Lan Jia Ruo, just awake, felt a throbbing pain in his head. He reached up and pressed his forehead, trying to alleviate it.
But the pain felt as if it were etched into his very soul; no matter how long he pressed, it remained the same.
Lan Jia Ruo sighed.
Then he looked at his hands. They were the hands of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. He could see his veins, and his skin was so tender it looked like it could be squeezed to yield water.
Had it happened so quickly?
Had the backlash from the forbidden magic array appeared so soon?
After this moment of realization, Lan Jia Ruo did not continue to examine the changes in his hands.
Alas, whatever. As long as he wasn't going to die now, it was fine.
He decided to let things take their natural course.
With that thought, he prepared to get up and eat something. But as soon as he moved, a wave of immense pain washed over him, especially from the wound on his chest. It truly could not be ignored.
Lan Jia Ruo struggled to sit up and reached out to touch the wound on his chest.
The original wound had completely healed due to his self-healing abilities and the restoration from others.
However, the scar that remained was truly noticeable.
This scar was quite ugly, Lan Jia Ruo thought to himself.
If he had known it would leave such an unsightly scar, he wouldn't have used that magic array in the first place.
It required his heart's blood plus a scale from his waist.
All just to deal with a mere juvenile. Now, thinking about it, it really didn't seem worth it.
As Lan Jia Ruo considered this, his mind began to calculate.
Truly, the more Lan Jia Ruo thought about it, the less it seemed worth it.
Then, clutching his chest, he cried out in feigned heartache, "It's really not worth it. I used my ultimate move for a little brat."
After this lament, Lan Jia Ruo removed his hand from his chest, wiped away tears that had never fallen, and got out of bed.
He hobbled towards the door. As he passed a mirror, he paused to look at himself.
"Wuwuwuwu, my beautiful long hair is gone, and I'm back to being a short-haired urchin again."
Lan Jia Ruo looked at his reflection with utter disdain.
He had always loved his long, flowing hair since he was young. Unless there was an extraordinary circumstance, he would never cut it.
And now, because he used a forbidden magic array, he was back to square one.
Was his life really that easy?
No, he would definitely recall all his other magic arrays carefully from now on.
He couldn't just resort to forbidden magic arrays for every problem.
His little heart really couldn't take it.
After this reflection, he limped out the door.
As he reached the stairs, he saw Lin Hao already at the table, and Rella serving dishes.
A table full of food.
Seeing this, he wondered if all these dishes were for him.
"Oh, I'm so embarrassed."
He had only done a small thing, and they had prepared so many dishes to welcome him.
"Wow, it smells so good?" Lan Jia Ruo said from the top of the stairs.
Then he saw Lin Hao staring at him blankly. Lan Jia Ruo, seeing his expression, felt a bit confused and then found it amusing.
As he walked down, he said, "What's wrong, you don't recognize me anymore?"
Lin Hao nodded at his words and said, "How did you become like this?"
The moment Lin Hao saw Lan Jia Ruo, he was taken aback.
Why did this person look so effeminate?
When he heard his tone of voice, Lin Hao recognized him. This was that fish.
Lan Jia Ruo, trembling slightly, arrived at the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He looked at Lin Hao and asked, "This is a side effect of the magic array, right?"
He said it with a hint of nonchalance.
"Are there any other problems?" Lin Hao asked, after hearing this answer.
He was afraid that something else might happen. After spending these past few days together, Lin Hao had come to regard this annoying, talkative, and narcissistic fish as a good friend.
So, he felt he should ask this question.
"Me, what problems could I have?" Lan Jia Ruo replied somewhat guiltily.
The dangers of this magic array weren't just these minor issues; there were other matters, but he decided not to mention them to avoid causing them worry.
Besides, as long as he didn't use any forbidden magic arrays anymore, he would be fine.
He was well aware of this.
"Oh? Really?" a clear, cold female voice suddenly came from behind them.
Lan Jia Ruo, who was already feeling a bit guilty, began to break out in a cold sweat upon hearing this voice.
He quickly composed himself, turned around, and smiled at the beautiful woman behind him. "Your Highness, I'm truly fine, I swear."
As he finished speaking, he awkwardly raised a hand, preparing to swear.
"If you have the guts, at least make your oath gesture properly before you speak to me."
Xier, standing at the foot of the stairs, said mockingly, looking at Lan Jia Ruo's extremely perfunctory gesture.
Xier, who was already displeased with Lan Jia Ruo for using a forbidden magic array without permission, felt even worse upon hearing him speak so nonchalantly.
