TSFLIP Chapter 569

A glint flashed through his eyes, as if he’d just discovered a new world.

The metallic taste of blood in his mouth stirred up a strange nostalgia. He lifted her chin, gently tracing the pad of his index finger across her lips. Her lips were dry and cracked from dehydration, and the texture wasn’t pleasant, but he didn’t lower his hand. In fact… he leaned down and kissed her again.

He ran the tip of his tongue lightly over her lips, reaffirming something he was now certain of: he liked kissing her.

Si Jia’s gaze darkened. He lifted her into his arms and started walking into the endless desert. Eventually… he vanished into the vast sands.

—

When Fengguang woke up again, she was in a comfortable room. She stared up at the ceiling for a long time before it hit her—she had just been in the harsh desert, and Si Jia had been seriously injured.

She threw off the covers and got out of bed, but as soon as her feet hit the floor, her legs gave out slightly, sore and weak. The feeling was all too familiar, like the aftermath of a long, grueling hike. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She pushed the door open and stepped outside.

There, she saw a quiet and elegant courtyard.

Beneath a loquat tree in the center of the courtyard, a man sat on a stone bench, carving a small wooden figurine. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows across his body. In that moment, time itself seemed to slow down to keep him company.

“Si Jia…” she called out softly.

He turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile. “Fengguang, come here.”

She froze—not just because she’d never seen this side of him before, but also because she had no idea where she was or how she got there.

When she didn’t move, Si Jia stood up, walked over to her, took her hand, and led her back to the stone table. He let her sit down beside him and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Si Jia… you’re acting strange today.”

“Am I?”

Yes. He was initiating contact. Showing concern for her. Fengguang hadn’t forgotten—this was a world where the laws of science didn’t seem to apply. She eyed him warily and asked, “Are you one of those ghosts in disguise?”

Si Jia pulled out the gold hairpin. “If even this could be faked…”

The hairpin was something only the two of them knew about. No outsider pretending to be him could know that detail.

Fengguang let out a breath of relief. Then she quickly asked, “What about your injury? Are you okay now?”

“It’s nothing serious anymore.”

“That’s good… Wait, I remember—we were in the desert, right? How did we suddenly end up here?” She realized there was a gap in her memory. She had no idea when she passed out, and even less idea how they got out of the desert.

“That day, a Daoist priest appeared. He was the one who led us out of the desert,” Si Jia said, picking up the small knife again and continuing to carve his figurine, his expression calm and unreadable.

She brightened. “He was the one who defeated those ghosts and saved us?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

After the relief wore off, she asked hesitantly, “What about You’er? Did the priest also…”

He glanced at her anxious expression and paused for a moment before answering, “The priest only performed a ritual to help them pass on. He aided their reincarnation—he didn’t destroy them.”

“That’s a relief…” Fengguang’s tense expression eased. “Honestly, the people possessed by the mayor’s son were pretty pitiful, too. And You’er—he was the most innocent of all. If he can reincarnate now, that’s a kind of release. I still remember… he said he wanted to marry me in his next life.”

She smiled softly as she said it.