Chapter 98: The Candy Is No Longer Expired

The girl was still crying, pouring out her grievances and guilt from her heart.

From the fragmented words.

Xu Xi finally understood the real reason why Mo Li had been reluctant to meet him.

It was the regret of witnessing a loved one’s death and feeling powerless, the escape from being a heavy burden and unable to accept the cruel reality.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

“It’s all my fault, I caused my elder brother’s death…”

“I’m the one who’s wrong, I’m the one who caused my elder brother to lose his life, I should be the one apologizing…”

Xu Moli’s voice grew more mournful, gradually turning into pure sobbing.

She lay on Xu Xi’s back, burying her head in his shoulder, all her regrets turning into crystal tears, wetting the shoulder she relied on.

The once sickly girl had become an eternal, transcendent being.

But even now.

She still couldn’t forgive herself.

She couldn’t forgive the self that caused her elder brother’s death, was powerless throughout, and could only howl in despair.

“Mo Li.”

Xu Xi’s voice rang in the girl’s ears again, making her tremble.

Was her elder brother going to scold her?

Would he not accept her changes?

None of the fears the Female Immortal had came to pass.

Slow and gentle words, like warm spring sunlight caressing her face: “It must have been hard, being alone all this time, right?”

“Sorry, I’m late.”

The man showed no signs of blame; instead, his voice was filled with affection, constantly comforting the insecure girl.

But such words were like sharp, piercing thorns.

Straight to and through Xu Moli’s chest.

Making her cry even more pitifully.

Autumn was cold, and the coming winter would be even more chilling.

The passage of time brought external changes.

Compared to the end of the first simulation, Xu Moli’s appearance had changed slightly, a change called maturity, also called loneliness.

Xu Xi was pleased with the girl’s growth but also pitied the price paid.

Once.

Twice.

Xu Xi sat and reached out, gently placing his hand on the small head crying sorrowfully on his shoulder.

Gently stroking the top of her head, comforting his sister like when she was a child.

“It’s good to have you back, no need for self-blame or guilt, let the past be the past.”

Xu Xi’s voice was very gentle.

The girl didn’t respond.

Only the sound of her crying grew fainter, her embrace of Xu Xi tighter, that heaviness, that closeness, meant the helpless, crying little girl had found her support again.

She once again had her “hero,” who would tread through thorns, face the scorching sun, and resolutely save her.

“Elder brother, will you leave Mo Li again?”

A trembling, uneasy voice came from behind.

“…Never again.”

Not a lie, but the truth.

Getting the answer she wanted, the girl’s emotions seemed to ease a lot, but she still tightly hugged Xu Xi’s neck, resting her head on his shoulder from behind.

Completely unwilling to let go.

Somehow, Xu Xi felt the scene before him was familiar.

Why was that?

“I remember, it seems like I’ve experienced this before,” Xu Xi searched his memory and quickly found that there had been a few mornings when he woke up feeling suffocated.

That feeling was the same as now.

In other words, the so-called ghost pressing on the bed didn’t exist, the discomfort all along was because of his sister’s sneaky behavior in the middle of the night?

Xu Xi smiled.

He smiled at the truth of this farce, and at his sister’s little temper.

After who knows how long, under Xu Xi’s gentle stroking and comfort, the girl finally stopped crying, she was led by Xu Xi’s hand, sitting on the other side of the wooden table.

Now.

Xu Xi finally saw the girl’s full appearance.

Unfamiliar? Not really, still the familiar, tearful little girl.

Familiar? Not quite either.

Unlike the eternally 17-year-old Witch, Xu Moli, though her appearance remained youthful due to her cultivation, her body had still grown.

A bit taller, her hair longer, colder than Xu Xi remembered.

The sister who once chased Xu Xi asking about the length of life, under the passage of time, had grown to understand life on her own.

It was disorienting.

“Really beautiful.”

Xu Xi said softly, wiping the tear stains from the girl’s face, making her face clean again.

“Thank you, elder brother…”

Familiar words, but with a different tone.

When Xu Moli was young, her voice was incredibly lively, with the innocence of a child.

Now, the grown-up girl was somewhat reserved, the long-awaited reunion making her slightly awkward, even unsure of what to say.

“Mo Li, have a candy.”

Xu Xi decided to ease the awkward atmosphere.

He opened the sugar jar again, took out a brown soft candy, and handed it to Xu Moli sitting beside him.

“Okay.”

The girl obediently responded, taking the soft candy and putting it in her mouth.

The taste of the candy wasn’t outstanding.

But there was something special about it.

The sentiment contained within would never expire.

Because the person who gave the candy meaning, the elder brother she cared about the most, was now sitting beside her, gently watching her.

“Elder brother, the candy is delicious, Mo Li likes it.”

After eating the soft candy.

Xu Moli smiled at Xu Xi.

This time, her expression was somewhat familiar, with a bit of the coquettishness from childhood, the flawlessness from when she was sickly, as if she had returned to the past.

But as she smiled.

Two streams of clear tears uncontrollably fell again.

Wetting her cheeks once more.

“It’s good that you like it, there’s plenty of candy, we can eat it slowly in the future,” Xu Xi’s movements were meticulous, slowly wiping away the tear stains from his sister’s face, wiping away the pain left by the past years.

In the first simulation, the siblings’ childhood was as happy as it could be.

After the simulation ended, Xu Moli’s heart was as sorrowful as it could be.

Xu Xi tried to mend the heart full of scars.

But the girl shook her head.

There was no need for mending anymore, no need for concealment, the moment she truly appeared before Xu Xi, her cold heart warmed again.

Just by looking at Xu Xi, just by gazing at Xu Xi, the girl felt immense satisfaction.

“Is that so, as long as you’re okay.”

Xu Xi smiled.

Subconsciously wanting to pat the girl’s head.

But he suddenly remembered, the sister before him had grown up, had gone through long years of cultivation and battles, perhaps no longer liked such child-soothing tricks.

So, Xu Xi withdrew his hand.

Unexpectedly, Mo Li took Xu Xi’s wrist, lowered her head, letting his hand gently rest on her head.

“Elder brother, do you remember?”

“Remember what.”

“When I was little, I complained to you, saying you patted my head too much, making me not grow tall.”

“That did happen, so why are you…”

“Now, Mo Li has grown up, no need to grow taller anymore.”

The girl softly spoke.

Her gaze looking at Xu Xi, yet as if staring at something far away.