2545 Side Story 49: Sour
Zi Chen replied to his own question.

He returned to the room and glanced around.

He saw the sour spiritual fruit that had been washed not long ago on the table and stopped in his tracks. Then, he walked to the table and sat down, his long and well-defined fingers stretching out lazily.

He pinched the largest and plumpest sour spiritual fruit and popped it into his mouth.

He casually flipped open a book with a relaxed posture. Just like every day before, he stayed quietly alone.

After a while, he tore his gaze away from the book and looked out the window.

It was empty and cold.

His expression didn’t change as he lowered his eyes again.

Tuan Zi had always liked to go to Wind Valley to play in the past. Now that she had finally come out, she would naturally stay there for a long time.

He flipped to the next page.

…

Time slowly passed. He had eaten a lot of the sour spiritual fruits on the plate.

After reading one book, Zi Chen felt a little bored. He got up and went to the bookshelf to change to another one.

When he walked past the window, he seemed to have subconsciously looked outside.

It was silent. There was no one.

He paused and looked away before turning around to sit back down. Then, he lowered his head and flipped open the book, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

It was actually… the same book as before. For some reason, at that moment, he actually forgot his original plan to change books and returned with this book.

He stared at the book for a few times before throwing it aside.

He rubbed his temples and planned to take a nap.

…

When he opened his eyes again, warm orange light shone in from the window.

He narrowed his eyes slightly in discomfort. After a moment, he focused.

It was already dusk.

The sun was setting in the west, and only half of the setting sun was left. It was hidden behind the flowing clouds that filled the sky, revealing a few wisps of light.

Half the sky was dyed a gorgeous color.

Zi Chen half-leaned in the chair and looked at this beautiful and exquisite scene, stunned for a moment. Then, he seemed to have thought of something and turned around to look into the room. “Tuan Zi?”

His cold and low voice echoed in the room, making it seem even colder.

Nobody responded, and this meant … she wasn’t back yet.

In fact, there was no need to check if she was here. With Zi Chen’s current strength, all the commotion in this area couldn’t escape his eyes and ears. Therefore, he knew very well that not only did Tuan Zi not return to the house, but she didn’t even return to this mountain.

He really didn’t even see her shadow.

He was silent for a moment before looking at the sky again. After a while, he bent his index finger and knocked gently on the table. Great. So she’s having crazy fun, huh?

He held his breath and saw most of the sour spiritual fruits on the table from the corner of his eye.

In just a moment, he reached out without hesitation and slowly but firmly put the sour spiritual fruit into his mouth. From the looks of it, he didn’t plan to leave any behind.

…

Only when the sun completely set and hid in the forest did Tuan Zi return unsatisfied.

She walked on the mountain road with light footsteps and a smile on her lips, clearly very happy.

That lively and happy atmosphere made the young man beside her unable to help but laugh. “Tuan Zi, are you very happy?”

Tuan Zi nodded. “Of course! You don’t even know how I spent my time inside!”

In fact, all her attention and energy were focused on repairing Godly Phoenix Hall at that time, so she didn’t notice the passage of time. Now that she was out, she realized that she was a little pitiful.

She had never been a person who let herself suffer and thus immediately arranged 100 ways to compensate herself. Even though she had yet to figure out how to achieve those 100 ways, that wasn’t important!

Tuan Zi was excited, her heart filled with joy and excitement.

Yi Ming looked at her, and the girl smiled like a flower.

He smiled and asked, “Then, did you have fun in Wind Valley today?”

Tuan Zi smiled and nodded. “I’ve been busy previously and haven’t had much fun!”

Today, she was following Yi Ming and the others. They were similar in age and had good relationships, so they got along very well.

Yi Ming paused for a moment, and his heart beat faster. After thinking for a long time, he said, “Then—”
Just as he finished speaking, Tuan Zi seemed to have sensed something and suddenly looked up.

Under the twilight, a figure was standing in front of the door.

A faint coldness seemed to be wrapped around his tall and straight figure, making people subconsciously feel reverence.

That pair of indifferent and deep eyes looked over. His gaze was very calm, as if there were no emotions.

However, Yi Ming inexplicably felt his heart tighten. He felt that his thoughts had been seen through.

For some reason, he suddenly couldn’t say the words in his throat.

However, Tuan Zi wasn’t afraid of this. Instead, she waved happily. “Zi Chen! I’m back!”

Zi Chen only glanced at Yi Ming before his gaze quickly landed on Tuan Zi.

Yi Ming secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but he was still a little reserved in the depths of his heart.

Zi Chen asked calmly, “You’re not a child anymore, and you still have to trouble others to send you back?”

Yi Ming was stunned. Then, he wanted to explain. “No…”

Tuan Zi was also stunned, glancing at Zi Chen and then at Yi Ming. “Zi Chen, Yi Ming lives very close to us. He just sent me back on the way! They all said that it’s dark and that it’s not good to walk alone…”

In the dark, Zi Chen seemed to laugh, and his voice sounded a little lazy. “You’re the red-gold heavenly phoenix race’s young mistress. Now that you’re even personally repairing Godly Phoenix Hall, isn’t this place free for you to come and go?”

Tuan Zi was stunned for a moment before returning to her senses. “That’s true…”

When she was about to return, everyone said so, so she didn’t think too much and followed Yi Ming.

Now that she thought about it, she was indeed no longer a child. Why would she need anyone to send her?

Right on the heels of that, she heard Zi Chen say calmly, “Since you feel that it’s not good to walk when it’s dark, come back before dark in the future.”

He had a cold personality, and his tone had never been filled with unnecessary emotions. Therefore, when these words sounded, they inexplicably had a hint of inviolable dignity.

Tuan Zi was long used to his tone, but when she heard this condition, her face fell. “Huh? But I…”

It wasn’t easy for me to last until I grew up, and now that I’m free, how could I be restricted like this?

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Zi Chen casually take a sour spiritual fruit and feed it to his mouth.

Her eyes immediately lit up, and she hurriedly rushed over. “Ah! My fruit!”

All her thoughts were on food, and she actually forgot to say goodbye to Yi Ming. When she came in front of Zi Chen, she looked up and said, “Zi Chen, what about mine? What about mine?”

Zi Chen bit the fruit, and rich juice filled his mouth. He slowly said, “This is the last one.”

Tuan Zi : “…”

Zi Chen raised his chin. “He sent you back. Hurry up and thank him.”

Tuan Zi bade farewell to Yi Ming listlessly without even looking at him.

After eating a little too much, Zi Chen touched the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue and felt the roots of his teeth ache.

He looked at the young man not far away and said slowly and coldly, “Thank you for sending our Tuan Zi back, but there’s no need in the future.”