Ryan slumped in Derrick's arms, dark red blood constantly seeping from the corners of his mouth.

  His acting was nothing short of cinematic perfection, so convincing that even he almost believed he was really dying.

  "Mentor, hang in there!" Derrick held his faltering body, his eyes red and tears on the verge of falling.

  Evelyn gazed at Ryan's barely alive figure. Her anger had completely burned out, replaced by an indescribable sense of panic.

  She clearly remembered last night in the palace guest room, when he had held her while she tried in vain to break free. No matter how much strength she used, she couldn't escape.

  Ryan's physical strength was clearly far greater than hers, and she had deliberately avoided all vital areas just now. How could he end up like this?

  Watching Ryan's eyes almost close, her mind went blank. All restraint, anger, and hesitation were instantly thrown out the window.

  Ryan coughed up a large mouthful of blood at the perfect moment, his body convulsing violently, as if he could collapse at any second.

  Evelyn no longer thought twice. She took a simple crystal vial from her domain space. It was one of her precious, limited stock of high-grade elixirs: Eternal Life Elixir.

  Eternal Life Elixir could instantly repair near-death meridians and body, and slightly enhance magical affinity.

  "Don't waste it…" Ryan's eyes became even more hazy, as if he didn't even have the strength to speak.

  Acting to the very end, he had to get this high-grade elixir, or his ruse would be in vain.

  Evelyn paid no attention to his words. She gently held his chin and poured the green liquid from the crystal vial into his mouth.

  The liquid melted instantly, transforming into a warm, overwhelming life energy that surged through his throat into every limb and sinew.

  Ryan instinctively closed his mouth, pretending to be too weak to swallow.

  A barely noticeable energy fluctuation passed by, and in Ryan's storage space, a duplicate Eternal Life Elixir quietly appeared.

  At the same time, Chaosforge Arcana and the Soulweaver's Pendant in Ryan's body worked furiously to repair the damage.

  The injuries to his meridians from his earlier self-harm healed at a visible speed, and the pallor in his face gradually shifted back to a hint of natural color.

  In fact, Ryan had not suffered any serious injuries. Evelyn had never used any offensive magic at all, relying purely on physical strength.

  At most, the force she used was equivalent to that of a Journeyman Mage Fourth-tier to Fifth-tier.

  With the Chaosforge Arcana operating frantically inside him, combined with its self-healing ability, Ryan's injuries recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

  His resurrection-like recovery left Derrick and Darlene staring in shock.

  Evelyn's panic gradually subsided, but her mind was still occupied with the lingering fear from just moments ago, so she didn't notice anything unusual. This only made her more certain that she had gone too far.

  "Mentor's Lady, you hit way too hard," Derrick finally exhaled,"Even if Mentor was at fault, it doesn't justify striking him so severely."

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  Evelyn pressed her lips together, offering no rebuttal. She did feel some regret, her gaze locked tightly on Ryan, her eyes full of worry.

  "Yeah!" Darlene chimed in, tilting her head in confusion."Aren't you two a couple? It was just a kiss, why did you hit him so hard? Could it be that your relationship isn't even real?"

  Ryan timed it perfectly, raising his arm to rest on Derrick's shoulder and shakily using his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth."Don't say anything. I'm fine."

  He deliberately lowered his voice and added a faint rasp, perfectly conveying the weakness of someone recovering from serious injuries.

  Seeing this, Darlene and Derrick immediately shut their mouths, not daring to speak further.

  Although their journey had been delayed quite a bit, it was still before noon, so they had enough time.

  Ryan sat on the ground, regulating his breath and recovering, while Evelyn stood nearby, her eyes occasionally drifting toward him, filled with a complex, indescribable emotion.

  Once fully recovered, Ryan moved behind a tree outside of Evelyn's sight and quickly changed out of his blood-stained clothes.

  He retrieved a clean outfit from his storage space and put it on. Only then did he walk slowly back out and meet Evelyn's gaze.

