When Yu Xie and Clorinde arrived at the dining room, Navia and Callas were already there.
As soon as Navia saw Clorinde, her eyes lit up. She hurried over to Clorinde's side and carefully inspected her from head to toe, left to right.
Then, she broke into her signature radiant smile.
"Clorinde, I told you this one is perfect for you."
"Mm, thank you for picking it for me, Navia," Clorinde nodded in acknowledgment.
"Alright, let's eat! I put a lot of effort into making this meal, so make sure to enjoy it!" Navia said, looking pleased and confident.
As Navia had promised, the moment Yu Xie took his first bite, he felt that this was the most delicious meal he had ever had.
A good meal doesn't need extravagant ingredients; the intention behind it is the best seasoning.
In Navia's cooking, Yu Xie could truly feel the care and thought that went into it.
After eating his fill, time slowly passed, and the night deepened. It was soon time to rest.
Lying in bed, Yu Xie rested his arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
The night was quiet, with the faint sound of insects chirping coming from outside the window.
In the past, Yu Xie had loved this sound; it was like a lullaby, and he would fall asleep quickly just by listening to it.
But now, for some reason, the sound of the insects seemed to make him uneasy.
He turned over, but still couldn't sleep. In the end, he decided to get up and take a walk outside.
To his slight surprise, he wasn't the only one unable to sleep.
As soon as he stepped out of his room, he ran into Clorinde and Navia, who also seemed to want to go out for a stroll.
The three of them exchanged a brief glance, and then, with perfect coordination, they lowered their footsteps and moved quietly to the front door, opening it to step outside.
"Phew—good thing I didn't wake up Dad, or he would've started lecturing me," Navia said with a relieved sigh.
"You guys can't sleep either?" Yu Xie asked.
"Mm, so we decided to come out for a walk," Clorinde replied.
Under the quiet night sky, the three of them made their way to the gently flowing stream below the town, sitting on a stone and listening to the sound of the water.
Yu Xie stared at the flowing stream, lost in thought.
Clorinde and Navia didn't know what Yu Xie was thinking, and exchanged a glance.
"By the way, Yu Xie, Clorinde and I have something for you," Navia suddenly said, taking out a delicate square box and handing it to Yu Xie.
"What is this...?" Yu Xie took the exquisite box in his hand and examined it.
The box appeared to be made of a rare wood called "Dreamwood," which was not found in Fendan. The intricate patterns on the box were finely hand-carved.
"This is a little gift that Clorinde and I spent a lot of time making for you. We made it ourselves, so it might not be as good as what professionals would make, but we hope you'll like it," Navia's voice was softer than before, a bit shy.
"Open it and take a look," Clorinde added after Navia.
"Okay." Yu Xie hesitated for a moment before opening the delicate little box.
Inside the box was a necklace.
The design of the necklace was quite simple, not particularly delicate or extravagant.
The only thing that set it apart from an ordinary necklace was the pendant.
The pendant was a small, delicate dagger, engraved with Yu Xie's name.
"This is..." Yu Xie looked at the necklace, unsure of what to say.
"We were originally planning to give it to you on your birthday, but we couldn't wait, hehe," Navia said, a bit embarrassed, and smiled. "Try it on?"
"Okay." Yu Xie smiled lightly, not saying much. He took the necklace from the box and put it around his neck.
It fit perfectly.
"Do you... like it?" Clorinde asked hesitantly.
The necklace in the shape of a dagger was a birthday tradition for the Vanquishing Phantoms, though Yu Xie wasn't one of them, Clorinde still made this for him. Together with Navia, they had crafted it by hand for him.
Although Yu Xie hadn't seen the process of the necklace being made, he could sense the weight of the gesture.
"I really like it... Clorinde, Navia, thank you."
The night was deep, and the moonlight streamed through the entrance of Poisson Village, casting the streets in a silvery glow, almost as if it were snowing.
...
The next morning, Yu Xie left Poisson Village and arrived at the streets of Court of Fontaine, stopping in front of a small inn across from the Adventurers' Association.
After a brief pause, as he was about to step inside, Bai Zhu's figure emerged from the inn. It seemed he knew Yu Xie had arrived and had come down to greet him.
"Mr. Yu Xie."
"Doctor Bai."
"What brings you here? Let's talk upstairs."
"Mr. Yu Xie, if you have something to say, please speak freely," Bai Zhu said, pouring a glass of water for Yu Xie.
Yu Xie took the glass of water in his hands, the reflection of his increasingly resolute eyes visible in the surface of the water.
"Doctor Bai, Changsheng, I have a rather unusual request."
"...Please, go ahead," Bai Zhu and Changsheng exchanged a glance.
Yu Xie took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and slowly said:
"Would it be possible for me to sign a contract with Changsheng?"
"What?"
Both Bai Zhu and Changsheng were simultaneously surprised when they heard this.
"Both of you, I've thought a lot about this, and I finally figured it out," Yu Xie said. "Uncle Callas' illness can't be cured with conventional methods. That's a fact. If we want to break this deadlock, we'll have to pay a price."
"So you want to use that forbidden technique to treat Mr. Callas' illness?" Bai Zhu asked. "You should know, this will drain your life force."
"I know, but..." Yu Xie smiled faintly. "Doctor Bai, you should be well aware of that kind of thinking, the kind where one is willing to sacrifice their own life force to save someone else."
Bai Zhu fell silent for a moment.
Yu Xie wasn't wrong.
Bai Zhu knew that feeling all too well. He himself was someone who didn't listen to others' advice. Even though he knew that using that forbidden technique would drain his own life force, he wouldn't hesitate to do it if a patient needed help.
Humans were strange and contradictory creatures. They would always advise others to think carefully before acting, but when faced with the same situation, they didn't always act rationally.
"We understand your desire to save a loved one, but I must speak frankly: this contract is not something everyone can sign," Changsheng, who had been coiled around Bai Zhu's shoulders, finally spoke up. "Signing a contract with me requires a certain state of mind. Do you believe your mind is ready for this?"
"How will I know unless I try?" Yu Xie replied with a light smile, his gaze resolute. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but please grant me this request."
Bai Zhu and Changsheng looked at Yu Xie. They could see the unwavering determination in his eyes, as immovable as a mountain.
Bai Zhu completely understood Yu Xie's feelings at this moment, but he still hesitated.
"Mr. Yu Xie, could you please return for now? I would like to discuss this with Changsheng."
End of chapter
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