Asura

Capítulo 18

I withdrew my hand in horror, staring incredulously at the spot I had just touched—a pair of slender feet had appeared on the stone floor at some point, wearing exquisite red embroidered shoes. However, as I looked up along the beautifully shaped ankles, the fair legs seemed to melt away and gradually disappeared into the air. All that remained in front of me was a lonely pair of feet!

"Where did you come from? You're quite impressive, maintaining your original form even now. With a little more effort, you might even be able to ride on the palanquin!" With an envious tone, those feet slowly moved towards me, my legs already trembling with fear. I don't know how awkwardly I managed to escape several steps away. Before I could even regain my footing, a complaining voice sounded behind me: "Ouch, you bumped into me! Are your eyes just for show?"

I quickly turned around, and in that instant, my vision seemed to ripple like water at the bottom of a lake—was it already this dark? When did the narrow beach beside me transform into a wide plaza, filled with so many night market stalls? Strings of red lanterns lit up, illuminating the fluttering, colorful banners. In the darkness, the silhouettes of people dressed in various brocade garments gradually appeared, becoming clearer, and the streets slowly became crowded; children, carrying lanterns and holding windmills, ran around joyfully; roadside stalls, some filled with colorful goods, others wafting the aroma of food, the stall owners enthusiastically calling out to attract customers; the faint sound of stringed instruments drifted from somewhere on the wind, echoing a huge roar coming from the deep darkness at the end of the night market plaza…

This scene... isn't this the night market I saw in my afternoon dream? It's actually appeared!

"Why are you ignoring me? You smell so nice. How about we go together?" A pretty young girl with her hair in a bun walked towards me. She was wearing a red short jacket, and her fair legs highlighted her exquisite embroidered shoes. Those bright red embroidered shoes!

I shook my head and backed away, then turned and ran desperately into the darkness.

The feeling of leaves brushing against my face told me I had run into the woods; the sounds of people and music could still be faintly heard. Making sure no one was following, I, exhausted, perched on a tree, looking up at the silhouette of the full moon peeking through the sparse canopy—if I could see that person, everything would be alright, wouldn't it? But even though I was in a place from a dream, why couldn't I see the person from my dream?

“Fifteenth night…” I looked at the full moon and tentatively called out the name in a low voice.

"Huh?" A surprised voice rang out as I spoke, coming from behind the tree! Startled, I turned around quickly, and the bright moonlight revealed a long shadow that stretched all the way to my feet. I wondered how long this person had been there silently!

I was so scared my hair stood on end. I held onto the tree trunk for support to avoid falling. The person looked me up and down for a while, his voice filled with surprise: "It really is you. So you're a girl!" Could it be... that this person has seen me before?

Regardless, I won't talk to anyone, and I won't eat anything! I firmly adhered to Leo's advice. And that person probably laughed, because I saw his white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. These overly white and even teeth made his smile not reassuring, but rather exuding a cruel, beast-like quality. However, his voice was still gentle: "You don't recognize me? I'm Po! Po who was with Jujuya!"

Abao? I murmured the unremarkable name, then looked up to see his face: this boy, about my age, had broad shoulders and appeared very honest and steady, while his gentle eyes softened his overall rugged demeanor. I couldn't help but sigh: when they were little, Abao was the tallest among Shiwuye and his friends, and now he's grown into a complete adult!

Just as I was about to express my feelings, I suddenly realized something was wrong—there was no way I could possibly know Ah Bao! Because I had never seen him anywhere, I had never been to this island, I had never been to this night market, all of this had only existed in my dreams!

"Why didn't you go to the night market? Why did you come here?" Seeing that I didn't answer, Abao changed the subject. I stared at him quietly without replying. He shyly showed his white teeth again: "I can't go! I only went when I was little because Shiwuye desperately tried to pull me away. I have to stay here until Xiaohao comes to pick me up!"

When he mentioned the name "Xiao Hao," A Bao's sharp expression suddenly softened and became reassuring. He tilted his head slightly, a cute gesture that should have been completely out of character for his appearance, but he did it perfectly: "Xiao Hao is the one who left me here; he is my master."

