Tattling

"In truth, you blame yourself as well, don't you, Yaxiu? Even though you had planned to escape Senluo using the Void Gate, in the end, you could only watch helplessly as Senluo was destroyed and I turned into the Silver Lantern... You believed you had the power to stop all of it. "You are always like this—presumptuously worrying about future children, presumptuously taking responsibility for strangers you don't even know... and presumptuously taking pity on me. "Since you wish to be punished, I shall punish you. I am the culprit behind Senluo's destruction, and you are the witness to it. We are each other's torture instruments, and each other's salvation. "So, Yaxiu, you must punish me properly, and I will also... mmm..." Inside the wardrobe, the two young women were dumbfounded by the high-level practical combat techniques they had never witnessed before. Perhaps because there was no need to worry about sound and light, the quilt originally meant for concealment had been pushed aside, granting them an unobstructed view of the breathtaking spectacle, like twin ouroboroses chasing one another. "Witch," Sonia whispered, her voice impossibly faint and low, "it looks like the Silver Lantern alone is more capable than both of you sisters combined." Diya's face burned hot, her eyes glued to the scene outside as she retorted indignantly, "Two is just our initial form—the four sisters are our complete form! When the time comes, Yaxiu will definitely... How can you have the nerve to mock me? Could you even measure up to me and the Silver Lantern?" "Naturally," Sonia replied without a trace of guilt; after all, no one could see them. "Pure love is the ultimate pleasure that transcends everything." "Still, Yaxiu is being so assertive..." The Sword Princess hugged the Witch, gently biting her lower lip as heat flushed through her entire body. "Maybe next time we could leave the lights on. I had no idea he could be so..." "Sensual, right?" The Witch nuzzled her face against the Sword Princess's cheek like a kitten, giggling softly. "That's why us sisters never find it boring." They watched in silence for a long time, until the air inside the wardrobe began to heat up. Only then did Sonia finally realize something was wrong. Gently pushing away the Witch, who was clinging tightly to her, she whispered, "Witch, wake up!" Diya snapped out of her daze, staring blankly at Sonia with confusion on her peach-blush cheeks. "What's wrong?" "There's something wrong with our state!" Sonia took a deep breath, dispersing the shameful fantasies swirling in her mind. "Watching the Silver Lantern deceive and play Yaxiu like this, not only aren't we angry, but all our attention has been captured by them!" Diya realized it too, clutching her cheeks in a daze. "Just now, I was actually talking with you about what Yaxiu tastes like..." "It's charm," Sonia said. "Perhaps it's a scent, perhaps it's the light, but the Silver Lantern must have used a miracle, quietly influencing our soul bodies! No wonder Yaxiu is being so assertive—even hidden in the wardrobe, we nearly lost control. Right now, he must be completely dominated by the Silver Lantern! "And to think she actually played the victim to fool Yaxiu..." Sonia let out a soft breath, completely suppressing her desire as a venomous fury welled in her eyes. "I'll make her pay for this." "Wait, Sword Princess!" Diya held onto Sonia for dear life. "You think she's just playing the victim, but Yaxiu falls for that completely! He feels he has to make it up to the Silver Lantern! If you go out now, it will only make Yaxiu pity her even more. In the future, he'll compensate her twice as much, while you, despite being in the right, will end up being the one wronged—and Yaxiu won't believe you either." "Am I not wronged enough already?" Sonia said through gritted teeth. "But going out now is already too late," Diya urged. "If you want Yaxiu to see the Silver Lantern's true colors, the right way is to wait until she leaves, and then celebrate Yaxiu's birthday together. When he's most relaxed, we'll explain her schemes clearly to him—that's the only way he'll believe us! "If you burst out now, then out of the four of us, only Vichy will have obeyed the rules, while the three of us will all have broken them, with you being the very first to do so... Our matters can be settled internally, but before Vichy, we have to present a united front. We can't give her a chance to mock us." Sonia breathed rapidly in frustration, glaring intently at the scene outside the wardrobe, but in the end she did not push open the door. She could only hug the Witch tightly in bitter discontent. Every word Diya said hit the mark. Things had already reached this point; throwing a tantrum would only make the three of them lose face in front of Vichy. It was far better to hold a quiet little meeting of their own to resolve it. There was an even more important point: out of vanity, Sonia had already watched helplessly while the Witch stole a taste. If she didn't endure the Silver Lantern now, wouldn't her endurance with the Witch have been in vain, and she would still end up losing face? *Neither of you is getting off scot-free!