The Mighty Mage

But before he could stop it, Mr. Gu's deep voice came through the phone. "Yifan."

Long Yifan quickly adjusted his posture. "Uncle Gu! Good morning. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Mr. Gu said. "I've heard you're staying with our daughter."

"Yes, sir," Long Yifan said with a nervous smile. A little sweat rolled down his forehead. "But please don't worry. I promise I'll keep Gu Jin safe at all times."

Mr. Gu was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "I don't care if you keep her safe or not. But if you dare to bully her, harass her, or even think of taking advantage of her… I'll come over and beat you to a pulp myself."

Long Yifan froze. Then he laughed nervously. "Don't worry, Uncle! I absolutely know my boundaries!"

Mr. Gu was quiet again, then finally said, "Alright. Then I won't say more." There was a pause. "…Thank you."

Then the call ended.

Long Yifan looked at the phone and let out a breath. He chuckled to himself. "Gu Jin's parents are really something…"

He got up and went back to his room.

The next morning, Gu Jin was dressed and ready to leave when she heard a loud voice behind her.

"No! You're not going without me!"

She turned to see Mimi standing in front of the door with her tiny arms crossed and a stubborn look on her face.

"You're not going to the Void Gate alone!" Mimi huffed. "I'm coming too!"

Gu Jin's expression didn't change. "It's too dangerous. You can't come."

"I don't care!" Mimi shouted. "If you don't take me, I'll go scratch Long Yifan right now!"

Just then, Long Yifan walked into the room. He raised an eyebrow when he heard Mimi's threat. "Honestly… it might be better if she goes with you."

Gu Jin looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you scared of her?"

Long Yifan laughed and nodded.

"I am scared. What if she calls her whole family, seven generations of crazy ghost beast, to attack me while you're gone?"

Mimi giggled proudly. "At least you have some self-awareness."

Long Yifan rolled his eyes. 'If it wasn't for Gu Jin's safety, I wouldn't even say such things…'

But still, he walked over and knelt in front of Mimi.

Long Yifan knelt in front of Mimi and gently patted her head. Mimi raised an eyebrow and looked at him smugly, thinking, 'Hah! He's kneeling because he's scared of me.'

But Long Yifan stayed calm. He smiled and said, "Take care of Gu Jin. Make sure she stays safe no matter what."

Mimi puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course! As long as I'm with her, nothing bad will happen!"

Long Yifan nodded slowly. Then, to Gu Jin's surprise, he hugged Mimi.

From Gu Jin's point of view, it looked like the two had become close friends.

But the truth was far from that.

While holding Mimi close, Long Yifan whispered in her ear in a quiet and chilling voice,

"If Gu Jin falls into danger… if you let even a scratch touch her… I'll kill you myself. And I'll make sure your soul never gets reincarnated."

Mimi's body froze. Her fists clenched tightly as she stared at Long Yifan, whose face looked calm and warm, like he was praising her. But she knew the truth. He was threatening her, all while smiling.

'He's scary… 'she thought. 'He acts so gentle, but he's dangerous inside.'

Still, she took a deep breath, swallowed her irritation, and gave a small nod. She couldn't let anything happen to Gu Jin either.

Long Yifan saw her agreement and decided not to say more. He had pushed enough.

He turned to Gu Jin. "The bracelet on your wrist will protect you," he said. "As long as the enemy is below Transcendental Stage One, you'll be fine."

Gu Jin nodded. "I'll take care of myself."

Long Yifan still looked worried.

"I have some Semi Divine-rank artifacts. They're offensive, not defensive. But if you wait a day or two, I can get you a defensive one."

Gu Jin paused. Then she shook her head. "There's no need. The Gu family already gave me a semi-divine-rank armor."

Long Yifan raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "The Gu family really dotes on you."

He stepped closer and said seriously,

"I'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain in one month. If I don't see you there… I'll come find you myself."

Gu Jin looked at him and gave a short nod.

