Li Fei was completely stunned, staring at him blankly, unable to utter a single word.
He pulled her limp arms up, wrapped them around his neck, leaned down, and kissed her again.
Li Fei felt the world spinning. She couldn't breathe, her heart pounding so hard it might leap out of her throat.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his fingertips caressing the skin at the nape of her neck. Li Fei felt herself trembling. Suddenly afraid, her scattered thoughts slowly returned, bringing with them overwhelming shock. She began struggling violently, pushing against him with both hands.
Lei Xiuyuan pinned her hands down, propped himself up, and gazed at her. His voice sounded hoarse, as if filled with sand: "Do you still want to know what I experienced in the illusion now? Do you still want to continue?"
Li Fei suddenly understood what he meant by taking off clothes in the illusion—every word he'd said was true! Her neck burned with embarrassment, and she stammered incoherently: "Wait! What... what did you just say? Whose person? I... I don’t quite understand..."
Had she heard correctly? He had always been hers? Was this a sudden confession?
Lei Xiuyuan’s expression remained dark. He curled his lips into a mocking smile: "Playing dumb?"
Li Fei stared at him in shock at first, but after seeing the mockery on his face, she seemed to wake up. Her frantic heartbeat gradually calmed, and she whispered, "I’m not playing dumb. The one playing dumb is you."
The anger in Lei Xiuyuan’s eyes grew. He gave a cold smile: "You think too highly of me. The one in control is you—hot and cold, distant and close."
Her own anger flared as she met his gaze clearly: "The one who’s hot and cold, distant and close is you."
Who was the one always avoiding the crucial moments? Who made her restless, tossing and turning, her heart unable to settle? Was he doing it on purpose? Did he find it amusing to see her emotions tossed about?
His expression was unreadable as he stared at her for a long time: "I would risk my life for you. What have you done for me? Let someone bite your arm? Or suddenly turn cold?"
Li Fei was suddenly speechless. She was full of resentment but didn’t know how to express it. He had bled and fought for her, pushing himself to his limits. What had she done for him? Did her constant unease and sleepless nights count? Did her exhaustion over him count? Did having only him in her eyes count?
She knew these were all her own problems—her fragility and dependence. She had focused too much on Lei Xiuyuan, filling her entire heart with him. She longed for equal reciprocation, but Lei Xiuyuan remained aloof, always deflecting at crucial moments with half-hearted jokes. All she could do was try not to focus on him, not let him consume her entire world.
A wave of confusion and pain washed over Li Fei. She sighed deeply: "I truly can’t do anything for you... Let me up."
Lei Xiuyuan looked at the tears glistening in her eyes. The tangled gloom in his gaze gradually turned into an indescribable vulnerability—almost like a plea.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his hot breath brushing against her collar like a sigh.
"Li Fei, I’m not as strong as you think," he said, his voice nearly hoarse. "I don’t understand..."Li Fei was taken aback—he didn't understand? She had imagined he might coldly reprimand her, or perhaps be forced into a confession, or even let things fade away quietly. But he said he didn't understand. Didn't understand why she had suddenly turned cold? How could he not understand?
As if waking from a dream, realization struck her in an instant.
Li Fei suddenly shifted, lowering her gaze to look at him as if trying to peer into the depths of his heart. Every moment they had shared from their first meeting until now flashed through her mind. What kind of person was he? The parts of him she hadn’t fully understood—vulnerable, easily hurt, proud, bashful. Were those masks of invincible perfection and omniscience just facades he forced himself to maintain? He was only a year older than her.
"My hand..." she murmured. He had pinned her hand above her head, and it was unbearably uncomfortable.
Lei Xiuyuan let out another deep sigh and slowly released her wrist. He sat up as well, only for her to suddenly clap both hands against his cheeks, turning his face toward her. Caught off guard, Lei Xiuyuan met her gaze in surprise.
Li Fei studied his face for a long time—his gloomy expression, his darkened eyes, and the faint trace of vulnerability hidden deep within, visible only upon the closest inspection.
The sea breeze whispered past as the sky gradually darkened. Silence enveloped them, neither speaking. After what felt like an eternity, Li Fei suddenly let out a soft laugh. Lei Xiuyuan pinched her chin. "You're laughing?"
Even she found the sudden laughter ill-timed and quickly pushed his hand away. Then her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. She flushed—she hadn’t eaten all day and was starving, but the noise was mortifying.
"...Let's eat," Lei Xiuyuan said quietly, releasing her and pulling her up.
Li Fei gathered the scattered fruits, washed them again, and handed him two. They sat facing each other, eating in silence. After a while, Li Fei lowered her head, lost in thought, then spoke softly, "Xiu Yuan, earlier... I wasn’t angry, nor was I being hot and cold. I was just worried... I was afraid... um..."
