Maybe it was because the mountain wind was too strong, whipping up a clamor in one’s heart.
Ning Li casually brushed her wind-tossed hair behind her ear, “Then what do you want?”
Or rather, whose affection do you desire?
“Yours.”
The light from the mountain descended, and she saw Yin Que’s eyes, as if filled with stars, twinkling brilliantly.
So his eyes were actually this beautiful, especially when he smiled.
Ning Li was just about to speak, when a breathless voice suddenly came from behind them, “Finally found you two. Hey man, the aberrants have only retreated for now, so don’t start getting romantic. Go meet the commander of Regiment 192 first, alright?”
Don’t start getting romantic…
Don’t start getting romantic.
Is this awkward?
It doesn’t seem awkward.
In fact, Ning Li hardly registered what the person said.
She was still savoring those two words Yin Que had just spoken.
“Yours.”
Yours what?
Your affection?
Why did he want her affection?
Unfortunately, this conversation was interrupted, and whatever atmosphere they had before was thoroughly shattered.
“Sorry.”
This was Yin Que speaking to the man, “We’re just passing through for now, not planning to stay long in District 192.”
The sentinel who’d come to fetch them said, “Huh? What do you mean?”
Ning Li understood and explained for him, “He means there’s no need to meet the regiment commander.”
The sentinel, “???”
These days, are there really people brazen enough to turn down an invitation from the regiment commander?
But that was the reality.
All he could do was watch Yin Que and Ning Li’s figures as they walked away…
“Hey, are you two serious?”
Ning Li asked, “We’re really not meeting the regiment commander?”
Yin Que put his sunglasses back on, hiding those star-filled eyes of his, “No.”
Five years—neither too long nor too short.
The current commander of Regiment 192 happened to be an old acquaintance of Yin Que’s.
They’d known each other for years, graduated from the same sentinel academy, but were only so-so as friends and didn’t see eye to eye—their ideals were different, not people who walked the same path.
There was no need for any reunion.
This old acquaintance was narrow-minded, with the mannerisms of an official; Yin Que never liked dealing with her.
Now that he was hiding his identity and just passing through, there was even less reason to meet.
Ning Li was surprised, “So there really are people you dislike.”
Yin Que had always wanted to say, “Ning Li, you give me too much credit.”
The first time he entered the Reincarnation Sphere, “Burning Mist” had once said, “So you can get angry too.”
Now Ning Li said, “So there are people you dislike, too.”
In his eyes, he was just an ordinary person.
He had the same joys, sorrows, and desires as anyone else, and even some shameful wants that were hard to satisfy.
But all his desires had to do with her.
Ning Li spoke unhurriedly, “I don’t think too highly of you.”
Yin Que and the regiment commander didn’t get along, but he still fought on the front lines, killing aberrants, indirectly easing her pressure and making her command more secure.
If it were Ning Li, she wouldn’t have bothered.
But Yin Que did.
Because the soldiers and the people living here were innocent.
He wouldn’t let personal feelings affect the greater good.
He wasn’t helping the regiment commander, but those people who needed help.
“Yin Que, you’re already a good person.”
To be able to see the pain of ordinary people was not something everyone could do.
Yin Que had already done well enough.
Suddenly, a wild gale rose from the ground.
This time the wind seemed a bit out of control, sweeping with such force that it seemed almost impossible to restrain.
But when it brushed past Ning Li’s ear, it subconsciously softened.
The wind wrapped around Yin Que and Ning Li, sealing them in.
Ever seen a raging whirlwind?
Right now, Ning Li felt as if she were in the very heart of one.
Outside was the wild, unrestrained wind, blocking her view, and also cutting off everyone else’s.
She and Yin Que were completely isolated in a space for just the two of them.
He reached out, pulling her into his embrace, and murmured softly, “No one will disturb us this time.”
Outside, the wind roared.
But inside, it was quiet.
So quiet, they could hear only each other’s breathing.
Yet Ning Li felt a sense of fullness.
She had never really lacked for friends.
She had plenty of playmates.
But they were just that—playmates.
She could while away time with them, play cards, solve escape rooms, go to concerts, but after the bustle, the loneliness was even greater.
Maybe her personality wasn’t that well-rounded, her spiritual world not very rich, and her inner world was too barren, so her heart always felt empty.
In her last life, she was always in a crowd, but it seemed she could never really fit in with those cliques.
They laughed, and so did she, but her laughter never reached her heart.
Every time they filmed short videos, there’d always be tens of thousands of likes, and she’d show up a lot in the videos.
Many people were envious, envious of their group.
It really did look lively.
But whether she was truly happy, whether it was truly lively, only she knew.
Everyone could act.
She was always pretending to be happy, to fit in.
But pretending was still just pretending.
Every time she left those fun-loving playmates, she would sink into even greater emptiness.
There was no “only one” in this world.
She had many playmates, and likewise, they had many playmates too.
They were only one friend among many to each other.
Now, Yin Que had done nothing special, just given her a hug, and somehow, her empty heart felt a little more filled, not so hollow.
He was different from her former playmates.
But what was different?
If the future came to pass, she and her old playmates could drift apart at any time, and so could she and him.
Perhaps he would never even see her shining moment, surrounded by four god-given artifacts.
But in this moment, she truly felt content.
Why?
Ning Li felt she was beginning to understand a little.
Jokes among friends could always be shared with someone else, a friend’s smile could always be shown to someone else, the joy among friends could always allow a third person to join in, but Yin Que’s embrace—had only ever been given to her…
“Can we travel together?”
She truly didn’t want to part from him.
“If you need me,” he would always be there.
“Don’t start getting romantic!!!”
“Don’t start getting romantic!!!”
The voice blared through the Wind Wall from a loudspeaker, reaching Yin Que and Ning Li’s ears.
Wind could block vision, but not all sound.
Maybe next time, add a cosmic rose, and try to create an absolutely secret space, one that could never be disturbed again.
Yin Que released Ning Li, rubbing his brow, and withdrew the Wind Wall.
Standing outside it was indeed the same sentinel as before, “The aberrants are back, man, let’s go!”
When the aberrants finally retreated, eight hours had passed.
After dealing another heavy blow to the aberrants to ensure they wouldn’t attack again for a while, Yin Que left the front line of District 192 with Ning Li, Ting Rui, and Pei Yujiu.
They had a new destination.
Temporary Office.
The sentinel reported to the District 192 regiment commander, “Commander, those people have left. Clean and decisive, didn’t even look back once.”
During those eight hours, the commander had sent people to invite Yin Que two more times, but had been firmly refused each time.
From beginning to end, she only watched the master of the storm from afar a few times.
What surprised her was that she saw a hint of an old acquaintance in him.
It was just—the spiritual bodies were different, and no matter how similar, it was just resemblance.
“Forget it, if he doesn’t intend to serve me, there’s no need to force it.”
She was curious to see, now that this new master of the storm had rejected the Olive Branch she’d extended, just how high he could climb in the future.