Chapter 607

Fang Qi saw Liguang reel in another huge fish!

Good grief, this one was enormous!

It was bigger than any of the ones before, thrashing and leaping as its tail sent sprays of water flying everywhere!

He sat cross-legged beside Liguang, watching the silver-haired girl’s excitement. The corners of his mouth unconsciously curled upward.

He absolutely had to give her some serious praise!

So he lowered his head and used his broken index finger to carve words into the wooden plank.

He had gotten much more efficient at carving now—faster and with far less effort.

【Oh my god, this one’s huge!】

【Liguang, how did you suddenly get so—!】

He was only halfway through when—

“Ah—！！！！！”

A scream, shrill and heartrending beyond description, suddenly rang out behind him!

Huh?!

Fang Qi’s hand jerked violently!

He whipped his head up, only to see…

The silver-haired girl staring at him with her eyes wide and her face filled with terror!

The watery light in her mismatched eyes trembled violently, but her gaze…

It wasn’t focused on his face. It still passed straight through his body and scattered into empty space.

“Master… Master…!”

Liguang’s lips quivered, her voice sounding as if it were being torn from her throat piece by piece.

“Your hand… Your hand…!”

Huh?

Fang Qi froze.

His hand?

What was wrong with his hand?

He instinctively lowered his head and looked at his left hand.

The broken finger, the swollen knuckles, the dried blood, and the wood shavings embedded beneath his nail.

Ah…

What was the big deal? He was already used to it. But Liguang’s reaction was, as expected…

…No, wait!!

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes widening as he stared straight at Liguang.

She could see him?!

His first reaction was overwhelming joy!

Who cared about his hand?!

The important thing was that Liguang could see him!

Almost on reflex, he scrambled to his feet and rushed in front of her, waving both hands.

“Liguang! You can see me now? You really can see me?!”

He was so excited he could barely contain himself!

“Wifey, you’re amazing! I knew you could do it…!”

But the words caught in his throat.

Because his hand passed straight through her body again.

And Liguang’s gaze wasn’t on him.

Her eyes were still unfocused, staring at the spot where he had been before.

Huh?

Fang Qi stood there in a daze for several seconds…

Then he finally understood.

…She had seen him, but only for that single instant.

Now she couldn’t see him again?

He took a deep breath.

It was… it was still a good thing!

At least there had been progress, hadn’t there?!

It was just that…

Fang Qi instinctively glanced at his hand.

But she already knew.

She had seen his hand?

“No… No…!!!”

The silver-haired girl scrambled toward him on her hands and knees!

Fang Qi instinctively opened his arms to catch her—

But her body passed straight through his embrace, and she crashed heavily onto the wooden boards!

She didn’t care in the slightest. She lay on the floor, raised her head…

Her eyes locked desperately onto some point in empty space, and she began shaking her head frantically.

“No… That’s not true… Master…”

“That wasn’t real… Liguang must have seen it wrong. She must have…”

Her gaze collided with the words carved all over the walls.

Her entire body shuddered violently!

Seeing Liguang trembling from head to toe, Fang Qi’s heart clenched!

Damn it, his wifey was blaming herself again!

He had expected this, but still…

“No, wait, Liguang! Don’t—!”

But why couldn’t she see him again?!

And she couldn’t hear him at all!

How was he supposed to comfort her like this?!

He had no time to think. He immediately threw himself in front of her!

Using the one broken finger he could still move, he pressed it against the wooden plank and began carving.

It’s fine!

He would carve…

“Don’t worry, Liguang. It doesn’t hurt. This is nothing compared to when you bite my neck!”

“As for you, how did you suddenly see me? Can you see me now?”

First, calm her down. Then, use the fact that she had seen him to change the subject!

Given her personality, as long as she started thinking about “Master isn’t in pain” and “I can see Master,” her emotions would stabilize!

But just as he carved four characters—

【It’s fine, Liguang…】

The silver-haired girl suddenly lunged at him.

