Chapter 621: The Ancestor's Gift (10)

The pipa from the dream still lingered in her ears, lingering and unending, as distant as if separated by mountains and seas. Guan Xinyue slowly and lengthily exhaled, closing her eyes once more. The warm love had not vanished from the dream; love was like a substance, as if a warm blanket were softly wrapping around her, and those unreserved, tender emotions surrounding her dispelled the cold, sharp edges of loneliness. She had almost forgotten that it was the warm palm her grandfather placed on her shoulder, the knowing gaze of her sister who always understood her, and the tireless companionship they provided every time she turned back. She knew they would last longer than she would; when she was old and frail, she might still be the happiest child by her grandfather's side—that was the happiness Magic had generously bestowed upon her. She had never thought that they would become a long breeze passing through the hall on a summer night, and she the child left behind, not even having time to say goodbye.

But now, she knew that something she craved had returned. It was the protection circling her shoulders, the warm hearth burning in her heart, dispelling her fear and taking away her worries about the impermanence of the world. She did not have to forcibly arm herself, cut away her pain, and become a numb person helplessly resisting life. She could clearly touch love, knowing that her painful loneliness was actually quite unnecessary. Because they had existed, she had once been cherished, and she possessed a priceless treasure that made her different and would accompany her for the rest of her life until the end of her days.

A warm hand gripped her upper arm, and warm concern seeped into her thoughts. Even without opening her eyes, she knew it was Luo Qi. Only his palm was this warm, his grip this concerned, and only he would annoyingly grab her upper arm like she was one of his buddies.

"Xinyue, are you alright?" Hearing Liu Ziyi ask her cautiously, she finally opened her eyes; her head still ached, a pain that seemed endless.

She met Luo Qi's brown eyes, those cat-like, clear eyes looking at her as if looking straight into the bottom of her heart. For the first time, she felt a bit nervous, not wanting to be seen too deeply by Luo Qi. In the past, it was less that she didn't mind Luo Qi looking into her thoughts, and more that she craved for Luo Qi to look carefully, to see every corner of her whole heart clearly. Not only was there nothing there she feared showing, but it also hid her affection for Luo Qi; she hoped Luo Qi could see that sincere affection.

But Luo Qi either had never carefully interpreted her, or he did not want to know about her affection.

"Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?" the Doctor asked.

Guan Xinyue did not answer, only feeling a headache, but she had no heart to answer the Doctor. Luo Qi's soft eyes were still looking at her, blinking slowly, and a thoughtful expression flashed across his face, making Guan Xinyue nervous. As if sensing her nervousness, a wave of warm confidence immediately enveloped her, smoothing out her anxiety, and the headache seemed to improve a little. That feeling was as if her family were by her side, watching over her at all times.

"I'm fine," Guan Xinyue said steadily.

"What exactly happened?" Liu Ziyi asked worriedly. "Xinyue, why did you suddenly faint? The Doctor said there is nothing wrong with your body, you aren't sick. Do you have any feeling about it yourself?"

"Was she bitten by something?" Zhou Ruisi interjected abruptly.

Yan Hao asked unhappily, "What do you mean by bitten by something?"

"Doesn't this place have bugs?" Zhou Ruisi said. "If she was bitten by a bug, the Doctor might not be able to discover it immediately. As for why this girl was the one bitten, it could be because she is the only human among us, the most fragile one."

Yan Hao was momentarily speechless, "What you say is..."

"No," Guan Xinyue said firmly, having even less patience for the word "fragile" mentioned by the Mage. Luo Qi looked at her again, and she resolutely turned her head away, focusing her attention on Liu Ziyi, who hugged her and patted her back comfortingly.

"I think you really should strengthen the protection for this little girl," a voice with a very distinctive accent said.

Not only Luo Qi, but even Du Zhengyi behind Luo Qi turned to look at the speaker. Guan Xinyue lifted her head from Liu Ziyi's shoulder to look at the focus of the crowd; it was that dangerous figure, whom Luo Qi called Zhao Jiaozhu to his face and behind his back.

"Has Zhao Laoda seen some trick to this?" Luo Qi asked.

"I don't yet have the wisdom to run ahead of you two," Zhao Jiaozhu smiled and said, turning to look at Guan Xinyue, the interest flashing in his eyes very intense, as if a rare bottle of fine wine had been placed on the table of an alcoholic. Guan Xinyue vaguely felt that he very much hoped she had already suffered some mishap.

"Does Zhao Jiaozhu have any pointers?" Luo Qi asked. His tone was still as steady as if he were casting a long line and waiting for his fish in an orderly manner; Guan Xinyue did not know why she could feel the details in his voice and breath. She was very familiar with Luo Qi, and in the past, she could also understand his little tricks, but that was a feeling obtained from a vague, casual glance, not this clear and detailed awareness of details like now.

"Nothing. But this is the Seal Land after all, and none of us know what the Ancestor Mage actually sealed," Zhao Jiaozhu said. "The only thing we know is that the targets of the sealed object's attacks are all humans. Just like that young Mage said just now, the only human here is the little girl."

"Does Zhao Jiaozhu still think it's a Mind attack?" Luo Qi asked.

"I don't know. Luo Mage and the clownfish both think it's not a Mind attack; there were two Mind Archmages who verified it at the time, and I also believe it's not a Mind attack. I think it might be some kind of attack method we don't know about," Zhao Jiaozhu said.

How did this sentence sound like he believed a Mind attack had occurred? Guan Xinyue's heart sank, and she thought of her grandfather; he was also a Mind Archmage, but not as powerful as the clownfish. To this day, Guan Xinyue knew very clearly in her heart that her grandfather was guarding a Seal Land, and her grandfather died at the hands of a more powerful Mind Mage. The terrorist organization led by Zhao Jiaozhu was searching for all the Seal Lands, and the clownfish was the most powerful Mind Mage among them, far above Luo Qi, and far above her grandfather. Besides them, who else could be responsible for the murder of her family?

A wave of anger swept through her heart; she seemed particularly unable to suppress her anger today. Not just anger, but also a desire to attack so strong that she needed to clench her fists to restrain it. She wanted to tear these two Mages apart, but she could only think about it; even Luo Qi and Du Zhengyi could not do anything, so what could she do?

Guan Xinyue's left hand suddenly pressed down on her right hand, as if only this could control herself. Luo Qi's gaze shifted over vaguely again; she lowered her head and shrank back, letting Liu Ziyi completely block her. She couldn't help but look for shelter in her heart again; the safe, pleasant, and beloved gentle feeling successfully accepted her. She didn't want to tell anyone what she had found; that was a secret that belonged entirely to her.

(End of chapter)