Chapter 599

Beneath the surface of the sea lay another world.

Liguang was dragging that strange, heavy human body downward through the deep ocean with all her might.

There was no morning light here, no sound of waves—only darkness that grew thicker and colder, pressing in from every direction.

She narrowed her eyes, desperately trying to see through the inky water, but…

All her vision held was murky blackness.

The pressure grew heavier, inch by inch dragging her toward an even darker abyss.

She stretched out both hands, groping blindly through the darkness.

Nothing. Nothing.

There was nothing anywhere!

Her fingertips brushed only icy seawater, occasionally catching against strands of seaweed drifting with the current.

She jerked her hands back, her heart pounding so hard it hurt!

Master…

If Master had truly sunk into a deep sea like this…

If he were trapped in this darkness, where not even a ray of light could penetrate…

How desperate must he be?!

The thought made her tremble with cold!

She clenched her teeth and continued forcing herself deeper!

Her little feet kicked weakly against the water, her movements growing slower and stiffer.

Most of her permissions had been locked away. She could barely even summon that tiny sliver of power needed to keep herself buoyant!

Her human body was screaming in protest!

Her lungs began to swell and burn. Her vision flickered black again and again…

But she couldn’t stop!

Master was still below!

Master must still be down there, waiting for her!

If she stopped, what would Master do…?!

“Glug—!”

A mouthful of salty seawater poured in!

“Mmph…!”

Her whole body curled up violently in the water!

Her nasal passages, throat, and lungs were all filled with a scorching, briny burn!

Her body instinctively began coughing violently, but the more she coughed, the more seawater flooded in!

Her consciousness lurched in the darkness. Her arms and legs flailed a few times as she struggled and tumbled through the deep sea!

…It hurt so much.

It hurt, it hurt, it hurt so much!

But the worse it became, the more frantic she grew!

If even she was suffering this badly, then what about Master…?

Master had had his permissions “confiscated” by her. Without her protection, if he was alone in a place like this…!

She felt as if she was going mad again!!

She desperately steadied herself, endured the burning pain in her lungs, and continued diving deeper.

Her silver hair spread through the pitch-black seawater, giving off a faint glow. It became the only source of light in the deep.

Master… Liguang is coming…

Master… where are you…

Master…!

She devoted every bit of her concentration to the search, calling out to him again and again in her heart!

But the sea was so dark and so quiet—so quiet that the only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat.

Time swelled as though soaked in seawater. Every second felt as long as a lifetime.

She had no idea how long she had been searching.

Maybe a few minutes. Maybe dozens of minutes. Maybe even longer.

Finally…

Her body could hold out no more.

…

“Splash—!”

The surface of the sea was suddenly broken!

A pale little hand emerged from beneath the water and clutched desperately at the edge of the raft!

The silver-haired girl struggled to lift her head above the sea!

She had almost no strength left. Relying only on the last instinct to survive, she dragged herself onto the platform bit by bit, inch by inch.

“Cough—!”

The moment she opened her mouth, she spat out a large mouthful of salty seawater!

It hurt so much…!

“Cough, cough—!”

Her body convulsed violently, and she spat out several more mouthfuls in succession…!

Pressing her forehead hard against the rough wooden boards, she gasped for breath!

She stared blankly at herself. Seaweed was still wrapped around her legs, swaying with each of her tremors.

The sea wind blew past, and her entire body shivered violently from the cold…!

Cold.

So cold that even her fingertips were going numb!

At last, she collapsed onto the deck, her vacant eyes fixed on the surface of the sea.

“Why…”

she murmured.

“Why can’t I find Master…? Urgh…!”

Another mouthful of seawater surged up!

She curled up in agony, her stomach churning violently.

“A human body… is so hard to use…!”

“Urgh… ugh…!”

She lay facedown on the deck, her shoulders trembling with each sob.

Hurt, fear, anxiety…

And anger at herself!

Why had she taken Master’s permissions away in the first place…? Why?!

And besides…

This world was clearly so small—so small that she could see its end at a glance, and yet…!

