I drew a talisman to save the sun from its bleeding state.

Chapter 27: The Outburst of Faith, Virtue: Steadfastness!

Zhou Zheng was watching TV and summarizing his experience, but the rapid breathing coming from the gym was too noticeable, so he had to pause the video and turn to look at Xiaoxue, who was exhausted.

[Xiaoxue (excessive physical exertion, sore legs, decreased endurance, and increased stress...)]

[Pressure: 68/200 (↑↑)]

Zhou Zheng almost burst out laughing. It was obvious that compared to himself, a light-weight, athletic guy, Xiaoxue was a complete sedentary girl who could kill herself just by running.

In just a short while, Xiaoxue was sweating profusely, with sweat pouring down her body like raindrops, but she still persisted in running and did not give up, which was already close to her limit for her.

Seeing that Xiaoxue's stress level was about to reach 100, Zhou Zheng had no choice but to get up, reach out and conjure a healing talisman, intending to help Xiaoxue recover before she actually died from exhaustion on the treadmill. He just didn't know if she could handle the hardship, not that he wanted to hurt her.

[Stress: 100/200 (Mental test in progress)]

Zhou Zheng stopped in his tracks, slightly surprised.

"I don't!"

With a stubborn shout, Xiaoxue suddenly moved her tired legs and continued jogging.

[A Burst of Belief: Unwavering Determination]

【Xiaoxue (Firm Belief)】

[Unwavering Faith: Briefly suppresses negative status effects and provides 20% mental resistance]

Zhou Zheng remained silent, watching Xiaoxue's stubborn figure run away, the green rejuvenating talisman he had gathered in his hand silently dissipating. Xiaoxue was serious, at least, more serious than he had expected.

Zhou Zheng stood still, his eyes slightly complicated for a moment, looking at the countdown above Xiaoxue's head, a state of unwavering determination, and prepared to reach out and catch her.

When in a state of intense exertion, it's difficult for a person to feel pain and fatigue, but once this state passes, it's easy to collapse. Fortunately, this state didn't last very long, only about 5 minutes, but Zhou Zheng believed that every second of those 5 minutes was a huge test for Xiaoxue.

Five minutes isn't a long time. Zhou Zheng prepared the talismans and healing skills, then quietly walked into the gym and stood behind Xiaoxue.

“Ah…”

Xiaoxue let out a painful cry, lost her balance and fell forward. Zhou Zheng quickly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and turning off the running machine.

"Waaaaah..."

Xiaoxue cried softly, her head down, not saying a word, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

Zhou Zheng was both amused and exasperated: "Should I support you, or carry you over?"

Xiaoxue didn't answer, she just cried softly, and you couldn't see any expression on her face.

But I must say, it feels soft to the touch.

Zhou Zheng glanced at the pile of red negative status countdowns in her status bar, and had no choice but to help her walk slowly forward: "Walk slowly, I'll heal you after we get there."

"It hurts..."

A muffled, indistinct sobbing voice.

Zhou Zheng joked, "See, this is the pain of being in a relationship. Meeting a jerk is much worse. Want to take a break?"

Xiaoxue looked up, her eyes red, looking as pitiful as a little rabbit: "Hold me, I can't walk."

Zhou Zheng tried to dissuade him: "I mean, dating is much harder than this, are you sure?"

Xiaoxue angrily punched Zhou Zheng's shoulder lightly: "Hug me!"

If I give up now, wouldn't all my hard work have been for nothing?

Zhou Zheng was impressed. She truly lived up to her reputation as a girl from Northwest China. She could be both soft and cute, as well as tough and strong. Even her way of confessing her love was so unique—"I'll punch you to death, and you'll be the most romantic rose in Northwest China."

He had no choice but to reach out and pick up the fragile little thing around the waist.

"Ouch, that hurts... slower, slower..."

Zhou Zheng blushed and almost stood up, but he had to silently recite a calming mantra to suppress his impulse and carry Xiaoxue to the sofa in the living room.

Zhou Zheng gently laid Xiaoxue on the sofa, knelt on one knee on the floor, stretched out his hands, and a layer of gentle white light shone on the surface of his palms. He first helped her take off her shoes, and then placed them two or three centimeters above Xiaoxue's legs and moved them evenly to treat her condition.

Zhou Zheng laughed and said, "I think you should give up. If you can get this bad from running, what will you do in the future?"

