Chapter 28: Wei Zi's Thoughts

Xing Haotian returned to his residence, longing to check on Wei Zi but lacking a valid excuse. Fortunately, the clothes he had ordered from the mall arrived just in time. Overjoyed, he brushed off the guard who offered to bring them inside and rushed to carry the parcels himself.

"Wei Zi, I've brought the clothes you asked for. Would you like to change into them?" Xing Haotian asked, knocking on the door.

Wei Zi had been lying in bed, feeling restless. Hearing his voice and remembering she was still without undergarments, she felt a sudden sense of unbearable discomfort.

"Come in," she replied, reflexively pulling the quilt higher. As she looked up and saw Xing Haotian pushing the door open, she was stunned to see him buried under a mountain of packages—it seemed as though he would be completely swallowed by them.

She noticed, in particular, that he had bought over twenty pieces of lingerie from a single brand. Even during her time as a mercenary, she would never have spent so much on such luxuries.

"Try them on and see if they fit," Xing Haotian said.

Even without his urging, Wei Zi had intended to. Since her rebirth, she had found herself unable to resist anything beautiful.

She glanced at the restorative fluid bag beside her; it was nearly empty. She reached out to disconnect it.

"Let me," Xing Haotian said, quickly stepping forward. Before she could dodge, he had already taken her hand.

Xing Haotian was no stranger to injuries and was well-versed in handling IV drips, yet this was the first time his hands trembled with nervousness. He carefully removed the needle and pressed down on the puncture site to stop the bleeding.

Feeling her small, cool, and smooth hand in his, he wished he could hold onto it forever.

"I can press it myself!" Wei Zi stared at the hulking, powerful man—a man she knew to be an S-rank powerhouse, even if she refused to acknowledge him as a General of the Huatian Kingdom. Having him perform such a menial task for her made her feel incredibly awkward.

No matter how much she resented him, she was not one to be ungrateful. She could not turn a blind eye to his kindness, nor could she bring herself to accept it as a matter of course.

As for his material compensation—the food and clothes—she could accept those. If she didn't, he would likely be consumed by even greater guilt and refuse to leave her alone. But she knew that once that guilt faded, just like in her past life, they would eventually become strangers again.

She reminded herself internally: "These are things he owes me, but I will never accept his affections!"

After holding her hand for a moment, Wei Zi looked up and caught him watching her with longing eyes, which only served to irritate her further.

"I need to change. Why are you still here?" she glared at him.

"Uh, right! I bought some pajamas as well. If you need anything else, just call me," Xing Haotian said, clearly reluctant to leave.

"..." Wei Zi couldn't be bothered to respond. She kept her gaze fixed on him until he finally felt too uncomfortable to linger and left.

Once he was gone, Wei Zi climbed out of bed and selected her undergarments. Though these luxury items weren't particularly flashy, their quality and comfort were unparalleled. Once she put them on, she felt significantly better, and her mood lifted.

She proceeded to unpack every parcel, trying on each piece of clothing and admiring herself in the mirror.

She even used her communicator to take various selfies. She was photogenic, and draped in the expensive, high-end garments, she felt like a celebrity endorsing a brand. She was no less beautiful than the stars on the holographic screens; she had her own unique allure. In her previous life, that beauty had been destroyed, and for ten years, she had only chosen the most modest and plain clothing, for no matter how beautiful a garment was, it couldn't be appreciated in the mirror when the person wearing it lacked a fair face.

Two hours later, after trying everything on, she chose a pure white chiffon dress to wear the following day.

After a refreshing evening, Wei Zi fell into a deep sleep, only to be jolted awake in the middle of the night by a biting chill.

"Damn it, have I contracted cold toxins?" she gritted her teeth. Cold and fire toxins were common complications in cultivation. To counter the fire toxins Xing Haotian had forced into her, she had consumed large amounts of Ice Muscle Fruit. Since it hadn't been fully digested, the residues in her body were causing her temperature to plummet. If she kept sleeping, she might slip into a comatose state due to hypothermia—or worse, never wake up again!

"I must cultivate!" Wei Zi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and activated her Mystic Core. As her mystic energy flowed through her meridians and back into the core, it carried a nearly invisible, transparent thread.

These threads of energy were the hallmark of a practitioner's strength. A core ringed with energy as thin as silk was the standard for a G-rank practitioner.

After a night of cultivation, some of the Ice Muscle Fruit residue in her flesh and blood had been refined, and a slightly more solid thread had appeared around her Mystic Core.

"Whew!"

As the horizon turned pale with the dawn, marking the transition from night to day, Wei Zi exhaled a breath of stale air. She opened her eyes, a flicker of icy coldness flashing through them before vanishing.

She stretched her limbs, feeling rejuvenated. She walked to the window and looked out at the military compound, where people were already up, jogging and exercising.

Living among soldiers and their families, it was common to see morning workouts.

"Compared to my previous life, this body is still too weak. I need to train!" Wei Zi squeezed her arm; it felt soft and lacked tone. She remembered her fight against that G10-rank mercenary at the fortress—she had the experience, but her poor physical condition had almost led to her defeat.

With that, she resolved to create a training plan.

Just then, she saw Xing Haotian emerge from the villa. Even in a simple military-green tank top, camouflage trousers, and combat boots, his imposing presence was undeniable. Every movement was as steady as a mountain. Despite his fiery red eyes and striking red hair, nothing could hide his stern expression and the overwhelming, cold aura he carried.

He was going to exercise, too.

Wei Zi took a deep breath. Her body was still weak and couldn't handle intense activity, but she could practice the ancient art of Tai Chi. It wasn't strenuous, yet it was effective for physical conditioning. In fact, before her rebirth, Tai Chi had been a mandatory exercise program in the military and was widely popular.

She put on a set of athletic wear Xing Haotian had bought for her, freshened up, and stepped out into the courtyard to stretch and begin her practice.

As the sun rose above the horizon, the young girl bathed in the morning light looked full of youthful vitality. A gentle breeze caught a strand of her long hair, making it dance in the air.

As she finished her routine, she noticed Xing Haotian standing at the gate, watching her with a restrained expression.

"Are you done? I bought breakfast! I didn't know what you liked, so I bought a bit of everything!" Xing Haotian held up the bags. As the sunlight hit his face, Wei Zi felt a momentary, heart-fluttering sensation at how handsome he looked.

She kept her expression cold, turned on her heel, and walked back into the villa. She had no desire to speak to him.