Here, surrounded by decayed wood, dead trees, and dried-up rivers… it looked like it had suffered from a great war, which surprised Xiaotu and piqued her curiosity about this place. What had happened here to make it like this? “Phoenix!” She called out happily to the fire phoenix. Phoenix, you really found me! Her intention in cutting her wrist was to use her blood to summon these spiritual creatures of heaven and earth, to break through the barriers and let the phoenix sense her presence. Hearing its master’s call, the phoenix swooped down with a joyful cry, landing beside Xiaotu, lowering its head in a gentle manner, its large head rubbing against Xiaotu’s hand, seeking comfort. “Phoenix, you’re amazing!” Excitedly, she lifted the still unconscious Muyan beside her and mounted the phoenix. Suddenly, a dragon’s roar came from behind. Xiaotu turned her head in confusion, looking at the silver dragon. Oh! It’s him! Dragon Lord! Also, the little silver dragon that had disappeared before! “Why are you here too?” Xiaotu asked in surprise. The silver dragon, delighted to hear her speak to him, wagged its tail, stood up, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a handsome young man with water-blue eyes full of tenderness, dressed in fine robes, his bearing noble and extraordinary. “Because I sensed your danger too.” After the last great battle, he had returned to the Dragon Palace to handle affairs and revive the water tribe. He had only wanted to quickly finish his duties and come find her, but he didn’t expect that their reunion would be under such circumstances. Sensing her danger, he immediately came with the fire phoenix. Upon meeting again, the longing and affection in his eyes were unmistakable… “Dragon Lord, thank you for saving me twice, I am deeply grateful!” Thinking of that day when he risked his life to enter the demon territory and fight against Wang Xie and Opium just to rescue her, and now, coming to her aid again, how could she not be moved! “I don’t want your gratitude! Lingying, I’ve waited for you for a thousand years! Do you remember the little silver dragon from back then?” What he wanted was her love, to be her husband! “Haha, those are just trivial matters from the past, not worth mentioning!” “But in my heart, those are priceless memories!” His eyes, full of deep meaning, conveyed desire and affection.
How could Xiaotu not understand? “Are you leaving?” From afar, a dark figure called out to Xiaotu, interrupting their conversation. He wanted to run over, but the light was too blinding, and after just a few steps, he couldn’t bear it. “Master! Be careful!” Xueji watched as her master recklessly dashed towards the woman; he couldn’t withstand such intense light! “Yes, I am leaving, thank you! Rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about this place, don’t worry!” Thinking he was worried about her revealing the location, Xiaotu quickly explained. “Don’t go…” His heart ached as if he was about to lose what he cherished most; how could she leave? No! Before he understood this strange feeling in his heart, he would absolutely not let her go! Perhaps, once he figured it out, he would hold on even tighter…
Although now, with Feng’s arrival and the bright light, one could clearly see everything here, unfortunately, due to the distance between him and the man in black, his appearance remained unseen… “You have your world, and I have mine. Now, I must return to mine…” She saw it; she saw that he was entirely unsuited for light exposure; he couldn’t handle it! For someone who had lived in darkness for countless days, encountering light was a terrifying thing, much like a vampire, only active at night. Time was ticking away; she had only half an hour! She must find the Flower of Fortune, but it seemed there was no such flower here, just an endless expanse of desolate land. She needed to leave quickly and find the Flower of Fortune! His time was running out!
“No! Don’t go, have you forgotten me? I am the one with the silver mask…” Seeing her about to leave, in his confusion, he suddenly shouted, and then the dark figure actually took flight, nearly falling due to the intense light. “Master…”
“What? You are the one with the silver mask?” Xiaotu turned around sharply, shocked by the sight. A pair of black wings fluttered behind him, his jet-black hair sparkled with purple highlights, and his face was so beautiful it was hard to tell the gender, almost taking her breath away. Heavens! He was an angel… Were angels genderless? That’s why he was beautiful beyond gender, possessing the delicacy of a woman and the handsomeness of a man. “An angel!” She murmured involuntarily, her eyes full of surprise as she gazed at the dark-winged angel. The “angel” seemed to notice Xiaotu’s unusual gaze and quickly returned to the ground, retracting his wings, his body trembling slightly; he was afraid, afraid of seeing disgust in her eyes, afraid she would call him “trash”…
“Why retract your wings? They are so beautiful…” She approached him slowly, puzzled by his fear. “Beautiful? Don’t you find these wings strange? Ugly? A person growing wings, especially evil black ones?” He mocked himself; she actually said his wings were beautiful? Heavens, had he misheard?
“How could they be? You’re an angel! How could you be ugly? You are the kindest person in the world, an angel who brings good news to all! You are the most beautiful!” Xiaotu didn’t understand why he would think this way.
Since childhood, she had always loved angels; her cabinet was filled with various angel dolls, and today, she actually saw a living angel before her eyes! And it was her favorite, the dark-winged angel…
“Ha ha ha, are you joking with me?” He laughed coldly, burying his head deeply into his knees, looking as helpless as a lost child. “Angels shouldn’t be in such a place! Angels don’t give up on themselves! Angels are the most confident! Come, give me your hand.”
She took his long, slender hand into hers; it was so cold! Those hands were cold without any moisture. Feeling the warmth from his hand, so warm, her palm was so warm, like holding her hand, forever. “Believe in yourself, okay? Having black wings is nothing to be ashamed of; you should be proud of them! Believe in yourself, believe in me!” She felt the endless sorrow emanating from him; what had he experienced in the past? In this world, where no one even knew of the existence of angels, when others treated him like a monster…
“Look, you can heal others’ wounds! You can help people; that’s a great thing, alleviating others’ pain, something I can’t do, but you can. Think about the last palace, how grand and majestic it was? All of that was your doing, built by your own hands! Who else could do that? How many could?”
“You don’t need to feel inferior just because of a pair of black wings, do you? If you don’t have confidence in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you? If you don’t acknowledge yourself, how can others acknowledge you?”
Like comforting a child, she stroked his hair, offering him comfort and encouragement, which was all she could do at the moment.
Chapter Fifty-Five 〓 Enchanting
He shed tears… Crystal-clear teardrops swirled in his eyes; he himself didn’t know what these strange things were. He only felt a blockage in his heart, a sourness in his nose, and an unknown liquid overflowed from his eyes. Like the purest crystal, clear and bright, they slid down his cheeks, drop by drop, onto the dark soil. When they passed his lips, they flowed into his thin lips, the tip of his tongue tasting a bitter saltiness, spreading through his mouth, a very foreign taste. Were these tears?
Seeing him cry, Xiaotu gently patted his shoulder, wiping away his tears with her hand, her touch as gentle as water, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms, slowly cleansing his mind and soul…
