NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 167
Chapter 167: The Confused Saintess (Thanks to My Two Precious Cats)
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As Tia leaped into Lynn’s embrace, her petite body instinctively tensed up.
At that very moment, her hands gently pressed against Lynn’s chest, with barely any space between them. Although her chest wasn’t overly pronounced, it formed a delightful curve under the pressure of Lynn’s firm chest.
This position was extraordinarily ambiguous.
With just a little tiptoe, she could lean up and kiss Lynn’s lips.
She could even feel his breath brushing softly against the tips of her hair.
Incredibly hot.
Then, a pleasant scent wafted toward her, reminiscent of freshly laundered clothes dried in the sun, faintly mixed with a sweet herbal fragrance.
It wasn’t the typical body odor associated with men, nor that pungent smell of makeup—rather, it was a clean and sunlit aroma.
It stood in stark contrast to her stereotypical notion of a man’s sweat.
Xia, being a soldier in the Military Department, spent more than half the year stationed at Saint Pharos Fortress, and she often accompanied him, playing the role of the quiet saintess.
Under such conditions, even drinking water was scarce, let alone resources for soldiers to bathe.
So even Tia often found herself unable to take a bath for days on end.
Luckily, due to the goddess’s blessing, her unique physique allowed for a slow metabolism, and the bodily secretions she produced had a sweet scent infused within.
But those soldiers were another story.
Occasionally walking into their tents would unleash a noxious gas mixed with various foul smells and sweat that could knock someone out cold.
Even Xia would come back looking utterly worn out after long missions, his scent making her scrunch her nose.
Thus, her stereotypical impression that all men stank was further reinforced.
However, as the saying goes, only practice can lead to true knowledge.
Tia had never experienced it herself, so how could she claim to have true knowledge?
So this rather unfortunate misunderstanding had inadvertently become Tia’s first life experience.
It turned out that a man’s scent could be quite pleasant.
Tia subtly twitched her little nose, then suddenly came to her senses, realizing exactly what she was doing.
A hint of coldness and embarrassment flickered in her eyes as she tightly gripped the fabric of Lynn’s shirt, as if trying to mask the chaotic emotions swirling within her.
I can’t kill him.
After a long silence, Tia made this decision.
After all, he had just helped her out of a tough spot, preventing Xia from forming any unnecessary misunderstandings.
So even though her intent to kill him hadn’t diminished, business was business.
When judging mortals, at least a reasonable charge had to be laid, right?
And right now, Lynn had committed no transgressions; he had even suffered injuries due to her reactive instinct.
Moreover, he was a subordinate of the third princess and held her favor.
Having just pulled off a remarkable comeback, he had returned victorious and was at the height of his power.
Even those scheming nobles wouldn’t dare mess with him at this moment.
Although she was the esteemed quiet saintess, one of the most powerful women in the Church, she was still, after all, not a member of the royal family.
Additionally, even considering Ivyst’s strength, she couldn’t make a move against him right now.
With that thought in mind, Tia bit her silver teeth and softly spoke, “Let me go.”
At present, he was holding her slender waist, their pose resembling a perfectly coordinated dance partner, as if they were about to twirl around gracefully at any moment.
But this did not please Tia; instead, it continually filled her heart with guilt towards Xia.
She had been touched by another man.
In such a shameful manner.
Unclean.
Tia’s mind was flooded with similar thoughts, her expression growing dark.
Fortunately, in the next moment, the warm hand on her waist slowly released its hold, allowing her to take a step back and break free of Lynn’s embrace.
“Sorry, I got a bit carried away.” Lynn let out a light sigh, gazing at the girl before him. “It’s just that holding you reminded me of things from the past.”
“Back then, you clearly…”
“Shut up.”
Tia instantly summoned her Moonlight Staff, pressing it forcefully against Lynn’s throat.
She should have been as indifferent as a puppet, but at this moment, she revealed an unprecedented human emotion, icy and furious: “If you say any more nonsensical lies, this saintess will kill you.”
Upon hearing that, Lynn lowered his head, silent.
He looked like a little dog abandoned and homeless, looking utterly dejected.
That look again!
What terrified Tia was that she felt a fleeting sense of guilt welling up inside her.
It was all because of Lynn’s deceptively delicate appearance; no matter how hard-hearted a woman might be, seeing him in such a pitiful state would ignite her maternal instincts.
Ivyst was the best example.
I can’t stay with this guy any longer.