This pitch-black deep sea was so vast that she couldn’t find Master.

Could it be that…

she would never find Master again?

No.

Don’t.

She bit down hard on her lip. Only after tasting a hint of blood did she manage to drag her consciousness back from the abyss.

She raised both hands and shakily pushed herself upright.

Her arms were trembling, and her calves were quivering… but she couldn’t just lie there!

Liguang… couldn’t give up!

“Master… is still waiting for Liguang…”

She lifted her face and said it aloud for herself to hear!

Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall!

“He’s still…”

Something seemed to have appeared in her field of vision that hadn’t been there before.

…Huh?

She froze.

Her unfocused mismatched eyes slowly came into focus as she looked toward the outer wall of the wooden cabin ahead.

That was…

A line of carved writing?

【Liguang, you can’t see me, but…I’ve always been here.】

The sea breeze passed by, and the wind chimes tinkled.

Time seemed to stop.

The silver-haired girl stared blankly at the line of writing, her lips slightly parted, utterly motionless.

Huh?

This was…

Right now…?!!

“Ah—!!”

A scream burst straight from her mouth!!

She couldn’t hold it back!!

Like a madwoman, she suddenly lunged forward and slammed her forehead against the line of writing with a loud thud!

“Ow…!”

It hurt…

No, it didn’t!

It didn’t hurt at all!

She stared fixedly at the carved words, her eyes wide open and her pupils trembling violently!

Could this… have been left behind by Master?!

Was it?!

She immediately leaned closer, pressing the tip of her nose against the wooden plank and sniffing hard!

There it was…

A faint yet utterly familiar scent.

Master’s. Scent.

“There…!”

The silver-haired girl’s entire body began to tremble!

Her little face pressed against the wood of its own accord, feeling every stroke and line of the carving!

And then…

She couldn’t help sticking out her tongue and gently licking the carved words.

It was salty.

The taste of wood, and…

Master’s scent!

There could be no mistake now!

Absolutely no mistake!

She spun around, her vision trembling, and frantically swept her gaze across the empty deck!

“Master, Master, are you here?!”

“Can you hear me?! You… mmph…!”

She covered her mouth and spat out another mouthful of seawater, her little face flushing bright red!

But she couldn’t spare a thought for that!

Her eyes were wide open as she desperately searched every patch of air around her!

Master was nearby!

She could feel it!

Master was watching her. He was right…!

“Zzz…”

An extremely faint sound suddenly came from behind her!

The silver-haired girl whipped around! Her silver hair fanned out through the air!

She stared straight at the wall.

Beside the line of writing, on the surface of the wooden plank…

the wood was slowly, gradually caving inward.

One stroke, then another.

An invisible hand was carving new words into the wood with the slowest, gentlest movements.

【Can】

【You】

【Hear】

Liguang stared at the spot where even the slightest trace of you had appeared, her pupils slowly widening… widening as far as they could go!

Ah… Master was carving words…

Master was answering her!!

She scrambled over on all fours and threw herself at them!

She reached out to grab that invisible hand!

But then…

Her fingers passed straight through the empty air, grasping nothing!

Huh?

Liguang’s pupils shrank!

Why? Why couldn’t she grab it?!!!

She panicked, waving both little hands wildly through the air, but still couldn’t catch anything!

Unable to bear it, she finally… simply leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against the line of words that had just appeared.

The touch of the wooden board was real. The uneven grooves of the letters were real. Even the scent lingering on them was real!

She simply buried her entire face in that spot.

“Master is here… right here, aren’t you…?”

she murmured.

Master was right here!

…

The inside of the little cabin was dim.

The silver-haired girl knelt upright on the wooden floor, both hands properly resting on her knees, her back straight as a rod.

Her eyes were red, and so was the tip of her nose. Her silver hair hung messily around her, still dripping seawater.

The blue handprint on her delicate cheek had yet to fade. Several red marks marred her forehead and the other side of her face as well.

Yet her eyes were astonishingly bright as she stared fixedly at the floor in front of her!

