Ronava had barely stood up when her legs gave way and she fell.
Lin En reacted quickly and caught her in his arms.
"You..."
"Don't move. Your injuries haven't healed yet. I'll carry you back to bed."
Ronava tried to push Lin En away, but she had no strength in her hands and could only let him carry her back to bed.
Lin En clapped his hands, but then realized his actions had been too intimate. His face turned red, and he thought:
I'm done for, I'm done for! She's the Shade of Death, and I just took advantage of her. Once she recovers, won't she skin me alive and tear out my tendons? I have to run!
"Um, I did that without thinking. I didn't have any improper intentions."
Ronava cast a cold glance his way and spoke indifferently.
"You should know who I am. I advise you not to meddle next time, or else..."
Ronava's gaze was as sharp as a hunter's locking onto prey. Cold sweat broke out on Lin En's back. He swallowed and agreed.
"O... okay!"
But hearing her say "next time," he also knew that Ronava had probably forgiven him this time.
The scent of herbs drifted into Lin En's nose, and he suddenly remembered that he had some medicine simmering. He turned, took a bowl, filled it with some of the medicinal broth, and brought it to Ronava.
"This is a soup made from herbs. Drinking it should help your injuries."
"I'm not drinking it."
"Tch, why don't you appreciate it at all?"
Lin En muttered under his breath, but the Shade of Death heard him.
"What did you say?"
Looking up at the Shade of Death's chilling gaze, Lin En immediately lost his nerve.
"Nothing, nothing."
At that moment, the screen appeared before Lin En again. There was another new task.
"Within three minutes, feed the herbal medicine to the Shade of Death by mouth; Reward: a wisp of the Authority of the Shade of Death; Penalty for failure: your little brother will be impotent for life."
"What?!"
Lin En's shout startled even Ronava, who was right in front of him.
He could get hurt, but if anyone wanted to harm his little brother, he wouldn't stand for it. His "happy" life for the rest of his days depended on it.
"What madness are you up to now?"
He looked down at the screen, then up into those cold eyes, repeating this several times.
The hand holding the bowl trembled slightly as Lin En's gaze wandered back and forth between the medicinal broth and Ronava's face.
"Feed her... by mouth?"
Wasn't the system just trying to get him killed faster? Before, he only had to worry about being skinned alive and having his tendons torn out. If he fed her like this, wouldn't she blast him to bits later?
The countdown on the system panel had already started, ticking down second by second.
Lin En cursed eighteen generations of the system's ancestors in his heart.
"Um... Ronava."
"..."
Ronava couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids. She simply leaned against the headboard with her eyes closed, resting.
Her face was pale, and her lips were slightly purplish. Clearly, her injuries were serious, but even so, her innate air of oppression still left Lin En struggling to breathe.
"This medicine... are you really not going to drink it? Once it cools... it won't work as well."
"I said I'm not drinking it."
Ronava's tone was flat, but her refusal was clear.
Lin En glanced down at the system panel. Only two minutes remained on the countdown, and the angel and devil in his heart had a fight.
Angel: You can't do this while someone is weak. That's not manly. What if she hates you for it?
Devil: To hell with being manly. Are you willing to suffer the consequences of not kissing her? Isn't this what you've always hoped for? Even if she kills you afterward, you'll have gotten your wish.
The devil had a bit more of a point, but what would Ronava think of him doing this while she was vulnerable?
After he weighed his options for a long time, only ten seconds remained.
Lin En made up his mind. No matter how frightening the Shade of Death was, that was a problem for later. He couldn't accept the system's punishment.
"Sorry for the offense!"
He spoke in a low voice and took a mouthful of the medicinal broth.
Before Ronava could grasp what he meant, she felt something warm against her lips.
Her eyes snapped open.
Lin En's face was inches from hers, his eyes squeezed shut like a prisoner about to be executed.
He held the bowl in his left hand and braced his right on the edge of the bed beside her, leaning slightly forward and half trapping her against the headboard in an extremely intimate position.
Ronava's pupils contracted sharply.
Her first reaction was to summon her power and blast the person before her to bits, but she was empty inside and couldn't squeeze out even a trace of power. Her strength had yet to recover.
The wound that had nearly claimed her life was still aching faintly too, leaving her without even the strength to push him away.
The warm medicinal broth passed from Lin En's mouth to hers, carrying the bitterness of herbs and a hint of unusual sweetness.
Ronava was forced to swallow. The medicine slid down her throat into her stomach, and a warmth slowly spread through her limbs and bones.
She froze for a moment. This medicine... really does work.
But that wasn't the point.
Lin En had already pulled away quickly.
"I... I'm done feeding you!"
He stammered, his face burning red, not daring to look up.
Ronava touched her lips and remained silent for a long time.
The room was so quiet that only the sound of their breathing could be heard. The scent of herbs filled the air, along with a hint of... an extremely faint intimate atmosphere.
"You..."
Ronava finally spoke, her voice as cold as a poisoned dagger.
"Have you grown tired of living?"
Lin En's shoulders jerked inward. He could feel Ronava's gaze falling on him, filling him with lingering fear.
"I... I can explain!"
He raised his head and met Ronava's deep eyes. The killing intent in them nearly scared the soul out of him.
"This medicine... actually has to be administered in a special way to work, really! I... I have a... uh... special method. Yes, that's it. Otherwise, the medicine's effects would be greatly reduced!"
A line of small text appeared in the corner of his vision on the system panel: "Host's task completed."
Lin En cursed inwardly. This lousy system kept giving him tasks that were asking for death!
Ronava stared at him for a long time, so long that Lin En thought he would probably meet his end right there. Then she slowly looked away and closed her eyes again.
"...Get lost."
The words were barely uttered.
As if granted a pardon, Lin En set down the bowl, turned, and ran. He rushed outside, leaned against the wall, and gasped for breath, his heart pounding.
"I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive... But I have to say, the Shade of Death's lips really are sweet."
Wait, what had he just said?
The part about the Shade of Death's lips being sweet... Ronava probably hadn't heard that, had she?
Lin En clapped a hand over his mouth. He carefully glanced back at the tightly closed door, then pressed his ear against it and listened. There was no sound from inside.
"Phew... thank goodness, thank goodness. She didn't hear!"
No, at this rate, that system really would get him killed. He had to think of something, fast.
He couldn't leave Ronava yet. At the very least, he needed to look after her until she recovered, but now he had done something like this...
Just then, the system interrupted his jumbled thoughts.
"Host has received a wisp of the Authority of the Shade of Death and obtained the Improved Delusion."
Feeling power surge within him, Lin En thought of a brilliant way to avoid death.
"That's right, completing tasks earns rewards! I only have a wisp of the Authority of the Shade of Death right now, but if I complete more tasks, won't I become the Shade of Death? Then, once I have power, I can naturally protect her."
At the thought of those deadly tasks the system gave him, Lin En's head began to ache again.
As for the Delusion, it was far too dangerous. For now, he had no intention of using it.
Inside the room, Ronava slowly brushed her hand over her lips again. Her eyes were as deep as the night, revealing neither joy nor anger. Outside the window, the wind blew, lifting her hair.
After a long while, she gave a low humph.
"My lips are sweet? You've got some nerve. Hmm? Why is there a trace of a familiar aura coming from him?"