"Xin Tingting, aren't you the Goddess of Restoration? Then how do you possess such mysterious powers and magical potions?"
Lan Chanzhun was just as astonished as Ye Juan, yet his heart was filled with a growing unease he could not suppress...
"Let's talk about that later. Right now, the sun is getting far too hot we should hurry into the new location!"
Xin Tingting spoke urgently, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.
"I don't want to stay in this barren desert any longer. But I think... perhaps we may return here someday in the future. If that's the case, we'll deal with it then. For now, we must go!"
She waved her hands in an animated motion and turned to glance at the friends behind her. Her demeanor showed determination and a refusal to delay any further.
"Quickly, everyone!"
Xin Tingting called out with excitement, beckoning them forward toward the butterfly-shaped portal that shimmered, leading to a new world.
When she finished speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment, as if taking time to process what had just occurred. Some furrowed their brows in contemplation, others glanced at each other. Then, one by one, they made their decision stepping into the magnificent, glowing dimensional gate.
As each figure vanished into the swirling light, only two figures remained Bai Wangyan and Xin Tingting.
Xin Tingting stood still, her eyes fixed on the flickering portal, as if it beckoned her to step through. Bai Wangyan slowly walked to stand beside her, his back straight. Though his face remained expressionless, there was something unreadable lurking in the depths of his eyes.
"Last night, during the quiet hours of nightfall… I saw you use your arm to slice into the thorny cactus stem, so you could draw your own blood and transform it into milk,"
he said with an emotionless, icy tone calm, cold, and sharp like ice running through bone. It was not accusatory, nor urgent, yet his words pressed heavily into the air, making it hard to breathe.
His words were not merely a statement. They were witness. Cold, and clear with every syllable.
Xin Tingting flinched slightly, her wide eyes opening even wider at his words, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her expression shifted instantly from calm to stunned, and then to panic and worry like waves crashing ceaselessly against the shore.
"That means last night... you… saw everything?"
She asked in a soft voice, though the tremble in her tone betrayed her unease as if the answer would shake her even more.
She stood frozen, her heart pounding faster without her realizing it. The memory of that night was still vivid in her mind
The quiet place, the towering cactus, the sharp thorns piercing her skin, the stinging pain shooting up her arm, and the thick red blood dripping onto the sand before she used her magic to transform it into pure milk to nourish another.
She had been certain no one saw. That nothing had witnessed her.
And yet… this boy, once a baby, had recounted it with unsettling accuracy.
"That's impossible!"
Her voice rose involuntarily, her brows knitted tight as she struggled to make sense of it.
"Normally… a baby wouldn't be able to see so clearly, would he?"
She stared at him, her eyes trembling with confusion. It wasn't just shock anymore she had begun to suspect that he might not be just an ordinary child, as she had once thought.
Bai Wangyan remained still, his face cold as ever, and said in the same indifferent tone completely ignoring her earlier question
"And the potion inside that jar you drank… it contained such miraculous ingredients that I was surprised. The person who brewed that for you must be incredibly skilled."
His words did not sound like praise or criticism, but carried a quiet and puzzling curiosity.
Xin Tingting stiffened slightly. Her face remained unreadable, but her eyes clearly showed hesitation. She slowly lowered her head and spoke in a soft voice:
"The one who made that potion for me... was my grandfather. And if you saw that... then does that mean you already know that I…"
Worry shimmered in her eyes, and her lips pressed tightly together. Silence hung between them for a brief moment before his voice cut through once more.
"So what if I know? Is that some kind of private secret of yours?"
His even, flat tone held no particular emotion, yet somehow it burned more fiercely than the morning sun.
"Yes. It is my secret. You must not tell anyone not even your sister..."
Xin Tingting lifted her head slightly, her eyes filled with worry. Her lips trembled, and both hands were clenched tightly as if trying to hold in her fear with her own warmth.
He remained motionless, his eyes still cold and without the slightest hint of jest. Then he asked in a low, unreadable tone:
"And how much do you think someone like me can be trusted?"
A soft desert wind passed between them, and Xin Tingting's long hair fluttered gently, brushing against her cheek. She bit her lower lip before answering in a voice that was uncertain, but held firm resolve.
"I don't know… But if you reveal my secret, then I'll reveal yours too!"
Her words were clear, direct like an arrow shot straight at his chest.
Bai Wangyan raised one eyebrow slightly. His icy eyes briefly flashed with surprise, yet his expression remained calm.
"My secret?"
he repeated, his gaze still and composed, though now tinged with a faint trace of wariness.
Xin Tingting took a deep breath, gathering all the courage left in her trembling heart. Her face was flushed red, her fists clenched tightly. Though her eyes still held hesitation, they were filled with determination.
"I also know that… you have a secret you don't want others to find out."
She paused briefly, then met his gaze directly. Her voice grew more confident, even as her face blushed deeply.
"I've seen you… completely naked!"
Though her words dropped like a heavy boulder into a still pond, the surface of Bai Wangyan's eyes did not ripple in the slightest. He stared at her coldly, without a flinch, without even the blink of an eye.
But within those eyes reflected the image of the golden-haired girl standing boldly before him graceful and radiant before he finally turned his gaze away.
"Very well. I promise not to reveal your secret."
"Good then. Let's hurry and go!"
Xin Tingting, her cheeks flushed as pink as ripe peaches, spoke with a voice that tried to sound firm, yet was clearly laced with embarrassment and nervousness. Her usually bright eyes now avoided his completely. Her long lashes trembled as she lowered her gaze. A wave of heat spread down from her face to her neck, as if flames were burning from within.
'He's incredibly sharp... He remembers everything I did, with such precision not a single detail missed. How terrifying...'
She thought to herself, eyes fixed on his back as he walked forward confidently, without hesitation. When she gave a small nod, he stepped into the glowing portal.
His figure was swallowed by the light.
Xin Tingting stood still for a moment, the dimensional breeze blowing her clothes softly. Then she took a deep breath and stepped through without looking back.
As the edge of her robe vanished into the light, the once-open portal trembled slightly before closing silently.
The shimmering light flickered one final time
And then everything disappeared in the blink of an eye.