“Master, stop carving!!!! Stop!!!!”

She passed straight through his arm and slammed onto the floor!

Her hands clawed wildly at the ground, trying to cover the line of writing!

But her fingers passed straight through the marks, unable to touch a thing.

She tried covering the floor instead, then clawed at the words, her fingernails scraping against the wood with a harsh squeal.

“Stop carving! Stop carving!!”

She collapsed in front of him, pounding her forehead against the wooden boards again and again. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Stop… Please, stop…! I’m begging you, Master…!”

He could keep carving.

Liguang couldn’t touch him, and she couldn’t stop him…

But his finger still froze in midair.

Liguang, I…!

…

…

The little wooden cabin was terrifyingly quiet.

The sea breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, and the raft swayed gently beneath them.

The silver-haired girl knelt in the middle of the cabin, surrounded by words carved everywhere. Her head was lowered, her silver hair hiding most of her face.

She didn’t speak. She simply knelt there, utterly motionless.

She was still looking at the words.

The words that covered the walls, the floor, the doorframe, and the beams.

Those crooked, clumsy characters that belonged to her master.

She remembered how she had once complained:

“Master, you carve so slowly~”

She had even acted spoiled:

“Master, hurry up! Liguang wants to hear a few more things!”

She remembered how, when she danced and laughed, she had asked her master to…

“Carve a few more compliments for Liguang!”

Back then, she had thought Master was using seashells.

She had thought those crooked strokes were simply the result of him being bad at carving.

But it turned out that every time Master answered her…

He had used his fingers to carve into the wood?

He hadn’t used shells. He hadn’t used any tools.

Just his fingers.

One finger, two fingers, all ten.

Every stroke had hurt. Every stroke had drawn blood.

And she…

She had actually complained that he was too slow?!

She had actually urged him to hurry?!

She had even, while he was carving…

laughed so happily?

And then…

Master had really “improved” his method of carving.

He had broken his own fingers.

For Liguang, he had…

broken… his… own… finger!

Did using the broken joint to carve make it hurt any less?

So that was why he had carved so quickly, so smoothly, answering every request of hers without fail.

Every prompt reply had been…

paid for with a shattered finger?!

Ah…

Ah…!

What had she forced Master to do?!

Liguang’s breathing grew faster and faster, and her vision filled with a dense web of blood vessels!

She suddenly bent forward.

Bang!

She slammed her head against the floor!

Her forehead pressed against the line of words Master had just carved, her hair hiding her face.

She regretted it so much…!

She was falling apart…!

She wanted to die…!

She was so…!

She was so happy!!!

That was right. What she wanted to hide…

Was the smile she couldn’t keep from spreading across her lips!!

But how could she smile?!

Master had broken his own finger so he could communicate with her, and had even lied that he was using seashells so she wouldn’t worry…

How could she feel happy?!

How could she, because of the fact that “Master hurt himself for me”…

feel… happy?!

No!

She couldn’t think that way!

She shouldn’t think that way!

She couldn’t!!

And yet…

Her chest felt so hot!

It was so hot it made her whole body tremble!

Master… was writing her a love letter in blood?

He had carved every single “good morning” and “good night” into the wooden board…?!

To make her feel at ease, he had even…

Used a severed finger as a pen!

In this world, who else could receive such love?

Who else could be loved the way she was?!

No one!!

Only her!!

Heehee… heeheehee…!

Look, Liguang!

Master ruined himself for you!

Master loves you so much!

He really, really loves you!

Every drop of his blood was shed for you!

Every one of his fingers was severed for you!

The worse it hurts, the more it proves he can’t live without you!

Look quickly!

Look!!!

Heehee, heeheehee—

“Smack!!!”

She suddenly lifted her head and viciously slapped herself across the face!

Her cheek burned with pain!

But it wasn’t enough!

“Smack!”

Another slap!

“Smack!”

A third!

