Fake Aloofness and Genuine Mischief

Sophia held up one hand and opened a huge bubble, drawing Jiang Xiao inside.

Jiang Xiao's legs went weak, and he nearly sat down in the bubble. After swimming underwater for so long, suddenly landing on solid "ground" was difficult to adjust to.

The reason Jiang Xiao did not plop down was that the black cloak carried him up.

Sophia let out a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and tried to keep her voice steady. "Talk to me, Little Pi."

Jiang Xiao shrugged. "It wrapped around my body and tried to dissolve me. Would I just accept that? I kept throwing Bell Chimes at myself, and then—"

"Hm?" Sophia took a step forward. The tip of her nose nearly touched Jiang Xiao's. Her brown eyes were no longer as clear and tranquil as a lake. She stared intensely at Jiang Xiao. "Don't try to deceive me."

Jiang Xiao leaned back slightly. Because its master had arrived, the Sea Soul Mask opened to both sides. Sophia's hot breath made Jiang Xiao very uncomfortable.

It seemed that there was no such thing as aloofness in this world. You simply did not have what she wanted.

To Jiang Xiao's surprise, the one who pushed Sophia away was the cloak he was wearing.

Its long tail pressed against Sophia's lower abdomen and slowly pushed her body back.

Sophia lowered her head and looked at the pitch-black cloak. In her eyes, the scene was both incredibly wondrous and utterly perfect.

Stormy waves rose in her lake-like eyes. Her breathing quickened slightly. After a while, she asked softly, "What do you want?"

Jiang Xiao pursed his lips. "What do you want?"

Sophia said, "You don't need a Soul Devouring Sea youngling, nor do you need to absorb it as a Star Pet for it to follow