Roxy listened intently to Dan Feng's words, as if they were a ray of light in her life.
When she heard Dan Feng say they could start as lovers, hope instantly reignited in her eyes—like water-blue stars suddenly lighting up in the night sky.
"So, we can start as lovers first, right?" Roxy's voice trembled slightly as she asked Dan Feng cautiously, almost afraid the answer might vanish in an instant.
After all, she had just gone through a brush with death. That experience had given her an unprecedented urgency to connect emotionally.
The shadow of death had loomed over her, making her acutely aware of how fragile and fleeting life truly was.
In that moment, all hesitation had been cast aside—she only wanted to seize the happiness right in front of her.
That was why Roxy was now expressing her love for Dan Feng so openly: she desperately needed a sense of belonging, an emotional anchor that could bring her security and warmth.
Dan Feng silently watched Roxy, a hint of complicated emotion flickering in his eyes.
He gave a gentle nod, agreeing with what she said, but then added, "If you're not afraid of me in this form."
Those words filled Roxy's heart with emotion. She quickly replied, "That's wonderful."
Tears welled up in her eyes. She tried hard to hold them back, but in the end, one tear still slipped down her cheek.
Roxy swiftly wiped away the tear—she didn't want Dan Feng to see her vulnerable side again.
Then, smiling at Dan Feng, she said, "You look really handsome like this. How could I possibly be afraid?"
...
After searching for some time, Dan Feng finally found a relatively clean spot for Roxy. There wasn't much dust or dead wood here, and the surroundings were fairly quiet—a good place to rest.
Since Roxy had completely exhausted her mana not long ago, she now urgently needed rest to recover her mental and physical strength.
However, the place didn't have many facilities for resting—just one smooth, large rock facing the sunlight.
Dan Feng and Roxy walked over to the rock together and sat down.
For a while, both of them were silent, unsure of what to say.
After a moment, Roxy seemed to make up her mind. She slowly spoke, "Dan Feng, may I borrow your back for a bit?" Her voice was soft and carried a trace of hesitation.
Dan Feng quickly understood what Roxy meant.
He silently retracted the illusory tail behind him, then answered in a calm tone, "No problem."
Hearing Dan Feng's response, the corners of Roxy's mouth lifted slightly into a smile.
Then she slowly shifted her body, gently leaning her back against Dan Feng's solid one.
When she was out adventuring, Roxy seemed to like resting while leaning against something. Back on the snow mountain, she always used to fall asleep leaning against an earthen wall.
Perhaps for her, leaning against something gave her a greater sense of security.
The instant Roxy's body touched Dan Feng's back, an expression of pure enjoyment appeared on her face—as though all her exhaustion had been released in that single moment.
For some reason, right now in his Vidyadhara form, Dan Feng carried a faint fragrance on his body, very similar to the lotus scent from before.
"By the way, how did you manage to find me? You came at just the right time. I had already accepted my fate back then," Roxy murmured softly with her eyes closed.
"After I finished training, I felt an ominous premonition. So I started looking for you everywhere. First I went to your classroom, then at a classmate's reminder I went to the principal. The principal told me you had gone to conquer an S-rank labyrinth alone.
"The moment I heard 'S-rank labyrinth,' I asked for the exact location and rushed over immediately," Dan Feng replied calmly.
"Our fate really is something special, isn't it? The moment I was in danger, you sensed it right away." Roxy's words were filled with gentleness. Since her mind wasn't fully sharp right now, she didn't ask how Dan Feng had managed to arrive so quickly.
"And didn't I already tell you to call me whenever you were going to conquer a labyrinth? Where did that go?" Dan Feng's tone carried an undeniable firmness.
"Because I had full intelligence on the entire labyrinth. You know how much easier a labyrinth becomes when you have complete information about it. Plus, this labyrinth had already been cleared by the North God long ago, so there were hardly any monsters left. I was actually close to conquering it solo—until I carelessly pulled out a magic stone and accidentally triggered a transfer magic circle, which landed me in this mess." Roxy's voice held a slight note of grievance.
Dan Feng listened quietly to Roxy's explanation and understood that this really couldn't be entirely blamed on her.
After all, who could have predicted suddenly triggering a hidden transfer?
And with Roxy's strength, if not for that accident, she really might have cleared it alone.
Thinking this, Dan Feng didn't say anything more. He could only let out a helpless sigh.
"Thank you for coming to save me," Roxy thanked Dan Feng once again, her voice brimming with gratitude.
"It's what I should do," Dan Feng replied slowly.
Hearing Dan Feng's words warmed Roxy's heart.
She gently leaned against his back, closed her eyes, and began regulating her breathing to slowly recover the mana in her body.
Feeling Roxy's weight against him, Dan Feng said nothing. He simply lent her his back in silence, letting her rest properly.
"Dan Feng..." Roxy called his name again, her voice gentle. The sound made Dan Feng's heart stir.
"What is it?" Dan Feng asked, a hint of confusion in his tone.
"Once we have some free time later, can we come conquer labyrinths together again?"
"Sure."
After receiving Dan Feng's affirmation, Roxy felt even more at ease. That sense of belonging was now firmly tied to Dan Feng, giving her an unprecedented feeling—one of acceptance and inclusion.
Not long after, Dan Feng heard the steady rhythm of Roxy's breathing—she had fallen asleep.
Meanwhile, in his heart, Dan Feng silently thought: Since they were lovers now, he had to fulfill the responsibilities of one.
Right! First, he should work on changing that template-influenced way of speaking!
But that was extremely difficult. Whenever Dan Feng thought of something to say, the words would come out altered.
For example, he might intend to say: "Thank goodness, everyone's still alive!"
But what might slip out instead: "Everyone's still alive, huh?"
That was the part that couldn't be changed by the template assimilation—his personality and speech patterns would always end up sounding similar.
Perhaps this was simply the price of accepting this power!
Dan Feng sat there quietly, not moving a muscle, afraid of waking the sleeping Roxy.