"It was me. I accidentally stepped on it and broke it." Qi Mo hurriedly stepped forward and said.
"Don't try to fool me! Those aren't marks from being stepped on—it was clearly smashed!" Li Xuan pointed at the crack in the middle of the handheld console.
"Creepy mister... it wasn't Sister Qi Mo's fault. I dropped it." Alulu stepped forward guiltily.
"Did you do it on purpose, or by accident?"
"I... did it on purpose..."
"Tian Wenjing, I love your mom!" Li Xuan angrily shouted Alulu's real name.
Lilika, who had just dragged a suitcase out of a portal, happened to hear that. Her little face reddened as she looked at Li Xuan bashfully. "Now? It's not very appropriate in front of the children, is it?"
"Mister, why are you calling my parents? When I grow up, I'll work hard and buy you a new one. Wuwuwu, I'll never play handheld games again. There was this racing game in it that was so awful! The police cars kept ramming me, and I couldn't ram them back. Then I got mad and..." Seeing her biological mother suddenly appear, Alulu was so frightened that she hid behind Qi Mo and began wiping away tears.
Seeing that he had scared Alulu, Li Xuan felt somewhat guilty. Fortunately, after shouting a few times, he had vented most of his emotions. He waved at everyone. "All right, all right. Everyone go home and let the mother and daughter have some time alone."
"How boring. I thought Master would play a family bowl game. If there were some mother-daughter yuri drama too..."
Before Xu Rou could finish, Wu Yan kicked her straight into the portal. After watching all the magical girls leave, Li Xuan turned to Lilika. "Ma'am, you can stay here for the night. I'll personally take you back tomorrow morning."
"Okay..." Lilika hugged her daughter, who was even taller than her, while tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Li Xuan did not disturb them. Instead, he opened another portal and returned directly to his home in Clear Lotus City. He planned to ask a friend living there about the many questions raised by this trip.
Although he had likewise used the Delusive Badlands as a springboard for teleportation, with the real world as a frame of reference, Li Xuan had still moved from Flower River City to Clear Lotus City. This time, the mental energy consumption was far greater than before, so much so that the moment he landed, he felt a splitting headache.
"Fuck, if I'd known long-distance travel would feel this awful, I would've just taken a taxi..." Li Xuan clutched his head and swayed a few times before finally toppling toward the floor.
Yet the anticipated intimate contact with the ground never came. A pair of gentle hands caught him in time and carefully helped him onto the sofa. Seeing the lace trim at the cuffs, Li Xuan recognized that the owner of those hands was wearing a maid outfit he had designed.
Looking up, he found that the one who had helped him was Li Sijie. He just had no idea why she was in his house.
Seeing the surroundings, clean enough to feel unfamiliar, and catching the lingering fragrance of food from the stove, Li Xuan was certain that this woman had probably been living in his home these past few days.
"Welcome home. Would you like to eat first, bathe first, or... eat me first?" Li Sijie asked with a smile, dressed in the maid outfit.
Though it was the utterly unoriginal newlywed question, hearing it from the intelligent yet seductive Li Sijie still made Li Xuan's blood rush upward—though which head it rushed to was not something that needed to be asked.
"Of course I'll eat you first!" Though his head still hurt, Li Xuan pounced without hesitation at those tempting words, pressing Li Sijie down onto the sofa.
Please Help Me Take Off My Socks
"Don't be like this, President Li... I just wanted to try saying that line~" Li Sijie did not resist. She merely crossed her legs, held down her skirt with one hand to protect the most important area, and let Li Xuan have free rein everywhere else.
"You little slut. One day, I'm going to fuck you hard!" Li Xuan knew it was unrealistic to force himself on her now, so he could only fiercely knead Li Sijie's outrageously oversized breasts to satisfy his hands.
"All right, I'm not going anywhere. Why are you so impatient?" Li Sijie's face was flushed red, but her brows alternately relaxed and tightened with the force of Li Xuan's hands.
"You, when did you move into my house? This counts as breaking and entering, doesn't it?" Li Xuan asked, pinching the hidden bulge beneath the maid outfit.
"Don't make it sound so unpleasant. I just wanted to see you as soon as possible, so I came here to stay for a while. And look, I cleaned the house spotlessly. I even washed the underwear you changed out of before leaving." Li Sijie smiled.
