After nearly an entire night of exertion, the exhausted Liuli fell asleep right in the bath. In the end, Xiao Yan had to clean her up and carry her back to bed.
She slept straight through until noon the next day.
Rubbing her bleary eyes, the Young Girl slowly sat up. The soft blanket slid down, exposing her lovely body to the air in a sudden flash of spring. Yet her mind was still a muddle, and she simply sat there blankly for quite a while.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Yan, who had been startled awake beside her, yawned. His eyes remained half-closed, barely able to open, as he asked in confusion.
"I..." Liuli opened her mouth and gathered her thoughts for a long time, but still could not bring herself to continue.
Xiao Yan sat up, drew the Young Girl into his arms, and gently stroked the hair along her back. "It's all right. Say whatever you want to say. I'll always stand by your side."
Liuli pressed her little face against the young man's collarbone. Feeling his solid chest, her face flushed, but she also felt a little more at ease.
She placed a hand over her chest and pondered for a moment, looking somewhat lost. "I don't know why, but I feel empty inside, as though... something is missing..."
Xiao Yan frowned. He caressed Liuli's face, pressed his forehead against hers, and activated the Sun Moon Same Sky Technique. Using his Soul Power, he carefully examined the Young Girl's body. Yet after checking for a long while, he found nothing wrong.
"Don't worry. It may just be psychological, or perhaps your soul has been too heavily depleted these past few days and hasn't recovered yet." Meeting Xiao Yan's worried gaze, Liuli forced out a smile.
Xiao Yan withdrew