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墨書 Inktalez
“Aw—”
The bright full moon hung overhead, and the air in the mountains had dropped a few degrees.
Chen Mo wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, yet she couldn't help but shiver, not just from the cold but also from worry.
A figure slowly appeared on the mountain path beneath the Pavilion.
Seeing this, Chen Mo joyfully dashed out of the Pavilion and threw herself into Li Xiaonan's arms.
Li Xiaonan held a wild chicken in one hand and laughed, “You're dirty…”
“I like you dirty!” Chen Mo said as she wiped her tears and snot all over his clothes.
Li Xiaonan shook his head helplessly and replied, “I meant you're dirty…”
“Hmph! Give me the firewood; I’ll start a fire!” Chen Mo took the wood from Li Xiaonan's shoulder and returned to the Pavilion.
The group had already eaten most of their meal, chatting idly while listening to Scheming tell some rather unfunny jokes.
As soon as Li Xiaonan appeared, all the women’s gazes turned toward him.
Cunning Li smirked slightly, stroking his chin as he downed his drink in one go.
After about ten minutes, two cleaned wild chickens were placed on the grill, sizzling and crackling as the flames gently caressed them.
Li Xiaonan took the salt and cumin from Chen Mo's hands and evenly sprinkled them over the chickens.
A rich aroma wafted through the air, capturing everyone's attention.
"Almost there," Li Xiaonan said lightly.
He took down a rack and handed a chicken leg to Chen Mo.
Chen Mo bit into it fiercely, her rosy lips glistening with a layer of grease.
"This is delicious! Better than any free-range chicken I've had before," she praised.
"Those were free-range, but these two are truly wild chickens," Li Xiaonan replied with a smile, handing her another chicken leg.
Chen Mo paused for a moment, slowly accepting it, her cheeks blooming with a rosy glow of happiness.
Li Xiaonan grinned as he held the chicken and began to gnaw on it, his narrow eyes squinting into slits.
Ling Kui's pupils suddenly constricted as she looked at Li Xiaonan in surprise; this scene felt all too familiar.
Cunning Li glanced at the other girls and walked over to Li Xiaonan's side with a smile. "You don't plan to eat alone, do you? We'll take this one," he said, reaching for another roasted chicken on the rack.
Chen Mo pouted and swatted his hand away. "I'm not full yet!"
Li Xiaonan sighed and tossed the half-eaten chicken to Chen Mo while reaching for another one himself, slowly walking toward Ling Kui and the others.
Each step felt heavy; he didn't say a word, just replaced the rack quietly.
Li Baobao exclaimed, "Ah! Your hand!"
Li Xiaonan was taken aback and followed her gaze. A silver-black ring shimmered alluringly in the moonlight.
Oh no! The Soul Ring! This is bad! It's exposed!
Ling Kui set the roasted chicken aside, and the six girls all turned their gazes to Li Xiaonan's hand, surrounding him closely.
Yun Moyu frowned and said, "It looks like it was scratched by a branch."
"Yeah, it's quite a long one," Li Baobao added, taking hold of his hand.
Li Xiaonan's legs went weak, nearly causing him to fall.
Damn! You all only noticed this, but didn’t see that huge Soul Ring?
Wait... it seems like I've never mentioned my Soul Ring since I got here. Speaking of which, shouldn't the presence of the Soul Ring be more noticeable? So... has the Soul Ring gone invisible on its own?
"Yeah, we need to bandage it!" Li Baobao muttered to herself.
Li Xiaonan finally snapped back to reality and awkwardly said, "It's fine, the wound isn't deep..." Just as he was about to pull his hand away, five hands suddenly appeared on his arm!
The six girls acted simultaneously; could he still move?
Li Baobao took out a pristine white handkerchief and carefully wrapped it around Li Xiaonan's hand.
He looked at Li Baobao's serious expression as she lightly pressed her red lips together, and his heart melted. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his embrace, but...
"Sigh... if only I had Celestial Energy, a breath would heal this wound."
"Baby!" Yun Moyu immediately interjected. But seeing that Li Xiaonan seemed unresponsive, she didn't say anything more, only furrowing her brows slightly.
"Hey! How long are you going to hold onto my Xiao Nan?" Chen Mo glared at Li Xiaonan while holding a chicken leg in each hand.
Li Xiaonan felt as if she were gripping not chicken legs but two axes, ready to chop him down at any moment.
Yun Moyu let out a muffled sound and said, "Who cares! We just don't want to owe anyone a favor." With that, his gaze swept over Li Xiaonan again.
Li Xiaonan glanced at the menacing Chen Mo and quickly found a corner to curl up in.
That night, Li Xiaonan didn't know how he got through it. In a daze, he somehow fell asleep, yet it felt as if he was awake, seeing everything clearly.
It turned out that the aftereffects of loving someone so deeply were so severe.
He used to feel sympathy for Duan Zhengchun from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, but now it seemed nothing more than a joke.
If one cannot be devoted, then they should not love, because true love is simply unattainable.
So exhausting...
When Li Xiaonan came to his senses, he found himself standing at the edge of a cliff in his dream, facing familiar loved ones from the Starry Illusion Continent. He slowly reached out his hand, but suddenly someone hugged him from behind.
He didn't turn around; he knew it was Chen Mo.
A bitter smile crossed his face as he realized everything had already passed.
As long as he could let go, the days ahead would be happy.
His heart would no longer ache, and he wouldn't have to hold one person in his arms while feeling guilty about another.
He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. The sky was dimly lit; the light was gentle yet stung his eyes.
He reached up to touch his cheek and felt it was damp.
