Chapter Forty-Nine: A Glance

“Where am I?” Xie Liu rubbed his forehead as waves of dizziness washed over him. He felt himself lying face down on the ground, the scent of moss creeping from his nostrils into his mind.

He forced his head up and realized he was sprawled in a patch of grass, with a mouthful of soil—earth and grass tasted far from pleasant. With a push, he rolled over onto his back. The glaring light above stabbed at his eyes. “Is it already daytime?” he muttered to himself, a sharp pain stabbing through his chest that forced him into a bout of coughing.

“You’re awake!” A melodious female voice sounded beside him. Propping himself up, he saw a sweet-faced girl at his side—her hair pure white, strikingly beautiful, with large ruby-like eyes that gazed at him, fearful yet laced with concern.

“A Delian,” Xie Liu noted, seeing the blue halos flickering around her red pupils and the slightly pointed tips of her ears. No surprise—she was one of the city's unique races, the Delians. This people were all white-haired and red-eyed, with ears that tapered like elves from Western myths.

Delian women were famed for their beauty, and the men for their handsome looks. Yet their physical constitution was generally weak, though their intelligence surpassed that of other races. Xie Liu had once asked Vladimir about the Delians, but Vladimir had always dodged the subject. One thing was certain: this was not a naturally evolved race; it likely had ties to the old human evolution projects.

Delians were now extremely rare. Xie Liu only knew of their existence, and had likely never seen one before. So, when he saw this girl, he was stunned for a moment. The girl, noticing him staring blankly at her, blushed and lowered her head. “Um…”

“What is it?” Xie Liu asked. The girl jumped at his question, waving her hands quickly, “Um, um, Big Sister said that if you woke up, I should bring you to them.”

“Big Sister?” Xie Liu frowned, recalling the purple-haired woman, Wendy, whom he’d fought at the inn. Was it her? Had he been captured? What about Angel and the others? He looked around and, seeing no sign of Lin Yang, relaxed a little—maybe Lin Yang and the rest were still safe. “Lead the way,” Xie Liu nodded, getting up and stretching, only to realize his internal injuries had fully healed.

“I’ve already healed your wounds,” the white-haired girl said softly. “When Wendy brought you in, you were still coughing up blood—it was really scary.” She shook her hand, a gentle green light glowing in her palm. “My ability is ‘Healing.’ As long as it’s not too severe, I can fix it quickly.”

Xie Liu glanced at the beaming girl, weighing whether to knock this utterly unsuspecting soul out and make a run for it. He quickly abandoned the thought; he didn’t know the enemy’s situation well enough to take such a risk.

“I see. Thank you,” he said with a smile.

The girl pursed her lips and shook her head shyly. “No need to thank me! Oh, right, my name is Angela. What’s yours?”

“So this is what they call naïve and sweet,” Xie Liu thought with a wry smile. He was always at a loss with her type—they were single-minded and not easily bullied, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do so. With this odd thought, he answered, “Xie Liu.”

“Oh… You’re Chinese! Here in this country, I thought you were Japanese,” Angela said, pressing her index finger to her chin, looking innocent. Xie Liu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “That’s a very rude thing to say.” He winked, then grinned mischievously. “Tell me, say, ‘Diaoyu Island belongs to China.’”

Angela blinked her big eyes, confused, tilting her head and repeating softly, “Diaoyu Island belongs to China.”

“Good girl!” Xie Liu laughed heartily. Just then, another female voice came from ahead: “Clearly, you’re nothing but trouble. Freshly awake and already tricking Angela.” Xie Liu looked up to see the purple-haired Wendy approaching, hands on her hips. “You!” His eyes widened.

Wendy ignored Xie Liu’s rising indignation and ruffled Angela’s hair. “This guy’s a pervert—talking to him will get you pregnant,” she said seriously. Xie Liu exploded, “Pregnant my—!”

“Ah!” Angela shrieked, looking at Xie Liu in utter despair. Xie Liu was mortified. “Come on! You can’t possibly believe that!” Angela clasped her hands together, nodding vigorously. “If I… If I have your child, you have to marry me.”

