The villains are redeemed, and the heroines cry and beg for forgiveness.

Gu Ran also thought of this suspicious point, and he couldn't figure it out either.

"It seems I can only wait and see if I have a chance to ask her when I run into her later," Gu Ran thought to himself.

Intuitively, he didn't believe Leng Feng would harm him; there must be another reason behind it.

"Or perhaps, I really was dead back then?"

Gu Ran murmured.

Roar!

Suddenly, a beast's roar came from the grove.

Gu Ran's expression changed, and he quickly turned to look behind him.

A bear with brownish-gray fur slowly walked towards the river.

It is not a ferocious beast.

Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. From the fact that the bear's eyes were not blood red and its body size had not changed, it was clear that this was just an ordinary wild bear.

Ferocious beasts are transformed from wild animals through some kind of stimulus, but humans have not yet figured out the reason for this stimulus.

But then, Gu Ran remembered.

Given his current physical condition, it seems he couldn't even defeat an ordinary bear.

Am I really going to die this time?

67. I'll call you "Little Conch" from now on.

The brown bear strolled leisurely toward the riverbank. Suddenly, it stopped and sniffed the clothes hanging on a branch with a puzzled look.

Gu Ran looked around. Behind him was a rushing river, and in front of him was a small forest covered with vines and thorns. The only path that looked like a way to pass through was the one where the brown bear was. Gu Ran had previously entered through this path to gather wild fruits.

If he were to run along the riverbank at this moment, not only would the muddy terrain make it difficult to traverse, but he would also be easily spotted by a brown bear.

However, if he were to go into the water, not only would he have wounds that prevent him from getting wet, but bears can also swim.

If he does nothing and stays put, the brown bear's path will be heading right in his direction.

In any case, he would be discovered by the brown bear sooner or later.

"If you had come a day earlier, I would have obediently become your food source." Gu Ran took a deep breath, picked up the tree branch he had used as a crutch yesterday, and prepared to give it his all.

Even if it means death, he doesn't want to die without trying.

"Uh-huh--"

Just then, Gu Ran saw the little mermaid waving anxiously at him and pointing at the river.

"Are you telling me to get in the water?"

Gu Ran understood what she meant, but did not take any immediate action.

If the brown bear really intended to use him as prey, going into the water would only delay his death.

Moreover, he would be even less able to maneuver in the water, and might not even be able to launch a counterattack before being pinned down and drowned by the brown bear.

Seeing Gu Ran still standing there blankly, the little mermaid became even more anxious and couldn't help but swim a little closer to him.

A giant pink bubble appeared out of thin air in front of the little mermaid, and she gestured to Gu Ran with her finger.

"You mean you want me to walk into this bubble?"

Seeing the Little Mermaid nod, Gu Ran hesitated for a moment before going inside.

Since he had no other choice, he might as well try the little mermaid's method; perhaps she possessed some magic he didn't know about.

As Gu Ran stepped into the pink bubble, it immediately enveloped her entire body.

To Gu Ran's surprise, the pink bubble did not burst. Even when he waved his hand, the bubble only bulged outward slightly. When he withdrew his arm, the bubble immediately returned to its original state.

The Little Mermaid smiled happily when she saw Gu Ran follow her instructions and walk into the pink bubble.

Then she pointed to the river.

"You mean you want me to go into the water?" This time, Gu Ran didn't hesitate and walked directly into the river.

Once inside the river, Gu Ran discovered that the bubbles prevented the water from touching his skin.

As Gu Ran walked deeper into the river, he discovered that the pink bubble not only helped him avoid the water, but also seemed to allow him to breathe underwater.

He tried diving into the river and was still able to breathe freely, and thanks to the bubbles, he could see clearly.

"As expected of the mermaid race, their methods are truly amazing." Gu Ran gave the little mermaid a thumbs up.

The Little Mermaid smiled shyly, her cheeks turning pink.

Gu Ran followed the little mermaid to a large rock on the other side of the river, and they hid behind it together.

Seemingly because of the urgency of the situation, the little mermaid did not move away from Gu Ran as she had before. The two were only a little over a meter apart, and Gu Ran could even see her small and cute earlobes and her smooth pink shoulders clearly.

However, Gu Ran only glanced at her before looking away; he didn't want to offend her.

The little mermaid glanced at Gu Ran and, seeing that he was quiet and didn't make any unnecessary movements, not only relaxed but also relaxed quite a bit.

After sniffing the clothes Gu Ran had hung out to dry, the brown bear, though puzzled, didn't pay much attention and slowly walked to the river to drink.

