Chapter 83: The Echo of Xia Shi

He made his notes and left the room as dusk settled, just as Lily of the Valley emerged from her office. Though she bore no new injuries, her expression remained dim, reminding Lu Chen of his own state after Xia Shi’s departure.

He quickly approached Lily of the Valley, speaking softly.

“You’ve worked hard today.”

Lily of the Valley slowly lifted her eyes, her voice devoid of emotion, like a machine.

“There’s no such thing as ‘working hard.’ It’s merely my duty.”

“Didn’t Aunt Bai come?”

At the mention of her mother, a faint ripple appeared in Lily of the Valley’s eyes. She whispered.

“I didn’t call them. They would worry.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I won’t, thank you.”

Lily of the Valley’s expression remained unchanged, desolate as a doll. Lu Chen wished he could stay and help her, but he had his own matters to attend to.

He parted ways with Lily of the Valley, taking the elevator down to the first floor and exiting the branch building. The setting sun cast a warm glow, and a girl was waiting for him by the entrance.

She wore the same off-white shirt and light blue skirt from a few days prior, a small plastic bucket in her hand. Inside, a scoop net and a shovel lay nestled.

Earlier that afternoon, Lu Chen had discussed their plans in detail with her, promising to go crabbing by the sea after they finished their cake. Thus, the girl had prepared her tools in advance.

Upon seeing the young man emerge, she immediately smoothed her bangs, then took small steps to greet him, a smile gracing her lips.

“Good evening, shall we go?”

The setting sun began to recede, its light dimming as twilight descended. A damp sea breeze mingled with the air, and the vast, azure expanse of the ocean appeared on the horizon.

The girl gently descended, holding Lu Chen as they landed together on the breakwater. It was the off-season, and Linzhou’s coastline remained largely undeveloped. The wide, sandy beach was sparsely populated, with only a few lonely benches swaying in the evening breeze.

She took the young man’s hand, gazing out at the distant sea, the shimmering ripples reflected in her bright pupils.

The girl inhaled deeply, a pleasant flush rising on her fair cheeks. The first time Xia Shi had visited this very beach, she had also taken a deep breath, as if to imprint the ocean’s image forever in her memory.

A smile involuntarily bloomed on the young man’s face.

He had never liked beaches, finding their proximity to the sea pointless, good only for getting soaked.

Yet, after Xia Shi had dragged him to the shore once, he had suddenly discovered the grandeur of the tides and the vastness of the sea. Simply walking on the sand had brought a profound sense of peace to his heart.

Lu Chen recalled scholars defining magic as the power to shatter the barrier between reality and dreams. In his eyes, even without her magical girl abilities, Xia Shi remained the most formidable magician.

****

“Ah, I see it!”

The girl let out a soft gasp, pointing towards a rock on the beach. A sand crab, about the size of a child’s palm, wriggled its way out of the sand.

It rose on its tiptoes, scuttling quickly along the shoreline, searching for shells. Its tiny carapace gleamed, polished by the waves.

“I’ll chase, you block! Please!”

With that, the girl kicked off her shoes and socks, slipped into her crocs, and lightly grabbed her shovel. She dashed down the breakwater, tiptoeing to the sand crab.

The little creature was incredibly sensitive to footsteps. It instantly stood alert, then scurried away towards the ocean without hesitation.

The girl’s sleeves fluttered as she intercepted it between the crab and the waves in two or three quick steps. Seeing this, the sand crab spun around, darting back towards its hole. But Lu Chen was waiting there, and with a swift motion of his hands, the crab landed precisely in his scoop net.

“Hooray!”

Lu Chen held the crab down as the girl cheered and ran over. She crouched beside the net, carefully extending her shovel to scoop up the crab and the sand beneath it, then gently poured them into the small bucket.

After successfully completing her task, she eagerly peered into the bucket, then her beautiful eyes drooped in disappointment.

“Oh… this one’s so tiny.”

Lu Chen explained.

