The Person Most Worth Protecting

Back at the academy, Mo Li told Jiang Zhu that he would come find her once he had finished researching the effects of the Whale Glue.

Jiang Zhu, perhaps thinking of something, felt her pretty face flush slightly. She nodded and bid Mo Li farewell.

Mo Li returned to his living quarters alone.

From a distance, he spotted a black-clad figure busy with something around his house.

As he drew closer, he realized a fence had been erected around the perimeter of the cottage.

This was clearly Liu Erlong's handiwork.

"Sister Erlong, what are you doing?"

Mo Li poked his head over the fence and asked curiously.

Liu Erlong was busy arranging flower pots. Hearing Mo Li's voice, she didn't stop her work or even look up as she replied:

"Planting vegetables."

"Oh? Is that how you plant vegetables?"

"Get lost. Can't you tell I'm planting flowers? Hurry up and come help."

Mo Li couldn't help but chuckle. He went inside to set down the package containing the Whale Glue, then stepped back out and said, "Sister Erlong, what do you need me to do?"

"Go get those seeds on my table."

Liu Erlong said without turning her head.

Mo Li followed her instructions to retrieve the various flower seeds, stepped into the fenced-off garden, and worked alongside Liu Erlong to bury the seeds into the prepared pots.

"Sister Erlong, what kind of flowers are these?"

Liu Erlong looked up at him, paused her movements, and a serene smile touched her lips as she said:

"Most of them are easy-to-grow wildflower seeds, and a small portion are ones I bought specifically."

"When they bloom in the future, won't the area around our house be even more beautiful?"

Her tone was filled with deep anticipation, and a glimmer of light shone in her eyes.

Watching Liu Erlong's smile, Mo Li felt a stir in his heart, though he said nothing and simply continued burying a flower seed.

He also believed that when the flowers bloomed here, it would surely be beautiful.

If Liu Erlong were to stand among them, wearing that same smile, she would certainly be more beautiful than all the flowers in bloom.

The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, and the evening mist began to rise. The twilight glow spilled over the forest, draping the trees and grass in a layer of orange gauze.

Finally, just before the sunlight vanished, the two of them planted the very last seed.

Because he had been so engrossed in the work, Mo Li's hands and face were covered in dirt. With a mischievous grin, he sidled up to Liu Erlong.

"Go away, go away," Liu Erlong said, looking at him with feigned disgust as she scolded him.

"Look at your dirty face, stay away from me."

Mo Li just chuckled. Before she could react, he swiped his finger across her fair cheek, leaving a streak of mud on the unsuspecting Liu Erlong.

"Sister Erlong, now your face is dirty too."

A dignified Soul Saint had actually failed to dodge his sneak attack; Mo Li raised his hand and laughed triumphantly.

"You little brat!"

Liu Erlong glared at Mo Li, though she wasn't truly angry.

After their playful banter, the two went to the edge of the pond to wash the grime from their bodies in the warm water.

Birds returning to their nests darted quickly across the treetops. Though it was dusk, the forest held a unique, tranquil, and distant beauty.

After cleaning up in the warm water, Mo Li was called into the room by Liu Erlong.

"Speak," Liu Erlong said, sitting at the table with a calm expression as she looked at Mo Li, who had just taken a seat.

"Speak about what?" Mo Li asked, puzzled.

"Tell me what you did today."

"Cough, cough. I need some privacy too, you know," Mo Li protested with a light cough. "Besides, Sister Erlong, weren't you watching from the shadows the whole time?"

He didn't believe for a second that Liu Erlong's appearance at the entrance of the auction house was a coincidence.

"Oh? If I said it was a coincidence, would you believe me?" Liu Erlong crossed her arms, resting her chin on her hand, and offered a faint smile.

"No." Mo Li shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"Hmph!"

"I don't care if you believe me or not. Believe it or don't, just start talking!" Liu Erlong lowered her arm and gave a light huff.

"Which part do you want to hear first, Sister Erlong?" Mo Li asked.

"Start with what the Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect wanted to talk to you about," Liu Erlong said, bringing up the question she cared about most.

"Then why didn't you come along, Sister Erlong?"

Mo Li was puzzled. Liu Erlong had shown her face and then left, leaving him confused by her actions, only for her to come and grill him about it afterward.

"They were interested in you, not me. Why would I go?" Liu Erlong replied.

"I suppose that's true..."

Mo Li thought about it, and Liu Erlong's words did hold some weight. If she had gone with him, the nature of the conversation might have been quite different.

"He asked me if I wanted to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect after graduation."

Mo Li wasn't lying; even Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, who were standing nearby, could sense the intent to recruit him behind Ning Fengzhi's words.

Yet, he didn't care.

"Hmm?" Liu Erlong paused. "And what did you say?"

"I told him I'd consider it."

Before the words had even left his lips, Liu Erlong, who had been listening intently, glared at him. "What did you say!"

Seeing that Liu Erlong was about to transform into a raging dragon on the spot, Mo Li broke into a cold sweat. He laughed and explained before she could erupt:

"I'm joking, I'm joking! I didn't actually tell him that. Graduation is still a long way off, and I haven't even thought about such things. I rejected him outright."

Liu Erlong's anger hadn't fully subsided, and she slammed a palm onto the table. "To think they'd dare poach from me! That detestable Seven Treasures Glazed Sect!"

Seeing her puffed-up, angry expression, Mo Li found her rather cute and couldn't help but want to tease her.

"Is the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect really that bad? They're known as the wealthiest sect on the entire continent. Or is it that you don't want me to go, Sister Erlong?"

Liu Erlong froze at his words, her body stiffening. The fingertips she had been resting on the table trembled, and her expression turned unnatural.

It was true. With Mo Li's talent, if he really went to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, he would undoubtedly be cultivated with the utmost care.

The help he could receive from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was far beyond what her own advanced spirit master academy could provide.

She opened her mouth, only to find she had no way to refute him, nor any reason to do so.

But if that was the case, why had she suddenly become so angry?

Why did her emotions spiral like that the moment she heard Mo Li might leave?

A look of confusion surfaced in her eyes. Her chest tightened, and an inexplicable sense of bitterness and grievance welled up in her heart.

She realized with a sudden, desperate clarity that keeping Mo Li by her side was merely her own wishful thinking.

Or rather, she had never once considered that Mo Li might leave her.

Thinking back carefully, the help she had provided Mo Li in his cultivation seemed truly negligible.

If anything, the hardships Mo Li had endured over the past two years had quite a bit to do with her. In that case, what right did she have to stop him from going somewhere better?

Her fingers curled unconsciously, gripping the edge of the table tightly.

A heavy sadness washed over her, and she let out a low sigh.

This kind of display didn't fit her personality, but after hearing Mo Li's words, it was exactly how she felt in this moment.

"Sister Erlong?"

Seeing Liu Erlong suddenly fall silent, her brow furrowed in deep dejection, Mo Li leaned forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Erlong looked up, suppressing the emotions in her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out to stroke his hair. Her eyes grew slightly warm, and her voice was filled with bitterness.

"Actually, you're right. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect might truly be the best choice for you. It's just that I..."

The words reached her lips, but her throat felt as if it were blocked, and she couldn't continue. How could she not feel miserable inside?

"As long as you think it's good, nothing else matters."

Although Liu Erlong forced a smile, her eyes turned even redder, as if tears might fall at any second.

Yes, as long as Mo Li was doing well, what did it matter if he wasn't by her side? As for herself, she didn't care.

"I didn't mean to hold you back," Liu Erlong shook her head, her voice growing hoarse.

"I won't stop you from becoming better. It's just that I've been too selfish all this time."

She simply couldn't bear the thought of Mo Li leaving her so soon.

"Sister Erlong!" Mo Li was shocked; he had never seen Liu Erlong look so emotionally shattered.

He quickly grabbed the hand she had been using to stroke his hair, holding it firmly in his palm as their eyes met.

Mo Li's tone was equally pained. "Don't say that, okay? You know that's not what I meant."

"I don't care how much the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect can help me. No matter how many benefits they offer, it's just an exchange of interests."

"But it's different between us."

Liu Erlong's eyes were moist as she stared blankly at Mo Li.

"In this world, you are the only person I trust, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you can trust me in the same way."

After a brief pause, Mo Li continued, "I have my own secrets, but no matter what happens, I will never hurt you, just as you will never hurt me."

He pressed Liu Erlong's hand against his cheek, his smile warm and resolute.

"I don't have any grand ambitions right now; I only want to become strong enough to protect everything around me. And you, Sister Erlong, are the one I want to protect most of all."

"..."

Liu Erlong's tears fell completely.

In that instant, the radiance in her eyes was like lights blooming across the surface of a lake, soft and resplendent.

The expression on her face had become impossible to distinguish between being moved or comforted, or perhaps it was both.

A thousand words ultimately dissolved into the slightly trembling curve of her lips and the warm tears that continued to roll down her cheeks.