As soon as Xu Nian entered the village, she couldn't help but curl up on the ground, trembling as she hugged Yuanbao.
He Lin looked at her with a complicated expression in his eyes and hurriedly went over to her, asking with concern, "Sister, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just an old problem." Xu Nian didn't know that her face was as white as paper, and she had lost her ill-fitting shoes long ago, making her look quite disheveled.
"Sister, you're not deceiving me at all when you're lying." He Lin looked at Xu Nian, who was still putting on a brave face, and couldn't help but walk over and pull her into his arms.
"He Lin, listen to me, don't waste your time, hurry back to the ancestral hall, it's not safe here." Xu Nian said tremblingly, and then heard the chaotic footsteps of the wolf pack.
The heavy breathing sounds grew more frequent and closer.
"Sister, being too kind in this game will only hurt you." After saying that, He Lin picked up Xu Nian and walked briskly towards the village.
"Put me down before you say that," Xu Nian said helplessly. Couldn't this child set a good example before teaching others how to do things?
"No, I'll definitely take my sister back today." He Lin's words made Xu Nian smile.
She leaned her head on He Lin's shoulder, watching as the village entrance she had just been at gradually became shrouded in mist, while pairs of eerie green eyes stared intently at her and He Lin.
"Why didn't you save me?" The woman's piercing question echoed in their ears.
It was a completely unfamiliar woman's voice, coming from behind the wolf pack.
Why didn't you save me?
Why is no one coming to save me?
Why didn't you save me?
The woman's shrill voice grew louder and louder, until finally it was filled with resentment and malice.
Upon hearing this voice, Xu Nian and He Lin exchanged a glance but did not speak. Instead, they rushed back to the ancestral hall as quickly as possible.
The village was quiet at this time, with every household keeping their doors tightly shut, except for the red lanterns hanging at the entrances swaying in the wind.
A sinister and eerie atmosphere, a gradually spreading fog, and an ominous smell fermented in the air.
The ancestral hall gate was tightly closed. He Lin put Xu Nian down and knocked on the door. This time, the rhythm of his knocking was different from the last time.
The fat man opened the door, and He Lin carried Xu Nian inside. He immediately closed and locked the door.
Inside the ancestral hall, Captain Lin, Wei Nana, Chi Nan, Uncle Xu, and the others were all present.
The two returned safely, which eased their solemn expressions. However, when they saw He Lin carrying Xu Nian, everyone looked as if they had expected it.
"Uncle Xu, hurry up and start a fire." He Lin didn't have time to explain anything.
Xu Nian's condition worsened; she trembled as if she were in a frozen wasteland.
He Lin didn't know what was wrong with her, but if she was cold, she would definitely need to warm up.
Uncle Xu dismantled the benches and chairs in the ancestral hall to make a fire for Xu Nian.
Even though she was sitting in front of the fire, Xu Nian still felt cold. The cold seemed to seep into her bones and freeze her completely.
Seeing that Xu Nian's condition had not improved and had instead become even colder, He Lin held her icy body and felt a pang of regret.
He shouldn't have had those thoughts. Now he's hurt her like this. She'll definitely be very disappointed in him when she finds out the truth!
"Sister, tell me what's wrong?" He Lin wanted to salvage the situation, and the best way was to find the cause of the mistake and then resolve it.
"I'm fine, I'll be better tomorrow," Xu Nian said, pursing her pale lips.
"Is it because of it? You used its power, so now it's starting to backfire," He Lin suddenly asked, pointing at the gold ingot.
Yuanbao was immediately unhappy when someone pointed at it like that and tried to pin a blame on it.
The dark, chubby little pig immediately bared its teeth at He Lin, looking fierce (in its own eyes).
"It's not its fault. It will only protect me. It won't hurt me," Xu Nian said, patting Yuanbao's head to comfort him.
Seeing that the host spoke up for him, Yuanbao snorted at He Lin and then obediently returned to Xu Nian's side, acting cute and charming.
Xu Nian's protectiveness of the little pig and her firm belief that it was innocent left He Lin with no choice but to guess the reason elsewhere.
Suddenly, he remembered how Xu Nian had swung her hand backward when the wolves were about to surround them, an invisible force that slowed their pursuit and allowed them to escape. "You'll pay the price for that last swing you made against the wolves?"
"More or less!" Xu Nian glanced at He Lin in surprise, not expecting him to be so observant.
"You didn't actually have to save me." He Lin lowered his head, not daring to look Xu Nian in the eye.
“You didn’t give up on me at that time, so I didn’t want to give up on you either. We’re even.” Xu Nian said calmly, but He Lin felt even worse.
They're not the same, so how can they be even?
He was thinking that if she were in danger, she would ask him for help, and then he would make his demands so that she would willingly cling to him and satisfy all his selfish desires.
He had considered many of her reactions at the time, but he never expected that this seemingly gentle and weak person would suddenly rise up to protect him.
Compared to her, he was truly a narrow-minded, scheming, and shameless villain.
Thinking back to how he had those dirty thoughts about her on their first meeting, He Lin's first thought was that he still had a conscience.
"Sister, don't do such foolish things again. In this game world, besides yourself, there is no one worth risking your life for." He Lin warned Xu Nian again not to be too kind.
"I'm not a sucker, I won't save just anyone," Xu Nian said with a laugh.
If it weren't for the boy's words, "I'll protect you," Xu Nian wouldn't have cared about his life or death.
He said that she also felt the most sincere care and kindness from a stranger, so she saved him.
She was going to become a monster sooner or later anyway, so if she could save someone like that, she thought it would be worth it.
He gave, and she reciprocated.
The few people who were listening in were stunned, their expressions frozen.
They thought Xu Nian was the reason He Lin was late in returning, but they didn't expect that He Lin had been saved by Xu Nian.
Is the eldest brother addicted to playing the role of a shy and timid young man?
Do you really need to use so many tricks and schemes to fall for someone these days?
First, there was the innocent young man, then the poor little thing he rescued. Will he be the next one, a man repaying a debt of gratitude?
No, no, no, the eldest brother doesn't look like a weak man at all.
Most importantly, the protagonist, who was the prey, was completely unaware that he was being watched.
Judging from this girl's grateful nature, she is also someone who clearly distinguishes between love and hate. If she were to learn the truth one day, she probably wouldn't be able to tolerate being deceived.
The boss has narrowed his own path; everything is fake from beginning to end—his name is fake, his persona is fake, his identity is fake, only his face is real.
The eldest brother's love life has been bumpy; I hope he can turn back from his misfortune.
Why bother with this weird dungeon? It's like they're asking for trouble.
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