47: Chapter 47: Accidentally saving the princess, his favorability skyrockets.

A blazing fire tore through the darkness of the Dark Forest, crashing down with a roar!

"Boom!"

The first Shadow Hunter had just brought its black blade to Ling Xi's side when it was struck head-on by the Fireball. A burst of scorched black flames exploded on its chest, its health bar emptied instantly, and it flew backward, screaming.

"There are two more, on the left!"

Xing Jianwan shouted coldly, her white mage robe fluttering in the wind as she tapped her staff repeatedly.

"Boom! Boom!"

The second and third max-level Fireballs followed with almost no interval, directly cutting off the retreat for the two Shadow Hunters. Waves of fire swept through, bark exploded, and the two dark shadows did not even have time to dodge before being smashed to the ground on the spot.

Ten core members of Lingxiao Pavilion rushed up from behind.

"Kill!"

The vanguard warriors charged with shields raised, slamming one Shadow Hunter attempting to ambush Ling Xi into a tree trunk with a loud thud. Two Archers fired arrows in rapid succession; with two soft thuds, they precisely pinned the shoulders of the other two. Seeing that their target had already rushed into the boundary of the Novice Area, the expressions of the remaining Shadow Hunters changed completely.

"Retreat!"

"Do you think you can escape?"

Xing Jianwan's eyes were cold, and a crimson glow lit up the tip of her staff once more.

"Boom!"

The final Fireball was launched, and with the finishing blows from the Lingxiao Pavilion warriors, the remaining Shadow Hunters did not even manage to put up a fight before being wiped out completely.

The forest suddenly quieted down.

Ling Xi leaned against a tree, her breathing slightly ragged and her face pale. The side of her white dress had been slashed open by a black blade, and there was a shallow bloody scratch on her shoulder. The Natural Staff in her hand flickered, its light dimming, clearly indicating her mana was nearly depleted. In her other hand, she was still clutching a jade-green life-saving talisman tightly, nearly crushing it.

Xing Jianwan walked up to her quickly and swept a glance over her.

"Are you the Princess that Qing Luo mentioned?"

Ling Xi paused for a moment, then nodded gently: "I am Ling Xi."

"Don't say anything else for now, come back to the village with me."

Ling Xi looked back at the depths of the Dark Forest, her expression still tense: "My guards..."

"You go into the village first."

Xing Jianwan spoke quickly, "This is the boundary of Luofeng Village; once you are inside, you will be safe."

Ling Xi looked at her, then at the ten clearly well-trained human players. She pursed her lips, finally stopped insisting, and said softly: "Thank you."

The group returned quickly.

As soon as they crossed into the boundary of Luofeng Village, Ling Xi paused.

A gentle power surged in from all directions.

The stinging wound on her shoulder actually stopped bleeding, visible to the naked eye.

"This is..."

Xing Jianwan did not explain much, simply leading her through the village entrance. Players along the way saw her pointed ears and the aura of the Elf Race, and they all widened their eyes.

"An Elf?"

"Holy crap, it really is the Elf Race!"

"Is this the person from the boundary that Big Shot Lin mentioned earlier?"

The discussion continued, but no one dared to crowd around.

Because Xing Jianwan was guarding her with her people, and on the earthen slope, that figure wearing coarse linen clothes had already lifted their eyes to look over.

Ling Xi's gaze fell upon Lin Zhe at this moment.

The first thing she saw was the quiet.

Even though the area was full of players and the whole village was surprisingly lively, Lin Zhe just stood there, and it felt as if he suppressed everything else. That indescribable aura of rules was even clearer than in the recording Qing Luo had sent back.

Xing Jianwan walked up close and said simply: "The person has been brought back."

Lin Zhe nodded, his gaze sweeping over the wounds on Ling Xi's shoulder and dress, his tone calm: "The injury is not serious; it can be healed."

Ling Xi had been forcing herself to maintain etiquette, but at these words, her tense heart relaxed a little.

Lin Zhe raised his hand and opened the region permissions directly.

[Whether to grant the target access to the Core Buff Area]

"Yes."

Hum—

A pale golden halo instantly enveloped Ling Xi.

The next second, a prompt popped up before her eyes.

[Granted Luofeng Village Core Buff access]

[Health recovery rate +30%]

Ling Xi was stunned.

The natural mana within her body, which had been nearly depleted, felt as if it had been soaked in a hot spring, slowly recovering bit by bit. The stinging pain in her shoulder lessened rapidly, and even the exhaustion accumulated from being chased all the way was dissipating.

"This... what is this power?"

Xing Jianwan stood to the side, her expression indifferent: "The rules of Luofeng Village."

Ling Xi stared blankly at the jade-green light recovering in her palm, then looked up at Lin Zhe, the gratitude in her eyes almost impossible to suppress.

Before she came, she was merely curious.

But as soon as she stepped into the human Novice Area, she was ambushed by the Abyss, her guards were injured, and she herself had almost been forced to crush her life-saving talisman.

If Lin Zhe had not sent people to pick her up, her fate right now would definitely not be pleasant.

Moreover, this power before her was clearly not ordinary healing.

It was protection at the level of rules.

She took a gentle breath and performed a formal Elf salute to Lin Zhe.

"Lord Lin Zhe, thank you for saving me."

"If not for you, I fear I would have fallen into the hands of the Abyss today."

Lin Zhe's tone remained very calm: "It was just a whim."

As these four words were spoken, the light in Ling Xi's eyes grew even brighter.

She could feel that the other party was not putting on an act.

He was truly calm.

The more he was like this, the more at ease it made people feel.

Time passed bit by bit.

In less than half a day, with the 30% health recovery effect of the Core Buff Area continuously in effect, the wound on Ling Xi's shoulder had completely healed, and even the bloodstains remaining on her white dress seemed less glaring. She tried lifting her hand; the jade-green natural light flowed across her fingertips again, and her condition was actually much better than when she had first entered the boundary.

After Qing Luo rushed over and saw this scene, she exclaimed in surprise: "Your Highness, are your injuries completely healed?"

Ling Xi nodded gently, but her gaze remained fixed on Lin Zhe.

In those clear eyes, the gratitude, relaxation, and increasingly intense curiosity were almost impossible to hide.

It was at this moment that a system notification sounded quietly in Lin Zhe's mind.

[Ding! Detected that the Elf Princess Ling Xi's favorability toward the host has increased significantly]

[Second Bond trigger progress increased]

[Current progress: 30%]

A golden pattern flashed in the depths of Lin Zhe's eyes, but his expression did not change.

Ling Xi had already walked up to him, her voice softer and more serious than before.

"Lord Lin Zhe, I will remember this kindness."

"In the coming days, I may have to continue to trouble you."

The wind swept past the village entrance; the entrance to the dungeon in the distance was still lively, and the shouts of players could be heard in waves.

Lin Zhe glanced at her and replied with only two words.

"As you wish."