Liang Wei turned his attention back to the girl.
She was still against the tree, her hands gripping his wrist, uselessly trying to free herself.
Her eyes looked at him with pure fear. There was no longer any hatred in them, only… terror.
But he wasn't looking at her eyes.
His attention was on something else. A red mark that covered part of her neck and ran down toward her chest.
It wasn't blood. It was more like a stain that seemed to move on its own, changing shape every few seconds.
'Is that part of the bond?'
He tilted her head slightly to the side to see better, using barely a bit of force.
"Ngh—"
A groan of pain escaped her lips. But Liang Wei didn't pay attention to it, he just wanted to see the mark more clearly.
And then she also looked toward where he was looking.
Bai Lihua glanced to the side where he was observing. And what she found made her eyes open wide.
She was completely naked.
She hadn't realised it until that moment. Between the panic, the blows, and the attempt to kill him, she hadn't had time to notice that she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Her hands moved by instinct.
One went to cover her private parts. The other crossed over her chest, covering what she could.
Her face, which was already pale, turned even whiter.
Liang Wei watched her for a few seconds.
Then he simply let go of her.
"Ah—"
Bai Lihua fell to the ground, her butt hitting the dirt hard. A groan of pain escaped her mouth, but her hands didn't move from where they were.
She kept covering herself as best she could, looking up from below with a mixture of humiliation and fear.
But he was no longer looking at her.
Liang turned toward the destruction she had caused. The charred trees. The flames still consuming some trunks.
'A single attack did all that…'
He remained thinking for a moment.
'Could I do something like that? Or even more?'
He had no idea how Qi worked in this world. But if she, with barely 800 points of Qi, could cause that kind of destruction…
The golden screen appeared beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
[Warning.]
[The Qi of the bonded beast is at critical levels.]
[If it is not stabilised soon, she will die.]
Liang Wei frowned, then turned to look at the girl.
Bai Lihua was still on the ground, covering herself as best she could. But something had changed…
Her eyes, which moments ago shone with fear, were now dim. Dull, as if the light behind them were slowly fading away.
The system appeared beside the girl showing her data:
[Qi: 140/2500]
[130/2500]
[120/2500]
'Is Qi like life?'
He couldn't find another explanation. If she died simply because her number reached zero, then Qi wasn't just energy used to attack. It was something far more fundamental.
[Recommendation: Transfer part of your Qi to the bonded beast.]
[Minimum suggested amount: 200 points for stabilisation.]
Liang Wei looked at the girl. She looked back at him. Without any expression at all, already completely defeated…
She knew she was going to die. And apparently, she had already accepted it.
'I still have questions.'
He knew absolutely nothing about this world. Where he was, how things worked. What threats existed. And she had lived for more than five thousand years. Surely she knew something useful.
Letting her die would be a waste.
"How do I pass my Qi to her?" he asked out loud.
[Place your hands on the chest of the bonded beast and concentrate your inner energy.]
Liang Wei nodded slightly and walked toward her.
Bai Lihua saw him approach. Her body began trembling again, but she didn't have the strength to move. She could only watch as he came closer.
"Stop trembling," Liang said in a flat voice. "I'm not going to do anything to you."
That didn't calm her at all.
If anything, her hands pressed even tighter against her chest and her lower parts. As if that would protect her from something.
Liang Wei crouched in front of her.
Without saying anything, he took her wrist and moved it aside with ease. She didn't have the strength to resist.
Her arm simply yielded, and her breasts were exposed, falling slightly due to gravity.
Bai Lihua could only look at him.
'…He's going to…'
She couldn't finish the thought. Her mind was clouded by exhaustion and fear. She could only see his cold, expressionless face approaching her.
'Will I die like this…? So humiliating?'
But Liang completely ignored her body.
His hands rested in the centre of her chest, between her breasts, separating them slightly because of their size.
There was no unnecessary touching of any kind. Only direct contact with her sternum.
Then he closed his eyes.
'Concentrate my inner energy…'
He didn't know exactly how to do it. In his previous life, his strength had been purely physical. Punches, kicks… he had never needed anything else.
But now…
He took a deep breath.
He tried to feel something inside him. Anything that could be "energy." At first there was nothing. Only darkness and the sound of his own breathing.
But then he felt something, very deep within him.
It was something subtle. Like a river flowing through his entire body, warm and constant.
'This is… Qi?'
The window appeared beside him, but he couldn't see it with his eyes closed.
[Purified Qi Realm – Jade Body.]
[Qi: 2500/5000]
[While meditating in lotus position the user will obtain between 50–100 Qi points per hour, depending on the environment.]
Liang Wei remained focused, visualising that inner river flowing toward his hands. Pushing it outward.
'I think I'm doing it right.'
[Qi: 2490/5000]
[Qi: 2480/5000]
[Qi: 2470/5000]
Bai Lihua's Qi, which had already fallen to 90 and was in the red numbers, began to rise.
[Bai Lihua's Qi: 95/2500]
[120/2500…]
[180/2500…]
[250/2500…]
Liang Wei felt it was enough and stopped the flow. Then he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the screen floating beside him.
[Bai Lihua's Qi: 300/2500]
[Status: Stable.]
Then he lowered his gaze toward her.
She was unconscious.
Her head had fallen to one side, her breathing slow but steady. And one of her hands was on his wrist, holding it weakly.
It had probably been a final attempt to push him away before losing consciousness.
Liang Wei looked at her for a few seconds. He said nothing, nor did he think of anything in particular, he just… observed her.
Then he looked away and focused on the system.
'What are my stats?'
The screen changed, showing a new window.
[Purified Qi Realm – Jade Body]
[Realm Level: 2]
Strength: 270
Endurance: 300
Agility: 272
Perception: 290
Qi: 2290/5000
Qi Control: 20%
[Upon reaching +20,000 Qi, you will advance to the next Realm.]
Liang Wei read each line carefully.
'Twenty thousand points to level up…?'
It was quite a lot, especially if he only gained 50–100 points per hour while meditating.
'Meditating…'
He had never done it. He had never been interested in the idea of sitting around doing nothing. It wasn't exactly his style.
But apparently, in this world, it was necessary.
Without another thought, he sighed.
He looked around. The sky was changing colour. The sun was beginning to hide behind the trees, and the shadows stretched across the ground.
It was getting dark.
'Could there be more dragons around here?'
He had no way of knowing. And more importantly: he no longer had bond points. If another dragon appeared, he wouldn't be able to use the contract. He would have to face it directly.
'That would normally be a problem…'
But he didn't know how strong the creatures of this world were. She was an SSS rank, and in her dragon form she probably would have crushed him. Now she was weakened, but what about the others?
He looked again at the unconscious girl. She was still on the ground, naked and completely vulnerable.
'What do I do with her?'
He couldn't leave her there. If something attacked her while she was like that, she would die. And with her, probably the information he needed.