It was just like that, a pain that left her utterly bewildered.
She wanted to grasp onto something, but there was nothing to hold.
Just like these souls right now.
Even though their pain had lingered for so long, they still had no idea how to escape it.
Looking at Zhu Lingxi's lost and despondent state, Cen Yao's heart suddenly ached.
She didn't say any more empty words like “don't be sad.”
Those words were too light.
Too light to weigh down all the suffering these souls had once endured.
So Cen Yao simply took a step forward and reached out to hug Zhu Lingxi.
Zhu Lingxi was even thinner than she had imagined.
Through the retro fabric, her shoulders and back felt so frail they might break with the slightest pressure.
Cen Yao's movements were incredibly gentle, as if she were holding a fragile piece of porcelain.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered.
I've let you get hurt again.
If she hadn't insisted on gathering these souls, Zhu Lingxi might not have had to personally endure all that pain.
If she hadn't proposed this plan, Zhu Lingxi wouldn't have had to hear those wails of the lost after putting on the Nuo mask.
Zhu Lingxi's body stiffened at first.
She wasn't used to being this close to anyone.
But Cen Yao's scent was deeply reassuring.
Like a blanket fresh from the sun.
Like a cup of warm water that had just cooled to the perfect temperature.
That heavy weight in her chest actually eased slightly.
Zhu Lingxi raised her eyes to look at Cen Yao.
But she could only see Cen Yao's tightly pursed lips.
Cen Yao wasn't very good at comforting people.
At least, she clearly didn't know what to say without sounding clumsy.
So she simply held her.
Holding her gently, yet steadily.
Zhu Lingxi slowly raised her hands and hugged Cen Yao back.
Her movements were a bit awkward, but deeply sincere.
“It's not your fault,” she said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in Cen Yao's shoulder.
“If anything, I should be thanking you.”
Zhu Lingxi continued, “I can hear them because they want me to hear them.”
“They have suffered oppression, harm, and sickness.”
“If no one is willing to listen to their pain, they will remain trapped here forever, until their souls are completely worn away.”
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
“Miss Cen, you've allowed them to be seen.”
“And you've given them a chance to be saved.”
Cen Yao's throat tightened.
Just as she was about to say something, a cool voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
“What are you two doing?”
“Is someone about to kick the bucket? Why so sad?”
Cen Yao's body stiffened.
She closed her eyes and silently gritted her teeth.
Damn it.
This bastard.
Doesn't he know scaring people can kill them?!
There wasn't even the sound of a wheelchair. Did he float over here?!
She slowly let go of Zhu Lingxi, looked up, and said expressionlessly:
“Yeah.”
“We thought you died, so we're mourning you.”
Not far away, Pei Tinglan sat in his wheelchair.
The night was deep, and the faint glow from the magic arrays fell on his exquisite face, defining his brow, nose, and jawline even more sharply.
He seemed to have been in a rush.
His black hair was slightly messy, the hem of his clothes was stained with mud, and there was a small scuff mark on the side of his wheelchair.
Yet, as he sat there, his back remained perfectly straight.
It was as if all the wretchedness in the world had nothing to do with him.
Hearing Cen Yao's words, he actually went along with it, showing a hint of regret.
“Ah.”
“What a shame.”
“I missed the whole show.”
Cen Yao: “...”
Zhu Lingxi: “...”
His mouth was as worryingly sharp as ever.
Even if this guy actually died, he'd probably anger King Yama so much that he'd get an early ticket back to life.
Zhu Lingxi couldn't help but look up, glancing at Pei Tinglan and then at Cen Yao.
Her gaze was very direct.
As if silently asking:
This... thing is the idol Miss Cen likes?
Cen Yao instantly understood her look.
She stared back with a straight face.
What idol?
That's my former idol.
I have a new idol now.
Zhu Lingxi blinked.
She didn't quite understand.
But she felt Cen Yao was probably praising her.
So she quietly let her eyes curve into a smile.
Pei Tinglan: “...”
Pei Tinglan watched the two of them exchanging glances.
He recalled the scene he had witnessed when he first arrived—Zhu Lingxi snuggled in Cen Yao's arms.
His expression gradually turned rather strange.
No way...
How long was I gone?
These two have already fallen for each other?
Not that he had anything against same-sex relationships.
But this speed was a bit too fast, wasn't it?
Yesterday they were just dining buddies eating malatang together, and today they've already progressed to hugging and exchanging flirtatious glances?
Pei Tinglan looked at Cen Yao, then at Zhu Lingxi, hesitating to speak.
He even began to consider whether he should be tactful and roll his wheelchair back a few paces.
The moment Cen Yao looked up, she saw his shifting expressions.
She instinctively felt he wasn't thinking of anything good.
So she immediately cut him off.
“Where did you go today? Why did you only show up now?”
“Didn't I tell you?”
Pei Tinglan pulled back his drifting thoughts, looking uncharacteristically awkward.
“I went to look for the back door.”
“Oh~”
Cen Yao drawled.
She slowly raised her hand, spinning the wand in her fingers.
“So, did you find it?”
She had a smile plastered on her face—a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Yet, a tiny spark jumped from the tip of her wand and popped with a sharp crack.
A chill ran down Pei Tinglan's spine.
This feeling was all too familiar.
Every time this sensation cropped up, it meant trouble was brewing.
He looked up alertly, scanning his surroundings.
There were no ghosts in the shadows of the coffee trees.
The cat-headed and dog-headed people lying on the ground hadn't turned into zombies either.
The magic arrays were stable, and the souls were quiet.
Even the civet cats were peacefully eating.
There was nothing.
Pei Tinglan frowned and pressed his temples.
Maybe I've been too tense these past couple of days.
“Of course I found it.”
Cen Yao: “...”
The eager spark at the tip of her wand instantly fizzled out.
She lowered her wand with a face full of disappointment.
Pei Tinglan: “?”
He stared at her "disappointed that I don't have an excuse to beat you up" look, falling silent for a moment.
Then, he decided not to press the issue.
The air fell silent for ten seconds.
Finally, he decided to skip the topic.
“By the way,”
he pointed at the layered magic arrays on the ground, then chin-gestured toward the civet cats quietly eating around them.
“what exactly are you two doing?”
“Summoning souls,”
Cen Yao answered casually.
With that, she waved her hand.
Several emerald-green vines sprouted from the ground.
They rapidly climbed upward, intertwining with one another to weave a spacious vine chair.
The backrest tilted slightly, tiny white flowers bloomed on the armrests, and the seat was cushioned with thick, soft leaves.
Cen Yao gently guided Zhu Lingxi onto the chair.
“Sit down and rest a bit.”
Zhu Lingxi had expended a lot of energy during her ritual dance.
Her face was still pale even now.
She didn't push herself and sat down obediently.
Pei Tinglan turned his wheelchair and rolled a bit closer.
“Do tell.”
Rate on N.U.
