Chapter 55: Light and Shadow Accompany Each Other

“Mentor…?”

Her legs were weak and feeble, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

She moved forward unsteadily, her steps trembling.

Her body was frail.

Her voice was faint.

Cressa’s physical condition was poor; she was too weak, so weak that walking was a challenge. She could only drag her feet step by step, slowly approaching Xu Xi amidst rapid breaths.

The scene was silent, yet it carried a deeply moving force.

The Witch proved one thing through her actions.

In the face of true will.

A sickly body could not hinder her in the slightest.

The light fell on the girl, further illuminating her pale, bloodless face. Trembling, she extended her slender fingers and placed them on the chair where Xu Xi sat.

With this support, the pressure on her movement lessened, allowing her to walk to Xu Xi’s front.

Then.

Cressa saw it—the familiar face, now deeply asleep due to extreme exhaustion.

“Mentor… you’re fine…”

She tilted her head and blinked her eyes.

The truth was different from what she had imagined. Xu Xi wasn’t in trouble; he had simply fallen asleep, nothing more.

“That’s good.”

A calm voice echoed in the air.

In her chest, the accumulated sorrow and worry all dissipated, returning to their usual hollow state.

Now… what should she do?

Cressa was a bit lost. After confirming that Xu Xi was fine, she suddenly didn’t know what to do. Should she lie back on the stone slab and patiently wait for Xu Xi to wake up?

Light and shadow are inseparable.

When light appears, shadow follows closely, for once it leaves the light’s reach, shadow ceases to exist.

So.

When light falls silent, where should the shadow go?

Cressa didn’t know how to answer this question. Her life, her everything, had long been accustomed to staying by Xu Xi’s side.

Beyond that, the Witch had no interest in anything else.

But, given the Witch’s current physical condition, even if she were awake, what could she do?

She could barely take care of herself.

Let alone anything else.

Thus, Cressa abandoned those impractical thoughts of helping with chores as usual.

With a quiet demeanor, her face calm and indifferent, she crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, leaning against the edge of the table, standing silently by Xu Xi’s side as he slept.

The room was dim, the light hazy, a surreal and fleeting glow that seemed to touch upon memories of the past.

Delicate and gentle, it enveloped the figures of the man and the girl.

The former was asleep.

The latter stood guard.

This was the only thing the Witch could think to do at this stage.

And it was also the only thing she wanted to do.

Since the light was asleep, the shadow would stand by its side until the light warmed the world again, providing the shadow with its reason to exist.

But—

How to put it, this feeling was somewhat微妙, somewhat奇特.

“Mentor’s face…” Cressa murmured to herself. She wasn’t as tall as Xu Xi, and though she could usually see his entire face, she hadn’t observed many details.

But now, with Xu Xi sitting and asleep, the standing girl could see his full appearance.

This was the first time she had observed Xu Xi so closely.

The Witch saw the eyes, swollen from long hours of reading and overwork.

The Witch saw the fingers, constantly writing, maintaining a pen-holding posture even in sleep.

The Witch saw the face, worn out from overwork, lips slightly pale, carrying a heavy sense of exhaustion.

She saw it.

She saw everything.

She saw the passage of time at his temples, the trembling breath at his nostrils.

She saw Xu Xi sleeping deeply, and everything behind that depth.

Ah…

Ah…

So this was it, was this how it was?

A heavy feeling seemed to pierce Cressa’s heart in an instant, causing her pupils to slightly dilate.

Before, the Witch thought that when the light fell silent, the shadow would lose its sanctuary.

But now.

The truth told the Witch.

Even if the light fell silent, even if the sun briefly extinguished, its residual warmth still penetrated the soul, providing the shadow with a path forward.

The Witch didn’t know what words or actions could do justice to that炽热而温暖的光. Her feelings gradually accumulated, her thoughts grew more混乱, and her chest filled with越来越多的冲动.

The Witch was too clumsy; she had no idea how to proceed.

So.

Based on her understanding, the Witch did the best she could think of.

She carefully extended her fingers, with as gentle a motion as possible, lightly cupping Xu Xi’s cheeks. She bent down, bringing her forehead to touch his, her nose to touch his.

Gray-silver hair strands fell, a few sliding across the man’s face.

“May you be well.”

Cressa Christina whispered a prayer.

In her calm, unfluctuating voice, there seemed to be a momentary flash of various emotions, but the overly平静的话语 made one doubt if it was just an illusion.

Touching, feeling, sensing the warmth of the light.

Time seemed to stand still.

A few short seconds felt like an eternity, countless从未有过的感受 bursting forth in the Witch’s heart.

What was it exactly?

Cressa felt guilty. She maintained the forehead touch, reluctant to part with the warmth and closeness, even though she knew that as a “private possession,” she shouldn’t overstep like this.

Suddenly.

It seemed that Cressa’s actions had disturbed the man’s sleep.

Xu Xi’s brows furrowed slightly, and he let out a soft groan. The sound was small, but it scared the 17-year-old Witch into fleeing.

“!!!!!”

With her weak and feeble legs, the Witch managed to run at a speed she had never achieved before.

She scrambled back onto the stone slab.

Grabbed the blanket Xu Xi had prepared for her.

Jumped in, hid inside.

Curled her body into a ball.

Like a self-enclosed silkworm cocoon, she wrapped herself tightly, leaving no gaps, afraid to give the outside world even the slightest chance to observe her.

Trembling lightly, wriggling slightly, utterly adorable.

Her heart was pounding, bringing an unprecedented紧张.

The Witch didn’t know why she was so scared. She had overstepped, but it was just a simple forehead touch. Yet, her heart was in complete慌乱.

“Mentor?”

After waiting for a long time, there was no movement.

Nor any scolding from her master.

Cressa cautiously peeked out, letting her eyes emerge from the blanket. Seeing that Xu Xi was still asleep, her紧张的心情 gradually calmed down, returning to its usual空洞.

But.

“So strange… so hot…”

Cressa was迷茫不解. She lightly touched her雪白的 cheeks, finding them烫得不行.

The Witch suspected she might have a fever. Was this the price for overstepping with her master?

The Witch’s knowledge increased.

She thought, as long as her master didn’t find out, this price was acceptable.