One More Summoned Creature

Amidst the increasingly heated discussion among Jian Cunyi, Yun Fengyang, and Master Wei Jian, Qin Siyu and Lin Yu quickly confirmed the fact that they were indeed of no help whatsoever.

Before them, more than a dozen miniature Formation models formed from condensed spiritual energy floated, each covered with numerous "corrections" and "annotations."

At the same time, their discussion has gone much deeper than before.

"Your idea of using the 'Nine Transformations of Mysterious Mechanism' as the Array Eye of the entire formation is good, but placing it on the ninth level, where we will then have the step of connecting with the Heavenly Dao, won't that make the entire Formation unable to withstand the blessing of the Heavenly Dao's will?"

"My idea is to use 'array flags' to disperse the slow-flowing spiritual energy. This way, once the spiritual energy flow slows down, only part of its effect will remain in the mystery. I set the mystery on the ninth level not so that it would play its full role, but only so that it could prevent the 'Array Eye' itself from being touched."

"I can indeed create such 'array flags'... Actually, I had an idea earlier. Perhaps the array flags can be added to more than just this one place. If we could create a complete set of array flags that runs through all the nodes, perhaps we could control the spiritual energy flow speed of the entire array."

"But wouldn't this reduce the reliability of the Formation? Our primary goal is to ensure that this Formation is absolutely indestructible."

"Don't worry, I can randomly design each array flag to either 'trigger enhancement and solidification with an internal Formation's or 'deactivate trigger enhancement and solidification with an internal Formation's when crafting them. Furthermore, I can set up a safety mechanism of 'flag failure within the group triggers enhancement and solidification with an internal Formation's for every three flags. This way, everyone who deactivates a flag will face a gamble of 'triggering' or 'destroying'... If he chooses to figure out the internal structure of each flag, the time required will naturally increase exponentially."

"This is a great idea. Let's jot it down. If we have enough materials and time, we can definitely give it a try."

The dialogue continues, and the Formation model is constantly being updated and changed.

Qin Siyu felt as if she were listening to Heavenly Book; whenever she tried to concentrate on the specific details they were saying, she would feel dizzy and drowsy.

If you stare intently at those Formation models, you feel as if your brain is exhausted after only a short while, as if someone is scraping your cerebral cortex with a fascia knife, giving you a mental "soreness".

While this feeling is common among ordinary middle school students facing the final math problem or an Olympiad question, it was quite a novel experience for the female Thief of the Prison Mountain Realm.

"I... I don't understand any of this! What is all this?!"

If this were a comic book, Qin Siyu's eyes would probably be shaped like mosquito coils by now.

Lin Yu ate some Compressed Biscuits and looked at Qin Siyu.

"I told you not to get involved. Trying to understand this kind of thing is mentally exhausting."

Do you want some cookies?

As Lin Yu spoke, he broke the Compressed Biscuits in his hand in half and handed it to Qin Siyu.

Hearing that there was food, Qin Siyu sat down and took the Compressed Biscuits from Lin Yu's hand, stuffing them into her mouth.

She munched on a biscuit as she spoke, "I just wanted to hear if I could understand a thing or two... You see, there are often those stories, right? Two masters of Fang Techniques or Daoism argue about a problem, and then a passing villager or ordinary person overhears, offers a casual remark, and suddenly everything becomes clear..."

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu's bulging cheeks and said, "Because the kinds of stories you tell are usually made up by country folk. Like those folk tales about down-on-his-luck scholars meeting kind-hearted Fox Demon, cold-faced Heroine, or rich Miss who fall in love with him at first sight—those are all stories made up by down-on-his-luck scholars."

Qin Siyu's face showed a look of shock. "Really... are these stories made up? Aren't they all true legends, with at most some exaggerations of reality?"

"It's true that some stories are exaggerated versions of reality, but most of them are purely fabricated," Lin Yu sighed. "Where in the world are there so many strange and wonderful things, so many thrilling legends?"

"The Real World is irrational, absurd, and most of the time boring."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu revealed a sad expression. "What? So, does that mean my most admired and idolized person might be a fake?"

"That's not absolute. Who is your idol?"

Lin Yu asked.

Qin Siyu began, "It's something I heard from a storyteller when I was a child. Legend has it that he was a chivalrous thief with unparalleled lightness skills during the Great Rui Dynasty. He stole treasures, killed villains, and had countless female companions throughout his life. He was the grand marshal among bandits, the noble young master among rogues, and was known in the martial arts world as the Fragrant Marshal and the Thief Marshal..."

"... Chu Liuxiang?"

Hearing Qin Siyu's increasingly excited tone, Lin Yu continued.

