Don't Bully the Little Animals!

As someone who had personally experienced the near-shattering of her sword heart twice, Su Qing'an knew very well why her sword heart had shattered.

The first near-breakdown was a profound and intense upheaval stemming from despair about the future and a deep-seated, distorted sense of self.

The second near-collapse stemmed from self-doubt after giving it your all only to end up with a tragic outcome, and even from a near-extinguished will.

Simply put, the impact of a strong enough upheaval to overturn one's long-held values and the prolonged negative emotions, as well as any collapse of the "self" that is far beyond the scope of conventional self-awareness updates and iterations, is enough to cause the sword heart, which is like half a body, to shatter in an instant under the pull.

Jiang Rongyue was well aware of this, as her master had taught her how to reach the Realm of Great Void.

For someone whose mindset was already exceptionally excellent, aside from the flaws in her character, as long as she possessed a clear and stable self-awareness, she could naturally and gradually progress to the realm of emptiness.

If these two hadn't vanished into thin air for five years, she would probably have already entered the Void Realm by now, given her original progress.

Therefore, the girl also understood the meaning of the sword's heart and how profound the issue its shattering represented.

This means that for Li Shishi, Jiang Rongyue's existence has become an indispensable and inseparable part of her [self].

Simply put, I can't live without myself.

At this moment, Li Shishi, curled up in Jiang Rongyue's arms, couldn't help but bury her head deeper into the depths of her breasts. Her face was flushed, her lips were slightly pursed, and her eyelashes trembled involuntarily. Clearly, she felt extremely ashamed and emotionally turbulent from this socially awkward situation of having her psychological activities analyzed in front of her.

Damn it, what on earth is going on today?

Not to mention the many twists and turns in everything, why am I still being publicly executed by Su Su?

Although she desperately wanted to jump down and shove someone's mouth shut and pinch their cheeks, she chose to endure the humiliation and continue to bear it in silence.

Because... wouldn't it be even more awkward if we stopped pretending now?

Therefore, the only option left for her was to continue pretending to be asleep, otherwise her fate would only be more tragic.

Escaping is shameful, but it's useful.

Su Qing'an watched as the man secretly buried his face in Jiang Rongyue's chest, but still noticed the man's reddened ear tips. She couldn't help but sigh that her perverse sense of humor, which hadn't been satisfied for a long time, had been fully satisfied in the past ten minutes.

For him now, there are very few people around him who can have similar conversations with him.

After two restarts, past relationships and friends are buried in the sands of time, never to be fully reconnected or reconciled.

If Chi Yuan didn't Chi Yuan in this world, he would still be living a solitary life, waiting for death to arrive in an unknown manner.

The boy thought that he seemed to be becoming less and less greedy. If he had come into this world at the beginning, he would never have been able to accept that their meeting was destined to be separated forever due to their lifespan.

But now, having experienced and grown a lot, he understands that this is not such a sad thing for Li Shishi.

This is simply the complete life that an ordinary person should naturally live. As long as they live happily and contentedly, even a hundred years, though short, is enough to weave its due meaning.

Life and reincarnation are nothing more than this.

So-called immortality should not be the norm for this civilization. Even in the last era, the technology of achieving immortality through Fusion Warrior was at an insurmountable bottleneck. Although some methods could be used to extend lifespan, it would only last for a few decades at most.

If the inability to live forever is something to be pitied, then how many people throughout history have fallen into this category?

Therefore, Su Qing'an decided to let them choose for themselves.

This is their own life, and only they have the right to distort and change it.

Whether they choose to shine in this era that belongs only to them and be buried beneath Mount Taixu, or to choose to embark on the path to immortality in their own way, to walk together into the future, and to face the Honkai army, it is a decision that only they themselves can make.

Su Qing'an now only believes that she has the right to be willful with Fu Hua, and she will deliberately avoid letting her own influence or interference with the choices made by other close people in her life.

