Chapter 212: Your Gaze Is Strange

Zu An was startled. "You're awake?"

Mi Li sneered repeatedly. "If I didn't wake up now, all my belongings would have been given away to other women by you."

Zu An looked awkward, as being caught red-handed was truly embarrassing. However, skilled at changing the subject, he quickly asked, "How can you speak inside my mind? Can you read my thoughts?"

"When we signed the 'Life-and-Death Covenant' earlier," Mi Li scoffed, "our souls were bound together in a sense, so naturally we can communicate on a soul level. As for reading your thoughts, you needn't worry. I have no interest in knowing your filthy mind."

"Being uninterested and being unable are two different concepts, aren't they?" Zu An immediately grew tense, feeling as though he were stripped naked and completely exposed.

"A person's soul and thoughts are very mysterious," Mi Li explained coldly. "They aren't easily read unless soul-searching techniques are employed. Even then, such techniques usually only reveal fragments and cause irreversible damage to the target. If you're unconvinced, why don't you try reading my thoughts?"

Of course, Zu An was unconvinced. He immediately tried to read her thoughts, but despite using all his might, he still couldn't read anything.

"Is this woman lying to me?" Zu An felt uneasy. After all, he lacked common knowledge about this world and didn't possess as many skills as she did. Perhaps there was a special technique for mind-reading.

A thought sparked in his mind, and he began to fantasize about Mi Li kneeling on the ground and calling him 'master'...

The Tai'a Sword suddenly trembled, leaped up, slapped him on the cheek, and then quickly returned to its sheath on his back, moving so fast that he couldn't react.

"Didn't you say you couldn't read my thoughts?" Zu An exclaimed, enraged.

"Your gaze was wrong," Mi Li replied indifferently.

Zu An was speechless.

*You're hiding inside the Tai'a Sword, and the sword is on my back. How could you possibly see my gaze?*

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep," Mi Li huffed. "Don't give my belongings to anyone, or I'll kill whoever you give them to."

"You're a grown man, using a woman's things to charm other women? How shameless! Ugh, what a scumbag!"

After scolding him for a while, Mi Li finally fell silent again.

Zu An was speechless. This woman had previously said she was sleeping to restore her soul, yet she popped out the moment he touched her things. Was she truly asleep or just pretending?

"What are you doing? Talking to yourself like a madman?" Qiao Xueying, who was not far away, looked bewildered. She had only seen his face fluctuating between light and dark, as if he were ill. "And what's wrong with your sword? Why did it move by itself?"

Zu An and Mi Li's previous conversation had been on a soul level. Although they exchanged many words, to outsiders it seemed to pass in an instant, so Qiao Xueying hadn't noticed anything unusual.

"Nothing," Zu An explained awkwardly. "I suddenly had an inspiration and came up with a new sword technique, so I just tried it out a bit."

"Your new sword technique is for hitting yourself in the face?" Qiao Xueying looked at him strangely.

"Of course not. It was just a failed experiment," Zu An chuckled awkwardly, naturally not wanting anyone to misunderstand that he had any strange fetishes.

Qiao Xueying suddenly reacted, saying indignantly, "I asked you for a gift, and you were thinking about sword techniques? Fine, since it's such a hassle for you, forget about it."

The thought of Ji Xiaoxi's larger stone made her annoyed. Looking at his expression, it was likely he didn't have anything bigger than that. It wasn't as if she could snatch the one from Ji Xiaoxi, right?

Knowing it rationally was one thing, but emotionally it was another. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 333!

Noticing her rage value, Zu An felt a headache. Mi Li had just made it clear that her belongings couldn't be given to other women. So, now, let alone large primeval stones, even the small ones were out of the question.

However, Qiao Xueying had indeed done a lot for him, and giving her nothing at all would be heartless.

But what did he have now? He had left the underground palace in such a rush that he didn't have many things with him.

Zu An patted himself down and suddenly had an idea. He remembered another item: the Marrow Cleansing Pill!

He quickly checked his rage value, discovering he had accumulated another 33,595 points in such a short time!

*I'm a genius!*

And of course, he had to thank those lovely classmates.

He hastily went to the shop and spent 10,000 points to buy a Marrow Cleansing Pill. The moment he redeemed it, he suddenly remembered complaining previously that only an idiot would spend so much rage value on something so expensive...

*You really shouldn't make bold statements!*

Just as he took out the Marrow Cleansing Pill, his eyes narrowed. He noticed that the price of the Marrow Cleansing Pill in the shop seemed to have fluctuated. He quickly checked; on the surface, nothing seemed different, but upon closer inspection, he realized an extra zero had been added to the price!

A full hundred thousand!

*What a rip-off!*

Zu An nearly jumped. The price could change? It was 10,000 before, now it was 100,000. Would it be a million next time?

His face turned extremely ugly. He had originally planned to give one to each of his acquaintances, but now it seemed that idea was impossible.

On second thought, he somewhat understood. Items that improve aptitude were inherently extremely valuable. 10,000 rage points had seemed expensive before, but now it looked far too cheap.

No wonder the system gradually increased its price. He figured from now on he should only redeem it when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, while a second one at 100,000 might be affordable, and a third at 1,000,000 barely hopeful, a fourth at 10,000,000 would be completely impossible.

