After Luo Wuhen passed the news about the “meeting” back to the Sword Sect, some time passed, yet all remained calm and undisturbed.
Lin Muxue, while avoiding alerting the enemy, had heightened her vigilance toward suspicious events outside, but so far, nothing unusual had happened—in fact, it was even quieter than before.
She didn’t let down her guard. That latent force still unsettled her heart.
If, as Luo Wuhen said, the power had already infiltrated the world, then she could not afford to relax in the slightest.
However, at present, Lin Muxue found it difficult to spread the news.
Judging from Luo Wuhen’s situation, there might be high-ranking figures among other factions already lurking under the influence of Corruption Erosion, and to avoid alarming them, information transmission was extremely restricted.
This could not go on for long. If they did not cooperate fully with other forces, even if they avoided alerting those hiding in the shadows, once the enemy acted before they could be identified, the risks from insufficient information would be even greater.
Lin Muxue decided that, if there was still no progress after some time, she would take the initiative to “ignite the risk.”
Sometimes, drawing out hidden dangers would bring chaos in the short term, but in the long run, it was better than letting them fester unseen.
How to ignite the risk would require careful consideration, in order to keep the situation as stable as possible. Lin Muxue, though usually hands-off, was highly skilled at assessing risk and controlling the situation.
Meanwhile, Su Qianqian was gradually growing accustomed to the new power she had gained, diligently absorbing and understanding the sealed-off information deep in her consciousness.
That “Transformation” ability was named “Huayu” by Su Lingling.
She discovered that as her grasp of the information and knowledge became clearer, the pressure after transforming also lessened, perhaps because there was less to comprehend in an instant.
Su Qianqian’s control over her power after Huayu grew more and more adept.
Even after returning to normal, the use of unknown powers in that state would leave a strong Impression, greatly accelerating her digestion of information.
So far, there had been no need for her to use that power in battle. Whether due to the power’s influence or the long-term suppression of her physical form, Su Qianqian in her Huayu form became more forceful, more “maternal.”
Thus, the effects of this power often seemed… special.
For example, at this very moment—
Da Qianqian pinned Lin Muxue against the wall with one hand, experiencing for the first time in a while the feeling of looking her in the eyes, even from above.
“Muxue, want to try how it feels now? I think it’ll be special—this time I want to be on top.”
Su Qianqian’s voice carried a hint of urgency as she stared into Lin Muxue’s eyes, but under Lin Muxue’s gentle and soft gaze, her eyes shifted away uneasily—clearly, she still wasn’t ready.
In Lin Muxue’s eyes, Su Qianqian right now resembled a little black kitten, once lacking in security, suddenly turned into a big black dog—her form and behavior had changed, but her essence had not.
The little kitten of before needed Lin Muxue to care for her, to sometimes hold and gently stroke her, but would never seek comfort herself.
Now, the kitten had become a big dog, eagerly wagging her tail and circling Lin Muxue for attention—meaning, once again, she needed her care.
Lin Muxue gently grasped Su Qianqian’s shoulders and, with a push, reversed their positions so that Su Qianqian fell onto the bed.
Lin Muxue pressed her leg between Su Qianqian’s now quite curvaceous thighs, gathered both her hands above her head and held them with one hand, pinching Su Qianqian’s cheek with the other:
“This is still too soon for you, my little Mao’er.”
“No matter what, Qianqian, you’re always beautiful, but I still prefer the little one, the one I can hold completely in my arms.”
As Lin Muxue spoke gently, Su Qianqian softly responded, her body shrinking back down and returning to normal.
“Then, my little Mao’er, may I continue? Do you have any requests~” As Lin Muxue spoke, she began tying up her hair, obviously entering “preparation mode,” ready to “set off” at a moment’s notice.
Even after all these years, Su Qianqian still felt shy about taking the initiative, her voice like a mosquito: “I want… to be tightly held by you.”
“I see… Then close your eyes, let’s warm up a little first…”
……
Elsewhere, Su Nuonuo and Luo Siqian were getting ready to continue their beetle battle atop Beast Peak. Luo Siqian had recently finished her preparations, determined to win this round.
Their battlefield had become a large Sandbox with diverse terrain, created by Fengxi Shishu for them to play to their hearts’ content.
Su Lingling and Chu Youtong were watching over the two girls, both sighing in resignation—largely due to a certain someone who made them take the kids out to play, while she herself went off to “exercise.”
“Sigh—” “Sigh…”
Hearing the sighs, Su Nuonuo couldn’t help but ask curiously:
“Lingling-jie, Sister Xiao You, why do you look sad every so often? And that day, Sister Qianqian always seemed busy. What’s going on?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve been wanting to ask too. Could it be… is Mother doing something really dangerous?” Luo Siqian had wanted to ask for a while, but felt it rude.
Now, with Nuonuo’s question, she seized the chance.
“Ai~ You want to know?” Chu Youtong looked at the curious girls, a mischievous smile on her face.
“Qianqian is… exercising. Very intense exercise, and she needs her master’s help. I want to help too, but she refuses, even though I’m better and could take care of her more~”
“Exercise? Is it tiring and dangerous? Otherwise, why are Auntie and Sister Xiao You always sighing?” Luo Siqian still wasn’t at ease, pursuing her question anxiously.
