Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s bewildered expression, Wang Mingji immediately understood that this girl had spaced out again.
She rubbed Ling Xiaoyou’s little head once more. Wang Mingji wasn’t surprised—after all, she was already used to this girl’s habit of drifting off into daydreams.
Wang Mingji playfully winked at Ling Xiaoyou and spoke with a bright smile:
“Do your best again today too, Xiaoyou!”
“My performance depends entirely on you!”
Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaoyou, who had thought Wang Mingji was entrusting her with something huge, instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at Wang Mingji with an exasperated face and a tone full of grievance:
“Sister Ming, I thought you were going to ask me for something serious…”
“This counts as something serious to me too.”
Wang Mingji chuckled and poked Ling Xiaoyou’s delicate, soft cheek.
Seeing the girl puffing up in protest, she hurriedly spoke:
“Alright, alright, no more joking. Here, this is for you, Xiaoyou.”
As she spoke, Wang Mingji rummaged through her own Space Pocket and pulled out a mirror that looked quite Ancient and was about the size of a palm, then handed it to Ling Xiaoyou.
“Sister Ming, what’s this?”
Ling Xiaoyou accepted the mirror, tilting her head in confusion.
She glanced at the mirror in her hand, noticing the mysterious script carved on its frame.
“This is a protective Spirit Tool someone gifted me a while back.”
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s puzzled look, Wang Mingji pointed at the Ancient Little Mirror and explained:
“Its function is to protect a person or a spirit from a single fatal attack, and fully restore the holder’s condition.”
Upon hearing the Ancient Little Mirror’s abilities, Ling Xiaoyou hurried to return the mirror to Wang Mingji.
“I can’t accept this, Sister Ming, it’s too valuable!”
Even though Ling Xiaoyou wasn’t clear on the price of Spirit Tools, just hearing that the Ancient Little Mirror could shield from a fatal blow and restore the user’s state made it obvious how priceless it was!
She might not be able to afford it even if she sold herself!
“Hey, what’s there to refuse?”
Wang Mingji pushed back Ling Xiaoyou’s little hand, answering seriously:
“Anyway, I almost never leave the Underworld, so I’m unlikely to encounter danger.”
“But you’re different, Xiaoyou. You get summoned frequently. There’s no telling when you might face danger, so this is much more necessary for you!”
“But…”
Ling Xiaoyou wanted to argue, but Wang Mingji didn’t give her the chance.
Wang Mingji pinched Ling Xiaoyou’s cheek.
“Alright, if you really feel awkward about it, just treat it as a gift between two close girlfriends.”
She laughed softly.
“As for a return gift, just give me one when my birthday comes, Xiaoyou.”
With Wang Mingji putting it that way, refusing further would only make Ling Xiaoyou seem insensitive.
She nodded her little head and sincerely thanked Wang Mingji:
“Thank you, Sister Ming. I’ll carry this mirror with me at all times!”
“That’s good.”
Wang Mingji smiled, finally giving Ling Xiaoyou’s soft white hair one last affectionate rub.
“Then I won’t disturb your preparations. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Okay, Sister Ming.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded, watching Wang Mingji open the door and exit the dressing room.
After the door closed, Ling Xiaoyou lowered her head, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, and began pondering what kind of return gift to prepare for Wang Mingji’s birthday.
She thought for a moment, then used Spirit Power to craft a slender Red Cord, threading the Ancient Little Mirror through it and hanging it around her neck.
Seeing the somewhat large Ancient Little Mirror dangling like a necklace, Ling Xiaoyou hesitated, then tucked it into her collar.
Feeling the cool touch of the Ancient Little Mirror against her skin, Ling Xiaoyou shivered sensitively.
Then, she jumped lightly, feeling the mirror slide against her chest.
Blushing, Ling Xiaoyou hurriedly pressed the little mirror to stop its bouncing.
Suddenly, she felt a bit envious of those with big headlights.
If her headlights were large enough, the mirror wouldn’t wobble…
At this thought, Ling Xiaoyou quickly patted her own cheeks, admonishing herself:
“Xiaoyou, Xiaoyou, you’re not the kind of person to envy such things!”
“Don’t forget, you’re a ‘tough guy’!”
After scolding herself, Ling Xiaoyou felt a bit better, though an inexplicable sense of emptiness lingered.
She shook her head, casting away these stray thoughts.
Ling Xiaoyou pondered again for a moment, then decided to leave the Ancient Little Mirror outside her clothes.
After all, with her looks, even wearing a small mirror as a necklace was no issue!
***
Time passed, and night soon arrived.
Ling Xiaoyou had changed into her Pen Fairy Uniform—a pure white dress that looked frighteningly pale.
She also let her hair fall over her face, concealing her features from the Summoners.
Though Ling Xiaoyou’s crimson eyes alone were enough to intimidate Summoners and prevent them from peeking at her true appearance, to be safe, she always covered her face with her hair during work to keep any fools from trying to stare at her even under the soul pressure of her gaze.
Ling Xiaoyou scrolled on her phone, quietly waiting for a Summoner to call upon her.
If an ordinary person saw this scene, their jaw would probably drop in shock.
A female ghost scrolling through her phone—what kind of dream is this.jpg
It wasn’t long before Ling Xiaoyou faintly heard a soft sound near her ear.
It wasn’t the noise from some silly video on her phone, but a pure, direct voice echoing inside her mind.
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, you are my past life, I am your present…”
Not only the voice, but an indescribable sensation of being pulled also appeared around Ling Xiaoyou, as if something was trying to drag her up into the sky.
Ling Xiaoyou glanced at the time—just past 7 PM—and felt a little surprised.
Normally, those who summoned her would wait until midnight to do so, since summoning the Pen Fairy was something best done in the deep of night for atmosphere.
But to start the summoning this early—hmph hmph hmph, they must really be looking forward to my arrival!
Then I won’t keep you waiting!
Pen Fairy, responding to your summoning, may I ask if you are my ‘damn it’?.jpg
Ling Xiaoyou let her mind wander, absentmindedly turning off her phone and placing it into her Space Ring.
Then, she stopped resisting the pulling sensation and allowed herself to drift upward toward the sky.