"You Su, tell me quickly what happened?"
When Liu Nengwu saw You Su return, he came over and asked him with concern. The others, like him, all pricked up their ears to listen.
You Su led Ji Lingruo to her original seat and said simply:
"Uncle Liu, what could a blind man like me know? If there's anything wrong, they'll tell us."
Seeing his attitude, Liu Nengwu knew it must be something that couldn't be said casually, so he stopped asking and started whispering to the people around him.
Even without knowing the specific details, the mere statement that "Sect Master Qi is an evil spirit" was enough to keep these people anxiously speculating all night.
"Senior brother, how scary..." Ji Lingruo said softly, still shaken.
"Is the evil spirit that Sect Master Qi transformed into very frightening?"
You Su grasped Ji Lingruo's soft hand, his thumb stroking the smooth back of the girl's hand as if caressing a piece of fine, warm jade.
You Su chuckled inwardly; by now, holding his junior sister's hand had become an easy task.
Ji Lingruo then used some force to squeeze You Su's fingers:
"That's true to some extent, but that's not what I'm afraid of..."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid... afraid that one day I'll become like that."
You Su paused for a moment before firmly stating:
"No, even if that day comes, your senior brother will wake you up."
Ji Lingruo's gaze faltered slightly. She looked up at You Su and said in a very low voice:
"If it's to save my senior brother, I'm willing to do that. If I never wake up again, I only hope that my senior brother..."
You Su pursed his lips tightly. He could vaguely guess what the girl was going to say, but he was afraid of the words she hesitated to say, so he didn't dare to speak.
Ji Lingruo naturally rested her head on You Su's shoulder and continued:
"I only hope my senior brother will kill me with his own hands..."
You Su's heart skipped a beat, and he unconsciously gripped Ji Lingruo's hand harder, squeezing the girl's hand until it ached.
Ji Lingruo mumbled, "It hurts."
You Su then realized what was happening and quickly began to massage Ji Lingruo.
"Junior sister, I'm sorry."
Ji Lingruo suddenly smiled radiantly, her eyes curving like the bright crescent moon in the night sky. She pressed down on You Su's uneasy hand, her tone unusually serious:
"Senior brother, please promise me."
You Su paused for a moment, then nodded slightly:
"Um."
With the agreement made, Ji Lingruo fell silent, and the two nestled together in silence, as if their hearts were intertwined.
You Su opened her eyes.
The spiderweb on the roof beam was still there, and the spider that had been elusive for so long finally appeared, while the flying insects trapped in the web trembled and could not break free.
You Su found it strange. This should be his dream, but the details of this dream were far too rich. Even an inconspicuous corner of a beam was covered with realistic spider webs.
You Su couldn't understand it, nor did he know how he had inexplicably found himself here again. Given the situation outside, he shouldn't have been so relaxed as to fall asleep.
He turned over and was surprised to find that his monstrous junior sister, who had stayed indoors the previous two times, was standing right next to his bed, just like before.
"Junior sister, you're out now?" You Su, somewhat surprised.
"Hmm." The monster junior sister turned her head and nodded slightly.
"Are you alright now?"
The monster junior sister didn't speak, she just shook her head.
You Su temporarily withdrew, feeling somewhat ashamed:
"I thought that the fact that my junior sister was able to leave the room meant she was feeling better."
You Su had been trying to avoid mentioning what his monster junior sister had told him when he was out in public, guessing that Ji Lingruo probably still wasn't sure that she was missing a part of her consciousness.
"Yes. Staying indoors and sleeping alone does feel more comfortable."
"Then why don't you go back and rest?"
"Trying to avoid seeing you? Impossible, right?" The monster junior sister's mouthparts twitched slightly, and her body began to secrete those familiar liquids again.
You Su couldn't help but recall the day his monstrous junior sister confessed to him, her words, "How could I possibly hide from my senior brother forever?" pierced his heart.
Regardless of appearance or hierarchy, both consciousnesses were his most cherished junior sisters. He stood up and forcefully embraced the sticky, enormous lump of flesh in front of him. Under his embrace, his two hands couldn't even touch.
The Tai Sui version of Ji Lingruo was clearly startled; her six fish eyes widened, revealing a large amount of terrifying white.
She was somewhat incredulous and uneasy, her mouth slightly open, unsure of what to do, and simply let the other person hold her.
But this tenderness lasted only a moment. You Su still had some questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to ask them. The world before her began to change, and then she plunged into boundless darkness.
Ji Lingruo in the Tai Sui version, stood frozen in place, helplessly watching You Su being sucked into a black vortex. Then the vortex disappeared, leaving her alone in the empty room once again.
She hung her head, like a withered tree.
Suddenly, a sound rang out, not from any particular direction, but echoing throughout every corner of the space.
"Why aren't you hiding in your room? What are you doing out here!"
The voice was angry and impatient, full of harshness. Even without listening carefully, one could tell that the voice was exactly the same as Ji Lingruo's.
As if realizing she had done something terribly wrong, Ji Lingruo, now in her Tai Sui form, hung her head, somewhat remorseful, and said:
"I just wanted to come out and see him..."
"What's the use of thinking about it? You're not even worthy to look!"
"I... I'm his junior sister, why shouldn't I be worthy to see him?" Thinking this, Ji Lingruo her Tai Sui form, became more resolute.
"Haven't you ever looked in a mirror and seen what you look like? I warned you before, this is your senior brother's dream, he can see you! You're so ugly, why did you even come out here? Are you trying to scare him to death?! And you even tricked him into hugging you, don't you find it disgusting!"
"I..." The Tai Sui version of Ji Lingruo looked herself up and down, her voice weakening, even sounding like she was about to cry, "But this isn't my body, this is clearly yours..."
"Shut up!"
The voice rudely interrupted Ji Lingruo's words, and then hysterically roared:
"This is not me! This is you right now!"
Tai Sui version of Ji Lingruo the voice was aggressive and intimidating:
"I'm warning you, you willingly accepted my power! You're just a useless piece of trash who can only watch your senior brother get bullied, so just stay here and hide! Don't even think about doing anything funny. After your senior brother fell into this dream realm, you'd better stay in your room obediently, don't come out! And don't say a word! I'll naturally send your senior brother out!"
Tai Sui version of Ji Lingruo but recall that day, when she was struggling on the verge of unconsciousness, feeling the overwhelming murderous intent of everyone around her towards You Su, but she could do nothing about it.
A voice suddenly asked her: Do you want to save your senior brother? If so, close your eyes completely.
Without the slightest hesitation, she did as instructed.