“So, what’s next?”
Qiu Qiqian sat on a chair, stretched her body, and yawned, then turned her head to look at Li Meng, who was holding a gift bag and had her eyes closed, seemingly immersed in some kind of thought.
“Hm? Ah… there is actually one more thing.”
Li Meng opened her eyes at the sound and looked at Qiu Qiqian beside her.
“Isana sent me a message last night, saying that the Lingxun named Xia Xinglian has something to discuss with them today, and she told her to bring some reliable people along. So she contacted me.”
“And now?”
“Let me check my phone…”
Li Meng pulled out her phone. The moment the screen lit up, she let out a soft “Ah.”
“I was so busy shopping with Xiao Qian just now… Isana sent me a lot of messages, telling us to go to the arcade in the mall.”
“Arcade?”
Qiu Qiqian raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with suspicion.
Who picks an arcade for serious business? Are you sure that Lingxun doesn’t just want to play herself?
Still, since the message said so, the two of them had no choice but to head there.
On the way, Qiu Qiqian’s gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward the tightly held gift bag in Li Meng’s arms. The bag’s opening was covered by her hand, hiding its contents from view.
Li Meng seemed to sense her gaze, pulling the bag closer and glaring at her warily, then warning in a soft voice:
“No peeking~ And don’t switch to Spirit Body to stick your hand in! And definitely don’t use those dark hands!”
Qiu Qiqian looked at her defensive posture, shook her head with a sigh, and agreed with a mix of helplessness and indulgence before obediently looking away and staying at Li Meng’s side.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the arcade.
Before even stepping inside, the noisy waves of music mixed with flashing colorful lights washed over them.
Near the entrance, a small crowd had gathered around the arcade machines, mostly half-grown kids, both boys and girls, watching something intently, occasionally letting out low exclamations.
And among those kids, two noticeably taller figures stood out—Isana and Yao Xueyue.
“Hey! Yao Xueyue! Isana!”
The noise inside the arcade was too loud, so Li Meng had to approach them and raise her voice.
“What are you two doing here?”
“Mm? Li Meng, you’re here?”
Yao Xueyue turned at the sound, one hand instinctively adjusting the fur that was about to slip off her shoulder, while the other pointed at the game screen in front of her.
“Well, the current situation… take a look yourself.”
Two arcade machines were lined up side by side. In front of them, Mo Ling, wearing her familiar peaked cap, was locked in an intense battle with a purple-haired woman.
On the screen, two characters exchanged blows, but anyone with eyes could see that Mo Ling was clearly at a disadvantage, her movements even becoming clumsy from impatience.
“What are they…”
“That Xia Xinglian said since we have plenty of time, we might as well play some games first. She’ll only talk about business once we beat her. And even if that were all, every time she wins, she has to… taunt a bit.”
“Wow…”
Qiu Qiqian listened from the side and couldn’t help muttering, “What a terrible personality.”
Just then, Mo Ling made a tiny misstep that the opponent immediately seized.
Xia Xinglian’s character instantly launched a combo, and after a flawless sequence, Mo Ling’s health bar drained to zero.
“K.O.!”
The huge sound effect rang out, accompanied by a victory animation.
“Wow… so amazing!”
The surrounding kids burst into admiration.
Xia Xinglian casually released the joystick, crossed her arms, and leaned back into the chair, which swayed slightly with her movement. She seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention.
She turned her head to look at Mo Ling, who was frozen stiff, and curled her lips into a perfectly timed smile.
“Ah, looks like I’m still a bit better.”
Her voice carried a lazy chuckle.
“But Miss Mo Ling’s skills aren’t bad either. Maybe next time you’ll win?”
Despite her words, anyone could see that her character’s health bar was still over half full. It was pure humblebrag.
Mo Ling’s cheeks visibly puffed up a little. She bit her lip but ultimately said nothing, rising from the chair with a sullen expression, walking over to Yao Xueyue, her head drooping.
Yao Xueyue reached out and patted her shoulder comfortingly.
Just then, a deliberately lowered voice, loud enough for those nearby to hear, drifted in from the edge of the crowd.
“What are you afraid of? We’ve got Miss Li Meng.”
“Yeah, perk up! Don’t lose face!”
“I’m rooting for Li Xiao Meng. She’s the one everyone expects!”
Isana, with a pinched voice, prowled around the edge of the crowd, tossing out one inflammatory comment after another, and then—
Thud!
A crisp knock.
Yao Xueyue had accurately whacked her on the head, then grabbed her ear and forcibly dragged her back into the group.
“Behave yourself! Stop stirring things up!”
Yao Xueyue scolded in a low voice, but the grip on her ear wasn’t harsh.
“We can’t afford to lose face…”
“Ah, Miss Li Meng is here?”
Hearing the commotion in the crowd, Xia Xinglian naturally shifted her attention over. However, she still sat in front of the arcade machine, not turning around. Instead, she tilted her head back, looking at Li Meng and the others from an upside-down perspective.
“What?”
She maintained the pose.
“Want to give it a shot too?”
“Huh? Me?”
Li Meng pointed at herself, then quickly waved her hands.
“I’m not good at stuff like this…”
“Mm hm… Is that so?”
Xia Xinglian finally sat up straight, turned around, and shook her head with a faintly disappointed expression.
“That’s a shame. Was hoping to go head-to-head with the Rising Star of the Association.”
“Huh?”
Qiu Qiqian couldn’t stand it anymore and couldn’t help interjecting.
