At that moment, the two people in the room had no idea what was happening outside. The enormous explosion hadn't reached their ears, either. The ridiculous thing was that they had been staring each other down for quite some time.
They just sat there, you looking at me and me looking at you.
Unable to bear it any longer, Tang Sanzang spoke first.
"Miss Xiao Jiu, what is it you want at this late hour? If you're just going to stare at me without saying anything, then please go outside. I have to continue my journey tomorrow and would like to get some rest early."
Unwilling to waste any more time, Tang Sanzang was the first to ask her to leave.
But Xiao Jiu, even after being asked to go, showed no intention of leaving. She continued gazing at Tang Sanzang, lost in a daze.
"Do you... really feel nothing for me?"
Her words went off in Tang Sanzang's mind like a bomb.
He couldn't believe his ears.
"Y-You... what did you just say?"
Seeing Tang Sanzang's look of utter disbelief, Xiao Jiu found it amusing. Then, her expression turning serious, she stared fiercely into his eyes before speaking softly.
..."I said, I like you! Is that clear enough?"
"Benefactor Xiao Jiu, are you ill? How could you say something like that?"
"No, I'm not. On the contrary, I'm perfectly clearheaded. I know exactly what I'm saying!"
After firmly rejecting Tang Sanzang's words, Xiao Jiu's eyes began to well with tears.
"I was born in this little mountain village. There was a famine here when I was young, and my parents both starved to death. I was left wandering the streets, with no one to rely on. Back then, no one cared whether I lived or died. In fact, the