Even now that Jiang Rongyue has entered the Taixu Realm, she can reach the pinnacle of the world in the post-era even without using the Ascending Tower State. When she uses the Ascending Tower State, she is virtually invincible except for those who are bound by constraints and the Finality. She is truly a rare talent and gem.

However, the young man still did not develop the idea of making the other party a member of an immortal force on Mount Taixu.

It was precisely because he deeply understood Jiang Rongyue's twisted nature that he didn't want to have any desire for her to do so.

Su Qing'an was no surprise that if she asked Chi Yuan if she could live forever and stay by her side forever, the other party would agree without hesitation.

Jiang Rongyue is someone who doesn't care about her own life or death, but only about this little bit of love and warmth.

But if she really gets together with Li Shishi, this choice will have a ripple effect, forcing people to consider it even more carefully.

Therefore, Su Qing'an has decided to remain silent about this matter.

However, that doesn't stop me from playing matchmaker for now.

The boy's expression remained unchanged as he continued:

"You can keep this to yourself. Senior Sister Shishi is very sensitive. If she knew you knew about this, she would probably feel very uncomfortable."

Jiang Rongyue: My Grand Martial Uncle is truly kind and understanding.

Li Shishi: Hehe, hypocrite.

Fu Hua took in the two people's completely opposite thoughts, her lips curled up, and she looked up at Fuyun Temple not far away.

Amidst the vast expanse of clouds and Sea of Mist, this is my only home.

Since Su Qing'an was encountered, the place seems to have regained its former liveliness.

She smiled and followed the group into Fuyun Temple, where the atmosphere was harmonious and exceptionally pleasant.

However, no one in the group realized that they might have forgotten something...

At the same time.

Amidst the swirling mist of Mount Taixu, a tiny little girl sits bewildered on a scroll, swaying precariously forward in mid-air. In her small hands, she clutches a nearly cold meat bun, her large, azure eyes blinking pitifully.

Xiao Xuan drifted alone in the mountains and forests—completely unable to keep up with Li Shishi's flying sword—and judging from the detail that she hadn't finished the meat bun even though it was almost cold, she probably felt not only very lonely but also a little scared.

Even if I'm actually quite good at fighting, I can understand Li Shishi's excitement after searching for Rongyue for so long and finally getting a clue, but how could she just abandon me like this!

She composed herself for a moment, puffed out her cheeks unhappily, took a bite of the meat bun, and angrily muttered:

"Armed Puppet are like little animals that will die if no one talks to them for an hour. Shishi must understand this deeply!"

Yes, the other person will definitely buy lots of delicious food to make up for it if they feel guilty!

Xiao Xuan thought about this future for a while, and then thought that Li Shishi was sure to fail this time, was probably squatting in a corner crying.

Therefore, she thoughtfully decided to wander around the area for a while before following the direction the other person had walked.

And maybe Shishi will come back to apologize to me soon.

So, with this naive idea in mind, Xiao Xuan let himself fall asleep on the scroll, entering standby mode.

Then, five hours passed.

The moonlight shone down, Milky Way hung upside down.

In the stillness of the night, the White Sparrow habitually came out to bully small animals, sat curiously inside the scroll, tilting her head to look at Xiao Xuan, who was still fast asleep. After thinking for a moment, she used her claws to pull a strand of hair from Xiao Xuan's smooth shoulder and then repeatedly dangled it around her mouth and nose.

Immediately.

As if afraid the other would sneeze, it flapped its wings and flew away prematurely, then secretly watched Xiao Xuan wake up from the tickling, and asked:

"What is Xiao Xuan doing here?"

Xiao Xuan was dazed for a moment, gazing at the White Sparrow whose feathers were only slightly reddish at the tips, and at the night sky that signaled the late hour. He felt he hadn't quite grasped the situation before him, and simply replied instinctively:

"It's Xiao Xi. I'm waiting for Shishi to come back to me."

