Chapter 49: She Can Only See Your Figure

The mountain wind at night carried a touch of desolation.

And a chill.

It rustled through the sea of trees, pressing the grass low.

Xu Xi hadn't experienced such a thing for a long time. During his residence in Alenson City, except for the first year when he was forced into the slums, he had lived in warm courtyards thereafter.

Even in the harshest winter, steam equipment provided ample warmth.

Fortunately,

although the courtyard was destroyed and Alenson was annihilated, Xu Xi could still use fire magic. With the activation of the third-tier spell, Warmth of Fire, a pale red barrier enveloped the campsite.

The cold was banished, the strong wind was blocked, and warmth returned to this world.

"Mentor, please."

The calm voice was like a river flowing at a steady pace.

Its rhythm was tranquil, gentle, and stable. Though devoid of any fluctuation, it possessed a unique beauty.

Xu Xi only knew one person who owned such a voice.

"You've worked hard, Klisa."

Xu Xi took the hot soup from the girl's hands.

The steaming hot soup, with oil droplets floating on the surface, was packed with many ingredients. Just the generous amount of thick meat filled the small soup bowl to the brim.

The scent was slightly pungent.

It seemed that, considering the night's chill,

some cold-dispelling supplementary ingredients had been added.

Without the courtyard's lanterns, the light was inevitably dim. Xu Xi rotated the soup bowl in his hand, adjusting the angle several times before finally using the campfire's glow to see the hot soup clearly, noticing some crushed Fireleaf Grass sprinkled on the surface.

This was a spicy plant, well-liked by the people of the Magic World.

"Gulp—" He took a small sip. The hot soup first flowed over the tip of his tongue, then slowly descended into his throat, traveling straight down to his stomach.

Xu Xi could clearly feel his body warming up instantly.

The Fireleaf Grass was remarkably effective.

"Well done, Klisa. Your cooking skills are getting better and better," Xu Xi said with a smile, praising the witch waiting for his evaluation beside him.

Klisa's culinary talent wasn't particularly good; she had once caused an embarrassing kitchen explosion incident.

But she was spurred by shame to strive harder.

After four years of unceasing effort,

her cooking skills finally achieved success, reaching a decent level. Of course, Xu Xi's stomach also gained decent poison resistance as an unexpected benefit.

"Yes, thank you for your praise."

Klisa stood quietly. In the dim night, her gray-silver hair appeared even more mysterious, reflecting the campfire's light with a smooth, flowing sheen.

The clothes previously burned through by the flames had long been replaced, changed back to her old black and white Magic Apprentice attire.

Due to the robe's loose fit,

it still fit the grown witch perfectly.

Then, having received the praise, Klisa, as if finally completing some task, scooped herself a bowl of meat soup as well and sat beside Xu Xi, eating quietly.

She used a spoon and fork.

To this day, chopsticks remained the witch's lifelong enemy; she couldn't use them well.

That scene was somewhat comical, and every time he saw it, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something not very nice."

The witch's intuition was surprisingly sharp.

"That must be Klisa's misconception."

Xu Xi replied composedly.

Really?

The girl tilted her head in confusion.

Maybe so. After all, her master had no reason to lie to her. Holding such a thought, she buried her head in the bowl again, taking small bites of the cooked meat.

Teeth bit through the meat chunks, tongue swirled the hot soup.

The quiet dinner for just the two of them began.

Tonight felt more desolate and lonely than ever before. Completely outdoors, there was neither warm, comfortable steam nor sufficiently bright glass lamps.

But,

Xu Xi didn't dislike this atmosphere.

"Hoo—" He pressed his lips to the rim of the bowl, gently blowing on the freshly served hot soup to cool it before taking small sips into his stomach.

Warmth erupted from within his body, flowing to his limbs and bones.

Bringing a bit of warmth to this bleak night.

"Such an experience is rather rare."

Xu Xi thought that perhaps searching the entire Magic World, it would be hard to find such a scene.

An Archmage barely in his twenties, with a sixteen-year-old witch, squatting together on a remote mountaintop, eating meat soup without a care for appearances.

No matter how one thought about it,

this picture was a bit absurd.

"Crackle… crackle…"

Sparks burst, dry branches burned.

Beside the campfire, the shadows of the large and small figures were stretched long, evenly merging into the dark night, blending with the shadows of flowers, grass, and trees, indistinguishable from each other.

Dinner ended quickly. Neither of them was very hungry; they had specifically prepared the meal just to maintain strength and body heat.

Klisa stood up and actively used Water Magic and Wind Magic to wash away the stains from the pot, bowls, and utensils.

This method was not only efficient but also convenient.

It wasn't her first time doing this.

She was quite skilled.

The fierce wind swept the water flow, easily scraping off the grease from the utensils' surfaces. The price the young girl had to pay was merely some mana.

This was also why Xu Xi didn't object when Klisa took charge of many household chores. It wasn't that he deliberately made the girl suffer, but with magic's existence, everything became much simpler.

"Klisa, come here for a moment."

The wind grew more howling late at night.

A constant whistling filled the ears.

Xu Xi glanced in the direction of Alenson City. Flames still burned there; the undying firelight was particularly conspicuous at night, with layers of demonic shadows wreaking havoc.

But overall, everything was normal, with no unusual circumstances.

Thus,

Xu Xi called the girl to his side.

He wanted to examine Klisa's eyes. The half-gold, half-dark pupils, compared to the usual pale gold, were undoubtedly a significant issue.

In fact, Xu Xi had sensed something was wrong as early as when he reunited with Klisa.

It was just that the situation was urgent then, with no time to check.

Now, he finally had time to investigate a bit.

"Klisa, sit opposite me. Let me see your eyes."

"I understand, Mentor."

The girl was very obedient, calmly sitting directly opposite Xu Xi. Under the campfire's illumination, Xu Xi could clearly see her delicate features and the slight movement of her nostrils as she breathed.

The witch seemed very eager to be of help to Xu Xi.

So she tried hard to open her eyes wide.

However, paired with that expressionless face, it looked somewhat silly.

"I'll manage, Klisa." Hearing Xu Xi's words, the girl obediently stopped her unnecessary effort and sat quietly in place.

Then,

Xu Xi's left hand used light magic, casting the zero-tier Illumination spell.

At a brightness that wouldn't harm the eyes,

he slowly moved closer to Klisa.

His right hand extended his thumb and index finger, manually parting the girl's tender eyelids to reveal the fragile eyeballs within.

In the past, the witch's eyes were pale gold, possessing a brilliant beauty. But now, besides gold, Xu Xi also saw a deep, dark black.

It occupied the center of the pupils abruptly.

The golden part and the black part differed greatly, as if two completely unrelated things had been forcibly stitched together.

But one thing was the same.

They both clearly reflected Xu Xi's figure.

Just as before, unchanged.