Phoenix Perch Pavilion.
last night.
Ma Xiaotao I don't know how I woke up.
There were no nightmares, no omens of Evil Fire, nothing specifically "wrong".
She just suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the familiar beam pattern on the ceiling, as if she was gently pulled by something from deep inside her body.
It was a dark night outside the window, with scattered lights shining in the direction of the Sea God Pavilion. She was lying on Long Jinyu's bed - or in other words, she had occupied his room again.
She turned sideways, and the scent of Long Jinyu's commonly used shampoo still lingered on the pillow, so light that it was almost inaudible.
She gently buried her face into the pillow, brushed the tip of her nose against the faint scent that was about to dissipate, and quietly indulged in it for a moment.
Don't know why.
She suddenly wanted to know what he was doing.
It wasn't that I wanted to disturb him, I just... wanted to confirm whether that little fool was staying up late again reading ancient books that she couldn't understand, or looking out the window in a trance.
She put her hand on the back of her left hand.
There was a silver dragon-shaped pattern there, which was stamped by Jin Yu to her. It was said to be "Dragon Valley's contract stamp", and she could call him in an emergency. Later, she felt that this name was too formal and insisted on him changing it.
He thought for a moment and said, "That's called the 'I'll cover you' special seal."
She laughed for a long time.
Now she wants to laugh, but for some reason she can't.
The lines lie quietly under the skin, like a sleeping firefly.
She closed her eyes and tried to explore inside.
The contract is slightly hot.
It's not a burning sensation, it's the warmth that makes her heart soften every time Jin Yu gets close to her.
... still there.
That familiar and gentle bloodline aura with a little bit of Nine Color Dragon Power is still there.
Just, very far, very far.
It felt further away than anywhere she had ever been in her life, like an entire continent away.
Ma Xiaotao Get up.
Moonlight leaked in through the window lattice and fell on her empty quilt.
As expected, there was no sound from next door.
She got out of bed, stepped on the cool floor with her bare feet, and pushed open the door she had pushed countless times.
The bed is flat.
The bedding was folded neatly, and the pillows still kept their curves as they had been leaned on. On the desk by the window was an unfinished book of "The Book of Mountains and Seas" spread out, with the dragon-patterned jade hairpin he often used lying on it.
She walked over and touched the hairpin.
Cool.
She stood by the desk for so long that the soles of her feet felt cold.
Then he took out the "Soul Guidance Communicator".
"Du--"
"Jin Yu?"
Call--no answer.
"Jin Yu, are you in the emergency room?"
Call again - no answer.
"Long Jinyu! Where are you?"
On the third call, she ended the call.
She told herself that Shizune should be there, he was busy, maybe there was an emergency at the hospital - he was the dean and the chief healing soul master of Yanhuang Lingyun. Isn't it normal to be asked to save people in the middle of the night? He was so kind, and he would definitely go there without saying anything when he was told that there was a seriously ill patient...
Yes. That must be the case.
Maybe he would come back at dawn, stand at the door, look at her with his beautiful gold and silver eyes, and say with an apologetic smile: Sister Xiaotao, did I wake you up last night?
Then she could scold him with confidence: You are a busy man, can you leave a message next time you go out?
She lay back on the bed.
Stare at the ceiling.
Turn over.
Turn over again.
Sit up.
Go to the window.
Sit back on the edge of the bed.
Put the pillow back and hug it back.
--Enough.
She hugged the pillow and walked to the sofa in the living room, curled herself up and faced the door.
She had waited before.
That time it was Sea God Island, Long Jinyu drank the sleeping tea prepared by Luo Yun, fell asleep in the grass halfway, and was picked up by Ling Luochеn.
She found that he didn't come back in the middle of the night, so she called him with a contract, but there was no response. She panicked and forcefully sensed his location, and the Soul Power backlash made her chest hurt.
Then she rushed outside Ling Luochеn's small building and started a fight with her without saying anything.
Although Jin Yu woke up the next day and explained with a blank expression "I just drank tea and fell asleep", although Dean Yan and Dean Xian came to argue and couldn't laugh or cry, although Ling Luochеn said coldly "You also care about people?" -
But at that moment, she only knew.
She couldn't find him.
She didn't want to experience that kind of fear again.
Ma Xiaotao put his left hand against his cheek.
She doesn't know what she is doing.
She just wanted to make sure--
Make sure he's still there.
It's still so far away. So far away that it feels like it's on the horizon, but also like it's in another world.
But at least it's still there.
She let out a long breath.
It's okay.
It's just a medical visit.
Jin Yu is so powerful, what can happen?
She covered herself with a blanket.
The moonlight moves from the window lattice to the wall.
--That light went very far.
She's still there.
Four o'clock in the morning.
The contract is broken.
She didn't react at first.
Just like a lamp, you can still see the light spot from a distance. The light spot is faint, but you know it is on.
Then it died.
Ma Xiaotao tightened his grip on the corner of the blanket.
