Chapter 426
The Witch held the falling cherry blossoms in her hands, her eyes lowered, and she remained silent.
[The Eternal Intertwined Destinies] may be able to continuously borrow the power of the Liuli to summon the enlightened beings from the future again and again before the crisis that overturns everything arrives, helping everyone to turn the tide.
But reality is not a game; even the enlightened are not invincible, and the chips at hand are dwindling with each use.
This time, it was thanks to the efforts of Kiriwake Yayoi, Xie Qingxuan, Tang Liuli, Charlotte, and many more Magical Girl.
What about next time?
Xie Qingxuan's [Wise King] technique nearly collapsed, and it's unknown when it will recover. Moreover, she will never be able to replicate herself, Chu Yuanqing, Kiriwake Yayoi, and Tang Liuli.
Even if the Enlightened One were to return, she would be unable to use the same methods to prepare a bargaining chip for Chu Yuanqing to turn the tables.
Therefore, eliminating the hidden danger of "the Child of Man" and depriving the disaster group of the means to directly interfere with Xiao Shu is indeed a necessary decision.
If we ignore the cruelty towards Chu Yuanqing himself, there is almost no harm in doing so.
Xiao Shu was able to perfectly inherit the authority of the [Child of Man], thereby gaining the power and intelligence of the Disaster Group, and thus growing rapidly, making it extremely difficult for the Disaster Group to deal with her.
Secondly, if the disaster group has truly forgotten the Savior, and considering the cause and effect, they might also forget Chu Wangshu, who is the savior's daughter. Once the savior is no longer seen as the "key to the Supreme Lord" by the disaster group, they will naturally be much safer.
Finally, Chu Yuanqing, lurking in the shadows, is far more terrifying than Chu Yuanqing is out in the open, waiting to be plotted against by the disaster group.
This is undoubtedly a perfect plan.
Only...
Is it worth it?
The Witch swallowed the meaningless words and whispered:
"Won't you feel lonely in the final stretch of your life, with no one by your side?"
[Nothingness] is a vast concept that encompasses the infinite universe. Even Shadows of Many Realms calamities, born from the Entropy of Chaos, is like a mayfly compared to it. To tamper with this power will naturally come at a price.
In fact, without the Demon King's blessing, the spark of the young Savior, and the cherry blossom tree given by the Witch, she would not have been able to recreate this miracle before regaining her full strength.
Now, Chu Yuanqing's soul source has entered a special dimension that allows her to see the void. The shadows, linked by an infinite network of universes, worlds, and dimensions, stand behind her like a colossal god, casting a faint but palpable gaze.
If [nothingness] came passively in the past due to the gaze of the Sea of Truth, it will leave as soon as the Sea of Truth ceases to gaze upon it.
Now, even if the Sea of Truth no longer pays attention to her, [Nothingness] will still embrace her until the end of her life.
Therefore, the tentacles of [nothingness] constantly surround her.
For example, if Xu Ling had just remembered Chu Yuanqing's existence, name, and past, it would directly trigger the medium and induce the gaze of [nothingness]. In the most extreme case, she might be drawn into [nothingness] and completely disappear, which is also a possibility.
Of course, the probability is very small, as small as winning the lottery.
However, as more and more are devoured by the [Void], the probability will also increase accordingly. Given Chu Yuanqing's personality, he would naturally not gamble with the lives of those close to him.
The Pure White Witch smiled brightly and replied:
"No, everyone stayed the same way. It was just me who left."
"Besides, this is already the best solution."
"Forgetting is cruel, but also gentle. At least this way, after the best ending, no one will be sad, no one will be troubled, and everyone can find happiness."
The Witch remained silent. She understood him; from Chu Yuanqing's perspective, she was destined to die anyway. Since that was the case, being forgotten would increase their chances of winning—it was a win-win situation no matter how you looked at it.
The Witch sighed helplessly:
I don't expect you to change your mind.
"But at least be kind to yourself. No matter what, don't sleep under the bridge tonight!"
Yes, if we had to pinpoint the problem, what troubles the Witch most right now isn't Qing Bao's overly saintly mindset, but rather the problems arising from this rigid moral compass combined with her current situation of having no ID card and no money, which leads to issues with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
The girl was a little confused, but she said seriously:
"The bridge arch is clean and safe, much better than the desolate ruins that could collapse at any moment and are filled with nuclear contamination, toxic gases, and Calamity Beasts."
"Besides, the Magical Girl still has a little bit of power left, so she's not afraid of the cold at all. It's okay."
