Xiao Wu looked down, trying to stifle her cry. Her fingers clutched at the soft moss beneath her, knuckles pale from tension. But no matter how hard she pressed, it couldn't ground the storm in her chest. The silence between them stretched—tender, uncertain.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she asked:
"...Tang San. What about my brother?"
Li Wei hesitated. The question he dreaded most.
He lowered himself onto one knee, eyes soft with sincerity. "Do you really want to know the truth Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu nodded, gaze trembling but resolute. "Please."
Li Wei sighed. "He also came after you. Right after you were taken, Tang San chased the tracks without hesitation leaving behind the others. He flying using Oscar mushroom in front of me… and for a while, I thought he might even catch up to you and Er Ming before I could."
Her eyes widened, lips parting with hope.
"But then… we encountered a spirit beast," Li Wei continued, his tone careful. "A Poison Silk Ghost Spider. Rare, dangerous… and ideal for his third spirit ring."
He paused.
"…And he chose to stop."
The words hit her like a quiet slap. Her expression stiffened.
"He thought that it was a chance he couldn't pass up. That if he wanted to protect you—he needed to be stronger."
Silence fell between them.
Li Wei watched her closely, but didn't soften the truth. "He made that choice himself. I don't know if it was right or wrong… but I thought you should know about it."
Xiao Wu didn't speak at first. She bit her lip, her shoulders rigid. The tears had stopped, but her gaze turned distant.
"I… I see," she finally murmured.
"He thought of you, Xiao Wu," Li Wei said gently. "I could see it. That decision wasn't cold. It was desperate. He wanted the power to protect you… even if it meant turning away just this once."
"…Yes," she nodded slowly, as if trying to convince herself. "That… that sounds like him."
But Li Wei could hear the faint crack in her voice. See the way her fingers trembled as they curled around her knees.
She wanted to believe. But a small piece of her had already been pulled back.
Her brother—Tang San—had paused in front of power and left her as the second most important. While Li Wei had kept running.
She shook her head quickly, as if to rid herself of the thought. "He's always done what he thought was best. He's… smart like that."
Li Wei didn't challenge her words.
Even so, he could feel it. A subtle shift. A fracture in the idol she held in her heart.
"But thank you," she whispered, quieter now. "Thank you for coming after me. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't."
Li Wei offered a small smile. "I couldn't leave you behind. No matter what you are."
Xiao Wu looked at him sharply. "Even knowing… I'm not fully human?"
"I don't care, you have the appearance of a human, for me you're human" he said without pause. " And you're Xiao Wu. One of my friend. That's all that matters."
She blinked, a soft gasp catching in her throat. Her heart felt lighter, yet more tangled than ever. Tang San… he might accept her. But she didn't know. The doubt had rooted itself quietly.
And now—sitting here in the mist, beside the one who had never hesitated—she found herself leaning just slightly closer to Li Wei than before.
Not in romance. Not yet.
But something had changed.
A closeness born from truth, pain, and presence.
And she didn't want to pull away from it.
The silence stretched on, broken only by the whisper of leaves and the soft rush of water nearby. Xiao Wu had gone quiet again, knees hugged to her chest, her rabbit ear flicking slowly on her head. Li Wei stayed nearby, offering the calm presence of someone who would not push—but would always be there.
Then, to her surprise, he stood up and stretched his shoulders with a soft sigh.
"Actually," he said, turning to her with a light grin, "there's something I've been curious about for a while now. And want to try it."
Xiao Wu tilted her head. "Hm?"
Li Wei's gaze turned toward the looming figure waiting in the distance—the colossal form of Er Ming, who watched them from afar with arms crossed and the calm patience of a protector.
"…Would it be possible," Li Wei asked, lips curving with a spark of challenge, "for me to have a spar with the Giant Titan Ape?"
Xiao Wu blinked. Feeling incredulous. "You… want to spar with Er Ming?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Not to the death, of course. Just a friendly match. I want to test myself. See how far I've come. I want to see one of the top limit in the Star Dou Forest"
She stared at him, then back at Er Ming.
"…You know he's the Titan Giant Ape, right?"
"Kind of hard to miss," Li Wei chuckled. "But it's not about winning. I want to know how much I can take… and what I still lack."
Xiao Wu looked at him, really looked this time. There was no recklessness in his eyes. Only a quiet, burning resolve. The same one he'd carried she thought that he might ha e when he chased after her without pause.
A faint smile touched her lips. "You're really strange, you know that?"
"I've heard worse."
She stood, brushing off her skirt, and turned toward the giant beast in the distance.
"Er Ming!" she called out, her voice echoing through the trees. "Li Wei wants to try having a sparing match with you!"
The massive ape snorted, golden eyes narrowing with amusement. With a heavy stomp that shook the ground, he stepped forward—each movement exuding sheer power.
"Friendly spar," she emphasized, giving Er Ming a warning glance. "Don't break him."
Er Ming growled low in his throat, then let out a huff that sounded almost like a laugh.
Li Wei stepped forward, drawing his Diendriver from his hip and slotting in a card with a satisfying click.
"Don't hold back too much," he said with a grin. "I want this to count."
Xiao Wu watched him from behind, arms folded.
She didn't know whether to call him brave… or insane.
But somewhere deep inside, she was glad it was him that was here with her.