Now she knew how to weigh the pros and cons, how to guard against people's hearts.
Was this the price of growing up?
"Huh?"
Kiana scratched her head in confusion. "Am I being too sensitive? She hasn't bared her fangs yet."
Ever since a former close friend had stabbed her in the back.
Ever since Teacher Himeko had passed away.
Once the defensive line of trust collapsed, it was all but impossible to rebuild.
Bronya took a deep breath and gave her conclusion. "If you're certain she means no harm, trust her wholeheartedly. Trust can bring peace."
The corners of Kiana's mouth lifted. "And if she wants to hurt me?"
"Then don't even trust her breathing."
The answer was cold and hard as iron.
Kiana nodded. "Let's head back first. Right now... I'm still willing to bet she means well."
They returned to where they had been.
Kiana handed over the feather that held a sealed secret.
Lin Zhaoyu took it, her fingertips brushing its quill as complex emotions rippled through her eyes.
"What a miracle."
"Mount Taixu has weathered a thousand years of wind and rain, with countless visitors passing through, yet no one could make the feathers reveal their true form."
"But as soon as you arrived, they competed to submit to you."
"What sort of resonance could make them so restless?"
The two girls listened in bewilderment, tilting their heads to one side, their faces full of confusion.
Seeing this, Lin Zhaoyu hastily waved her hand. "Never mind. There's no need to dwell on it."
Before she had even finished speaking, she gripped the feather and thrust it into Kiana's arms without giving her a say.
Deep within her mind, dusty fragments pieced themselves together once more.
It was the surviving headquarters of the Moth of