Like a nimble little deer, the girl lightly vaulted over the waterside pavilion's railing. By the look of it, she was practically about to crash into Yu Ci's arms, yet she stopped herself at the last instant. She glanced at Shi Song, whose face had stretched long, then turned back and merely giggled.
"The little one hasn't grown any taller, but she's gotten fairer again."
Yu Ci was speaking the truth. During the time the little girl had gone south to recuperate, she had grown somewhat thinner, and her complexion had turned pale. Shi Song had just mentioned that the injuries to her soul had not yet fully healed. Seeing that the situation in Juebi City had stabilized, he had brought her back, hoping that recuperating in familiar surroundings might prove more effective.
Having blurted out "Brother Fishbone," the little girl had actually felt a little shy. But when she saw Yu Ci answer with a smile, there was warmth in it, perhaps, but none of the "excited enthusiasm" she had imagined. She could not help feeling slightly disappointed. Then, on second thought, this was only their third meeting. If he had been too enthusiastic, she would have found it strange instead. Her heart settled, and she said half coquettishly, half resentfully, "Hmph, they said I was going south to have fun, but actually I spent most of the time on the Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat..."
Was handling children not as easy as turning one's hand over for Yu Ci? He smiled. "Was the Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat fun? I guarded Da Tongxing's home for several months, yet never got the chance to go aboard and look around."
"Mm-hm, it was lots of fun! It was even bigger than Juebi City. They sold everything there, and there were cloud-rushing boards and traction