Chapter 261: Collapse Value: Zero
When He Hanshi saw her step out of the Treatment Pod, he immediately walked over and scooped her up. Looking at the wife who always gave him cause for concern, his voice was a mixture of exasperation and doting affection. "Lanlan, you’re still barefoot."
Shi Lan instinctively nestled into his embrace. It was a position they had found themselves in many times the previous night, so much so that she’d almost grown used to it.
He Hanshi must have also recalled those sweet memories that sent shivers through body and soul, as his own body tensed considerably.
Shi Lan could clearly feel the soft muscles pressed against her tense and harden. Shifting a little uncomfortably, she asked in a low voice, "Has Mu Tangfeng arrived?"
She had checked her chip, but to her surprise, he hadn’t sent her a message.
He Hanshi shook his head.
They probably knew his situation was rather critical, so the others had tacitly agreed not to drop by today.
It was already late, so for Shi Lan to suddenly mention him, He Hanshi knew exactly what she meant.
He, too, remembered the order they had drawn. He’d been the one to write it down. In an instant, all the amorous thoughts in his head dissolved into a long, aching sorrow and bitterness that lodged in his chest, with no relief in sight.
Still, this was what they had all agreed to from the beginning. He respected Shi Lan’s choice. He simply remained silent as he carried her over to put on her shoes, then found an outfit for her to wear out from the closet.
Shi Lan was busy tapping out a message on her chip. Having just arranged with the others to postpone things by a night, she looked up to see her clothes laid out on the bed—even her undergarments had been carefully placed to one side.
Despite their recent intimacy, she still blushed upon seeing her underwear and quickly hid it beneath the rest of her clothes.
"He Hanshi, you... what are you doing...?"
He Hanshi looked down at her as she sat on the bed. Although she was physically in the lower position, his gaze seemed far more subdued.
He said, "Aren’t you getting ready to go to Mu Tangfeng’s place, Lanlan? I’ve packed your clothes, plus a change for tomorrow. They’re all in this bag, and your pajamas are in there too."
It was very thoughtful of him, but Shi Lan didn’t need it right now.
Amused, she pulled him down beside her, took the bag from his hand, and tucked it away in her Space Chain. She looked at him with a teasing smile. "Are you that eager for me to leave? I only mention his name, and you’ve already packed a complete wardrobe for me."
He Hanshi desperately wanted to lie and say, ’Yes. This is what a male should do for his wife.’
But he couldn’t bring himself to lie to his own heart, didn’t want the bitterness in his chest to swell. He shook his head, his hand subconsciously tightening around her wrist. "No, I don’t want you to go, Lanlan."
He couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into another tight embrace, his mind consumed by a single thought: ’If only Lanlan were mine alone.’
But he had the good sense not to voice such an ill-timed thought.
’It would only put Lanlan in a difficult position. Since he chose to be her Beast Husband, he should have prepared himself for this. He shouldn’t be thinking such things.’
’To be able to have her so freely like this is already an incredible stroke of luck, a true happiness.’
That was just the kind of person He Hanshi was. As he held her soft body, his thoughts drifted, and he managed to console himself. ’One can’t always be so greedy,’ he thought. ’A slight imperfection makes it all feel more real.’
He had no family left. He couldn’t lose Shi Lan, too.
Therefore, he was perfectly content.
He tenderly kissed her soft ear, his lips brushing against the side of her neck. He didn’t dare leave a mark, however; it was just a fleeting touch, like a dragonfly skimming water.
It tickled, and Shi Lan pulled her head back slightly. With a light laugh that brought him a delightful surprise, she said, "Well, congratulations, you got your wish. I’ve decided to stay with you tonight. I’ll go over tomorrow instead."
Stunned, He Hanshi loosened his hold, his eyes searching hers in disbelief. "Really?"
"Really!"
Shi Lan nodded firmly and grabbed his wrist. "Your spiritual power is so unstable, and you’ll have to return to the Border Defense Star soon. I can’t rest easy leaving you like this. So, tonight, I want to see if I can completely reduce your collapse value to zero."
"Zero?"
He Hanshi had never even considered zero. After all, a collapse value under 10% was considered completely normal. Getting it to zero was incredibly difficult—unless a male had never once encountered a member of the Insect Clan.
But most males in the galaxy had. Besides, the Insect Clan’s influence wasn’t limited to direct attacks; simply coming within one kilometer of their Sound Wave range would result in toxin exposure.
But Shi Lan was different. He believed she could do it.
A smile lit up He Hanshi’s eyes. "Alright, then. I’ll have to trouble you to spend your rest time on me, Lanlan."
Shi Lan explained with mock seriousness, "Nope. Have you forgotten? You’re returning to the Border Defense Star soon. Who knows how long it’ll be until we see each other again? So, let’s just call this an advance."
’There will be plenty of time to rest up later,’ she thought, ’especially since the Treatment Pod works so well.’
"Is that so? In that case, it sounds like I’m the one getting the short end of the stick."
After a moment of thought, He Hanshi’s lips curved into a smile. He grasped her wrist, pressing her down onto the bed, his voice low, raspy, and coaxing. "Lanlan, would you like to continue helping me with some Deep Healing?"
As he spoke, he turned off the main lights, leaving only a single, faint night-light on.
The dim glow wouldn’t make Shi Lan feel so shy.
She stared blankly up at the handsome face looming over her, completely forgetting her initial plan was just for Basic Healing.
The blackout curtains were very effective. Aside from a sliver of light peeking through the middle, the room was shrouded in darkness.
Shi Lan could only make out his powerful, lithe, and alluring silhouette. The face before her now was mesmerizing—his blue eyes, reflecting the dim light, were deep and captivating. His lips were curved into a smile, his features sharply defined. He guided her hand to brush across his cheek, his neck, and over his prominent Adam’s apple. When her fingertips reached it, she couldn’t resist rubbing it gently.
In a daze, she found herself seduced by his beauty and agreed.
However, once the Deep Healing began, Shi Lan discovered a problem. It hadn’t been long since their last session, and its effects had been so significant that he seemed to have developed a resistance. For the moment, it wasn’t working.
In the end, only her own spiritual power threads were left to do the work. Like a Spiritual Connection, they labored to strip away the few remaining strands of toxin from his spirit sea.
Every so often she would pause, clinging tightly to He Hanshi’s neck as if wanting to pull back, only to be drawn into his sweat-slicked embrace once more.
That night, both Shi Lan’s spiritual power threads and her body got a full workout. While her physical stamina was drained, her spiritual power remained abundant, allowing the process to stretch on for a very long time.
The battle only came to a temporary halt when the very last strand of toxin was stripped away from He Hanshi’s spirit sea, revealing his own blue spiritual power threads, free once more.
The little White Lion was finally free from its toxic cage. It ran happily through the spirit sea, chasing after Shi Lan’s spiritual power threads. Once she withdrew them, the little White Lion wagged its tail joyfully, blinked its round, azure eyes, and obediently settled down beside the little mushroom, coiling its tail around it like a steadfast guardian.