The coma lasted three days.
Murong Ci was woken by water.
More precisely, he was woken by salty tears.
By the time Murong Ci woke, it was already dark. The pure moonlight fell across the floor, making the beauty look even more haggard.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Huo Wu with tears in her eyes.
There were faint dark circles beneath them. She had clearly kept watch all night and cried all night, too.
"Why are you crying? I'm not dead."
Murong Ci spoke, his voice hoarse and low from sheer exhaustion.
"I'm crying for you, you idiot. Do you know how exhausted you are?"
Huo Wu reached out and swatted him, though she didn't hit him very hard. It was more like a playful pout.
"I got a lot out of it. It's fine—bigger waves mean more expensive fish. Help me sit up for a while."
Murong Ci stiffly straightened his body, trying to sit up in bed and lean against the pillow.
But the pain made him hiss.
"Don't move. I'll help you." Seeing this, Huo Wu forgot all about her own exhaustion and hurriedly helped Murong Ci sit up.
"Honestly, why did you push yourself so hard? And you wouldn't even let the teacher come with you. What would the academy do if something happened to you... What would I do..."
The last few words came out noticeably weaker, hiding a hint of a young girl's bashful affection.
[Affection: 75/100. She's been lovesick for a long time. Today is a great chance to deepen your relationship, so make the most of it!]
"You've got some nerve! You never told me that getting a substitute to fight for me would feel this awful!"
Murong Ci roared in despair in the Sea of Consciousness, venting his dissatisfaction.
[Then let me ask you: did you absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? Did you get to show off? Oh, I don't think I've given you your reward yet. Hold on~] [Ding—congratulations, host, on completing the mission to kill the Demon Eye Magic Tree. The tree you killed was twice the age required by the mission, so in addition to the 30% increase to your wood affinity, you'll receive a further 50% increase. In other words, your wood affinity has now increased by 45%.]
"I knew it, Brother System. You were definitely toughening my resolve. I knew you cared about me."
Murong Ci put on a foolish grin in the Sea of Consciousness.
"All right, enough flattery. But I'll remind you that elemental affinity only serves as an auxiliary. It's like flowers decorating a brocade, adding beauty to what's already beautiful. Whether you can truly bring out your abilities depends on you."
After saying that, the system disappeared.
Murong Ci lost himself in thought, wondering how he could bring out the true power of the element.
He didn't come back to himself until Huo Wu's slender fingers brushed his cheek.
Huo Wu's fingers gently caressed his face. Facing him, she breathed her warm, fiery breath against him.
"W-Wu-jie, don't do that."
"Murong Ci, have you... gotten better-looking?" Huo Wu asked tentatively, her fingers still stroking him.
"You..."
"Don't speak... You were gone for four days, then slept for three. I haven't seen you for seven days, Murong Ci..."
Huo Wu pressed herself closer, her leg hooking around Murong Ci's waist, teasing him.
"Huo Wu..." Murong Ci tried to pull away, but his body was too weak to manage it.
All he could do was watch as Huo Wu's face drew closer and closer, her lips inching toward his...
Until... all was silent~
Their breaths mingled, their lips met. Beneath the moonlight, they embraced and kissed...
Until their tongues grew sore and the distance between them turned negative.
Who knew how long it took...
At last, they drew back, gasping for breath.
Moonlight rested between their brows and eyes, reflecting off the strings on the verge of snapping, shining right into the narrow space between them. It blazed in every direction.
"Murong Ci..." Huo Wu called softly, her voice trembling from the kiss, touched with a hint of allure.
"Huo Wu, you..."
Murong Ci didn't know what to say. It had all happened too suddenly.
"Your lips are so dry," Huo Wu cut in, her voice gentle.
"I'll moisten them for you..."
Murong Ci's eyes widened, but he couldn't get a word out.
Because Huo Wu had taken his lips again...
The night was already half over. Moonlight spilled across the floor, as if lighting up the stage for their flirtation.
"A-Ci..." Huo Wu called him.
Murong Ci paused, then lifted his eyes to look at her.
There wasn't a trace of her usual domineering manner now. Only tenderness and consideration remained as she faced him.
