Chapter 341: Overlapping Spaces
Does this girl... like me?
Luo Wusheng, now sitting upright, subtly glanced at his Junior Sister.
In truth, Bai Xiaoyao wasn't as badly affected as he was… her condition was more due to an overwhelming shock that temporarily disrupted her spiritual energy. After a bit of adjustment, the pale and sickly look on her face had mostly faded, and her complexion was starting to return to normal.
Still, injuries were inevitable.
There was only a week left until the Human Immortal List, whether she could fully recover by then was uncertain… though, it should be fine.
Unlike him, his Junior Sister always carried a good stash of effective healing pills.
If that wasn't enough, he was scheduled to meet the Empress tomorrow anyway. He could stop by the Immortal Nation to get some emergency medicine.
Or, he could have her activate her Holy Maiden Token again and see if their master would offer some remote support.
While Luo Wusheng was entertaining those thoughts, his gaze uncontrollably drifted toward his Junior Sister's soft, glistening lips…
Recalling the sweet taste he'd savored earlier, he fell deep into contemplation.
The first time had been an accident.
The second time… also an accident—mostly—though, he's the one who had taken the initiative.
But this time… was different.
That had been this little minx, while fully conscious and clear-headed, deliberately delivering a "counterattack" of her own.
The feeling she gave was different from that white-haired grandma's playful, teasing peck, and not quite like the little pink fox's clear, heartfelt expression of affection…
The demoness's behavior seemed to land somewhere between the two extremes.
As if it meant something… and yet not quite enough.
Like a row of mystery prize boxes clearly labeled as containing grand rewards—tempting you to open them, while you dreaded pulling out a total loss.
(I really do want to confirm it… but how?)
In the original story, this Junior Sister of his had always been portrayed as a deeply enigmatic character—her words and actions often walking the line between truth and falsehood. For a brute like him, trying to see through her thoughts was no small task.
Chances were, the moment he tried to test the waters, he'd be the one getting completely seen through instead.
(Forget it. It's not like I got the time to leisurely ponder about romance anyway.)
He hadn't even figured out how to deal with the mess caused by the first girl he pulled out of Little Yuli's harem—now wasn't the time to be eyeing a second one.
Still… yeah, he had to admit, when it came to this kind of thing, he was clearly lacking.
His only theoretical knowledge leaned more toward the naughty side, and compared to the array of seasoned pros in this world, he was still a novice who had only recently retired from the handcrafted lifestyle. He was in desperate need of some remedial lessons in real-world experience.
He chuckled at himself, but just then, he realized his Junior Sister—who had been quietly admiring the scenery—was now looking directly at him.
Those beautiful eyes blinked once, and when she saw that he'd snapped back to reality, she adorably rolled her eyes at him.
"Senior Brother, you've been secretly staring at Xiaoyao for nearly a hundred breaths… Surely that means Senior Brother has something he wants to say to Xiaoyao, right?"
Though her lips teased her Senior Brother, Bai Xiaoyao was simultaneously channeling a trace of spiritual energy into the silver thread in her hand.
During the lull in conversation, the Sword Fairy—who had been peacefully asleep in a pile of fallen leaves—was gently hoisted up by Bai Xiaoyao's silver thread like a puppet on a string. The unconscious Little Yuli was propped up cross-legged on her other side.
Every time Little Yuli started to fall over again, the bored demoness would tug her upright with the thread.
Luo Wusheng, hearing his Junior Sister's teasing words, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Ahem… uh, well…"
He flailed for a moment, flustered, but then as he looked into her eyes, something suddenly came to mind, and his expression turned serious.
"Actually… now that you mention it, there is something I want to say to you."
His hand gently pressed down on the girl's head.
"Next time, you're not allowed to take such a risk again… Even if that chicken Netherkin had managed to ambush me, I would've been fine. But if I hadn't made it in time to protect you—do you have any idea how dangerous your situation would've been?"
Just because you've got a female lead halo doesn't mean you can use it like that!
As her Senior Brother, Luo Wusheng felt it was his duty to make sure this girl understood the gravity of the situation.
(Not to mention, this girl's one of the people closest to me ever since I awakened my memories…)
Thinking back on the flood of negative emotions that had surged through him earlier—when he'd failed to react in time and feared something had happened to her—Luo Wusheng only became more convinced of the necessity of saying all this.
His firm words, paired with the soft touch on her head, made Bai Xiaoyao pause for a moment, but soon, a faint, sweet smile bloomed on her lips.
It wasn't exactly the kind of words she had been hoping for… but someone like her, who was so adept at reading others, could clearly feel the genuine concern and deep worry behind his tone.
And that… felt nice, in its own way.
"Hee~ But Xiaoyao did it because she trusted that Senior Brother would definitely protect her~"
The demoness said so with a mischievous grin, though when she saw the serious look in Luo Wusheng's eyes, a faint blush crept across her pretty face. She bit her lip lightly and nodded.
"…But, since Senior Brother says so, then Xiaoyao understands."
The demoness voice was soft.
When she felt the gentle massage on her head, Bai Xiaoyao felt that the heat that had just subsided a little on her body was vaguely returning.
If this keeps up… even if Senior Brother is as dense as a rock… he'll probably notice something's off with me, right?
And after that…
—!
Because she had drawn out a little less spiritual energy than before, Bai Xiaoyao nearly failed to keep the Sword Fairy suspended with her silver threads. That near mishap snapped her out of her thoughts in an instant.
"R-right, Senior Brother. While you were resting, I took a look around our surroundings and noticed something strange."
Luo Wusheng's hands paused mid-motion.
His gaze swept outward.
The place they were currently in was indeed strange. Even earlier, while he was focused on his Junior Sister, a part of his attention had been scanning their environment, just in case.
When he looked to the distance, it was still the same vast void that bore the unique traits of the Antediluvian Nether Eye's space.
But now, amidst that void… there was a ground beneath them. Or rather, an entire soft, yellow-earth mountain.
The three of them were standing at the summit of this mountain, with a giant red-leafed ancient tree rising before them.
Even Luo Wusheng himself—currently the rightful master of the Antediluvian Nether Eye—couldn't quite figure out where exactly they were.
Here, even the boundaries of the Antediluvian Nether Eye's space seemed… blurred. And he no longer felt any drain from maintaining the space either.
(There's no sense of danger… but there's a strange feeling of familiarity either…)
As the thought passed through his mind, the hand he'd rested on his Junior Sister's head was gently taken by her two smaller ones and brought down, held softly in her palms.
Bai Xiaoyao took a slow, steady breath to calm the heat inside herself, then her eyes sharpened slightly as she spoke.
"If I'm not mistaken… the mountain we're standing on right now shares at least seventy percent resemblance to Xiaofeng Mountain outside."
As she spoke, she pointed to the giant ancient tree at the summit's center.
"And that tree… if you stripped off the red leaves and hung red prayer cords all over it, wouldn't it be exactly like the Qifeng Parasol Tree from within Qifeng City?"
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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