Chu Yuanqing didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Unlike when she first came here, she no longer had a young daughter who needed to be taken care of, and she had no other material needs. The egg pancake she had just eaten could last her a week.
The Witch couldn't bear to see Qing Bao sleeping under the bridge. She racked her brains, then changed her approach to persuasion, gently guiding her:
"We can go to an empty hotel room. It's better than sleeping under a bridge or on a park bench. If someone sees you sleeping outside, they might call the police, and you'll be wasting public resources."
Chu Yuanqing hesitated for a moment, but was persuaded.
Although she could conceal her form with magic, after being forgotten by the world, the stars' "anti-theft" mechanism, which was alerted to the looting of the swarms, had been triggered, and she could no longer restore her magic power on her own.
The prosthetic limbs and artificial eyes I wear now are all high-level spells loaded with numerous magical techniques, designed to conserve Magic Element and maintain a constant level of power.
Besides, magic power diminishes with each use.
[Pure White], that is, the power of the Savior, is in a state of being transferred to Xiao Shu and gradually bestowed upon her.
Therefore, using concealment spells to insist on sleeping under bridges is undoubtedly a luxury. It would be better to settle in more secluded and dark alleys or other places where no one comes.
Chu Yuanqing pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and said:
"By the way, I should have a place to stay."
The Witch breathed a sigh of relief, then said warily:
"In short, sleeping outdoors is not an option. There needs to be a bed and a place to shower, right?"
"Also, since you don't have a phone now, if you want to follow them, you have to sit in the mall looking for ads or watch recorded broadcasts on street TVs. It's so inefficient. You need to get a device."
The usually quiet and dignified Witch maiden was forced into becoming a chatterbox ghost by the Pure White Witch, unable to resist muttering to herself.
Chu Yuanqing listened patiently, taking notes with a small notebook and pen.
Incidentally, the notebook and pen in her hand were a gift from a child when she was playing guitar, so they were covered with childish cartoon designs, which were quite cute.
After finishing writing, she got up and left the crowded place, taking the subway and buses back to a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
This is Chu Yuanqing's home.
To be precise, it was a "setting" that appeared out of thin air after she transformed into Magical Girl and reshaped a causal line: a rented house that she had never actually lived in, but theoretically had lived in for many years.
Chu Yuanqing vaguely remembered that the government helped pay the rent, similar to the resettlement housing provided by the welfare home. The year had not yet expired, so no one should be living there yet.
Before coming here, she wondered if this rented house would be swallowed up by the "nothingness" and simply cease to exist.
Luckily, the rental apartment was there, and the surrounding area was piled high with unopened gifts.
The Witch glanced at it and said:
"These must have been sent by your fans, right? They've almost filled the hallway, and it's been so long since anyone cleaned them up. It's quite strange."
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and guessed:
"Maybe it's because this is a suburb within the outer ring road, so nobody rents here and nobody cares?"
As she spoke, she picked up the greeting card from the gift box in front of the door and examined it for a while. It should have had a signature and handwriting on it, but it was now blank.
It seems that [nothingness] only erased the information about her, but did not erase the gifts as collateral damage.
According to this rule, this rental house, which already had very little in it, should remain largely unchanged from before.
The Witch asked:
"Do you hide the key? For example, in the flower bed, under the carpet?"
Chu Yuanqing shook her head regretfully. Reluctantly, she separated a wisp of silvery-white magic power, letting it flow into the latch, feel its shape, and instantly cast it into a key. She opened the lock and pushed open the door.
The furnishings inside were as expected. It was only about 30 square meters and was generally clean, except for some areas that easily accumulated dust, which needed to be cleaned. The bed sheets and the clothes in the wardrobe also needed to be washed and dried.
Chu Yuanqing tidied up for a while before, under the strong urging of the Witch, he moved the gifts that his fans had given him into his home. He was persuaded with the reason that "if you don't open them, they will be thrown away sooner or later, which would be a waste," and prepared to open them.
The Witch sat cheerfully beside Qing Bao, gazing at the pile of gifts that nearly reached the roof. Her air was devoid of the solemnity usually associated with mythology; instead, she was brimming with excitement and curiosity, urging:
"Hurry up and open it, there might be a phone inside."
Volume 1: 401. A Chance, The Final Period.
Chu Yuanqing's simple values wouldn't allow her to hear about such a luxurious possibility. Her delicate and lovely face hardened with a serious expression as she earnestly said:
"A cell phone costs at least several hundred yuan, who would give away something so expensive?"
Witch: "?"
