Chapter 604

That afternoon, the sea breeze was lazy, and the waves were small.

Liguang sat kneeling at the edge of the raft, barefoot, carefully casting her fishing line into the sea.

“Today, Liguang is definitely going to catch a super huge fish!”

Holding a little wooden stick, she muttered to the empty sea…

Then, almost unconsciously, she turned her head to look behind her.

The outer wall of the wooden cabin was already covered in carving after carving!

Some had been made by her, and some by her Master.

The walls were filled with love messages between the two of them!

She stared at the words for a little while, and the corners of her lips rose despite herself.

It was so nice!

Today, too, she had to have a good chat with Master!

The surface of the sea glittered beneath the sunlight, and the bobber floated quietly.

She turned around again and stared at that tiny point without blinking… gradually losing herself in thought.

Master, Liguang has eaten… so many fish these past few days.

But none of them carried any “permissions.”

Still… Liguang would keep trying to fish, and keep trying to eat fish!

She had to get the permissions and bring Master back as soon as possible!

Then she would kiss Master’s face until it was swollen!

Just you wait, Master!

The waves rocked the raft gently. The bobber trembled faintly on the surface of the sea.

…Nothing happened.

She pursed her lips and waited a little longer.

Still nothing.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

There were clearly fish beneath the sea. She could vaguely see their silvery little shadows swimming back and forth in the deep water!

But they simply refused to bite.

“Hmm…”

Liguang bit her lower lip, gently tugged the line upward, and swayed it from side to side.

…Still, not a single fish paid her any attention.

She began to grow anxious. Even her toes started clawing at the wooden planks!

How annoying! In the past, whenever Master wanted fish, she could make entire schools of them appear out of thin air!

But now…

She stared at the glowing blue seawater, her expression distant.

She had really become an ordinary human girl. She couldn’t even catch a little fish…

Waaah…!

Just then, several characters slowly appeared, carved into the floor beside her.

Ah, it was Master!

She immediately lowered her head to look.

【Where’s your bait?】

Liguang froze.

“Bait?”

She blinked and looked down at her hook.

It was empty.

…Ah, she had forgotten to put any bait on it!

Her little face instantly flushed red!

She had been thinking about other things and had completely forgotten something so important!

Flustered, she rummaged through the small wooden bucket where she kept miscellaneous items, pulled out a dried fish, and hurriedly attached it to the hook.

New words appeared on the wall behind her:

【You’re hopelessly stupid!】

Liguang stared at those words, and her cheeks puffed up at once!

“I’m not stupid! Hmph!”

She gave another little snort, narrowed her phoenix eyes, and looked toward the spot where the words had appeared.

She could imagine Master squatting there, looking up at her with a bright, teasing smile.

“Master, how dare you look down on Liguang!”

She glared at the Master she imagined in her mind, then swung the fishing rod out with all her strength!

“Just you wait, Master…”

Staring at the water, she tilted her little head and mumbled,

“When Liguang finds a way to touch Master…”

“Then Liguang will lock Master in a little dark room beneath the sea!”

“Every day, Master will only be allowed to watch Liguang fish through the little window in that room!”

Then she sat down, swinging her little legs, and glanced toward the carved words again.

“If Liguang can’t catch anything, then she’ll kiss Master once.”

“But if she does catch something, then Master has to kiss her ten times!”

“What does Master think of that proposal?”

The waves gently slapped against the raft, while wind chimes tinkled in the distance.

A moment later, three characters appeared on the wooden planks:

【Too. Cruel!】

The silver-haired girl burst out laughing.

Heehee!

She wasn’t joking, either!

Actually…

What she had just said had once been one part of her plans, in one of her many cycles of reincarnation!

Unfortunately, Miss Lin had disrupted that cycle.

Now, Master could at least watch her fish…

But she couldn’t kiss Master anymore.

She pursed her lips lightly and stared blankly at the completely motionless bobber.