Su Muxi, now transformed into a little girl, was quite large compared to Xiao Xuan. She naturally cradled her in her arms, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She clumsily ruffled the smooth hair on Xiao Xuan's head, yet naturally uttered extremely cruel words in a cold, soft voice:

"It seems like Sister Li has forgotten about Xiao Xuan."

She thought for a moment, then counted on her fingers as she said:

"Xiao Su and Xiao Fu too."

"Sister Jiang had no idea you were on Mount Taixu."

Huh? Chi Yuan and Su Su have already returned to Mount Taixu? Rong Yue has been found too?

How many days have I actually slept?

At this moment, Xiao Xuan was so confused that she didn't react for a moment, but she quickly realized the reality that she had been forgotten by so many people. Her cheeks puffed out slightly, and she felt angry and a little deflated.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, she hugged the little girl, nuzzling against her still-developing, undeveloped breasts, and said earnestly and emotionally:

"Xiao Xi is better; they're all bad people!"

Su Muxi responded honestly:

"I didn't come out to look for Xiao Xuan, I just came out to bully small animals."

Xiao Xuan was momentarily unsure whether to feel disillusioned or to wonder why the child could say such things with such self-righteousness.

In her disarray, she ignored the shattering of that feeling, hesitated for a moment, and then murmured:

What exactly did the small animals in Mount Taixu do wrong?

Su Muxi pouted and said unhappily:

"Because Xiao Su and Xiao Fu are ignoring me."

Xiao Xuan thought for a moment.

They're not even married yet, not at the point of wanting children. When they're together and all lovey- Tiāntiān Xiao Xi, you really seem to be in the way no matter how you look at it. It's perfectly reasonable for me to ignore you.

Wait a minute, so this still has nothing to do with small animals...

But the Armed Puppet still felt a sense of sympathy for Su Muxi's answer. She reached out her small hand and patted the doll's head, saying matter-of-factly:

"Let's go bully the little animals together!"

"Um!"

Clearly, this night was not kind to some of the less-than-cute little animals.

The next day.

A mottled tiger lowered its large head, its intelligent beastly eyes blinking, its large paws resting side by side on the ground like a cat's, and instead of a deep and terrifying roar, a pitiful breath rolled from its throat.

Su Muxi, disguised as White Sparrow, innocently sat on its head. The little snowball-like creature looked quite fitting amidst its soft, white fur.

Looking at the "pet" her daughter had brought back, Su Qing'an sensed a certain melancholy in the tiger's expression. Helplessly pinching Xiao Xuan's cheek, ignoring her tearful face, she said softly:

"You're already a fully-fledged Armed Puppet, how can you go with Xiao Xi to bully innocent little animals in the mountains?"

Xiao Xuan's cheeks were being pulled, forcing his originally fierce tone to mumble weakly, making his accusations sound utterly feeble.

"It's all Su Su and Chi Yuan's fault, and Shi Shi is so mean too, they've all forgotten about me, they're all bad guys."

Su Qing'an felt a little guilty, but he was convinced that Li Shishi should take the blame. He and Chi Yuan had only recently returned to the human world, and Jiang Rongyue had only just been resurrected. Among them, besides Li Shishi, no one else knew that Xiao Xuan was also at Mount Taixu at that time.

Unfortunately, this person forgot his friends when he saw a beautiful woman, and forgot to mention it to others. If Xiao Xi hadn't gone out to play, this Armed Puppet would probably still be sleeping soundly in the mountains.

Li Shishi was taken to Cloud Dragon Waterfall for a hot spring early in the morning by Jiang Rongyue without any psychological burden. She ate breakfast and even brought a box of fruit salad. Perhaps due to the aftereffects of her almost shattered sword heart, she really thought she had completely forgotten about Xiao Xuan. Subconsciously, she might even think that this Armed Puppet was still somewhere else and there was no need to care about it.

This behavior is clearly the culprit.

Therefore, the boy released his hands from pinching the other person's cheeks and said confidently:

"That's all Senior Sister Shishi's fault. Hua and I had no idea you were on Mount Taixu."

