Chapter 614

Staring into the nothingness before him, Fang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see farther.

But the void was too deep. He couldn’t see even the slightest thing within it.

This scene really was familiar…

He narrowed his eyes and thought.

Was it at that underground research facility? After the rules had fallen into chaos, the entire world had been wrapped in darkness just like this.

When the rules had collapsed, blue fragments of light had flickered through the darkness as well…

It really did look similar.

He turned to look at Liguang.

The silver-haired girl was staring blankly outside.

She sat at the front of the little raft, the wooden oar lying across her knees, but both hands were clenched tightly around it!

Fang Qi’s eyelid twitched.

Her silver hair hid her eyes, so he couldn’t see her expression…

Her arms were taut, and it looked as though she might snap the oar in half with sheer force!

…Hm?

He quickly bent down and carved some words into the raft:

[What’s wrong, Liguang? Did you discover something?!]

He carved the words quickly!

Liguang instinctively looked at them, then seemed to wake up with a start. Her whole body shuddered violently.

“Ah!”

She stared blankly at Fang Qi’s words, then suddenly shook her head.

Biting her lip, she put on a smile.

“No, Master. It’s just that… I remembered what happened before!”

“Liguang was just thinking…”

She bit her lip again and muttered softly:

“Last time, Master and Liguang were surrounded by this same kind of void at the underground research facility…”

Fang Qi blinked, then smiled and immediately carved:

[That’s right. I thought of it too!]

[Come to think of it… wasn’t it there that you learned to control the rules and created this world?]

[It’s perfectly normal for this place to look a little similar!]

Liguang looked at the words he had carved, and her eyes curved into crescents…

“Mm.”

She gave a soft hum, then turned her head and gazed toward the pitch-black void once more.

Her amber and crimson eyes both went vacant again.

Fang Qi carved another message:

[Liguang?]

Liguang pulled her gaze back and pursed her lips.

“It’s nothing, Master. Liguang just realized…”

She looked a little dejected.

“Liguang seems unable to do anything at all.”

Ah…

Fang Qi carved:

[It’s all right! How could you find a way so quickly?]

“…Mm!”

On the way back, Liguang seemed to row harder than she had on the way there.

The little raft cut through the glittering sea, heading toward the offshore platform.

Sitting opposite her, Fang Qi watched her the entire time.

And Liguang…

She kept secretly turning her head to look at the void as it grew farther and farther away.

Fang Qi also looked toward it.

Now that they were farther away, it had once again become a seamless meeting of sea and sky.

It seemed… Liguang wanted to start by attacking the edge of the world?

…

…

By the time they returned to the offshore platform, it was already late. The setting sun had burned half the sky a dark crimson.

Liguang dragged the dismantled raft back onto the platform and worked hard to put it back in place.

Her movements were a little clumsy, and she nearly tripped over the oar several times…

Fang Qi couldn’t help thinking she was adorable!

She didn’t remain discouraged for long because of what had happened earlier. Instead…

“Master, let’s fish! Liguang’s hungry!”

And she really did go fishing.

She sat at the edge of the platform, her two pale legs dangling and swinging outside the deck. With her chin propped in her hands, she stared at the surface of the sea with the corners of her lips raised…

She looked completely back to normal!

As for Fang Qi, he simply sat beside her and kept her company.

[Will you catch anything this time?]

“Of course I will!”

This time, Liguang’s luck was indeed pretty good. Before the sky grew completely dark, she caught a fish about the size of her palm.

Holding the fish in her little hands, she smiled in Fang Qi’s direction until her eyes curved into crescents.

“Master! Dinner’s here!”

Then she scampered into the wooden house and seriously set about preparing a meal!

This time, it was fish soup.

The soup had been simmered until it was a rich, milky white, and its fragrance drifted out of the little wooden house.

Fang Qi leaned against the doorway, watching her busy back and breathing in the aroma…

He took a deep breath!

…This was simply unbearable!

