novelraw Chapter 272
Chapter 272
Chapter 272: Pressing the Brave Hero Down
The night was long, and the island’s weather was fickle.
A rainstorm accompanied by strong sea winds swept the coastal city in the latter half of the night.
The tall, slender trees by the beach were bent over by the wind, their broad leaves intertwined like green cigars, stretching long enough to reach the sky.
“Cough…”
In her hazy sleep, Lucia seemed to hear the wind whistling in her ears.
She felt as if she were high in the air.
The air was filled with wind, waves, and scorching magma.
High-temperature lava tightly enveloped her body; she felt like she was swimming in magma. The surface temperature of her body was alarmingly hot, and the strong resistance made it difficult for her to move her limbs.
Lucia tried to turn over. Sore muscles pulled at swollen joints, causing Lucia to gasp in pain.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
Every breath felt like an ant crawling in her throat, itching so badly that she couldn’t help but cough to relieve it.
“Ya…”
“Lucia!!”
In her blurry consciousness, Lucia seemed to hear someone calling her name.
Her eyelids felt like they were glued shut. Lucia struggled for a moment before finally managing to open her eyes a sliver.
Just catching a glimpse of a vague silhouette, Lucia felt a sense of relief wash over her.
She raised her arm, embracing the person beside her, her head drowsy as she leaned against him.
“It seems to be raining outside…” she murmured.
The girl’s voice was filled with sleepiness, her thick nasal tone sounding sticky. Paired with her flushed cheeks and burning body temperature, it made Xia Li’s heart ache.
“You have a fever.”
Xia Li didn’t even need to check her forehead to be sure of Lucia’s current condition.
It was exactly like when Xia Li had a cold and fever in the middle of the night as a child.
Sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, and fever.
Even the symptoms were so similar.
“Fever? No…”
Lucia didn’t try to open her eyes again, simply resting her head on Xia Li’s chest.
She had searched the term “fever” on Baidu through her phone last night.
When a human’s body temperature exceeds 37.3 degrees Celsius, it’s called a fever.
The principle behind it was a very complex process, mostly related to the body being infected by viruses or bacteria.
Fever itself was one of the manifestations of the body’s immune system eliminating the source of infection.
It could also be called the activation of the immune system.
“Do I also have an immune system…”
This thought suddenly occurred to Lucia.
The humans in this world often talked about “antibodies” and “immunity,” things Lucia had never heard of.
Dragons didn’t need antibodies.
But now, if immunity was being activated…
Did it also indirectly mean that her body structure, both internal and external, was becoming more and more like a “human”?
Thinking of this, Lucia reached out with her arm, feeling around.
A pair of warm palms cupped her chest, seemingly deep in thought.
“I’ll bring your temperature down.”
Xia Li felt Lucia’s forehead; her alarming temperature truly startled him.
He didn’t need to measure it; it was definitely above 39 degrees Celsius.
A high fever.
If it were a low-grade fever caused by a cold, drinking plenty of water, keeping warm, and resting for a while would be enough to alleviate it.
But a high fever was different.
It was essential to physically bring down a high fever.
Especially the head.
If the temperature wasn’t brought down in time, there was a risk of brain damage.
That level was beyond a simple cold.
It would leave lasting effects.
“Wait for me.”
Xia Li immediately thought of a solution, releasing Lucia’s hand and turning to go to the bathroom.
“Xia Li…”
As soon as he left, the groggy Lucia felt as if she had lost her soul.
It was said that when lying in the arms of their beloved, girls would automatically become weak, unable to help but rely on the other person.
But when the beloved left, only self-reliance remained.
The moment Xia Li left, alarm bells went off in Lucia’s head. She forced herself to sit up, leaning on her arms.
Out of an instinctive sense of danger when sick and weak, Lucia curled up, staring blankly at the hazy figure under the bathroom light.
Xia Li returned with a towel soaked in cold water.
He saw Lucia huddled in a corner, hugging her knees like a startled cat, her black hair cascading over her snow-white shoulders, looking utterly pitiful.
