Chapter 10: Let's See If I Don't Hammer You to Death Today!
"Ah—no! Not the face! Help!"
"Comrade Doctor Han, I formally warn you—don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a girl!"
"What the hell! You little stabber! Can't beat me so now you're jabbing me with needles?! My face can't move! Am I paralyzed?! You've gone too far!"
Very quickly, Jiang Lin, shirtless and relying on his thick skin and sturdy flesh, tackled Xiao Yi Xian to the ground while covered in silver needles. But as they fell, he instinctively reached out with his left hand to cushion the back of her head. With a thud, both of them landed together.
The position they ended up in was… a little ambiguous. Shirtless Jiang Lin had Xiao Yi Xian pinned beneath him, though one of his hands was cradling her head.
"Ying—"
Xiao Yi Xian gasped in pain from being hit by Jiang Lin's body. She opened her eyes and was immediately face-to-face with him, their noses nearly touching.
"Hmph… W-what are you trying to do?!" she stammered. She could feel the warmth on the back of her head from Jiang Lin's protective hand. He had instinctively shielded her from injury during the fall. But this position… with her in his arms, was far too suggestive.
As she spoke, her voice lacked conviction, and a faint blush crept up her ears, hidden beneath her hair. The lighting was dim, so Jiang Lin didn't notice.
Still frustrated from her sudden attack, Jiang Lin stared down at her on the dusty floor. Her pale hair and skirt had picked up dirt, and her tone was trembling slightly… even the faint fragrance from her skin lingered at his nose. He rolled his eyes.
He really wanted to say: "Do what? Nothing."
But after a moment's thought, he figured bullying a girl like this might be a bit too much. So, expressionless, he said to her:
"Okay, deal—no more hitting. Blink twenty times if you agree, and I'll let you up."
Xiao Yi Xian stared at him silently:
...Are you serious right now? Twenty blinks? Isn't it usually two? You just casually added a zero?!
Jiang Lin saw her cheeks puff up with anger and nearly burst out laughing—but his face was still paralyzed and couldn't move.
With no other choice, he quickly got up and helped her to her feet. Then he ran to open all the windows and doors in the forge to help clear the smoke.
Once everything was open, he rushed back to her, pulled up a stool, and pointed to the needles stuck in his face. "Boss Xian'er, please pull these out. You've paralyzed me!"
Xiao Yi Xian looked at him, more annoyed than ever. The sight of Jiang Lin's stiff face made her even angrier. Huffing, cheeks puffed up like a pouting little beast, she still reached out and began removing the needles.
"Now you're bullying me? I should've just stabbed you to death," she grumbled while working.
"My dearest boss, I didn't do anything! I was just quietly working the forge, and then you barged in and stabbed me! That was self-defense!" Jiang Lin looked confused. He was sure he hadn't provoked her.
"You dare say that?! You were crying and wailing like you were possessed! I stabbed you to snap you out of it!"
"Uh…" Jiang Lin blinked at her dusty, ash-covered self. Wait… did he just completely misunderstand her?
"Boss Xian'er, maybe there was a… tiny misunderstanding between us?" he said quickly as soon as she removed the last needle.
"Misunderstanding? You sure sounded pretty lucid when you were calling me names," she replied flatly, glaring at him.
Jiang Lin's grin froze.
...Did I really say that out loud?
"Uhh…"
Her remark left him in a tight spot. Should he admit he was possessed or insist he was totally fine?
Stand and die, or lie down and live—that was the question.
Xiao Yi Xian watched Jiang Lin crouch there like a giant puppy, his face scrunched up in mental agony. The corners of her lips twitched, but she quickly held it in, keeping her annoyed act going.
"Well, uh… I was clear-headed in the beginning, then… possessed in the second half. Thank you, Boss Xian'er, for saving my life with your divine needlework. I'm eternally grateful. If I can't repay you in this life, let me be your beast of burden in the next one!"
"You're really something," she said, eyebrow twitching. That line practically admitted he had been fully conscious the entire time!
Unforgivable! Jiang Lin just called her dumb! Even though Mr. Yao said she was a brilliant, talented healer!
"And what about this life?" she asked, deciding not to press further and latching onto the latter part of his speech.
"In this life I'm still human, so I postponed my beast-of-burden duties till next life. Let me finish my human business first," Jiang Lin replied shamelessly.
Seeing others born as donkeys or horses, I suddenly find being human hilarious. Heehee!
Xiao Yi Xian: "…"
She stood, turned, and walked straight out.
Worried she was really mad, Jiang Lin quickly followed and grabbed her hand at the door. "Don't be mad, Boss Xian'er! I was just joking! I had a breakthrough with forging and got carried away. I know you were only worried I'd burn the place down. I'm really grateful. When I finish converting my insight into a proper Dou Weapon, I'll make sure to give you a beautiful gift!"
She paused at the doorway. His words clearly softened her expression, but then she looked down at her now-dirty dress. Her smile vanished. With a light hmph through her dusty nose, she slapped the dust off her skirt and walked away with her head held high.
Seeing she didn't curse him out on her way out, Jiang Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back toward the now-cleared forge room and walked over to the water tank. At the bottom, a purplish stone—Purple Flame Stone—sat quietly.
Instantly enraged again, he yanked it out and hurled it into the furnace.
"Let's see if I don't hammer you to death today!"
Purple Flame Stone:
Oh no! Aaah! Nooo! Please don't stop! Hit me harder! Yes! More!
Jiang Lin: ???
(END CHAPTER)
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