Yang the Third's Train of Thought

Upon hearing Yang Zhen'er's words, both the Little Chubby Girl and the Little Apple turned to "look" at Alice.

The Little Chubby Girl even reached out and pinched Alice's cheek. "Hehe, pork knuckle."

Alice didn't turn away from the Little Chubby Girl's hand. Instead, just like in the car, she turned around and reached out to pinch the Little Chubby Girl's cheek, then said, "If you call me 'pig's knuckle' again, I won't make you anything delicious next time."

"Hehe, no way." The Little Chubby Girl said with a grin, reaching out her other hand as well.

Little Apple nodded with a smile, "Old Fairy Sister is so smart, she thought of it right away. Uh, I mean, Zhen'er Sister is so smart!"

Yang Zhen'er, who initially thought she had discovered some incredible secret, blinked and looked at Alice and the Little Chubby Girl playing together, and then at Lao Xia, who was still eating without saying anything. Suddenly, she felt like she had made a big fuss over nothing.

"Sister Fairy, stop daydreaming! Eat up! This fish fillet should be eaten while it's hot!"

Liu Shiling's clear voice snapped Yang Zhen'er out of her daze. She saw the Little Chubby Girl pick up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, walk around half the table, and put it in her bowl, as if afraid that she wouldn't get any food.

Yang Zhen'er was both amused and exasperated. "Just focus on your food! Do you think I'll go hungry?"

Then she looked at Alice and saw that the little girl was eating chicken wings again, even though they hadn't ordered any!

She understood that both the crispy pork knuckle and the roasted chicken wings were created by Alice. Alice could eat them, and so could they, but Alice could not eat the ordinary food that they could eat.

She glanced at Lao Xia, who was focused on eating and didn't say a word, and suddenly had a feeling that Alice's sudden appearance in the car and her sudden dinner with them, as well as her various behaviors at the dinner table, were all meant for her.

From her observation, Lao Xia, Little Apple, and Little Bell were all very familiar with Alice's existence, and even seemed to be good friends or sisters, very close to her. Among them, it was obvious that she was the only one who didn't know Alice very well.

So, does Alice's "open" appearance today serve as a hint to her?

No, this isn't a hint anymore, it's an explicit statement.

So... is it possible that all those illusions she creates could eventually become "real," like Alice or crispy pork knuckle?

Thinking of this, Yang Zhen'er subconsciously raised her hand again, wanting to pinch Alice's cheek.

As a result, Alice opened her mouth and bit Yang Zhen'er's palm.

Although Alice didn't bite hard, Yang Zhen'er wasn't hurt, but after she pulled her hand back, she could still see a row of shallow teeth marks.

Yang Zhen'er laughed happily, "It's true, it's true!"

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her hand, pointed at Alice, and said with a serious expression and authoritative voice, "Alice! You are now a magician, and I, the Silver-Armored Fairy, will bestow upon you the Jingle Magic Robe! Do you understand? Jingle Magic Robe!"

After saying that, he gave Liu Shiling a look and whispered, "Little Bell, go and lock the door to the private room."

The Alice Little Chubby Girl, Zhengyi School staring expectantly at Alice after hearing the old fairy sister's "chanting," reluctantly slid off her chair and walked to the door of the private room after hearing the instructions.

Yang Zhen'er then turned her gaze to Alice and said earnestly, "Alice! I bestow upon you... a magic robe with a black background, red trim, and gold patterns! Hmm... and two cat ears on the robe!"

Alice tilted her head slightly, her eyes wide, and sat there blankly, but nothing changed; no magic robe appeared on her body.

Two seconds later, Little Apple whispered to Lao Xia next to her, "Sister Bing, what is Sister Zhen'er doing?" Although she couldn't see, with the help of her multiple senses, especially Alice's senses, she knew very well what was going on in the private room, and naturally knew that Alice didn't have any magic robes on her.

Standing by the door of the private room, Liu Shiling asked, "Sister Lao Xian, this door isn't locked."

Yang Zhen'er glanced at Alice, who hadn't changed at all, then at Little Apple, who looked completely bewildered, and then at Lao Xia, who was still focused on eating. She scratched her head, turned to the Little Chubby Girl, and said, "Little Bell, I... I bestow upon you the Jingle Magic Robe."

With Lao Xia, Little Apple, and Alice nearby, and after her confident "chanting" attempt failing, Yang Zhen'er's words sounded somewhat lacking in momentum.

But unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shiling appeared in her signature black magic robe with gold trim and two cat ears on the hood.

"Huh? This works too?" Yang Zhen'er didn't expect that her casual remarks would cause an illusion to appear. She and Liu Shiling both looked at Lao Xia immediately.

"Lao Xia, did you see that?"

Yang Zhen'er didn't say exactly what she saw, but Lao Xia still shook his head. "Nothing." Then he continued to scoop up soup and drank it, and also scooped a bowl for Little Apple next to him.

Just as Yang Zhen'er was feeling somewhat disappointed, Little Apple exclaimed in surprise, "There really is a magic robe? Did Sister Zhen'er conjure it up?"

