Chapter Fifty-Four: The Lamp Keeper’s Son

That blue-purple frost was all too familiar to Li Le, a nightmare she could never bear to revisit, haunting her countless times in the depths of midnight dreams.

Yet human adaptability is terrifying. Li Le’s expression betrayed nothing unusual; she merely paused her pen for a brief moment before filling out the form, nodding politely to the burly man, a trace of contemplation flickering deep in her eyes.

Ji and the others gradually caught up, and the group began walking toward the designated area, unimpeded by anyone nearby.

Lingering concerns about what had just happened made Li Le unconsciously slow her pace, falling in step with Cong, who walked last with hands folded.

“Did you notice anything?” Cong suddenly asked, his tone light and smiling.

Li Le instinctively glanced at the people ahead.

Cong’s voice was so low it barely registered as a whisper. Lie and Ji were conversing in front, making it nearly impossible for anyone else to hear him.

Even if Li Le’s hearing were enhanced, she likely wouldn’t have caught his words.

“Did you notice something?” She glanced at Cong beside her, narrowing her eyes warily and countering with a question.

“You stared at that guard’s face for at least three seconds. That’s unusual. Were you observing? Did you find something?” Cong kept his hands folded, a smile on his face as he tilted his head toward Li Le, his unusually dark gaze nearly imperceptibly scrutinizing her.

Li Le was hardly a master of psychology; her pupils involuntarily contracted as she met Cong’s eyes. She sensed an odd doubling in the boy’s pupils, unsettling her for a fleeting moment.

As if confirming something through Li Le’s gaze, Cong’s expression flickered with thought, his face masked with a thoughtful smile as he glanced at her.

Li Le, watching the boy’s enigmatic eyes, secretly gritted her teeth:

She felt an unfathomable depth from him, as if everything about herself was laid bare beneath those eyes.

Even when facing Elder Qu, she had never felt her every calculation so thoroughly seen through.

“What are you trying to say?” Li Le looked at the boy, her gaze tinged with caution.

Her dark pupils lost their softness, lips pressed tightly together, a sharpness flashing from her expression, her black hair draped over her shoulders and hidden beneath her hood, reminiscent of some beautiful, cutting jade.

Li Le didn’t believe the boy had pointed this out just to amuse her—was he trying to use her to threaten Bai, or did he want information from her?

Noticing Li Le’s wary look, Cong’s smile deepened in his eyes, though he said nothing. Instead, his lips curled further as he walked ahead to join Ji and the others in conversation.

Watching Cong stroll forward so nonchalantly, Li Le’s irritation almost became tangible, her gaze sharp as knives at his back.

If Cong could be wounded by her glare, his back would have been riddled with blades.

Sensing Li Le’s simmering anger, Cong felt genuinely delighted, the corners of his crimson lips curling, his slightly elongated eyes arching again, his dark pupils faintly splitting into two, strangely mystical.

Ji, nearby, sensed something amiss and turned to look at the unusually excited Cong, genuine confusion and wariness in his voice: “Cong, are you agitated? Why? Haven’t you been to the Resting Zone for a long time? But you never reacted like this before—why today?”

Ling, who had always hovered outside the group, carrying a heavy sword, also cast a curious glance, paying close attention.

Noticing his own slip, Ling raised a hand to cover his eyes, chuckling softly: “It’s nothing, maybe I just visited the Trading Post... Thinking about what’s inside, I lost control for a moment... Sorry.”

The two fell silent, recalling what they had seen in the trading area, their brows darkening, but they said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lie had already taken advantage of their conversation to linger at the back, addressing the pensive Le: “Big sister, what were you saying to Cong just now? Did he upset you?”

Li Le looked at Lie’s shining eyes, suppressing her anger a little, though her expression remained displeased: “Yes.” Then, her gaze shifted as she asked, “Lie, do you know where Cong comes from? Whose child is he?”

Lie hesitated, sensing the anticipation in Li Le’s eyes, a fleeting emotion stirring within him.

He looked away from Li Le, mumbling, “Why do you want to ask him?”

Li Le thought for a moment, finding nothing to hide, and replied, “No special reason, he just rubs me the wrong way. I want to beat him up and vent a little.”

Her voice was earnest, her expression utterly sincere.

After speaking, as if realizing it might sound inappropriate, she added, “Of course, if you find it difficult, don’t worry about it. I’ll ask him myself later, so you won’t be caught in the middle.”

Hearing this, Lie’s mood inexplicably brightened. He smiled, then began, “It’s nothing secret. Cong’s status is a little special, but it’s something everyone knows... Big sister, you should know about the Lamp Keepers in Cloud City—I remember telling you before…”

Li Le nodded, tilting her head to show she was listening: “Mm.”

She was the perfect audience.

Lie continued, “Normally, Lamp Keepers serve as priests, communicating with the gods, which requires purity of mind and body... But there’s a special circumstance. If the next Lamp Keeper is chosen before the previous one dies, the former is no longer bound by the rules and can join with other tribe members...”

“But since Lamp Keepers serve as intermediaries with the gods, they rarely survive until their successor’s term. Still, there are exceptions…”

Li Le felt she understood, her heart stirring as she asked, “Could it be…”

Lie nodded, glancing at her and lowering his voice: “That’s right… Cong’s mother was the previous Lamp Keeper… Sadly, she died right after Cong was born…”