"Master... isn't that a bit too much?" I stared at Abao in surprise, but he spoke as if it were nothing. "Xiao Hao has always been so weak. No one cares for him, and he's always bullied... Although he could hold me in his arms at first, I quickly grew taller than him! Everyone says Xiao Hao is a useless guy, but when I was about to freeze to death, he carried me home; when I was starving, he gave me food; when others threw stones at me, he protected me. So... I absolutely won't allow anyone to bully Xiao Hao... Even if the whole village wants to drive me away, even if they want to kill me, I don't care. I will protect Xiao Hao in my own way!" At this point, Abao suddenly took a deep breath, as if trying to control his emotions that were about to break free. He slowly sat down, shaking his head with a touch of melancholy. "But I don't know how Xiao Hao is now... I have to stay here—Xiao Hao told me to wait here, he'll come to pick me up soon..."

Looking at A Bao's striking profile, I began to understand—he had been imprisoned here all along. Perhaps a powerful person could temporarily take him away, but only he himself could truly free him, because he was bound by his own obsession with "waiting"!

“But Xiao Hao never came.” A Bao lowered his head, his voice trembling, his broad shoulders appearing lonely and helpless. “I’ve forgotten how long I’ve been waiting. Maybe I’m already dead… The villagers all say I’m a dangerous guy, that if Xiao Hao stays with me, they’ll kick us all out of the village. I only need Xiao Hao, and I used to think he felt the same way… But for him, whether no one cares for him or he’s bullied, it’s always his fellow human beings who are more important… I understood what he meant when Xiao Hao brought me to the island. He could have just sent me away; there was no need for him to lie and say he would come to pick me up…”

Seeing that Abao, who was usually someone to lean on, seemed to be leaning on something, I couldn't help but want to go over and comfort him, but I couldn't say a word. However, Abao suddenly raised his head, looked at me meaningfully, and had a knowing detachment in his eyes: "Actually, I already knew—although you have a scent that I really like, you are actually human, just like Xiaohao!"

In an instant, I took a step back in horror, because at that moment, a dark green flame flickered in A Bao's eyes!

"I won't kill you! Because you're Izayoi's friend!" Seeing my fear, Abao smiled faintly and closed his eyes. "However, I can never forgive humans, so please never appear before me again!"

His tone was calm, yet his words were so resolute. Indeed, A Bao had reason to hate—betrayed cruelly by the person he trusted most, lost in the face of life and death, yet still bound by obsession, unable to go where he should, only able to wait day after day for someone who may have already forgotten him. I don't know how to face A Bao like this.

"Don't go that way!" came Abao's fierce roar from behind. I was startled and quickly changed direction, taking a few steps back. When I turned around to check Abao's attitude, he had already disappeared from under the tree. I frowned: Isn't that a bit too domineering? He can't take his anger out on everyone just because of Xiao Hao. Did I get in his way?

As I was lost in thought, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my ankle. I quickly bent down, and by the moonlight, I saw that I was standing on an old, moss-covered stone path. Small, thorny hops were growing wildly along the path, spreading into the center; in the darkness, they could easily be mistaken for stones if you weren't looking closely! It was one of those hops that had accidentally cut my ankle.

Among the layers upon layers of hops, there was only a narrow stone path... If I hadn't changed direction just now, I would have suffered terribly barefoot! Could it be... that Abao yelled at me so fiercely not because he hated humans and turned ruthless, but because he knew there were hops there, and he knew that I, as a human, could never get through that patch of thorny grass!

Why didn't I notice? I didn't realize that Ah Bao was so foolish—knowing he was being deceived, abandoned by someone, and destined to die in loneliness and with promises that would never be kept, he still waited! Even after being betrayed by humanity in the cruelest way, he stubbornly clung to an almost obsessive wait!

—Saying he can never forgive humans, Po is such a hypocrite!

I turned around and ran along the stone path towards the tree that was now deserted—there were some things I needed to tell Abao!

"I warned you not to show your face in front of me again!" I was greeted by A Bao's cold voice. Before I could even regain my footing, an unimaginable force slammed me against a tree trunk, accompanied by a chilling roar. Two rows of gleaming white blades stopped before my eyes—the fangs of a wild beast!

It was a powerful wolfhound, of unknown bloodline, with an exceptionally large size; perhaps it was even a wolf! As I watched its sharp canine teeth fall before me, I reflexively reached out to block them. The excruciating pain of the teeth piercing my wrist almost made me lose my senses for a moment. Strangely, although the pain was so intense that I couldn't think straight, not a single drop of blood splattered from the wound.

—It's a dog spirit! A spirit that emerged from a dog that died with intense obsession! Unlike other undead spirits that completely abandon everything from their past life once they die, dogs remember and even protect their masters even after death. That's why dog spirits are revered as "gods"! Although its attacks don't cause physical harm, the mental impact is fatal!