Yang Zhen'er was taken aback. "You can see Little Apple?"

Little Apple said somewhat embarrassedly, "Alice helped me. Alice can see, I can see too. Well, not in the true sense, but... I can just know what's there and what others can see. So I know that Little Bell's robe isn't real; it just looks like a robe, unlike the pork knuckle we just ate... Uh, the pork knuckle we just ate wasn't real either, but Alice is real, not in that kind of real, but in a different kind. Sigh, I'm even confusing myself..."

Little Apple already understood that Alice's direct appearance meant that Uncle Xiang's scope of secrecy had expanded, that Zhen'er was the one being trusted, and that they were going to "team up"!

Now it seems that Zhen'er has also developed a very special ability.

That's great.

Yang Zhen'er then went over and sat down next to Alice, smiling as she asked, "Alice, can you see Little Bell's magic robe?"

Liu Shiling also came over and sat on the other side of Alice. She tugged at the drawstring of the illusion magic robe, and the cat ears on the hood twitched. "Little Screw, can you see that?"

Alice nodded, reached out and patted Liu Shiling's head, and said, "Sure! But yours is different from my pork knuckle!"

Little Apple added softly, "It's you who turned into a pig's knuckle, not your pig's knuckle."

"Yes! I turned into a pig's knuckle!" Alice repeated loudly, "Not my pig's knuckle!" She deliberately looked up at Yang Zhen'er next to her.

Yang Zhen'er nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I understand. So... Alice, how did you conjure up the pig's knuckle? Can you teach me? Or can you help me make Little Bell's magic robe look just as real as your pig's knuckle?"

Liu Shiling also said, "Yes, yes, Little Screw, teach me how to turn into a pork knuckle! Make it delicious!"

"I don't know how to teach this, you should ask Lao Xia," Alice said helplessly.

"Lao Xia?" Yang Zhen'er looked at Xia Libing, "Lao Xia, can you turn into a pork knuckle too?"

"Yes!" Liu Shiling answered. "Roast Chicken Wing Sister can conjure up so many, many, many delicious things! Crispy pork knuckles, roasted chicken wings, Ice Cream, Chocolate, cake... so many! Roast Chicken Wing Sister is the most powerful... the second most powerful magician in the world!"

Yang Zhen'er was stunned. Looking at Lao Xia, who was still slowly slurping his hot soup, she suddenly understood why the Little Chubby Girl called her "Roast Chicken Wing Sister"!

After finishing their lunch amidst laughter and merriment, the group of five "people" left the Youlong Restaurant and strolled around the streets for a while, each carrying an Ice Cream, eating and laughing as they walked.

However, after they finished eating the Ice Cream, they didn't need to wipe their mouths or hands; they were perfectly clean.

They didn't return to the parking lot until after 3 p. m., but when they got in the car, Yang Zhen'er didn't go to the passenger seat. Instead, she went to the third row and squeezed in with Alice.

Yang Zhen'er is now putting all her effort into learning how to "transform" the "hypnotic illusions" she creates into "pork knuckles," hoping that the illusions she creates can be like the crispy pork knuckles, roasted chicken wings, and Ice Cream that Alice makes, so that others can truly perceive and touch them, and that they can truly exist—even if only temporarily.

In that case, she wouldn't just be the Silver-Armored Immortal who could only perform skits with Little Bell!

He is the real Silver-Armored Immortal!

No, she's a fairy.

Although Alice told her that she had to ask Lao Xia to learn this ability, she gave up immediately after Lao Xia refused her once. Playing the madman, pestering, and whining only worked on Nana, not on Lao Xia. She knew her cousin too well; that kind of refusal meant either the ability couldn't be taught, or it was impossible to teach.

So Yang Zhen'er kept a close eye on Alice, because Alice's very existence was a manifestation of that ability. Perhaps by playing with Alice more and interacting with her more, she could find inspiration. Just like how she had developed amazing skills by playing with erasers out of boredom, and how she had developed "superpowers" that she herself couldn't believe by playing with various Coin games with Little Bell.

Not long after the GL8 drove out of the parking lot, Yang Zhen'er heard a notification sound on her phone, and then Little Apple's and Little Chubby Girl's phones also started beeping.

She glanced at her phone and saw a new message in their group chat of six.

Four of the six people in the group were in the car and obviously hadn't sent any messages, meaning the new message was either from Xiang Kun or Nana!

Yang Zhen'er quickly unlocked her phone, opened WeChat, and saw that it was indeed a message from Nana, and it was a video with a funny emoji at the end.

Seeing that expression, Yang Zhen'er breathed a sigh of relief, certain that Nana was alright and Uncle Tang was also safe.

She immediately sent a voice message asking, "Nana! Nana! What were you doing? Why weren't you answering the phone?"

Tang Baona replied, "I fell asleep, my phone didn't wake me up. Did you watch the video? Watch the video first!"

Then came another funny expression.

Yang Zhen'er curiously opened the video and saw Tang Baona sitting strangely by the door of her living room. The living room lights were off, and only the lights from the adjacent hallway and other rooms were visible, creating a very eerie and gloomy atmosphere.

