white scarf
However, it did not shatter.
The bone-chilling cold penetrated through his knuckles into his skin. Xu Youling took a few steps back and slipped heavily on the ice. He barely managed to stand up again.
The cold feeling when his fingers touched the ice still lingered. He couldn't help but cover it with his hand, and looked at the deer while panting.
The ice seemed heavier, covering the deer's knees and causing it to whine.
The only explanation was that this wasn't ordinary ice, but another form of mental damage incurred after the sudden mental shock at the edge of the snowfield. It lingered in the mental realm, corroding the spiritual body until this world of waterfalls and dense forests was finally reduced to a frozen river.
Just like Pei Zhi.
When this thought came to mind, Xu Youling's heart skipped a beat, as if it had been suddenly gripped, causing blood flow to be blocked.
what to do.
It is very difficult for Xu Youling to concentrate his mental power at the moment, not to mention that his previous mental interference with Pei Zhi has already consumed a lot of energy, and shattering the entity is beyond the reach of the guide's mental power.
Therefore, he could only interfere with and control Shen Jiayi's spiritual body with all his strength as before.
The desire that penetrated into his consciousness became a tendency to encourage the other party to obey his orders. Xu Youling closed his eyes and let his mental power spread to the position of the deer a few steps away.
Stand up.
Stand up stand up stand up stand up.
"!" The fawn neighed and screamed, and its two front legs suddenly broke away from the ice as if pulled by an external force. However, this also caused its soft fur to bleed, and drops of blood fell on the white ice surface.
Xu Youling opened his eyes, grabbed the deer's waist before it could kneel down again, and pulled it out of the ice. The deer struggled with all its might, its muscles trembling with fear, and kicked with its hind legs, almost kicking Xu Youling in the lower abdomen.
"Okay... okay..." Xu Youling had exhausted all his strength and could no longer intervene psychologically. He could only hug its neck, stroke the fine hair beside its ears, and soothe it with a tired tone.
"It's okay... I'll help you, nothing will happen, I'll take you away now..."
The fawn seemed to sense something, its dark eyes fixed on Xu Youling's face. Man and deer had been brought out of the ice and snow, but the fawn hadn't shrunk, lying quietly and harmlessly in the clearing in the forest.
Xu Youling was so tired that he had to half-kneel down, his face pressed against the deer's soft flank. The deer lowered its head and licked its fur stained with blood, then looked at Xu Youling again.
"Meow!"
The orange cat that had been guarding nearby suddenly jumped into the air and screamed sharply, as if someone had stepped on its tail. Xu Youling was startled and tried to dodge to the side, but it was too late.
The deer, who had seemed so calm just now, suddenly charged at his dodging back, its dark eyes burning with uncontrollable frenzy. Before Xu Youling could even feel the pain, he was thrown to the ground, his vision black.
But the ground his back touched wasn't the slightly muddy ground of the forest, but rather a cold, smooth surface. Xu Youling raised his head numbly and saw the thin strip of light above the operating room's ceiling.
Then consciousness returned.
The fall had ripped all the wires from his body, blurring his vision. But the stench of blood in the operating room was clear. Xu Youling, assuming it was his own wound, frantically reached out to feel around his waist and back, but his fingertips were dry, devoid of any traces of blood.
Only then did he notice the deer lying in the corner of the operating room. It was no longer the small and tender fawn in the spiritual realm. On the contrary, it had obviously reached adulthood. As Fang Suiming said, it was proud and beautiful, with horns that spread out like branches.
Moreover, it was covered with wounds, was dying, and blood even seeped into the soft fur from the corners of its mouth.
Xu Youling was still recovering from the collision. The operating room was pushed open with a "bang". Fang Suiming strode in, completely ignoring Xu Youling who was sitting on the ground, and pounced on the dying deer in the corner.
Fang Linshui and Yue Changji followed closely behind. The attending physician came in last, panting from running.
"You're out...it's really you..." Fang Suiming hugged Lu's neck, his voice trembling.