I knew this dog god was Po, because I recognized his gentle eyes—eyes that, even after being ruthlessly betrayed, still hoped to trust humans! Even now, those eyes were stained with hatred…

As the sharp teeth came crashing down towards my throat again, I desperately reached out and wrapped my arms tightly around the wolfhound's neck. Unable to speak, I could only convey my feelings in this way—selfish, cruel, cunning, deceitful, humans are indeed like this! But that's not all!

If there were only selfishness and cruelty, how could Abao have regarded Xiaohao, a human being, as the most important part of his life, his only concern from birth to death? Was Xiaohao's so-called lie, "I'll come back for you," merely a deception? He must have harbored that hope too! Knowing it was a final farewell, yet still earnestly speaking of an impossible dream, Xiaohao must have endured unimaginable torment!

How can only one person cherish the days when two people are together? How can only one person feel sad when two people part ways?

It's just that they can't communicate, they just don't know how to communicate—humans think they are the smartest, so they have to consider everything carefully. As a result, humans have more constraints, which prevent them from communicating their true feelings!

Clinging tightly to the wolfhound's neck, covered in coarse, short fur, enduring the excruciating pain of its sharp teeth piercing my shoulder and neck, I thought I might be torn to shreds by the enraged dog god. But if only I could share the pain he had endured all these years. I only hoped to let Po understand the true feelings of humans—even just a little bit. I wanted Po to understand the feelings of humans, so small and pitiful, yet so self-righteous…

A dizzying darkness descended amidst the sound of willpower collapsing to its breaking point...

My body felt weightless, as if a small boat was sailing on the wind. Was this the route to the other world? Was I really going to perish on this strange little island? No way! If I really became a person of the other world, Icefin would definitely laugh at me for being a complete fool!

The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I frantically opened my eyes—was it too late? I felt like I was... in a glowing white cloud...

Looking closer, I saw vast fields of white evening primroses with plump, cross-shaped petals! Not the common yellow evening primrose of the same species, but truly pure white evening primroses! Half-drunk, half-awake, I gazed at the hazy full moon reflected among the scattered petals…

I could no longer feel the excruciating pain from my wounds; all that remained was the soft, feather-like touch of petals shimmering with a soft, luminous white light. This must be Heaven's Garden! The best proof was that beside me, a weeping angel stood!

Just by focusing intently on crying, this girl had already captured my entire heart! She was truly a rare beauty who seemed perfectly suited to a sorrowful expression; the alluring figure she revealed in the instant she lowered her gaze felt strangely familiar…

So it's Yize! She was beautiful and shy even when she was little. I haven't seen her in so long, and she's become even more beautiful! I wonder if she's gotten rid of that habit of blushing so easily... I couldn't help but sigh.

I no longer had the energy to delve into how I knew the name and personality of this girl I could never have met. Everything in my dream began to come true one after another—Abao appeared, Yize appeared, and then came the Fifteenth Night…

I squinted, gazing at Yi Ze's exquisite profile. So close to me, her head was slightly tilted to one side, her long silver hair cascading down one shoulder, flowing through her white, misty dress, trailing into the flowerbed like a cool, radiant waterfall, reflecting the tears that streamed from her deep, moon-like eyes. I couldn't help but reach out to catch those falling tears; the transparent droplets released a lonely, delicate fragrance onto my fingertips…

Unlike the cheerful and bright scent of Jujutsu, the fragrance of Yize's tears gave one a cool and lonely sweetness, as if under some kind of spell. Before I knew it, I had already brought the tears to my lips...

Startled by my movement, Yize hurriedly raised her eyes, not wiping away her tears. In a slightly hoarse voice, she said coldly, "You're awake... When Abao carried you over, I thought you were beyond saving!"

Did Abao carry me here? That's great! He can leave that tree on his own now! From now on, he can go to any faraway place without any problem, because he has finally freed himself from the obsession of waiting!

"..." I was about to say "Great!" when I quickly covered my mouth with my hand—Abao brought me here, which means I'm still alive, and still on this strange Sunken Camp Island! I glanced at Yize suspiciously, then raised my hand to check the wound from the dog god's bite. I moved my aggrieved shoulder and neck, and sure enough, it was fine. There wasn't a trace of pain, not even a hint of feeling. But my situation was still very strange!

—If you listen carefully, you can still hear the distant sounds of the ocean waves and music; the incredible festival on the island is not yet over. Therefore, the Lion's advice should still hold true—do not speak to anyone, do not eat anything!