Out of the corner of her eye, more words began to appear on the surface of the raft.

She hurriedly turned to look!

【A fish is nibbling at your bait!】

The silver-haired girl blinked.

Huh?

She instantly lowered her head.

Beneath the surface, a palm-sized silvery fish was swaggeringly biting at the dried fish on her hook…

And it was enjoying itself immensely!

The bobber jerked violently several times, and then…

The fish got away, and so did the bait.

Liguang: “…”

She stared at the patch of sea, which had once again returned to calm, and remained silent for a full three seconds.

“Aaaah!”

She slammed the fishing rod onto the deck, eyes wide as she glared at the sea!

She had actually embarrassed herself in front of Master!

Master definitely wouldn’t make fun of Liguang, right?

She spun around, only to see the words on the wooden wall…

【Hahaha, your technique is terrible!】

Liguang’s little face flushed bright red!

“Liguang just hasn’t gotten used to it yet!”

She angrily picked up the fishing rod, reeled the line back in, then found the fattest dried fish and threaded it onto the hook.

“Just you wait, Master! Liguang is going to catch a huge fish right now!”

“I’ll grill it and make you jealous!”

With that, she swung the line forcefully.

Whoosh—

The hook traced an arc through the air and landed in the distant sea.

Then she knelt properly at the edge of the raft, as still as a little statue, staring fixedly at the water.

Just you wait, Master!

Once Liguang caught the “permissions,” she would kiss Master’s face until it looked like a pig’s head!

She would turn it into a pig’s head every single day!

After quite some time, new words slowly appeared beside her.

Liguang stubbornly refused to lower her head to look, but she still couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them…

【Keep it up!】

…Heehee!

She waited for a long while longer. The sea breeze was warm and gentle.

Just when she felt she was about to turn into a little statue herself—

The bobber suddenly plunged beneath the surface!

“Whoa!”

She jolted, gripping the fishing rod with both hands. She kicked hard against the edge of the platform with her little feet, barely managing to steady herself!

“It’s here! This one’s huge!”

The silver-haired girl cried out in delight and pulled upward with all her strength!

The fishing rod bent into an exaggerated arc!

So big! Could this really be…?

“Ungh…!”

She gritted her teeth, her little face flushed from exertion, while the straps of her cream-colored swimsuit slipped down to the crooks of her arms.

Finally—

Splash!

A huge fish leaped out of the water, its silvery body twisting wildly in midair!

Then it crashed heavily onto the deck!

Liguang immediately slammed her little fist down onto it!

Bang!

The fish bounced twice, then lay still.

Liguang blinked as she looked at it. Then… the excitement in her mismatched eyes slowly faded.

…It wasn’t one.

It was just an ordinary fish.

She felt a little disappointed and confused.

…Why were there ordinary large fish in this sea? How strange…

But then she immediately lifted her face into a smile and looked up.

“Master! Look! Hurry, look!”

“Liguang caught one!”

“We’ll have something for dinner tonight!”

Words slowly appeared on the floor.

【Amazing!】

Liguang’s smile instantly blossomed. She crouched down and put the fish into the wooden bucket.

Oh, well!

Even if it wasn’t a “permission,” making Master happy was good enough!

She sat back down and continued fishing.

This time, she had much better luck.

Before even the time it took to burn an incense stick had passed, three more little fish had joined the ones in the bucket!

Every time she caught one, she would hold it up and proudly show it off to the empty air.

And every time, her Master would happily carve words of praise in response.

【This one looks good too!】

【Amazing!】

【This one’s pretty good!】

Liguang grew more and more enthusiastic as she fished!

It wasn’t until the sun had begun to drift westward from directly overhead that she finally rubbed her aching arm. Then, carrying a wooden bucket filled with little fish, she waved it toward the empty air.

“Today, Liguang is going to make Master fish soup! Nice and rich fish soup!”

