OFTLHFRO C90

Chapter 90 Clarity and Change

Absorbing and expending at once was tedious, and Luo Mingchen had no idea when it would end, but he had to keep at it.

Near noon, Huo Yuhui cooked rice, made two dishes, and steamed a few salted duck eggs before sending his younger brother to fetch Huo Yan to eat.

Snapping back, Huo Yan saw the meal and felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry. I haven’t looked after you properly.”

“It’s alright, Daddy,” Huo Xiang said. “Anyway, your cooking isn’t as tasty as Brother’s. I can cook and tend the stove—we don’t need looking after.”

“…”

“Daddy, let’s eat first?” he added.

Huo Yan glanced at Luo Mingchen on the bed and shook his head. “I’m not hungry. You eat first.”

“Then we’ll come see Little Daddy after we eat,” Huo Xiang said. “You can eat then?”

Even when Huo Yuhui brought the dishes over, Huo Yan still had no appetite.

Naturally, Luo Mingchen knew, but he could do nothing except keep absorbing water energy.

By evening, Huo Yan had only taken two bites of the cooled food, coaxed by Yuhui’s earnest pleading.

“Daddy, Little Daddy wouldn’t want to see you like this…”

Before he could finish, a thoroughly exasperated Luo Mingchen flung a water sphere into Huo Yan’s face—roughly a forced face-wash.

“…”

Huo Yuhui’s eyes lit up. “Daddy! Little Daddy can hear us!”

It wasn’t just hearing—he could sense everything, inside and even beyond the house.

His perception now extended well past the compound, vastly expanded.

“Mingchen,” Huo Yan said, taking his hand through the water film.

What good would calling do? It wasn’t as if he could nurse him.

But if a water sphere could fly that far, surely it could write?

Trying it, Luo Mingchen gathered two larger water balls.

Thinking Little Daddy was about to smack Daddy again, Huo Xiang scooped up his sister and stepped aside.

Instead, the water spheres hung in midair and slowly formed two squiggly characters: eat food.

Huo Xiang hadn’t imagined water could form characters; crooked or not, they were clear enough.

He tugged Huo Yan’s sleeve. “Daddy, Little Daddy wants you to eat—have something hot, or your stomach will hurt.”

Since he could write with water, his condition couldn’t be too bad.

Huo Yan’s heart eased. “Alright.”

Discovering that writing burned energy more quickly, Luo Mingchen labored to communicate—each stroke painfully slow.

Seeing Little Daddy write “I’m fine,” Huo Yuhui took his siblings to bed.

Huo Xiang said nothing, and Huo Xinyue could barely speak, but they’d fretted all day; she hadn’t even napped. Hearing he was fine, she fell asleep in Yuhui’s arms.

After they left, Luo Mingchen wrote to Huo Yan at a snail’s pace.

After a long while, a water sphere finally formed the words: Tasty?

Knowing he meant Yuhui’s food, Huo Yan said, “Tastier than mine.”

Amused, Luo Mingchen still couldn’t move.

About a quarter-hour later, he managed to write: Ability upgrading.

It was what Huo Yan had suspected, but hearing it from him settled his nerves.

“Alright. I’ll keep watch.”

Then came two more characters: Chat.

Huo Yan wasn’t talkative, but lying there was mind-numbing for Luo Mingchen.

Thinking of his lively temperament, Huo Yan figured boredom gnawed at him, so he spoke of past escort jobs.

Usually, Luo spoke and Huo listened.

Now, Luo listened while Huo told his stories, and reached out with a water tendril to stroke him, heart aching.

Past midnight, Luo wrote “sleep,” and only then did Huo Yan lie beside him.

Once Huo Yan slept, Luo Mingchen went back to practicing characters outside.

He refused to lie there forever.

The energy in his crystal core spun fast, compacting tighter and tighter.

He felt the core reinforcing, but its energy still fell that tiny bit short.

Even with effortless control of the water spheres, he still hadn’t broken that final barrier.

At dawn, the brothers stepped outside to find the spheres gone and rushed to their fathers’ room.

Huo Yan hadn’t seen the courtyard’s change, but he knew Luo was steadier than yesterday.

Hearing he still hadn’t awakened disappointed the boys.

Yuhui wanted to ask for another day off, but water-script told them he was fine and sent them to study, so as not to waste money.

Seeing his writing faster and cleaner today, they relaxed.

And still, he lay there for two days and nights.

At first they fretted, but since he could chat without any trouble and play by shaping water spheres, they calmed, just waiting for him to wake.

On the third night, lightning flashed and thunder rolled; rain poured, and he felt water energy saturate the air.

Enough of this lukewarm trickle with no end in sight. He gambled big—fully opening himself to absorb.

The sudden surge snapped Huo Yan awake. He frowned at Luo’s side and tried, “Mingchen?”

No time to answer—too much energy, swelling him to bursting.

In the agony, he finally sensed the barrier loosening.

Just a little more…

Gritting through the pain, he still couldn’t break through.

Seeing his brow knot and veins stand out, Huo Yan hesitated, then sent a current of inner force into him.

That inner force filled the last tiny gap. Luo’s eyes flew open; outside, every raindrop froze for an instant and then resumed falling.

Practicing calligraphy, Yuhui felt something, but didn’t go ask—afraid of startling Huo Yan from needed rest.

“Mingchen?”

He barely finished before an excited Luo threw his arms around him and kissed him. “Thank goodness for you—otherwise, who knows when I’d be able to move.”

Huo Yan held him, helpless yet happy. “As long as you’re alright.”

“I feel great now.”

Not only was his body thrumming with power, but the world itself seemed newly palpable.

He finally understood what ability users meant by godlike—what that felt like.

Now, he could feel water energy at every moment.

No—

To be precise, water element.

So strange and marvelous.

Delighted, he kissed Huo Yan on each cheek and then on the lips—only for his head to be held in place.

The kiss wasn’t exactly gentle, but he relished it, holding tighter.

Eager to merge with him, hearing his voice, sensing his warmth, the unease and agitation of the past few days slowly ebbed from Huo Yan’s heart…