How to Comfort a Single Mother

Fu Hua shook Ji Lin Anqi's hand disapprovingly, and her unfriendly expression became even more obvious as she looked at the other Ji Lin opposite her.

Both Ji Lin felt a lump in their throats.

'Master, you don't need to be so serious!'

' Crimson Kite, you don't have to be so heartless!'

Ancestor Ji Lin bit his lip, looking resentfully at the dog-woman opposite him.

Anqi coughed lightly, suppressing her guilt, and said in a serious tone:

"Crimson Kite, you also need to consider my condition. After all, I have only just been reborn, and my consciousness and spirit are not very stable right now. And she does have a very deep inner connection with me, and we are in a state where if one of us is damaged, we will be damaged together. Taking action rashly may not be a good thing for me."

"Well... okay, you have a point."

"Believe me, I'm also an old hand in the spiritual path. With her current power, even if she has a conspiracy, she can't harm me."

"I hope so."

Fu Hua sighed helplessly, glancing at the resentful expression on Ji Lin's face—after a moment, Fu Hua involuntarily looked away.

That's strange. She's not my close friend Ji Lin, so why do I suddenly feel guilty and ashamed?

It must be because their shapes are so similar!

Honkai is really cunning, actually trying to shake my will by using my best friend's face!

That's so mean!

The next day, after Fu Hua prepared breakfast, she returned to the door and was about to go inside to wake Ji Lin.

Two classically beautiful young women in red dresses and phoenix crowns walked out of the door at the same time.

One is a real entity, the real Ji Lin.

The other is a consciousness materialized from Honkai Energy, which is essentially a floating Xuanyuan Sword, and is that fragmented consciousness whose true nature is unknown.

Fu Hua made this judgment, ignoring the illusion, and reached out to the "real Ji Lin" with a smile.

Good morning, Ji Lin.

"I've already said I'm also Ji Lin, can you please stop showing such favoritism, Crimson Kite!"

Ji Lin (the Ancestor) said with deep resentment.

Fu Hua's smile vanished instantly. Her face hardened, and after a moment's thought, she said:

"I still can't completely believe in the idea of having two separate consciousnesses."

"Once I figure out a way to prove my identity, I'll make you grovel and apologize to me!"

"If it turns out that I was too suspicious and hurt you, I will apologize, even if it means prostrating myself in repentance."

"... As expected of Crimson Kite, I'm impressed."

Ancestor Ji Lin put one hand to his forehead, unsure of what to say, and could only sigh: This piece of wood is exactly the same as it was five thousand years ago, showing absolutely no sign of blossoming!

Anqi chuckled, reached out, and casually put her arm around Ji Lin's shoulder.

"Don't we know how Crimson Kite is doing? Don't worry about it!"

"She's right about at least one thing: you need to be wary! The more you use your Inner Demon. You need to always maintain righteousness and guard your mind, and you need to be extremely careful about Inner Demon —you've let your guard down against me too quickly, the other me!"

Ji Lin frowned and earnestly advised him, his words filled with sincerity and goodwill.

Anqi's conscience started to ache again.

But it's okay, I'm used to the pain.

Anqi grinned and said with a smile, "Mm."

"I'm really sorry, but how about I put a seal on you right now?"

"This is just a warning, not an invitation for you to target me!"

"Do I need you to warn me? I only treated you leniently because I sensed you weren't a bad person. Don't take this for granted that I'm always this easy to talk to!"

"I hope you keep your word. As another version of myself, it would be too shameful if I were ever defeated by my Inner Demon!"

Fu Hua watched helplessly as two identical Ji Lin argued, like twins.

Suddenly, I had a sense of déjà vu.

After a while, Fu Hua couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Pfft!"

"Hmm? Crimson Kite smiled?"

"Yes, she's smiling!"

The two Ji Lin stared at each other. Then, the Ji Lin Ancestor covered his mouth with one hand and whispered to Anqi:

"Although it feels a bit strange, don't you think Crimson Kite seems a little better than before? Yeah, she's more human."

"Crimson Kite has always been strange, Dan Zhu and the others all say so. But are you serious about saying she's become more human? She's still thinking about how to get rid of you!"

"One thing at a time. She's not sure about my identity yet, which is understandable. I mean, compared to before when she always had a serious face, either spacing out or looking melancholy, at least she smiles now... Never mind, never mind, it's not good to gossip about people behind their backs."

"Behind her? What behind her? Weren't we talking to her face?"

The two Ji Lin leaned closer, blinked in unison, then seemed to realize something in unison, and nodded at the same time.

To outsiders, he appears to be the same person.

Fu Hua's smile vanished once again, replaced by a hint of self-doubt.

Was I a very strange person five thousand years ago?

At this moment, Anqi put her arm around the ancestor's shoulder, patted him, and said:

"Let's not talk about Crimson Kite for now. Anyway, when I woke up, I thought about it and decided that to make it easier to distinguish between us, I'll be called Ji Lin from now on, and you can just call me A-Lin!"

"Ah... A-Lin?"

"Hmph! Look, I generously let you go, even lent you my power so you could get out of the Xuanyuan Sword and breathe, and thoughtfully gave you a code name—I've helped you so much, so hurry up and say thank you!"

"Thank you..."

Ji Lin held Anqi's small hand, looking deeply moved, and then followed Fu Hua towards the main hall.

Whether considering the order of appearance or the current balance of power, Ji Lin believed that her other self was rightfully in the leading position. Therefore, she didn't feel there was anything wrong with losing her true name; on the contrary, she was truly moved by the trust her other self had in her.