"A song that breaks my heart, where in this world can I find a kindred spirit..."

As soon as Tang Baona deliberately imitated the tone of a master, Yang Zhen'er burst out laughing.

Then she heard the Little Chubby Girl, who had rolled over and was leaning over the back of the chair to watch the video with her, mutter with a confused expression, "What is the pretty sister reading? A bowl of duck intestine noodles, field duck, river pig, rice... what's rice?"

Yang Zhen'er laughed until tears streamed down her face, but the music coming from her phone immediately drew her attention back to it.

First came the sound of a zither, like Nana playing it, but soon the sounds of a guzheng, a pipa, and various drums also arose.

"Was it added in later?"

Yang Zhen'er was a little puzzled, but soon noticed a strange change in the video. Large swaths of mist were rising up, filling the entire room, and even the lens was covered in water vapor.

Thus, the music played by the various instruments sounded like an orchestra hidden in the mist.

Yang Zhen'er had lived with Tang Baona for a long time, so she could naturally tell that the sounds were synthesized by Nana using software, and not actually played by her, but they still sounded vast and ethereal.

In an instant, looking at the misty video screen, she suddenly felt that this was not Nana's parents' living room, but rather a celestial palace shrouded in mist and clouds, and that the performer was not Nana, but a group of ethereal immortals.

Suddenly, only the pipa remained in the music, its tone becoming resounding, like the clash of hard stones, as if two armies were facing off.

Then the fog quickly dissipated within seconds, and Yang Zhen'er was startled to see Tang Baona turn into a stone after seeing the electronic keyboard. The stone was even wriggling and coalescing. Her phone almost flew out of her hand. The stone looked like it was alive.

Liu Shiling's eyes widened in surprise. "The pretty lady has turned into stone!"

Little Apple was also very nervous and couldn't help but reach out and hold the Little Chubby Girl's hand.

The video ended, and Yang Zhen'er quickly realized that since Nana could post this video and that funny emoji, she must be alright. It must have been some special effects or other tricks she used.

Or... does Nana have some similar ability? But why can Nana's ability be captured on film, while hers can't?

"Nana! Nana! How did you do that?" After watching, Yang Zhen'er immediately sent a voice message.

Tang Baona sent a "Guess" emoji.

"Do you want to know who I met today? Someone you definitely want to see! And I know a super big secret!" Yang Zhen'er sent a voice message followed by a sly smiley emoji.

"I don't want to know."

"You're probably wondering what it is, it starts with the word 'small'!"

However, after a few rounds of "wits and courage" with Tang Baona on WeChat, Yang Zhen'er's phone suddenly rang. When she looked at the caller ID, she was greatly surprised—it was Nana's mother calling!

What's going on? Shouldn't Nana be with her parents? Could it be that the Nana I was just talking to was a fake? Has Nana really turned to stone?

Yang Zhen'er suppressed the various thoughts that popped into her mind and answered the phone. Tang's mother's voice came from the other end. "Zhen'er, are you busy?"

"Auntie, I'm not busy. Is Uncle alright? I heard from Nana that Uncle is in the hospital?"

"It's nothing, a small matter. I wasn't hospitalized, just went for a check-up and I'm back now. By the way, Zhen'er, are you still in Haixi Province? Auntie has something I'd like you to inquire about. Could you ask her if there's a custom in Haixi Province where, when men and women are dating, is it... giving furniture as gifts? To be precise, giving a coffee table."

"Huh? Furniture? Coffee table?!" Yang Zhen'er looked confused.

"Anyway, could you ask for me?" Tang's mother said, lowering her voice, "I don't know why, but Xiang Kun suddenly gave us a new coffee table today. Nana said it was a birthday present, but I feel something's off. Nana also said that the coffee table was handmade by Xiang Kun, but I clearly saw a label on the leg of the coffee table indicating it's from a furniture company in Fushan, Guangdong Province, and there was even a QR code..."

After speaking with Tang's mother on the phone and then having a short video call with Tang Baona, even though Tang Baona hadn't fully explained, Yang Zhen'er roughly guessed that the wriggling, stone-like thing behind the electronic keyboard was definitely related to Nana's original coffee table. Nana must have suddenly gained some kind of ability and broken the coffee table, so she needed to buy a new one temporarily, but couldn't find a reason, so she said it was a gift from the Chef Xiang —that coffee table definitely wasn't a gift from the Chef Xiang!

Yang Zhen'er grew even more curious. What kind of ability had Nana acquired? So she put her arm around Alice's shoulder and chuckled, "Alice, do you know how Nana created that fog and that rock in that video?"

Alice was about to open her mouth, but then she sensed something, closed her mouth again, and looked ahead.

The GL8 stopped, and the girls in the second and third rows realized that they had unknowingly returned to Chongyun Village, and the car was already parked in front of the courtyard where they lived.

After Xia Libing parked the car, she didn't get out and open the sliding door as usual. Instead, she turned around from the driver's seat and looked at everyone.

"Xiang Kun needs our help."