Instinctive Choice

The reflection on Sea God Lake was like a stone cast into Gu Yuena's heart, its ripples lingering for a long time. The closeness that had grown between her and Tang Wulin through their shared experiences was now veiled by an indescribable distance. She no longer took the initiative to approach him, and her gaze often drifted, as though she were looking through him at some distant and dangerous phantom.

Tang Wulin keenly noticed her change, and a helpless ache filled his heart. He did not know the reason, so he could only turn his concern into more attentive protection, silently following her while maintaining a distance that made her feel safe.

That afternoon, they wandered into an old commercial street within Shrek City. Shops stood shoulder to shoulder here. There were not only modern soul tool stores, but also many long-established handicraft workshops. The crowds flowed endlessly, and the street brimmed with the warmth of everyday life.

A fairly long line had formed outside a thriving dessert shop, and the sweet scent of freshly baked cream pastries filled the air. Tang Wulin remembered Gu Yuena seeming to show a trace of interest in sweets, so he said gently, "Wait here for a moment. I'll buy some."

Gu Yuena neither agreed nor objected, merely giving a slight nod. Her gaze fell upon a damaged soul tool displayed in the window of an antique shop across the street, and her expression turned somewhat dazed, as though it had stirred some thought within her once more.

Tang Wulin turned and headed toward the end of the line.

Just then, an accident occurred without warning.

Above the street, a soul-guided lighting shop had hung an exceptionally lavish decorative lamp made of countless tiny crystal prisms to attract customers. A sudden, somewhat mischievous gust swept through the street and violently snapped one of the main ropes holding up the lamp!

The heavy string of lamps let out a teeth-grating groan. Accompanied by a series of crisp crashes from colliding crystals, it swung like an unbalanced pendulum and plummeted straight toward the street below! The area beneath it happened to include Gu Yuena, who was distracted and had her back to the danger, as well as several children passing by!

"Danger!"

"Get out of the way!"

Cries of alarm erupted everywhere.

The crowd instantly fell into panic and scattered to either side.

Startled awake by the shouts, Gu Yuena abruptly turned around. With her cultivation, even if the falling lamp struck her, it could not possibly harm her in the slightest. She did not even need to move. With a mere thought, an invisible barrier of soul power would have been enough to reduce it to dust.

Yet in the instant she turned, a golden figure had already flashed through the chaotic crowd like lightning. Before she could react, he fiercely pulled her into his arms and completely covered her with his broad back, taking an absolute protective stance.

It was Tang Wulin.

He had not even had time to use any soul power. It was purely his body's instinctive reaction. The explosive burst of speed left fine cracks in the stone slabs beneath his feet.

"Bang—crash—!"

The heavy decorative lamp and crystal prisms rained down onto his back and shoulders, producing a dense series of impacts and shattering sounds. Crystal fragments scattered in every direction, refracting dazzling specks of light beneath the sun.

The force of the impact made his body sink slightly, but the arms wrapped around her remained as steady as a mountain.

Gu Yuena was held firmly in his embrace, her cheek pressed to his warm chest. She could clearly hear his rapid heartbeat, racing from the sudden burst of movement and tension. Not a single flying crystal shard could come near her; all of them were blocked and knocked away by him. Several tears had been cut into his coat, and there might have been faint red marks on the skin beneath, but that was all. With his physique, this did not even count as a minor injury.

Yet this insignificant "protection" struck Gu Yuena's heart with more force than any powerful defensive soul skill.

She froze.

She could easily shatter this danger, and he knew that perfectly well.

The falling object could not threaten her in the slightest, and he understood that too.

But in that moment, his body had moved faster than any thought and made the most primal, most direct choice—protect her.

The reflection in the water was a cold past filled with doubt.

But this warm body, which had unhesitatingly shielded her from even the smallest danger, was the utterly real and unquestionable present.

Before such pure instinct, the fragments of memory suddenly lost their terrifying weight.

The people around them, still shaken, gathered close, while the shop owner frantically apologized.

Tang Wulin slowly released Gu Yuena and immediately lowered his head to check her over. His azure eyes were still full of lingering anxiety. "Are you all right? Did any fragments hit you?"

Seeing the pure concern in his eyes and realizing that she was completely unharmed, the wall of ice in Gu Yuena's heart, built from suspicion and fear, came crashing down. Instinct would not deceive her spiritual power.

She did not answer his question. Instead, she reached out and gently brushed away the crystal dust on his shoulder, her movements soft. Then she raised her eyes and looked directly at him. The mist in her violet eyes finally dispersed, revealing a clear and resolute light.

"I'm fine," she said softly. She took his somewhat bewildered hand of her own accord, warmth from his fingertips bringing her reassurance. "Thank you."

This time, there was no hesitation in her voice, no distance.

Tang Wulin felt the strength in her hand and saw the trust in her eyes. He first froze, then an immense joy, like something lost and regained, surged into his heart. He tightly clasped her hand, as though he were holding the whole world.

Sunlight streamed through the dispersing crowd and fell upon their tightly clasped hands. All the distance between them seemed to melt away completely in this insignificant yet immeasurably weighty act of protection.