Grand Return System

Chapter 252: A Fragrance Carried by the Wind

A Fragrance Carried by the Wind

"Sigh..." She heaved a long sigh of relief to ease the awkward atmosphere.

The cave finally became quiet again.

The faint glow of the Spiritual Mana Powered Cave illuminated the stone walls with a soft silver-blue radiance. Tiny streams of water trickled down the rocks, creating a gentle rhythm that echoed through the underground sanctuary.

Maya stood with her back partially turned toward Leon.

Her long blue hair swayed lightly as she tried to calm the storm inside her heart.

Just moments ago, she had nearly fallen into the dried Mana Lake.

And just moments ago, she had been pulled into Leon’s arms.

The memory refused to leave.

No matter how hard she tried.

Just as she was about to say something, Leon suddenly tilted his head slightly and looked at her with a curious expression.

"It smells so good, Senior Sister..."

Maya froze.

Leon stepped a little closer, as if seriously studying a rare treasure.

"What did you eat growing up? Or did you bathe in some special medicinal spring? Maybe some heavenly flower essence?"

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"No... that’s not it."

He gently waved a hand through the air between them.

"It’s lighter than flowers and softer than herbs."

His lips curved upward.

"Why do you have a special fragrance on you? This fragrance is very charming and special. One whiff of it is enough to make people indulge..."

Maya’s ears immediately turned red.

"Leon."

"Hm?"

"Stop talking."

"But I’m being serious."

"You’re not."

"I am."

Leon nodded solemnly.

"In fact, as a responsible cultivator, I believe this requires further investigation."

Maya instantly sensed danger.

Sure enough—

Leon leaned forward slightly.

"Hmm... Let me take another puff..."

"GO TO HELL!"

Maya blushed. She had just recovered from her shock when Leon broke her defenses again.

"Haha..." Leon laughed unkindly.

The sound of his laughter echoed throughout the cave.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

For some reason, teasing Maya had become one of his favorite hobbies.

The usually cold and elegant woman who could make countless cultivators tremble with a glance always became adorably flustered whenever he targeted her.

Maya clenched her fists.

"You really want me to throw you into the sea of blood outside, don’t you?"

Leon touched his chin seriously.

"Senior Sister would never do that."

"Oh?"

"Because you’d miss me."

Maya almost choked.

Her face instantly turned even redder.

"Shameless."

"Thank you."

"I wasn’t complimenting you."

"I’ll still accept it."

Maya stared at him speechlessly.

How could there be such an annoying person in this world?

And why did she keep chasing after him?

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.

Yet beneath that annoyance was a strange sweetness she couldn’t describe.

Meanwhile, Leon continued looking at her curiously.

The fragrance he mentioned wasn’t a lie.

A faint scent lingered around Maya.

It wasn’t perfume.

It wasn’t flowers.

It wasn’t any medicinal herb.

It was simply her.

Fresh.

Pure.

Cool like morning rain.

Whenever she stood nearby, it naturally drifted through the air.

Leon intentionally took another step closer.

Maya immediately stepped back.

Leon stepped forward again.

Maya stepped back again.

"Why are you running?"

"I’m not running."

"Then why are you moving?"

"Because you’re getting too close."

Leon nodded thoughtfully.

"That means you noticed."

Maya nearly wanted to kick him.

"Damn you."

Leon laughed again.

Maya was exasperated and gritted her teeth. However, when she heard Leon say that her fragrance was very charming, she was delighted. It seemed that she was not completely useless. She had always thought that her beauty wasn’t enough to attract Leon, so she was disappointed for a long time. From the looks of it, she still has some attractive points.

A tiny smile almost appeared on her lips.

Almost.

She suppressed it immediately.

However, Leon still noticed.

His eyes narrowed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Maya looked at him, her blue eyes filled with equal parts embarrassment and annoyance.

This fellow was truly too detestable.

No matter how calm she tried to remain, he always found a way to destroy her composure within a few sentences.

Seeing her expression, Leon couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Hahaha..."

His laughter echoed throughout the cave.

Maya glared at him.

"Are you done?"

"Not yet."

"Leon."

"Alright, alright."

He raised both hands in surrender, though the smile on his face remained.

After laughing for a long while, he finally calmed down.

"Alright, alright. I won’t tease you anymore."

Maya crossed her arms and snorted softly and looked at him suspiciously.

She didn’t believe him even a little.

Not one.

Leon looked around and said, "Senior Sister, this is a blessed land with a time domain. It’s very suitable for cultivation. Do you want to go into seclusion here?"

Maya was stunned.

She had already examined the place after entering.

The time flow here was clearly abnormal.

One day outside.

Many days inside.

It was undoubtedly an incredible opportunity.

She thought for a moment.

Then shook her head.

There was simply too much happening inside the Martial Emperor Tomb.

The opportunities outside were countless.

Staying here now wasn’t the best choice.

Maya lowered her gaze and thought carefully.

She had only recently stepped into the Sage Realm.

Her foundation was already stable, and there was currently no sign of another breakthrough approaching.

Although cultivating inside this time pocket dimension would still improve her strength, the gains would be limited compared to the opportunities hidden throughout the Martial Emperor Tomb.

Outside, countless treasures were appearing every day.

Ancient inheritances.

Rare spirit herbs.

Forgotten Sacred Arts.

Even legendary fruits capable of changing a cultivator’s destiny.

Compared to remaining here in seclusion, searching for those opportunities was undoubtedly the better choice.

After thinking for a moment, Maya slowly shook her head.

The temptation of the treasures scattered throughout the Martial Emperor Tomb was simply too great to ignore.

"Forget it. There are many treasures in this tomb. Instead of wasting time here, it’s better to search for treasures. When I came just now, I discovered that Tobias, Hektor, and the Sky Breaker Academy’s Dario were fighting over a spirit fruit."

Leon was stunned.

His eyes immediately narrowed.

"It’s this old man again. Hmm..."

Dario.

The name instantly reminded him of their previous conflict.

The old fellow probably still wanted revenge.

After pondering for a moment, Leon suddenly revealed a smile and asked ambiguously, "Senior Sister, do you want this spirit fruit? I’ll go snatch it back for you..."

Maya’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

For a moment, the cave disappeared.

The tomb disappeared.

Even the spirit fruit disappeared.

Only Leon’s words remained.

I’ll go snatch it back for you.

Her imagination instantly began running wild.

Was this a gift?

A gift from him?

A treasure personally brought back for her?

Maya’s ears turned red.

Various scenes appeared uncontrollably in her mind.

Leon returning victorious.

Leon handing her the fruit.

Leon saying it was specifically for her.

The more she imagined it, the warmer her face became.

Leon noticed the change immediately.

"Senior Sister?"

Maya quickly regained her senses.

Her expression instantly returned to normal.

At least on the surface.

Inside?

Complete chaos.

Maya’s heart trembled. She felt tempted.

Was he going to confess?

I’m so excited...

This was the first time he had expressed that he wanted to give me a gift.

However, after thinking about it carefully, Maya shook her head and said, "Forget it. That fruit is useless to me. You should save your energy."