Xiao Xuan looked at the other person's face suspiciously with her big, blue eyes, then rubbed her own cheeks, which had been pinched red, and grasped the core of the problem, questioning:

"Is this your excuse for enjoying yourself on Mount Taixu without ever remembering that an Armed Puppet has been waiting for you for five years?"

The immortal, finding it somewhat amusing, picked up the tiny girl and placed her in his arms. He then pointed to the delicious-looking breakfast on the table, patted Xiao Xuan's head, and whispered:

"Okay, stop being stubborn."

"Shishi's sword spirit almost shattered yesterday, Xiao Xuan, please don't blame her. Come and try the breakfast Qing'an made, this steamed bun even has crab roe inside!"

The girl's slender, delicate fingers picked up her chopsticks, took a small soup dumpling, dipped it in the clear rice vinegar, and then brought it to Xiao Xuan's lips, successfully feeding him.

Xiao Xuan originally wanted to refuse, because it would make him seem too easy to please and lack any authority.

How could that be!

But being fed like this by the Chi Yuan for the first time was a bit confusing, and I still fell for it without realizing it.

She secretly resolved that after finishing this steamed bun, she would file a complaint against Chi Yuan.

Once the thin, tender outer skin is bitten through, the burst of delicious broth fills the mouth, while the sizzling meat and crab roe release their own unique textures and flavors. The subtle aroma of rice vinegar provides a base for the taste, preventing any greasiness, resulting in an exceptional overall experience.

Why does it smell so good?

As she chewed on the soup dumpling, the slight regret in her heart was almost quickly washed away by her desire for the delicious food.

The last vestiges of dignity and persistence within Xiao Xuan were still barely holding on.

She thought for a second, then decided that if she ate one more, she would turn on him!

Thinking this, the Armed Puppet picked up its chopsticks and reached out its little hand towards the soup dumplings on the table.

Then.

After Xiao Xuan finished eating the soup dumplings on the table, she had forgotten her initial ambitions and become a prisoner of food and a believer in desire.

As for that bit of hatred, it was trampled underfoot and never seen again.

The immortal was completely unsurprised by this massive display of deliciousness, and simply handed over a cup of sweet soy milk.

Su Qing'an watched this scene in silence for a while, wondering if things had gone a bit astray.

Wasn't he trying to teach her not to indulge Xiao Xi's reckless behavior and bad habits?

Why is it that now I'm the one apologizing, and I've even lost the soup dumplings I didn't have time to eat?

Doesn't this render the education meaningless instantly?

The boy glanced at the smile in Chi Yuan's eyes and seriously suspected that this was indulgence and pampering. He then shifted his attention to the culprit.

The White Sparrow, which had been rolling around, suddenly became quiet upon hearing this. It curled up into an adorable ball, tilting its head with a bewildered expression, while its little paws tugged at the fur of the animal beneath it, subtly conveying a threat that the tiger could not ignore.

The tiger, which had been looking aggrieved, instantly regained its majesty as the king of the forest. The voice that rolled out of its throat returned to normal, though a trace of sadness could still be faintly discerned. Its blinking eyes lowered, and its tail swished behind it, making it look rather comical.

Su Qing'an took in all these details, feeling utterly exhausted, and asked helplessly:

"Xiao Xi, it said that you always pull on the 'king' character on its head, forcing it to chase butterflies and play in the tributaries of the Cloud Cliff Sea on Mount Taixu, is that true?"

Su Muxi subtly shifted her little paws, causing the large tiger beneath her to tremble, but it dared not utter a sound. She transformed into a little girl, riding on the big cat's back, her two delicate hands gripping the tiger's ears, and earnestly said:

"I want to play with cats, but there are no cats on Mount Taixu."

She was a little unhappy, clearly feeling that such a big cat wasn't cute enough, and therefore harbored resentment.

"So I can only choose the bigger one."