She tilted up her little face, her brows curving into a smile.

“Even though Master can’t drink it, you can still smell it!”

A moment later, words appeared on the floor:

【You’re teasing me with food again…】

“Heehee! Of course I am!”

She hugged the wooden bucket and ran barefoot toward the little cabin, her silver hair flying in the sea breeze.

When she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped. She looked at the wall covered in carved words…

The light in her eyes dimmed slightly.

…I wonder what Master looks like now?

Has he gotten thinner?

Is he eating properly?

Is he, like Liguang…

Working hard every day to find a way to see Liguang, too?

She pressed her lips together, then quickly shook her head.

No!

She couldn’t lose heart!

Master was still waiting for her to cook!

She had to make him so enchanted by the fragrance that he’d swoon!

She took a deep breath and let her smile bloom again before pushing open the door and entering the cabin.

…

The next morning.

As usual, Liguang knelt in the center of the cabin.

The human body’s knees did start to ache a little in this position.

But she still held a white porcelain teacup in both hands and spoke softly to the empty air before her:

“Master, your tea.”

“The temperature has been adjusted to your preferred fifty-two degrees Celsius.”

This was a daily necessity.

Her hands trembled faintly.

She quietly stared at the floor in front of her, waiting for Master’s reply.

She was so afraid.

She still wasn’t used to waking up every morning and not seeing Master by her side.

She was also afraid that Master would stop replying to her.

Master, please… answer me soon!

And it was as if Master had heard the cry in her heart!

Because…

【The tea smells wonderful today!】

A line of words appeared on the floor almost instantly!

Huh?

Liguang’s eyes widened as she stared at the words, which had been carved far more quickly than before.

So fast!

“Wow!”

She was both surprised and delighted.

“Why did Master carve that so quickly today?”

He really was fast!

Master’s carving speed was nearly as fast as hers!

Another line of marks quickly appeared:

【I figured out the trick. I’ll get faster and faster!】

“That’s wonderful!”

Liguang clapped her little hands, her brows curving into a smile.

“Then Liguang will be able to talk to Master more every day!”

And so…

She spent the entire day chatting with Master!

His handwriting was still crooked, but he was already much faster.

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, his reply would be carved out!

They talked about the breeze by the sea.

She said that today, the wind carried a faint salty scent from the seaweed drying in the sun, and that it smelled wonderful.

Master said he could smell it, too!

They also talked about the dream he had the night before.

She said she had dreamed that she turned into a little silver fish and spent the whole day chasing a big, foolish fish around the ocean, but could never catch it.

Master said that the big, foolish fish probably wanted her to catch it, too.

They talked about…

【If we return to normal, what’s the first thing Liguang would want to do?】

Liguang remained kneeling there, blinking at the longest line of text Master had carved during this period.

The first thing she wanted to do?

Of course, it was to kiss his face until it was covered in kisses!

But she couldn’t say something like that…

So she thought seriously for a moment, then answered with a smile:

“Then Liguang wants to hold Master’s hand and never let go again!”

That was the truth!

She wanted to tie Master’s hand to hers and hold it forever!

Hold it while eating, hold it while going to the bathroom, hold it while sleeping!

Hold it at home and hold it outside!

Hold it until she no longer wanted to!

But…

Perhaps even if this world were destroyed, she still wouldn’t stop wanting to hold it.

Heehee!

A moment later, a line of words was carved into the floor:

【All right, then. The first thing we’ll do is hold hands!】

Liguang smiled.

Master had fallen for it!

But as she smiled, she gradually lost herself in thought.

“But…”

Her voice grew quiet.

“…When will I be able to touch Master?”

Master had always been there with her.

She was so greedy.

What else could she do now?

She couldn’t think of any other way.

New marks appeared on the floor, much faster than before.

【We’ll work hard together! We’ll find a way soon!】

The handwriting was still crooked.

Liguang looked at the words and softly murmured, “Mm.”