Otherwise, I don’t know how messy my heart will get!
At this moment, with her mind in a tangle, Tia made the most correct decision.
She had thought everything tonight would go according to her plan.
But the moment she stepped onto the balcony, everything derailed from expectation.
Just ten minutes ago, she could never have imagined that ten minutes later, she would be cradled in his arms and, in the end, not kill him. Tia took a deep breath.
In the next second, her body was enveloped by the gentle, rising moonlight around her, flickering like a candle.
When Lynn looked up again, the girl had vanished from sight.
In the air lingered her cold, frosty voice: “I swear on the honor of the Quiet Saintess, next time we meet, I will kill you, Lynn Bartleon.”
After a moment, the entire balcony returned to silence, leaving only Lynn, whose chest still bled.
From the outcome, it seemed tonight’s plan had somewhat failed.
Evidently, after all these wild antics, he still hadn’t established the most basic friendly relationship with Tia.
In fact, he had only added more misunderstandings and intensified her hostility.
But was that really the case?
After a long silence, Lynn slowly bent down to pick something up from the ground, a hint of a smile creeping onto his face.
“Saying you’ll kill me, yet in the end, you’re the biggest softie.”
!
As he spoke, he raised the bottle in his hand to eye level.
In the moonlight’s glow, the liquid inside the bottle emitted a faint silver light, looking magnificent.
Moonlight Essence.
Lynn instantly recognized the origin of the liquid.
This was a holy potion that only the Quiet Church could produce, with extremely low yields. Even as the Quiet Saintess, Tia’s share would only be a few milliliters.
However, its effect was astonishing.
As long as it wasn’t a fatal wound or something like a severed limb that couldn’t be reversed, consuming Moonlight Essence would instantly heal all injuries without leaving a scar.
And it’s not the first time Lynn had used it.
Way back when he first met Ivyst, that night playing cat and mouse, he had been pierced by the blood-red thorns she summoned.
Later, to treat his injury, the vial she threw out was Moonlight Essence.
Though it was much larger in quantity than this one.
It seemed Tia didn’t want to owe him anything.
After all, she was in the wrong in this situation.
Someone helped you, but you try to kill them in return? What kind of logic is that?
So Tia decided to take a philosophical view of it.
Yet Lynn had no time for such thoughts.
Before him lay two choices.
First, accept Tia’s awkward goodwill, use the potion, and express his gratitude next time.
Second, keep it to sell, especially since the market price for Moonlight Essence had skyrocketed to a hundred thousand gold coins a bottle, a top choice for countless nobles’ lifesaving measures.
“…”
Staring at the faintly silver liquid in the bottle, a smile appeared at the corner of Lynn’s mouth.
He chose option three.
Staying true to his deep romantic persona, he would keep this potion as the first gift he received from Tia and casually mention it next time they met.
As for the wound on his chest…
Lynn made no hesitation, pulled a lesser healing potion from his pocket, and downed it.
With a slow crawling sensation at the wound, a faint red scar gradually formed.
Compared to the miraculous effect of Moonlight Essence that would restore his injury as good as new, he preferred to let this scar remain.
Because it was a testament to everything that had happened tonight.
Something that could never be erased.
No matter how much Tia hypnotized herself after returning, every time she saw this scar next time, she’d involuntarily recall everything that happened tonight.
Lynn had never feared a woman hating him.
After all, love and hate are emotions that can easily flip.
It is when a woman has no impression of you at all, when her heart stirs not even a ripple, that’s the most fatal.
As a strategist, one must leave a deep impression on the targeted subject.
Whether that impression is good or bad.
And at this point, it seemed this first step had been successfully completed.
With that in mind, Lynn slightly adjusted his clothes and looked at the bloodstained front of his shirt, preparing to temporarily leave this place, using the Liars’ Devourer’s power to find a sorry soul to swap clothes with.
Ivyst’s attitude towards him was already cold; it was unlikely she would ask too many questions.
With that thought, he walked slowly away from the balcony, heading downstairs.
He had already been away from the banquet too long; who knew if the princess had finished her chat with Cyrilina.
As for what had happened earlier, Lynn wasn’t planning to share with her.
Or rather, he didn’t dare.
If that woman were to find out, he expected to endure another so-called “sweet punishment.”
Just as Lynn’s mind wandered, passing the third floor, he suddenly sensed a strong, pungent smell of blood wafting from the depths of the corridor.
It was incredibly overwhelming.