Su Qing'an remained silent for a while. Why was this child giving a somewhat irrelevant answer? She had clearly asked that wasn't the question.

He spoke earnestly:

"You can't just bully it like that. Animals have their own lives too. Look how wronged it is. It used to look so majestic, but now it looks just like a giant cat."

Su Muxi patted the tiger's head, and it immediately roared a majestic sound from its throat, behaving strangely obediently. She nodded in satisfaction and said matter-of-factly:

"Look, Little White is really amazing, much more powerful than ordinary kittens!"

Upon hearing this, the tiger, nicknamed Little White, roared a few more times with remarkable intelligence. Then, the boy coldly patted its head, causing it to swallow its roars in frustration, leaving only a mournful lingering sound.

Are there no two-legged creatures here that I can afford to mess with?

Why do they all look so terrifying?

Su Qing'an was completely unaware that she had also bullied the other party, and simply said sincerely:

"You can't force people to submit; you have to win them over with virtue, you understand?"

Su Muxi blinked, her expression indifferent, making it impossible to discern her thoughts. She gently stroked Little White's large head, caressing its soft fur, and said:

"But it's so well-behaved. I didn't bully it at all. Little White did it all voluntarily, right?"

Upon hearing this, the seemingly intelligent white tiger lowered its beastly eyes, nodded its large head, and its two paws clasped together looked quite docile.

Su Qing'an remained silent.

Most parents might hesitate and ultimately choose to let it go.

After all, it's impossible to tell whether it's because children speak in this way, or because the other person is pretending to be stupid to avoid being lectured.

However, as Su Muxi, whose consciousness is linked to the Manas consciousness, she has absolutely no room for concealment in front of someone.

The boy gazed at her adorable face, flawless due to its expressionless face, and began to knead it like dough, pulling and squeezing it back and forth before calmly judging:

"Lie."

"You beat up Little White a few times last night and then controlled its soul. Because it failed to catch a live, unharmed butterfly, you even pulled its ears for a while and liked to pull its tail to hit the grass. You're a bad kid."

Su Muxi transformed back into White Sparrow, escaping the clutches of her opponent. Hiding atop the immortal's head, her previously somewhat empty aura instantly filled with immense power, and she immediately declared with righteous indignation:

"It was Xiao Su who taught me, I'm not a bad kid."

Su Qing'an was somewhat confused. When had she ever taught the other person to bully small animals? How come he didn't know?

Then, the Manas consciousness quickly provided itself with answers that might be related to it, and thus the words from before came to mind.

[Xiao Xi cannot achieve her goals through demands and begging; you must remember the principle of Equivalent Exchange.]

So...

"So what exactly did you Equivalent Exchange with Little White for?"

Su Muxi thought for a moment and said seriously:

"It has gained the most valuable wisdom!"

"If it were an ordinary, clumsy tiger, it would definitely have been unable to resist hissing at Xiao Su, but look at Little White, it's very smart. It could tell at a glance that it couldn't beat anyone, so it was very obedient and a good child."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an glanced at the tiger that, even after gaining its freedom, hadn't immediately chosen to run away. She roughly agreed with this assessment. The instinct for danger possessed by ordinary animals couldn't possibly see through the true nature of this frail body. Under such circumstances, her physique shouldn't pose a threat to the tiger.

But it was still very well-behaved when I patted its head earlier, which can only mean that this tiger has a strange ability to read people's expressions and can indirectly rank the danger levels based on Su Muxi's attitude towards others, which is why it became very docile.

But it is clear that normal wild beasts do not possess such intelligent judgment.

When did Su Muxi acquire the power to imbue small animals with intelligence?

At first, Su Qing'an only thought that the child had used soul control on the tiger, because this was neither strange nor difficult. The principle was simply to use mental intimidation and pressure to achieve results that far exceeded the training and cultivation of a beast tamer over many years.

But now it seems that it was a capability that I myself hadn't even noticed.

