“Even though I didn't want to take the initiative to see you, I still wanted to be a little closer, so I stayed in the compartment closest to yours...” Freya trailed off, then suddenly caught on. “Did you really not know I was here? Shouldn't you have some formidable investigative miracle?”
“I do, but I'm not a pervert. It's not like I inspect the entire train every time I ride.” Yaxiu spread his hands. “I'm a demigod sorcerer, after all. There's no need to be that cautious in the mortal realm.”
“Then opening this compartment—”
“I just forgot which compartment was mine for a moment, and when I pushed the door open, there you and Xiaoxian were.”
Freya stared blankly at Yaxiu. “It really wasn't Xifu or Annan who told you?”
“I haven't even gone to see 222 yet, and Annan didn't give me any hints.”
“So this meeting was pure coincidence?”
“A coincidence,” Yaxiu mused. “Just like back then when I randomly picked a room to hide in and ended up taking refuge in a Veela university student's home. Now I opened a random compartment, and here I am running into a Veela legendary sorcerer again. It's almost like...”
“Fate brought us together!”
Clenching her fists, Freya swayed back and forth with a silly grin, as thrilled as if she had just unlocked a grand achievement.
It really wasn't that fated, considering you booked the compartment right next to mine... Yaxiu naturally kept that to himself, merely amused. Freya had said he hadn't changed much, but he felt the Veela had changed a great deal. The old Freya had been more pragmatic and mature—a quintessential Blood Moon citizen. Now, she seemed to have regressed, acting like an innocent, sweet young girl full of whimsical fantasies.
She was loved now, too.
Yaxiu scratched Xiaoxian's chin, and the cat narrowed its eyes in bliss. “Why did you think I wouldn't come looking for you while visiting Blood Moon?”
“Huh? Because Annan said you were planning to travel around Blood Moon, but didn't mention me at all...”
Yaxiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “Sword Princess and the others were right there. How could I bring you up in front of them? I was planning to slip away and find you secretly during our trip.”
“Why secretly?” Freya tilted her head, looking puzzled. “Aren't I your friend?”
“I stayed in Gospel for half a month before without looking for Annan, also waiting for a chance to slip away and see her alone,” Yaxiu explained. “You're definitely my friends, but also more than just friends...”
“I'm not quite sure what our relationship really is,” he said, stroking Xiaoxian's fur. “So I wouldn't dare let Sword Princess and the others meet you. It feels like... doing something guilty and dreading being caught.”
“Eh?~” Freya's eyes lit up. She tilted her head and teased, “So coming to see me is for 'doing bad things,' Yaxiu? What kind of bad things? What kind of bad things can't you tell your lovers about?”
Yaxiu flicked her forehead, feeling both amused and exasperated. “Don't get cocky, mere Veela!”
“I'm sorry...” Freya murmured, clutching her forehead with a pitiful pout.
“Let's go find 222, then,” Yaxiu pondered. “Come to think of it, Felix went to Car 10. There won't be a clash between her and 222, will there...?”
One was a Blood Moon legendary sorcerer, the other a Fanxing Sanctuary sorcerer; their values and customs were worlds apart. Yaxiu couldn't imagine a picture of them getting along peacefully, no matter how hard he racked his brain.
“Wait!” Freya hurriedly said. “Let Xiaoxian do a trick for you first! Xiaoxian is amazing now—it can understand commands! Give it a try!”
“Oh?” Yaxiu glanced at Xiaoxian, who was basking in the sun, and commanded, “Shake your head.”
Xiaoxian returned a look that was utterly weary of life, while Freya quickly shook her head to demonstrate.
“Crouch.”
Freya squatted right onto the seat, while Xiaoxian still lazily refused to budge.
“Paw.”
Xiaoxian gave Yaxiu an annoyed glare, and just as it was about to politely extend a paw pad, the Veela's hand swooped in first to grip Yaxiu's hand tightly.
Yaxiu commented, “Looks like it understood.”
“Is that so?”
Freya's fingers gently slipped into the spaces between his, locking tightly. Then she stepped around the table and sat down beside Yaxiu, keeping her head lowered in silence.
Yaxiu looked at her and asked tentatively, “Shall we sit for a while before going to find them?”
“Mhm.” Freya nodded, then suddenly burst into a soft giggle.
Yaxiu couldn't help smiling too. “What are you laughing at?”
“Every single one of them thought I wouldn't be able to control myself—that the moment I saw you, I'd turn into the Big Bad Wolf and devour you.” Freya lifted her chin proudly. “In truth, I just wanted to hold your hand. Besides, getting to keep you all to myself for a little while... I'm already completely satisfied.”