That night, she fell asleep inside the cabin. Her body curled into a small ball, her breathing gradually becoming steady.

The wind stirred the chimes, making them ring softly.

She slept so peacefully.

Master’s replies were coming faster, and she could talk to him more.

Master was a little closer to her now.

It was wonderful.

They would find a solution soon…

Very soon.

…

…

The sea breeze slipped in through the cracks around the window.

Fang Qi sat at the entrance of the cabin, his back against the wall covered in writing.

He turned his head and quietly watched the silver-haired girl curled up inside.

She was sleeping so peacefully.

Her breathing was soft and slow, flowing into his ears in waves like the sea.

The corners of her lips were slightly raised, perhaps because she was dreaming of turning into a little silver fish again.

“Haha…”

Fang Qi laughed, then hurriedly covered his mouth, afraid that he might wake her.

Though he knew she couldn’t hear him at all.

The hand covering his mouth began to tingle.

He lowered it and raised it toward the moonlight, studying his five fingers.

Mm.

Human hands…

As long as he couldn’t feel pain, they were pretty useful.

The corners of his mouth curved upward as he recalled what had happened around this time the previous night.

Last night, he had made an incredibly clever choice!

Just like he was now, he had sat on the deck the night before, looking at his hands.

All ten of his fingers had been red and swollen, and the pain was so intense that he couldn’t even make a fist.

Every time he carved a word for Liguang, it felt like undergoing torture!

He had to painstakingly “dig” each character out of the wood, stroke by stroke!

That was why he had been so slow.

…But Liguang was waiting for him to speak.

The first thing she did every morning was wait for him to carve a message.

She waited so earnestly, so carefully. He knew there were words she swallowed back every day instead of saying.

“Master, are you still there?”

“Master, can you go a little faster?”

“Master, Liguang really wants to talk to you.”

She didn’t say them because she was afraid he would worry.

She always cried secretly by herself, then secretly smiled.

He saw it all, and it made him frantic!

Could he really fail even at the one thing he could still do for Liguang?

But it was a lie to say his fingers didn’t hurt!

After carving each character, he had to put his fingers in his mouth and suck on them until the piercing pain passed…

Then he would continue!

Again and again, his efficiency was pitifully low!

…Until last night.

He had lain on the deck, gazing at the moon…

When a thought suddenly flashed through his mind!

What if his fingers couldn’t feel pain?

For example…

Breaking them?

He had never dared to think about something like that before.

He dared to die. But he didn’t dare to break his own fingers.

Because…

He wasn’t entirely sure whether that counted as “irreversible bodily damage.”

But then again, did it even matter anymore?

He had already lost the ability to turn back time. Even death would only make him respawn where he was...

Hmm...

And so he stared at the index finger of his left hand, hesitating for a long time. In the end...

He sat up.

Moonlight bleached the deck white. He pressed the index finger of his left hand against it, then gripped the finger with his right hand and drew in a deep breath—

Then, gritting his teeth, he bit down!

Crack!

His back arched violently, the veins bulging on his forehead as his vision went black for a moment!

Hiss—! That really hurt!

And unlike smashing his head against something and dying, this didn’t bring him back to full health right away!

The pain continued!

But after it slowly began to fade...

He blinked and tentatively moved his finger.

The broken finger was completely useless.

The severed end still hurt, but...

The finger hung limply, and its tip... really had no sensation!

No. Pain. At. All!

He was ecstatic!

It worked!

So he held the finger steady with his other hand and tried to carve into the deck!

...It didn’t hurt.

Fang Qi froze.

Then he covered his hand...

“Heh heh...!”

He began to laugh under his breath.

His shoulders shook with laughter, and tears welled in his eyes!

So that was it!

All along...

Each of his lives only required one severed finger?

One burst of pain, and the problem would be solved once and for all?

Human fingers were pretty useful, after all!

Seriously...

How had he never thought of this before?