Then she paused. "If I find a special cultivation opportunity, Mimi will fire a pink flare. If you see it, don't come. Stay away."

Long Yifan nodded, but then tilted his head. "Wait… where did you even get a flare gun?"

Gu Jin chuckled. "I made it myself. Just for fun."

Then her voice turned serious. "But if I'm in grave danger, Mimi will fire a black flare. If you see black fog, come right away."

Long Yifan's face turned firm. "Understood. If I see it, I'll rush to you no matter what."

He didn't say it out loud, but a part of his soul was sealed inside the bracelet Gu Jin wore. If anything strange happened, he would know.

Gu Jin looked at him and said quietly, "You've helped me a lot. Once this is over, I'll give you a share of my reward."

But Long Yifan shook his head and smiled. "If you really want to thank me, you already know what I want."

Gu Jin rolled her eyes and ignored him. "I'm leaving."

She turned to go, but before she could take a step, Long Yifan reached out and grabbed her hand.

"You're leaving without giving me something very important," he said softly.

Gu Jin turned around with a frown. "What do you want now?"

Long Yifan looked her in the eyes. "A goodbye kiss. So I won't miss you too much while you're gone."

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. "Let go. Or I'll slap you."

But Long Yifan didn't hesitate.

He lifted Gu Jin's hand, and slapped himself hard with it.

SMACK!

A red handprint appeared on his cheek. The sound echoed in the room. Mimi's eyes widened in shock.

Before anyone could react, Long Yifan suddenly leaned forward and kissed Gu Jin, hard and fast.

It wasn't a light kiss. It was full of emotion, bold and passionate.

Gu Jin froze. Her mind went completely blank.

She didn't know what had just happened. One second he slapped himself, and the next, he kissed her. It made no sense. And yet… it somehow did make sense, in a strange Long Yifan way.

Her heart fluttered wildly. A strange warmth filled her chest. For a moment… just a moment… she felt something bloom deep inside.

But that feeling vanished before she could even hold it.

The fluttering stopped. The warmth disappeared.

She felt… nothing again.

Long Yifan stepped back slowly. But when he looked at her, he saw it, the blank expression had returned to her eyes.

Panic filled him.

He quickly grabbed her hand, which felt ice cold. He held it with both of his hands, trying to warm it.

"I'm here," he said softly. "I'm not going anywhere. It's okay to feel things. It's okay to feel happy, or sad, or nervous. You don't have to hide it anymore."

Gu Jin blinked. She looked confused. "Why are you saying all this?"

She wasn't angry. She wasn't blushing. She was just… searching for something, as if trying to understand her own reaction.

"You don't have to be afraid," Long Yifan said quietly. "I'll stay by your side. I'll make sure every emotion you feel is worth it. You won't be betrayed. Not by me."

Gu Jin looked at him. Her dark eyes stared deeply into his.

She still didn't feel much, but… the icy cold in her chest?

It had faded.

Just a little.

Gu Jin looked at Long Yifan and muttered quietly, "You're really strange…"

Then, without another word, she turned and motioned to Mimi to follow her. Her voice was calm, as if nothing had happened. Like always.

Mimi blinked and looked at Long Yifan, then at Gu Jin.

Before, Mimi had thought Long Yifan was the weird one. Who else would slap themselves before stealing a kiss? But now… she started to think Gu Jin wasn't so normal either.

Even though Gu Jin's face looked calm, like it always did, Mimi suddenly felt something off—like something was missing.

A strange emptiness.

It was like there was a hole inside Gu Jin's heart. As if… nothing really mattered to her. As if she didn't feel anything and didn't even want to feel anything.

The thought scared Mimi. She had never met someone so empty before. She stared at Gu Jin's back quietly, then glanced at Long Yifan, who gave her a small, tired smile before looking away.

Without saying anything more, Mimi followed Gu Jin.

.................

Soon, they arrived at the base of the mountain known as the Void Gate.