The anxious female soldier, clad in a crisp, tailored female air force uniform, instantly caught everyone's eye.

Xue Tian raised a hand, pointing in the direction of departure: "Old Qin, just left..."

"Thanks..."

The female soldier's thanks were still echoing in Xue Tian's ears as she hurried away.

Song Jia immediately felt the knowing, mischievous glares from Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian, but that wasn't the most significant part. What was truly unexpected was the attention from Inzarota's eyes—this man, who usually seemed completely unconcerned by anything, had also turned his gaze toward the departure.

"What are you looking at? I am very displeased with the way you are looking!" Song Jia's cheeks flushed crimson with shyness, pouting her cute mouth while trying to maintain a tough demeanor: "She was looking for Qin Fen, not me..."

Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian exchanged a glance, the wicked smiles on their lips growing wider.

These past few days, the look Lin Jia had given Qin Fen among the female air force personnel was definitely more than just that of ordinary comrades; anyone could see that.

As the saying goes, women are creatures endowed with a sixth sense. Someone as sharp as Song Jia naturally sensed some underlying current. The sudden appearance of the female air force officer looking for Qin Fen, even if it wasn't the towering, exceptionally beautiful Lin Jia, made it hard to deny some connection.

"Jealous."

Inzarota delivered a curt verdict. Before Song Jia could retort, he turned and walked away on his own.

"Yes. I am fiercely jealous," Song Jia declared openly, hands planted firmly on her hips: "I like Qin Fen. That's why I'm jealous. That's why I'm a little high-strung. It's nothing to fuss about! If I weren't fiercely jealous, that would mean there was something wrong with me."

Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian simultaneously shivered dramatically: "Good heavens. Our girlfriends aren't you, otherwise our lives would be utterly devoid of happiness."

"Hmph~" Song Jia shot the two handsome young men a disdainful glare: "A man who isn't desired by any woman is a failed man. Qin Fen is far more successful than either of you."

Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian exchanged a look and sighed in unison: "Lucky Qin Fen~ Pitiable Qin Fen~ So fortunate, so pathetic."

Pfft...

Song Jia covered her mouth with a soft laugh: "Alright, alright, you don't need to tease me like that. I was just a little tense just now. I trust Qin Fen completely. Come on! I'll go with you to chase girls!"

"You?" Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian's faces momentarily turned a sickly green. This young mistress had tried this maneuver once before, and the girls they were pursuing ended up being charmed by her! It had been a major blow to the egos of the two supposed Casanovas.

"Let's go~" Song Jia linked arms with both handsome men, swaggering toward the direction of the bar: "Today, let's compete to see who can charm the most girls."

The trio soon disappeared down the street.

"Qin Fen~~"

A long, clear call reached him. Qin Fen turned to see the anxious female air force soldier. What? Had the new recruits from West Asia and Africa become overconfident? Were they planning a challenge today? Didn't they know that the reflexes of an Eight-Star Warrior were inherently sharper than those of a Seven-Star Warrior?

"Qin Fen..." The female soldier hurried up to him: "Do you remember Lin Jia?"

"Yes." Qin Fen nodded. If one could see a woman's inner essence and still forget her easily, that person was either a seasoned rake or an utterly passionless sage.

Qin Fen was neither; he was simply a man with normal thoughts.

"She had a complication during her cultivation!" the soldier said anxiously: "We suggested going to General Zhao for help, but she refused. She insisted on finding you..."

The more the soldier spoke, the more curiosity bloomed in her eyes.

A cultivation deviation in the ancient martial arts was a serious matter, never to be treated lightly. Usually, a highly skilled warrior would be called upon to assist, adjust, and treat the issue. Only true masters possessed sufficient experience to manage complex situations and enough power to suppress the inherent dangers. What was so special about this man? While an Eight-Star ranking was peak among the younger recruits, it seemed insufficient for handling a severe cultivation mishap. Why did Lin Jia insist that no one but Qin Fen could handle it? Not even a master like General Zhao could cure it?

Qin Fen's expression grew serious. A deviation? How could there be another deviation? This was truly troublesome. The modified Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was now a unique internal art, one that even a martial arts grandmaster would need time to fully grasp, let alone immediately diagnose the problem and know how to suppress and guide the flow.

Song Wendong? Qin Fen shook his head repeatedly with a sigh. If this Earthly Martial God-level Grandmaster were to intervene personally, perhaps the issue could be resolved quickly. But... Qin Fen's pace quickened. Would Song Wendong, the supreme Grandmaster so highly regarded even by the masters in his dreams, bother stepping in for a mere Lin Jia? Even if she were the President's daughter, it was doubtful she could secure the Grandmaster's attendance.