“There’s no way you’ll get pregnant! How can you be so clueless?” Xie Liu nearly lost it, but Angela seemed not to hear, covering her face and running off, leaving Xie Liu standing there, face twitching. “Is something wrong with this girl’s head?”

“Alright, enough fooling around,” Wendy said, watching Angela retreat into the distance, her smile fading. She sat beside Xie Liu and turned to him. “Can you tell me what your plan is?”

Xie Liu turned his head to meet Wendy’s gaze, a nearly helpless smile on his face. “That’s an interesting question. If you’d already captured my companions, you wouldn’t need to ask me anything.”

Wendy paused, then sneered, “Clever. I almost regret saving you.” She flashed a devilish grin. “If you were with the Special Forces Union, I’d have cut you down already.” Xie Liu shrugged. “Either way, whether you kill me or not, you won’t get anything out of me.”

Wendy’s smile turned strange. “You’ll talk—whether you want to or not.” She stood and called ahead, “Sister, he’s all yours.”

“I heard someone bullied Angela. I’m curious, who would dare?” A gentle female voice sounded. Xie Liu’s eyes flew open. “You!” Recognition flashed through him, and a bad feeling surged up. He turned to flee, but the woman behind him laughed, “I have a few questions for you.”

Without warning, Xie Liu shuddered and froze where he stood, his body seized as if shocked, losing all control, as if unseen hands gripped him, turning him to face the woman who had just approached. “Tell me, what is your plan?”

“We plan to reach the west coast and find a ship to take us home,” Xie Liu replied expressionlessly. The blonde woman smiled faintly. Xie Liu’s body trembled again; he blinked, then gritted his teeth. “Impressive. No wonder you’re ranked fourth among the city’s ability users—Franny, the Mind Goddess.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Honestly, your plan isn’t bad, but this is where it ends. That child—you must return him to us,” Franny said, meeting Xie Liu’s eyes. “I don’t know why you’re going to such lengths, knowing full well the child won’t live long.”

“Hmph!” Xie Liu snorted, cursing her inwardly as a lapdog of the city’s upper echelons, then closed his eyes.

He had nothing more to say to Franny. These Level-Ten espers were the darlings of fate, the city’s treasures—they’d never understand the struggles of the small and powerless.

“Let’s go, Wendy. I’ll go myself,” Franny said, looking east. “I can sense their movements. They’ve left their previous location and are almost out of the mountains.”

“What about him, Sister?” Wendy pointed at Xie Liu. Franny smiled. “Angela can watch him.” Xie Liu blinked and glanced at Angela, who was peeking from afar. He sneered, “You really think she can keep me here?”

“Try and see,” Franny replied with a slight smile, beckoning Angela over. “Just keep an eye on him—don’t let him run off.” She patted Wendy on the shoulder. Wendy grinned and scooped Franny up in a princess carry. “Right now, I am the happiest person alive.” Franny frowned. “Enough nonsense, let’s go.”

“At your command, Sister!” Wendy laughed and vanished in an instant. Soon, only a distant blur of her remained at the edge of sight.

“So fast!” Xie Liu was dumbfounded. That speed could rival a Formula One car. “What kind of ability is that? Terrifying.”

“Wendy is called the strongest Sword Maiden in the city!” Angela said admiringly. “Even though she’s only Level Eight, she’s known as the strongest below Level Ten.”

“The strongest?” Xie Liu snorted, clearly unconvinced. No matter how impressive an eighth-level esper was, there was a natural gap between their power and that of a ninth-level. But that wasn’t his main concern—what mattered was how to shake off this girl watching him. Franny’s confidence in leaving him to her suggested she had some hidden talent. With that in mind, Xie Liu pursed his lips in a sly smile, then turned to Angela. “Hey there, beautiful, want to be my girlfriend?”

“Ah?” Angela was startled by the sudden question, her mind slow to react as Xie Liu leaned in, their faces almost touching. Angela gasped softly, glancing around in panic, but Xie Liu pressed closer. “In truth, from the moment I first saw you, I’ve been deeply smitten. Your beauty is like the moon at night, the snow on the mountains, dazzling and enchanting, capturing my heart in an instant.”

