Chapter 27: The Dripping of Dreams

  "It hurts now, why did you still hit me twice on the court just now?" Xiang Ke muttered to herself, not letting go of any opportunity to scold Yun Hai Fan.

  "It's better to understand the opponent's level first." Yun Haifeng gradually adapted to the stimulation of the water temperature and flow, relaxed, "Although I was chased by her for so many rounds, at most I only knew that her spiritual power wasn't too strong. When I saw her take out a bow, I still panicked."

  "Really?" He helped her wipe the wound with a towel and applied some ointment, "I remember that Puppeteer's Illusion is an advanced magic spell, even Teacher Ge emphasized not to use it casually."

  "Hush—" Yun Haiyan's sail fluttered as he raised his left hand, and his right index finger covered his lips. "I'm telling you, don't tell anyone else..."

  "En, you said." Xiang Ke let go of her, his expression becoming more serious.

  "Hmm..." Yun Hai Fan lowered his high-sleeved garment, symbolically patting the wrinkles on the cuff, "Guess, if you guess correctly I'll tell you."

  After she finished speaking, she slipped away quietly, leaving only Wei Ke standing alone in the wind.

  "Cut." Hua Ke Hao finally reacted after half a day, filled with disdain, saying to Yun Hai Fan's back: "You didn't say it, I wouldn't have listened anyway." She walked towards the trial arena without looking back, her next match was about to begin.

  Xiang Ke didn't notice at all, and Yun Hai Fan hadn't gone far. She was hiding behind a ginkgo tree, the sturdy trunk blocking her slender figure. Yun Hai Fan leaned against the trunk, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, her eyebrows furrowed tightly, no longer with the playful teasing in her eyes. Although her spiritual energy was depleted, she felt a surge of blood rushing up to her throat, and she coughed violently, trying to expel the obstruction from her throat, relieving the hot flush that filled her chest cavity.

  The unresolved aftermath of the curse and the weakness after spiritual energy depletion mixed together. Yun Hai Fan raised her right hand, her right hand was slightly transparent, and she could vaguely see the scenery on the other side, but her five fingers grasped only a handful of nothingness. She casually plucked a leaf from beside her, scribbled a few words, rolled it into a ball, and let it drift in the direction where Lan Si Cheng was.

  Lan Lao Da, I want to ask for leave.

  She walked out of the campus by herself, and the security guard seemed to have received someone's instructions, letting her go as if he hadn't seen her.

  She returned home, opened the wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe was a wooden statue that looked almost identical to her, which she had carved out as a substitute puppet in front of the mirror these days. She bit her finger, and a drop of fresh blood dripped from the tip of her finger onto the lips of the statue, staining the statue's lips with a bright red color. The puppet, which had drunk the fresh blood, blinked its eyes, as if it had just woken up, stretched lazily, just like Yun Hai Fan on ordinary days.

  Yun Hai Yan took off the purple crystal pendant from his own neck and carefully hung it on the substitute's body, only then did he nod in satisfaction and signal for the substitute to leave.

  That crystal stone had been with her for a long time, back when her parents were still around. Her mother told her that the crystal could identify people with special powers, and Yun Hai Fan was one of them.

  How happy I was at that time.

  A thread of sadness surged up in Yun Haifeng's heart, and when the body is weak, the spirit will also decline. Emotions such as sorrow and fragility easily invaded his vulnerable emotions. Thinking so, Yun Haifeng's eyes were moist, she quickly blinked, as if someone would see her, then pressed the button on the wall.

  The seemingly solid wall slid to one side, and she fumbled for the switch on the wall, pressing it down. The crystal wall lamps around her flickered to life, casting a starry glow that seemed almost unreal. This was the underground training arena she had discovered by deciphering the seal on the wall using the book "Puppet Technique", which was even larger than the one Ge Hui had set up in the library's basement. It was surprising that such a narrow living space could have such a luxurious training arena, likely because it borrowed from the neighboring house's land, but due to the overlap of the mortal and magical realms, it went unnoticed by the neighbors.

  This made Yun Haiyan feel a little curious about her nominal guardian.

  What kind of person can achieve this?

  In the center of the trial ground was a five-pointed star magic array, and at each vertex of the magic array, a calming incense candle had been lit, spreading a pleasant fragrance in the seemingly airtight trial ground. Yun Hai Fan sat down in the magic array, concentrated his mind and held his breath, gradually feeling nothing from the outside world...

  So dark...

  What is this place?

  Where's Dad and Mom?

  I'm going to find them...

  The little girl's figure wandered around in the darkness, but no matter how far she walked, she couldn't reach the light, as if she was just spinning around in place.

  Is this home?

  The first law of the labyrinth is that as long as you keep touching the wall, you will definitely be able to walk out.

  The familiar home had become as cold as a tomb, and the girl felt along the wall, trying to find a way out.

  "Don't touch the wall!"

  The boy's low voice came over, and as he spoke, he had already grasped the girl's slender arm. "This place has been cast with magic, if you touch it, you can't get out."

  "How are you?" The girl couldn't see the boy's eyebrows and eyes, but she could barely recognize that the boy came from a neighboring family because of an unclear reason.

  "Shh, focus, I'm taking you out."

  The boy didn't answer the girl's question, his palm wrapped around her arm was not wide but warm. Although his palms were still unformed, the boy's slender fingers were already quite evident, making the girl feel very safe.

  Two small figures still wandered in the darkness, yet not without direction. The girl sniffed the faint scent of laundry detergent on the boy's body and thought he was still as clean as ever. The girl didn't have a concept of magic yet, only knowing that terrifying places were always dirty, but the boy had no hint of contamination.

  Magic is probably something that makes you feel like you're in danger without getting your clothes dirty...

  After putting down her thoughts, the girl's wild imagination never stopped. She only knew that she was no longer stumbling and her footsteps had become more determined, but at a certain point, she still couldn't see a bright spot. The boy suddenly stopped: "Keep walking in this direction, and you'll be able to get out."

  The boy added another sentence as soon as he finished speaking: "Now you can lean against the wall, it's no longer dangerous."

  "And you?" The girl looked at the boy with some worry, actually also not sure if the boy could feel her concern.

  "I want to stay here." The boy's voice was childish but firm. "If I don't stay here, you'll still be in danger when you go out."

  The girl didn't understand what the boy had done until much, much later. All she knew was that she followed the boy's words and walked out of the darkness, and then someone who claimed to be her guardian took her somewhere else, saying this was her new home...

  Yun Hai Fan suddenly woke up from her dream, everything just now was just her memories of many years ago. A mouthful of bloody pain drove away all her fatigue.

  Looking at the dark bloodstains on the ground that still emitted a foul smell, she felt her internal organs radiating the power of rebirth.