The Worst Had Happened-Was She About to Cry?

Seeing Qu Xuanqing and Zhao Yijiu appear at the same time, the memory bubbles in Yu Xing's mind rose even faster.

He vaguely remembered that it was when he and Zhao Yijiu were learning to climb the mountain honestly on their own, like ordinary people, that Zhao Yijiu received a call from Qu Xuanqing, saying that she had arrived at the scenic area, but she couldn't find anyone in such a big place, and asked Zhao Yijiu to come and pick her up.

This brings us to a side effect of the Wicked Grace: after the soul and body are separated, the soul is protected in another dimension. Therefore, Qu Xuanqing is not only more detached from emotions than others, but also relatively dull in perceiving auras.

If she were facing someone of a lower level than her, her perception wouldn't be a problem. But if it were someone of the same or higher level, Qu Xuanqing would have a hard time detecting them—in terms of her direct Combat Power, there was no difference between striking first or second.

Only when she reveals the soul behind the puppet body will her perception increase exponentially. However, while she is at her strongest when her soul is revealed, she is also most vulnerable to injury or even death.

In short, Qu Xuanqing had a hard time tracing the scents left by Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu in the crowded scenic area, while Zhao Yijiu could pinpoint her location precisely.

So Zhao Yijiu went to pick her up, and before leaving, she returned the phone to Yu Xing so that they could contact her anytime if there were any problems.

Memories of the broken window began to surface one by one: eating snow, mistaking herself for a tree, specifying the style of down jacket... Yu Xing's head was throbbing, and she helplessly rubbed her temples.

He hadn't expected his distorted perception to lead to this style; it seems Brother Jiu has really had a tough time.

But at this moment, Yu Xing didn't have time to talk about that. The more important thing was... this was the longest time he had been separated from Qu Xuanqing since he founded Broken Mirror. Now that they were reunited, although the person hadn't changed much, his mentality was very different from before.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Yu Xing flashed an exaggerated smile, opened her arms to hug him. "Little Ququ~"

Qu Xuanqing placed a finger against his chest, rejecting him with a look of disgust. "Don't try to hug me all of a sudden. I'm not a child anymore. Besides, do you think this will make me ignore the fact that you've been completely out of touch with me for the past year?"

She smirked, "No way. Do you know how devastated Zhu Yan was after you disappeared? She almost followed in your footsteps and tried to find a chance to enter the Absurdity System. We had to persuade her to stay."

Yu Xing was speechless and lowered her gaze.

Really.

The group of Broken Mirror members have weathered many storms and are constantly facing survival crises. They also each have their own goals. Even if he were to die, Broken Mirror's team could still continue.

But his biggest worry was Zhu Yan.

Zhu Yan only had a superficial understanding of the Absurdity System. She was more active in the real world, living in the sunlight as a vengeful ghost. She had a cheerful personality, but she was also the most attached to him.

Without him, Zhu Yan would be devastated, unable to even learn the truth.

In Yu Xing's heart, she's still a little girl...

Perhaps in the instant before he regained consciousness, that phone call to Zhu Yan was a worry rooted in his subconscious.

"Is she alright now?" Yu Xing couldn't help but ask.

"She's amazing. Not only does she continue to live a 'legitimate' life and become increasingly important in the police force, but she also cleans up a lot of messes for you." Qu Xuanqing shrugged. "Before you disappeared, you used a script you wrote to set a trap for someone, right?"

"It was Zhu Yan who handled the aftermath, preventing any major trouble."

"She intensified her investigations into the people you secretly asked her to investigate, and she's already obtained evidence of their illegal activities. Zhu Yan has used legitimate means to send them to jail."

Zhu Yan is Qu Xuanqing's good friend, and when talking about her, Qu Xuanqing's admiration is frank and undisguised.

"Well... she goes to your house once a month, saying she just wants to take a look around." The tall woman pursed her lips and said in the most nonchalant tone, "I guess she still doesn't want to believe you're in trouble, and she always thinks about going to your house to wait for you, just in case she finds you there."