“This is a bit cold, be careful.”
To prevent the cold touch from frightening Lucia, Xia Li’s movements were incredibly gentle.
He helped Lucia lie down slowly, placing the wrung-out towel gently on her forehead.
“Xia Li…”
Lucia murmured, reaching out to grab Xia Li again.
Xia Li squeezed her small hand, then squatted down, soaking another towel in the basin. He then used the wet towel to wipe her body, bringing down her temperature.
“If only we had alcohol, it would bring down the fever faster.”
As he spoke, Xia Li’s gaze fell upon the bag of souvenirs they had bought today.
Perhaps the bottle of rum he bought for Old Xia could come in handy…
“Xia Li…”
Lucia’s voice was sticky and weak. Every time she called Xia Li’s name, he felt his heart tremble.
And this dragon just loved to call his name. Xia Li quickly put down what he was doing, bending over to check on her.
“Are you feeling very uncomfortable? I boiled some hot water for you. Drink it and lie down to sleep later. Drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins. When you have a cold or are sick, you need to drink more hot water. It helps expel bacteria and viruses from the body, making you recover faster…”
As Xia Li rambled on, he suddenly felt as if Mrs. Fang had possessed him.
When he was sick with a cold as a child, Fang Xia would stay by his side, muttering the same words.
Unsurprisingly, Lucia reacted the same way as Xia Li, becoming sleepy as she listened.
Xia Li wiped Lucia’s arms and legs with cold water, then went to pour the boiled water into a cup.
He mixed in some mineral water, and when he felt the temperature was right, he woke Lucia up to drink it.
Lucia gulped down a large cup of water.
“Go back to sleep.”
Xia Li said softly.
To say he wasn’t anxious would be a lie.
Xia Li was currently extremely worried.
A high fever was definitely not something that could be solved by simply sleeping it off.
Lucia’s current state couldn’t be ignored.
But considering this was her first time getting sick, Xia Li didn’t want to scare her, so he tried to speak to her in a lighthearted tone as much as possible.
As soon as Lucia fell asleep, Xia Li would immediately change clothes and go out to buy fever-reducing medicine.
Even though the wind and rain were raging outside, even though he had no idea where the pharmacy was.
Xia Li had a mouth to ask for directions and the determination to buy medicine for Lucia even if the world was ending.
“I don’t want to trouble you…”
Seeing Xia Li about to leave, Lucia grabbed his hand in her half-awake state.
Her voice was still so soft, her eyes filled with tenderness that seemed to melt one’s heart.
Not wanting to trouble Xia Li, these words were from the bottom of Lucia’s heart.
Although she had never intended to be a freeloading dragon from the beginning, she wanted to contribute to her and Xia Li’s little home, to earn money to support the family, and to build a big dragon nest.
But often, she felt powerless.
Going out to work, earning 1,200 yuan a month, wouldn’t even be enough for her own food.
Trying to help with housework, she was always clumsy, needing Xia Li to teach her everything.
From the moment she first arrived on Earth, Lucia felt like a burden.
It was the same now.
She had hidden her illness, fearing Xia Li would worry about her, thinking it would get better in a couple of days.
But she hadn’t expected it to worsen that night, eventually being discovered by Xia Li.
Lucia felt like she always messed things up.
When a dragon was weak, it was also when it felt most useless.
Her eyes were red and slightly wet.
Looking at her sad expression, Xia Li’s heart completely melted.
“What do you mean ‘trouble’? ”
Xia Li sighed, pulling a chair over and sitting beside her.
“Your matters are my matters. Do you also find it troublesome when you’re dealing with your own things?”
“But I’m useless…”
“Who said that?”
Xia Li interrupted Lucia before she could continue.
He thought Lucia must be delirious from the fever.
This dragon, with her stubborn mouth and optimistic heart, would only be so self-deprecating when she was out of it.
“I would die without you, so you’re as important to me as water is to fish.” Xia Li said.