Especially with Fu Hua, a stubborn blockhead, standing beside him, Ji Lin's other self appears even more considerate and kind!

"How about we call each other sisters from now on? Anyway, this relationship of sharing the same origin is no different from that of real sisters!"

"... A-Lin, you have a lot of ideas."

"You flatter me, sister!"

"Ah, this..."

Anqi hesitated, unsure whether to refuse or not, yet also unwilling to see Ancestor Ji Lin become increasingly lame from being misled. She was truly in a dilemma.

Ji Lin, who had voluntarily condescended to a lower position, scratched her head, a hint of secret joy in her smile that only she knew.

In the past, she was the guardian of the tribe, the revered leader and goddess of her clansmen. But in reality, she was human, and although she possessed power, she was different from immortals like Crimson Kite, Cang Xuan, and Dan Zhu, who carried ancient pasts with them.

It seems that Ji Lin can integrate well into both sides and get along very well. But from another perspective, she is actually caught in the middle, neither entirely human nor entirely immortal, unable to move forward or backward.

These young girls' sensitive emotions weren't a big problem for Ji Lin. She lived in an era where just surviving was difficult enough; how could she have time to indulge in girlish thoughts?

But occasionally, on nights when she's alone, she imagines how wonderful it would be if she had a sister in the same boat, someone to keep her company and share feelings that she can't usually express.

At this moment, the morning sun gradually rose higher.

The warm morning light shone through the clouds.

Ji Lin suddenly stopped and stood in the ancient corridor, stretching out one hand to greet the sunrise, as if receiving the sunlight.

"It's been so long since I've seen the sun."

Ji Lin murmured, his eyes illuminated by the light.

After a long while, she placed her hand on her heart, as if she were transmitting the warmth of the sunlight into the sword and onto her body.

Ji Lin couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth as one by one, her long-gone friends surfaced in her mind. After a moment of sorrow and reflection, she finally sighed softly.

"I'm still alive, so perhaps that's not such a bad thing."

Chapter 105 How to Comfort a Single Mother

"Bronya is alive, that's wonderful!"

On a bright sunny morning, Bronya slumped on the sofa, her eyes glazed over, a long biscuit stick dangling from her mouth, and sighed wearily.

Last night, she had a suffocating nightmare that lasted until dawn. When she woke up, she realized it wasn't a dream; she had really been pressed against Cocolia's chest and almost suffocated to death in her sleep.

Even now, the image of Naoshiro Yukiko, who stole my entire vision the moment she opened her eyes, remains vivid in my mind. Only by getting close can one truly appreciate the immense shock she evoked.

Bronya touched her head, gestured to indicate its size, and then shook her head in despair.

This is a benefit for Kiana, but it's pure horror for Bronya.

She had been experiencing this terror for several days.

Nearby, Rosaliya was playfully wrestling snacks with her younger sister Liliya, laughing happily as they did so.

"Haha! Sister Bronya's back, we're all free! Finally, it's your turn to sleep with Mommy! Hahaha!"

"Has Mom been like this every day lately?"

"That's right! We take turns staying with her every day because she says she can't sleep alone. Sigh, Mom is getting more and more childish. I don't know what to do with her in the future."

"You've worked hard."

Bronya, with a cookie stick in her mouth, said wearily and with great sympathy.

Then, Xing patted her on the shoulder from behind, with a refreshing and playful smile:

"It's not hard work. Anyway, you'll be doing it every day for the next few days, so we can take turns resting."

"... There are still very important matters to attend to at St. Freya's place, Bronya will leave today!"

"You can try. If you can fly a plane without my approval, I'll change my surname to Zaychek!"

"Xing, you're using this to settle personal scores!"

Bronya's face was expressionless, and her childish, emotionless voice revealed deep resentment.

Xing arrogantly raised her chin, too lazy to pay any more attention to Bronya, and went straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Bronya sighed, glanced at the Arlene sisters who were pushing and arguing over snacks, and then looked at Ninti was using her gravity powers to build blocks in the air. She suddenly felt a little annoyed.

Honestly, it feels great to be home.

In the past few days, Bronya and Cocolia tacitly avoided discussing anything related to St. Freya. Like a daughter returning home after a long absence and a mother missing her child, they ate and slept together without any reservations, bathed and scrubbed each other's backs, and occasionally complained about each other's behavior. They were even closer than they had been in Siberia.

Bronya enjoys everything here.

But she couldn't let go of her friends and mentors in St. Freya, nor could she let go of her responsibility to Anqi. In Bronya's view, her presence in St. Freya was also a card to restrain Cocolia; otherwise, she would have no more scruples about St. Freya.

"I'm sorry Mother Cocolia, but that was wrong. We could have found a better way."

Bronya muttered to herself, feeling more guilty about her choice the more intimately Cocolia treated her.

Then, Ninti, seemingly out of nowhere, sat down next to Bronya and handed her something that looked like a USB drive.

"Ninti, what's this?"

"Hack procedures for fighter jets."

"Huh? How did you get this?"

"My mom gave it to me last night. She said that if I wanted to leave, I should just sneak away without telling her, so she wouldn't change her mind."

Ninti spoke in a soft, flat voice, without any emotion.

Bronya's little hand trembled, feeling the USB drive in her palm was so hot and heavy, just like Cocolia's maternal love, and once again she felt ashamed.

Bronya's eyes flickered, and she murmured:

"No need to say goodbye? That's so typical of Mom!"