* The look Sonia directed at Weise now was like a priest casting a final glance at a corpse before closing the coffin. She gave Diya's bottom a fierce pinch. Diya looked at her in confusion. "What was that for?" "You just suggested we celebrate Yaxiu's birthday together." "Yeah, what about it?" Sonia gave her a sidelong glance. "Us? Together?" Diya blushed, only now realizing how absurd her suggestion had been. She muttered, "It must be because of the Silver Lantern's charm..." *** When Yaxiu regained his senses, his first thought was: *When did Weise switch her shorts for a miniskirt?* Now that he had cooled down, it meant the quenching was over. Yet after waiting a good while, Weise still lingered without moving, continuing to quench and forge the iron as before. Yaxiu wanted to speak, but whispering felt as though she wouldn't hear, while speaking loudly felt improper. More importantly, his face was covered by her skirt, and talking from underneath it felt far too bizarre. Extending both arms, he could just barely reach, so he patted her a few times. Still, Weise paid him no heed. Having no choice, Yaxiu could only keep lightly tapping her. By the time the iron was glowing red once more, Weise was finally willing to straighten up, pulling the quilt over both of them. The bespectacled girl reached over to pick up the drink from the bedside table, but rather than drinking immediately, she playfully stuck her tongue out at Yaxiu. Only when he blushed did she bite down on the straw and drink half a glass of pineapple juice. "Is it the effect of the pineapple juice, or are you just naturally this sweet?" Weise leaned languidly against Yaxiu's chest, taking out the straw and handing the glass to him. "Fortunately, I drank plenty as well... Am I sweet?" Yaxiu took the glass and finished the remaining half, finally realizing. "No wonder you kept urging me to drink it... Sweet." So pineapple juice actually had such an effect; Yaxiu made a mental note of it. "A little piece of trivia I picked up from the Sorcerer's Manual—who would have thought it'd come in handy?" Weise tilted her head, her voice melodious and soft. "Though it feels a bit superfluous. I think I might prefer the original flavor..." Yaxiu pursed his lips, a trace of annoyance rising on his flushed face. "Stop charming me. I don't like this... I thought you understood me, but even you're being so disobedient." "How am I being disobedient?" "When I told you to stop earlier, why didn't you?" "How did you tell me to stop?" "I kept tapping you." Weise blinked. "But you were tapping my chest so gently, I could only think you were rewarding me. Next time, you have to hit harder so I'll know you're punishing me. "Besides, understanding you is one thing," Weise said, caressing Yaxiu's cheek with the back of her hand. "But you always like to endure things alone, preferring to suffer rather than burden anyone else. I'm not going to follow your wishes and help you torment yourself. "I've brought you enough suffering already," Weise murmured tenderly, resting her forehead against Yaxiu's. "From now on, whenever you are with me, I want to keep you happy at all times. "If you find me being disobedient, it just means I know you're very happy." *What right do I have to say the Sword Princess squandered her fortune? Even though I can see through Yaxiu's thoughts and dominate his actions, aren't I merely trying every possible way to win his favor and please him?* Yaxiu looked at her quietly, then suddenly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, murmuring, "Silver Lantern." "Mhm?" "I will grant your wish," he said earnestly. "Even if you are a god, I will make your desire come true." Weise stared blankly at him. She couldn't tell if it was because of the quilt, but she felt as though she were growing flushed and hot, a tingling sensation like an electric shock pulsing wherever Yaxiu held her. *A god shouldn't be able to feel sensation... He isn't using source power either, so why am I still...* Weise subconsciously licked her lips, her body softening further until she felt as though she were melting into a pool of liquid silver in Yaxiu's embrace. Shifting her legs restlessly, she suddenly remembered something and spoke ill of someone else with utter bluntness: "Yaxiu, the Sword Princess said that all you've ever brought her is a bellyful of grievances and a pillow drenched in tears."