“You can’t die…”
Lucia mumbled.
She raised her warm hand, cupping Xia Li’s face.
Her beautiful golden-brown eyes were filled with tenderness.
In her weakened state, Lucia was so delicate and pitiful that Xia Li wanted to melt her into his arms.
But Lucia’s temperature was high, and holding her would hinder her body’s heat dissipation, so he couldn’t.
“Will you stay?”
Seeing Xia Li about to turn away again, Lucia quickly grabbed his hand, not letting him go.
Xia Li had no choice but to sit back down, nodding.
◈◈◈
The stormy latter half of the night quickly passed.
Dawn broke, and the sky was about to brighten.
The streetlights in the alleys were still on, and occasionally, one or two solitary lamps flickered in the wind under the chaotic sky, casting mottled light and shadows on the puddle-filled ground.
“Achoo!”
The tickle in her nose made Lucia sneeze loudly.
She abruptly sat up, catching sight of the faint light on the horizon outside the window.
The sky, washed clean by the rainstorm, was pure and clear. Outside the window, the sea and sky blended together, the receding tide leaving behind traces of the wind and waves. The blue-green hue of the awakening dawn filled her entire vision.
Lucia moved her arms and tried to clear her throat.
Her body didn’t ache anymore.
Her throat wasn’t itchy anymore either!
Revived!
She knew it.
Her strong physique wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
Her memory of last night was a bit hazy.
Lucia recalled holding onto Xia Li, not letting him go, when she was falling asleep.
She had wanted to snuggle into his arms and act spoiled… but she didn’t have the strength.
Later, Xia Li held her hand for a long time.
Lucia couldn’t remember when he let go.
She only remembered that when she was most delirious, Xia Li had put two white pills into her mouth.
The pills were bitter. Lucia didn’t know how to swallow pills and almost coughed them out several times. Xia Li covered her mouth and helped her swallow them.
At that time, Lucia had smelled the dampness of rain and earth…
Xia Li must have braved the heavy rain and gone out to buy medicine for her!
Thinking of this, Lucia suddenly woke up and hurriedly looked for the person beside her.
However, the figure that should have been lying beside her was nowhere to be found.
◈◈◈
Following the scent, Lucia looked up.
She saw Xia Li by the bed.
It wasn’t like the scene of a loved one being sick, with family members keeping vigil by the bedside all night, only to fall asleep by the bed at dawn.
Xia Li wasn’t asleep.
He sat on a chair, his fingers interlaced, a long sword held upright between his palms.
The long sword served as a crutch, supporting his body as if the moment the sword fell, the person holding it would collapse as well.
Xia Li hadn’t closed his eyes all night.
People only grip their weapons when facing danger.
Perhaps to Xia Li, Lucia falling ill was the most dangerous thing he had ever encountered in his life.
Lucia felt a stinging pain in her eyes.
Her eyes were about to rain.
The person sitting before her was not only her Brave Hero, but also her Knight.
“Are you feeling better?”
Xia Li’s voice was incredibly hoarse.
The chair, unmoved for so long, creaked as his back shifted.
Water still dripped from his pant legs, his soaked clothes clung to his skin, and the shoes on his feet left a trail of muddy footprints on the floor.
There were no pharmacies nearby.
The infrastructure in this small country wasn’t as well-developed as in their own; there were hardly any shops open at night.
Xia Li had run for dozens of kilometers in the pouring rain.
He’d finally managed to get the last fever reducers from a kind-hearted bar owner.
Because there were only two pills, he couldn’t let Lucia throw them up; he had to make sure she swallowed them.
Rubbing his eyes, Xia Li walked to the bed and reached out to feel Lucia’s forehead.
He had checked her temperature countless times throughout the night.
Each time, Lucia’s temperature had dropped until it returned to normal.
“Ugh, Xia Li, I’ll never get sick again!”
Lucia couldn’t hold back any longer.
This time, her eyes were truly about to rain.
