"No! I am not changing!" Evelyn's voice trembled with panic. She planted her hands on the ground and struggled to force herself upright.

  She could clearly feel her mana still in complete disarray, making it impossible even to maintain a basic standing posture.

  Just lifting her body slightly had triggered a dizzying, spinning sensation, and she had nearly fallen backward.

  Ryan reacted instantly, reaching out to grab her right arm and carefully supporting her back against the tree trunk. His movements were gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.

  "What are you panicking for? You are still wearing a gauze undergarment, aren't you?"

  As Ryan leaned closer, his nose caught the mixed scent of blood and faint cool fragrance emanating from her.

  If he delayed cleaning and changing her clothes any longer, the smell would really settle in permanently.

  He knew very well that Evelyn's injuries from the mana backlash would not recover in less than several dozen days. During that time, she would not only be unable to channel mana but could not even manage basic self-care.

  Refusing to bathe or change clothes? That was impossible. She had to be properly cleaned in order to recover efficiently.

  Evelyn's cheeks flushed a deep red, her breathing quickening.

  Deep down, she had already vaguely suspected that Ryan had likely seen her body during one of her previous unconscious episodes.

  Now that he had said it out loud, what had been suspicion turned into confirmation, and her heart jumped. Waves of embarrassment and indignation surged through her.

  Was it when she had fainted in Shrouded Village? Or when she had been seriously injured and knocked out while being chased by that middle-aged lord? Or during the recent mana backlash incident?

  Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, making her face burn even hotter.

  "I will cover the important parts for you. Isn't that enough?" Ryan said, looking at her flushed cheeks and tightly bitten lips.

  "No," Evelyn refused firmly, her gaze shifting away slightly.

  "Fine. If you do not want me to cover them, then I will not," Ryan said, motioning to reach for her torn clothing.

  "Cover them!" Evelyn cried out urgently, raising her voice several decibels.

  She knew very well that this was the last line she could maintain.

  In truth, she found the smell of blood on her body unpleasant as well, but the thought of exposing herself in front of Ryan made it utterly unacceptable.

  Seeing her relent, a hint of a smile flashed in Ryan's eyes, though he did not take advantage of the situation.

  He had never intended to act inappropriately. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. For now, his primary task was to help her tend to her injuries and clean her properly.

  Ryan took a pair of scissors from his storage pouch. Holding them carefully, he began trimming the torn, ruined fabric of her clothing.

  Evelyn's eyes were fixed on the scissors as they drew closer, her heartbeat accelerating as if it might leap from her chest.

  The thought of what was about to happen made her cheeks burn even hotter, her ears flushed red.

  Strangely, despite Ryan's audacious behavior, she did not feel much anger. Instead, she felt a mixture of anxiety and shyness that she could not easily put into words.

  Would he break his promise? Would he take advantage of the situation…

  Countless chaotic thoughts swirled through her mind. She could not help but close her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembling ever so slightly from the tension.

  Evelyn watched Ryan's focused and serious expression, yet her thoughts drifted uncontrollably, filled with a chaotic jumble of images.

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  The intermittent sound of scissors cutting through fabric reached her ears. Each snip struck her heart, making her heartbeat grow increasingly erratic.

  When she suddenly snapped back to reality, she hurriedly forced down the turmoil in her chest, her cheeks burning intensely.

  Why could she not stop thinking these things? What was happening to her?

  Evelyn could hardly believe that the embarrassing images were of her own making. Her mind was in disarray, and even her breathing became unsteady.

  Ryan, oblivious to her inner turmoil, continued meticulously trimming the torn clothing on her body.

  The garments were already riddled with tears and stained with blood from the battle, completely unwearable. As he cut them away, he casually stored them in his storage space.

  Although the clothes were ruined, they could perhaps still be recycled, and nothing should go to waste.

  "Get another set of clean clothes ready. You can put them on after your bath," Ryan reminded her as he finished trimming, suppressing the slight restlessness stirring in him from the close proximity.

  With most of the outer torn clothing removed, Evelyn's gauze undergarment was fully exposed. Beneath the thin fabric, her pale and delicate skin was revealed.

  Unfortunately, the once-smooth skin was marred with red cracks from the mana backlash. The sight was shocking and made Ryan's heart ache.

  He paused his trimming and looked up at Evelyn, only to see her small face flushed red, her gaze somewhat dazed as she stared at him, lost in thought.

