Lin Feng sent Emily to the forest. Once inside, she wouldn't have to worry about being bothered by others.
"I'll come to pick you up in a week. If I don't see you, I'll just activate the contract mark," Lin Feng said as he crossed his arms and glanced at her helplessly.
"Got it," Emily replied without saying much more. She was eager to get back home, so she immediately dove into the bushes.
A week passed and Lin Feng returned to the spot where they had parted ways.
Emily emerged from the shrubbery.
She didn't speak, but had a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy after I gave you a week off to go home and visit your family? You're frowning," Lin Feng said.
He felt as if she seemed more haggard after the trip home, though he wasn't sure if that was just his imagination.
She was probably tangled up in some troublesome matter, he guessed.
Being pressured to marry? Or were things dire financially at home?
As Lin Feng boldly speculated about why Emily was so gloomy, she had already walked up to him.
Before Lin Feng could ask, Emily lightly tugged at the hem of his clothes and pleaded in a low voice, "Master, may I go back for a few more days? Please, I beg you."
Though her red eyes were a bit strange, the way Emily begged others was truly adorable - wearing an expression like she didn't want to lower her head but had no choice.
"Are you still not satisfied after I gave you seven days to go home and visit your family?" Lin Feng deliberately knitted his brows and put on a displeased look.
"It's not that I'm ungrateful, but I really can't get away," Emily explained.
Lin Feng looked her up and down and asked, "Oh? What's the reason?"
Emily hesitated for a moment, then looked Lin Feng in the eye and slowly told the truth: "Something happened at home. After my mom found out I was captured, she fell gravely ill and still can't get out of bed. I need to go back to take care of her and go deep into the forest to find medicinal herbs."
"Don't you have a younger brother?"
"My brother is still young. The deep parts of the forest are too dangerous for him." Emily stood in place.
Lin Feng stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
He wasn't some vicious villain after all.
Emily just wanted to find some herbs to help her mother. There was no need to refuse.
At most, he could have her compensate in some other way.
"You know the rules, right?" Lin Feng said with an wicked smile.
Recalling how he had teased her until she cried last time, Lin Feng was instantly excited.
From her initial arrogance to panic, then regretting it and wanting to escape, and finally resigning herself without struggling at all...
How thrilling.
Emily's tender body shuddered as she covered her bunny ears and glanced around.
"Can it wait until I get back?"
Lin Feng directly interrupted Emily's words, "That won't do. What if you don't keep your word?"
"You can control me with the contract mark," Emily said.
Lin Feng raised his brows wickedly. "I don't like forcing others."
"How is taking advantage of me any different from direct coercion? They're both detestable," Emily muttered under her breath.
She felt very uncomfortable inside, but didn't dare express it fully.
If she accidentally angered him, she could accept being taken advantage of. She just hoped Lin Feng would let her go back.
"If it has to be now, then this place definitely won't do. If we could find a secluded cave somewhere..."
Seeing her awkward manner, Lin Feng's desires were provoked in an instant.
This girl really was too charming.
But out here in the wilderness, he couldn't work up any interest.
If a small room could suddenly appear, with a bed inside, Emily would be unable to escape her fate.
"Just kidding around with you," Lin Feng said, waving his hand at her. "Go on back first then. I'll come find you to squeeze you in seven days."
Just as Lin Feng turned to leave, Emily called out, "Master."
"Missing me already?"
"I want to ask another favor of you," Emily said, taking the initiative to press her body against his.
She understood very clearly what Lin Feng liked.
To achieve her goals, she had no choice but to reluctantly use such methods.
All it would take was paying a tiny, insignificant price and she might gain a powerful helper.
Moreover, there was nothing left of her that hadn't been taken advantage of. As long as she could hold onto her principles now, there would be no loss.
"Oh? You've become quite adept at using your body to bribe me now," Lin Feng said as he lifted Emily's chin. She did not resist.
"I have no money or any particularly outstanding abilities. This is the only thing left that can buy you over, isn't it?" Emily bit her lip tightly, feeling strangely unwilling inside. "So Master, will you help me?"
【Quest Update: Agree to Emily's request and complete the quest to greatly increase favorability.】
Lin Feng swallowed. First he had to see what she wanted him to do.
"What exactly do you need my help with?"
"There are more powerful magical beasts deep in the forest, and it's very easy to encounter the elf clan. The more people, the more hands we'll have to find the herbs faster."
"Why not bring Yuna and Yu Li along then?"
"Too many people isn't good either. It's too likely to attract attention," Emily looked Lin Feng up and down and shook her head. "Also, Master, you being human means it's easy for you to get into trouble in the big forest."
That was true.
Humans in this other world were all fools, making enemies everywhere without realizing the importance of friendly relations.
Lin Feng didn't mind them liking to wage war, but he did mind their inability to have legitimate intermarriage with cute beast-eared girls.
"And the deep parts of the forest are controlled by the elves. It seems like they dislike humans even more than I do, right?"
"Although I know you're very powerful, Master, it's still best to avoid trouble." Emily leaned against a tree and inspected Lin Feng's face. "You'll also need to cover up your face and wear a hat. Your black hair is too eye-catching."
Lin Feng sighed.
It sounded so troublesome, but for the sake of his grand affair with Emily, he could endure!
However, since Emily needed medicinal herbs, why didn't she just buy them directly?
Selling her body like Yuna did was also an option.
"What medicinal herb are you looking for? I know quite a few medicine shop owners. Maybe I can buy it for you," Lin Feng said lasciviously as he rubbed his hands together. "Though money, well..."
Emily uncomfortably covered her chest. "Our clan calls it the 'Takizawa flower'. It's a very beautiful type of flower."
"Crimson red, with five petals, and many thorns on the root. It's photophilic and chill-shunning, extremely rare in number."
Lin Feng was conflicted.
What the heck was this thing? He hadn't even heard of it before.
"From your expression, looks like you don't know it either?" Emily sighed. The glimmer of hope she had just seen was dashed once again. "This flower is called a holy flower in our clan, because it can cure a disease our race commonly gets."
Lin Feng listened very attentively.
After all, Emily would likely become his wife in the future.
Now that he had taken her in, he would definitely have to take responsibility for her. He should understand a bit more about her race's affairs.
If she also contracted this illness someday, at least he wouldn't be clueless about what it even was.
"What illness?"
"We call it 'Heart Chill Disease'. When it flares up, the whole body loses strength, the limbs become icy cold, and there is aversion to wind and cold. In severe cases, it can be fatal. And it's also very hard to cure this disease completely." Emily touched her cheek. Seeing Lin Feng listen so seriously made her somewhat puzzled.
"Women with poor health tend to easily contract this disease when emotionally stimulated. My mother caught it when my father passed away. Her condition has been a bit better in recent years." Emily's gaze toward Lin Feng suddenly contained some resentment. "Because I was captured, her illness worsened again."
Lin Feng felt ashamed.
So it turned out to be his fault.
But it wasn't entirely to blame on him either.
If Emily hadn't been asking for trouble by jumping down from the tree and goading her brother into trying to kill him, who knows if he would've been able to capture her or not!
"Then I'll go back and prepare. I'll also ask around at the medicine shops. I'll come find you here tomorrow," Lin Feng said.
Emily nodded before swiftly disappearing into the woods.