A faint, almost imperceptible aroma of fried oil wafted quietly through the air.
Chai Xiaomi took a deep breath.
Her appetite was instantly awakened, and her stomach growled even louder.
Oh my, it smells so good.
Could she be hallucinating from hunger? Where on earth would a meat pancake come from in this Falling Star Plateau?
However, in the next second.
Thud.
A pie really did fall from the sky.
An oil-paper package landed steadily at her feet. It was neatly tied with thin twine wrapped around twice. Oil stains slightly seeped through the folds of the paper, and it was still emitting a faint steam, clearly fresh out of the oven.
She looked up in surprise.
From the opening of a mountain stream cave diagonally in front of her, a slender figure leaped down lightly.
Wu Li had a longbow slung across his back, yet he was holding another one in his hand.
The bow was translucent, as if carved from ice and snow, shimmering with a cool, pale blue luster. It looked like he was holding a beam of solidified moonlight.
He walked over, squatted in front of her, and handed the snow bow to her with the utmost naturalness, as if it had always belonged to her. Here, yours. Take it.
Chai Xiaomi took it, completely baffled. What is this?
It felt cool and smooth to the touch, genuinely resembling something made of ice. It glowed with a halo and was clearly a precious item. How did it become hers?
Still not awake? Wu Li suddenly leaned in close. His palm gently propped up her chin, and his fingertips tapped affectionately against her cheek. He stared with great interest into those adorably dazed eyes, growing fonder of them the longer he looked.
He scrutinized her for a moment and asked again, Or are you silly from hunger?
You're the silly one, don't call me silly! Her round eyes glared, little flames of indignation sparking in her gaze.
Who was it that, when she was exhausted and weakly crying out no more, pressed against her ear, coaxing her with a hoarse voice, calling her good Mimi and sweet Mimi, again and again?
He was like a completely different person when he was consumed by passion versus when he was clear-headed!
Seeing her annoyed, he smiled instead. Alright, I won't say it.
She emphasized, You are the silly one.
He nodded agreeably, the smile on his lips deepening. Fine, I'm silly.
Since this lovely little lady is so smart, you must have already guessed that what you're holding is the Ice Bow and Mystic Arrow, right? His tone was so casual, as if it were merely a leaf plucked at random from a tree outside.
Chai Xiaomi froze, looking down at the radiant, shimmering longbow in her hands.
So, he had already shot the Moon Shadow Demon Spirit? In such a short amount of time?
It turned out that when he entered the Falling Star Plateau earlier and said he would be out in a while, he wasn't deceiving her.
She blinked. You're really giving it to me?
Logically speaking, for someone as skilled in archery as him, driven by his interests, shouldn't he have a special fondness for such items?
Just like a musician cherishes a lute, and a swordsman loves a sword.
Shouldn't an archer be devoted to a bow?
Wu Li spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, If I don't give it to you, who else could I give it to?
His heart was completely filled by her. Not to mention the things she asked for, he wanted to fight for and give her everything, even the things she hadn't asked for.
What others had, she must have.
What others didn't have, she must have even more.
As for him, having her was enough.
Then I won't be polite. Chai Xiaomi pursed her lips and smiled.
Who doesn't like receiving gifts? Not to mention it was from her boyfriend, with whom she had just established a relationship. Her ears quietly burned red at the new identity that subconsciously popped into her mind.
She had never thought that she, who had always been cautious about relationships and held the belief of rather going without than settling for less, having never experienced a school romance or even an online relationship, would actually entrust herself to someone in a novel because of a moment of heart-fluttering attraction.
But on second thought, she was someone who had already died once. Was she supposed to be a virgin ghost?
How miserable that sounded.
Thank God for granting her the opportunity to transmigrate into a book, allowing her to meet the absolute ultimate dream guy of her life.
Good news: This face-lover managed to date a guy with top-tier divine looks.
Bad news: She couldn't show him off to her frenemies.
Chai Xiaomi accepted the Ice Bow and Mystic Arrow with peace of mind and looked down, fumbling around for a bit.
With just one glance, Wu Li guessed what she was looking for. He pulled the Qiankun pouch from his robes. Stop looking, it's with me.
