The well water shimmered.
The hands of two worlds never quite touched each other.
Gu Shen's entire body leaned into the well, using only the tips of his toes to hook backwards and maintain balance.
His fingers pierced through the layers of water, disrupting the clear surface below... Yet, maintaining this pose until the water calmed again, he touched nothing at all.
There, reflected the regretful and disappointed face of the girl.
"I knew it..."
Chu Ling's voice was soft, her eyes dimming.
"The Spirit Realm and the Material Realm... they cannot truly connect..."
The moment she reached out her hand.
A glimmer of hope had sparked in her eyes.
But now... that thread of hope had extinguished.
No matter how much she extended her hand, she was merely a virtual existence in the Spiritual World, made of code, logic, and ethereal data.
"Not necessarily."
Gu Shen, not having held Chu Ling's hand, now seemed even more composed.