It can at least be confirmed that this skill did not exist when she was born in the previous era.

That's probably because it absorbed a bit of the nature of the Manas consciousness, which led to some subtle evolution and changes.

But this is not surprising, as Su Qing'an believed at the time that the feather would gain similar benefits of evolution within the Manas consciousness.

However, as his memories gradually returned and the reality of his "daughter" popping up made him uninterested in investigating the matter further. Little did he know that he would inadvertently bring up the issue while trying to educate her.

The girl couldn't resist poking the White Sparrow's side, instantly shattering its swaggering appearance. It rolled into her palm through its silky winter-gray hair, curling up like a snowball, looking very docile.

She slightly curled her lips and said:

"You're just a bully who's using someone else's power."

"Qing'an is right, you can't bully small animals like that. Even Dan Zhu wasn't this bad back then."

White Sparrow shook her little head and said confidently:

"This is Equivalent Exchange!"

Su Qing'an said quietly:

"Before Little White becomes this smart, how do you negotiate a trade with it?"

Su Muxi said seriously:

"I first tried to reason with it, but that didn't work, so I had to make it listen to me properly."

The boy took the White Sparrow from the girl's hand without any resistance, poked it, and asked:

"So you beat it up four times?"

White Sparrow thought for a moment and said:

"Is that so?"

"Then I signed a contract with it."

Su Qing'an was confused for a moment. What was this "contract signing" nonsense? Did this child really gain this kind of ability, or was it because he always watched complicated anime with Carole and Shigure?

The boy suppressed his urge to complain and asked:

"What are the terms of your contract?"

Su Muxi moved her little paws and replied:

"It's a very equal contract. I made Little White smarter, and it has to play with me forever."

Su Qing'an felt that if you looked into the definition of "playing" closely, it was probably no different from that of slave owners in the Middle Ages. But at the moment, she also felt that it would be quite troublesome if Xiao Xi always stayed by her and Hua's side without anyone to play with. It wouldn't be so bad if she could ride Little White to the mountains and wild Tiāntiān.

Then.

The boy made his choice. He glanced meaningfully at the large tiger, a hint of pity in his voice, and said:

"Then you can't keep bullying it. Don't make Little White chase your shadow all the time. It's too immoral."

After much hesitation, Su Qing'an still couldn't bring herself to say the devilish thing she was going to say, "From now on, all your meals will be for Little White."

Although my little darling can be a bit naive sometimes, and her teary-eyed look is quite adorable, she seems alright as she is now.

Su Muxi only half understood.

But she understood perfectly that the parents all allowed her to raise Little White.

The White Sparrow happily hopped back onto the tiger's head, proudly grabbing the pitiful "king" character with its little paws, and directing Little White to run towards the outside of the temple. It looked more like a little general than when it rode a seagull in the Imaginary World.

"Yay, I'm going out to play now!"

Su Qing'an watched the other person's carefree figure as he walked away, her emotions a mix of feelings.

This feeling is subtle, like a father who feels relieved after sending his child to kindergarten, yet also feels somewhat uneasy and worried.

The girl took a sip of the still-warm soy milk. Her breakfasts used to consist of pickled vegetables and white porridge, cooked either by herself or Xiao Xuan. It was never as lavish as it had been since someone came to visit.

These ingredients were all brought up from the foot of the mountain by the people of [Chaoxian]. Otherwise, Fuyun Temple, which has been uninhabited for five years, would indeed have nothing to make breakfast. Looking at the new bridge next to Fuyun Temple Chuyun Pavilion, the organization's significance has not yet been fully revealed, but it has already shown some benefits.

Otherwise, given their tendency to fly around so much, they might never think of building a new bridge for each other, even if the world ends.

Xiao Xuan quietly touched her belly. She wasn't angry anymore, but then she realized that she hadn't asked the two of them why they had been gone for five years. So she grabbed the immortal's sleeve and started chattering away, asking all sorts of questions.

