Rong Yi leaned back against the chair, a faint smile on his face, still looking weak. "Nothing much. I just thought sitting here would let me see you come back sooner."
Qiqi felt a twinge of guilt. "Were you worried I wouldn't make it back in time? Don't worry—since I took your heart-soul with me, I'd do everything in my power to return it to you on schedule. You need to trust me, no need to be so tense."
But Rong Yi chuckled softly and said in a gentle tone, "Actually, I just wanted to see you sooner..."
A smile lingered on his lips, his gaze tender, and he spoke to Qiqi with a childlike expression—I just wanted to see you sooner~~~
Qiqi was utterly charmed—this fiend was flirting with her, wasn't he? Right? Right?
Her heart screamed inwardly, trembling with a jolt, yet she forced herself to stay calm on the outside. She quickly lowered her head, pulled the Moon's Guidance from her bag, and presented it with both hands.
"Wolf King, your heart-soul."
Rong Yi took the jade pendant, and his expression instantly snapped back to cool composure, no longer wearing that weak, bewitching demeanor.
Qiqi let out a huge sigh of relief—whew, finally handed back that hot potato. She felt so much lighter.
Holding someone's life in her hands was a terrible feeling, especially since she'd been on edge the whole way.
Rong Yi held the jade pendant, examining it closely, then sighed softly. "Qiqi, you haven't obtained the Moon Gem yet, have you?"
Qiqi was surprised. "Huh? How did you know?"
Rong Yi gripped the pendant tighter, feeling its cool, refreshing touch. "If you'd brought the Moon Gem back, this pendant wouldn't be so calm right now. It would probably be causing a huge uproar."
"Oh? So you've seen it and the Moon Gem together, causing that kind of chaos?" Qiqi asked, curious.
Rong Yi faltered, then replied, "No... I've only heard my father mention it."
Qiqi nodded, recalling the scene in the garage today. "Today, when it got closest to the Moon Gem, it did emit an incredibly bright white light. But aside from that, there wasn't any other commotion."
Hearing this, Rong Yi's pupils suddenly contracted. "You really found the Moon Gem?"
His voice was slightly hoarse.
Qiqi paused, then nodded. "Yeah, I found it. At one point, it stood right in front of me, just 0.01 centimeters away..."
"Where is it now?" Rong Yi cut her off urgently.
"With Zhou Zhibi. There were too many of them at the time, so I couldn't exactly snatch it," Qiqi said, spreading her hands.
Honestly, just making it back safely today was a win.
But why was Rong Yi so anxious about the gem's whereabouts? He didn't seem all that interested in rescuing Senior Brother Lu, did he?
A flicker of doubt crossed her mind, and she looked up to study him closely. But Rong Yi had already slumped back into the rocking chair, reverting to his lazy, listless state. "Oh, so what's your plan now?"
Qiqi replied, "I'm going to find Zhou Yi. Since that gem is a heirloom of the Zhou family, I believe that if I can convince him, he'll give it to us."
Rong Yi nodded. "Mm, that's a good idea."
With that, he held the jade pendant in one hand and initiated the exchange of the heart-soul.
And so, Qiqi once again witnessed a sci-fi spectacle worthy of a Star Wars film—a beautiful, glowing green cloud, Rong Yi's heart-soul, was extracted from the pendant and then drawn back into his striking phoenix-like eyes.
With the heart-soul restored, though Rong Yi hadn't fully regained his strength, he looked much more spirited. The melancholic, sunset-like sorrow from before had completely faded away.