The doctor squatted down to examine the spirit's injuries and said, "This is indeed unexpected. I didn't expect Mr. Xu to bring Commander Shen's spirit out directly... Well, let's try to see if we can indirectly restore Commander Shen's condition through the spirit. Now it seems that the situation is much more optimistic."
Fang Suiming seemed to have only just remembered Xu Youling's existence at this moment. He looked back with red eyes from staying up all night: "Did he say anything else?"
"No." Xu Youling said softly.
He hadn't recovered from his wandering in Shen Jiayi's spiritual realm yet. Why did the deer suddenly go crazy at the end? He could have calmed it down in the spiritual realm, but why...
A hand reached out to Xu Youling, who was sitting on the ground with his head down, and gently pulled him up. It was Fang Linshui.
"Fang Suiming's words were harsh, don't blame him." Fang Linshui explained gently, "We are all very grateful to you."
Xu Youling nodded, let go of his hand and stood up on her own, trying to appear relaxed: "There shouldn't be anything else I need to do."
"No more." Fang Linshui stared into his eyes. "The rest of the treatment will be handed over to professional doctors. I believe Commander Shen will wake up from his coma soon."
Xu Youling pursed her lips and continued the other party's unspoken question: "What about Pei Zhi?"
"When Commander Shen wakes up, he will naturally be vindicated."
"……good."
Xu Youling was too tired to speak, and he didn't even have the energy to greet the others present. He turned and walked out of the operating room. Fang Linshui chased him to the door and shouted at his back: "Don't you want to see Pei Zhi?"
"No need!" Xu Youling didn't look back.
He left the White Tower where he had stayed for several days, and walked woodenly through one gate after another guarded by soldiers, heading towards the snow-covered street.
Why isn't winter over yet?
Xu Youling couldn't stop herself from thinking about Pei Zhi, thinking about the first time she met him on the snow outside the examination room, thinking about him wiping her tears in the cell, thinking about his suddenly empty eyes and trembling lips.
And Fang Linshui's cautious but tentative mental probe just now clearly had the intention of keeping distance.
Pei Zhi no longer belonged to him. Perhaps he had briefly belonged to her, during the moments when their consciousnesses intertwined and comforted each other, but for now, Pei Zhi no longer belonged to him.
If all went well, Xu Youling believed she would be able to return to the real world soon. If that time was before Pei Zhi escaped her mental control, then everything would not become too complicated.
I hope so.
-
"The Tribunal has resolved that Expeditionary Force Sentinel Pei Zhi, for his dedicated efforts in protecting his teammates during border patrol missions and significant military merit, is awarded..."
The trial was held in the middle of the week, but there were still many citizens present in the courtroom. The sound of their conversations was noisy, but it did not seem malicious, but rather a gentle dialogue.
"So it was a misjudgment by the White Tower?"
"It's so unfair. It's been a long time."
"The Expeditionary Force... There's been too much going on about this unit lately."
In the back row of the gallery, there was a guide sitting in the corner, wearing a large mask and with long bangs slightly covering his eyes.
He listened quietly, and didn't seem to have come with any friends. His eyes were fixed on the back of the chair in front of him, not on the man standing on the stage.
Pei Zhi seemed to have lost some weight, or perhaps it was simply because he had restyled his uniform that he looked so dashing. However, his eyes remained as cold as ever, and he seemed oblivious to the decision to declare his innocence.
His eyes swept across the audience and then returned to a random point in the void.
Just as indifferent as ever.
The pull in his mind had become increasingly faint. If other guides or sentinels were to probe his spiritual realm, they would never be considered "Pei Zhi's guide" as they were at that time.
The thought that she was about to leave should have made Xu Youling feel relieved, but as soon as she looked up and saw Pei Zhi's face, she felt extremely reluctant to leave.
"Adjournment!"
The gavel fell, and the members of the courtroom rose one after another. The citizens in the gallery also began to slowly make their way out. Xu Youling hesitated for a moment, then put on the large hood of his down jacket and followed the crowd.
At the small door on the other side of the courtroom, Fang Suiming was helping Shen Jiayi, who had just recovered from a serious illness, into the car.