"My legs are weak. I can't walk. Let me rest here."
Huo Wu called to him softly, her voice sweet and coquettish.
Murong Ci wanted to refuse. He really did!
But in practice, his hand slipped around Huo Wu's waist and pulled her close.
"Beneath the moon, a beauty comes into my arms. I'll never regret sharing this joy with you."
Murong Ci gazed at Huo Wu tenderly, saying each word slowly.
Huo Wu breathed softly, her chest rising and falling sharply.
Murong Ci reached out and laid his hand over her heart.
"Your heart's beating so fast. What are you thinking about?"
"About you. You know how to compose poetry."
"You're still being stubborn. Are you cold?"
Beneath the moonlight, the academy was utterly silent. Osmanthus shadows dappled the ground, shifting in the breeze as it brushed their hair.
Huo Wu's pupils were slightly unfocused, a trace of confusion in her eyes. She nodded.
At that moment, silence spoke louder than words.
Murong Ci gently drew her close, lifted the covers, and laid Huo Wu softly on the bed. Then he lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
They weren't facing each other, nor were they looking down from some god's-eye view. It was impossible to catch the expression in the other's eyes.
But they both knew that some things were most beautiful when kept in the heart.
Huo Wu was the first to give in. She rolled over, buried her head in Murong Ci's arms, and rubbed against him softly.
It seemed like a coquettish gesture, or perhaps a complaint.
She was playfully showing her love, and reproaching him for his intentions.
"Hold me tighter," Huo Wu said. Her hoarse voice carried a trace of grievance.
It was as though she were reproaching herself for not taking the initiative sooner, or him for not accepting her sooner.
Beneath the moonlight, they embraced and fell asleep, their bodies pressed close together, as though they meant to pour all the longing they'd felt for each other these past few days into that embrace.
Or perhaps they wanted to imprint the other's scent into their arms.
In the darkness, two pairs of wide eyes blinked at each other.
Suddenly, Huo Wu let out a soft laugh. She pointed to a sheet of paper on the bedside table next to Murong Ci, gesturing for him to bring it over.
By the moonlight, Murong Ci made out the words on the paper.
"Once I've met this gentleman, how could I not be glad?"
"I imitated your handwriting, but it doesn't look much like yours. Of everything you've written, I like this line the most, so I wrote it down to give to you."
Murong Ci choked up. During those seven days when he hadn't seen her, she had found this way to ease her longing for him.
"You copied my handwriting?"
"Mm. What's yours is mine."
A tear welled at the corner of Murong Ci's eye and fell onto Huo Wu's hand, glimmering like crystal.
Huo Wu reached out to wipe away the tear, then gently brushed her thumb over his eyes.
"Close the window, A-Ci. I don't want anyone to see us like this."
Perhaps this moment was too beautiful, so beautiful that Huo Wu didn't want to leave or think about the awkwardness of tomorrow.
Murong Ci reached up and drew the curtains, shutting out everything beyond them so the two of them could be alone.
They lay facing each other, arms around one another, and talked about what they'd gained over the past few days.
"I figured out the Ring Fusion skill, but my dad said I don't have a powerful Soul Skill to serve as its foundation. I probably won't be able to use it until I become a Soul Ancestor."
"My third ring is a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. How's that? Impressive, right?"
Murong Ci grinned mischievously and gently stroked her cheek.
"Impressive my foot!" She lightly hooked a finger around the tip of his nose, then couldn't help laughing.
Then, beneath the moon, they whispered softly, their temples brushing and their breaths mingling~
"Stop being so full of yourself... You can only be full of yourself in front of me..."
"I pro—"
"You don't have to promise me anything. You're not the sort of person who only loves one person. I can tell."
"Then am I Zang Xin?"
"Who's Zang Xin?"
"You don't know him, and you don't need to. But whoever I am, I only know that you're mine."
"You're lying to me!"
"I'm not. Heaven and earth can bear witness—my heart holds you!"
"I know you have me in your heart. I also know I'm not the only one there. Your heart holds the whole world, and your eyes hold a sea of stars..."
[A sea of stars...] [Current affection: 89/100. It's late. Good night.]