He really had to take escaping more seriously, just like Liguang did!

If only for the sake of his taste buds!

“Master, have some first. Ah~”

Liguang held out a bowl toward him!

Fang Qi: “…”

Liguang giggled again, pulled the bowl back, and lowered her head to take small sips herself.

Fang Qi sat across from her, resting his chin in his hands as he watched her.

…She was eating especially slowly today.

So slowly that Fang Qi stared blankly at her for a long time, yet she still hadn’t finished that bowl.

After eating, she sat there staring at the empty bowl in front of her for a while longer.

“Master.”

She suddenly stood up and looked seriously in the direction of Fang Qi.

“Liguang will dance another dance for Master!”

Fang Qi hadn’t even had time to carve a reply before she had already pattered over to the center of the deck and lifted the hem of her swimsuit skirt in a formal bow.

Starlight was scattered across the surface of the sea.

Fang Qi was slightly dazed.

Liguang took a gentle breath, then rose onto her toes and began to spin.

Her silver hair fanned out in the night breeze.

However…

Fang Qi pressed his lips together in amusement.

Her dancing was even clumsier than before. Her steps were a little disorderly, and several times she nearly tripped over her own feet!

But when it was his own wife dancing, she was beautiful no matter what!

Fang Qi kept carving circles and the character “good.”

As she danced, her breathing grew heavier and heavier, and sweat clearly began to bead on her forehead!

Fang Qi finally couldn’t help himself and carved:

[You’re tired, aren’t you? Hurry and take a break!]

Liguang saw it.

She stopped, bent over, and braced both hands against her knees as she gasped for breath!

“Master… Liguang… Liguang’s stamina is so poor…”

She panted, her voice carrying a hint of grievance.

“I only danced for a little while, but I’m already this tired… Liguang is so useless…”

There she went again!

Fang Qi immediately carved sternly:

[Who wouldn’t be tired after dancing like that?!]

[You danced beautifully!]

[And besides, you’re not allowed to say that you’re useless anymore!]

The silver-haired girl’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

…

Inside the wooden house, the small bed was covered with the woven blanket.

Tonight, Liguang had said that she wanted to sleep in the bed.

Fang Qi watched as she lay down and pulled the blanket up to her chin, leaving only a little silver-haired head exposed.

He sat by the bed and watched over her, just as he had on every night before.

“Master.”

She suddenly asked softly, looking in his direction, though her eyes still weren’t focused on his face.

“We’re like this every day.”

“If… if every day in the future were like this too, would Master be willing?”

Her eyelashes trembled.

Fang Qi immediately carved:

[Of course! As long as I’m with Liguang, that’s all that matters!]

Liguang’s phoenix eyes became slightly distant before she pursed her lips.

“Then… will Master always like Liguang this way?”

She murmured:

“Even if Liguang becomes stupid, becomes less capable, and can’t even dance anymore…”

Fang Qi carved again:

[Master likes you just the way you are—even when you’re being silly.]

“Really?”

[Really. Silly is cute.]

[Look at me. I’m a fool too, aren’t I? A fool paired with a fool is just perfect.]

Liguang stared at the words, her eyes curving into crescents and the corners of her mouth lifting high.

She buried her face a little deeper into the blanket and spoke in a muffled voice:

“Master really is a big fool.”

Fang Qi: “…”

Fine, fine! Fool, fool, fool!

She was silent for a moment, then spoke again:

“Master, when did you… start liking Liguang?”

Fang Qi froze for a moment.

He had never really thought about it.

Was it when she destroyed her own core in that wooden cabin and placed the pale-blue crystal in his palm?

Or earlier, when he gave her the star keychain at the amusement park?

Or perhaps…

Before he crossed over, when he had been drooling over Liguang on the screen?

After hesitating for a long while, he finally carved:

【Maybe I fell for you at first sight.】

Liguang glanced at the words, then looked in his direction without saying anything.

