Li Xier carried Su Sheng into the teleportation array leading to Biya’s memories. After a blinding flash of white light, the scene before them transformed into the appearance of Dragon Island five hundred years ago.
Winter had settled on the island. Though situated on the sea, the weather was neither too cold nor too hot, yet it remained particularly prone to illness for those with frail constitutions.
As Li Xier held Su Sheng, a chilly breeze swept past, causing the person in his arms to suddenly shiver. His gaze fell upon Su Sheng’s face, flushed red from the cold, and he clicked his tongue disdainfully: “So troublesome. Did I really need you to save me?”
“A servant should behave like a servant,” Li Xier muttered, raising his hand to cast a wind-blocking magical barrier.
Around them were wide, spacious streets, convenient for both dragons and humans to traverse.
After glancing briefly at the surroundings, Li Xier shifted his steps, carrying Su Sheng and heading familiarly toward the outskirts of the city.
After winding through several streets, the city gate loomed ahead. The guards there, upon seeing Li Xier, warmly bowed and greeted him:
“Lord Luo Ren, you’ve come again.”
Li Xier nodded and walked past. Seeing children playing near the gate, he casually conjured some candies with magic and scattered them, eliciting delighted smiles from the children.
“Uncle Luo Ren, who is the big brother in your arms?”
“What happened to him?”
The children bounced around Li Xier, chirping and asking questions.
Li Xier glanced down inadvertently and noticed Su Sheng’s eyelids trembling restlessly, which only deepened his irritation.
“All of you, quiet.”
With a flick of his hand, the candies the children had just received and tucked into their pockets vanished entirely.
The children dispersed, disheartened, and the space around the once universally adored Demon King immediately emptied.
Li Xier paid no heed, steadied Su Sheng in his arms, crossed through the fields, and stopped before a wooden hut, the house he had personally built on Dragon Island.
After setting Su Sheng down, Li Xier grew even more annoyed. The young man before him was both his lover and servant. He had given him demon horns precisely to prevent him from suffering further harm because of him, yet despite all precautions, he had still been ensnared.
This made the Demon King feel utterly humiliated. The last time he had felt such shame was when his avatar had been killed by this human.
To avoid seeing what irritated him, the Demon King simply cast a concealment spell over the area around the bed, hiding Su Sheng away.
Yet this lasted less than half a day. The Demon King rubbed his aching temples, waved his hand grandly, and dispelled the concealment magic.
Thus, days of such back-and-forth agitation passed for seven days, until the person lying on the bed showed signs of stirring, eyelids fluttering as if awakening.
The curtains swayed with the breeze, allowing a strand of sunlight to filter in. Su Sheng opened his eyes in bewilderment.
“You’ve finally awakened,” a magnetic, pleasant male voice sounded beside him, yet it carried an unmistakable undertone of irritation and a hint of relief, a complexity that was profound.
Su Sheng propped himself up, a perplexity rising within him, and turned his head to look.
A man with golden hair and eyes as blue as the sea was gazing at him with a look of exasperation, which left Su Sheng baffled.
Unfortunately, he could remember nothing.
“Who are you?” he asked, only realizing afterward that his voice was hoarse and raspy, as if he hadn’t spoken for a long time, startling even himself.
The man’s expression froze momentarily, then he exclaimed in surprise: “You don’t remember me?”
Su Sheng shook his head.
“…”
“It’s alright.” After a moment of silence, the man quickly accepted this information and smiled. “Then let’s start over. My name is Luo Ren.”
“Hello.” Su Sheng extended his hand.
Seeing this, the man seemed quite surprised, as if such a gesture from him was unprecedented. This made Su Sheng feel a bit embarrassed, and he awkwardly began to withdraw his hand. Unexpectedly, Luo Ren caught it halfway and gave it a gentle shake.
The warm touch was fleeting, and for some reason, Su Sheng’s ears inexplicably grew hot.
“Hello.”
In the quiet air, such eye contact was truly awkward. Su Sheng glanced around and said, “Um… did I rarely do this before?”
“Hmm?” The person opposite seemed not to have heard clearly, looking at him with confusion.
“I mean, did I rarely make such gestures before? You seemed quite uncomfortable with it.” Su Sheng gazed sincerely into the other’s eyes as he asked.
“You really didn’t do this often before.” After a pause, the man seemed to recall something and chuckled softly. “How should I put it… you used to speak very little, very cold, like snow.”
The man curled his lips slightly, carrying a hint of teasing and testing:
“But you were quite adorable when you got jealous.”
“Jealous?” Su Sheng was taken aback and took another look at the person before him. “What was our relationship before?”
Luo Ren rubbed his temples as if troubled. “Well, you’ve stumped me there. You never clearly defined our relationship.”
