The vine ball slowly unfurled, revealing the two embracing inside.
The two remained in their kiss until Luo Xiaosu sensed the surrounding commotion fading.
She slowly opened her eyes and patted Aiweila’s hand around her neck, signaling her to let go.
“Mmm… Sister?”
Aiweila released her hold, licking her lips with lingering satisfaction, still savoring that sweet, warm taste.
Her face had lost its earlier pallor, now flushed with a healthy red from the magic nourishment.
“It seems we managed to survive.”
Luo Xiaosu looked down at her raised right hand.
A small flame gathered in her palm.
Without the ruby ring’s magic suppression, she could once again feel the flow of magic power within her.
Then she looked up and surveyed her surroundings.
The once-raging swarm of bees had long since departed, leaving only a field of bleached bones and shattered armor and clothing.
“Such incredible destructive force. If it weren’t for Aiweila’s vine magic, we would probably have…”
She dared not finish that thought.
Seeing Luo Xiaosu’s dazed expression, Aiweila quietly sidled up to her, took her dangling left hand, and gently rubbed it.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Luo Xiaosu snapped back to reality and turned to look at Aiweila.
Aiweila looked straight into Luo Xiaosu’s eyes and asked seriously, “Sister, just now… Did you kiss me?”
Luo Xiaosu’s face turned bright red in an instant, steam almost rising from her head.
“Don’t… don’t overthink it!”
She waved her hands frantically, instinctively stepping back a few paces, her gaze shifting nervously around.
“It was just… just to transfer magic power!”
Aiweila couldn’t help but laugh at Luo Xiaosu’s flustered state.
Luo Xiaosu shook her head, forcing down the embarrassment inside her.
Then she looked at Aiweila again.
“By the way, Aiweila. You were also caught in the forbidden magic field, so why could you still use magic?”
Aiweila tilted her head, finger tapping lightly on her lips.
“Mmm… I don’t know either? At the time, I wanted to protect Sister, and then suddenly, I felt something connect with me. Like this.”
She waved her hand, and a thin vine immediately emerged from the soil, obediently rubbing against her cheek like a lively little snake.
“I feel like these vines are part of my body. Whatever I want them to do, they do.”
After hearing Aiweila’s explanation, Luo Xiaosu crossed her arms, one hand supporting her chin.
“It seems the ring only affects ordinary magic, not innate magic.”
While Luo Xiaosu was deep in thought, a vine quietly crept out of the earth and rubbed against her smooth calf.
“Eek! Aiweila! Stop it!”
Luo Xiaosu yelped, then frowned, putting on an angry expression, and turned to glare at Aiweila.
“Mmm… I know…”
Aiweila shrank her neck, but her face showed no sign of remorse.
“Sister, are we going home now?”
She patted her slightly empty stomach; the fruit she had eaten in the afternoon had long since been digested.
“Oh, you…”
Luo Xiaosu sighed softly.
She felt her anger had been like hitting a cotton ball.
“Hungry? Then let’s go home and eat.”
Luo Xiaosu took Aiweila’s little hand and slowly walked toward the cabin in the woods.
—
That night, Luo Xiaosu lay in bed but still couldn’t fall asleep.
This cabin was still too close to town.
She turned on her side and looked at Aiweila, who was sleeping soundly, hugging her arm.
‘Maybe I should build a high tower like in the original story, to protect you properly.’
Her consciousness gradually grew hazy.
Luo Xiaosu gently pulled Aiweila into her arms, closed her eyes, and drifted into a dream.
—
Passing through a misty canyon, the view before them opened up.
This was a dense forest surrounded by mountains.
Giant ancient trees blocked out the sky, sunlight filtering through the leaves dappling the ground.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and flowers.
A clear stream wound through the meadow, eventually merging into a sparkling lake in the center.
Luo Xiaosu stopped, surveyed the scenery, and lightly wiped the sweat from her brow.
“This should be hidden enough.”
Having walked so far, she was also a bit tired.
She set down Aiweila, who was on her back, and found a roadside stone.
Not caring about the dust, she plopped down and massaged her swollen, sore calves.
“Sister, are we going to live here from now on?”
Stepping down from Luo Xiaosu’s back, Aiweila looked around in surprise.
Her eyes, which had been a bit dazed from the long journey, immediately lit up.
“Mm, that’s right. We’ll live here from now on.”
After catching her breath a little, Luo Xiaosu stood up again, took Aiweila’s excited little hand, and led her to a large grassy area by the lake.
“Then where will we live, Sister?”
Aiweila tilted her head, looking at the empty grassland.
“Have you forgotten? Sister is a witch. Watch closely!”
Luo Xiaosu took a deep breath, closed her eyes, pulled out the magic wand from her bosom, and felt the pulse of the earth beneath her feet.
She slowly raised her right hand, lifting the wand.
The gem glowed faintly, tracing an arc through the air.
The once-calm earth suddenly began to tremble violently, as if responding to a call.
“By the name of the earth, raise the high tower!”
With Luo Xiaosu’s low chant, countless huge rocks burst forth from the ground, floating in midair.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but her gaze remained intensely focused.
With a light tap of her finger, the rocks, like bricks, quickly assembled and locked together in the air, landing firmly on the grass.
The earth automatically reinforced itself, and vines, driven by magic power, grew wildly, twisting around the stone walls.
Then, pieces of wood flew in from the forest, forming layer after layer of flooring.
In less than half a day, a towering stone tower rose from the ground.
Aiweila’s mouth hung wide open, her eyes fixed on the stone tower, filled with amazement.
“Sister is amazing!”
She bounced happily and rushed toward the high tower’s entrance, eager to see inside.
“Hey, it’s not done yet.”
Luo Xiaosu was quick to react, grabbing Aiweila’s little hand.
Then she lightly tapped the ground with her wand.
A portal instantly appeared, and from it fell many pieces of furniture.
“Now, it’s time to move in.”
“Okay!”
Aiweila cheered and began following Luo Xiaosu, carrying the furniture into the high tower.
Before nightfall, they had finished furnishing the tower, and it once again felt like home.
That night, lying on the big bed, Aiweila hugged Luo Xiaosu’s arm like before.
“Sister, will we live here from now on?”
“Mm.”