Fang Qi scratched his head and continued carving:

【Even back then, I thought this silver-haired, heterochromatic-eyed girl was really beautiful!】

【Even though she was about to poke my eye out the very next second, I still thought she was adorable!】

“...Pfft!”

Liguang couldn’t hold back her laughter. She pulled the blanket higher, hiding the corners of her lips as they curled upward.

“Master, Liguang feels the same…”

Her voice was muffled beneath the blanket.

“From the very first moment, Liguang only wanted to be with Master forever…”

The sea breeze slipped in through the crack in the window.

Fang Qi lay sprawled beside the bed, staring blankly at the half of her face that was exposed.

...Seriously, why does she keep saying things that make people’s hearts race?

...I really want to hug her.

Unfortunately, it would still be a while. Not yet…

...Hm?

A flash of crimson appeared in his vision.

Fang Qi blinked.

...Liguang?

He immediately focused on the silver-haired girl in the bed, and then…

His gaze froze.

That pretty little face of hers… was so pale.

...No, that wasn’t right!

His pupils contracted!

She was far too pale. This was no longer just the pallor of exhaustion!

Fang Qi abruptly straightened up and stared fixedly at Liguang’s face!

Only then did he notice that the silver-haired girl’s lips had gone white, completely drained of color!

Her phoenix eyes were half-open, but her pupils seemed unfocused…?

Wait—what was happening to Liguang?!

Suddenly, the tip of his nose caught a faint scent.

A sweet, metallic smell was wafting through the gap in the blanket…

Strand by strand…

Was that… the smell of blood?

Huh?

Fang Qi stared blankly at the silver-haired girl in the bed.

His gaze slowly moved from her pale face to the blanket covering her body.

The moonlight was dim, so dim that the smear of red was almost impossible to see.

Only then did Fang Qi realize…

That flash of crimson hadn’t come from her red eyes.

It was the blanket!

The crimson was slowly seeping out from beneath the blanket at her neck, spreading inch by inch!

And on the floor beside the bed…

He slowly lowered his head.

A small patch of thick, crimson liquid glistened faintly in the moonlight as it spread across the floor.

...?

For a moment, he was stunned.

...What?

What did this mean?

What?!

Wait…!

“Liguang?!”

He shot to his feet and stared at the silver-haired girl on the bed, shouting in panic!

Only after standing did he see the shell knife lying on the other side of her pillow.

Its edge was still stained with dark-red blood!

His eyes instantly widened!

No… Liguang, you…?!

He lunged toward the bed, reaching out to pull back the blanket!

But his hand passed straight through it, grasping nothing but empty air!

He couldn’t touch anything!!

The bloodstained blanket was right before his eyes, yet he couldn’t even muster the strength to lift it!

All he could do was watch as the red stain grew darker and larger, his body trembling violently.

“Li!! Guang!!”

His teeth were chattering, and his head felt as though it were stuffed with cotton!

But Liguang couldn’t hear him!

He immediately took his broken finger and frantically carved into the wooden board beside her pillow.

【Why?! Why did you do this?!】

【Liguang! Answer me!!!】

Wood shavings flew everywhere!

And Liguang…

She finally moved.

With great effort, she turned her head toward the pillow. She struggled to focus her sluggish gaze on the lines of carved words…

Then…

“Heh heh…”

She suddenly laughed, the sound so faint it was barely audible.

“...Master still… found out…”

Her voice was as weak as a thread…!

“Liguang originally…”

“Wanted to… quietly say goodbye to Master… just like this…”

Fang Qi stared at her, his mind going completely blank.

Blood had already stained her fair neck red, soaking into her silver hair.

...He should have been used to death by now.

He should have been used to death!

But this had happened far too suddenly?!

Why?!

Only moments ago… hadn’t they been talking and laughing so happily?!

He reached out, wanting to press his hand over her wound!

...But his hand could only pass through her body!

All he could do was watch helplessly as the blood continued to flow, drop by drop!

No…!!

Liguang, you…?!