But... I accidentally ate Yize's tears! However, it's not food, and there was only a tiny bit, so it should be okay, right...?

"You've come to see Jujutsu, haven't you..." Hiding her tears with her sleeve, Yi Ze asked calmly, "You're actually a girl? I remember you used to be a boy?"

Was I a boy before? This strange argument made me look at that pretty face with suspicion. Indeed, A Bao had also expressed surprise that I was a girl. Could it be that the person who played with them in childhood and spent this magical night on this magical island was a boy who looked extremely similar to me in their eyes?

—The boy who resembles me might be Icefin! What I dreamt of at noon might be a scene that Icefin experienced! So, the one who should have experienced this series of strange events was him!

The thought of this made me furious. I stood up, cursing Icefin inwardly. Before me stretched an endless expanse of moonlit meadows, resembling the first snow of spring, with firefly-like lights shimmering among the swaying petals. I looked around and sighed helplessly—just how big is this Sunken Camp Island?

"That's great... Abao has decided to go find his master as soon as the festival ends, and since you're a girl, you can be with Jujuya!" A soft sigh came from behind me. I can't stand it, what are these monsters thinking! I struggled to suppress the protest that almost escaped my lips.

The rustling of clothes broke the silence, and Yize's icy breath suddenly brushed against my ear: "If it weren't for the fact that you still have to repay the debt of the Fifteen Nights, I would have turned you into fertilizer long ago! Look how beautiful my flowers are, humans... are only good for this, aren't they?"

So she already knew I was human! And these flowers were actually fertilized with human fertilizer! Yize's words cast an eerie atmosphere over the beautiful flower field before me. I was instantly terrified, covering my ears and retreating a good distance. Evening primrose petals were trampled and scattered everywhere, but as if by some kind of magic, they didn't fall, but instead floated back to their calyxes, restoring themselves to their original state under a soft shimmer.

How could this be? The young Yi Ze was so shy and gentle, yet now he can say such terrifying things without batting an eye!

Stepping on the evening primrose petals, Yi Ze floated to me like the wind: "It seems someone taught you the taboos of this island, which is why you were able to come here alive. But you are human, and you can never overcome the greed of your nature. This greed has already made you... mine..."

It became...her thing? What does that mean?

A chilling smile appeared on Yi Ze's moonlit face: "My tears...taste good, don't they..."

I've been discovered! I finally realize that in this world, not even the smallest oversight will be overlooked; a taboo is a taboo!

The sharp, piercing melodies of distant string and wind instruments felt like needles pricking my eardrums, while the ocean waves snored like a sleeping behemoth. The eerie yet lively night market streets were still bustling—Tenshiji had vanished with the palanquin procession, A-Bao had perhaps embarked on a journey to find his master, and the Fifteenth Night, who smiled and reached out to me in my dream, showed no sign of appearing! Trapped in this incredible world, having unwittingly violated a taboo, I felt for the first time utterly alone and helpless.

The full moon on the fifteenth night cast a soft light; the colorful long night of August had only just begun…

The wind kept rushing into my throat, but my lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. I ran frantically, desperate to escape the endless moonlit meadow. Petals I trampled down shimmered and scattered in all directions, then, like a swarm of white, man-eating butterflies, followed me closely. No matter how I tried to escape, the petals, as if possessed by a will, accurately revealed my location to my pursuers.

A cold, full moon hung in the sky, and within its enormous disc was a graceful figure draped in a veil. The wind, carrying flower petals, billowed her robes open like the wings of a white bird—a scene as beautiful as a dream, yet it concealed a murderous intent as cold as ice!

I just can't figure it out—on a peaceful afternoon, while vacationing in a cheap seaside guesthouse, I wandered out of curiosity along the sandy path exposed by the receding tide, arriving at Sunken Camp Island not far from the beach. There, I found myself inexplicably immersed in a bizarre world where a festival was taking place: red lanterns, colorful banners, roadside stalls, and even childhood playmates who seemed strangely familiar. Calling them "childhood playmates" might be inaccurate—because I'd never been here before; this world had only appeared in my afternoon dreams! These people, who were merely illusions, were now truly before me, displaying an unnatural familiarity, though this familiarity contained more than just goodwill.