After drinking its fill of water, the brown bear did not leave immediately. Instead, it fell asleep on the rock where Gu Ran had been lying, clearly not intending to leave anytime soon.

Seeing the brown bear occupying his "bed," Gu Ran had no good options but to wait quietly.

Because the two were so close, Gu Ran could even catch a glimpse of the Little Mermaid's slightly heaving chest.

Gu Ran coughed slightly and said, "Thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you, I would have become that bear's lunch. And thank you for catching the little fish for me yesterday. It helped me a lot."

The Little Mermaid shook her head, then performed the eating motions she had previously taught Gu Ran, which Gu Ran had then taught her, and smiled slightly.

"Oh...you mean you're welcome, and I gave you a gift too?" Gu Ran guessed what the little mermaid meant.

The Little Mermaid nodded.

For some reason, looking at the Little Mermaid's beautiful appearance, which seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale, Gu Ran suddenly became quite nervous.

Even when he fought against numerous A-level and S-level superhumans, he didn't feel this kind of tension.

"Oh right, I don't know your name yet. My name is Gu Ran. What's yours?" Gu Ran said, trying to make conversation.

Seeing the little mermaid staring at him with wide pink eyes but not saying a word, Gu Ran slapped his forehead, realizing, "Oh, I forgot you can't talk."

Gu Ran was somewhat annoyed. Why had she been so indecisive today? She wasn't some kind of demon, just an ordinary mermaid.

"How about I help you come up with a name? Otherwise, it'll be hard for me to call you." Gu Ran looked at the seashell pendant around her neck. "How about I call you 'Little Seashell' from now on?"

The Little Mermaid frowned slightly and shook her head.

"Not satisfied? Then how about I call you 'Mmm-Mmm Monster'?" Gu Ran teased, remembering how the Little Mermaid used to use mmm-mmm sounds to get his attention.

?

The little mermaid looked confused, as if she didn't quite understand the meaning of "Ugh, weird".

But when she saw the teasing expression on Gu Ran's face, she immediately realized Gu Ran's "malicious intentions".

She puffed up her pretty face in anger, then glared at him with her beautiful pink eyes.

"Ah, I can't think of any other names either," Gu Ran said with a troubled expression. "We're already friends, right? Friends should have a way of addressing each other, right? I can't possibly call you 'Hey' from now on."

Gu Ran, who was terrible at naming things, tentatively asked, "How about I still call you 'Little Conch'? You see, you're wearing a conch necklace, which means you like conches, right? Besides, it's a nice-sounding and easy-to-remember name. I think it's actually pretty good."

The little mermaid frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and with the name "Wuwu Monster" proving Gu Ran's naming skills, she finally nodded reluctantly.

68. Gu Ran's dantian was ruined.

Since that time they spent together, their relationship has progressed rapidly.

Gu Ran calls the Little Mermaid "Little Conch," while the Little Mermaid makes "mmm" sounds when she wants to call Gu Ran.

After realizing that he and a bear were neighbors, Gu Ran moved to a different place as a temporary residence.

"Here you go, little sea snail." Gu Ran smiled and handed a wild fruit that looked so ripe it seemed to drip with juice into the water. "Eat this, it's not sour."

The Little Mermaid—no, perhaps she should be called Little Conch now—took the fruit from Gu Ran's hand and savored it carefully as before, her eyes half-closed in bliss, crescent moons.

Of course, not all wild fruits are palatable. Some of the wild fruits that Gu Ran picked earlier were very sour and astringent. After eating them, the little snail almost chased after Gu Ran and punched him with its little pink fists.

After Gu Ran promised that he would "test the poison himself" first next time, Xiao Hailuo let him go and stopped puffing out her face and glaring at him.

After eating wild fruits and small fish caught by sea snails for several days in a row, Gu Ran felt his mouth was getting bland, but to his surprise, his body was recovering quite well.

He unwrapped his bandages and examined the wound on his chest. It had completely scabbed over, and his skin was gradually turning a healthy reddish-brown.

"Strange, is it really true that I have such a good constitution?"

Gu Ran suddenly had a thought.

He no longer has his superpowers, but can he still cultivate martial arts?

However, the martial arts techniques of any sect are not passed on to outsiders. Even though Gu Ran had searched through the entire library of St. John's University, he had only seen some basic martial arts techniques.

However, something is better than nothing. Even if you can't reach your original strength through martial arts training, it's still good to improve your health.

So after Gu Ran finished her "breakfast" that day, she didn't lie down or have sex with Xiao Hai. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the ground with her palms facing upwards, practicing breathing exercises and inhaling and exhaling morning air.