Secretly

Shen Nian's eyelids twitched, then she silently went to the kitchen and began to brew tea, pretending not to notice Jian Li Li's murderous gaze.

She'd gotten used to Jian Li's glares by now.

Because they come all the time—especially to Lu Xiu's place.

We can't afford to mess with them.

Let's just pretend we didn't notice.

5

On the other side.

Lu Xiu noticed Jian Li looking at Shen Nian and misunderstood. She gave her a slight glare and silently said, "You're dead if you dare say that."

Jian Li:

"----"

How could I possibly say that?

Rare indeed.

Jian Li muttered a defense in her own voice.

Who knows?

Lu Xiu reached out and gently pinched her soft cheek, chuckling, "What if you two best friends talk about this in private?"

Jian Li took a deep breath. "I'm not good friends with her—if we're really going to talk about it, you and I are friends."

"No, I'm your sister."

Lu Xiu gently pulled her soft face away. "Quickly call her 'sister'."

I have to say, it feels great to play the role of a caring older sister.

Ever since the Titanfall, Jian Li has seemed like a younger sister type of beautiful girl to her, though she doesn't know why.

Jian Li at Lu Xiu's completely unguarded appearance, at her slightly mischievous yet exceptionally warm smile, and hearing her say as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a soft spot in Jian Li's heart was gently touched.

She tilted her head slightly, her expression somewhat complicated, her earlobes flushed, a mixture of shyness and various complex emotions in that instant.

elder sister----

Jian Li took a deep breath.

The next second.

Under Lu Xiu's slightly surprised gaze, this girl, who was usually expressionless most of the time, suddenly leaned forward slightly, stretched out her hands, and awkwardly wrapped them around Lu Xiu's waist, pressing her soft body into Lu Xiu's arms.

This is a gentle embrace that doesn't quite fit Jian Li's character; it's full of possessiveness and dependence.

Lu Xiu's fingers, which were pinching her cheek, suddenly froze in place, and her smile instantly vanished from her face.

She never expected Jian Li to do something like this at this moment.

As Jian Li's soft body pressed closer, their equally warm and soft bodies pressed together without any defenses.

That's weird.

"---- Jian Li?"

Lu Xiu was somewhat surprised and a little ashamed.

What's this?

Is the reaction so strong when I play the role of a caring older sister?

She lowered her head, looking at the fluffy head buried in the crook of her neck, the faint fragrance of the girl lingering around her nose.

That's really strange.

But—surprisingly, it wasn't unpleasant.

In the end, Lu Xiu couldn't bring herself to push the girl, who seemed somewhat dependent on him, away.

She awkwardly patted Jian Li's thin back twice.

"Alright, one hug is enough."

Lu Xiu whispered, "Sister isn't a body pillow, and this isn't fair at all. I'm accusing you of groping me!"

Upon hearing this...

Jian Li finally realized what was happening and slowly let go of her hand.

She stepped back half a step, her clear black and white eyes quietly gazing at Lu Xiu.

Although her stunningly beautiful face remained expressionless, her slightly flushed earlobes and her recent actions suggested that the word "older sister" had a significant impact on her.

Something seemed off whenever she was mentioned before.

----Did something happen?

Lu Xiu couldn't help but think.

You can ask Yan Fushou about it when you have time.

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she led Jian Li to sit down on the sofa.

What are you doing in the entryway?

Shen Nian, carrying a tray and looking at the two people on the sofa with a hint of suspicion in her eyes, walked out of the kitchen.

She lingered in the kitchen for quite a while, trying to avoid Jian Li's murderous gaze.

"Nothing."

Lu Xiu shook her head and continued, "I also saw the system announcement last night, but the system restricts me from revealing the specific process. The Goddess's Blade Title already has restrictions, and now I feel I can't say anything even more."

You probably already know—so what did you come here to ask me?

"Advice or something similar----"

Hearing Lu Xiu bring up serious matters, Shen Nian stopped dwelling on what the two had just been doing. She placed teacups in front of them and then brought up the System Panel: "We'll be able to enter the dungeon soon. Yesterday's invading monsters left a deep impression on us, but there are so many types of invading monsters that we can't see many things clearly. So, if you had to describe the dungeon in one word or sentence, what would it be?"

"Hmm... suffering?"

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then tilted her head.

Shen Nian paused, holding her teacup for several seconds, and when she realized that Lu Xiu had no intention of continuing her explanation, she couldn't help but ask, "That's it?

Didn't you say to use just one word?

Lu Xiu replied, "In a word, it's suffering. Also, you need to be prepared. Don't believe that passing the level is as easy as a dandelion seed on a hillside—"

Shen Nian's vision went black.

What does it mean to suffer? What does it mean to be enlightened? What does it mean to not believe that passing the test is as easy as a dandelion seed on a hillside?

Even though she had mentally prepared herself for the torment, Shen Nian still felt a wave of dizziness when she heard the Architect himself give such a nonchalant yet despairing evaluation.

"Alright, stop looking like you're going to your execution. Although it's difficult, I've really made some changes to this dungeon. Overall, it's not as stressful as Sekiro, I think."