She trailed off, unsure how to continue. Her shyness made it difficult to voice her feelings, and her face burned crimson again. After struggling for a moment, she sighed. "Let me think it through. I’ll tell you next time."
She quickly finished her fruit and rushed to the stream to wash her hands. Lei Xiuyuan followed, grabbing her sleeve and staring down at her. "I want to hear it now."
Li Fei felt her face grow even hotter. She waved her hands frantically. "Next time, next time!"
Lei Xiuyuan touched her cheek—it was scalding. Amused, he cupped her face and teased, "Hot enough to boil an egg."
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh too. Noticing how dark it had gotten, she whispered, "Let’s go back. We’ve been out too long—Ge Lin and the others will worry."
He shook his head. The ribbon tying his hair had come loose again, likely from rolling around earlier. Li Fei’s face flushed once more—her own hair had been left undone this whole time. Summoning her courage, she reached up and gently tucked a stray lock behind his ear. "Your hair ribbon came loose again."Lei Xiuyuan casually pulled off the hair ribbon tying his hair and fastened it around her wrist. Seeing the bloodstains on her sleeve and the swollen, pale wrist, he realized his bite had been quite harsh. He summoned a healing net over her wrist, but for some reason, he withdrew it almost immediately, murmuring, "Don't heal it."
Li Fei frowned, unaware that her voice had taken on a hint of coquetry again. "You bit me so hard and won’t even let me heal it. It really hurts."
Lei Xiuyuan held her hand, bringing it to his lips and gently kissing it—from her wrist to her palm, then from her palm to her fingertips, where he gave a tiny playful bite.
The sensation was both ticklish and tingling, making Li Fei laugh as she tried to pull her hand back. But Lei Xiuyuan tugged her gently into his embrace. At first, she stiffened, unused to the closeness, but soon melted against his chest. The babbling brook and the whispering night breeze accompanied the sound of their heartbeats, neither speaking a word.
His fingers traced her face, lightly outlining her brows before trailing down to the tip of her nose, finally brushing against her soft lips. Then he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers once more.
"Don’t bully me like this in the future," he muttered, burying his face heavily into the crook of her shoulder, his voice muffled. "I’m a fragile man." He laughed at his own words, refusing to lift his head from her shoulder.
Amused and touched, Li Fei felt her heart soften. Where had the aloof, proud Lei Xiuyuan gone? He was acting like a child again, just as he had when they were young. Noticing his hair had come loose, she took out a wooden comb and began slowly smoothing his long locks. His hair was as soft as a cat’s fur, and he himself was like a big cat—infuriating yet endearing.
Her own loose hair swayed in the wind, and Lei Xiuyuan caught a strand, winding it around his fingers. It was just as silky as he remembered from their childhood, and her scent was the same too. He recalled that leisurely afternoon years ago in Green Mound, when she had slept peacefully beside him—the rustling leaves and her gentle breaths lulling him into deep relaxation.
By the time they flew back on a cloud to the shaded hollow, a campfire was already crackling. Ji Tongzhou was still fast asleep, while Ye Ye and the others were busy eating fish. Seeing the two return covered in dust from head to toe, they all pretended not to notice, exchanging knowing glances.
Ye Ye stifled a laugh. "Good thing we didn’t go looking for you. Xiu Yuan, can we talk business now? Are you clear-headed enough?"
The moment he said it, everyone burst into laughter. Lei Xiuyuan stayed silent, but his ears turned red.
Baili Gelin linked arms with Li Fei, grinning mischievously before whispering in her ear, "Made up?"
Li Fei chuckled and nodded. "He... is sometimes clever, and sometimes frighteningly stupid."
Baili Gelin barely held back her laughter—her sister had said the same about Ye Ye. It seemed men became utterly foolish around the women they loved. She couldn’t even imagine how two usually sharp-witted men like Ye Ye and Lei Xiuyuan could act so dumb.
Once the teasing died down, Ye Ye finally changed the subject. "Tongzhou still hasn’t woken up. I’m worried he’ll still be volatile when he does. There are many days left in the trial, and his temper could cause trouble. We should prepare for daily magical combat—what happened today can’t happen again."If Ji Tongzhou was truly determined to risk his life in magical combat, Li Fei alone couldn't restrain him. As an essential support, putting her in danger would make the fight impossible to continue.
Just as Ye Ye was about to speak further, he suddenly sensed intense fluctuations of spiritual energy behind him. Everyone looked surprised as they noticed gentle breezes stirring around Ji Tongzhou's sleeping form—his hair and clothes swayed slowly while the grass beneath him abruptly grew several inches taller, sprouting several small white flowers.
All were utterly astonished. This... seemed like signs of a breakthrough? Had Ji Tongzhou broken through his third Bottleneck in his sleep?
OpenNovel