding rocks, Han Shuo abruptly reached out, caught Lisa in midair, and wrapped an arm around her waist as she did nothing but scream in panic. Then, sacrificing his back and buttocks, he struck the rocks jutting from the bottom of the pit.

"Ow..." Han Shuo grimaced and cried out in pain. The wound on his back, bandaged only a short while earlier, split open again, and blood immediately seeped out. His buttocks, which had taken the brunt of the impact, also hurt terribly.

Held in Han Shuo's arms, Lisa had suffered little harm. Hearing his pained groans, she realized that she was unhurt and began looking him over suspiciously. "Why did you save me?" she asked in surprise.

Han Shuo's cries of pain stopped at Lisa's question. Suddenly, his face fell. He shook his head and sighed softly. "Because I like you!"

The words struck Lisa like a bolt of lightning. She stared at Han Shuo, utterly dumbfounded. Only after a long while did she seem to recover, pointing at him as she stammered, "You... you... I... I... what did you say?"

"I like you, Lisa!" Han Shuo looked at her with utter sincerity and said earnestly, "All these years, I've actually liked you all along. That's why I willingly let you experiment on me without complaint or regret. Even when you nearly killed me with Soul Pain a few days ago, I never resented you.

"But I know I'm only an errand boy, and the difference in our status is too great. So I could only bury those feelings deep in my heart, never daring to reveal them, and then act crazy and foolish in the hope that you'd pay a little more attention to me. Lisa, am I very foolish for doing that?"

I'm so despicable. I'm so shameless. As Han Shuo told his lies with a sincere expression, he marveled inwardly that, after arriving in another world, he could actually employ such a vicious method. He did not know whether it was because of his cultivation of the Demonic Cultivation Art or because he had always been wicked, and that side of him was slowly emerging now that he had fewer restraints in this other world.

Lisa was completely stunned by Han Shuo. She stared at him blankly, forgetting to speak. Only when her hands moved about blindly in her fluster and touched a bare thigh did she abruptly snap out of it and scramble to her feet. Looking at Han Shuo as he was now, Lisa blushed for the first time ever, seemingly a little embarrassed.

Han Shuo froze, then looked down and realized that Lisa had torn his trouser leg when they fell. Now, apart from his underwear, his lower body was completely exposed around his thighs. Lisa had just been sitting on his bare thighs.

Turning her head away in a fluster, Lisa spoke rather hurriedly. "I don't care whether what you said is true or not. I won't like you anyway. You're only an errand boy in the necromancy department. I will absolutely never have anything to do with you."

"I understand, Lisa. I only hope to stay in the necromancy department and watch you from afar. I won't hope for anything more. Now that I've said what I've kept bottled up for years, I suddenly feel much more at ease," Han Shuo said in a low voice, his expression sorrowful and earnest.

"I-I'm leaving. Forget what happened before. I won't hold it against you anymore. But don't get any ideas. You're only an errand boy. There's no chance for us!" With her back to Han Shuo, Lisa listened to his sincere confession and hurriedly blurted out those words. Then she immediately recited an incantation, summoned a skeleton warrior, and had it throw down the rope she had originally prepared to use against Han Shuo.

Han Shuo understood that if a woman learned someone had secretly admired her in silence, then no matter how much she had disliked him before, she would generally refrain from harming someone who quietly liked her once she knew. Lisa proved to be no exception.

Lisa would not fall for Han Shuo because of those words, but they would make her forgive his earlier actions, and she would even help him in the future. Because she believed he quietly liked her, even if she would never like him, she would still be moved, and that would influence her future actions and judgments.

Seeing that Lisa was about to leave, Han Shuo turned his back to her and flashed a wicked smile at the success of his scheme. Then he spoke in a low voice again. "Lisa, I'd do anything for you. I've gone to every length to ask around. If you want your breasts to develop fully, at your age you need to drink more papaya milk, swim more, and massage both sides for a while when you bathe. Supposedly, that will definitely help your breasts develop well."

