Precognition

Si Jinyan walked ahead. Chi Li suddenly slowed, falling a few steps behind, and failed to see the heavy sorrow that had surfaced on Si Jinyan's face.

Chi Li sensed that something was wrong and grasped Si Jinyan's wrist. The moment he touched him, perhaps it was an illusion, but he felt Si Jinyan's hand trembling slightly.

After surviving that desperate situation, Chi Li had faced his feelings for Si Jinyan head-on. He had thought he would never get the chance to say one final word to Si Jinyan, yet when he opened his eyes, he saw Si Jinyan again. Seeing Si Jinyan cry with reddened eyes made his own heart tremble with bitterness.

He knew that, much earlier, he had already harbored feelings for Si Jinyan that went beyond friendship. The emotions sealed away in the box at the bottom of his heart were deep and weighty, though they had only ever seeped out in tiny strands. Those feelings far surpassed what he had once felt for Jin.

Chi Li tightened his grip on Si Jinyan's hand. He hoped that from now on, no matter how big or small the matter, they would face it together. He asked softly, "What happened?"

Si Jinyan's voice was low as he clasped Chi Li's hand in return. "Do you want to see?"

Chi Li nodded.

They did not head toward the cultivation room they had visited before. Chi Li followed Si Jinyan to a laboratory they had never entered previously.

The laboratory was cold, quiet, and spacious. A waist-high machine stood in the center, and an egg floated in its nutrient solution. Looking closely, he could see thin, threadlike material winding around the egg.

Chi Li's heart suddenly began pounding. A terrible premonition drove him to quicken his pace, until he drew