Thalassotélos — XXII

After Hu Lijing regained consciousness, it took him a few moments to reorient himself as he blinked, slowly, sluggishly as he tried to chase away the blur that clouded his vision, like a slab of glass casting a shadow of opacity in his eyes.

His mind was slow, drinking in the sight above him as his body adjusted to having more energy.

And then…

He saw Long ZhenHai, the dragon's body looming over him, his handsome visage gazing down at him with a familiar and ever so gentle smile curved upon his lips.

For a split second, Hu Lijing's heart skipped a beat or two, ramming against his chest with a stutter as he blinked, thoughts crashing for a moment.

But then, he remembered.

The confession, the broken words, the disbelieving plea, a desperate question.

The nine-tailed fox's heart ceased, breath stuttering against his chest as it caught in his throat, before his mind could muster up any coherent, proper thought, his body reacted.