“Until the Bird of Prophecy sings at dawn, proclaiming the throne must be woven with thorns…”
On the bed, Aoki lay wracked with pain, softly humming a ballad in a foreign tongue. Lin Qiyou, sitting quietly by the bedside, listened to the end before asking,
“What’s this called? What’s it about?”
“It’s called Rose Princess, cough cough, and it’s about—”
“Forget it, forget it, you look like you’re about to die!”
Lin Qiyou was puzzled. Yesterday, her father and the family’s physician had treated her spiritual veins, and she’d slept the entire day. Early this morning, she’d planned to come to Aoki full of energy, only to find him injured from training, suffering from spiritual power disorder, confined to bed rest.
What a pity! She had been eager to spar with Aoki this time. Since they met, she had never won against him—that was all because his spiritual veins were damaged. Now that her own veins were a little better, she was sure she could beat him!
Frustrated with no outlet for her strength, Lin Qiyou puffed out her cheeks and accused, “You’re definitely afraid of losing, that’s why you’re faking being sick.”
Despite her words, she noticed Aoki’s face was pale, lips tinged blue, and his body trembled lightly beneath the thick quilt.
She asked, “Are you cold?”
Aoki nodded weakly, “A little.”
“That’s quite the coincidence. When I was healing my veins yesterday, I dreamed I fell into an ice lake… I felt very cold too.”
Lin Qiyou touched her tilted little head, recalling the sensations during yesterday’s treatment.
The feeling of the ice lake… Aoki probably knew why.
Yesterday, part of his spiritual veins had been transplanted to Lin Qiyou without her knowledge. When they extracted his veins, he’d experienced a near-death sensation. Lin Qiyou’s experience of the ice lake was likely a shared empathy with his near-death state.
His body still hurt; even unconsciousness couldn’t free him.
But gaining knowledge from this world allowed him to escape the vegetative state, giving him courage.
Pain also meant he was making progress in this world!
Aoki gazed at the tear mole beneath Lin Qiyou’s left eye and couldn’t help but smile. Lin Qiyou frowned, puzzled, just as a door creaked open behind her.
It was her father—the head of the Lin family.
“Qiyou, come out for a moment. I have something to discuss with Aoki.”
The Lin family head entered the room and gently touched Lin Qiyou’s cheek.
“What’s there to talk about with this blockhead?”
In Lin Qiyou’s impression, Aoki was an orphan. What matters could the family head have for him? Probably just some orders to protect her carefully, nonsense she didn’t need a coward like him for.
Muttering a complaint, Lin Qiyou left, giving her father and Aoki space to talk.
“Family head.”
Aoki tried to rise and salute, but the family head stepped forward and pressed a hand on his shoulder, saying calmly, “No need for formalities at a time like this.”
“Are you leaving, family head? Do you have orders for me?”
The family head didn’t hurry to speak. Instead, he waved his hand to quietly activate a silent barrier before saying,
“Hm, I’ve spoken with the clan master. From now on, whenever spiritual vein transplants happen, you’ll act as the proxy to create the illusion you’re not present.
Otherwise, if you keep looking like this during the transplants, Qiyou will inevitably grow suspicious.
I don’t want Qiyou to carry the guilt of harboring spiritual veins.”
“Understood.”
Aoki nodded expressionlessly, then added, “Family head, what about my Aoki’s siblings?”
The simulation was like a second life since Aoki’s crossing; those memories in his mind felt as real as having happened. For his siblings, Aoki felt a certain familial affection.
Speaking about them also helped the simulation run more smoothly.
“They’re doing well. You just focus on your responsibilities.”
With that, the family head turned and left, leaving Aoki sighing beside the sickbed.
Half a month later, Lin Qiyou finally got what she wanted: a match against Aoki under the watchful eyes of their master, after her spiritual veins had recovered.
The young boy and girl, black and white, each wielding a longsword, stood on opposite sides of the sparring ground. Their master sat cross-legged on a mat. After three breaths, he commanded, “Draw your swords.”
“Swish—”
Lin Qiyou struck first, stepping forward swiftly, her sword flashing like lightning.
The midday sun blazed, but the cold gleam was faster than the blade. It flashed before Aoki’s eyes, and when his vision cleared, the sword tip and the girl’s triumphant face were right before him.
The sword grazed the side of his head, brushing hair and cheek. Time suddenly slowed. He saw the girl’s triumphant expression shift to shock.
“Tch!”
Her confident strike failed, passing right past Aoki. Lin Qiyou realized her many flaws; Aoki had a perfect chance to subdue her just now but hadn’t taken it.
He looks down on me!
Lin Qiyou stomped her foot and raised her sword again.
To be honest, a child is still a child. This time, Lin Qiyou’s emotions took over. Her swordplay and footwork were chaotic; in the midst of what was supposed to be a sword duel, she even cast a few clumsy spells with her left hand.
Their master could no longer tolerate the nonsense and called for Lin Qiyou to stop, but she ignored him.
“Don’t dodge, don’t dodge, don’t dodge! Afraid to fight, huh? Come on! I’ll knock you down!”
Lin Qiyou swung her sword and cast spells, yelling at the agile Aoki as he dodged and weaved.
“Fight back, will you?”
“You said that?”
Aoki raised an eyebrow, ducked under a sword slash, then stretched his right foot forward. The clumsy Lin Qiyou tripped and fell flat on her face.
The sword flew far away, along with her confidence and pride.
Luckily, the master’s spiritual energy shielded her from injury as she fell, but it still brought tears to her eyes.
“Wahhh… you’re dead, Aoki! Stinky Aoki!”
Still a good kid after all; at least she didn’t say anything about telling my dad.
Aoki glanced back. Their master had somehow slipped away unnoticed. Looks like he didn’t enjoy coaxing children. Well, it was Aoki’s doing that made her cry—oh well, might as well cheer her up.
Sheathing his sword, Aoki sat on the ground and simply watched Lin Qiyou cry.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Qiyou cried for a while, then suddenly felt something was off. She quickly sat up, cheeks flushed, and asked angrily,
“I was wondering if you’re crying because you can’t beat me?”
“I—I’m crying for my spiritual veins! If they were better, if I healed them again, I’d be able to beat you!”
Hearing the girl so easily admit defeat, Aoki nodded against his will and said, “So this round doesn’t count?”
“Right, doesn’t count!”
Lin Qiyou nodded, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, tears still streaming.
Stopped crying so fast?
Well, looks like she cheered herself up.
“Shall we go then?”
“Tell me a story, you didn’t finish last time.”
“Where were we?”
Lin Qiyou’s face was full of longing. “The hero!”
…
……
“So, you’re saying if I become the hero, I’ll get to meet Aoki, the hero’s strategist?”
At the Zenda Tavern, a white-clad fairy was chatting with several people at the table. When the topic of heroes came up, she set down her cup, cheeks flushed, and interrupted the group with, “What do you all think—how about I become the hero?”