Chapter 256: I Thought He Ran Away Again
He easily pinned her hands down. Resigned, Shi Lan lay still, blinking as she tried to soothe him with a soft voice. "I’m not going anywhere. But it’s a little uncomfortable with you pressing down on me like this. Could you please move your paws?"
The White Lion tilted its head, which was already close to hers, as if contemplating. Its eyes watched her carefully, seeming to gauge the truth of her words.
Shi Lan deliberately hissed in pain, knitting her brows and putting on a pained expression.
The White Lion immediately released her with its two thick paws. It then nuzzled its head against her face again in a soothing gesture, as if trying to curry favor and tell her not to be angry.
Shi Lan sat up, clutching her shoulder. She climbed onto the bed and patted the empty space beside her. "He Hanshi, come here."
Hearing her call, the White Lion enthusiastically leaped onto the bed.
She clearly heard the bed frame CREAK. Her heart leaped into her throat as she looked at He Hanshi’s massive frame. "Easy now! Don’t break the bed."
Her tone was a bit sharp, and the White Lion thought she was angry. Its ears drooped dejectedly as it gingerly padded over to press against her thigh. The great lion looked utterly listless and dispirited.
Shi Lan couldn’t stand seeing He Hanshi like this. She stroked his big, fluffy head. "There, there. I didn’t mean to snap at you."
The White Lion’s fur was smooth and thick, with a wonderful texture. Shi Lan couldn’t resist stroking it a few more times.
A contented purr rumbled from its throat again. Sensing that Shi Lan’s mood had improved, it slowly shifted upward from her thigh, resting its head against her waist as she sat upright.
Seeing He Hanshi in this state, Shi Lan abandoned the idea of having him check his collapse value. She decided to just treat him directly. But regardless, he had to be in his human form for that.
’She couldn’t handle him in his beast form.’
’Most importantly, given the abnormality of his spiritual power collapse, would treating him while he was conscious affect the outcome? Would he resist?’
’With that thought, she decided to have Xiao Du knock him out first.’
Xiao Du cooperatively emerged from her spirit sea. The White Lion stared curiously at the small green mushroom before it. Its aura was familiar and sweet, as if it would be delicious.
It couldn’t resist opening its mouth and popping Xiao Du inside.
Shi Lan’s heart leaped in alarm. "Xiao Du!"
"Are you okay?"
As she spoke, she hastily patted the White Lion’s snout, trying to make it spit Xiao Du out.
The White Lion felt the sting on its snout and instinctively wanted to hiss menacingly. But when it raised its eyes and saw Shi Lan glaring daggers at it, it immediately and obediently opened its mouth.
Shi Lan peered inside, but there was no sign of Xiao Du.
The White Lion’s rampaging spiritual power was a bit frightening, and Shi Lan had seen episodes of spiritual power collapse at Black Ming Star Prison before. But perhaps because the White Lion was being so docile with her, and she subconsciously knew that He Hanshi would never hurt her, she even dared to touch its sharp, bestial teeth with her finger.
The White Lion licked her finger with its tongue, and Shi Lan hastily snatched her hand back.
Just as she was wondering where Xiao Du had gone, it popped out of her spirit sea again.
[Master, don’t worry. As long as you’re nearby, I can return to the spirit sea instantly. Besides, my true form has Immunity. He can’t hurt me.]
Shi Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Du bounce from her shoulder and land on He Hanshi’s head.
This time, the White Lion was quiet and didn’t cause any more trouble.
A fluorescent green light emanated from Xiao Du’s body. Soon, the faint crimson glow lingering in the White Lion’s eyes began to recede. Its big, round eyes, which had been gazing pleadingly at Shi Lan, slowly drooped, their inner light dimming.
Having absorbed some Spiritual Poison, Xiao Du turned from a green mushroom into a red one. However, to make things easier for its master, its main goal was to put him into a deep sleep, so it didn’t absorb until it was completely full.
But it had been a long time since it had absorbed any Spiritual Poison, especially one of such high concentration. Xiao Du swayed on the White Lion’s head as if drunk, its small body teetering.
Just as it was about to tumble off, Shi Lan quickly caught it and returned it to her spirit sea.
She looked at the completely still, deeply unconscious White Lion before her and sighed in relief. Remembering that Ye Ming was probably still looking for He Hanshi, she quickly updated him on the situation.
Ye Ming asked with concern, [Lanlan, Admiral He didn’t hurt you, did he?]
Shi Lan replied, [No, he’s been very calm. I’m going to start his treatment now.]
Ye Ming was relieved. [Good.]
After they ended their chat, Ye Ming told Yan Huoshui and the others to call off the search. Shi Lan, for her part, prepared for the treatment, placing her hand on the White Lion’s paw.
A spiritual power thread probed inside. Shi Lan frowned. In such a short time, the Spiritual Poison in He Hanshi’s limbs had become dense once more. She was sure that before the battle, she had cleared away everything but the stubborn traces of poison in his spirit sea.
Fortunately, Basic Healing was still effective. Her control over her spiritual power was more refined now, and she managed to clear the poison from his limbs in one go.
But after the cleansing, Shi Lan’s own body felt heavy, and her mind grew foggy.
Absorbing so much Spiritual Poison at once had overloaded her. Her stomach felt bloated, and her head was groggy and disoriented.
She only had enough time to pull the blanket over parts of their bodies before she lost consciousness and passed out.
When she woke again, the sky was bright.
Still groggy with sleep, Shi Lan’s hand subconsciously reached for the spot beside her. It was still slightly warm, but empty.
She snapped awake, sitting bolt upright and crying out, "He Hanshi!"
Shi Lan didn’t know He Hanshi’s current collapse value. Last night, the Treatment Pod had reported it at 56%, but judging by the amount of Spiritual Poison in his body, she felt it couldn’t possibly be that low.
She wasn’t sure if last night’s treatment had lowered his value out of the high-risk zone. In any case, He Hanshi was still dangerous, and she absolutely could not let him leave the house or her sight.
Shi Lan scrambled out of bed, forgetting to even put on her shoes. But as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard noises from the kitchen and smelled something delicious.
The tension in her body suddenly eased.
Hearing her hurried footsteps on the stairs, He Hanshi rushed out of the kitchen. When he saw Shi Lan standing there barefoot, her fair face pale with worry, his heart ached. He walked over and swept her into his arms. "I’m sorry. I made you worry."
He remembered the episode of his spiritual power collapse, and he remembered Shi Lan staying by his side all night.
He Hanshi carried her to the sofa. Noticing the scratch marks on the cushions, he set her down on an undamaged section.
His heart was still pounding with fear. He held her tightly, grateful that he hadn’t hurt her during his spiritual power collapse. Otherwise, not even his life would be enough to atone for his mistake.
He Hanshi’s breathing was heavy and ragged, his voice low and hoarse with apology. "Lanlan, thank god you’re okay."
"It’s all my fault. I scared you."
Shi Lan was immensely relieved to see him. She gently ruffled his short, silver-white hair. "It’s okay. I’m brave. I was just worried you were in danger, or that you might hurt someone innocent. I’m glad you knew to come home."
As she spoke, the corners of her lips curved into a small smile.