Chapter 39: Warmth Returned
Tang Lu's awakening was not something that happened overnight.
That fleeting glimpse and the slight movement of my fingertips that morning stirred ripples of hope, but quickly restored the surface calm.
She fell asleep again, but this time, it was not an endless silence, but a rest with faint fluctuations of consciousness.
Chi Li dared not relax for a moment and continued to guard day and night.
But her tense nerves could finally relax a little.
Through soul resonance, she could clearly perceive that the spiritual realm belonging to Tang Lu was slowly reviving from its frozen state, slowly but firmly.
Three more days passed.
On a sunny afternoon, Chi Li, as usual, was half-holding Tang Lu by the window, basking in the sun, her fingertips combing through Tang Lu's long hair, and whispering some trivial chatter.
Perhaps bewitched by the warm sunlight, or perhaps having gathered enough strength, the little one in my arms trembled again.
Then, she slowly opened her eyes.
No longer a vague slit, but a full opening.
Those amber eyes were crystal clear, reflecting the bright sunlight outside the window, as well as Chi Li's breathless, tense face.
Their eyes met.
Chi Li's heart pounded like a drum, and she called out cautiously, almost in a whisper, "Tang Lu?"
Tang Lu blinked, her eyes filled with the bewilderment of someone just waking up and a hint of obvious confusion.
She looked at Chi Li, who was so close to her, and didn't respond immediately. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, as if trying to recognize her or digesting a huge amount of information.
Chi Li's heart sank little by little.
Could it be... that his spiritual consciousness is damaged and he doesn't remember her?
Just as panic was about to grip her again, Tang Lu's gaze slowly shifted downwards, landing on Chi Li's hand, which was slightly clenched due to nervousness and placed beside her.
That hand had long, slender fingers and fair skin, but several faint, light-gold scars that had not yet completely faded were visible at the base of the thumb and wrist.
Those were the marks left after the forceful absorption of the "Nine Netherworld Spirit Devouring Array" was backfired by the power of filth and then forcibly healed by the power of the phoenix.
Tang Lu's gaze lingered on those shallow marks for a long time.
Then, she stretched out her still somewhat weak little hand and slowly covered Chi Li's hand.
Her fingertips were slightly cool, and the touch was so light it was almost imperceptible.
Chi Li trembled all over.
Immediately afterwards, she heard a very faint, hoarse voice, as if she had just woken up, and a call she had longed for for countless days and nights:
“Li…Li…”
The sound was very soft, but it was like a thunderclap, shattering all the unease in Chi Li's heart!
She remembers!
She recognizes her!
Overwhelming joy instantly engulfed Chi Li.
She almost couldn't resist the urge to pull the little one into her arms tightly, but her remaining rationality kept her in check.
She simply reached out and grasped that slightly cool little hand, holding it tightly, her voice choked with emotion:
"It's me, it's Lili. You're awake...you're really awake..."
Tang Lu seemed to have expended a lot of effort to complete that address and gesture; her eyes were still somewhat unfocused and tired.
But as she felt the familiar warmth on the back of her hand, the corners of her small mouth tried to curve upwards into a slight smile.
It's as if it's saying, 'Yes, I'm back.'
The following days were a slow and meticulous recovery period.
Tang Lu's spiritual consciousness and body are extremely weak, and she remains asleep most of the time.
She was conscious for a short time, and her consciousness seemed somewhat confused, as if fragments of her memory had not yet been fully pieced together.
Sometimes she would call out "Sun" to Akari because she felt warm towards her.
Sometimes, he would look at the furnishings in the hall with a blank expression, as if he were seeing them for the first time.
Sometimes I even forget how to use the vines and just stare blankly at my own tender roots that have sprouted out.
But the only thing that remained unchanged was her dependence on Chi Li.
As long as Chi Li is within her sight, her gaze will unconsciously follow her.
If Chi Li leaves temporarily, even just to fetch something from the outer room, she will anxiously turn her little head to look for it when she is awake, until that red figure reappears, then she will relax and continue to quietly daydream or sleep.
Like a fledgling bird that has just hatched and regards the first creature it sees as its closest relative, she clumsily and wholeheartedly reaffirms her connection with Akari.
Chi Li found this quite pleasant.
She enjoyed the feeling of being completely relied upon and needed.
She patiently answered Tang Lu's bewildered questions, tirelessly telling her, "This is a table," "That is a luminous pearl," and "You are Tang Lu, and I am Li Li."
She guided her to rediscover the wood elemental energy within her body, just as she had taught her in the beginning, over and over again.
Feeding Tang Lu the medicine was still difficult, but when Tang Lu was awake, she would instinctively open her mouth slightly to cooperate, which made it much easier for Chi Li.
When cleaning her, she would obediently let Akari do as she pleased. Occasionally, if Akari's fingertips accidentally touched her ticklish spot, she would let out a very subtle, breathy laugh, which would melt Akari's heart.
However, Chi Li soon discovered that although Tang Lu's memory was hazy, she was unusually sensitive to "scars".
After that incident, Tang Lu's gaze would often drift to the faint scars on Chi Li's body.
In addition to the marks on his hands, there are also deeper marks below his shoulder blades from old injuries compounded by new ones.
On one occasion, when Chi Li was changing her dressing, she did not avoid Tang Lu, who was awake on the bed.
When Tang Lu saw the hideous, not-yet-fully-healed wounds on Chi Li's shoulder and back, she froze.
She was no longer confused; her amber eyes quickly filled with tears, her little mouth twitched, and without warning, she burst into tears!
It wasn't a feeling of being wronged, nor was it fear; it was a profound heartache and sorrow that came from the depths of my soul!
"Waaah... Lili... It hurts... Tanglu blows..." She cried so hard she could barely breathe, struggling to sit up.
Her small hand reached out in vain toward Chi Li's wound, as if trying to use her own strength to soothe those scars.
Chi Li was stunned, and then a wave of overwhelming tenderness surged in her heart.
She quickly straightened her clothes, hurried to the bedside, and took the trembling, crying little one into her arms.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, it hasn't hurt for a long time." She patted Tang Lu's back awkwardly and coaxed her softly, "Look, it's almost healed."
But Tanglu just buried herself in her arms, crying even more bitterly, her small body trembling, her tears quickly soaking the fabric of Chili's chest.
The sobs carried a profound sorrow that Chi Li could not fully comprehend, as if the wounds were not inflicted on Chi Li's body, but rather etched into her own heart.
Chi Li understood that Tang Lu might not remember the specific battle, the Xuan Tian Gate, or the perilous purification process.
But deep within her consciousness, there was a strong imprint of "Lili" who was injured while protecting her, imprinted with that excruciating pain, and... the equally strong instinct to protect her.
Even though her memories were shattered, her devotion to protecting her never wavered.
Chi Li hugged the little one in her arms tightly, who was crying because of her wounds.
“Silly tree spirit…” she sighed, kissing Tang Lu’s tear-stained, salty hair. “As long as you’re alright, what does this little injury of mine matter?”
The sunlight outside the window was warm and gentle. Inside the hall, the two embraced, one gently comforting the other, the other sobbing softly.
Her world has finally regained its warmth and sound.
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