I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan could feel the air moving, but he couldn't move.

His body was no longer under his control; it was frozen in place, and he couldn't move an inch.

He could feel the wind stirred up by the spike—a cold, fishy wind, a wind carrying the smell of rust.

Closer and closer.

Just as the spikes were about to touch him, the Ironhide suddenly let out two painful howls.

The sound was sharp and piercing, then stopped abruptly, as if someone had choked it.

The ground shook, then fell silent.

The Steel Clan stopped struggling and writhing; everything fell silent.

Gu Yan sensed that someone had arrived and that he had been rescued.

A pleasant fragrance wafted into his nose.

It's not the scent of flowers, nor the scent of fruit; it's an indescribable, delicate fragrance.

Like a bamboo forest after the rain, or a meadow in the early morning, it is clean and warm, with a hint of sweetness.

The aroma wafted over from afar, growing stronger and stronger.

Then a hand supported his arm.

That hand was soft and warm, with slender, long fingers, gently supporting his arm to prevent him from falling.

My palm touched the back of his hand, and the warmth of his hand wafted over me.

A crisp voice rang in my ears, tinged with panic.

"Oh no, you, you, how come you're bleeding so much?"

"Your eyes, your eyes are bleeding, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?"

Her voice was as beautiful as a lark's, but her tone was extremely flustered, and she spoke so fast it sounded like someone was chasing her.

"Don't faint! Look at me, don't close your eyes!"

"Open your eyes and look at me. I'm very good-looking. You won't feel dizzy anymore once you see me."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, what should I do first? Stop the bleeding or carry you away?"

"No, no, let's check if you're still breathing."

A trembling finger reached under Gu Yan's nose.

The voice breathed a sigh of relief after sensing the breath.

But then he immediately tensed up and raised his voice an octave.

"Thank goodness, you're still breathing, but you've lost a lot of blood."

"Your clothes are all wet, and your face is covered in blood."

"My God, how did you manage to fight so many monsters all by yourself?"

"Look at the ground, there must be more than twenty Bone Eaters here."

"And this Iron Clan member is an elite-level one."

"Wow, you're amazing, but you're also terrifying."

,

Gu Yan couldn't hear what came after that.

The pleasant fragrance grew stronger and stronger, enveloping him completely.

The hand supporting him was steady and gentle, and he felt his body leaning against something soft.

It wasn't the ground, it wasn't the wall, it was in someone's arms, warm and soft, and the fragrance was even stronger.

The voice was still chirping in my ear, like a little bird.

"Hold on, I'll get you out of here, it's not safe."

"Don't sleep! Talk to me. What's your name?"

"What are you doing here? Are you lost?"

"Why don't you run? You're only a B-rank, why are you fighting so many people? Are you out of your mind?"

"Do you think you're very handsome and a good fighter?"

"Okay, he is indeed very handsome, but you can't be reckless."

Gu Yan's lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't say anything.

His lips moved a few times, but the sounds he made were inaudible even to himself.

The voice drew closer, pressing its ear to his mouth.

"What did you say? Speak louder, I can't hear you."

But Gu Yan didn't say anything; his consciousness had already faded.

The voice became anxious, and a sob rose in its tone.

"Hey, don't faint! You still haven't told me your name."

"You haven't even opened your eyes to look at me yet, but I told you I'm very beautiful."

"You won't feel dizzy anymore after you see this. Look at me."

"Grandpa, the Grand Secretary, said you're not allowed to die."

But Gu Yan's eyes were closed, bleeding, and she couldn't open them.

His head rested on her shoulder, his breathing was very light and weak.

The voice was silent for a second, then became even more panicked.

"Why are you so light? Don't you eat?"

"No, no, this is not the time to talk about this."

"Why do you have so many wounds? Who told you to fight so many by yourself?"

"Help! Is anyone there? Come and help!"

She called out several times, but no one answered.

The surrounding monsters have been mostly cleared out, and the battle in the distance is still ongoing, but this area is safe for the time being.

She gritted her teeth and put Gu Yan's arm on her shoulder.

"Okay, if no one comes, I'll do it myself. I'm very strong."

She held his waist with one hand and his hand with the other.

Gu Yan still held the Demon-Suppressing Blade in her hand, and instead of throwing it away, she carried both the blade and herself out.

"You're so heavy, no, you're so light, you're so strange."

"How come you're both light and heavy? Are your bones made of iron?"

"No, something made of iron should be heavier. Are you made of cotton?"

"The cotton isn't right either; cotton doesn't bleed."

She walked along talking to herself, her words coming out as fast as a machine gun.

"I'm telling you, you can't die. If you die, who will I go to?"

"I've finally met someone even better looking than me."

"If you die, who will I find to compete in beauty with? Who will I find to fight with?"

"No, no, a beauty contest doesn't involve fighting; fighting isn't beautiful."

"Did you hear me? Hang in there."

Gu Yan didn't react; his body leaned softly against her.

His long pink hair floated across his face, brushing against it.

The fragrance grew stronger and stronger, and he was completely enveloped in it.

The voice continued, sounding even more panicked than before.

"Your hands are so cold, have you lost too much blood?"

"Your face is so pale. Are you naturally pale, or is it because you lost too much blood?"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, I didn't know what color you were originally."

"Wake up, tell me what color you were originally."

Gu Yan, of course, did not wake up.

His consciousness had sunk into deep darkness.

But his fingers still gripped the knife, and his back remained straight with the girl's support.

A gust of wind blew by, and the hem of his clothes became tangled with the girl's long pink hair.

Under the dark red sky, the girl supported the blood-covered boy as they walked out step by step.

She walked steadily, each step firm, while constantly talking.

It was as if they were afraid he would fall asleep and never wake up.

"Did you hear me? I'm talking to you."

"Okay, you're dizzy right now and can't answer, I'll forgive you this time."

"But you have to apologize to me and treat me to a meal after you wake up."

Gu Yan couldn't hear her anymore.

His hand was held by a warm hand, and his body was enveloped in a pleasant fragrance.

His head rested on a soft shoulder, and he sank into the darkness.

Unbeknownst to Gu Yan, the statistics panel popped up on its own when he fainted.

A blue light screen silently unfolded above his closed eyes, and words appeared one by one.

[The Book of the World (Red): Encounter important characters to unlock hidden storylines.]

The words glowed with a faint red light and lingered on the screen for several seconds before slowly disappearing.

The panel flashed a few more times, as if confirming something, before slowly fading away.