I don't understand whether this fulfilled dream is a lost memory of mine or a recurrence of my cousin Icefin's childhood experiences. However, at least one thing is certain: the world on this island is definitely not of this world. The natural spirit "Heavenly Lion," who guards the mountains thousands of miles away, appears in the island's majestic procession. It was because he warned me of the island's taboos: "Don't talk to anyone, don't eat anything," that I was able to escape the strange festival night market and get away unscathed from the sharp teeth of my childhood friend, the dog god Po, with whom I almost turned against him, and arrive at this Moon Viewing Grassland.

However, Yize, who wept among the evening primroses, the Yize who was once a shy little girl in my dreams, had tears with a captivating fragrance as alluring as her beauty. I, for all my nature, have never learned to be cautious, and I actually swallowed her tears without any warning! Why didn't I think of that at the time? Myths and legends from various countries all have similar stories—what is eaten becomes part of one's flesh and blood, turning into a coercive contract! If Yize wanted to control me, this one tear would be enough.

Exhausted from running, I finally collapsed to the ground, and the evening primrose petals that had been following me immediately rained down like a blizzard...

If that's what it feels like to be near death, it's not too painful. It's like a hazy dream descending into a not-so-clear mind—I saw myself as a child again…

Perhaps it was close to the narrow, naturally formed arched bridge at the end of Chenying Island; the echo of the crashing waves was clearly audible. The night market on the island's beach was bustling with activity, rows of red lanterns swaying in the distance, and the sea breeze occasionally carried the sounds of people's laughter. I saw myself, Abao, Yize, and I huddled together, staring blankly ahead—the moonlight, like pure white paint, evenly covered a tall archway, or more accurately, a shrine. Two arguing children stood in the dense shadow of a large stone pillar. Facing us was Fifteen Nights, a child who seemed to have countless ties to me, yet had never shown himself; the other, with his back to us, uttered a sharp accusation: "This is a human! Fifteen Nights, how could something like this come to the island?"

"Humans aren't what you think!" Izayoi bit her lip in distress. "Besides, that thing... only humans can do it..."

"Who said you could!" The other person's tone was harsh and resolute, completely unlike a child's attitude. "If you insist on staying with humans, I'm leaving!"

"Sanyo!" Jugoya grabbed the sleeve of the person he was arguing with, looking at us pleadingly: "Ah Bao, Yize, you should try to persuade him too..." But before he could finish speaking, the other person violently shook off his hand: "I will never be with humans! Jugoya, let's see how you explain this to the Blue Palace!" This child, with an arrogance beyond his years, resolutely abandoned the tearful Jugoya, turned and walked through the white shrine without looking back, onto a road shrouded in thick fog, at the end of which burned a small fire, like a bonfire.

The firelight gradually spread, turning my vision orange-red and engulfing everything in the dream. I saw myself, still a child, standing in the dim firelight, hesitating and looking around for a moment, before suddenly running off in one direction...

Sometimes, I still dream of my grandfather, who passed away so long ago… I see him sitting there quietly, facing the boundless darkness as always. In the dream, I'm only four or five years old, barely half his height, and I run timidly to him, nestled close. My grandfather gently strokes my hair, slowly turning towards me. After a moment of surprise, he reveals a long-lost, kind smile…

I looked around, but there was no one else around! Could it be that my grandfather saw me? As a phantom in the dream, he saw me—the master of the dream?

My grandfather covered my eyes with one hand as a child, preventing our eyes from meeting; then, he raised his other hand and slowly pointed in a certain direction. I looked in that direction in a panic, then looked back at my grandfather, but there was no one there...

Grandfather, are you telling me to go in that direction? Why is he always so calm? Even now, I often wonder when I will be able to have the same calm and gentle gaze as my grandfather when I look into the darkness.

Heading towards the unknown future, I ran without hesitation...

"You actually woke up?" With Yize's surprised voice, my will returned like icy water to my brain, and I bathed in the familiar light of the full moon. Yize seemed quite dissatisfied: "This isn't fun at all. I wanted to make you suffer a little more!" Thankfully, she didn't really want to kill me. I struggled to sit up from a pile of flower petals, cursing inwardly: Am I your toy? Unreasonable!

"That's so unreasonable!" As if echoing my thoughts, a voice rang out near my head, truly expressing my innermost feelings! I couldn't help but nod, and Yize's face instantly turned frosty, his gaze sharper than ever before. Why is he glaring at me?

However, the speaker's tone was so familiar, it was almost like... almost like my own voice! I immediately sensed something was wrong, knowing that I had already broken the taboo of "not eating," and there was no way I could break the taboo of "not speaking" as well. Yet, no matter how I listened, it was "my voice" ignoring my will and speaking on its own: "I used to think your heart was as beautiful as your appearance, but I was completely wrong! How could you treat a defenseless human like this!"

