Shen Zhifei fell into a deep sleep, and when Zhao Xiaokui carried her to take a shower, she was completely drowsy, like a ragdoll allowing herself to be manipulated. Zhao Xiaokui placed her on the sofa in the lounge, found fresh bedsheets and covers from the wardrobe, changed them all, and then lifted Shen Zhifei again. As soon as Shen Zhifei touched the soft bedding, she turned over, burying her face in the pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhao Xiaokui gazed at her face, feeling a particularly tender emotion in her heart.
She gently rubbed Shen Zhifei’s cheek, laid down beside her, and held Shen Zhifei in her arms—warm and cozy, like a little sun.
This adorable metaphor made her couldn’t help but smile.
Oh, her Zhifei…
In the tranquil time after the passion faded, Zhao Xiaokui silently held her lover, full of love.
At this moment, Shen Zhifei was dreaming.
Although both of them were new to this kind of experience, Zhao Xiaokui possessed the ancestral memories of the mermaid clan, mastering the skills effortlessly. Coupled with her being a third-tier extraordinary individual with considerable stamina, Shen Zhifei’s body, even though strengthened a couple of times, quickly succumbed to fatigue and exhaustion.
This fatigue even carried over into her dreams.
In the dream, Shen Zhifei walked in a white mist, feeling her legs turning as soft as noodles.
She wanted to find a place to sit and rest, but deep down, there was a feeling telling her she couldn’t stop.
She couldn’t quite explain what kind of feeling it was, so she kept walking forward. Suddenly, the dense white color in front faded away, gradually revealing the scene behind.
It was a city underwater.
Shen Zhifei’s first reaction was that she had entered the deep-sea world where Zhao Xiaokui used to live.
However, soon she distinguished the differences between the two.
She had spent a considerable amount of time in the deep-sea world, not much shorter than Zhao Xiaokui.
In terms of familiarity with the mermaid royal city in the deep-sea world, it could be said that she knew it almost as well, considering that apart from the time when Zhao Xiaokui accidentally revealed her form during a certain incident, most of the time, she was like a ghost or an outsider, wandering on the outskirts.
She scanned the city and compared it to the deep-sea world. She recognized most of the buildings and prepared herself mentally before directing her gaze to the center of the royal city. There, on the pedestal of the mermaid statue, her gaze slowly moved upward.
Having experienced encounters in the deep-sea world, she was no longer the naive and sweet girl from the extraordinary world. If anything seemed off, she would immediately avert her gaze.
She looked upward, and to her surprise, she discovered that the central sculpture in the city was actually a female mermaid.
This was completely different from the mermaid royal city in the deep sea.
Her gaze finally landed on the mermaid’s face, and the familiar contours left her stunned for a moment. Then, she looked up and met those cold eyes. Intense pain invaded her brain in an instant. Shen Zhifei held her head, and two lines of bright red tears fell from her eyes.
Zhao Xiaokui was awakened by the commotion coming from Shen Zhifei’s body.
She looked down and saw Shen Zhifei, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly bleeding from her seven orifices, with a painful expression on her face.
“Zhifei, Zhifei…”
Her appearance seemed as if she had suffered a tremendous injury, appearing extremely distressed.
Zhao Xiaokui urgently called her name, but there was no effective response.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xiaokui forced herself to calm down. She then placed her hand on Shen Zhifei’s forehead and began to gently sing a soothing song. Extraordinary energy trembled recklessly in the air as the faint, elusive melody played. Shen Zhifei’s expression gradually became more serene.
Seeing her calm down and her breathing stabilize, Zhao Xiaokui finally embraced her and softly called, “Zhifei, Zhifei, what happened to you? It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have… It’s my mistake…”
It was her first time experiencing such a situation, and emotions ran uncontrollably deep. Even with intentional restraint, the extraordinary energy on her body still resonated with Shen Zhifei several times.
Zhao Xiaokui suspected that Shen Zhifei’s condition might be due to an overly lively internal power, causing her to lose control.
“How could it be your fault.” Shen Zhifei’s consciousness gradually cleared. Hearing her voice, she coughed a few times and spat out some blood. Zhao Xiaokui quickly grabbed tissues to wipe them off. Supporting Shen Zhifei as she sat up from the bed, Shen Zhifei held onto her hand, her face unusually pale under the moonlight. She explained, “It has nothing to do with you. It’s my issue.”
She lowered her gaze, still recalling the fleeting images in her mind, and said in a somewhat dazed tone, “I just had a dream.”
“A nightmare?”
Shen Zhifei was a Star Seer.
Compared to ordinary people, the scenes she glimpsed unconsciously could very well be interpretations from the River of Fate. Scenes that could cause her to bleed from seven orifices and be severely injured in her dream were likely terrifying.
Zhao Xiaokui grabbed Shen Zhifei’s hand and asked, “Am I not there?”
If there were truly terrifying scenes, where was she?
Shen Zhifei slowly raised her head, looking at Zhao Xiaokui. The worried and caring expression on her face coincided with the cold face of the statue.
This realization sent a shiver through her heart.
Words reached her lips but were swallowed back.
She said, “You weren’t there.”
Biting her lip, Zhao Xiaokui asked, “Then where did I go?”
