Heavenly Illusions

Xai Lin didn’t speak for a moment; she was deep in thought on how to proceed from here.

Seeing that Xai Lin remained silent, An Mo didn’t speak any further. He just silently accompanied her while brushing off the dust on her clothes.

However, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his brows were locked so close they almost merged. His entire monkey face was doing its best to express how aggrieved he was at the moment.

Even though Xai Lin repeatedly said she was fine, and that she might not have died if the attack had succeeded, he just couldn’t help it. The fear and helplessness of witnessing her being stabbed wouldn’t leave him be—they clung to his heart and began to fester like a malignant tumor.

It was the first time An Mo had felt this way, so he didn’t know how to deal with these emotions for the time being. He only knew how to sulk, and act aggrieved, hoping Xai Lin would continue to comfort him.

Unfortunately, Xai Lin was too deep in thought and didn’t sense the increasingly aggrieved monkey boy behind him. An Mo also didn’t speak up, remaining silent while brushing away the dust and blood that had already been cleaned by the small runes on the robes.

An Mo, upon seeing this, realized his actions were extremely redundant. These robes were a type of protective Spirit Treasure that not only accommodated their transformation and had an automatic cleaning function, but it could also repair itself.

An Mo looked at where Xai Lin was stabbed and saw that the robes were already repaired, looking brand-new. Thinking about his folded wings behind his back, he figured the tear they made should heal after they disappear.

But upon thinking this, and looking back on Xai Lin’s repaired robes, for some reason, An Mo became even more aggrieved, with tears welling up in his eyes and blurring his vision.

Everything suddenly went back to how it was before.

Was he the only one who still cared that Xai Lin could have died just now? Was he being too childish and needlessly worrying over this?

An Mo’s eyelids drooped as he lowered his head in dejection.

At this moment, Xai Lin came out of her thoughts and finally sensed the gloomy aura the person behind her was emanating.

Turning her head slightly, she saw An Mo with his head down, looking like a wilted sunflower.

Xai Lin momentarily forgot about the matter of dealing with Sikong and turned her full attention to An Mo.

After thinking for a moment on how to comfort this emotional kid, she took An Mo’s right hand while asking.

“Has your wound already healed?”

An Mo froze when Xai Lin took his hand, and hearing her question, he glanced up to see that she was looking at his hand with a concern expression. He quickly lowered his head and responded softly.

“Hm...”

Holding An Mo’s hand, Xai Lin rubbed the spot where Sikong’s sword had pierced. The skin was still soft and smooth like how she preferred it. However, the dried golden blood on the back of his hand was a bit of an eyesore.

With a wave of her hand, she used her Spiritual Qi to clean the blood off. Afterward, she stroked the now clean bright orange fur on the back of An Mo’s hand.

“Did it hurt?”

The fingers of An Mo’s other hand by his side curled slightly, before he shook his head and responded.

“No, it’s just a small wound compared to yours.”

Xai Lin could detect a hint of grievance in those words, and she almost couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Looking at An Mo, who still had his head lowered, she wondered how this brat had become so attached to her.

Squeezing his hand, Xai Lin chuckled and said.

“Alright, alright, stop sulking. I’m sorry for dismissing your concern, okay? I’ll be more careful not to get hurt in the future and worry you. I promise.”

The grievance An Mo was feeling had already lessen by ninety percent the moment Xai Lin grabbed his hand, and hearing her words now, the gloom in his heart was finally washed away completely.

Suddenly, An Mo reached out and hugged Xai Lin tightly. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and rubbed it a few times.

“Xai Lin...”

“Hm?”

“Xai Lin...”

“I’m here.”

“Xai-xai...”

“What’s up?”

An Mo called Xai Lin’s name repeatedly, and Xai Lin answered each time, not feeling the slightest bit impatient.

An Mo tightened his arms around Xai Lin and whispered in the crook of her neck.

“I—I’ve been alone ever since I was born. For the first six years, I roamed the Low-level Dimension looking for my parents, thinking I might have been separated from them temporarily. But no matter how long or how far I looked, I couldn’t find them. It wasn’t until I turned ten years old that I finally gave up. During that time, every Demonic Beast and Spirit Beast I encounter would run away before I could ask them for help. Even the beast younglings would avoid me, unwilling to play with me...”

Xai Lin rested her chin on An Mo’s shoulder and gently patted his back.

“For the next few years, I would conceal my presence and sneak into the Mid-level Dimension. Those older senior brothers and sisters would also avoid me, but there were times when they would say a few words to me, or even...”

Upon reaching here, An Mo suddenly blushed.

“I-I was even teased by those shameless Spirit Fox older sisters when I first transformed into my human form. However...”

An Mo paused, his mood doing a complete one eighty as he continued.

“Last month I tried to enter the High-level Dimension but before I could even pass through the spatial barrier, I was kicked out. Not only that, but I was trapped in this Low-level Dimension, unable to leave. If you hadn’t showed up, I don’t think I’d ever be able to leave or even have someone to talk to...”

An Mo’s arms tighten even further.

After a moment of silence, An Mo spoke, his breath tickling Xai Lin’s neck.

“Xai-xai...”

“Hm?”

An Mo went silent again, and just when Xai Lin thought he wouldn’t speak, he spoke, his voice trembling.

“Xiao Xai, don’t leave me alone, okay? I could have endure the darkness if I hadn’t seen the sun... but now that you’re here, you can’t abandon me.”

Xai Lin stayed silent for a few seconds before she smiled, and said.

“Alright, I understand. Let’s always be together from now on. Til death do us part.”

An Mo froze.

“I—That...”

An Mo couldn’t help being knocked out of his emotional state by Xai Lin’s words and becoming a bit flustered.