“It’s not summer yet, after all. It’s only just woken up from hibernation and hasn’t had a chance to eat.”

The girl’s eyes widened slightly.

“…I see, I never knew that. So, is it a little cruel for us to catch them?”

“It certainly is. Oh, look, another plumper one just emerged over there. Shall we ignore it?”

“Wow—”

The girl let out a small cry of surprise, immediately snatched up her shovel, and dashed towards the new sand crab. Her fair calves flashed in and out of view beneath her fluttering skirt. The young man followed, chuckling softly.

It had been a year since they last went crabbing together, yet their teamwork remained entirely unrusty, their synchronicity flawless.

They ran and chased across the beach, sometimes successfully netting a sand crab, other times watching it nimbly escape back to its hole. At times, the girl would hold the scoop net, while Lu Chen shone his light to pursue the crabs. The late spring moonlight bathed the beach, growing brighter amidst their laughter and the cool sea breeze.

Sweat beaded on the girl’s forehead, and the small bucket was now full of sand crabs.

She gently pressed down a crab that was attempting to climb the bucket wall and escape, then turned to the young man.

“The bucket’s full. We can’t fit any more in.”

Lu Chen wiped the sweat from his brow and approached the bucket. He looked at the crabs, and then at the girl beside them, speaking softly.

“…Yes, we’ve played for too long.”

The young man’s tone carried a hint of melancholy, for the end of a feast always brings a touch of sadness.

The girl extended her hand to him, smiling.

“Next time, we’ll just bring a bigger bucket. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to play together. Shall we head back?”

The sky was clear tonight, cloudless for thousands of miles, and the moonlight cast a hazy, dreamlike silver glow upon the girl’s fair palm. The young man looked at her, then gently shook his head.

“No. I want to stay on the beach a little longer. You go back first.”

“…I see. Well, then, I’ll be going now.”

The girl seemed to nod sadly, then put the lid on the small bucket and stood up.

She walked across the sand, step by step, towards the breakwater, her light blue skirt swaying gracefully in the evening breeze. Lu Chen watched the girl’s receding figure, murmuring softly.

“…She’s truly identical.”

The waves gently lapped onto the beach. The girl paused and looked back, offering the young man a soft smile, her long dark hair fluttering in the ambiguous moonlight.

“As long as you’re happy. Come on over, let’s walk together a bit more.”

Lu Chen smiled back at the girl.

“No, let’s just leave it at that today.”

“…Is that so? Then, see you tomorrow.”

The girl replied, then stepped onto the greyish-white stairs.

The beach and the tide stretched endlessly. The breakwater, stark and solemn beneath the night sky, made the girl appear as a tiny silhouette. She changed back into her sneakers, waved goodbye to the young man once more, and her off-white top gradually faded into the darkness.

The sound of the tide was soft and gentle. The young man remained on the beach, his gaze piercing the damp, cool air, watching the direction where the girl had vanished.

Her face, her figure, her manner of speaking, her personality… her every action was indistinguishable from Xia Shi’s.

Whenever he was by her side, watching her face and listening to her voice, an unending warmth would well up in the young man’s heart. The sky and the waves seemed to become gentle and amiable, as if he were living a beautiful dream. He tried hard to focus on the present, attempting to cast aside all thoughts of potions, Arrogance, and everything else that seemed futile.

But ultimately, he couldn’t.

He couldn’t lie to himself; he was unable, and it was impossible, to forget Xia Shi.

Eating cake with the girl was joyful, walking along the beach with her was joyful, catching sand crabs with her was joyful… yet from beginning to end, Xia Shi remained firmly etched in his mind’s eye, unmoved and unerased in the slightest.

He couldn’t forget Xia Shi, couldn’t forget her clear, helpless eyes, couldn’t forget the fact that she was dead, cast alone into another cold, boundless world, never to return.

Lu Chen slowly raised his arm, waving goodbye towards the empty breakwater, muttering to himself.

“Goodbye.”

He had no other choice.

He had to kill Arrogance.