--No, it's not extinguished. You can still see the light if it's extinguished.
This is... even the lights have been moved.
She was unwilling to accept it and felt it carefully.
Nothing.
There is no heartbeat, no breathing, and no unique gentle fluctuations.
Nothing.
Maybe it's too far, maybe the signal is not good.
Yes, that's definitely the case.
She turned over.
Maybe it will be better at dawn.
That would be great...
... she found herself crying.
There was no sound, no sobs, just tears sliding into the pillow on their own.
She didn't know why she was crying.
He was obviously just visiting for medical treatment.
He is obviously so powerful.
He clearly said - they still have a lot of things to do, he wants to teach her the deeper skills of controlling Ultimate Fire, he also wants to go camping with her Star Dou Great Forest, and...
Five o'clock in the morning.
She sat up with her coat on.
The curtains were not drawn.
There is a line of gray on the horizon.
She looked down at the back of her hand.
The silver dragon pattern was still there, as if nothing had happened. She lightly traced its outline with her fingers.
"You lie..."
Her voice is very soft.
"You clearly said that with this here, I can find you at any time."
The texture still didn't respond.
She clenched her left hand into a fist and pressed it to her heart.
It's jumping very fast there.
"...Jin Yu, you scared me."
"If you don't come back, I'll be really angry."
She started counting.
Count his smiles.
When he calls her "Sister Xiaotao", the ending sound rises slightly.
Count the slight hesitation on the tip of his chopsticks when he picked her food - he always wanted to leave the best for her, but was afraid that she would find him annoying.
Every time he suppressed Evil Fire, his face turned pale from exhaustion, but he still said, "It's okay, I recover quickly."
Occasionally he would lean on her shoulder when he was acting coquettishly.
Count his profile when he was giving a serious lecture.
Count him...
She lost count.
Because she discovered that she had counted so many, and every frame was so clear, but she had never asked him--
"Do you like me?"
She didn't dare.
She was afraid that the answer wouldn't be the one she wanted.
She was even more afraid of the answer.
--If so, how should she respond?
She was brought up by Teacher Yan since she was a child. The teacher taught her how to practice, how to fight, how to become a qualified Soul Master and heir, but he never taught her how to let a person know that she cares about him without disturbing him.
Therefore, her cares are always full of energy and she is used to expressing everything with flames.
Anger is fire, joy is fire, possessiveness is fire, and fear of loss is fire.
And Jin Yu...Jin Yu is water.
It is the kind of water that looks very gentle and can tolerate all things.
He is so kind to everyone.
To Huo Yuhao, to Han Ruoruo, to Wu Ming, to Ling Luochеn, to Xu Sanshi, to those junior students whose names she can't even remember...
Could it be that he was good to her just because of the kind of person he was?
Could it be that there is no such thing as "special"?
She never dared to ask...
She remembered the day when Holy Spirit Cult's people came to arrest her, Evil Soul Master was covered in darkness, with four Titled Douluo, five Soul Douluo, and eight Soul Saint.
The two elders of the Medical Pavilion and Yanhuang Guard were suppressed and retreated steadily, and they were about to be unable to support them.
She thought she was dead.
Then Long Jinyu stood up.
Not Mu En, not a teacher.
It's Long Jinyu.
She will always remember his back in front of her, so tall and firm, like a god.
He turned back and smiled at her, handed her over to Luo Yun, and then rushed towards the battlefield.
Silver hair was flying, and nine bloody Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings spread across the night sky, reflecting the entire Shrek City in red. Supreme pressure swept across the fields, and all the Evil Soul Masters were frightened and retreated in panic.
Later, she told Mu En what happened that day.
After hearing this, the old man just sighed softly and told Long Jinyu to restrain his sharpness in the near future - Holy Spirit Cult will definitely retaliate and will definitely regard him as a thorn in his side.
As for safety, Shrek and Sea God Pavilion are here to protect him.
She believed in Mu En and knew that Jin Yu would be careful.
He is such a smart person, so cautious, and never does anything he is not sure about.
But...
But he was so smart, why didn't he tell her when he went to such a far place alone?
Why do you even have to cut off the contract yourself?
If he...
If Holy Spirit Cult really succeeds...
Then she will never get an answer in her life.
She will live in a world without him with this hole that can never be filled.
It's dawn.
She didn't know how long she had been sitting on the sofa and what she was waiting for.
Wait for Jin Yu to open the door and come in?
Or should she wait for someone to tell her personally the "fact" that she simply doesn't want to believe?
Morning light shines into the Phoenix Perch Pavilion.
Very quiet.
Quieter than ever.
She tried to sense it again.
Still empty.
She lowered her head.
Tears fell on the back of my hand, falling exactly at the position of Dragon Pattern Contract.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Wipe it again.
The back of my hand is wet.
Can't wipe it clean.
She finally gave up.
He just sat like that, with his head hanging down, his red hair hanging messily on his shoulders, and his coat slipped from one side without noticing.