She showed no mercy, each blow snapping her face to the side!

…She couldn’t laugh…!

She couldn’t let Master see her smile!

She absolutely couldn’t let him know that something like this could actually make her excited!

She felt like she deserved to go to hell!

Words began to appear frantically across the ground!

[Stop!]

[Stop it!]

[Liguang!!!]

[I’m fine! Stop now!]

The final few words had been carved so deeply and hurriedly that they looked as though they might pierce straight through the wooden board!

When Liguang saw those words, the corners of her mouth began to tremble!

She covered her face and slowly lowered her head. Her cheek was swollen and red, clear fingerprints stamped across it, with a thin trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

She asked in a trembling voice:

“Master… does it hurt?”

The words immediately appeared through the carving:

[It doesn’t hurt!]

The trembling at the corners of Liguang’s mouth still hadn’t stopped. She closed her eyes, her lashes quivering.

“You’re lying.”

“Liguang saw it just now… your fingers…”

“They’re completely ruined… You’ll die…”

[It really doesn’t hurt. I have a secret!]

[If I can’t communicate with Liguang, that’s when I’ll die!]

Liguang’s eyes flew wide open.

Hee…

Ugh…

Master…!

Liguang felt her head grow hot. The corners of her mouth trembled wildly, and she really couldn’t hold it back any longer!

“…What secret?!”

She suddenly raised her head and screamed through her sobs:

“What secret could make it not hurt, Master?! Are you stupid…?!”

She shouted herself hoarse!

But before she could finish, new words were already being carved into the floor:

[Don’t do this!]

[If you do this, I’ll die of heartache!]

Liguang stared blankly at those words.

The sea breeze stopped.

The wind chimes fell silent.

In the entire world, there was only the frantic pounding of her heart.

Ah…

Ah…!

She slowly raised her head and tremulously looked toward the place where Master might be.

The corners of her mouth finally…

Uncontrollably, little by little, curved upward!

At the same time, trembling faintly, she raised her left hand and extended that…

Delicate, pale index finger.

She stared dazedly in Master’s direction, her lips quivering.

“Master, look. This… is Liguang’s finger.”

“And now…”

Her right hand closed tightly around the index finger of her left.

Words were instantly carved into the ground!

[Wait, stop! Liguang, what are you—!]

“Crack!!!”

A crisp snap rang out!

The finger broke!

The silver-haired girl’s entire body convulsed violently!

Pain darkened her vision, and she nearly fainted!

Cold sweat the size of beans rolled down from her temple, mingling with her tears!

But…

The corners of her mouth curved even higher!

She lifted the finger that now hung limply… and held it toward the place where Master might be.

The sea breeze swept past, ruffling her disheveled silver hair…

Revealing the feverish look in her eyes!

She spoke in a trembling voice. Every word shook, yet every word was filled with force:

“Now Liguang is the same as Master…!”

Words appeared rapidly across the ground:

[Liguang, you…!]

The words that followed trembled, unable to be carved.

Liguang didn’t look at them again.

She lowered her head and stared at her finger, hanging limply and throbbing with pain…

She was smiling so happily.

Her finger was the same as Master’s!

How wonderful. Truly…!

Hmm?

The smile at the corners of her mouth suddenly froze.

Because from that broken finger, a tiny glow of ghostly blue light…

Was slowly seeping from the fracture, like beads of blue blood.

Huh?

She slowly widened her eyes.

In that instant, she felt it clearly.

She felt a door within her, one that had been locked shut for so long…

Open a crack with a click.

Ah…

Ah!

Her eyes trembled!

So that was how it was.

So… that was it!!

Liguang suddenly raised her head and looked toward the place where Master might be!

In her pupils, ghostly blue and crimson light erupted at the same time!

“Master…!”

She murmured, her voice trembling with uncontrollable ecstasy!!

“Liguang thinks she may have…”

“Found…the…way…!!”

Master…!!!