Chương 29: The Wall of the Heart

Liuli raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards Xingshuang, who was suspended in mid-air, before quickly looking away.

She instinctively gripped her wand tighter, a gesture less of a defensive stance and more of a way to conceal some indescribable emotion.

"Well done." Starfrost landed lightly with a gentle smile, her boots making a crisp sound as they hit the tiles.

She deliberately circled around to the front of Liuli and, sure enough, caught a glimpse of anticipation that the other person couldn't hide in time.

"Especially that last diagonal slash, the angle was beautiful."

Liuli's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. She slowly turned around, her deep blue eyes still retaining the sharpness of battle, but they flickered the moment they met Xingshuang's gaze.

"... You don't need to tell me." She turned her face away, her voice not as sharp as usual, but rather lower and lower, until the last few words were almost a mumbled whisper, "I just did what I was supposed to do."

Xing Shuang suddenly noticed that this stubborn child would always stare directly at the other person when he was angry, but when he was praised, he would avoid eye contact, and even the tips of his ears would turn a lovely pink.

At that moment, Yin Xue suddenly exclaimed softly, "Liu Li! Your wrist—" Dark red marks seeped through her white gloves, but Liuli suddenly put her hand behind her back: "It's just a minor injury." Before she finished speaking, pink and gold magical light had already wrapped around her wrist.

"Don't move." Xing Shuang pressed down on Liu Li, who was trying to break free, without saying a word.

"Although I don't know healing magic, I can at least use magic to remove the residual beast energy on the wound."

She deliberately lowered her voice and added, "Yinxue is already overworked, you don't want to add to her burden, do you?"

"Tsk..." This reason worked as expected. Ruri stopped struggling, but her muscles were still tense, like a wildcat ready to run away at any moment.

Xing Shuang applied slight pressure with her fingertips and felt the girl's slender wrist tremble gently in her palm. This discovery stirred something within her—it turned out that even seemingly fierce little beasts could be so sensitive to touch.

She blinked, then suddenly made a bold move—reaching out to brush the wet hair clinging to her glassy cheek, the movement so natural it seemed she was used to it.

"Your sweat's getting into your eyes, doesn't it hurt?"

This sudden act of intimacy froze Liuli. She instinctively tried to back away, but stopped when she saw the glistening beads of sweat on Xingshuang's fingertips.

A long-lost, unfamiliar emotion suddenly welled up in her heart, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to respond. The harsh words she had prepared suddenly got stuck in her throat, turning into a barely audible gasp.

Yin Xue's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen anyone so easily penetrate the wall of Liu Li's heart—even she herself had spent nearly two months to earn Liu Li's word "partner".

"I..." Liuli opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She hurriedly looked away and met her own reflection in the glass of the display case—was that girl with a flushed face and at a loss really her? Was she the one who swore to always be wary of all adults?

Xing Shuang took a half step back at the opportune moment, giving Liu Li some breathing space. She turned to Yin Xue, her tone light as if nothing had just happened: "I'll leave the wounded to you. I'll go patrol the surrounding area to see if any escaped Void Beasts."

This is clearly a flimsy excuse—since the void bubble has already dissipated, how could there possibly be any void beasts remaining?

"Huh? Oh!" Yin Xue finally came to her senses and quickly began to cast healing magic. She secretly glanced at Liu Li, who was standing there in a daze, and couldn't help but smile.

Liuli watched Xingshuang's retreating figure as she walked towards the edge of the exhibition stand. Her pink figure was particularly dazzling in the sunlight. She unconsciously touched the cheek that had just been touched, where a trace of warmth seemed to remain, making her heartbeat erratic.

—What's wrong with this person?

Liuli bit her lower lip, but couldn't suppress the inexplicable restlessness in her heart. She should hate all adults, and she should raise her thorns at everyone who tried to get close to her.

But why, when Xingshuang approached, did her defenses melt away silently, like ice and snow under the sun?

"Ruri! Why are your ears so red?" It was Ruby's voice.

"... Stop nagging." Liuli shoved the contracted spirit that was dangling above her head.

"Otherwise, I won't buy you imported cat food."

Ruby immediately protested loudly, "I've already said I'm not a cat!"

"Just tell me if you're going to eat it or not." Liuli turned her head to one side, deliberately avoiding looking in Xingshuang's direction.