Shen Zhifei replied, “I don’t know; I didn’t see you.”
“Don’t be afraid.” Zhao Xiaokui embraced the trembling Shen Zhifei and reassured, “If you didn’t see me, then I must be looking for you. Don’t worry, even if it’s death, we’ll die together.”
She might not speak overly sweet words, but when she made a promise, it was unequivocal and left no room for doubt.
Shen Zhifei’s inner turmoil was instantly dispelled.
That was not her Xiaokui.
Even though the statue looked exactly like her Xiaokui, it wasn’t her.
Being held in Zhao Xiaokui’s embrace, feeling the warmth of her body and the strong heartbeat, the panic from the sudden loss in the dream faded away, replaced by a sense of peace.
She pulled away from Zhao Xiaokui’s embrace, pinched Zhao Xiaokui’s cheek, and suddenly smiled. Then, she gave her a peck on the lips, saying, “I don’t want us to die together, but if you ever don’t want me, make sure to let me know in advance.”
Zhao Xiaokui: “…”
She was left stunned by the kiss, and then immediately displayed a pitiful expression.
“I knew it, some women, once they get what they want, they don’t cherish it…” Zhao Xiaokui, with a falsely accusing look, accused, “We’re still in the same bed, and now you’re thinking of throwing me away after our intimate moment. Are you unsatisfied with my skills, thinking of discarding me after using me?”
Shen Zhifei was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend. She asked, “How did you even come up with this?”
Zhao Xiaokui, undeterred, continued, “We just had intimate contact, and you’re saying I don’t want you anymore. Isn’t this a reversal of the situation? How could I not want you? Are you saying such things because you’ve found another dog in your heart? Come on, tell me, which dog tried to flirt with you when I wasn’t around? I’ll go and beat it to death!”
Shen Zhifei couldn’t help but laugh, finding this side of Zhao Xiaokui familiar.
She ruffled the playful person’s hair and indulgently said, “Don’t be silly.”
Zhao Xiaokui nudged her neck with her head, burying her face, and muttered, “Then don’t say things that make me sad.”
“I’m sorry,” Shen Zhifei apologized, “I just…”
Zhao Xiaokui interrupted her, “There’s no ‘just.’ I will never not want you unless I’m dead.”
Shen Zhifei didn’t like hearing her talk about death, “Stop bringing up the topic of life and death so casually.”
Zhao Xiaokui: “Okay, okay, you still haven’t told me about your dream, though.”
Shen Zhifei wiped her face, smearing blood on her hand, and said, “Before that, can I freshen up a bit?”
Zhao Xiaokui grinned, “I’ll carry you to the bathroom.”
Shen Zhifei pushed away Zhao Xiaokui’s hand, “No need, I can manage on my own.” As she attempted to stand up, her legs, soft as noodles, gave way when she tried to step off the bed. Just as she managed to stand upright, she leaned forward and would have fallen if Zhao Xiaokui hadn’t caught her, saying, “This is not me hugging you willingly; you practically fell into my arms.”
Shen Zhifei glared at her, placing blame on her for this situation.
If it weren’t for Zhao Xiaokui’s lack of restraint, not listening to Shen Zhifei’s pleas multiple times, incessantly saying things like “I’ll make you comfortable for sure,” using some techniques Shen Zhifei had no idea where she learned and applying them all on her, she wouldn’t be in her current state.
In the end, Shen Zhifei was still carried to the bathroom in Zhao Xiaokui’s arms.
After Zhao Xiaokui made a slight adjustment to the flow of extraordinary energy within her, when she appeared in front of the mirror, her complexion was no longer as pale as when she had just awakened. However, traces of blood remained in her seven orifices, giving her a somewhat terrifying appearance.
Zhao Xiaokui wrung the towel and delicately wiped Shen Zhifei, her eyes reflecting a sense of pity.
While wiping, she said, “I remember there’s a meditation method to restrain spiritual power. Remember to practice it more in the future. I’d rather you have fewer premonitions; I don’t want you to experience today’s situation again. Let’s talk about future matters in the future. It’s not like life can’t go on without glimpsing into the future now and then.”
Watching her serious expression, Shen Zhifei nodded obediently, “I understand.”
Zhao Xiaokui said, “So, what did you dream about?”
After contemplating for a while, Shen Zhifei recounted the scenes she saw in her dream to Zhao Xiaokui.
With the towel in hand, Zhao Xiaokui paused, “You said the statue had a face identical to mine?”
Shen Zhifei nodded, “I even felt that person was you.”
Shen Zhifei wouldn’t dream of such a scene without reason.
Although Zhao Xiaokui didn’t doubt that Shen Zhifei was lying, she didn’t believe she would become the statue described in her dream. It was not that she doubted Shen Zhifei’s words, but rather she couldn’t imagine herself turning into the statue described in the dream. She understood that when it came to things related to the future, until they actually happened, no one could predict how many changes might occur.
Despite sensing Shen Zhifei’s panic, Zhao Xiaokui, full of doubts, still smiled lightly and said, “Don’t worry, I can handle it. I’ll definitely find an answer.”
Shen Zhifei looked at her and smiled gently, “I believe in you.”