"...Ahem. I won't pursue the breaking and entering thing for now. I happen to have something I want to ask you too." Though Li Xuan's hands never stopped moving, his gaze had turned serious.
"Let me guess. Is it about little Alice?" Li Sijie smiled mysteriously.
"How did you know? You didn't really install surveillance equipment or something, did you?" Li Xuan asked in surprise.
"Of course not. I'll come clean—I just happen to have my own informant in Flower River City. The intelligence Tan Xiang and Yun Ye wanted before was also passed to me by her." Li Sijie had her weak point seized and could only answer through the pain.
"No wonder you're so well-informed... From the sound of it, you should know exactly what that thing is?" Li Xuan asked.
"Of course I do. But why should I tell you?" Li Sijie said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Heh, you little bitch. Weren't we supposed to be partners?" Annoyed, Li Xuan reached under Li Sijie's arms to tickle her. She immediately burst into laughter under his skillful fingers, her slender waist twisting nonstop.
"All right, all right, you win. A verbal partnership isn't enough for you. You want something more tangible, don't you?" Seeing her laugh so hard that she trembled like a flower in the wind yet refuse to reveal a single word, Li Xuan could only sit up and seriously negotiate terms.
"That's right. I can feel that your power seems to have grown stronger again. Give me an upgraded version of that... what was that thing called again?"
"Fallen Blood."
"Yes, that Fallen Blood. I can't wait. Will it turn me into a monster this time? I'm really looking forward to it." Li Sijie said with an intoxicated expression.
"I know you want it, and I can give it to you. But information about Alice alone probably isn't enough, is it?" Li Xuan knew Li Sijie was determined to get it today, so he simply raised the price on the spot.
"How about I throw in a sock I've worn?" Li Sijie considered.
"No. I already have one of those. Having one versus having none is a qualitative difference, but one versus two isn't that big a difference." Li Xuan shook his head.
"You really know how to haggle. Then I'll throw in another piece of information—your tent is poking into me." Li Sijie held up one finger.
"That information wouldn't happen to be this, would it?" Li Xuan teased.
"Pfft~ Of course not." Li Sijie reached over and smoothed out the hair pinned beneath her head. "Strictly speaking, it isn't information. It's just a trick. I'm not sure whether it'll be useful to you right now, but if you want to go further, you'll have to master it sooner or later."
"Go further? Don't tell me it's some trick for picking up girls?" Li Xuan joked.
"It's something very practical. I think you already know that magical girls have a state called 'True Self Awakening,' right?" Li Sijie asked.
"That's right. I even fought someone in that state once and nearly got overturned." Thinking of Wu Yan's airborne form that day, Li Xuan still felt somewhat awed.
"Generally speaking, only magical girls whose magic power has reached Grade A can master it. The short-term boost is roughly five to ten times. Considering the unique abilities added by Awakening, it could be even greater. Don't you want that kind of power?" As Li Sijie spoke, she braided her smooth long hair one-handedly. The dexterity of her fingers made Li Xuan click his tongue in amazement.
"You mean I can become a magical girl too?" Li Xuan feigned surprise.
"President Li truly is a businessman. Even your interpretations are corporate-level." Li Sijie had finally been forced into becoming the straight man.
"Just kidding. Tell me, how can I obtain that kind of power?" Li Xuan had not actually meant to joke. He merely wanted to prolong the conversation as much as possible so the soft touch of those full breasts could remain in his hands a little longer.
"You aren't a magical girl, so there's no way for you to obtain it. But monsters have a corresponding enhancement mechanism called 'Self-Release.' The boost is similar to Awakening, and it also grants unique abilities. So, do you want it?" Li Sijie asked, shooting him a seductive glance.
"Stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me how I can get that power already." Li Xuan kneaded harder a few times, urging her to reveal the trick.
"Normally, only monsters with Evil Energy at Grade A or above can learn 'Release.' Like magical girls, achieving Release usually requires intense emotions or extreme concentration as a catalyst. However, I have a way to take a shortcut." As Li Sijie spoke, she braced herself on the sofa and slipped free from Li Xuan's clutches like a water snake.
Li Xuan himself felt that he had been kneading a bit too much, so he did not force her to stay. As she pulled herself down to her legs, he took the opportunity to lift her pair of long legs wrapped in black pantyhose and rest them in his arms.
"Win~ win~ win~ Tell me, what do I need to do?" Li Xuan asked while draping her black-stockinged legs over his shoulders and playing with them.