  Evelyn kept sneaking glances at him, quickly looking away each time, a faint, almost imperceptible blush coloring her cheeks, making her look like a child who had just done something wrong.

  Ryan chuckled inwardly; the master actor mode was back online.

  He hunched over, staggering slightly as he approached Evelyn, his voice still carrying the lingering weakness. He even coughed deliberately a few times:

  "I'm sorry, Evelyn."

  He clutched his chest and coughed violently, as if speaking those words had drained all his strength, his back bending under the effort.

  Evelyn immediately stepped forward and reached out to support his arm.

  Seeing Ryan, her own sense of apology surged:"I should be the one saying sorry. I was too impulsive just now, I hit too hard."

  She even forgot that it was Ryan who had made the first inappropriate move, yet now it felt as if she were the one who had done wrong.

  Ryan was already overjoyed inside. Evelyn was showing such a flustered and helpless expression, and it was all because of him! This wave of masterful acting was hitting maximum effect.

  "I was too reactive just now," Evelyn began, wanting to explain her impulsive behavior.

  Ryan immediately interrupted her, his tone heavy with self-reproach."It was me who offended you. I deserved this beating, I'm such a jerk!"

  As he spoke, he even pretended to raise his hand to slap himself, his face full of regret.

  Evelyn quickly reached out to stop him, her fingertips instinctively brushing against his wrist.

  At that moment, Ryan's gaze fell on her hand. Her fair, slender fingers still bore traces of the blood he had just vomited.

  "My blood got on your hand, I'm sorry," Ryan said, filled with sincere apology.

  Evelyn's heart tightened. Despite being beaten like this, he didn't accuse her instead, he worried about her hand being stained. This made her regret not holding back her strength even more.

  "It's nothing." She quickly hid her hand behind her back, her fingers curling slightly, as if the blood would cease to exist as long as Ryan couldn't see it.

  Ryan didn't speak. Instead, he focused his mind and retrieved a washbasin from his storage pouch. Then he took out the Perpetual Magic Kettle and gently poured water into the basin.

  Clear water flowed continuously until the basin was half full. Ryan covered the surface of the water with his hand, channeling magic to warm it. In just a few seconds, the previously cold water became pleasantly warm.

  "Give me your hand," Ryan said.

  "I really don't need to," Evelyn said, hiding her hand more tightly, a faint, almost imperceptible panic in her eyes.

  "Give me your hand," Ryan repeated, his tone unchanged.

  "Wait, I can do it myself..." Evelyn's words were cut off by Ryan before she could finish.

  He stepped forward gently, grasped her arm, and slowly pulled the hand she had hidden behind her back into view.

  Evelyn struggled slightly but ultimately allowed him to hold her hand, her heart inexplicably racing.

  Ryan then retrieved a folding chair from his storage pouch. He carefully unfolded it and placed it in front of Evelyn with gentle, meticulous movements.

  "Sit down," he said softly.

  His own hands were also stained with dried blood, and this was a perfect opportunity to clean them together.

  Evelyn's cheeks instantly flushed a delicate pink, the warmth creeping to her ears. She looked completely different from her usual cold demeanor, appearing exceptionally cute.

  She obediently sat on the chair, slightly dazed, her gaze instinctively avoiding his eyes, her heartbeat pounding as if it might burst from her chest.

  The gentleness only deepened her sense of guilt,how could she have hit him so hard just now?

  Ryan crouched to meet her eye level. He gently scooped a handful of warm water and poured it over the back of Evelyn's fair hand. The warm sensation made her shiver slightly.

  "Is the water too hot or too cold?" His voice was gentle, his eyes full of concern.

  "No..." Evelyn murmured absentmindedly, barely feeling the temperature at all.

  Her mind was filled with his tender actions and apologetic gaze, her heart thudding loudly.

  "That's good. Stay still now." Ryan smiled softly and held her hand, gently placing it into the warm water.