"Damn you, Brian! Who told you all that?" Lisa said huffily, gripping the rope without looking back at Han Shuo. After a pause, she spoke again. "What's papaya milk?"

"Uh, ordinary milk will do too. Two cups, morning and night!" Han Shuo suddenly remembered that this world did indeed seem to have no papayas, and hurried to explain.

Whipping her head around, Lisa glared fiercely at Han Shuo and snapped, "Shut up! You're not allowed to tell anyone what happened today, and you're not allowed to tell people you like me, either. Otherwise, I'll kill you."

After saying that, Lisa issued an order to the skeleton warrior above. It pulled on the rope and hauled her up. A rustling followed, and then everything above fell quiet.

Letting out a soft breath, Han Shuo gave a delighted chuckle. He thought to himself that he really was becoming more and more wicked, telling lies so smoothly and without a trace. The fact that Lisa had let him off so easily now showed that the method had worked remarkably well.

Chuckling to himself, Han Shuo took a few steps and saw that the rope Lisa had left behind was still there. He reached out and tugged it, finding that the other end seemed to be tied around the artificial rockery. Delighted, he realized that Lisa must have helped him in passing before leaving. He climbed out using the rope, then swaggered back to his Supply Storeroom.

After having the little skeleton bandage his back again, Han Shuo first practiced the Demonic Cultivation Art for a while. He felt that the Demonic Essence within him had not only grown a little stronger but was circulating somewhat faster as well. In the Mystic Ice Demon Flame Art he had practiced for so long, his Demonic Essence could now reach his wrists. Han Shuo was overjoyed.

Could it be because my Demonic Essence digested the fighting aura Eric sent into my body? Han Shuo frowned in thought. Recalling what had happened after Claude wounded him with fighting aura last time, he gradually began to suspect that the Demonic Essence within him could absorb fighting aura to strengthen itself.

Han Shuo could not work out why the Demonic Essence he cultivated had such a strange function. After thinking it over without reaching an answer, he did not dwell on it and began meditating to cultivate his Mental Power.

His mind settled into emptiness, but while cultivating his Mental Power, Han Shuo suddenly felt restless and could not enter a meditative state immediately as he usually did. It was as though something nearby was disturbing his meditation, almost as if it were calling to him. The sensation was very strange and peculiar. At first, Han Shuo ignored it, but after it repeatedly interrupted his attempts to meditate, he began taking it seriously.

Once Han Shuo calmed his mind and focused on the sensation, he sensed that whatever was disturbing his meditation seemed to come from beneath the bed, where there was only the pouch he had obtained from Dylan.

An idea struck him. Han Shuo reached out and retrieved the pouch, then took out the sinister dark green jade box. Feeling a cold, chilling aura within it, he could not help shivering and began examining the green jade box closely.

The culprit that had repeatedly interrupted Han Shuo's meditation was precisely this dark green jade box before him. To this day, he had no idea what was stored inside it. He had paid it little attention last time, but now, to meditate without interruption, he had no choice but to take it seriously.

Picking up the green key, Han Shuo inserted it into the recess in the jade box. He tried turning it left and right, only to discover that it would not budge, and a puzzled look appeared on his face.

Han Shuo was astonished that the key could not open the jade box and began to feel confused. He carefully recalled what had happened last time, then had an idea. Focusing his Mental Power, he slowly gathered it over the jade box.

Suddenly, an icy aura invaded Han Shuo's mind from the jade box, immediately sending a stab of pain through his head. Forcing himself to endure the pain, he concentrated his Mental Power to an unprecedented degree. Even the Demonic Essence within him circulated much faster than usual.

Enduring the intrusion of the icy aura from the jade box, Han Shuo tried turning the key again. With a click, the key turned to the right, and the jade box abruptly sprang open, revealing the objects hidden inside.