Yu Xing: "..." If you're so capable, then don't let your eyes turn red.

He thought to himself, "Oh no, Qu Xuanqing is probably going to cry."

Although Qu Xuanqing kept talking about Zhu Yan, based on his understanding of Qu Xuanqing, he probably knew that Zhu Yan wasn't the only girl who frequently visited his home. It was just that the other girl was more stubborn, just like when they were children, unwilling to show weakness, and even less willing to express her concern directly.

"It was my fault." Yu Xing still took a few steps forward, and only then did he realize that Qu Xuanqing's fingers, which were used to press against his chest, were not exerting any force at all.

So he easily caught her in his arms.

Qu Xuanqing's body temperature was ice-cold, which was proof that he was a puppet.

But Yu Xing's body temperature was warm, and his heartbeat was steady and strong, even healthier than before he entered the Absurd Deduction —much healthier.

Qu Xuanqing buried her head in Yu Xing's arms. Her long, soft hair was tied into a low ponytail and cascaded down the back of her head, like a wolf-hair brush.

She couldn't actually cry; this body had no ability to cry. Only when she intentionally manipulated it would a few fake tears shed. But she didn't want to, and wouldn't, reveal this falsehood to Yu Xing, so her eyes remained dry.

But that didn't stop her from losing control of her expression the moment she was hugged.

The person I've longed for day and night, lost and found again, has reappeared; the sound of my heartbeat is so clear.

To prevent Yu Xing from seeing her expression, Qu Xuanqing completely buried her face, her voice slightly muffled. "I really want to kill you, turn you into a specimen and keep you in the room, at least the specimen won't disappear."

Yu Xing patted her back, as she used to comfort a little girl, and said gently with a smile, "That won't do, unless you turn into a specimen with me, and we're placed face to face, staring at each other every day, let's see if you get tired of it."

Qu Xuanqing: "..." She couldn't help but imagine that scene; it was so awful.

Zhao Yijiu listened silently, never before realizing so clearly that she was a pure and righteous Righteous Path deducer.

The dialogue along the Mutation Path is truly breathtaking.

After a while, Qu Xuanqing broke free from Yu Xing's embrace, acting as if nothing had happened, and even glared at him. "We'll discuss how to deal with you when we get back."

Yu Xing raised her hands in surrender. "I understand, you can punish me however you want, it's all fair game."

"Originally, I planned to just kidnap you since you were acting strangely," Qu Xuanqing said, smoothing her slightly disheveled hair. "But now that you've recovered, are you planning to go back now?"

She turned her head and looked through the thick barrier towards the direction of the security booth. "That girl just now... she's special. What did you mean by deliberately approaching her? Was it just out of curiosity, or were you planning to do something, like recruiting her into our team?"

"No." Yu Xing shook her head slightly and chuckled, "It would be a bit unethical to bring someone who isn't a strategist into the system. I just need her to do something for me, and it will take some time, so I won't be going back for now."

Qu Xuanqing: "So we're just going to stay on the Dome Snow Mountain?"

Yu Xing glanced at Zhao Yijiu, then said, "Brother Jiu, go back first. Little Ququ, you stay with me."

Zhao Yijiu was taken aback. "You don't need me anymore?"

"You should probably go back and have Zhao Mou take a look first." Yu Xing glanced meaningfully at the bandage wrapped around the other person's neck, and Zhao Yijiu's words were stuck in her throat before she could finish speaking.

He turned around almost immediately, his body already moving towards the door. "I'm going back now."

This speed of departure is nothing short of impatient.

Qu Xuanqing watched his retreating figure thoughtfully. "What's wrong? Is there some hidden danger on him?"

Yu Xing: "Perhaps there is, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm not sure whether it should be defined as a potential threat."

"Is that his own little secret?" Qu Xuanqing understood this very well; strategists often, frequently, possessed some of their own secrets.

As long as Zhao Mou takes a look and confirms there's no harm, that's fine. I believe Zhao Yijiu wouldn't keep it from even her own brother.

It doesn't matter if he really wants to hide it, because when his brother wants to know something, hiding it won't work anyway.