“If you want to go head-to-head, why not just spar in real combat? Why bother with arcade games…”
Before she could finish, Xia Xinglian seemed startled, nearly falling off the swaying chair before scrambling to grab the console to steady herself.
“Ahem!”
She cleared her throat, sat up straight, and tried to put on an air of seniority.
“Young people, don’t always think about fighting. Playing games also tests skill, reaction, and strategy.”
Qiu Qiqian didn’t respond, silently turning to Yao Xueyue beside her.
“How old is she?”
“No idea, but it feels… she can’t be much older than us.”
“Since Miss Li Meng is here too.”
Xia Xinglian brushed off non-existent dust from her hands, stood up from the chair, and swept her gaze over the surrounding kids still watching. A slightly wicked smile suddenly appeared on her face.
“Hey, little brats, if you keep hanging around watching, I’ll tell your parents every detail about you sneaking off to the arcade.”
Upon hearing this, the kids’ faces instantly changed, and they quickly scattered, disappearing within moments.
“Do you know their parents?”
Yao Xueyue asked suspiciously.
“Of course not.”
Xia Xinglian spread her hands, grinning slyly.
“I don’t have time to know that many people. Scaring kids always has a universal set of tactics.”
She dropped the playful expression and clapped her hands.
“Alright, the riffraff are gone. Now, time to create a space where we can talk freely.”
She raised her right hand and snapped her thumb and middle finger together.
Snap.
A crisp sound.
In an instant, viscous purple liquid surged from under Xia Xinglian’s feet.
It spread wildly in all directions like a roaring tsunami, engulfing the floor, walls, ceilings, game machines, lights…
Everything in sight was instantly covered with a slick, dark purple membrane.
Then, enormous purple tentacles, each as thick as palace pillars, burst forth from the sticky “ocean,” growing wildly and thrusting upward.
High above everyone’s heads, they tangled, coiled, and wove together, forming a canopy of writhing tentacles that blocked out the sky.
After that, the liquid underfoot, which had been slippery and unstable, rapidly solidified and hardened, becoming strong enough to bear weight.
Xia Xinglian also deliberately removed the corrosive ability of the substance, ensuring no harm to anyone present.
“So…”
With a slight movement of her fingers, nine slightly smaller tentacles silently sprouted beside each person, their tips bending into perfect ninety-degree angles, forming… unique seats.
Qiu Qiqian, Li Meng, Yao Xueyue, Mo Ling, and even Isana all looked down at the same time at the wet, weirdly shiny, slightly wriggling and contracting purple tentacle seats beside them.
Yao Xueyue, Mo Ling, and even Qiu Qiqian’s faces almost simultaneously turned to expressions of disgust.
Even Li Meng, who usually had the steadiest nerves, twitched the corner of her eye and unconsciously edged half a step closer to Qiu Qiqian.
Only Isana… she seemed completely unbothered, plopping right down onto one.
“This…”
Yao Xueyue looked at the bizarre seats and struggled to refuse.
“We’ll pass. We’re fine standing. Just get to what you need to say and don’t waste time.”
“Hm? Suit yourselves. Too bad you can’t experience this… ultimate relaxation.”
As she spoke, she casually sat down on the tentacle that had emerged beside her, while another thinner tentacle rose at just the right angle to support her elbow, allowing her to lazily rest her cheek on her hand.
Once settled, she looked up at the five with varied expressions in front of her.
“Now, for the main topic…”
“Have you ever heard of… Fallen Dragon Village?”
“Fallen Dragon Village?”
The group exchanged puzzled looks.
“Never heard of it? Hm… then you must have at least heard of the Fallen Dragon Incident.”
“Fallen Dragon Incident?!”
Qiu Qiqian was startled.
Those four words… she had heard of them in her previous world.
“Oh? Looks like this young lady with the light brown hair has some knowledge. Not bad. Worth praising.”
Xia Xinglian’s interest was clearly piqued. She lowered her head slightly, letting her gaze pass through the gap above her sunglasses, scrutinizing Qiu Qiqian.
“Come to think of it… your name is Qiu Qiqian, right? I’ve heard them mention you. Li Meng’s partner. A Nether Body unable to restrain your own Nether Breath…”
“Hm… interesting.”
As a Lingxun, Xia Xinglian could sense that Qiu Qiqian possessed something non-human, abnormal beyond a Nether Body.
But… she had no intention of exposing it.
After all, she didn’t need to expend extra energy.
Since even Li Meng, a Youxun, showed no wariness, she naturally didn’t want to meddle.
“Xiao Qian, do you know about this?”
Li Meng leaned her head over and asked Qiu Qiqian.
“Maybe… but I don’t remember much.”
Qiu Qiqian tried to recall.
This so-called Fallen Dragon Incident—she had heard of it in her original world.
It was probably in the 1930s. People in some place witnessed many strange phenomena, eventually seeing a dragon fall from the sky and die there.
Afterward, the so-called “dragon remains,” she recalled, were handed over to the state for research.
But as for the specifics—whether true or false—she never looked into it, just treating it as a story.
“The Fallen Dragon Incident? I’ve heard of it too.”
Yao Xueyue rubbed her chin in recollection.
“It’s said to have happened last century. Back then, the Association hadn’t even been established, and because of the lack of remains, it’s still impossible to confirm whether it actually happened.”
After speaking, Yao Xueyue shot a glance at Xia Xinglian sitting on the tentacle, as if to confirm if she was right.
“Mm hm.”
Xia Xinglian raised an eyebrow and let out a lazy hum.
“Since most of you don’t know, I’ll reluctantly enlighten you.”
“The so-called Fallen Dragon Incident…”
“It’s real.”
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