"I don't!"

Zhou Zheng accepted the explanation and had no choice but to continue the treatment.

Xiaoxue covered her face with the back of the chair and sobbed softly.

Zhou Zheng didn't know why she was crying, so he continued the treatment. When she seemed to have recovered enough, he poked her delicate leg with his finger: "Turn her over, I'll treat your trapezius muscle."

Exercise can easily injure the back muscles, specifically the trapezius. The trapezius is a very loyal muscle; it'll lend a hand to anyone who asks for help.

"Ooh... hiss... hiss... ooh ooh..."

Zhou Zheng applied the treatment to her back and exclaimed, "Such a fair and beautiful back, it would be a shame not to do cupping."

Xiaoxue squirmed in dissatisfaction, "Hmm~ Hmm!"

After Zhou Zheng finished treating her, he stopped and glanced at the status bar: "I've healed you, why are you still crying?"

Xiaoxue lay on the sofa, tears streaming down her face: "The gap between us is so huge." Without training, she only thought Zhou Zheng was amazing. But after starting to train, she truly understood how vast the gap was between herself and a superhuman. This wasn't something that could be caught up with through effort; it was a gap determined at birth.

Zhou Zheng chuckled: "Shall we still talk?"

"talk!"

Decisive and without hesitation.

Zhou Zheng gave him a thumbs up: "You're ruthless, I'll talk to you."

Xiaoxue's sorrow turned to joy. She quickly rolled over, raised her upper body, and smiled sweetly, like a crescent moon: "I want a reward! I want a kiss!"

Zhou Zheng rewarded him with a polite smile.

Xiaoxue: "Tsk, so stingy. I want a hug!"

Zhou Zheng rewarded him with a polite smile.

Xiaoxue's eyes widened: "What about the verbal reward?"

Zhou Zheng gave him a thumbs up: "You're really amazing."

Xiaoxue was shocked: "You're praising people like that? Are you still single all this time?!"

Zhou Zheng: "Hehe."

Xiaoxue smiled sweetly and took the initiative to reach out and hook her arms around Zhou Zheng's neck: "Come on, let me teach you how to praise me."

Zhou Zheng immediately shrank back.

Xiaoxue: "...So I came all this way for nothing? Do you even have any integrity?"

Zhou Zheng remained silent, raised his finger, and pointed towards the second floor.

Xiaoxue's pupils contracted sharply, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand, stiffly turning to look towards the master bedroom on the second floor.

The father, wearing pajamas and with a dark expression, gripped the railing with both hands, while the mother covered her mouth and laughed incessantly.

"You're going to die!"

Xiaoxue buried her head in the sofa, pressing her face against the backrest.

Zhou Zheng shrugged and picked up a blanket from the side, covering Xiaoxue with it.

At this moment, Xiao Zhengjun on the second floor had a dark expression on his face, Xuan Yizi on the first floor quietly opened a crack to observe, Tang Ying was hiding on the kitchen side to peek, and the armed security guards and others were watching from the windows outside the door.

Zhou Zheng raised his head and looked at each of them one by one.

Xiao Zhengjun turned around and went back to the master bedroom with a dark face. Xuan Yizi smiled awkwardly and closed the door. Tang Ying hurriedly stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked out. The armed security guards on the window hurriedly stood up and left in neat steps.

"Alright, they've all left. Are you going back to your bedroom by yourself, or should I take you?"

"You'll take me." Xiaoxue sprang up like a carp, her eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Zheng remained silent for a moment, then pulled her up from the sofa and took her to the bedroom.

To be honest, it was only a few steps, but she still blushed.

Xiaoxue stood at the door, her face flushed, her hands twisting nervously: "Do you want to come in and take a look? I have a cat that can do backflips."

"Bang!"

From behind the door came Xiaoxue's exasperated voice: "You're like a fully grown banana!"

"Go to sleep well."

Zhou Zheng shook his head, returned to the next bedroom, sat on the bed, and began to cultivate the Rejuvenation Technique.

Normally, this would be a time for sleep.

But today, Zhou Zheng felt it was time to replace sleep with cultivation. Love is sweet, but it also brings burdens. He needed to find ways to solve some objectively existing problems.

While cultivating and contemplating, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

Zhou Zheng opened his eyes and murmured, "I can train her to be a Sailor Moon."