Looking at Shen Nian's utterly dejected expression, Lu Xiu shook her head with amusement. "Keep it up—you'll eventually figure it out, and the new dungeon story is pretty good too."

"----A story?"

Shen Nian was listless and clearly didn't care much, still thinking about the key words Lu Xiu had just mentioned.

Jian Li seemed quite interested.

Lu Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Actually, even if you hadn't come to find me today, I was planning to find you anyway."

Shen Nian looked up curiously.

"My Architect level has reached level ten."

Lu Xiu didn't keep him in suspense and said directly, "The system unlocked a new function for me called [Placement]----"

He briefly explained the Placement Function.

"Placing fan-made copies in the real world?"

Shen Nian was taken aback. "Isn't that equivalent to an offline system dungeon?"

"I don't know either, I'm curious too, so I'd like the Coordination Bureau to arrange a test."

Lu Xiu shook her head. "I'm also going to clear the [Dark Souls] dungeon later. Could you please mention it to Yan Fushou for me and ask him to see if he can find a place in real life for me to try it out?"

Shen Nian nodded, thought for a moment, and opened the communication window.

There's no need to rush.

Seeing that Shen Nian immediately sent a message, Lu Xiu explained, "After all, during the arena period, I probably only have Dark Souls as the dungeon available, but I'll definitely need to test it out afterward—"

Shen Nian's fingers tapped rapidly on the virtual keyboard, sending the message.

A few seconds later, her communication window popped up.

"Director Yan has replied."

Shen Nian looked up, her expression somewhat subtle. "He sent a string of exclamation marks, saying he would immediately apply to coordinate a closed venue, but it's not suitable for testing during the arena period, so he asked you to wait patiently for a while. He also specifically instructed me to tell you----"

"Never, ever place it in the city center or in crowded areas. He has a weak heart and can't handle being startled."

Lu Xiu was somewhat amused and exasperated. "Am I such a reckless person? Or am I some kind of antisocial terrorist?"

"Of course not—it's just that your instance is disgusting, it has nothing to do with you personally."

With a tragic expression, Shen Nian picked up the teacup in front of her and drank the tea in one gulp, her actions conveying a sense of tragic determination, as if she were about to be executed.

Lu Xiu rolled her eyes. "How dare you be sarcastic? You won't be allowed in next time, even if you wear a maid outfit."

"Sorry."

Shen Nian immediately slid to her knees and apologized.

Just then, a crisp system notification sounded in the minds of the three of them simultaneously, interrupting the warm atmosphere in the living room.

[System Announcement: The brand new dungeon [Dark Souls] is now officially open!]

The countdown has finally ended.

The instance is now accessible.

This moment.

I bet a lot of players are itching to get started.

Jian Li looked at Lu Xiu: "Can we enter the instance here?"

"Um."

Lu Xiu had no objections, but simply smiled and said, "Remember, wherever you go, when you encounter a corner, you must raise your shield and Praise the Sun."

"---- Praise the Sun?" Shen Nian looked blank, but still carefully memorized the word.

Jian Li nodded thoughtfully.

Next.

A flash of Bai Guang followed.

Jian Li's figure transformed into specks of light and vanished from the sofa into thin air.

The living room fell silent, leaving only Lu Xiu and Shen Nian.

Shen Nian put down her teacup, stood up, still looking like she was about to go to her execution. "Alright, it's time for me to face those monsters that make my eyes go black."

"Come on."

Lu Xiu skillfully offered a perfunctory blessing.

But just when Lu Xiu thought Shen Nian was about to turn into Bai Guang and leave...

Shen Nian suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between the two, and then, with lightning speed, opened her arms and gave Lu Xiu a tight hug.

The embrace was tight, and a soft, delicate fragrance suddenly enveloped me.

Lu Xiu was stunned.

What's the meaning?!

Is today some special holiday where everyone has to hug you?

Before Lu Xiu could react, Shen Nian gently rested her chin on her shoulder, lowered her voice in her ear, and said with a hint of mischief and cunning, "----Big sister who understands you?"

Lu Xiu: "----"

Shen Nian gently tossed her pretty shoulder-length short hair. "----She always glares at me, acting like she belongs to her. I want to hug her too, but don't tell her, okay? It'll make her so mad."

Just as Lu Xiu was about to say something, the warmth in her arms suddenly slipped away.

"I'm going in too, see you later~"

Shen Nian's ears turned slightly red, and she smiled.

Immediately afterwards, a flash of Bai Guang appeared.

Her figure disappeared as well.

In the empty living room, only Lu Xiu Lu Xiu remained. She stood there stunned for several seconds before slowly withdrawing her hand, her expression strange. "Why does this feel like you're having an affair behind someone's back—"

She sighed, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of warm tea to suppress the subtle emotions in her heart, and then summoned her System Panel.

"Okay, next—"

Lu Xiu put down her water glass and reached out to open the dungeon archive.

"I'll go and pass on the torch too."

[Enter the Dark Souls instance?]

"Yes.

A flash of Bai Guang.

Lu Xiu's figure also disappeared.

middle