Why could he so casually use that magic array? Wasn't he afraid of death?
Lan Jia Ruo's face darkened upon hearing Xier's words, and he silently lowered his raised hand.
"Ahem, isn't it because I didn't want you to worry?" he tried to placate Xier.
The princess was the one being he wanted to protect most in his life. Even if the price was high, it was all worth it for her.
"Aren't you afraid..." Xier almost blurted out those words, seeing this stubborn, unyielding fish.
But fearing that "little one" might find out, she held back.
"Hey? Why is it so lively here?" Yasslan's voice came from behind them.
Lin Hao, who had been eavesdropping with great interest, felt a bit frustrated when he heard Xier's unfinished sentence.
What was it that she couldn't tell him?
Why was even Xier playing riddles with him?
Couldn't they just have a pleasant time?
As Lin Hao was frantically guessing, he heard Yasslan's voice.
Turning his head, he saw Yasslan and Elfa walking down together.
"We weren't saying anything. Come, it's time to eat. Hurry up, you all."
Lin Hao glanced at the insect and the fish, who were no longer arguing and the atmosphere was still a bit awkward, and decided he wasn't going to watch them anymore.
Hmph, if they weren't going to include him, then he wouldn't play with them either. He decided to break off relations with them for three minutes.
Let's see if they would dare to exclude him in the future.
Tch.
So now he had to find new companions to play with. He thought Yasslan looked promising, the kind of person who could be a good friend.
Qin Mohan's steady exterior seemed to hide a muddled heart.
Really not bad.
Someone far away in the universe suddenly sneezed, cursed under their breath, and then went back to sleep.
Hearing "little one's" call, Yasslan walked to Lin Hao's side with a smile and said gently, "Okay, King."
Ahhh, it was the first time in his insect life that he would share a meal, whether it was lunch or dinner, with "little one."
He felt incredibly happy right now.
He was screaming internally with joy.
Elfa, who had come with Yasslan, didn't spare his embarrassing colleague a glance. He walked past them and headed towards another seat next to Lin Hao.
He skillfully picked up chopsticks and began serving Lin Hao, and within a minute, Lin Hao's bowl was piled high with food. Only then did Elfa stop.
However, his eyes lingered on the bowl of food, as if he still wanted more.
He mentally calculated that next time he should get "little one" a larger bowl. Only by eating more could "little one" grow.
After all, "little one" was eating so little these days. He had held "little one" this morning, and indeed, he was thinner.
Ultimately, it was because he ate too little.
Just as Lin Hao finished chatting with Yasslan, he turned his head and saw his bowl was full of food!
Who had put this food in his bowl? If he ate all of it, he would gain another three pounds.
Then he remembered Elfa, who had just come over to his side. Besides Yasslan, Elfa was the closest.
It had to be him, undoubtedly.
Having found the culprit, Lin Hao glared at Elfa, then resigned himself to eating the food in his bowl.
After all, wasting food was shameful.
Elfa, sitting beside him, saw his "little one" glare at him fiercely but adorably, then continued to eat his own food.
His heart nearly melted.
How could "little one" be so cute?
"Couldn't you have used a different magic array? Why did you have to use this one?"
When they weren't paying attention, Xier couldn't hold back any longer and pulled the blue-haired youth aside, questioning him.
Lan Jia Ruo resignedly followed Xier out. After all, if this matter wasn't resolved, it would lead to a significant conflict, so it was best to clear the air.
"It was a dangerous moment, and only this magic array could have saved you all quickly, which is why I used it," Lan Jia Ruo said seriously.
"Weren't you afraid of death?"
Seeing that he was still so evasive, she asked angrily.
"Death? If you died, what meaning would my life have? You know, my clan is gone. No one else is willing to accept me except you. How stifling it was to live like that."
Upon hearing Xier's question, Lan Jia Ruo was momentarily stunned. Then, looking into Xier's eyes, he gently answered her question.
For him, wasn't death a form of release?
Life without his clan was truly difficult to endure.
"I have everything under control, don't worry. I can still cast a few more of this type of magic array. After all, my lifespan is very long; casting a few forbidden magic arrays is still feasible."
Seeing that Xier remained silent, Lan Jia Ruo continued.
Mini-theater:
Fish: Isn't death just a new beginning? In a new world, perhaps I won't be alone anymore.
Gua Zi: Little fish, don't be afraid. Daddy loves you.
Pat pat pat.
Fish: Thank you, Daddy.