Lian’er pulled Su Ling to sit down, and began to recount the experiences she had after losing contact with Di Bai.
From being escorted by a Knight, to being accidentally let go by the Guards, and then being taken in by Blitz and the Old Doctor.
Every part of her story was heart-stirring and thrilling.
Because the Rebels couldn’t afford to wait any longer to send someone to Valivadan, in those desperate moments, the Captain decided to risk everything and seek a new partner.
Su Ling was captivated, at times opening her mouth in astonishment, at times letting out a sigh of relief at Phil’s lucky escape.
“So, are you with those Rebels now?” Su Ling asked, her eyes full of concern for Phil’s situation.
Phil shook her head.
“Not exactly. The Rebels need someone who’s familiar with the Royal Capital and can contact their allies here. There was no other way, so I came.”
“Contact?” Su Ling frowned. “You mean the Rebels have someone here leading them?”
“That’s right!” Phil nodded seriously, “Right now, that person is our partner.”
“At first, we weren’t planning to rely on the powers here, but things changed too fast… There’s no other choice but to do it this way.”
“So that’s how it is…” A thought flashed through Su Ling’s mind. “So, you were the one who got that person to let me out, weren’t you?”
Judging by tonight’s events, Phil must have known Su Ling would pass by that intersection and waited there ahead of time.
Was the person Phil contacted Nori? But isn’t Nori doing things for the Backer Kingdom…
This realization truly startled Su Ling.
“Um—” Phil suddenly became a little flustered, glancing left and right nervously.
“Of course not!”
“I… I just happened to run into you! I definitely didn’t come looking for you!” Her tail behind her swished rapidly, and Phil loudly replied as if by accident.
“Really? But I still think you came to see me.”
Su Ling’s eyes never left Phil.
There was no fire in the tent, making it especially cold and gloomy. Before long, Su Ling started to rub her hands together to keep warm.
Seeing this, Phil walked over to the fireplace, put in some dry wood, and soon, the firelight warmly lit up the whole room.
“Come on, Su Ling, warm yourself up over here,” she said.
Bathed in the firelight, both their faces looked even more gentle. Because they’d come in such a hurry, their clothes were stained with cold rainwater, the dampness clinging uncomfortably to their bodies.
“Thank you, Phil,” Su Ling felt the warmth from the fire, her body relaxing considerably. “All my clothes are wet—can I dry them here for a bit?”
“Of course, go ahead,” Phil replied.
Su Ling gently untied the sash at her waist, her outer garment slowly slipping off, revealing a thin, pale undergarment beneath.
She carefully lifted her clothing. The damp fabric shimmered with droplets in the flickering firelight.
Su Ling moved gently toward the fireplace, trying not to let her clothes brush against the dusty ground, and then carefully spread them out near the dancing flames, hoping to dry out the wetness.
Phil, crouching at the edge of the hearth, happened to glance up and caught sight of the silver-haired girl’s figure beneath her clothes.
Droplets hung from the girl’s delicate waist, her pale, slender skin illuminated with a soft amber glow by the fire, as if adorned with a faint, crystalline sheen.
Between her legs, the soft cloth clung closely, its shape vaguely discernible.
Just one glance, and Phil couldn’t help but feel a surge of heat rising within her.
Her cheeks began to flush, and she nervously poked the firewood with a stick, pretending to be focused on tending the fire to cover up the turmoil in her heart.
What is going on with me…
Phil couldn’t figure out her feelings right now and felt like a fool.
Back in the Castle, hadn’t she already seen everything? She hadn’t felt anything strange then.
It had only been a while since they’d last met, so why did she feel so weird now? Annoying, annoying, she didn’t want to be like this, she wanted to go back to how she was before!
“Phil, is there something on my clothes?” Su Ling noticed Phil’s gaze and was a little curious, “You keep staring…”
“No! Nothing at all!”
Realizing she’d just been staring at Su Ling’s underclothes, Phil immediately looked away, not daring to look at Su Ling, afraid her eyes would give away her thoughts.
Su Ling’s lips curled into a faint smile. She asked softly, “Phil, aren’t you going to change your clothes? Yours are wet too.”
At these words, Phil shook her head, replying in a low voice, “No, I… I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? But staying wet isn’t good for you.”
As she spoke, Su Ling reached out, about to help Phil change, but Phil reacted instantly, jumping up and moving a full meter away from Su Ling.
“No need, I said no need!” Her ears were bright red.
“Alright? That’s fine then.” Seeing this, Su Ling didn’t press any further.
After a while, their clothes finally dried. Night still held fast outside, so it looked like they would be staying here tonight. Su Ling gathered up her clothes, sat down next to Phil, and the two of them sat facing the crackling fire.
In the quiet, Phil suddenly remembered something and spoke:
“Hey, Su Ling, I heard things have been uneasy in the Castle lately, especially with the fire rumors are spreading everywhere. Are you okay? Don’t tell me that idiot didn’t take care of you.”
Su Ling smiled gently and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Though the fire and explosions were frightening, I managed to get out in time.”
“That’s good,” Phil replied, fiddling with her ear, “Life hasn’t been easy lately, huh?”
“It’s alright, I’ve been working as a maid in the Castle. It’s not too bad.”
Hearing Su Ling say it wasn’t too bad, Phil’s expression grew heavier. She knew Su Ling was just trying to reassure her. In a Castle rife with power struggles, how could life really be “not too bad”?
“Consider yourself lucky those Blood Clan didn’t do anything to you…” Phil muttered under her breath, “I’ve seen right through them.”
“Hm? Phil?” Su Ling looked at her in surprise, about to ask more, but Phil suddenly lifted her head and looked at Su Ling.
“Su Ling, do you really think staying in Hailuosen Castle is a good idea?” Her tone was grave. “The Blood Clan are all bad news. Being around them is really dangerous.”
“Phil…”
“To tell you the truth, Su Ling, the reason I ended up like this, and almost died at the hands of the Guards, was all orchestrated by that Moria Anderson! The whole thing! I was just a pawn in their power games, a tool to be thrown away at will.”
“I used to be brainwashed by those people at Anxing Academy, but ever since I met the Rebels, I’ve realized that the Human Race and Former People are actually on the same side—the Blood Clan are the real enemies of this world!”
What surprised Phil was that when Su Ling looked at her face, there weren’t too many words of comfort—it was as if she had long understood the true nature of the Blood Clan.
“Phil… You really have suffered a lot,” Su Ling’s expression was tinged with sympathy, “The Castle really is full of hidden dangers. I’ve been getting by as carefully as I can.”
The fire in the hearth was nearly out, the last of the wood crackled softly, releasing its final warmth, as the light faded and the temperature in the room began to drop.