He gently leaned Ji Xiaoxi against the large tree behind him, then approached Qiao Xueying and handed her the Marrow Cleansing Pill: "I don't have any Heaven-grade primeval stones left, but I'll give you something even more precious."

Looking at the unremarkable-looking pill, Qiao Xueying's face showed disbelief: "What could be more valuable than a Heaven-grade primeval stone?"

"Just take it," Zu An said, bringing it to her lips.

"What is this?" Qiao Xueying instinctively recoiled slightly, looking at him warily. "It's not an aphrodisiac, is it?"

Zu An was speechless.

*Is that how you see me?*

"Yes, do you want to take it?" Zu An said, deciding to just give up.

Qiao Xueying's face flushed slightly. The pill emitted a fragrant aroma that seemed to awaken a deep longing within her, making her involuntarily swallow. "I doubt you'd have the guts," she said.

With that, she opened her delicate mouth and swallowed the pill.

Her tongue accidentally brushed his fingertip, sending a jolt through Zu An. This woman truly felt soft all over.

Qiao Xueying's heart also skipped a beat, and her face immediately showed a hint of awkwardness. She quickly changed the subject: "What exactly is this pill for?"

"It can raise a person's aptitude by one level," Zu An replied.

"How could there be such a heaven-defying pill in the world?" Qiao Xueying frowned, clearly disbelieving him.

"Whether it does or not, you'll find out soon enough," Zu An said, too lazy to argue.

Just as Qiao Xueying was about to speak, she suddenly felt a warmth spreading throughout her body, dispersing into her limbs and bones, as if every pore was cheering.

Her expression changed, and she quickly collected herself, beginning to guide and refine the medicinal energy.

After an unknown period, she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was noticeably brighter than before. She could smell the air, which now seemed sweeter, clearly see the trembling wings of a distant dragonfly, and even discern the pattern of swaying grass blades—exactly like Zu An's reactions after he took the pill.

"This... this really can improve aptitude!" Qiao Xueying exclaimed, her face filled with disbelief.

Zu An rolled his eyes: "I just told you, but you didn't believe me. Am I the kind of man who talks nonsense?"

Qiao Xueying muttered inwardly, *You're the type who loves to boast everyday; who knows what's true or false with you.*

Still, she was caught between shock and delight, and couldn't help but bite her lip. "I'm sorry!"

Zu An was taken aback: "Why are you apologizing?"

Qiao Xueying's expression was complex: "A pill that can improve aptitude like this is unheard of. It's definitely one of the most precious elixirs in the world. Once word gets out, various factions will scramble to get their hands on it. If I hadn't kept pressing you for a gift, you wouldn't have wasted such a precious pill."

"How can you call it a waste?" Zu An chuckled. "Besides, no matter how precious it is, it's not as precious as your 'Half-Life Bond.' We're now comrades who've faced life and death together; talking like this is too formal."

"'Comrades'..." Hearing that, Qiao Xueying's heart trembled. She suddenly lowered her head, her expression unclear. A thousand words welled up in her heart, but in the end, only two emerged: "Thank you."

"More than all that," Zu An said teasingly, fanning the air around his nose, "you should be more concerned about taking a bath. You don't smell very good right now."

Qiao Xueying paused, then noticed a faint layer of grime on her skin, as if it had just been expelled from her body. It must have been the Marrow Cleansing Pill, which purified her body and cleared impurities.

Being a clean-loving girl, she glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed: "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

*This guy is really a jerk. I was so touched just now, and he completely ruined the mood.*

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 250!

Zu An struggled to suppress his laughter: "There's a small river over there. Go wash up and change your clothes."

He had just noticed the male students heading over there to "clean their eyes," which is how he remembered the location.

"Do you want me to ask Xiaoxi to lend you some clothes?"

"No!"

Qiao Xueying struggled to sit up and took out a change of clothes from a ring on her hand.

Zu An was surprised. He hadn't expected this woman to also have a storage ring. He couldn't help but grumble, "You saw how disheveled I was earlier, but you didn't offer me any clothes."

"Hmph, I only have women's clothes here. Do you want to wear them?" Qiao Xueying slowly stood up. Elves have strong vitality, and Ji Xiaoxi had given her Master Ji's healing elixir earlier. Coupled with the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, she had now recovered a good deal of her mobility.

"No!" The thought of being known as a cross-dresser at school sent a shiver down Zu An's spine, and he quickly shook his head. "By the way, you're so badly injured right now, do you want me to help you wash?"

"Get lost!" Qiao Xueying retorted curtly with a single word, then walked alone toward the small river.

Zu An instinctively checked his keyboard backend and immediately felt a pang of disappointment. Where was the rage value?

Just then, Qiao Xueying, who had walked some distance away, suddenly stopped and waved at him.

Zu An raised an eyebrow: "What, did you change your mind and want me to help you wash? Don't worry, my scrubbing skills are absolutely first-rate."

Qiao Xueying rolled her eyes, completely ignoring his words: "Come here and stand guard for me, so others don't see me when they return."

"What if I see you, then?" Zu An paused.

"Then I'll gouge out your eyes!" Qiao Xueying huffed and turned away, a faint blush visible on her neck through her collar.