However, the only thing the two could talk about was the bizarre and wonderful experiences they had in the [Foam] world. When they actually entered the [Lostbelt], apart from describing the desolation of that World Bubble, they could only recount the process and experience of getting out, which could be summarized in just a few sentences.

Xiao Xuan felt a little scared after hearing this:

"So, Chi Yuan, you and Su Su only stayed inside for a few hours? Five years have passed in less than a day?"

She felt that this difference in the flow rate over time was simply unreasonable and outrageous.

"If you guys really stay for ten days or half a month, will you really be able to keep me from 'running out of power' again?"

"No wonder they said the time was uncertain before they left; [Lostbelt] are terrifying."

Su Qing'an felt somewhat guilty. Theoretically, this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been involved, especially since he, as the culprit, couldn't be completely sure if there were any other [Lostbelt] existing.

If it exists, then in order to prevent the possibility of Fuxi's birth, it must be eliminated no matter what.

The real problem lies in the fact that the distorted history behind this [Lostbelt] is too unique, forcibly integrating a rather large World Bubble and a tributary of the Sea of Quantum into the Proper World; otherwise, it wouldn't be so troublesome.

If we disregard the issue of time flow, the two of them didn't actually encounter many difficulties in the process of removing it, and the actual time spent was less than a day.

In reality, this world couldn't present too many challenges for Fu Hua in her prime and Su Qing'an, who was still very strong even with low health.

Even the Honkai Consciousness is not unaware of the principle of picking on the weak, just as it immediately ran away when Fuxi arrived.

The Leaf World on the Imaginary Tree is so vast, why insist on picking on one tough one to gnaw on? This goes beyond the scope of the scavenger's authority.

After answering the other party's questions, Su Qing'an turned around and began to ask Xiao Xuan about many things that had happened over the past five years.

Even though both of them can obtain a lot of information about the outside world through their own means, there are bound to be many things that the outside world doesn't know, things that only Xiao Xuan, the participant, can know.

Given the state of mind of both parties yesterday, it's best not to ask too many questions.

From Jiang Rongyue and Li Shishi's perspective, the establishment of [Chaoxian] was entirely a unilateral personal act without the approval of the Immortal Chi Yuan. No matter how well they did it or how well their power developed, it was not something to be praised. On the contrary, it might be something that would lead to questioning.

Therefore, both of them were extremely guilty and hardly mentioned these things. At the dinner table, they only talked about their experiences and feelings about the trip, which were unrelated to the [Chao Xian] trip.

Although Su Qing'an and Fu Hua were not unwilling to hear these things, the other things were more tempting in comparison.

Clearly, Xiao Xuan had no reservations about this and blurted out all the things the two of them had been trying to hide without any hesitation.

For example, Li Shishi said she wanted to travel Shenzhou, but after actually going on the trip, she belatedly realized that she was a hidden directionally challenged person with a terrible sense of direction. She always had to rely on Xiao Xuan to find her way, otherwise she would always deviate from her original goal and end up in strange places.

For example, Jiang Rongyue was an extremely terrifying workaholic even in the previous era. She basically spent 18 hours a day dealing with various tasks related to [Chaoxian]. When there was a shortage of manpower, she even begged to be the accountant herself. She had a very high reputation within the sect and was known as a woman who could calculate everything so thoroughly that she could Half-a-Son Against Heaven.

Therefore, even though she left behind a great deal of information and future plans, it still caused an uproar and a drop in morale within the organization, and even caused panic and unease among the core members.

The next step was for Li Shishi, who was ostensibly the sect's martial arts expert, to reassert the morale with her "One Sword Sinks the River" performance, and to provide a reason for Jiang Rongyue's disappearance.

--The sect leader used forbidden techniques to glimpse many aspects of the future of [Chaoxian] in order to promote its development. As a result, he was severely injured and is currently recuperating. He will never be able to use the Heavenly Manifestation Technique again and will have to return to the mortal world.

