"Earlier, if I had wanted to go separate ways instead of following you back to the north, you would have lost your companion for life." Changyi did not even think about it.
"Would still be in the heart." His words moved her again. She lowered her head and smiled.
"Where is the mark now?"
"It was printed on the body below the lake that burned..." Changyi still remembered the pain he felt when her body disintegrated into the lava.
"So the mark is gone too."
"Back with you again?"
"Yes." Changyi looked at her.
"If you don't like it, we don't have to use it."
"We have to use it." Changyi did not expect that from her.
She continued, "Changyi, after we go back to the city, we will be facing the strongest man over the past century and the entire imperial court. Even though they lost the heart of their people, their power still cannot be underestimated. We will not always be together, and this mark can provide us with a link. It has to be printed, but it also needs to be fair."
Fair, meaning she should be able to sense him too.
Changyi watched Ji Yunhe for a while, then brushed aside the hair around her ear and planted a gentle kiss. She felt the same pain as last time, but was now in a completely different state of mind. His cool lips left her ear but he did not back away. Instead, he blew softly onto her wound. Even though the pain was nothing to Ji Yunhe, being cherished like this made her feel incredibly warm and fuzzy inside.
No one had ever treasured her like this before. Not Lin Canglan who raised her, not Lin Haoqing who grew up with her, and not her friends who admired and looked up to her.
Even with Changyi himself, they were never this close back in the Demon Valley. And after he brought her to the north, all they had between each other were grudges and disputes. And now, he gently helped her blow her wound.
Ji Yunhe felt like her whole body was melting under his cool breath. It tickled her ear, ruffled her hair, and flushed her face. She lifted her eyes and watched him. He looked so innocent, completely unaware that his actions had aroused certain responses inside her.
"Changyi."
"Hmm?"
"You're such a tease sometimes."
"Hmm?"
Without further ado, Ji Yunhe pulled him toward her and kissed him passionately on the lips.
His eyes widened. The giant bubble held out by Changyi's spell suddenly swayed, moving the lingzhi patch along with it. Amidst their shimmering light, the sound of seawater resonated inside the confined space, like the giggles of a naughty child who had peeked in.
Ji Yunhe did not let go. Blue eyes narrowed. His hand held up to her head from behind, and he tilted his body...
"Ji Yunhe, you're also very good at teasing."
She smiled. In the calm of the deep sea, they did not know day and night, only each other.