So he really had cried. It was better to endure short pain than long suffering. After seeing the old man, he would tell Scheming about his decision.
He slowly stood up, a sharp pain pulsing at his temples.
Li Xiaonan's legs went weak, and he stumbled, leaning heavily against the pillar behind him.
Just returning from washing up, Chen Mo asked with concern, "You're awake?"
Li Xiaonan nodded blankly, his vision flickering in and out of darkness. He shook his head and finally managed to focus on his surroundings.
It turned out he was the last one to wake up; the girls had already taken care of everything and were waiting for Scheming to announce the next itinerary.
Noticing something was off with Li Xiaonan, Chen Mo gently placed her palm against his cheek.
The warmth radiating from her hand startled her. "Xiao Nan, you have a fever!"
Li Xiaonan furrowed his brow and lightly pushed her hand away. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, saying, "I'm fine."
It was just a fever; he had dealt with it before.
Just a fever while trekking through the mountains; he had experienced worse.
After all, hadn't he managed to endure everything on his own?
He could get through this too.
Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the pavilion outside.
The rain from yesterday had transformed into mist, floating in the air like wisps of white smoke, unreal like a mirage.
Scheming coldly grabbed Li Xiaonan's arm with surprising speed, startling the nearby girls.
He covered Li Xiaonan's mouth with his left hand and forcefully poured mineral water into his mouth with his right.
Li Xiaonan felt something being forced down his throat, it seemed to be a pill. He coughed violently and looked up at Scheming, saying, "What are you doing?"
Scheming remained silent, his expression still cold. He yanked Li Xiaonan's bag and threw it to Chen Mo.
"Hey... you..."
Before Li Xiaonan could finish his sentence, he was already thrown onto Scheming's back.
He struggled, "Put me down, what are you doing!"
Scheming turned his head coldly, anger evident in his gaze.
Li Xiaonan froze, stopping his struggle—not out of fear, but in shock.
Scheming was angry, very angry, but why?
Seven Girls watched as Scheming carried Li Xiaonan up the mountain, equally stunned.
Yun Moyu frowned and said, "Sister Ling, he..."
Ling Kui shook her head and replied, "Keep up."
"Hey! Are you angry? Hey! Say something! Damn it! Put me down, I can walk on my own! Did you hear me talking, Scheming! Li Xiaonan!"
"Shut up!" Scheming shot him a sideways glance, eyes flashing with fury, reminiscent of the rage he had when Li Yanrong died.
Li Xiaonan sighed, the heat of his breath falling against Scheming's neck.
No one saw Scheming's current expression as he tilted his head back, tears still slowly rolling down his cheeks. He bit his lip tightly, remaining silent.
Scheming walked quickly and steadily, maintaining a certain distance from the person behind him.
After a long while, he spoke, "The fever medicine should be taking effect. If you feel tired, you can sleep for a bit. I remember the way home, and when you wake up, you'll see your good father."
Li Xiaonan sighed in frustration, "Being carried by a man, do you think I can sleep? What on earth has gotten into you?"
"If you can't sleep, then let's chat."
Li Xiaonan fell silent, the first thing that came to his mind was the decision he had just made.
Unexpectedly, Scheming suddenly said, "I'm sorry... If I hadn't pushed you too hard, you wouldn't be like this now... I shouldn't have brought them all here..."
Li Xiaonan remained silent, increasingly unable to see through what Scheming was really thinking.
Scheming did not turn around; his voice was soft and full of magnetism.
"You... used to have only one person to rely on, and many things you had to bear alone. But now you're not alone anymore. So, Li Xiaonan, can you stop your self-torture?"
Li Xiaonan was taken aback. Self-torture? That word was new to him; where had he tortured himself?
Just as he was about to argue back, Scheming continued, "You won't have to walk through the mountains with a fever and then roll into a ravine only to crawl out again... At least I won't let that happen in front of me!"
Li Xiaonan paused and asked, "You... know?"
"I told you, I empathize."
Li Xiaonan sighed and frowned slightly. "I've made up my mind about Ling Kui and the others... I'm counting on you... and also my mother and Father-in-law... I'm counting on you for them too..."
Scheming nodded and said, "Hmm, although I cannot love them, I can treat them well like you do. I can assure you of that. Staying is the best choice for you."
A colorful butterfly fluttered past Scheming's eyes.
He gazed at its beauty and remarked, "The Starry Illusion Continent is like this butterfly to you—beautiful and enchanting, but you can only look at it. If you truly want to grasp it in your hands..."
"It will shed all its colors and become pale, right?"
Scheming shook his head and replied, "No, it is your heart that will break. You shouldn't have tried to charm so many girls like those protagonists in novels. You thought you could be carefree and love everyone, but in reality, you can't. You... are too kind to bear the heavy guilt."
"Don't act like you understand me so well, okay? The way we are acting along with this conversation will only confuse the girls," Li Xiaonan rolled her eyes and said, even though Scheming couldn't see it.
A smile crept onto Scheming's lips, pure and clear; similarly, Li Xiaonan couldn't see it.
After a moment of silence, Li Xiaonan nearly dozed off. "We've arrived, our home," Scheming gently set down Li Xiaonan.
Before them stood a somewhat dilapidated tile-roofed house, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimney.
The Mulberry Tree in the yard cast dappled shadows on the nearby well, where dark green moss quietly thrived.
Sunlight fell on both of Li Xiaonan's faces as they exchanged smiles.
Li Xiaonan hurriedly ran toward the house. "Dad! Dad! I'm back!"
Cunning Li slowly descended the steps and addressed the dazed Ling Kui, "Ling'er, I remember everything now. Let's return to the Immortal Realm."
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