Her fingers lightly traced the white gauze covering her eyes, feeling the lingering warmth still upon it. A soft, slow curve lifted the corners of Jingliu's lips.
"Don't you think it's a little strange," she said, "coming from someone who can't see?"
"Hey, I've been blind for almost thirty years. Sure, I'm not exactly like a sighted person, but with a little help from Imaginary Energy, getting around day-to-day is no problem at all."
"If you don't believe me, give me your hand."
As he spoke, Bai Heng offered his own hand first.
A moment later, that familiar coolness met his palm.
During their time together on the Luofu, their hands had met like this countless times—palms pressed together, fingers interlaced.
Such simple contact had long become a natural part of their interaction.
But this time, on the unfamiliar world of Salsotto, it felt… different.
Guided by the gentle pull from his hand, Jingliu slowly rose to her feet.
Usually, when someone who has relied on sight their whole life is suddenly plunged into darkness, a trace of panic inevitably stirs deep inside.
It was the same for Jingliu. Though the fear was faint, it was undeniably there.
Yet, the moment her hand found his and she followed his lead, that wisp of unease vanished completely.
In its place, a deep sense of security filled her chest.
In that instant, a thought bloomed within Jingliu:
If she could hold this hand, even if her future was to be shrouded in perpetual darkness, she would feel not a shred of fear.
Because he had just promised her.
He would become her eyes.
--+--
Lumine: 「Sugar laced with daggers! Stop stuffing it in! I'll eat it! I'll eat it, alright?!」
March 7th: 「Wow… "In the days to come, I will be your eyes." That's just too romantic!」
Elysia: 「Even just watching through a screen, it makes my heart race~」
Sparkle: 「A real blind guy telling a faker he'll be her eyes? Oh, please, you all actually find that romantic? I'm just cringing so hard I could dig my toes through the floor~」
Stelle: 「Talk about being allergic to romance! I kinda want to say that, but this time I'd rather say: Let me do the toe-digging.」
Himeko: 「???」
Dan Heng: 「???」
March 7th: 「???」
Welt: 「???」
March 7th: 「You need to understand, when we type question marks, it's not because we have questions—it's because we think you're the question.....」
--+--
[Shrouded in endless darkness due to the perpetual sunset, the deep night on Salsotto brought temperatures unbearably low for ordinary people. Even for you and Jingliu, surviving such harsh conditions required tapping into a small amount of Imaginary Energy to ward off the cold.]
[Inside a derelict hut, a crackling campfire provided what limited warmth it could.]
[Feeling the slight chill radiating from the slender form beside you, you suddenly realized this seemed to be the first time the two of you were sharing a bed. The crackling of the fire nearby seemed to be hinting at something.]
"Can't sleep?" Bai Heng asked softly, hearing the faint, restless shifting beside him.
"Mm..."
Jingliu gave a slight nod and a quiet hum of affirmation.
Though the white gauze helped suppress the anguish of Mara, the visions from her descent remained etched in her mind—the images of her sword taking the lives of numerous Cloud Knights. Even the memory of wounding Bai Heng earlier that day was vividly clear.
As the night deepened, these scenes floated up from the depths of her memory, tearing at her heart.
Bai Heng, lying beside her, could clearly feel the cold emanating from her was sharper than usual.
Slowly, he stretched out his arms and drew her chilled form against his chest.
The embrace was somewhat sudden, causing Jingliu's body to tremble slightly.
Hugs, like holding hands, were a common occurrence between them.
A simple embrace ordinarily wouldn't have given her pause.
But an embrace in bed… that carried a different weight, one that made a heart beat faster.
Then, Bai Heng's voice broke the silence.
"Don't worry, just rest easy."
"You said it yourself before—some things shouldn't be done before we're married. I remember."
Those were words Jingliu had spoken soon after they first acknowledged their feelings for each other. Though she had said them almost casually back then, Bai Heng had remembered.
So now, he only intended for this embrace to bring her comfort.
But shortly after he spoke, Bai Heng felt the figure in his arms shift even closer.
So close that he could feel Jingliu's warm breath, the faint rhythm of her heartbeat, and the faint, chilling fragrance of winter that clung to her.
"But actually," her cool voice murmured, "there are some things… that can be done even before marriage."
Before Bai Heng could ponder her meaning, Jingliu closed the distance and captured his lips.
--+--
Stelle: 「Report! We've discovered a massive amount of sugar hidden within a small number of daggers!」
Lumine: 「The most diabetic episode yet!!」
Yae Miko: 「Well now, I have inspiration for my new book~ I'll call it: "About How I Just Wanted to Hug the Aloof Sword Champion, But She Decided to Attack Me Instead."」
Lumine: 「The vibe is strong... smells like premium pulp fiction...」
Kiana: 「I know it might not be the best time, but I'm really curious what Miss Firefly is thinking right now!!」
Firefly: 「Helmet and sunglasses.jpg.」
Silver Wolf: 「Take the hat off.」
Firefly: 「Sunglasses.jpg.」
Silver Wolf: 「Take the sunglasses off too.」
Firefly: 「Hands over mouth.jpg.」
Silver Wolf: 「Put your hands down.」
Firefly: 「Bawling.jpg.」
Stelle: 「Firefly, you have to stay strong!」
March 7th: 「Stop it already! Has bullying Miss Firefly become part of your daily routine?!」
--+--
Truth be told, ever since the turmoil of the Abundance Emanators began, the atmosphere in the stream had been overwhelmingly heavy.
Baiheng's death in battle, the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, the shattering of the famed High Cloud Sextet who were once close friends, and even Jingliu succumbing to Mara and turning her sword against Bai Heng…
All of this had cast a pall of intense oppression over the audience.
But now, watching the small, tender interaction between the two on screen, that heavy weight finally began to lift, if only a little.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.