40: Chapter 40 was absolutely fantastic! (?)

Li Taiping rolled his eyes, feeling not a single ripple of emotion in his heart.

So she's poisoned? Big deal. What's that got to do with me?

According to the system's evaluation of that flower, while the thing was potent, it would at most make someone burn with desire and feel terrible for a while. It wasn't lethal at all.

Besides, he wasn't even familiar with her.

Rather than wasting time meddling in other people's business, it was better to use the remaining dungeon time to explore deeper into the cave. Who knew, there might be some unexpected gains.

What if he stumbled upon another high-tier item?

Wouldn't that be much better than saving some half-strange Foreign Girl?

Having made up his mind, Li Taiping wasted no time. He turned around, ready to make a quick getaway.

Whether she dealt with it herself here or tough it out, it had nothing to do with him, Li Taiping.

However, the moment he turned and hadn't even taken two steps...

A fierce gust of wind suddenly shot towards him from behind!

"Hmm?"

Li Taiping's brow raised. He sidestepped almost instinctively.

A golden blur, carrying a wave of scorching fragrant air, brushed past the spot where he had just been standing.

It was Anna!

Her eyes were now bloodshot. The light of reason in those ice-blue pupils had been completely swallowed by the most primitive desire.

The way she looked at Li Taiping was like a she-wolf that had starved for three days and three nights, spotting the only solitary, plump sheep on the grassland.

"*"

An unintelligible sound escaped Anna's throat.

Missing her first strike, she didn't pause for a second. Twisting her waist, she lunged at Li Taiping again!

Li Taiping was a bit dumbfounded by her sudden attack.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

He shouted, but his footwork didn't slow in the slightest. He nimbly retreated several steps backward, easily dodging Anna's second lunge.

What a joke!

With his strength at the Good-Grade Late Stage, coupled with his Sword Master-level skill, his reaction speed and physical fitness far surpassed ordinary people.

Although Anna was also at the good grade, she was only at the early stage. Moreover, she was currently out of her mind, her movements driven purely by instinct and full of openings.

Trying to catch him?

That was simply delusional!

"I'm warning you, don't come any closer! I won't be polite if you do!"

Li Taiping dodged while issuing a warning.

He could sense no killing intent from this Foreign Girl. She was purely driven mad by desire, seeing him as the only antidote.

Since there was no killing intent, he couldn't very well go all out and kill her.

After all, they were both Survivor, and top-ranking experts from their respective regions at that. Really beating someone to death or crippling them wouldn't sound good if word got out.

Unexpectedly, his warning not only had no effect but seemed to stimulate Anna instead.

Her lunging movements became even more ferocious,

More... bizarre!

Anna was no longer lunging straight for Li Taiping's upper body. Instead, she lowered her stance, her hands turning into claws as she aimed for Li Taiping's lower half!

Her target was unmistakably Li Taiping's belt!

Holy shit!

Li Taiping's eyelids twitched violently. He executed a nimble backflip, narrowly avoiding those evil hands reaching for his vitals.

The moment he landed, Anna pounced again like a madwoman. This was... an attempt to pull his pants down!

This assault was surprisingly fierce!

"Are you fucking crazy!"

Li Taiping, both annoyed and amused by her unconventional fighting style, could only keep retreating and dodging.

He finally understood the true ferocity of this [Dreamy Enchantment Flower].

This thing wasn't just an aphrodisiac; it practically turned people into beasts that only knew how to mate!

Watching Anna act like a madwoman, her mind solely focused on how to 'deal with him' right then and there, Li Taiping knew he couldn't keep dodging like this.

The cave was only so big. If she cornered him in some dead end, he would truly lose his virtue.

"Damn it, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Taiping's eyes.

He was a man of experience. Su Mei, Xia Zhi, Yun Jinxin—which one wasn't a peerless beauty?

Although this Foreign Girl had a fiery figure and exotic charm, she wasn't enough to throw Li Taiping off balance.

His willpower was extraordinary!

The moment Anna lunged again, Li Taiping stopped dodging.

Seizing the opportunity, he advanced instead of retreating, slipping past Anna's delicate figure.

At the same time, his right hand rose. Without a shred of pity for her beauty, he delivered a crisp, resounding backhand slap straight to her flushed, pretty face!

"Smack!"

A sharp sound echoed through the silent cave.

This slap used clever force. He hadn't gone for a killing blow, but the power was certainly not light.

Anna's charging body stiffened abruptly. The force of the slap sent her stumbling, nearly falling to the ground.

The flush on her face visibly faded a shade. A flicker of clarity appeared in those dazed eyes for an instant.

"Wake up!" Li Taiping barked sternly.

Strike while the iron is hot. He had to take advantage of this slap's lingering effect to snap this madwoman out of it.

Anna clutched her stinging cheek, seeming genuinely lucid for a moment.

She looked at Li Taiping in confusion, then at her own hands. The madness in her eyes receded, replaced by a trace of pain and struggle.

