"No..."
"Forget it. This time, it wasn't your fault."
Qilin stared at Ashe, her face full of anger.
Ashe had been about to explain, but Qilin's sudden words cut her off.
Looking at Qilin in confusion, Ashe hadn't expected her to let it go so easily this time.
After all, in the ten years since Ashe had taken the initiative to get close to Qilin, they'd spent plenty of time together.
Ashe had seen sides of Qilin that the Super God Plot had never shown.
In particular, Qilin despised people who broke rules and order and put others in danger.
You could say it was an expression of her sense of justice.
But Ashe had been a troublemaker ever since she was little.
Qilin had often had to clean up after her and deal with the messes she left behind.
And whenever Ashe got into trouble, whether or not she was at fault, Qilin would lecture her and tell her not to do it again.
Not that Ashe had ever listened.
That was why Ashe was surprised that Qilin had let her off so easily.
After all, when things went against the norm, something was usually up.
As Qilin released Ashe's ear, which she'd been gently twisting, she gave it a couple of habitual rubs.
Then she stood in front of Ashe, looking her up and down as she explained.
"I've looked into what happened this time. You weren't at fault at all."
"You were helping someone in need, and you acted in self-defense. Besides, that bunch of punks were unemployed young men."
"They spent all day wandering around and acting like gangsters, even though they could've put their hands to work and done something useful."
"Instead, they were always doing things that disrupted public order."
"You taught them a lesson, and you did the right thing. I'm on your side this time."
Before Ashe could say anything, Qilin seemed to decide she'd been standing too far away to get a good look.
She moved closer to Ashe.
Then she reached out with both hands, apparently intending to help examine Ashe and make sure she was in good health.
Ashe had no choice but to quickly grab Qilin's hands.
Seeing the confusion in Qilin's eyes, Ashe tried to explain patiently. "Don't mess around. We're going home."
"Who's messing around? I'm checking to see if you're hurt."
Qilin glared at Ashe.
As she spoke, she tried to pull her hands free.
Ashe didn't dare actually use force to stop her.
She hurriedly said, "No, how could I be hurt? Didn't you see the video of me beating up those punks?"
"Besides, how could a bunch of punks like that hurt me?"
"Yes, yes. You're the toughest."
Thinking of the video, Qilin, who had just been worrying too much, withdrew her hands.
She spoke in a reproachful tone.
Then Qilin remembered the video of Ashe bathed in lightning, scorching everything around her black.
Keeping her voice calm, as if she were asking about something perfectly ordinary, Qilin asked Ashe, "By the way, Ashe, I saw that video of you fighting. What's going on with you? You came to Tianhe City and turned into a mutant?"
"Oh, that."
Ashe had expected Qilin to ask her about it.
She held out one hand, palm facing up.
She prepared to explain while activating her ability.
To Qilin's surprise, a crackling sound of electricity gradually came from Ashe's palm.
Faint blue currents gathered in her hand.
"Look!"
Ashe motioned for Qilin to watch what she did next.
The current in Ashe's palm began changing into all sorts of shapes at her will.
Like a well-behaved pet, the lightning, which should have been violent and fierce, now flowed as gently as water.
Qilin's eyes widened unconsciously, filled with curiosity.
She glanced at Ashe's calm expression, then reached out and lightly touched the current Ashe held in her hand.
Feeling the tingling sensation of electricity at her fingertip, she asked, "So, how did this happen? Did someone really abduct you and experiment on you? Or did you mutate?"
"Neither." Ashe knew Qilin was joking.
She casually gave the explanation she'd prepared in advance.
"A couple of days ago, I was asleep."
"Suddenly, I felt like my whole body had been shocked, but strangely, there wasn't any pain."
"Then, in my dream, I heard someone talking to me."
"They said my Dark Plane Gene System was my Super Gene, and that it had activated."
"They went on and on. When I woke up, I had this ability."
"Someone talked to you in a dream?"
Qilin stared at Ashe in alarm.
She reached out to check Ashe's forehead, intending to see if she had a fever.
Ashe didn't say much. She gently pressed Qilin's forehead, then leaned forward.
She simply pressed their foreheads together, her phoenix eyes meeting Qilin's.
Then she explained, "Well? I don't have a fever, do I?"
"Come on, would I lie to you?"
"Fine, fine. I believe you."
Perhaps because it was a little warm, Qilin pushed Ashe away, her face turning slightly red.
Her voice still calm, Qilin began seriously analyzing the situation for Ashe.
"So what's going on with you? Did some deity take a liking to you and pass on a cultivation technique in your dream?"
"Who knows? Besides, even if she liked me, I wouldn't like her."
Ashe spread her hands, looking helpless.
She could give Qilin a precise explanation, describing her ability in terms of a Super Gene.
She could also tell Qilin that she had the same Super Gene in her body.
But this approach had serious drawbacks. First, where had Ashe gotten all her knowledge? It was one thing for her to understand her own Super Gene.
But how could she know that Qilin, who wasn't even in the official records, had a Super Gene too?
Then there was the matter of security. They weren't at home.
In a place like this, what Ashe said could be leaked somewhere, causing trouble later.
Besides, Qilin was about to experience the Airport Road Incident. Ashe only had to protect Qilin at the right moment and report her unusual traits.
Then Qilin would naturally attract the attention of Super Seminary, join Xiong Bing Lian, and learn everything.
There was no need for Ashe to overcomplicate things now and speed up the process.
At the same time, if someone with ulterior motives overheard Ashe's vague answer, they'd assume she didn't understand what was going on either, and would be less wary of her.
That was just like Liu Chuang in the original story, who described the being in his dream as a deity.
His answer seemed crude, but it would unconsciously make the people around him less wary.
Of course, it was also possible that Liu Chuang really didn't know anything and had explained it as a deity because he was confused.
"Then what are you going to do? I can't help you clean up the mess this time."
Qilin thought for a moment, then asked with concern.
"It's fine. Honestly, all I did this time was beat up a few punks. Even if I seemed unusual, I didn't threaten society."
"Someone will probably come deal with my case soon. Maybe I'll be able to leave the police station today."
"That should be how it goes. I hope you can get out today." Qilin had never handled a case like this before.
But she did have a solid grasp of the law and experience handling cases.
And because of her family, she knew some of the procedures behind the scenes, so she wasn't too worried.
Meanwhile, in a sealed room two floors away from Ashe's, a red-haired woman in leather listened to Ashe and Qilin's conversation.
The corners of her mouth lifted as she casually remarked, "She sure doesn't have a care in the world. She isn't scared at all."
Before you continue