Because there, words were slowly emerging, little by little.

[I can see and hear Liguang…]

Stroke by stroke, slowly but clearly!

[But I can’t touch Liguang. We can only communicate by carving words.]

The silver-haired girl clenched her little fists and stared straight at the words, her entire body trembling faintly.

Her chest felt so hot… so—

Suddenly, she collapsed.

The string stretched to its absolute limit had finally snapped with a twang.

She fell onto her side on the wooden floor and curled into a tiny ball, her shoulders trembling again and again.

“Thank goodness…”

she murmured, her voice soft and hoarse.

“Master isn’t in the deep sea… Master isn’t being tortured… Thank goodness…”

The sea wind blew in through the crack beneath the door. Her body was still wet…

But she didn’t feel cold at all.

Thank goodness.

Master wasn’t alone, sinking in the depths of the sea.

Master wasn’t waiting for her in the darkness, waiting for someone who would never arrive.

Master wasn’t slowly being swallowed by despair in some silent, soundless place.

Master was right beside her.

He had always been there.

That thought was like a ray of light, making the human heart within her chest beat so very fast!

She trembled for quite some time before finally…

forcing herself to sit up.

She took a deep breath and knelt upright once more.

Her silver hair was disheveled as she stared wide-eyed into the empty air before her.

She knew Master was sitting right in front of her!

So close.

And yet she couldn’t see him or sense him.

“Why…?”

she murmured.

Why was this happening?

She closed her eyes and tried to call upon every trace of her senses, attempting to catch Master’s presence, his warmth, his breathing…

Even the slightest hint would have been enough!

But there was nothing.

The space before her was terrifyingly blank and clean. There wasn’t the slightest trace of life.

Her breathing, which had only just relaxed, began to quicken again.

Both hands gripped the floor tightly!

“What should I do…?”

She bit down hard on her lip.

“What can Liguang do…? How can Liguang see Master…?”

Her voice drifted faintly through the wooden cabin, with no one to answer her.

She stared fixedly at the empty air before her.

Master…!

A flicker of ghostly blue flashed across her left eye as she tried to mobilize the authority sealed within her body!

Authority…

Let Liguang use her authority…!!

At least let her figure out why Master had become like this…!

A tremendous sense of helplessness suddenly surged up, draining all the strength from her in an instant!

“Whump!”

She pitched forward, her cheek smacking solidly against the wooden floor.

“Mm…!”

Her eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

…It hurt so much!

Even the tip of her nose had gone numb from the impact!

She hurriedly scrambled back up and returned to her original kneeling position, doing her best not to look so disheveled.

She couldn’t let Master worry!

But… but…

Her lips trembled.

Why couldn’t she see Master…?

Why couldn’t she sense Master…?!

Why?!

She bit her lip hard, her vision blurring once more with tears.

Just then…

Words began to appear on the floor in front of her, one stroke at a time.

[Liguang, don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you.]

Liguang stared blankly at the line of words.

They appeared stroke by stroke, so slowly, so very slowly, and the writing was crooked and uneven.

It was almost as if Master were grinning mischievously at her.

Ah…!

She finally couldn’t hold back any longer and threw herself forward!

She pressed her cheek firmly against the words!

“Master… Master is so kind… Thank goodness Master is still here… Master…!”

She was crying and laughing at the same time.

She couldn’t sense Master, so she could only pour all her longing for him into those words!

Master’s scent was so faint… Why couldn’t it be stronger…?

Ah!

She abruptly sat up, neatly returning to her kneeling position and straightening her back…

Her gaze darted away. Her cheeks flushed, and her ears burned!

Oh no… Master was still watching her!

That had been so undignified!

She must have looked like a complete lunatic!

Waaah, what would Master think of her now…!

But…

She looked at the empty air before her, at the place where Master might be… and shakily let out a breath.

She relaxed.

Master was right across from her, quietly keeping her company.

So…

What was there left to fear?

As long as they were still together, she and Master could think of a solution together!

They could solve the problem in front of them together!

“…Master!”