Sometimes, she really felt that Xiaoqing's personal safety became increasingly precarious after she turned into a girl.
With such pure and simple values, it's easy to be fooled. Using the brain of the original (Little Sakura) that has been heavily influenced by Dongliu, one can easily imagine all sorts of strange developments.
Chu Yuanqing was unaware that the cool and handsome Witch had already been corrupted by Little Sakura's knowledge. She observed the gifts in front of her, most of which were sent by express delivery, making them quite troublesome to open.
Out of respect, she didn't roughly tear them open. Instead, she patiently used a knife to carefully cut them open, took out the gifts intact, examined them, and then gently placed them aside.
Half an hour passed, and the gifts were still not all opened.
It's clear that the fans were all hoping to shower the guests with gifts, as half of the presents were expensive and attractive snacks, such as St. Eriks potato chips, Italian wafers, cupcakes, and fruit hard candies—so many that they almost filled the space under the desk.
Fortunately, everyone knew that Chu Yuanqing would be filming "Flash Dance" for a long time and wouldn't be able to go home for a while, so all the snacks were still within their expiration dates.
However, due to the weather, some food spoiled in the high temperature and became inedible, so we had to put it in a garbage bag to throw away later.
It's worth mentioning that Chu Yuanqing's favorite food here is instant noodles.
Because it's fast food, convenient, doesn't spoil easily, and most importantly, it's cheap, I feel much less guilty about buying it.
The Witch was overjoyed. Looking at Xiao Qing's bare house, the snacks were just the right amount of money.
This fan-feeding effort was a success; the idol was well-fed and satisfied, a win-win situation.
"Hair dryer."
"A small fan."
"High heel."
"Blanket."
The Witch continued to examine the dazzling array of gifts, quickly picking out useful items, and finally found a brand new foldable phone among them.
Very good, Chef Qing is indeed capable.
The Witch felt a strange sense of fate, thinking to herself.
In the past, Xiao Qing would never have used electronic products given by fans, even if she didn't return them. This is the most basic level of vigilance one should have as an idol or a public figure.
But now that [nothingness] has swallowed up all traces of her, there's no need to consider that issue anymore.
In addition, the timing of these gifts was basically when Qing Bao's "background" was exposed online, and a group of Little Yuan Xiao imagined that she had lived a miserable life and was extremely poor in terms of material resources. That's why they couldn't help but feel sorry for her and sent her so many things all at once.
The gold coins that these fans generated have unexpectedly found a use now.
The Witch sighed:
"Now the equipment problem is solved, but not having internet at home is a bit of a hassle."
The Pure White Witch stared blankly at the rose gold flip phone in her hand. She still found it hard to believe that she could so easily obtain such a high-end and expensive phone. After a moment, she replied:
"Let's find a place to use some Wi-Fi."
Chu Yuanqing rummaged through the fragmented memories along this thread of cause and effect, and said:
"I remember working at a bubble tea shop nearby; I even remember the Wi-Fi password."
After saying that, while her phone was charging, she unwrapped the remaining gifts, sorted them out, put on her apron to keep them clean, and began a thorough cleaning.
Time passed, and dusk gradually fell.
The interior floor was smooth and shiny, the whole little house looked brand new, the delivery boxes and trash had been packed up and thrown away, and the narrow bathroom was filled with steam, with a dripping sound coming from it.
Chu Yuanqing shook her head like a wet cat, her holy white hair swaying with it, some clinging to her waistline, obscuring the lines of her hips and spine. The water washed over this alluring body, which was weighed down by the damage, like a goddess statue with a missing arm.
The girl lowered her gaze to the peaks that blocked her toes. She closed her eyes, ignoring the snow-capped mountains. Her hands, not yet devoured by the "Void," squeezed out cheap shower gel and rubbed it across her skin, creating rich, creamy bubbles.
Those cracks that cover the waist, face, arms, and back are like some kind of strange illusion, still beyond the reach of the fingertips of flesh and blood; one can only feel their softness or tenderness.
Splash, splash.
After a long while, I turned off the shower.
Chu Yuanqing stepped out of the shower room and dried her hair with a thick towel. She thought to herself that if she couldn't use a hair dryer, her hair would take half an hour to blow-dry now. She might as well cut it to shoulder length or ear length.
Do it as soon as you think of it.
Chu Yuanqing changed into her undergarments, put on a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, took the scissors, walked back to the bathroom, looked at the mirror, its edges were broken, and it was decorated with dense rust. Her reflection in the mirror was also incomplete.
The Witch looked at her profile, tilted her head slightly, and suggested: