Bai Wangyan appeared indifferent, not responding to her words in the slightest. He continued to stand still, holding her body securely against his chest, as if he still wasn't sure whether the world around him was real or just an illusion.
His eyes swept around him...
This new world was unbelievably beautiful. Trees without leaves shimmered with reflected light, thin mist drifted lazily, and the sky was... not truly a sky.
Everything seemed like a dream yet far too vivid to be ignored.
He said nothing...
He simply… slowly lowered his gaze to glance at the girl in his arms, then gently laid her down onto the ground.
His hand slowly lifted. His sharp gaze fixed on his wrist, where a silver bracelet adorned with a single red gemstone, shaped like a carved heart, shimmered faintly.
And in the next split second
A strange blue light flashed.
It wasn't just light... it was a "response," as if something long asleep was beginning to awaken. A hidden, dormant power within the bracelet rippled outward in a faint glow that spread through the surroundings.
Bai Wangyan stood motionless, not even blinking. He remained silent, watching everything before him with caution.
In that moment...
His pure white hair slowly began to change. Soft strands of pale gold quietly blended in, like the breath of something stirring from slumber. But they didn't completely take over his white strands only a small portion subtly mixed in.
At the same time, his deep blue eyes began to shift transforming into a soft blue tinged with gray and faint golden highlights, as though something within him was silently changing... even beyond his understanding.
The blue energy that emanated from his body continued to drift through the air...
What was it? He furrowed his brow slightly, doubtful. Or perhaps… was his power beginning to change?
"Bai Wangyan… I must apologize... for bringing you here," she spoke softly, her voice as gentle as wind brushing against leaves. Her sweet face wore a faint, sorrowful smile as her clear blue eyes looked at him with a hidden guilt.
Inside, she worried.
Would he be angry?
Would he be annoyed?
She knew well that being dragged into this strange world… was not something he had wished for.
"How did you fall from the ship's deck?"
He finally asked, his voice calm, cold, and flat like dew dripping onto stone at dawn: clear, but devoid of warmth. Bai Wangyan didn't even look at her. His gaze remained fixed ahead, still and unmoving like a sculpture. Yet within that stillness... was something she couldn't read.
"Because… I was a bit clumsy," she replied with a sheepish grin, flashing her clean, white teeth in embarrassment. Her small hand scratched her head lightly like a child confessing a mistake.
But inside, she was boiling with anger like hot broth bubbling in a pot! In truth, it was all because of that stupid ostrich! Out of nowhere, it had attacked her and pushed her off the deck without warning!
How infuriating!
Her eyes flashed with sharp resolve in her thoughts.
"If I ever see it again… I'll report it to the elder immediately! Have him punish it thoroughly cut it into pieces and toss it into the hot pot to settle the score once and for all!"
She wouldn't be clumsy enough to jump into the sea by herself… Bai Wangyan thought. His calm eyes held a deep gleam.
There must be something more to it… His gaze drifted to his own wrist.
And it seems… this bracelet…
There might be something hidden inside something directly connected to her.
A strange feeling he'd never known before had begun to stir in his chest.
If he wanted answers... only the bracelet's true owner could provide them.
But before he could think any further something suddenly caught his eye…
Xin Tingting gently reached out and touched his fingertips, then quietly intertwined her hand with his.
She didn't say a word. She just held his hand... and walked forward, leading him onward with quiet resolve.
Bai Wangyan paused slightly.
His thoughts still lingered on the bracelet around his wrist… but the warm, soft sensation from her hand pulled him back to awareness unexpectedly. She… dared to grab his hand without asking. Though he felt a flicker of annoyance deep inside strangely enough, he didn't shake it off.
Not because he willingly accepted it... but because, in that very moment, his glowing blue energy surged out from him again drifting through the air like radiant dust.
It was beautiful... but at the same time, deeply troubling.
Why... he frowned slightly. Why does this power appear every time we touch?
And more than that…
Every time he touched her, his body would weaken as though all his strength was being slowly drained away.
What exactly is happening…?
He stared at his own hand gripped tightly in hers, as if searching for an unspoken answer.
"Bai Wangyan! Let's go that way!" Xin Tingting said cheerfully, her face beaming as if she had forgotten they'd just faced mortal danger.
But he stopped in place, expression unchanged.