Li Sijie took a blade from her hair, pinched the stretchy black fabric, and lightly cut it open. A large patch of fair skin was immediately exposed beneath the tear.
Li Sijie cut a circle around the base of her thigh, and her plump thigh immediately bulged out through it. It made Li Xuan think of the delicious sight of a heated sausage swelling out from its packaging.
"Please help me take off my socks. Remember, you may only remove one. If you try to take off the other side, I'll get angry—really angry!" Li Sijie put away the blade and warned him solemnly.
"That half is still connected. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do it." Li Xuan secretly found it amusing, but he still followed Li Sijie's wishes and reached out with both hands to help her remove the stocking.
Naturally, he dragged out the process as slowly as possible. Li Xuan thoroughly enjoyed the silky sensation beneath his fingers, inch by inch peeling away the mysterious covering and revealing the skin's natural color.
One Step to the Stomach
Li Sijie silently played on her phone. Seeing that she was not urging him on, Li Xuan simply played with it to his heart's content. A stocking that should have taken only seconds to remove was dragged out for several minutes before he finally let go reluctantly.
"And then?" Li Xuan asked.
"Give it to me." Li Sijie sat up and held out her hand for the stocking in Li Xuan's hand.
Though Li Xuan was reluctant, Li Sijie had not given him the stocking yet, so he could only hand it over.
"Please hold out your hand."
Li Xuan did as instructed. Li Sijie also extended one hand to clasp his fingers while deftly tying the stocking around his arm with the other.
"What does this mean?"
"This is the trick to help you achieve 'Release.'" Li Sijie revealed a sly smile.
[Abnormal status detected: Energy continuously draining] [Evil Energy level has fallen to: Grade C+]
While Li Xuan was still confused, the system notification arrived. At that moment, he finally sensed what was wrong: the seal on his arm was constantly siphoning away his Evil Energy!
Li Xuan hurriedly reached out to rip off the stocking, but it seemed to have grown onto his arm. No matter how hard he pulled, it would not budge.
"Fuck, you set me up!" Li Xuan grabbed at Li Sijie, but she nimbly dodged.
"Don't bother. Unless you chop off that arm, there's no way to remove the seal." Li Sijie said with a wicked grin.
"Don't! Undo it, now!" Feeling the energy in his body diminish bit by bit, Li Xuan could not help panicking.
"Be good. Your Evil Energy level hasn't reached the point where you can use Release yet. This seal can store the Evil Energy it absorbs, and once it accumulates to a threshold, it can release it all at once. That way, you can reach Grade A energy for a short time." Li Sijie said with a smile.
"But what if I need to fight? Wouldn't it be dangerous if I can't use my full strength?" Li Xuan asked worriedly.
"Relax. My seal isn't some inflexible stupid thing. It automatically detects your condition. When you fight, it stops absorbing energy and may even return the energy it has already taken from you." Li Sijie said confidently.
Li Xuan tried consuming Evil Energy to summon a mass of Fallen Blood. Sure enough, the seal no longer absorbed his energy and even spat back some of the energy it had taken to replenish him.
Looking at it that way, the seal would not only not become a burden; it could even serve as a power bank!
"Ah, blood brimming with fallen aura~ Please allow me to drink it." The moment Li Sijie saw the bright red sphere of blood floating in the air, her face turned rosy and her voice trembled. She looked even more excited than when Li Xuan had been kneading her hard.
"This time, there's a lot more. A cup might not be able to hold it all." Li Xuan smiled.
"It's fine. Bigger is better. I love anime-sized portions." Li Sijie could not help kneeling before the blood sphere. She gently closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, tilted up her face, opened her cherry lips, and stuck out her fragrant tongue, waiting for the large amount of liquid to be poured in.
Li Xuan carefully controlled the blood sphere, separating a stream of blood as thick as three fingers and slowly guiding it into Li Sijie's mouth.
Li Sijie's mouth was opened wide, and with her head tilted back, her oral cavity and throat formed a straight line. Not only was the tender interior of her mouth fully visible, even her soft little tongue could be clearly seen.
As a seasoned gentleman, Li Xuan knew perfectly well what such an unobstructed bodily passage implied. If he had not needed to focus on controlling the Fallen Blood's flow, he nearly could not resist stuffing something else inside.
The stream of blood slowly entered Li Sijie's mouth. Her throat involuntarily made swallowing motions, yet she endured without closing her mouth.