She lunged forward, hugging Xia Li tightly, rubbing her tears against his damp clothes.
Lucia recalled what Zhou Anqi had said to her a few days ago.
“Have you thought about whether he’s the one you should entrust your life to?”
If Zhou Anqi were to ask her again,
Lucia would answer without hesitation: Definitely!
Besides entrusting herself to Xia Li, she truly had no one to rely on in this world.
Moreover, she could only entrust herself to Xia Li.
Because she could only love Xia Li in this lifetime.
“Don’t say that.”
Xia Li rubbed the dragon’s head, feeling somewhat exhausted, but seeing Lucia’s recovery brought him immense satisfaction.
“It’s unavoidable. Humans get sick, and you’re human now too.”
Colds, fevers, these were all common symptoms of human illnesses.
Furthermore, fever was a sign that the immune system was activating.
Lucia had endured her first illness, proving she possessed the corresponding resistance.
“Wuu, if I get sick again, just hit me…”
“Why would I hit you?”
“Wuwuwu, I’m human now, so I’ll definitely be able to feed your dragon babies in the future.”
“…What are you talking about?”
The dragon was muttering nonsense.
Xia Li seriously doubted whether she was still feverish, still delirious.
He checked Lucia’s temperature again.
No fever, everything normal.
Apart from her neck being sticky and smelling like a dragon that had been sweating all night, Lucia was perfectly healthy.
“Ugh,”
Lucia sniffled.
This time it was sniffles of gratitude, not sniffles of sickness.
She nestled in Xia Li’s arms, crying softly for a while.
Lucia remembered that Xia Li hadn’t closed his eyes all night, so she quickly pulled him over, stuffing her warm pillow and blanket into his arms.
She had already warmed the bed; Xia Li only needed to lie down and fall asleep.
“Your body will be weak after a high fever. I bought you two cans of the common eight-treasure porridge. I’ll heat it up for you later…”
Xia Li wasn’t ready to rest yet, but Lucia pressed down on his shoulders, pushing him back.
“I know how to heat up porridge myself!”
If Xia Li continued to push himself like this, she would die of heartache.
“You can’t use Dragon Flame to heat it, the can will melt.”
“I’m not that stupid!”
At this point, Xia Li was indeed incredibly sleepy, his eyelids drooping.
If he didn’t rest now, he might be the next one to collapse.
“…There are also biscuits and bread in the bag.”
Before resting, Xia Li changed his clothes, adding with concern.
Lucia couldn’t bear to listen anymore, her dragon tail swishing back and forth.
Xia Li was taking care of her too well, fussing over every little detail…
Who would be the mom and who would be the dad in the future?!
“Go to sleep!”
“…”
Xia Li lay on the bed, looking up at the evil dragon sprawled on his chest.
No, where was the shy, tearful dragon girl from before?
Why had she suddenly become so fierce?
She even had a bit of the characteristic temperament of girls from Sichuan…
He wouldn’t be surprised if her next line was “Laozi’s Sichuan way” or something.
Without further resistance, Xia Li closed his eyes to rest.
He slept soundly throughout the day.
He hadn’t fully adjusted to the time difference, so sleeping during the day was like sleeping at night back home.
He closed his eyes and opened them again.
It was already evening once more.
Vaguely, Xia Li seemed to hear someone talking by his ear.
“Mm-hmm, Auntie, we’ll be back in a few days…”
“I’m not tired, Xia Li takes good care of me.”
“He’s still resting. We have a time difference here, so our sleep schedule isn’t very regular.”
“I can’t wake him up yet… It’s okay, I’m not hungry, there’s still a lot of dry food in the room.”
“Okay, I won’t keep you then, Auntie, goodbye. You guys rest early too… Oh wait, it’s still morning over there… Good morning, Auntie, take care…”
Lucia hid in the bathroom, holding Xia Li’s phone and speaking softly.
Aunt Fang had just called on WeChat, and Lucia, afraid of waking Xia Li, had taken the phone into the bathroom to answer.