“Ah?” Though Su Sheng’s expression didn’t change much, his heart was in turmoil. Suddenly, his head began to spin, and in a daze, he covered his face and voiced his most shocking thought: “Was I a scumbag?”
Luo Ren burst out laughing. His previously icy expression melted away instantly, the amusement in his eyes nearly overflowing as his laughter grew louder and louder:
“How could you think that, Norton? It feels like I’m only just getting to know you now.”
This left Su Sheng utterly conflicted, so much so that he couldn’t help but start rubbing his hair. “But didn’t you say I didn’t want to acknowledge this relationship?”
Luo Ren walked over and gently touched his head, the contact brief yet leaving Su Sheng with a sense of reluctance. Just as he was inwardly surprised by this, he heard Luo Ren say, “Alright, don’t dwell on the past anymore. As long as you acknowledge it now, that’s enough.”
Could such a touch really not provoke any aversion in him? Su Sheng pondered in astonishment. He vaguely sensed what kind of person he had been before, undoubtedly highly vigilant. Even so, this person’s intimate gesture didn’t make him feel offended.
His tense body gradually began to relax, something he hadn’t even realized himself.
Knowing that it had all been a joke, Su Sheng fiddled with the bowl on the table. Lost in thought, his hand slipped, and the bowl fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Just as he bent down to pick them up, Luo Ren stopped him.
“Don’t move. The edges of the shards are sharp; they could cut your hands.”
Su Sheng stopped, and Luo Ren gathered the fragments into a dustpan and took them outside.
After Luo Ren left, someone knocked on the door.
Su Sheng went to answer it. Standing outside was a young man with neatly styled silver hair, wearing glasses and holding a stack of books. He looked very gentle.
He greeted him and asked curiously, “Are you the human that Luo Ren carried all the way back?”
Carried all the way back?
Was he really carried back by Luo Ren all the way?
Su Sheng was taken aback. Although he had lost all memories of the past, considering what Luo Ren had said earlier, it didn’t seem entirely unacceptable.
Unsure how to respond, he asked, “Are you looking for Luo Ren?”
The young man’s gaze was steady, not attempting to peek inside. He smiled gently and replied, “No, I came to see you.”
To see him?
Su Sheng was puzzled. Did this person know him before? But why did he have no impression at all?
The young man walked in, placed the books on the table, and said, “You didn’t know me before, so don’t force yourself to remember. Luo Ren asked me to help treat your amnesia and teach you some life skills and magic.”
As he spoke, he blinked. “But I think someone as clever as you probably doesn’t need my teaching.”
“These are some magics not recorded on the continent, unique to the dragon race. Take a look first, and ask me if you don’t understand.”
Su Sheng glanced at the thick stack of books on the table and nodded slightly.
“Thank you.”
The young man chuckled. “You’re welcome. By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Bi Ya, the only white dragon on this island proficient in light-attribute magic.”
Su Sheng responded with a faint “Mm.”
“You seem to be in good condition, so I won’t disturb you two today. I’ll come back tomorrow,” Bi Ya said with a gentle smile. Noticing the room was a bit dim, he lit the lamp before leaving and closed the door behind him.
Su Sheng sat at the table and began flipping through the books Bi Ya had given him, one by one.
“Light Scripture” was a textbook on basic light magic. Su Sheng skimmed through a few pages casually, finding it comprehensive from theoretical foundations to spell analysis.
After just a quick read-through, Su Sheng had already grasped it.
“Light Constructs” explained how to use runes to build light magic arrays. He only glanced through it briefly.
After flipping through a few more books, he paused when he reached the second-to-last one, its title catching his attention.
“Concepts of Integrating Light and Dark Magic ”
This book seemed somewhat interesting, so Su Sheng took it out to read.
The last book, “Magic Array Atlas,” recorded methods for using light magic to break various sealing magic arrays. It was a bit redundant, but Su Sheng decided to take a look anyway.
Before long, Luo Ren returned. His eyebrows raised slightly when he saw the book in Su Sheng’s hands. “Has that white dragon been here?”
Su Sheng closed the book, used magic to pour a glass of water, and waved it over to Luo Ren. Looking up, he smiled naturally. “Yes, thanks to you.”
After saying this, Su Sheng lowered his head to continue reading, so he didn’t notice that Luo Ren’s gaze had been following him ever since he smiled.
Thus, he also didn’t see the probing look in Luo Ren’s eyes as he watched him now.
Luo Ren’s throat bobbed slightly, and he curled his lips into a faint smile. He gently placed his hand on Su Sheng’s shoulder, brushing aside a stray strand of hair, and said as if casually, “Smile again. I think I could use magic to capture it.”