I instinctively covered my mouth—I hadn't said anything, and this wasn't what I wanted to say! I had a binding contract with Yi Ze within me, and I dared not anger her! But the sound clearly came from my throat, no, to be precise, it came from my forehead, like the volume of my headphones was too loud, making my head buzz!

"You have no right to speak to me!" Yize was indeed enraged. In an instant, I was pulled up by a powerful force and floated into the air, only to fall heavily to the ground uncontrollably. Before I could even recover from the shock, my body was lifted into the air again, but "my voice" was still out of control: "Do you enjoy bullying a completely innocent human? How cruel! You are no longer the Yize I know!" This is not what I meant! Please, stop using my voice to provoke this crazed beauty. I'm the one who was thrown, the one who's in pain!

"I'm cruel? You probably don't know what humans have done to me!" I felt an invisible hand tugging at my collar, pulling me involuntarily towards Yize. But "my voice" still blurted out, "Do you think someone likes you because of your beauty? He likes your kindness! Now you have nothing left for him to like!" I slammed my eyes shut in terror. How could she say such hurtful things? Yize would definitely kill me! I waited resignedly for her next move, but surprisingly, nothing happened. I couldn't help but peek out from the corner of my eye, and my eyes widened in shock—Yize's cold expression crumbled, just like when I first saw her. Large tears streamed down her face again. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, "What does it matter if someone likes me… I'll never see Yinghui again! It's all your fault, humans… I'll never see him again!"

"Yinghui?" "My voice" sounded somewhat subtle. I nodded to show that I was also very curious.

“Yes… Yinghui is a gentle southerly wind… It’s the gentlest kind of wind, never damaging the petals. It only passes over this island on the full moon of each month. I can’t leave the Moonlit Grassland, and my chance to see it is only for a few days here… So all year round, I try my best to bloom!” Yize wiped away his tears, rubbing his eyes until they were red. “But humans built very tall hotels on the southern coast of the island… You know… you know that the wind’s path is more complex and precise than any road. If the terrain changes even slightly, it can change the path of several winds… Yinghui can’t come anymore… No matter how beautifully I bloom in the future, it will be useless…”

I began to understand why Yize, the evening primrose spirit, resented humans—because the newly built luxury tourist hotel had altered the flat terrain of the seaside, forcing many winds to change course and no longer pass over Sunken Camp Island, including the south wind called Yinghui.

This gentle south wind must be the most important person to the shy Yize—though she never said a word of affection for him, the delicate evening primrose even possessed the power to bloom forever in anticipation of their monthly meeting. However, Yize's persistence was so easily shattered—it was just a building; people could never have imagined that for flowers that cannot leave the earth and fleeting breezes, this might be an insurmountable barrier!

It's normal for her to dislike me, isn't it? After all, as a human, I may have inadvertently robbed the peaceful elves of their small but never humble happiness because of my own willfulness...

Without warning, "my voice" asked the question I wanted to ask: "Why don't you go find him? Today is the Ghost Festival, Yinghui might be on this island too!"

"Ah?" Yize looked up in a panic, her tear-streaked face instantly flushing red. I felt as if her shy childhood self had returned. Yize shook her head frantically, "No, no... I can't see him... Every flower loves Yinghui... Before we met, Yinghui might already have someone she likes... What if that's really the case... I can't see him..."

"How could this be!" "My voice" suddenly cried out in panic, "I don't have anyone I like, I only like Yize!"

—I finally understand why I felt like I was wearing headphones with the volume too high: it was because someone was lurking inside my head, speaking through my voice. But... please don't use my voice to confess your feelings!

A cool breeze blew through my eyes, and the reaction force pushed me, still suspended in mid-air, to the ground. Through my fingers rubbing my eyes, I saw the airflow slightly distorting the surrounding scenery, the invisible air slowly condensing and coalescing into a translucent human figure, though the lower body retained a fluid shape, and the features were not so clear. "Yinghui!" I heard Yize's surprised and shy voice beside me. So this is the form of wind!

Yinghui turned to me as if deliberately avoiding Yize, his figure swaying like a reflection on the water because it was not fixed. His voice was like the soft singing of leaves: "Thank you. I couldn't have come through the other wind channels. Since you were coming to the island, and I could only see your eyes, I was rude. Although this will make it difficult for you to see me for a while, my aura will at least prevent your human identity from being exposed immediately."