Ge Duo walked to the workbench in the center of the room and set down the tray.
She turned around, her dark green eyes falling on Rapunzel—more precisely, on her long golden hair.
"Come here."
Rapunzel's body stiffened, but she still rose to her feet and slowly walked toward Ge Duo.
Her long hair dragged across the floor as she moved, making a soft rustling sound. When she reached Ge Duo, Rapunzel stopped, lowering her head and not daring to meet her eyes.
Ge Duo reached out and gently lifted a lock of golden hair hanging over Rapunzel's chest.
The gesture was so gentle that Rapunzel felt dazed.
Back in the tower of the Fairy-Tale World, Ge Duo had often stroked her hair like this too.
At the time, she had thought it was a sign of motherly love. Only later had she learned that Ge Duo was merely admiring her collection, checking whether her treasure was still intact.
"Your hair," Ge Duo said softly, "is even better than I imagined."
Her fingers slid down the strands, feeling the vigorous life force contained within them.
"After coming to this world, its power not only hasn't weakened, but has become even purer through becoming a Martial Soul. Truly... the perfect catalyst for potions."
Rapunzel's heart tightened.
Catalyst.
That word reminded her of the hair Ge Duo had cut from her.
After arriving at the Icefire Yin Yang Well, Ge Duo had cut off a section of her hair every few days to use in brewing potions.
Rapunzel's hair possessed the miraculous ability to speed up the fusion of medicinal effects and improve the quality of pills.
"How much do you need today?" Rapunzel's voice was soft, carrying an almost imperceptible tremor.
Ge Duo glanced at her. "One foot."
She took a