He chanted a spell and swiped his fingertips to open the pouch.
Chai Xiaomi looked over at the sound, finally realizing that it must have been taken by the Banana Spirit earlier and had only now ended up with Wu Li.
She watched as he rustled about, taking out items one by one:
The embroidered shoes and silk socks left in the Earth Temple, the lily of the valley wreath she had thrown at the crossroads, and the silver step-shake hairpin that had originally always been worn in her hair.
Wu Li leaned over, gently lifting her bare ankle to rest on his knee, and lowered his eyes to carefully put her shoes and socks on for her.
His gaze swept over the step-shake hairpin, and he sighed as if unintentionally, Taking a trip into the Falling Star Plateau, you've certainly lost quite a few things. The only thing left on your head that you didn't lose is your hair.
I did not. Chai Xiaomi furrowed her brows. I threw the lily of the valley on purpose to lure the bad guys away. As for the hairpin...
Her voice gradually trailed off. She really had lost it.
She didn't even know when it had slipped off. She usually cherished it so much, but during the moment of crisis, she couldn't afford to care about it.
After finishing putting on her shoes, Wu Li held the hairpin up to his eyes. The silver fish on it flowed with a warm luster, spinning lazily around his fingertips.
His eyelashes half-drooped, and his tone was light and airy, carrying a hint of half-real, half-feigned grievance:
You made me search for so long, and it was actually in a graveyard. If you don't like it, just return it to me. Why give it to the dead?
Who said I don't like it? Chai Xiaomi lunged to snatch it. Wu Li tilted his wrist, and she fell right into his arms.
Give me a kiss, and I'll believe you.
She puffed her cheeks in anger and held the back of her hand up to his eyes, wishing she could shove it right into his face. See that? The mark of that poisonous scorpion is completely gone, totally clean! Your broken Gu poison was cured just like that. Where do you get the confidence to trust your Gu so much, but not trust me?!
And to think she initially believed it was a host mark given to her by the transmigration system.
Wu Li's gaze fixed on the back of her hand. Naturally, he had seen it long ago.
While she was asleep, he had meticulously looked over every spot and kissed every spot.
He held that small, fair hand, casually raised his eyebrows, and held back a smile as he repeated, I said, give me a kiss, and I'll believe you.
Without another word, Chai Xiaomi leaned in and planted a loud, resounding smack on his lips. Believe me now?!
He curled his lips. That was just a touch, it doesn't count. It still lacks a bit of sincerity, how could it make anyone believe?
She simply hooked her arms around his neck, tilted her head up, and kissed him deeply.
Wu Li responded almost instantly. His palm supported the back of her head, gradually deepening and prolonging the kiss until both of their breaths became ragged before slowly letting go.
Chai Xiaomi's cheeks were crimson. Panting slightly, her watery eyes glared at him. How about now? You must believe me now, right?
Alright, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, the outer corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile. His eyes rippled with a moist light, making him look both innocent and hesitant. Reluctantly, I'll believe you this once.
But as Chai Xiaomi studied him for a moment, she couldn't help but feel that a flash of cunning had swiftly darted through the depths of his heterochromatic eyes.
Upon closer observation, however, it was gone.
As she looked at him, her gaze unconsciously slid over the sharp, smooth line of his Adam's apple. Suddenly recalling something, she asked with a hint of curiosity, "Lili, why did those totems on your body disappear so quickly?"
Truth be told, those dark, winding totems spread across his lean and muscular physique delivered a massive visual impact. It was nothing short of breathtaking.
Especially during that moment... the erotic tension had been pushed to the absolute limit. It was a visual so stunning it could make someone's nose bleed.
What a pity that they faded so fast, vanishing completely in no time at all.
Deep down, she had even felt a faint trace of regret at the time.
Wu Li seemed completely stunned by her question.
He had been so worried that those eerily beautiful yet ferocious patterns would terrify her. That was why he had hesitated for so long before taking off his clothes, silently praying the entire time for them to fade away quickly.
But not only was she not frightened, her eyes right now... actually held a hint of longing?