She looked straight at the empty air before her, her voice trembling slightly, though it had steadied considerably.

“What exactly is going on?”

She couldn’t help asking:

“Why is this happening?”

“Is it… because of that third authority?!”

“What should Liguang do?!”

She asked a whole string of questions in one breath, then lowered her head to stare at the floor!

Sure enough…

More words slowly began to appear on the floor before her.

Master carved so slowly. Every single stroke took such a long time.

She simply knelt there, watching the words gradually take shape.

[Probably.]

[I don’t know either.]

[We’ll figure it out together.]

…Yes!

Liguang and Master would figure it out together!

At last, the silver-haired girl smiled!

She extended one finger and lightly tapped the line of words that was only half-finished.

“Master, you carve so slowly!”

She complained in a coquettish voice, smiling all the while.

So slow!

And yet…

Liguang’s eyes curved into crescents.

Being able to quietly wait for Master to carve his words somehow made her feel incredibly at peace.

Master was right in front of her now, lowering his head and carefully writing his response to her, stroke by stroke.

“Master, what are you using as a tool?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked another question, tilting her head as she tried to guess the answer from the depth of the carved strokes.

And so, new marks slowly emerged:

[I’m using a seashell. I’m really not used to it.]

Liguang blinked.

A seashell?

Then… Liguang could do it too!

“…Master, wait a moment!”

She immediately got to her feet and ran barefoot toward the corner of the cabin, her little feet going “pitter-patter.”

That was where she piled all sorts of little things she usually found in the sea…

There were mostly seashells!

The Master must have chosen one from here, right?

She crouched down and rummaged through the pile, picking and sorting until finally…

She chose the sharpest, most pointed shell. Holding it up to the light, she examined it and nodded in satisfaction!

Then she “pitter-pattered” back and, not far from that line of writing…

She began carving, stroke by stroke!

【This is Liguang and Master’s home!】

【Liguang will work hard to find Master!】

Her technique was much faster than the Master’s!

The sharp shell glided lightly across the wooden floor, leaving behind clear, delicate characters.

【Before Liguang completely finds Master, Liguang and Master…】

【Let’s try to fill the whole house with traces that belong to us!】

After finishing, she once again knelt upright, resting both hands on her knees. Obedient and full of anticipation, she gazed at the empty space before her.

“Master, is this okay?”

She spoke cautiously, her eyes fixed expectantly on the spot in front of her.

Using carved words to communicate, using the way they had communicated during moments of crisis to decorate the home she shared with Master…

This was truly so romantic!

Although she couldn’t see Master for the time being, this situation…

Perhaps it was just right.

“Whoosh—”

The sound of waves came from outside the door.

“Jingle…”

The sound of the wind chimes drifted down from the second-floor balcony.

And then…

One stroke after another began to appear on the floor once more.

Liguang stared blankly.

She seemed to see…

Master crouching across from her, a seashell between his fingers as he smiled and carefully carved each stroke into the floor. His brows and eyes were filled with patience.

The sea breeze blowing in through the door lifted her silver hair and stirred the hair over his forehead.

Just like…

Every morning in the past, when he sat on the sofa and watched her brew tea.

【Of… course… you… can】

Stroke by stroke, slowly and gently.

Liguang watched as the four characters were finally completed. She held her breath, and then—

“That’s wonderful!!”

With a cheer, she flung herself toward where she imagined Master was!

Of course, she landed in empty air.

But she wasn’t discouraged in the slightest. Instead, she rolled along the floor and landed with perfect accuracy beside the line 【Of course you can】, then—

“Mwah!”

She planted a hard kiss on it!

“Hee-hee!”

Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

“Master is the best!”

She rubbed herself against those words again before finally getting back to her feet, completely satisfied.

This time, her back was straighter, and her damp silver hair no longer made her look quite so bedraggled.

“Master.”

She opened her eyes wide and gazed at the empty space before her, her eyes shining brightly!

“I’ll definitely… take back the permissions Master gave me!”

“I’ll find a way to see Master again!”

“We’ll work hard together!”