The last sentence clearly harbored a selfish motive.

At that time, Li Shishi probably already guessed that Jiang Rongyue's [foresight] would come at a price, so she decided to block his future recklessness and also broke the strong sense of security and lazy atmosphere that the sect leader had given to [the immortals], which required no thought of their own.

For the [Chaoxian] faction, the two years of Jiang Rongyue's disappearance and the cover-up of her disappearance, in a sense, stimulated the members within the sect, changed the atmosphere, and enabled the organization to transform into what it is today, capable of operating on its own.

She remained the sect leader, but no longer had to bear the heavy burden of overwhelming expectations that had been placed upon her in the past. In this respect, her rebirth was somewhat like a cicada shedding its shell.

Xiao Xuan clearly held a grudge against Li Shishi for forgetting him, and began to recount all sorts of embarrassing things that had happened to the young girl since she first ventured into the martial world, making Su Qing'an want to take notes.

Ever since the incident involving Zhujiu Yin escalated, Li Shishi has been extremely cautious whenever she goes out. She dares not let anyone know that she is the number Number One Under Heaven, someone who is very aware of her own strength. She is afraid that some naive young man with considerable strength might come up and ask for guidance, thus exposing her true identity.

Therefore, the reputation that Jiang Rongyue wanted to make her travels go smoothly became a burden that caused her immense pressure.

Li Shishi felt that nicknames like "Number One Under Heaven" and "One Sword Sinks the River" were extremely unpleasant to hear, completely inconsistent with her aesthetics, and might even touch on her most sensitive points.

Whenever the girl had to socialize with people, she would appear aloof on the surface, but her toes would be practically chattering. She had to maintain an extremely embarrassing state for a long time, yet she absolutely had to put on this facade without revealing the slightest flaw, which made Xiao Xuan next to her laugh uncontrollably.

Over time, she became numb to the title.

But everyone knows that people in the martial arts world love to give people elegant nicknames. Li Shishi was not only the Number One Under Heaven, but also the most famous Courtesan in the Capital City, a rare beauty.

If she had stayed in Chao Xian City or Mount Taixu, it would have been fine, but she just happens to like to wander around, so she has to experience the quality of all the nicknames that have been given to her by different martial arts circles, which is simply torture.

But to outsiders who know the details, all they can do is laugh.

The boy couldn't help but think that Otto's previous actions were quite commendable at this time. What was the "social death scene" that Li Shishi experienced yesterday called?

The advertisements and red banners that he and Fu Hua saw when they walked out of the Magic City train station were the real social media disaster scene. The level of sophistication was completely different, and even now, they still stand out vividly in some corner of his memory.

Even now, Su Qing'an's opinion of Otto is still quite complex. In fact, if you think about it carefully, the two have no enmity. The latter was just stating the possible crisis that might exist in the Nine Nether, while the former was just following his bad premonition.

There was neither coercion nor inducement.

Neither the Nine Nether Ruins nor Chi You himself were man-made.

Even the phone call that interrupted the confession was because Fu Hua held the position of A-rank Valkyrie, and happened to be not far from Qionghua City. Valkyrie within this Radiation Range would receive orders, and it wasn't targeted at her.

The archbishop of Schicksal may have had his own plans at the time, but Su Qing'an believed that he hadn't done anything wrong regarding the Nine Nether mission. Apart from choosing to observe from the sidelines, there was nothing worth investigating. On the contrary, he even gave away a set of replica God-Slaying Armor for free.

But from Fu Hua's perspective, this person is simply despicable.

Otherwise, Su Qing'an felt that Hua wouldn't have come up with the idea of building up his own power so quickly.

Given Chi Yuan's personality, it's unlikely she'd retaliate against Otto in this timeline.

Even if this person is a villain in some sense, without Otto there would be no Schicksal, the large anti- Honkai organization that could unite the entire world.

Even though Su Qing'an was unwilling to take on this role, his existence was indispensable to this era.