Chapter 93: Soul-Vitality Restoration II

Chapter 93: Soul-Vitality Restoration II

He raised his right arm, using the wide, flowing sleeve of his purple silk robe to tenderly wipe away the sweat from her brow, before gently tucking her tangled hair behind her ear.

"Sorry for worrying you, love," he murmured softly.

Seana turned her head, her dark eyes locking onto his.

"Oh? So you actually know you should be sorry?"

Her tone carried a sharp, defensive edge of annoyance. She didn’t want to sound petty—she really didn’t. But after watching the light almost leave his eyes just minutes ago, the sheer terror that had gripped her heart couldn’t be dissolved by a simple apology.

Lothe let out a soft chuckle, finding her scowling expression impossibly endearing.

"I’m truly sorry, alright?" He gently patted the top of her head like a pampered cat. "I really didn’t expect the backlash to hit me that hard."

"You didn’t expect it...?" Seana’s voice dropped, her eyes narrowing into dangerous, icy slits as she stared right through him.

A sudden, sharp premonition of doom prickled the back of Lothe’s neck.

"Actually... I did know," he surrendered immediately, his hands raised in mock defeat. "I knew."

Seana’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"And I truly am sorry for scaring you!" Lothe rushed to explain, his tone utterly sincere. "That trap was the only card we had to break their tempo and guarantee our escape."

"Hmph!"

Seana snapped her head to the side, crossing her arms and refusing to look at him.

Lothe stared at her profile helplessly. So this is the legendary difficulty of placating an angry girlfriend...

A spark of mischievous inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

"Ouch... ah!" Lothe let out a sharp wince, clutching his side.

SWISH!

Seana spun around instantly, all her anger vanishing into sheer panic. "What is it?! Where does it hurt?!"

She grabbed his wrist, desperately probing his meridians with her Qi, her eyes wide with terror.

Before she could diagnose anything, Lothe’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her forward until she crashed directly against his broad chest!

"I’m really, really sorry, love," Lothe whispered into her hair, wrapping both arms securely around her back. "Don’t be angry with me, please?"

He tightened his embrace, resting his chin comfortably over her shoulder. "If you don’t forgive me, I’m never letting you go."

Seana froze against him.

Feeling the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek, she realized she had been played.

She let out a helpless, defeated sigh, melting into his warmth. "I’m not angry at you, Lothe..."

Her fingers gently gripped the silk of his robe, her voice dropping into a quiet, chilling rasp.

"...I’m just angry at those bastards."

Lothe felt the hidden, lethal venom behind her words and couldn’t help but smirk proudly. That was his girl.

"Good," he said softly, finally releasing his grip and helping her sit up.

With the immediate danger resolved, Seana’s expression turned analytical and solemn.

"Those people... who were they?" she wondered aloud. "The cut of their robes was somewhat similar to ancient cultivation styles, but their techniques and aura were entirely powerful."

She paused, a shiver running down her arms. "And that man, Situ Li... he was ridiculously strong. Strong enough that we couldn’t even accurately gauge his cultivation realm."

"Nascent Soul," Lothe said quietly, his eyes cold. "At the very least, he has crossed into the higher stages of the Nascent Soul realm."

"And he addressed the woman with the silver fan as Veyra Serpent Commander ," Seana continued, her brow furrowing. "Which means she holds a terrifyingly high rank within whatever faction they belong to. And her cultivation was so vast we couldn’t even sense the bottom of it."

Lothe nodded slowly, his gaze drifting toward the distant canopy.

"Remember what she said when she first noticed us?" Lothe asked, a crucial puzzle piece clicking into place.

Seana’s eyes flared with sudden realization. "She asked how we managed to avoid the outer miasma!"

"Exactly," Lothe said, his voice dropping an octave. "The strange, ancient pressure that swept across the forest earlier this morning... the toxic miasma... and their sudden arrival through a dimensional rift."

"It’s all connected," Seana breathed. "They aren’t from around here. And they didn’t come to this forest by accident."

"They’re after something," Lothe concluded, his eyes narrowing into predatory slits. "Something that just happened or appeared in this region."

"The military convoys," Seana realized, looking toward the horizon where plumes of dust still hung in the air. "The army is rushing toward the center at full speed. Whatever brought those terrifying cultivators here must be the exact reason the military is mobilizing."

A cold sense of dread settled in her chest. If entities as overwhelming as Situ Li and that Serpent Commander were moving toward the same location, anyone caught in their path would be crushed like insects.

Her thoughts immediately jumped to Ruth, the university survivors, and the soldiers heading blindly toward danger.

Seana shot to her feet, her Crimson Blood Qi flaring. "We should move. Whatever is happening over there, we need to check it out and see what the military is walking into."

She turned to step forward, but before her foot could hit the dirt— A firm, warm hand wrapped around her waist, effortlessly anchoring her in place.

Lothe pulled her back against his chest. "Don’t rush, love."

His calm, steady voice washed over her like cool water, dispelling the urgency from her eyes. Only when she had completely regained her composure did he gently loosen his grip.

"We’re going," Lothe said smoothly, a sharp, calculating gleam igniting within his dark eyes.

Seana raised an eyebrow. "Then why stop me?"

Lothe looked in the direction the military vehicles had gone, his lips curving into a thin, cautious line.

"Situ Li and that woman have already seen what we look like," Lothe said quietly. "We humiliated Situ Li and escaped from their grasps. If they are heading in the same direction, crossing paths with them again without preparation would be asking for trouble."

He raised his hand, lightly tapping his own cheek.

"Before we head out... we need to hide our faces."​