Chapter 130: Take Me to See

Twin Star Town, as one of the earliest birthplaces of the Clown Gang, naturally attracts those who appreciate a sense of ritual to gather here.

For example, the newly appointed Grand Leader of the Clown Gang, Mr. Morris from the Supreme Society.

“Cheers, guys! Mission accomplished with flying colors, no more frowns!”

Mr. Thick Neck kicked the door open, holding a bottle of champagne in both hands as he came in, shaking it vigorously before spraying the front row.

“Let’s celebrate! Haha!”

The Ascetic Monk tried to dodge, but it was too late; the whole head of Baby Fang was instantly drenched in the scent of wine.

“Mr. Morris,” Katie, sitting in the back row, looked a little sad, “Puxi died. Her team was completely wiped out during the mission.”

Morris opened his mouth: “Yes, I understand. But the others succeeded, didn’t they? Having one or two failures is normal otherwise, how can it be called a saturation-style operation?”

No one responded to him. The atmosphere in the room remained somewhat somber. Even spraying a bottle of champagne didn’t help.

“Alright, it seems Sister Puxi was quite well-liked. I’m willing to mourn with you all… Mourning concluded. Now listen to me: her failure was purely an accident, a collision at a time when there should have been no one around. What’s worse is that the two people they ran into are named Shen Ning and Xu Chuyao.”

Hearing those two names, several people in the room involuntarily shuddered.

Describing these names as thunderclaps might be an understatement; hearing them gives the upper echelons of the Clown Gang a headache they just can’t shake.

Actually, Shen Ning is somewhat understandable. Her strength is pure and evident, growing stronger by the day. But like those Academy teachers, her weaknesses are predictable—numerical disadvantage means losing.

But Xu Chuyao is different. This girl from the Xu family is truly uncanny in their eyes. It’s not about whether her official power can defeat others; she always manages to create an advantageous situation before engaging you. Schemes and trickery don’t work against her; instead, she wields them flawlessly.

“Yes, let’s say her uncanny methods worked again this time. But remember one thing: in the new strategy, don’t target any specific individual. Just focus on your own tasks.”

Morris patted a painting on the wall a roasted sweet potato he had painted last time, the symbol of the Original Valley Research Institute.

“The stuff is already in our hands. The initiative is ours now. We can explode wherever we want, and it definitely won’t be a dud. Don’t you get it? We’re about to do something big!”

Finally, the crowd in the room perked up.

Yes, no matter what, they had gotten their hands on this terrifying thing. Back when a small team in Ya Ha City used just about a bag’s worth, they achieved the greatest success so far. Now, they had dozens of whole boxes.

Unlike Shen Ning, who could transport things with the wind, they had to carry the boxes carefully to avoid dropping them and triggering activation. Two or three people would carry one box, and each team only stole a few boxes at a time.

It was already a lot.

“To celebrate this victory, I declare a holiday for everyone to rest well for a few days.”

Morris thought for a moment and then added,

“Next time, let’s change the gathering place.”

Twin Star Town was nice enough, but the only problem was that it was too close to Miss Xu Chuyao.

Xu Chuyao found an opportunity to go to the workshop and inform the Special Intelligence Team—namely Xiao Si Nuo and Flower—about the soulstone acquisition.

Flower was so excited she almost cried.

“But don’t rush. This is a big deal and can’t be revealed. We have to find the right chance. Wait for my next update.”

After saying this, Xu Chuyao left.

At that moment, Mi Xiaolu in the dorm had just pulled the covers up, preparing for a nap. Seeing her well-informed roommate return, she said with a closed mouth:

“Why didn’t you attend class this morning? Did you go handle something off-campus? Did something serious happen outside? Our homeroom teacher suddenly left halfway through class.”

“That’s right,” Xu Chuyao said mysteriously, “Last night, a multi-party struggle happened outside, resulting in a terribly dark and intricate outcome. I’ll tell you secretly, it all started…”

“Good night.”

Mi Xiaolu put on her noise-canceling earplugs, closed her eyes, and enjoyed Baby Fang’s sleepy atmosphere.

“Wasn’t it you who asked first?”

“If I tell you, you won’t want to hear it. Good night, Yao Yao.”

Another day passed.

Shen Ning sat up in bed at dawn, letting the breeze blow through her hair, finally understanding a simple truth.

If something is incomprehensible, just set it aside for the time being.

At last, the girl let go of the question, “How to become the One-Eyed King.”

“You should have done this long ago. There are more important things to consider,” said the Sexually Repressed Shadow. “Like Chuyao and that Beti Holmes. They definitely have issues. You should…”

“Beti left several days ago,” the Broken Shadow interrupted mockingly, “Half a world away, the plane takes a long time.”

The Sexually Repressed Shadow was momentarily stunned, then said, “Then think about Chuyao’s roommate. They’ve lived together for three years, inseparable, with endless late-night talks every day. Maybe there’s something ambiguous…”

“She watches Chuyao every day,” the Broken Shadow interjected again, “Unless she has some unusual kink, it’s hard to have anything ambiguous.”

“Then… Flower?”

“Not likely. She almost has a boyfriend already.”

Don’t spread rumors about your friend’s girlfriend watch yourself, Mi Xiaolu!

Failing to stir the pot, the Sexually Repressed Shadow sighed deeply, moving from the wall shadow down to the floor, sitting there and grumbling:

“It’s not that I’m paranoid. Chuyao has problems too. In this kind of campus life, who knows where she hides or what she’s up to, even seeking out girlfriends to hang with…”

Before the words finished, the dorm door was knocked repeatedly.

Shen Ning looked up: “Who is it?”

Knock, knock, knock.

A sweet, soft voice came from outside.

It was Chuyao. Chuyao had really come, and as soon as she entered, she asked Shen Ning if she was free today, if she wanted to go out together for a bit.

This completely silenced the Sexually Repressed Shadow.

Today’s rebellious girl wasn’t wearing a dress, but clothes suitable for going out—no fluffiness, just tight-fitting, making her slender figure even more pronounced.

“The new head of the Security Department invited me this afternoon to explain strategies against the Disaster of the Soulstone,” Xu Chuyao said. “Since I have to go out anyway, I might as well take a stroll around the street.”

If it were purely for work, Chuyao wouldn’t bother going for a stroll.

“That’s great,” sighed the Broken Shadow, “She thinks of you even when she goes out to play.”

The Sexually Repressed Shadow grunted stubbornly, “Why not just play in the dorm? When tired, sleep directly. Wake up and keep going.”

The Milky Ning Reflection pulled out a small notebook from under her skirt: “Awesome, I can hear Chuyao talk again.”

Ignoring her shadows’ antics, the girl quickly changed her clothes, walked out of the dorm, and took her girlfriend’s hand.

The name Center City mostly came from its geographical position—not truly the world’s center—but recently, with all sorts of things happening, it had somewhat become the best main city.

Especially as the cold winter retreated and spring arrived, the reviving winds touched every corner of this world, everywhere bursting with vibrant life.

Just like that, even Commerce Plaza had become lively again.

Shen Ning stretched out her hand, feeling the wind’s change between two seasons—from icy harshness to soft tenderness, as if they too were falling in love.

Clatter, clatter, Xu Chuyao returned from shopping, holding two skewers of traditional sugar treats, handing the shorter, larger skewer to the girl.

“I’ve always wanted to eat Sugar Cane Gourd,” the girl took a bite and then her expression subtly shifted. “I suddenly realize I was right not to eat it before.”

Too sweet outside, too sour inside—like a solo laner and jungler playing independently.

Shen Ning nibbled on her Sugar Apple, the sugary coating melting in her mouth, mixing with the fresh apple juice very sweet indeed.

“Sweet? Doesn’t feel as sweet as you, Yao Yao.”

No need to say who that was.

After a while, Xu Chuyao came back from another stall, the sugar gourd long gone, replaced by a skewer of iron-grilled squid.

“Yum!”

After walking along a snack street in the city center for a while, they sat down by a flower bed.

Looking at the bustling crowd across the street, Xu Chuyao couldn’t help but recall some memories.

“Shen Ning, remember? Last time we went shopping together, it was in Ya Ha City. That place was lively too, but a bit chaotic. This place is much better.”

The girl beside her softly giggled, and the reflection wearing a top hat beside her gave a thumbs up.

That’s right, Yao Yao—just keep roasting me; someday you’ll experience the joy of growing up.

“That day, the street was pretty laid-back. Didn’t expect almost capsizing the next day. Luckily… By the way, someone appeared in your dream that night to remind you, right?” Xu Chuyao suddenly remembered.

After returning from Freiden Free City, Shen Ning had told her about seeing her elder in the lab and speaking with them in a dream.

“Yeah,” Shen Ning nodded, “That’s right.”

At the time, she didn’t know how to explain it because she herself wasn’t clear about what the dream meant. Now she roughly understood—the dream was a form of communication within the Soul Network of soulstones.

“It was Beti Holmes who appeared in your dream and helped a lot—maybe even saved my life,” Xu Chuyao said with sparkling eyes. “When we do the soulstone experiments, I have to thank her in person.”

“Uncle Liu,” Shen Ning softly said, finishing her last bite of Sugar Apple slowly, “is my closest elder. He’s been taking care of me since I was little, teaching me work in the mines and sometimes even how to read.”

“So, he’s basically your real uncle. When I meet him, is that like… meeting the parents?”

Meeting the parents, Xu Chuyao thought to herself.

Shen Ning thought of this too, her pretty face tightening a little.

“Do you… do you have elders to meet?” she asked softly.

Will she ever have to meet her elders?

But Xu Chuyao shook her head, recalling her character profile.

“According to school records, my mother was a gambling-style maternity believer. I was her seventh pregnancy, and the previous six children didn’t survive. Because she kept giving birth, her body was too weak after me and didn’t hold on.”

A gambling-style maternity believer means constantly bearing children, hoping for that one in ten thousand chance. As long as a spirit user is born, the whole family is set.

As for the children who didn’t awaken, they were discarded after birth. That’s why it’s called gambling-style pregnancy.

“Sorry…”

“What’s there to be sorry about? I didn’t suffer.” Xu Chuyao smiled brightly. “I was born awakened and sent to the Shengling Academy’s affiliated nursery right after birth.”

Besides, Chuyao’s consciousness only transferred over three years ago, so she never experienced childhood hardships.

Having finished the Sugar Apple and the skewers, and having seen enough scenery, Xu Chuyao pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, then impulsively said,

“Shen Ning, take me to see the place where you buy your pineapple water.”

The place where I buy pineapple water?

The girl suddenly felt a bit awkward. “The place where I buy pineapple water is just… just a place that sells stuff. Nothing fun… um.”

Trying to cover her nervousness by thinking about food, she forgot she’d already finished her Sugar Apple and choked on the core.

“No need to say that. I’m not clueless.” Xu Chuyao patted her girlfriend’s arm to calm her down. “It’s the Lesbian Bar, right? I just want to check it out.”