“Impressive. As expected of my Veela.”
Yaxiu cupped her chin, leaned in, and kissed her gently, chuckling softly. “That's your reward.”
No, this feels a bit cringe. If Felix saw this, she'd definitely burst out laughing... Yaxiu silently roasted himself, but when he looked closely, he saw that the Veela's pupils had turned into hearts.
***
“It's a mental charm! Only a mental charm could trick so many female sorcerers into falling for him!”
“Impossible, it's definitely soul domination! Mental charms have limits. In theory, if they aren't charmed for a while, the effect should wear off quickly. But from the Veela to Black Crow, none of them have forgotten that scumbag Yaxiu; instead, they miss him more and more as time passes! Only soul domination could do that. He must have planted the seeds of romance in them at some point, and with time, those seeds sprouted and grew into towering trees, leaving them unable to escape his clutches!”
“I still say it's charm. Let me tell you, last night Yaxiu...”
“Ew, he's practically a Veela himself.”
“Right, right? Even though most of the time he's as disgusting as a trash can, he occasionally shows that Veela side—scummy yet alluring, which is why so many people jump straight into his trap! By the way, that broadcast just now asking for a 'gentle, kind, devoted handsome young man fond of Lalafell'—guess what? He had the shameless nerve to think he fit the bill!”
“Pfft, seriously? I thought hearing that broadcast would make him do some soul-searching.”
“The only thing he'd reflect on is why he doesn't have ten lovers yet.”
Inside Car 10, Felix and Xifulin clinked glasses back and forth, chatting away with grand fervor, practically regretting that they hadn't met sooner. Originally, Xifulin hadn't known what to do when her bait failed to hook Yaxiu and netted Felix instead. But when Felix asked in return, “Do you know that trash can Yaxiu?”, Xifulin instantly knew Felix belonged to the same camp.
Having finally found a comrade with whom they could trash-talk Yaxiu, the chemistry between the Blood Moon legendary sorcerer and the Fanxing Sanctuary sorcerer was off the charts. In less than half an hour, they were as close as sworn sisters.
The more Xifulin cursed, the angrier she got. “It's one thing that he didn't seek me out after coming to Blood Moon, but he didn't even look for Freya... If he doesn't love the Veela, why give her hope, that bastard!”
“Probably because he's more worried about the feelings of Sword Princess and the others.” Felix swirled the ice in her glass. “Maybe he likes all of them, but someone always ends up getting hurt.”
“We can't let him off so easy!” Xifulin sprang to her feet, the alcohol rushing to her head. “If someone has to suffer, why shouldn't it be him?! Let's drag him out and have it out with him!”
“Agreed! Right this way!” Felix eagerly led the way.
“I really don't understand why so many people toss and turn over him, drowning in longing...” the little bat grumbled. “Only ignorant girls who haven't seen the world would fall for his tricks, right?”
“Or maybe silly girls who were accidentally charmed by him,” Felix said softly.
They returned to Car 2 just in time to see Sonia and the others stepping out of their compartment. The two sides locked eyes, and Sonia immediately recognized her former teammate from the Angel Hunt. “You're... Xifulin?”
“Welcome to Blood Moon—Sword Princess, Witch, Silver Lantern, Spectre.” The moment Xifulin saw them, she sobered up instantly. Remembering that this group consisted of demigods reigning above the mortal realm, her legs felt a little weak, yet she held her ground and asked, “Where's Yaxiu?”
Sonia grasped the situation in an instant. “You set a trap in Car 10 to lure Yaxiu over? Isn't he in Car 10? He's been gone so long that we assumed something happened to him there.”
“Yaxiu didn't come back?” Felix blinked in surprise. “When I went to Car 10, he went to the restroom. It's been nearly half an hour now... Did he fall into the toilet?”
Diya crisply snapped her fingers to consult the Gospel God; sorcerers had no need for tedious searching. The Witch blinked in surprise, then pointed at the door right beside them. “Yaxiu is inside.”
“Huh?” Everyone looked at Compartment 13. Weise found it somewhat amusing. “Did he enter the wrong room?”
Only Xifulin realized what was going on, her face draining of color. But before she could rush forward and seize the doorknob, Vichy blocked the doorway ahead of her. Sword Princess and the maid exchanged a glance, tacitly nodded, and took positions on either side of the entrance to cut off all escape routes—before shoving the door open in a flash!
Chapter 1255