Chu Youtong’s smile grew even wider. Under Su Lingling’s threatening glare, she cheerfully explained:
“It’s very, very tiring, requires stretching, posing in all sorts of positions. After a few rounds, you’re panting, face flushed, even your body trembles! After it’s over, you might only rest for a short while, or not at all before continuing! It usually lasts until dawn! Sigh, I shouldn’t say more, it’s too much for kids. But if you really want to know, I—”
“That’s enough, stop talking nonsense!” Su Lingling angrily cut her off.
Chu Youtong made a zipping-lips gesture, but secretly sent a sound transmission to Su Lingling: “What, did I hurt your little heart?”
Su Lingling rolled her eyes and quickly comforted the downcast Luo Siqian:
“Don’t listen to her. Sister Xiao You just likes to tease people. Your mother is cultivating a special Technique—she’s working very hard! And Master Lin Muxue is there too, so there’s no danger~”
Chu Youtong, realizing she’d gone too far, hurriedly apologized:
“Sorry, sorry, Siqian, it’s just my bad temper. I saw you being so cute, I couldn’t help but tease you. Don’t worry, every time your mother comes back the next day, even if she’s a bit tired, she’s always satisfied—her ‘cultivation’ must be working~”
“Yeah, Mother looks happy and content. She’s really diligent…” Convinced, Luo Siqian finally relaxed.
With Luo Siqian’s spirits restored, the “duel” resumed!
At first, Su Lingling and Chu Youtong only watched the girls playing their self-made game out of curiosity.
Soon, they were astonished—what was this game’s scale! Golden Emperor Beetles powered up by Faith Power, with armies?
And what about that golden beetle with a natural crown on its head?
And the beetles wielding swords, spears, staffs, and bows with the coordination of seasoned Imperial Guards—how were they trained?
Within the not-so-small Sandbox, nearly a hundred beetles battled in chaos, like a miniature war.
On both sides, Luo Siqian and Su Nuonuo stared intently at the Sandbox, simultaneously controlling all of their beetles, with immense mental exertion.
From the Technique Su Nuonuo used, Chu Youtong recognized the mark of the Hehuan Sect’s Spirit Control Technique (she had indeed taught her before), but this normally elegant control had been transformed into a version of Secret Military Arts!
“So… it can be played like this?” Chu Youtong was struck with inspiration. She might not use it herself, but seeing her sect’s Technique modified and applied in an entirely new way was truly eye-opening.
The Sandbox battle raged on. Su Nuonuo’s control was monstrous—combined with her skill in weapons, even though Luo Siqian’s beetles had Faith Power on their side, they were still beaten back again and again.
Luo Siqian’s King Beetle was trapped on the far side, held back by over a dozen elite beetles and unable to assist the main field.
But—
“Nuonuo, this round—I win!”
From the very start, Luo Siqian had held back, waiting for the moment when Su Nuonuo let her guard down, pouring all her focus onto the main field.
In that instant, Luo Siqian rallied all the beetles’ Faith Power—the King Beetle revealed a majestic and domineering Illusory Manifestation behind it!
A sweeping attack! The golden King Beetle advanced furiously, the Manifestation following with broad, ferocious strikes—so fast that most targets fell paralyzed in a single blow!
Su Nuonuo hurried to shift most of her focus to stabilize the situation, but things had already gone beyond expectation, and the losses were severe.
At the same time, as Su Nuonuo shifted her attention again, many of the beetles on Luo Siqian’s side that had lain motionless suddenly climbed to their feet…
In the end, both sides went all out, but Su Nuonuo was thrown into chaos, her control of the beetles collapsing.
Luo Siqian seized the moment and, “striking while the iron was hot,” swiftly finished the battle…
“Wow, even Fake Death—amazing, amazing.” Su Lingling and Chu Youtong applauded in praise.
Su Nuonuo was briefly stunned—how had such a winning position suddenly turned to defeat…?
“I underestimated you. Siqian, you’re really amazing!”
Rather than sulking over her loss, Su Nuonuo hugged Luo Siqian tightly—the feeling of an evenly matched opponent was just so much fun!
“Nuonuo, Nuonuo, Auntie, I can’t breathe…” Su Nuonuo’s strength wasn’t small, and Luo Siqian had to pat her arm quickly to get some air.
“Sorry, sorry, got too excited! I have to keep working harder! Hmm… I can’t improve my control much for now, but I can forge better weapons for them… Of course, I have to make them myself—otherwise, it’s not fair. Siqian’s advantage is her beetles’ Faith Power, so I…”
“Ah, never mind, my head hurts from thinking too much. Let’s go eat something yummy!”
……
The next day, Su Qianqian, quietly rubbing her sore waist, found Luo Siqian.
Before she could say anything, her well-behaved daughter was already telling her to rest and not overdo her cultivation—she’d even heard that her mother cultivated so hard her body shook, and was very worried.
With a stiff and strained smile, Su Qianqian asked, “I’ll be careful, but who told you that~”
“It was Sister Xiao You!”
“I see… Haha, Siqian, I just remembered something I need to do—wait for me ten minutes, okay~”
“Okay!”
Right after, Su Qianqian, face darkened, set off determinedly in search of a certain someone whose mouth needed cleaning…
As warmth and calm lingered in their lives, on the other side, it was already the calm before the storm—a long-brewing tempest was about to break…