Gu Xingyu had been focusing on Lin Lie's notebook, but she couldn't help overhearing the hushed bickering from the back of the Rover.
Cang Yuan: "You like Xingyu, don't you?"
Luo Ye: "I do not."
Her heart skipped a beat. Even though she was used to Cang Yuan's mischief, those words stung her ears, sending her emotions into a tailspin. She lowered her head, pretending to read, but her lips pressed thin. When Cang Yuan followed up with, "But I like her. What should we do about that?" her hand slipped, nearly tearing a page from the notebook.
Are you joking? she thought frantically.
She stole a glance at them. Cang Yuan was lounging comfortably on Luo Ye's lap, while Luo Ye was red-faced and flustered, yet he didn't push him away. A strange emotion bubbled up in her—a mix of irritation at the provocation and a flutter of something she couldn't quite place.
When she heard Luo Ye whisper, "She deserves someone's absolute sincerity," something hit her heart with a soft, heavy thud. She clenched her hand over her palm, which had grown warm. Those words echoed in her mind: I deserve sincerity.
Does that mean... he truly cares?
Lost in thought, the Rover hit a bump, sending Xingyu sliding backward. Just as she expected to hit the wall, a strong, steady hand caught her back.
"Are you alright?" Li Yan asked in his low, gravelly voice.
She turned and met his eyes—eyes that were sparse with words but never cold. "Yes... thank you," she smiled.
He gave a slight nod, retracted his hand, and returned his gaze to the path ahead. But Xingyu suddenly remembered that this wasn't the first time he had caught her. She recalled how he was always the last one to return to his tent after she left the campfire at night; she thought of those occasional glances he cast her way when he thought she wasn't looking.
She realized then that this silent man cared for her safety more than anyone. He never said much, but his actions were as reliable as a mountain. A sense of profound security washed over her—a feeling like feet planting firmly on solid ground.
So, some forms of protection don't need words. They tell you through every hand that catches you.
[The Burden of Choice]
The sunlight filtered into the cabin, casting a golden streak across her fingertips. But Xingyu lowered her eyes, her mind a stormy sea.
Luo Ye's blushing ears, Cang Yuan's teasing, Lin Lie's quiet protection, and Li Yan's unwavering vigilance... she wasn't blind. She noticed it earlier than anyone, and clearer than anyone.
But I cannot respond.
She took a sharp, quiet breath and forced herself to look away. She had worked so hard to treat them all equally. It wasn't that she didn't have a heart; it was that she couldn't follow it.
She came from another world. She carried the pocket watch and the mandate of fate. Her mission was to find the Seals and reshape the Yao Realm. They were the most precious powers of this world—her allies who trusted her and fought beside her. She couldn't let a moment of romance shatter this fragile balance.
If I waver, if I choose one of them, what happens to the others?
Will the Five Yao's bond crack? Will this trust crumble because of me?
And the fear that haunted her most—What if I eventually have to return to a world without Yao-power, a world without them? How could I face the one I left behind? How could I face the scars in the eyes of the others?
Love was not her mission. She told herself with cold, hard logic: "Guard your heart."
It was the only way she could protect them—and herself.
[The Sweetness of Solace]
Li Yan pulled the Yao-Rover over by a grassy slope. It was a rare, peaceful spot where the wind was soft and the terrain flat. He stepped out first to scout, marking the trees with subtle signs of security.
"Stretch your legs," he said simply to the cabin. "They must be numb."
Lin Lie stayed by the Rover, checking the stability of the wheel axles. His eyes, however, instinctively searched for Xingyu. When he saw her sitting on the grass with Sang Qi, eating a piece of candy and laughing, his brow furrowed slightly.
Luo Ye was busy with a small pot, stir-frying a snack of dried meat and wild greens. "You people eat too much," he grumbled, though the aroma he produced was mouth-watering.
Sang Qi finished organizing his herbs and noticed Xingyu sitting under a tree, her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked pensive, distant from the usual group banter. He walked over and sat beside her, leaving a respectful distance.
"Hey, Gu Xingyu." He pulled a silver-wrapped candy from his sleeve and held it out.
"What?" she asked, her brow still pinched.
"Eat this. Emotional supplement," he said in his usual lazy drawl. "In times like this, sugar is the best medicine."
Xingyu looked at the candy. She let out a soft laugh. "Are you trying to coax a child?"
"Right now, you're harder to coax than any crying brat I've treated," Sang Qi looked at her with feigned innocence. "At least they ask for candy. You look like you're about to destroy the world. Who would dare get close?"
"Am I that dramatic?"
"A bit," he nodded. "Your brain usually moves fast, but today it's stuck. Are you thinking about the road ahead, or... thinking about someone?"
Xingyu didn't answer. She squeezed the candy and looked toward Lin Lie and Luo Ye. They were going about their business, peaceful as ever, but she knew the emotions churning beneath the surface.
"If you don't say anything, it'll rot inside," Sang Qi's voice suddenly softened. "Just eat the candy. Let the worries dissolve into the sweetness for a moment. When it's gone, then you can decide if you want to talk."
Xingyu looked at him. His eyes were unexpectedly sincere. She finally unwrapped the silver paper and put the candy in her mouth. As the sweetness spread, the tension in her brow eased.
"Fine. I'm not saying you succeeded in coaxing me. The candy won this time."
"Fair enough. I'll lose to candy any day," Sang Qi shrugged, a hidden sigh of relief escaping him. "Don't overthink it. No matter what danger comes, those guys will be standing in front of you. Don't be afraid." He pointed to the others.
"They'll be standing in front... but what about you?" Xingyu tilted her head.
"Me? I'll be in the back, bandaging their wounds so I can push them back out to protect you again, of course!"
Xingyu burst into laughter at his sheer bluntness. She gave him a thumbs up. "You win. I feel much better now."