  Ryan was puzzled. He was only cutting her clothes. Shouldn't she be angry or resisting? Why was she acting like this?

  "Evelyn!" Ryan reached out and waved gently in front of her eyes, calling her name twice to pull her drifting thoughts back.

  Evelyn snapped back, meeting Ryan's slightly confused gaze, and a surge of intense shame immediately flooded her heart.

  "What's wrong?" she stammered, her usual composed and cool demeanor gone.

  "Take off your gauze undergarment first, then get a clean set of clothes," Ryan instructed.

  His fingertips lightly brushed Evelyn's slender waist by accident, causing her whole body to jolt as if struck by electricity.

  Evelyn frowned, glaring at Ryan with a mix of embarrassment and anger, yet she obediently retrieved a piece of clothing from her spiritual space.

  However, she did not remove her gauze undergarment, clearly still unable to fully accept exposing herself in front of Ryan.

  Seeing this, Ryan did not push the matter. In the midst of Evelyn's shy and angry gaze, he picked up the clothing she had taken out and placed it in his storage pouch.

  It was a pure white long dress, the fabric light and airy, perfectly matching Evelyn's temperament.

  Ryan then squatted down. In Evelyn's terrified gaze, he gently positioned her legs into a cross-legged posture and carefully rotated her body so she was facing away from him, toward the tree behind her.

  "What are you doing!" Evelyn exclaimed in panic. With her back to Ryan, unable to see his movements, she felt her heart race and her sense of security vanish.

  "I'm trimming the remaining clothing on your back. What else could I be doing?" Ryan's voice came from behind her, tinged with a helpless smile.

  Hearing the scissors at work again behind her, Evelyn's tense heart relaxed slightly.

  Even knowing Ryan was only cutting clothing, her body could not stop trembling slightly. This completely unguarded posture made it impossible for her to feel at ease.

  Ryan noticed her shiver and made his movements even gentler, trimming the fabric with as little noise as possible.

  "Hurry up," Evelyn's voice trembled as she urged him.

  Ryan responded with a nod and quickened the pace of his cutting. To Evelyn, those few dozen seconds felt like an eternity.

  At last, the final snip was made, and the remaining torn fabric on her back was finally cleared away.

  Now, Evelyn wore only her close-fitting undergarment, with the Soulweaver's Pendant still resting at her neck.

  Ryan carefully turned Evelyn's body over, gently stretching out her cross-legged legs to avoid tugging at her wounds.

  He then sat down himself, lifting her legs to rest on his thighs.

  This position allowed him easier access to the remaining fabric on her legs, preventing any contact with her injuries.

  Once ready, he picked up the scissors and began trimming the residual clothing from her waist down to her thighs.

  He planned to cut along the base of her thighs in a circular motion, so he could later pull off the scraps without touching her skin.

  "Wait…" Just as Ryan's scissors were about to touch the fabric, Evelyn suddenly spoke up to stop him.

  Ryan paused mid-motion, slightly puzzled, looking up at her."What's wrong?"

  Evelyn's small face was still flushed, giving no hint of what she was thinking.

  "I'm not washing my legs and feet," she said, her voice faint but carrying a trace of determination.

  "No!" Ryan rejected her immediately."Most of the blood stains are on your upper body, but your leg garments are also soiled. Leaving them unclean could easily lead to infection."

  "Don't worry! I, Ryan, have always lived with honor and integrity. I am not the kind of person who wants to wash your legs just to touch them," he said firmly. His clear eyes looked sincerely at Evelyn, almost making her believe him.

  But the thought of exposing her legs to Ryan and having him personally clean them made her cheeks burn, and her inner panic only intensified.

  "I won't wash," she stubbornly refused, her voice softer this time.

  "No!" Ryan's tone was equally firm.

  They argued back and forth for a few moments, but in the end, Ryan won.

  Evelyn's mana was in chaos, and she could not even sit up. She had no strength to resist, and her verbal protests were far weaker than Ryan's insistence. She could only blush deeply, remain silent, and accept his arrangement.

  Ryan said nothing further. Picking up the scissors, he resumed cutting.

  During the process, whenever the blades drew near her skin, Evelyn's long eyelashes trembled.

  Ryan suppressed a quiet chuckle in his heart, but his movements grew even more gentle and careful.

  With the final snip, the fabric on her legs was reduced to only a small connecting piece.

  Her legs were still not fully visible, but with just a gentle tug, the remaining scraps could be removed.