Chapter 25 still exposed it.

Chi Li thought that the "tree-shaped alarm clock" was the biggest "surprise" brought by the soul resonance.

Until one night, her stubborn old injury flared up again.

This time the pain was more intense than before.

The chilling aura originating from ancient demons, like countless tiny ice needles, surged wildly through her meridians, attempting to freeze her divine power and tear her spirit apart.

Chi Li groaned and woke up with a start, her forehead instantly covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

She gritted her teeth and immediately used her divine power to fight back. At the same time, she subconsciously tried to sever the increasingly acute soul connection with Tang Lu, just as she always did.

She didn't want the little one to experience any pain or vulnerability.

However, she was still too late.

The excruciating pain, like a flood bursting its banks, surged towards the other side the moment the resonance was established.

"Waaah..."

Tang Lu, who had been sleeping soundly beside him, almost immediately curled up and let out a painful whimper.

She wasn't even fully awake yet, but her little face was already scrunched up, and her amber eyes quickly filled with physiological tears.

"It hurts... Lili... It hurts so much..." she murmured unconsciously, her little hands flailing wildly in the air, as if trying to grab onto something.

Chi Li felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, a feeling even more suffocating than the chill in her meridians!

How could she forget that this damned resonance is now almost real-time!

The excruciating pain she felt, Tang Lu would also experience simultaneously.

Although it may only be a weakened version, it is still unbearable for the little tree spirit whose perception is pure and whose spiritual body is immature!

"Tang Lu!" Chi Li disregarded her own pain and forced herself to reach out, tightly embracing the small body that was trembling from feeling the pain.

The warm divine power flowed over her like the gentlest current, enveloping Tang Lu and dispelling the chill that didn't belong to her, while clumsily patting her back to comfort her.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here... It doesn't hurt anymore, it'll be over soon..."

While coaxing the little tree spirit in her arms, she also had to suppress the churning cold energy within her body, keeping her as busy as a firefighter.

Under the comforting warmth of her divine power and embrace, Tang Lu's trembling gradually subsided, but the lingering pain and immense shock still caused her to sob softly.

She buried her face in the crook of Chi Li's neck, her hot tears wetting her skin.

"Lili...why...why does it hurt so much..." she asked, sobbing, her voice filled with confusion, "Did Tanglu do something wrong?"

"No! It has nothing to do with you!" Chi Li immediately denied, "It's a little problem that I accidentally left behind before. It happens occasionally, but it will be fine soon."

She downplayed it, trying to minimize the issue.

But Tang Lu isn't stupid.

Through that still-unsettled resonance, she could clearly feel the abyss-like, bone-chilling power within Chi Li's body, as well as the violent fluctuations in her spiritual energy when she forcibly suppressed the pain to soothe herself.

This is not a "small problem" at all!

The little one stopped crying. She raised her tear-streaked face and, by the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, looked at Chi Li's pale complexion, which was still visible even in the darkness, and the cold sweat still clinging to her forehead.

An unprecedented sense of panic and heartache replaced the fear from before.

She reached out her small hand and carefully wiped the sweat from Chi Li's forehead, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Lili... have you been... in pain all by yourself?" Her voice was choked with sobs.

Previously, she only knew that Lili's body was sometimes cold and she would hug her to keep warm, and she just thought that Lili liked the temperature of her body.

Only now, having personally experienced that terrifying pain, did she understand that it wasn't just liking, but also a kind of... dependence and relief.

Chi Li was taken aback by her question. Looking into those eyes, which were still clear in the darkness and filled with heartache and sadness, all the prepared, understated words stuck in her throat.

Her millennia-long habit had made her take it for granted that she should bear pain alone.

She is the Demon King, the pillar of strength; she neither needs nor should show vulnerability to anyone.

But at this moment, in front of this simple little tree spirit, in front of her pure and unadulterated concern, her hard shell was gently cracked open by her tearful eyes.

She remained silent and did not answer.

But this silence itself is an answer.

Tang Lu's tears welled up again, but this time it wasn't from pain, but from heartache.

She hugged Chi Li tightly, transferring all the warmth and pure vitality of the wood spirit within her to her without reservation, trying to dispel the chill that was causing Chi Li pain.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," she repeated in her sweet, nasal voice, mimicking how Chi Li had comforted her earlier, gently patting Chi Li's back. "Tang Lu is here... Tang Lu is with Li Li... Tang Lu is so warm, it's all for Li Li..."

That faint yet resolute wood spirit energy, like a spark, could not completely dispel the chill, but it was like a warm light that illuminated Chi Li's cold and painful sea of ​​consciousness, bringing some comfort.

Chi Li closed her eyes, feeling the warmth emanating from the little stove in her arms, feeling the clumsy yet sincere comfort. It seemed that something was quietly melting in the desolate place in her heart that had been frozen for thousands of years.

This time, the pain seems...not so unbearable.

When the intense pain finally subsided like the tide, Chi Li let out a long sigh of relief and leaned wearily against the headboard.

Tang Lu still held her tightly, like a little animal guarding a precious treasure, refusing to let go.

With tears still wet on her face, she had already fallen into a deep sleep in Chi Li's arms due to the dual depletion of her mental and spiritual energy.

But glistening teardrops still clung to her long eyelashes.

Chi Li lowered her head, looking at the peaceful sleeping face of the person in her arms, and gently brushed away the moisture from her eyelashes with her fingertips.

Her secret was eventually exposed.

This little guy, whom she had wanted to protect with all her might, unexpectedly exposed her most vulnerable side.

But strangely, she wasn't as angry or embarrassed as I had imagined.

Instead, there was a sense of...relief and ease.

So this is what it feels like to be cared for, accompanied, and shared with.

She pulled Tanglu closer to her, tucked the blanket in, and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead.

"Sleep now," she whispered, "my...little fool."