"Um... I know, okay." Ruby gave in, looking aggrieved.

Not far away, Xing Shuang stood with her back to the crowd, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She could feel the puzzled gaze behind her, like a small animal cautiously reaching out its claws to probe.

"Take your time," she whispered to herself.

"We have plenty of time."

However, fate always seems to like to play tricks.

"See, Ruri, Senior Xing Shuang is indeed very gentle." Yin Xue's voice suddenly rang out, "This time too, and that time at the South Suburb Park too."

Xing Shuang's back stiffened visibly for a moment. She suddenly turned around and ran back to where the two of them were: "Wait for Yin Xue! Don't bring that up now—"

"Speaking of which, I was also wondering what you guys did over there afterwards?" Ruri asked, as expected.

Completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, Yin Xue beamed with a bright smile: "Senior Xing Shuang not only listened patiently to my troubles, but also patted my head, and even let me hug her for a long time!"

The expression on her face was hard not to think she was showing off, and she even made an exaggerated hugging motion.

The air froze instantly.

"... Huh?" Ruri's expression froze visibly. She slowly raised her head, her deep blue eyes narrowing slightly.

"Holding... for... a... long... time?"

Xing Shuang remained frozen in place, her outstretched hand still extended, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her forehead: "Um... Yin Xue, didn't we agree on that..."

"Huh? Can't I tell you?" Yin Xue tilted her head in confusion.

"But Senior didn't say anything about keeping it a secret..."

"This isn't the time to talk about this!" Xing Shuang lamented inwardly. She watched helplessly as a palpable low pressure began to gather around Liu Li. The girl's bangs cast shadows on her face, and all that could be seen was her tightly clenched lower lip, which was turning an unnatural white.

"I see." Liuli suddenly sneered, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.

"So, Senior Dwarf, you use the same tricks on everyone?"

"No! That's just..." Xing Shuang watched helplessly as the little trust she had painstakingly built crumbled in an instant. She reached out to explain, but Liu Li slapped her hand away hard.

"First, he pretended to care about my injuries, then casually started touching me inappropriately..." Liuli's voice rose with each word, until she was almost shouting, "And you did the same to Yinxue! You even let her hug you?!"

Ruby, terrified, bristled and hid behind Yin Xue: "Liuli is so scary..."

Xing Shuang opened her mouth, but in the end she just sighed and withdrew her hand: "... I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

Just moments ago they were so close, but now they seem like an insurmountable chasm.

"Wait, Liuli! You've misunderstood!" Yinxue realized the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly grabbed the other's arm.

"Senior Xingshuang just..."

"Idiot! Traitor!" Liuli pulled her partner behind her, so forcefully that Yinxue stumbled.

"You're too easily fooled! Adults who casually pat people's heads are the most suspicious! Who knows what she's up to?"

Xing Shuang didn't rush to defend herself. Instead, she took a half step back, giving the enraged girl a safe distance. Looking at the girl's tense shoulders and slightly reddened ear tips, she knew that such a fierce reaction was not really out of anger, but rather... unease.

She was afraid that her only trusted friend would be taken away by this suddenly appearing "senior," and she was afraid... that she would be all alone again.

"..." Liuli noticed her gaze and frowned even more, but unexpectedly, she did not say anything sarcastic, but just stood there silently.

The atmosphere became so tense it was suffocating.

Yin Xue looked around and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "That's right! Liu Li, didn't you say you wanted to practice new moves? Wouldn't it be perfect to find Senior Xing Shuang?"

"... I didn't say that," Liuli retorted stubbornly.

"Huh? But you were clearly saying this during training before—"

"Yin Xue." Liu Li glared at her.

Xing Shuang couldn't help but chuckle softly. Seeing Liu Li immediately cast a sharp glance at her, she quickly straightened up and said, "Ahem... If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime."

"No need," Liuli replied curtly, but her tone had softened considerably compared to before. She turned her face away and muttered under her breath, "It's just another one of those polite phrases that apply to everyone..."

Xing Shuang breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as Liu Li's attitude hadn't completely returned to its initial tense state, there was still room for reconciliation.

She silently noted to herself: This child is unusually persistent in his sense of "exclusivity," so she must be more careful about her boundaries next time she tries to be friendly.

"Speaking of which," she decided to change the subject, asking the question that had been bothering her, "Are there only two magical girls like you in this city?"