"I'm going back to find my sister," he said quietly, withdrawing his hand from hers gently and respectfully.
She paused for a moment, then quickly regained composure.
"We can't go back right now! The butterfly isn't working look!"
She immediately held out her wrist.
On her fair skin, a glowing purple-pink butterfly pattern shimmered faintly but right now, it lay motionless like a drawing. No movement. No response.
"See?" she pouted. "It's not moving at all. That means we can't warp back yet at least not until the time comes."
Seeing that it was true, he said nothing more. He simply followed her silently, unwillingly but without resistance. They walked along a gentle slope that led into a field of flowers up ahead. There… soft pink blossoms bloomed across the land, dotted with vibrant green grasses that swayed in the wind. Not far away, a clear river flowed gently through the field. The faint fragrance of flowers lingered in the air, enhancing the dreamlike scenery. In the distance, towering mountains stood majestically, their shadows draped across the earth like nature's embrace.
…It was a sight breathtaking enough to forget how to breathe.
Even he a boy who rarely cared about anything glanced at it quietly without realizing.
"Wow! It's so beautiful here, Bai Wangyan! Look!" Xin Tingting exclaimed in delight, skipping along the flower path. Her wide eyes sparkled like gemstones catching morning sunlight. She turned to look back at him, walking by her side.
His face remained calm, expressionless, and silent. Only his blue-gray eyes, tinged faintly with gold, quietly scanned the flowers and grass at knee-height like he was pondering a dream that could never come true.
"I have a question…" Xin Tingting poked his shoulder gently.
When he turned, brow slightly furrowed, she continued in an unexpectedly serious tone, "I still don't know how an ostrich got onto the ship! If we make it back… can you help me turn it into dinner?"
Bai Wangyan blinked slowly, then asked softly, "Ostrich?"
"Yes!" she nodded rapidly. "I've never eaten its meat before, but I bet it's delicious!"
Her voice was full of hope. Her eyes sparkled with determination like a little girl on a mission to catch a thief and report it to the elders.
After walking through the sweet pink flower field for a while, Xin Tingting grew more playful. She skipped merrily like a child discovering a whole new world. Her cheerful laughter drifted with the breeze, under the warm sunlight filtering through the flowers. She dashed to the clear river in the middle of the field, crouched excitedly, and scooped up a handful of small stones.
Once she had what she wanted, she ran back to him, her face glowing with joy.
Her small arms stretched forward.
In her open palms… were glowing, multicolored stones that shimmered like they held magic inside.
"Look! Aren't they beautiful?"
Xin Tingting beamed brightly. Her face shone just like the stones in her hands.
Bai Wangyan glanced at them briefly. He said nothing. His gaze remained calm like a still lake at night. Yet beneath that silence… something stirred in his eyes, as though he was seeing more than just glowing stones.
"I'll take these back for Lian Yi, Ye Juan, and Lan Chanzhun! They're so pretty I love them!" Xin Tingting grinned wide, eyes glowing with simple joy.
"Here, Bai Wangyan hold these for me! I'll be right back!" Without waiting for his response, she offered him the stones with both hands.
Bai Wangyan stared at the offering, hesitating slightly. His lips pressed into a thin line, ready to refuse. Yet in the end, he quietly accepted them.
The stones felt warm in his palms still carrying the lingering warmth of her hands. He looked up, watching her figure as she ran off through the flower field. Her light-colored dress fluttered in the breeze, bathed in sunlight she looked like a fading mist, dissolving into the air.
He turned back toward a flower swaying gently in the wind. Its petals trembled delicately, dancing to the rhythm of sunlight and breeze. His gaze lingered there for a moment.
...Just like her joyfully leaping through the field.
He shook his head softly, sighing inwardly.
She was a girl with an oddly radiant smile but at the same time, wild and reckless, as if she had never known fear. Sometimes… she didn't seem to live in the same world as him at all.
He looked down again at the bracelet on his wrist. The faint blue glow that once radiated from it still seemed to linger in his senses like the shadow of an unseen power.
"There must be something hidden…" he thought silently. If nothing is behind this, then why does the blue energy appear every time we touch?
Whenever his hand met her body, a sudden fatigue would wash over him like something was slowly draining his strength.
He sighed lightly in thought.
Perhaps it was because of her… or the bracelet… or maybe something deeper connecting them both.
But regrettably… nothing could be confirmed yet.