She no longer lunged at Li Taiping. Instead, she staggered back two steps, leaning against a large stalagmite. She gasped for breath, as if using her willpower to fight the burning fire consuming her body.

"Effective?"

Seeing this, Li Taiping felt a surge of joy in his heart.

It seemed this physical wake-up therapy actually worked.

However, he celebrated too soon.

The lucidity lasted only a few seconds.

That hard-won shred of reason was quickly and completely submerged by a new, even more violent wave of delirious lust.

Anna's breathing grew even more ragged, the trembling of her body intensifying.

The look in her eyes as she stared at Li Taiping once again filled with aggression.

But this time, she didn't lunge.

Instead, under Li Taiping's dumbfounded gaze, she performed an action that nearly made his eyes pop out of his head.

She unconsciously began to grope herself.

Those slender hands first roughly tore open the collar of her own top.

"Riiip—"

The sharp sound of fabric tearing.

The once-intact top on her body was torn open by her own hands, revealing the sweat-soaked white undergarment beneath and the breathtakingly full curves.

Li Taiping's eyes instantly widened. He swallowed hard, almost subconsciously.

Holy shit... this...

He felt his cerebellum suddenly begin to stir, frantically trying to seize control from his brain.

Calm down! Li Taiping!

You're a righteous gentleman!

Your willpower is extraordinary!

He chanted frantically in his mind.

Although his willpower was extraordinary, he was also a healthy, red-blooded male!

This vivid, sensual scene playing out right before his eyes was a live broadcast, high-definition and uncensored!

Anyone would crack under this!

And it wasn't over!

Anna seemed to find tearing open her top insufficient, unable to relieve the bone-deep heat on her own.

Her gaze locked onto Li Taiping once more.

Then, she lunged at him again with renewed ferocity!

Damn! The 'Beauty Trap'!

Li Taiping inwardly exclaimed.

The foremost of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the 'Beauty Trap'!

This ultimate move struck him completely off guard, causing even his movements to freeze for a split second.

Beauty leads men astray. The ancients truly spoke no lies!

That split-second of distraction gave Anna her opening.

Li Taiping only felt a fragrant breeze and then a soft yet powerful delicate body crashed solidly into his arms.

Immediately after, an immense force hit him.

He was actually knocked flat onto his back by Anna!

His back hit the soft pink sea of flowers, which didn't hurt much.

But the woman clinging to him like an octopus, frantically tearing at his clothes, made his scalp tingle.

"Lady, calm down! Calm down! This won't do! This absolutely won't do..."

Li Taiping struggled while making a final attempt.

But how could Anna listen?

Her mind now held only one thought: to 'deal with' this man right here, right now!

She tore at Li Taiping's clothes with shocking strength. His combat suit was soon ripped open in several places.

"Damn it! Enough already!"

Li Taiping's temper flared as well.

He grabbed Anna's wrists with both hands, his waist tensing as he tried to throw this madwoman off him.

But right at that moment, an idea flashed in his mind.

If one slap could make her lucid for a moment, what about two?

Thinking this, he hesitated no longer. His free hand rose again, delivering two more hefty slaps to Anna's pretty face, which was now right in front of his.

"Smack—"

"Smack—"

"Wake up! Get a grip! You're poisoned!"

Li Taiping declared righteously.

What a joke. With his extraordinary willpower, would he take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state?

Absolutely not!

But then again, one shouldn't go against a woman's wishes, right?

Look at how proactive and enthusiastic she was being now. If he kept resisting, wouldn't that be missing the point, disrespecting her personal wishes?

As a modern, civilized person with a higher education, Li Taiping felt he had a duty, a responsibility, to help this foreign friend suffering such deep pain.

Yes, help!

With this thought, the last shred of struggle in Li Taiping's heart completely vanished.

He gave up resisting.

...

...

...

One hour later.

The dungeon's countdown had entered its final few seconds.

The pink sea of flowers was a complete mess.

That glaring patch of red on the ground, mixed within the pink blossoms, wasn't particularly conspicuous.

Anna had regained her senses.

She silently put on her tattered, torn clothes, covering the key areas.

Then, she stood up, looking down at Li Taiping, who still lay in the flower bed with a look of utter despair on his face.

Her cold, pretty face showed no expression, but a complex light flickered in those ice-blue eyes.

She was silent for a moment, then spoke to Li Taiping in an extremely serious tone:

"I will take responsibility for you."

Li Taiping: "..."

I, for fuck's sake...

Who's taking responsibility for whom?!

He opened his mouth, about to say something to defend his dignity as a male.

But before he could get the words out.

[Dungeon countdown ended. Transporting players...]

A cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

Immediately, Li Taiping felt his vision go dark as he was enveloped by an irresistible force.

The next second, he vanished from this cave filled with pink memories.

He hadn't even managed to add that Foreign Girl as a friend!