Qin Siyu nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, you've heard the legend of Xiang Shuai too, senior. I don't think Xiang Shuai is a fake. His affair with Hu Tiehua must be true..."

Lin Yu sighed, "I really can't judge the others, but Chu Liuxiang is definitely a complete fake... Putting everything else aside, wasn't most of the stories about Chu Liuxiang based on that 'Wan Xiaosheng'?"

Qin Siyu was shocked. "Senior, you know this too?"

Lin Yu sighed, "Didn't you talk to A Nian about this?"

Qin Siyu shook her head. "Although I have a good relationship with the Divine Thief A Nian, well... A Nian is, after all, my colleague. It would be too shameful to admit to a colleague that I admire the Master Thief."

"If you had told A Nian earlier, she could have told you that this person is fictional, and that there is no such person as Chu Liuxiang," Lin Yu patted Qin Siyu on the shoulder, "There is no such carefree master thief in the world."

Qin Siyu bit her lip. "Senior... although I respect you very much, you weren't from that era, I don't believe it!"

"After all, although you are a disciple of Yun Jushi was active only after the fall of the Great Rui... The collapse of the Rui Dynasty and the Chaos of Huotian were two major breaks in the lineage, and many things are unverifiable. How can you speak so lightly of truth or falsehood?"

Qin Siyu said earnestly.

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu, no longer trying to persuade her now, but simply shook his head and said, "You'll know once we get out."

Qin Siyu was taken aback. "I'll find out why after we get out."

"Oh, I didn't mean leaving Nine Cold Mountain, but leaving these Two Mountains and Six Hells," Lin Yu, looking at Qin Siyu and carefully choosing his words. "Daoist Master Xingyi and I... are both travelers from another world, visitors from beyond the heavens, just like the Heavenly Demon in this world."

Qin Siyu looked confused upon hearing Lin Yu's words. "Huh? Huh?"

However, before she could process all of this, Lin Yu dropped an even bigger bombshell.

"Furthermore... when Daoist Master Xingyi and I leave, you'll probably have to leave this world with me and go to the world I belong to."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu looked utterly bewildered. "What does this mean? Even if you are Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon realm, why must I leave this world with you?"

Then, Qin Siyu's face showed a hint of fear, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh dear, could it be... senior, you've taken a fancy to my looks and figure? You want to take me away from this world... could it be..."

Listening to Qin Siyu's rambling thoughts, Lin Yu, for some reason, felt somewhat unsurprised by Qin Siyu's coy behavior at this moment.

He sighed.

"Of course not... Xiao Qin, although I don't really want to discourage you, but... even though you're jumping around like nothing happened, you were definitely dead just now."

"While I did indeed use a taboo-breaking, even 'fate-defying' method to save you, bringing someone back from the dead... is never without a price."

As Lin Yu spoke, he examined Qin Siyu's soul before him.

Her shattered soul was something the "Diviner" had done long ago.

In other words...

Although the [Reversal Pocket Watch] Reversal Qin Siyu's "death," even after the Reversal, Qin Siyu's soul was still in a shattered and broken state.

Despite the "Fraudster's" "Make It Real," allowing Qin Siyu to continue "surviving" under these circumstances, and despite Lin Yu having removed the "Diviner's " hidden soul from her, however...

It is impossible to restore Qin Siyu's soul to its original state.

It's like a piece of broken porcelain; it's already in pieces, and you can't put it back to its original state.

The "Fraudster's" "Make It Real" effect is like piecing together a piece of porcelain and holding it in your hand; once you let go, the porcelain falls to the ground and shatters into pieces again.

Even...

Although Qin Siyu is alive now, her soul will die again if it is subjected to even the slightest impact.

Therefore, to prevent this from happening, the moment Qin Siyu was brought back to life, Lin Yu poured a large amount of his Soul Power into Qin Siyu's body, like an adhesive, to bind Qin Siyu's soul together. This allowed her soul, although essentially fragmented, to appear as a complete entity, and to support Qin Siyu in maintaining self-awareness and the state of "living."

But Soul Power is a power that cannot exist outside the body... Once Lin Yu leaves this world, Qin Siyu will easily die again.

Therefore, regardless of the considerations...

"Qin Siyu, if you want to live, you can only do so as my Retainer and dependent, and leave this world with me."

At this point, Lin Yu took out a leather Collar. Because Jian Cunyi present, he deliberately pretended to open and close the Clapperboard -shaped Counterfeit before transforming the Counterfeit into Collar.

Lin Yu, who was holding the Collar, paused for a moment.

"Of course, I'm giving you the right to choose... You can also choose not to come with me."