“Ah!” Angela cried out, deflating like a pricked balloon and scurrying away to hide behind a rock.

“It’s working!” Xie Liu cheered inwardly. This girl was clearly a bit slow, though it was odd—Delians were supposed to be highly intelligent. Perhaps she was an outlier in her tribe. From behind the rock, Angela peeked out, her bright eyes fixed intently on Xie Liu.

“You… That sentence just now…” she murmured timidly, her gaze unwavering. “It’s from page seventeen, line three, of the fourth edition of ‘The Praise Handbook’ in Fantasy City—Western direct praise paired with Eastern metaphorical imagery.”

“Huh?” Xie Liu’s words caught in his throat. Was she serious? He felt cold sweat beading on his brow. “Ah, yes, I really like that line. Do you?”

“Oh, right. Don’t you think the mountains and rivers here are refreshing and soothing?” Xie Liu tried to change the subject. Angela, still hidden behind the rock, suddenly spoke up, “If someone tries to divert from the topic, it’s either out of guilt or ulterior motives. That’s what my sister says.”

“Really? Your sister must be amazing. Ha, ha ha…” Xie Liu’s eyes darted around. Angela crept out from behind the rock. “When in conversation, if one’s eyes suddenly shift away, it shows insincerity. That’s from ‘Ice Mirror,’ ‘On Attitude,’ second sentence. It means that if, while talking, someone’s gaze drifts, they have no sincerity.”

“I surrender, scholar,” Xie Liu groaned, prostrating himself on the ground. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted your intelligence. You just put your skill points in different places.” Angela looked at him, her finger pressed to her chin, eyes innocent. “Wendy says you’re a bad guy. Franny says you have to see for yourself to judge someone. I don’t know if you’re bad or not.”

Xie Liu paused, raising his head to study Angela seriously for the first time. It’s said that the face reflects the heart; her eyes were as clear as a rain-washed sky. Seeing such purity, he had no reason to doubt her heart was just as pure.

“What do you think? Am I a good person?” he asked.

Angela tilted her head, considered for a moment, then shook it. “I don’t know.”

Xie Liu was silent for a moment, then looked up at her again. “Angela, right? I trust you now. You’re a kind person. I don’t know why you’re opposing us, but I don’t have time to explain. Angela, since you say that averting your gaze shows insincerity, then look into my eyes—see if I am sincere.”

Angela fell silent. In that moment, as she looked into Xie Liu’s eyes—eyes she had never seen before, stripped of all guile and pretense—she saw the real him. Xie Liu met her gaze, and their eyes locked.

At that moment, he thought of Angel, of her smiles and tears, and that word, “Creepy uncle.”

“In your eyes, I see gentleness, sorrow, and resolve,” Angela murmured. “I still don’t know why you’re fighting, but…” Her cheeks flushed. “I see sincerity.”

Xie Liu was taken aback, his expression flickering. He blinked and gave a weary, helpless smile. “Thank you, Angela.” He stood up, but Angela suddenly said, “I see exhaustion in your eyes. If you can, please don’t bear it all alone.”

His body stiffened as he rose again. Xie Liu looked up at the sky. “Alone… is it?”

“Are you leaving?” Angela asked, remembering Franny’s instructions. Xie Liu turned back. “What, are you going to stop me?”

Angela shook her head. Xie Liu finally smiled, the slyness returning to his eyes. “If you let me go, when I return, I’ll marry you.”

“Ah!” Angela was caught off guard, covering her face and turning away. “No, I can’t! I’m only eighteen. My sister says I’m too young for marriage. No, no… Ah! She said there’s so much to do for a wedding—preparations, and we need someone to officiate. Could Sister be our witness? Also, Wendy said after marriage you need your own home, but I don’t have one. Wait, I think… we could get a plot by the sea at the French division and build a house ourselves. And we could have several children. The first should be a girl, because Sister is the gentlest…” Angela’s face grew redder as she spoke, turning happily, “And then…”

Behind her, there was no one.

“Huh? Where did he go?”