The female soldier followed behind Qin Fen, curiously observing his broad, inverted-triangle silhouette.

Arriving at Lin Jia’s quarters, Qin Fen sighed and stepped inside the room. Several female soldiers were anxiously clustered around the bedside, watching their captain—the one who had single-handedly defeated the strong forces of the Americas and Europe in one campaign, a feat attributed to sheer luck.

Entering the room, Qin Fen’s eyes flickered. The air temperature felt high, and the source of the heat emanated from the bed.

Lin Jia lay on the mattress, her exposed skin the color of an overripe apple; the heat radiating from her body was almost visible. She lay there, teeth clenched and eyes shut tight. The vital energy within her was churning into chaos, as if she were submerged in lava. Fragments of memory flickered hazily through her mind, making her deaf to any external sound.

"Qin Fen..."

The female soldiers quickly stood up, their eyes filled not only with hope but also a flicker of longing.

"You, all of you, get out immediately."

Qin Fen waved his hand, pushing a soldier gently toward the door by her back.

"We're leaving? Why? We need to stay with Captain..."

"If you stay, she will die."

Qin Fen roughly cut off their protest. How much power did the Eight-Star Dragon-Elephant Prajñā Technique possess? The several female soldiers were no match for his strength, and they were quickly ushered out of the room.

Thud!

Qin Fen swung the door shut and locked it from the inside. He strode back to the bed and looked down at the afflicted Lin Jia with frustration. Why was this woman so willful? Hadn't he told her to find a man with a complementary Yang-aligned cultivation method and comparable power to help her practice? Why did she insist on cultivating alone?

This was no longer a simple cultivation deviation; this was genuine Zǒuhuǒ Rùmó (going berserk/losing control). A deviation was comparatively easier to treat. But if one went berserk, even Lin Jia’s mildest form of Zǒuhuǒ Rùmó would not be a trivial matter for Song Wendong to handle.

"Going berserk!" Qin Fen muttered hatefully. Lin Jia, lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes: "You... you came..."

Qin Fen sighed. This woman was indeed willful, but if he hadn't disturbed her practice by the seaside that day, she wouldn't have been forced to cultivate the modified Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

"Yes. Be less willful in the future. Thank you."

"I..." Lin Jia’s eyes were clouded with mist. Who wanted to be willful? Finding a practitioner of Yang internal arts was difficult enough, let alone one with suitable Yin energy to harmonize! She thought she might as well risk it; perhaps cultivating alone would allow her to break through.

Qin Fen sat on the edge of the bed, too annoyed to speak, and began swiftly unbuttoning Lin Jia's outer military jacket with one hand.

"You..." Lin Jia gasped. Qin Fen’s speed was astonishing. Before she could react, not only was her outer jacket open, but the buttons of her inner shirt were halfway undone, revealing a glimpse of her pink lace bra.

"Me?" Qin Fen looked at the partially revealed cleavage framed by the bra, a rush of blood surging to his face: "You are experiencing Zǒuhuǒ Rùmó. You have two paths. First, I leave you to die. Second, I strip off all your clothes and begin treatment. As long as any piece of cloth covers your body, the heat cannot dissipate, and the final outcome will be burning alive."

"Is... is there no other way..."

"No!" Qin Fen shook his head forcefully: "Decide quickly: death? Or let me save you? If we wait any longer, even I won't be able to save you."

...

Lin Jia lay unable to move on the bed. The mist in her eyes had long been dried away by the internal fever. She gazed at Qin Fen’s face—not conventionally handsome, but imbued with an unmatched stern resolve—and her heart began to beat faster.

Click, click, click...

Before Lin Jia could react, the buttons of her white shirt were completely undone by Qin Fen's swift single-handed movements. Her fair skin, flushed slightly from the intense heat, contrasted with the pink, firm bra, creating an indescribable aura of forbidden allure.

"You..."

"Me what?" Qin Fen pulled Lin Jia up with one hand, continuing his swift action to remove her outer uniform and the shirt covering her smooth skin, speaking with impatience: "I've seen your chest before, haven't I? Not only seen it, but touched certain parts too. If you remain so prim now, you truly will die!"

"You..." Lin Jia widened her eyes, staring intensely at Qin Fen. While what he said was true, speaking it so bluntly left a young woman nowhere to put her face! Couldn't he have been a little more tactful?

"Why are you staring at me?" Qin Fen's hand paused over the clasp of her bra, his own face beginning to burn crimson.

Qin Fen took a sudden, sharp breath. Saying he’d seen everything was one thing! But actually having to touch it was proving incredibly difficult! Once he made contact, that pair of firm, smooth, tempting peaches behind the bra would leap into view.