The stands of Heaven Dou City's Great Soul Arena had long been packed with spectators, yet Gu Zhinian seemed blind to the crowds around him as he charged madly toward Shrek's lounge. The image of Lin Zhixia being wounded by Mo Xuan's Black Flame Dragon Claw and collapsing limply replayed over and over in his mind. It was as if an invisible hand had clenched tightly around his heart, the pain leaving him barely able to breathe.
He had originally been seated midway up in the stands, still holding the freshly bought sugar cake he had prepared for Lin Zhixia. The last time, she had casually mentioned that "the sugar cakes by Heaven Dou City's eastern gate are the sweetest," so he had deliberately taken a detour to buy them, intending to give them to her after the match. But now, the sugar cake had long since slipped from his hand. Its wrapping had been trampled to pieces, sweet crumbs scattered across the floor, yet they could no longer draw even the slightest bit of his attention.
As he ran, Gu Zhinian clearly realized that what he felt for Lin Zhixia had long ceased to be the cautious fondness of the past. From their first meeting on the stone-paved streets of Heaven Dou City, to the countless times he could not help stepping in when she was in trouble, and now to this heart-rending agony at the sight of her injury, his feelings had already wrapped around his heart like vines, sinking into his very bones and becoming an inseparable part of his life.
Zhi Xia... you have to be all right... he kept repeating in his heart as he ran faster and faster. Spectators he collided with cried out in alarm, but he did not even have time to