The Mighty Mage-Chapter 553: Soulless Puppet

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "I don’t trust them."

"Exactly," Long Yifan said. "The moment someone betrays you once, you become careful around them forever. If you wake them up, they’ll know you have something special. Even if they don’t say it out loud, they’ll doubt you. They’ll never fully trust you again."

Gu Jin stayed quiet.

She knew he was right.

Even Jiang and the others, who had helped her before, could turn into a problem if they learned too much. Especially someone like Qin Ye, who had already tried to trick her.

Her heart slowly turned colder.

She clenched her fists and muttered, "Then I guess I’ll have to do everything myself."

Long Yifan stretched like a lazy cat and grinned.

"I’ll make the array... if you give me one kiss on my cheeks."

Gu Jin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "You can keep dreaming," she said flatly.

Long Yifan chuckled. "That’s fine. I’ve been dreaming about you for a long time anyway."

Gu Jin blinked, speechless.

She turned around, ready to leave the space, when Long Yifan’s voice suddenly changed.

This time, it was serious.

"If you just give me one kiss on the cheek," he said, "I’ll help you make the teleportation array. I’ll even get you out of here right away."

Gu Jin stopped in her tracks.

She turned and looked at him sharply. Something inside her snapped. Her chest felt tight.

’Why is he acting like I’m the one begging for help? I came here to save him. I put everything at risk for him!’

Her hands balled into fists.

"I should never have helped you," she muttered angrily.

Long Yifan just grinned.

"Fine. Since you are hesitating so much, I will add something. If you let me go now, I’ll return in one day. And when I do, I’ll bring you the best cultivation resources in this world."

Gu Jin snorted. "You? You were almost caught and badly injured. You really believe you can do that?"

Long Yifan shook his head slowly.

"Honestly... no. I never expected this world to have something so terrifying. A poison that can stop mana completely. It’s like this world was made to destroy witches like us."

Hearing that, Gu Jin’s heart turned cold.

She understood now.

If Long Yifan didn’t have his mana before, he really couldn’t do anything. But now that his mana had returned, maybe he could do the things he once failed to.

She stared at him carefully. "You want revenge, don’t you? On those who ruined your life."

Long Yifan’s eyes lit up. He smiled, this time not teasing. "You really do understand me best."

Then he suddenly flopped onto the soft green grass and folded his arms behind his head.

"But even if you don’t let me go," he said casually, "I don’t mind staying here forever. We can just live here. The two of us."

Gu Jin felt a headache coming.

Why didn’t I ask about the teleportation array earlier?!

Now he was using it against her. Blackmailing her with a smug smile.

Grinding her teeth, she walked over to him.

Long Yifan looked up, ready to laugh at her frustration—until Gu Jin leaned in.

And kissed him on the cheek.

He froze.

Totally still.

Then, a second later, his eyes lit up like fireworks.

Before she could step back, Long Yifan reached out, pulled her close, and scooped her into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

Then he kissed her.

Gu Jin gasped and pushed against him at first, but something was wrong.

Her heart was beating fast. Too fast.

And strangely... so was his.

She could feel it. The same rhythm, like two drums beating together.

Long Yifan gently pulled back just enough to whisper in her ear, "Just once... let yourself feel something."

Then he kissed her again.

This time, Gu Jin didn’t fight.

She didn’t kiss him back, but she didn’t push him away either. She just stayed still, passive, silent.

Neither of them moved for a moment.

But then, just as Long Yifan was about to go even further, Gu Jin suddenly shoved him back hard.

Her eyes were sharp, her cheeks red.

"That’s enough," she said coldly. "You got what you wanted. If you dare go back on your word, I’ll kill you."

And with that, she turned and vanished from the space, her exit quick and clearly... panicked.

Long Yifan blinked.

He sat there on the grass, stunned for a few seconds. Then a wide smile spread across his face.

He touched his cheek where she had first kissed him.

Just two days... and we’ve come this far?

He couldn’t believe it.

They had been apart for so long. He had thought it would be nearly impossible to get close to her again.

But now... Gu Jin didn’t throw him out. She didn’t yell at him like she used to. She even blushed. Blushed!

That meant something.

She could have forced him out of the space. She could have said, "Go figure it out yourself."

But she didn’t.

She gave in.

Maybe... just maybe... she missed me.

He wasn’t trying to be full of himself. But it was the only answer that made sense.

And now that she was letting him get closer again, Long Yifan realized one thing:

Gu Jin was starting to trust him again.

Slowly, yes—but it was happening.

And why?

He thought about it carefully.

’Maybe she finally thought that she could trust me after I stayed with her during all of her hard times in the past 4 years.’

He smiled wider, warmth blooming in his chest.

Just as Long Yifan was feeling happy and excited, thinking about Gu Jin’s soft kiss and her slowly melting walls, he suddenly remembered something very important.

The teleportation array!

He had promised Gu Jin he would help her.

With a small sigh, he stood up from the grass and left the space.

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

Outside the space, Gu Jin was sitting in her room. She was on a wooden chair, staring at the wall with a blank expression. Her face showed nothing. No happiness, no anger, not even sadness. Just... nothing.

Long Yifan’s steps slowed the moment he saw her.

His heart skipped a beat.

Something felt very wrong.

He walked closer and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Gu Jin?"

No reply.

He leaned down a bit and looked at her face. Her eyes were open, but they looked so empty.

It was like she wasn’t even alive. Like a puppet without a soul.

Long Yifan frowned. "Are you messing with me? Is this a prank?"

Gu Jin didn’t move. She didn’t smile, didn’t blink, didn’t even flinch.

She just stared at him.

Now Long Yifan really started to panic.

He reached out and softly patted her cheek.

"Gu Jin... hey, Gu Jin!"

Still no answer.

Her skin was warm, her body was breathing—but her spirit... it was like it had gone somewhere far away.

Long Yifan’s heart started to beat faster. He felt afraid. Really afraid.

He sat down beside her and gently held her hand. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly and kindly.

"Gu Jin, I know you’re going through something hard right now. But please don’t give up. You’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. You’ve survived so much already."

He paused, voice softer now.

"Your family... they’re waiting for you on the other side of the world. They’re counting on you. You can’t leave them behind."

Suddenly, something changed.

Gu Jin blinked.

She turned her head slightly, looked at Long Yifan, then around the room in confusion.

"How... how did you get out of the space?" she asked. "I didn’t let you out."

Long Yifan let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

His knees gave out, and he dropped to the floor.

His eyes grew moist, and for a second, he just wanted to cry.

She’s back. She’s back.

That cold, empty look from before... he never wanted to see it again.

It scared him more than anything.

Even though Gu Jin had been smiling and feeling emotions just a few minutes ago, she suddenly froze like a lifeless doll. He couldn’t understand why. But one thing was clear—he had pushed her too far.

He had almost lost her.

And if that ever happened again...

He didn’t want to imagine it.

Gu Jin, still confused, stood up and asked, "Why are you kneeling?"

Long Yifan looked up, smiled weakly, and said, "I just felt my knees go weak seeing how beautiful you are."

Gu Jin blinked, then glared at him.

"You... you’ve really mastered the art of shamelessness."

Long Yifan chuckled softly and got up. "Well, I try."

Then he said, "I’ll go out now. I’ll bring you the best cultivation tools I can find."

Before she could even reply, he had already left the room quietly, slipping away like a shadow.

Gu Jin stared at the door after him.

She mumbled to herself, "Something’s wrong with that guy. He looked... like he was drowning in sorrow."