It had been quite a while since they last spoke, so they chatted for a few minutes about family matters.
Finally, Lucia hung up the phone and returned to the room to find Xia Li already sitting up.
The Dragon Knight awakens!
“My mom?”
“Yeah, your mom!”
Xia Li glanced at Lucia and saw her full of energy, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
His first feeling upon waking, besides the comfort of a good night’s sleep, was hunger.
It had been almost twenty-four hours since his last meal, the one he had eaten yesterday evening.
He had even run for more than ten kilometers in the rain, his body’s energy reserves long depleted.
He probably had even burned through his reserve fat, and the next step would be breaking down protein.
“You must be starving. Eat this.”
Lucia seemed to have guessed Xia Li’s condition.
She had already finished the two cans of eight-treasure porridge by the bedside, but she had prepared new food for Xia Li.
Fresh seafood fried rice!
“Where did this come from?”
Xia Li stared, dumbfounded, as the fragrant rice appeared from the evil dragon’s hands as if by magic.
His already famished body craved this fried rice intensely.
Almost instinctively, Xia Li took the food and started shoveling it into his mouth while sitting on the bed.
It was even still steaming.
She must have calculated his waking time perfectly.
“Hehe… I just went downstairs to get takeout.”
Lucia swaggered, swaying her silver dragon tail smugly.
“Eat up, eat up. The chef even generously gave me half a roasted chicken!”
Sometimes, a pretty face really could get you a free meal.
Back in Azure Continent, her face was plastered on wanted posters, but on Earth… everyone was friendly to her.
Even if they couldn’t communicate verbally, even if she clumsily gestured with her hands, she could still receive patience from most Earth humans.
Lucia lifted her shirt, retrieving the roasted chicken from under her belly.
She had kept it warm with her body, afraid that it would get cold by the time Xia Li woke up.
The dragon might be a silly dragon,
but she could learn anything!
She handed the milk-scented roasted chicken to Xia Li.
Xia Li stared at her exposed, fair belly, his gaze fixated.
To be honest, he was no longer craving the chicken.
He peeled back the foil and took a big bite of the chicken.
Watching this sweet and adorable dragon eat made the food even more appetizing.
“It’s not raining today.”
After finishing the food Lucia had brought, Xia Li glanced out the window.
It was dark outside, but the ground beneath the streetlights was dry.
“Do you want to go out for a walk?” Xia Li suggested.
After all, they were on a trip; strictly speaking, they were currently in their “honeymoon” phase.
Since they were here to have fun, they should definitely make the most of it.
However, Lucia seemed completely uninterested.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go out today.”
“It’s okay, I still have money. I can earn a few thousand yuan with a message later, don’t worry.”
Xia Li thought the dragon didn’t want to go out because of money, so he explained.
Lucia continued to shake her head.
She took the takeout container from Xia Li’s hand and tossed it casually on the bedside.
Xia Li tilted his head, watching her.
He thought it was strange that the dragon, who was usually so clean, was acting so oddly today.
Could it be that after getting sick once, she not only developed resistance but also a personality change?
Suddenly, Lucia grabbed Xia Li’s tilted head and turned it back towards her.
His head straightened, Xia Li leaned back against the headboard, staring blankly at the dragon as she leaned closer and closer.
“Hmm?”
Lucia climbed onto the bed, one knee resting on the edge.
She turned sideways, her hands already cupping Xia Li’s face. Her beautiful golden-brown almond eyes still held traces of previous tears, but a determined light seemed to flicker in their depths.
“Flip a coin.”
Her pink lips parted slightly, her voice a soft whisper, her warm, sweet breath washing over him.
“What?”
The atmosphere in the air shifted dramatically, brimming with tenderness, affection, and a hint of ambiguity.
Xia Li’s heart pounded as he looked at the girl perched on his chest.
The girl tugged at his collar, continuing,
“Flip a coin. Heads up, I’m on top. Tails up, I’m on the bottom.”