Seeing this, Li Xuan could not help wanting to tease her. Rather than allowing the Fallen Blood that entered her mouth to disperse, he continued maintaining it in the form of a blood stream and pushed it deeper into Li Sijie's throat.
Li Sijie frowned. By then, the blood stream, three fingers thick, had entered her esophagus and slithered downward like a twisting viper. This was clearly not a comfortable experience. From the unnatural contractions of her throat, it was obvious that she had begun dry-heaving and was having some difficulty breathing, yet she still tried her best to keep her mouth wide open and accepted the blood stream's deeper advance.
Seeing this, Li Xuan could not help wondering how much she could endure, so he controlled the blood stream to continue deeper. Li Sijie's expression grew increasingly strained until the front end of the blood stream reached her stomach.
Only when she felt a slight sinking sensation in her stomach did Li Sijie open her eyes and cast Li Xuan a resentful look. Li Xuan also realized that he had gone too far, so he stopped deliberately maintaining the form of the blood stream's leading end and allowed the Fallen Blood to flow freely into Li Sijie's stomach until the entire blood sphere had been poured in.
This batch of Fallen Blood contained a full six hundred milliliters, and its quality had also increased substantially. Li Sijie closed her eyes again, maintained her kneeling posture, and silently waited for it to take effect.
Li Xuan waited with some tension as well. The effects of Fallen Blood increased as he leveled up. If it could truly cause Li Sijie to undergo Demonfall, then not only would he gain a super-powered fighter, his experience points would likely increase enormously too.
Based on prior experience, a Grade B magical girl yielded ten times the experience of a Grade C one. By that calculation, Grade A would yield one hundred times as much—three hundred experience points in total. Though Li Sijie's strength was still unclear, there was no way she could be below Grade A.
Li Xuan currently had exactly 5/300 experience points. In other words, if Li Sijie successfully underwent Demonfall, he would level up again immediately!
Li Sijie maintained that posture for a full ten minutes before opening her eyes again. From the slight disappointment in her gaze, Li Xuan knew that this attempt had failed too.
"It was much better than last time. This time, I could clearly feel Fallen Blood eroding my body. It tried to affect my mind and sever the connection between me and the world. It's a sensation I could never achieve no matter how I tried on my own. The effect was just still somewhat weak. If it were a little stronger, there might be a chance." Li Sijie said affirmatively.
"Don't say that just to comfort me. I know the effect was negligible to you this time too." Li Xuan waved his hand helplessly.
"It wasn't comfort. I was just describing my real feelings. Well then, thank you for the meal. Next, let me pay the other part of my reward." Li Sijie smiled and took out her phone, opening an interface.
"This is information about Alice. I guessed you would need it, so I paid a price to get it in advance. But you can only read it here. It's not that I don't trust you—it's just that this thing is rather special."
Li Sijie handed the phone to Li Xuan, then continued:
"The Guardian Abbey people seem to believe that merely letting people know of her existence poses enormous danger. That is probably why they did not notify the Church, instead secretly sending two people to infiltrate Flower River City and capture her. They had almost succeeded, but no one could have anticipated a variable like you."
"That extreme?" Li Xuan took the phone and began reading the document on it with mixed belief and doubt.
Containment Object No. 9999-2: Alice Fragment
The following document appeared before Li Xuan's eyes:
Containment Object Number: No. 9999-2 / 9999-4
Containment Object Name: Alice Fragment
Containment Rating: Dangerous
Containment Object Description:
The appearance of Containment Object No. 9999-2 is usually described as a biologically female human between twelve and sixteen years old. Due to the extreme instability of the environment in which it exists, no accurate frame of reference can determine its precise appearance.
It has been confirmed that the Containment Object No. 9999-2 encountered in dreams is the main body. The lifeform observed in reality is actually No. 9999-2's projection into reality.
To No. 9999-2, the meanings of dreams and reality are reversed. Dreams are what ordinary people would consider reality. Once No. 9999-2 falls asleep in a dream, an individual identical in appearance to its main body will be generated in reality.
Killing that individual cannot eliminate No. 9999-2. It will only cause it to awaken within the dream and may produce unforeseeable consequences.
Therefore, upon discovering its projection in reality, play soothing music as much as possible, or use brightly colored candy (crossed out) to lure it in and ??.
When No. 9999-2's main body awakens in the dream, the projection will naturally disappear.
Before you continue