"What are your plans for the future?"
Shen Jiayi rolled down the car window and spoke coldly to Pei Zhi who was standing silently at the door.
"Continue serving." Pei Zhi's answer was straightforward. "At least three more years."
"I hope we won't be comrades-in-arms anymore. It will be troublesome for both of us." Shen Jiayi seemed to be sincere.
"Whatever you want to do." Pei Zhi said lightly.
Shen Jiayi seemed to want to say something, but Fang Suiming forcefully raised the car window and muttered something like "Don't be exposed to the wind" to the passenger seat.
Then the car drove away.
Pei Zhi stood there for a while, watching it gradually go away, then lowered his head, let out a long breath, and walked towards the white tower.
"Excuse me!"
A reckless young guide brushed past him, nearly knocking himself over with a bit of force. Pei Zhi frowned and grabbed his forearm: "Be careful."
The guide was dressed warmly and wore a mask, as if he was afraid of the cold. “Thank you.”
He carefully freed his arm from Pei Zhi's hand and turned to leave.
Pei Zhi didn't let him succeed, narrowing his eyes and holding him back again: "Have I seen you before?"
"No...no." The guide lowered his head and stammered, "Sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," Pei Zhi said.
He realized that it was inappropriate for him to hold onto a guide like this, so he finally let go, but his eyes were still a little dark. The guide nodded to him hurriedly, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
-
Xu Youling slept soundly at home for three days and three nights.
The work during this period had truly drained his mental energy, not to mention the final exploration of Pei Zhi's spiritual realm, which was even more terrifying. He simply rushed into his room, ate something when he woke up, and then quickly fell asleep again, frightening Song Qi half to death, fearing that something had happened to his good roommate.
Finally, he was completely awakened by a call from an agent. The other party said that the store he had previously found had reduced its price, almost in half, and asked him if he wanted to come and see the house.
"Yes!" Xu Youling suddenly sat up from his sleepy eyes.
That was the store he was most satisfied with. It had a warm layout, a reasonable layout, and a large flow of customers. He took the worried Song Qi to see the house and soon signed a rental contract.
"Why did the price suddenly drop so much?" Xu Youling couldn't help but ask the landlord.
"Well... maybe it's because you're lucky." The landlord said nonchalantly.
Xu Youling didn't ask any more questions. He and Song Qi had already carefully inspected the house, taking care of every detail, and didn't find anything out of the ordinary. If they wanted to lower the price, then they should lower it. It's a free lunch, so why not grab it?
"Xu Youling...when are you planning to open your business..."
Song Qi was obviously a little uneasy about Xu Youling's sudden high mood, and asked in a low voice.
"Don't worry. I still have to arrange things in the store, recruit employees, and... there are so many things to do. I even wish I could just sleep in the store." Xu Youling counted on his fingers excitedly.
According to his investigation that day, Pei Zhi's spiritual picture was already a beautiful plateau with lush grass. So he believed that his mission in this world had been completed, and he just had to wait patiently to go home.
Until then... just enjoy the golden finger reward from traveling through the book, and pet all the cats, dogs, rabbits, and foxes in the White Tower... Then when you go back, you can still say that you have many years of experience in the pet shop business. It will be a perfect gap year.
It is also a very good and perfect ending for the original book of "The Bitter Wind and the Bitter Rain".
When they arrived at the corridor entrance of their home, Xu Youling ran up the stairs in a few steps, wanting to quickly lie down on the dining table to write his plan for opening a store.
But there was an unexpected cardboard box by the door.
Song Qi picked it up before him: "What is this? Did you buy a delivery?"
"No," Xu Youling opened the door and changed his shoes. "Is my name written on it? Can you take it off for me?"
Song Qi rustled the box open and then yelled to Xu Youling, "Hey, this isn't the one you said you lost..."
"What?" Xu Youling turned around.
In Song Qi's hand was a soft, wide white scarf, folded into a square.
He gently shook out the scarf, and the winter sunlight fell on it, illuminating the fine hairs on the stitches with a slightly glowing warm color.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
