Upon entering the arcade, Ling Xiaoyou couldn’t help but marvel at the game machines surrounding her. This was her first time actually seeing these arcade cabinets. At most, she had only heard about them or seen them in novels and comics before; seeing them in person was a first.
Even though it was her first time, she had a general idea of the process.
Thinking this, she pulled Bai Shuanglian to the front counter. She first said to Bai Shuanglian, “This time, I have to be the one to treat you. Don’t you dare try to pay.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t fight you for the bill,” Bai Shuanglian replied with a helpless smile, ruffling Ling Xiaoyou’s little head.
Then, Ling Xiaoyou looked at the uncle at the counter, took out her mobile phone, and asked, “Uncle, how much is one coin here?”
“One yuan each, little girl.”
“Then I’ll take fifty to start.”
As she spoke, Ling Xiaoyou opened her payment app, ready to scan the code.
But before her thumb could press down, she suddenly froze, as if she had just realized something.
She seemed to… not have exchanged for the currency used in the Human Realm.
Her mobile phone was still using the Spirit Amulet Coins common in the Underworld.
Thinking of this, Ling Xiaoyou instantly felt embarrassed.
‘No way, how could I forget something so important!’
‘And here I was saying I’d treat Bai Shuanglian! I can only really treat her at shops that accept Spirit Amulet payments!’
‘But an arcade like this definitely doesn’t accept Spirit Amulets!’
Ling Xiaoyou glanced at the uncle who had already placed the game coins into a small basket and set it on the counter. She suddenly felt like asking if they accepted Spirit Amulets here.
‘No… no matter how you think about it, they definitely wouldn’t accept them! Unless this uncle is also a cultivator.’
Ling Xiaoyou stood rooted to the spot without moving. The uncle gave her a puzzled look but didn’t rush her, just curious about what was going on with this girl.
Immediately after, he saw the other young girl standing beside her take out her mobile phone, scan the code to pay, pick up the basket of game coins, and lead the little girl by the hand deeper into the arcade.
“They really are close,” the uncle remarked with a sigh before lowering his head to scroll through his phone again.
‘Ugh… how am I supposed to explain this!’
‘Forgetting to bring money seems so ridiculous no matter how you look at it!’
Pulled along by Bai Shuanglian, Ling Xiaoyou’s little head was still stuck on what just happened. She didn’t even realize she was being led by the hand, completely unguarded.
Perhaps it was because, in her heart, Bai Shuanglian was already someone she could trust completely.
“Time to come back to reality, Xiaoyou.”
It wasn’t until Bai Shuanglian stopped and pinched Ling Xiaoyou’s little cheeks that she was snapped out of her fantasizing. She stared blankly at the game machines around her, not quite processing how she had gotten there.
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s dazed, silly look, Bai Shuanglian chuckled softly and said, “I’ve already paid. We can play games now.”
“Mmm…”
Ling Xiaoyou lowered her head and mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s, “I… am an idiot. I forgot to go to the bank to exchange Soul Crystals for Human Realm currency.”
“It’s fine. Forgetting things is normal; I forget things often too,” Bai Shuanglian consoled her, ruffling her little head.
“Besides, Xiaoyou, you’ve lived in the Underworld for so long. It’s normal to momentarily forget that the Human Realm’s currency is different from the Underworld’s. If it were me, I’d definitely forget too.”
Hearing Bai Shuanglian’s words, Ling Xiaoyou understood she was being comforted, but her mood improved a lot.
She gave a soft “Mhm,” then threw herself into Bai Shuanglian’s embrace, nuzzling against her, and whispered, “Bai Shuanglian, how are you so nice? You always take care of me, and you comfort me at times like this. I really feel like I can’t do without you!”
“Then we can just stay together forever,” Bai Shuanglian replied with a gentle smile, rubbing the little head nestled against her.
“Mmm… I really would like to do that, but that would be too much trouble for you,” Ling Xiaoyou said, pulling away from the hug and shaking her head.
“After all, I sometimes find myself troublesome too.”
Hearing Ling Xiaoyou’s self-deprecating words, Bai Shuanglian was about to say something when she suddenly saw Ling Xiaoyou lift her little head and break into a bright smile.
She took Bai Shuanglian’s hand and said, “Forget it, forget it. Let’s not talk about these topics anymore. Let’s go play games quickly, or this place might close before we know it!”
“Alright,” Bai Shuanglian sighed helplessly in her heart, going along with Ling Xiaoyou as they went to play the games together.
The gaming time passed quickly. Whether it was the dance machines, shooting games, or racing games, for cultivators like Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuanglian, they were basically child’s play.
Their powerful physical fitness and reaction speed were enough for them to utterly crush even the strongest professional players dozens of times over!
After garnering another round of amazed looks from onlookers, Ling Xiaoyou directly pulled Bai Shuanglian away from the racing game and headed towards the next arcade cabinet.
Ling Xiaoyou glanced at the dozen or so remaining game coins in her basket, thought for a moment, then looked at Bai Shuanglian and asked, “Bai Shuanglian, is there any game you want to play?”
“Me?”
Bai Shuanglian was taken aback.
After thinking, she pointed to a row of machines not far away.
“Then that one.”
“Mmm, the claw crane machines,” Ling Xiaoyou nodded in understanding and went with Bai Shuanglian to the claw cranes.
She divided the game coins into two portions, taking one for herself. Looking at Bai Shuanglian, she declared with fighting spirit, “Okay, then let’s have a competition to see who can grab more plushies!”
With that, Ling Xiaoyou excitedly inserted her game coin and began her first claw crane adventure.
Some time later—
Ling Xiaoyou looked dejectedly at her empty little basket, then glanced at Bai Shuanglian’s bountiful haul, let out a soft sigh, and suddenly felt she could understand the feeling of an angler coming back “empty-handed.”
“Alright, don’t be sad. We’ll split them half and half.”
A fair, slender hand reached out and placed several plushies into Ling Xiaoyou’s basket.
Ling Xiaoyou lifted her little head to look at Bai Shuanglian, who was smiling at her, feeling that at this moment, she was like an angel.
“Ugh~ Bai Shuanglian, you’re so good!”
She hugged Bai Shuanglian’s arm and nuzzled against it, just like an affectionate little cat.
Bai Shuanglian chuckled softly and scratched under Ling Xiaoyou’s little chin using a cat-scratching technique, making the latter involuntarily let out a soft, comfortable hum.
“Hey, Xiaoyou? Bai Shuanglian? You’re here too?”
Right at that moment, a familiar voice suddenly came, causing the still-happy Ling Xiaoyou to freeze completely.
She stiffly turned her little head to look at Su Lihua, who was watching them curiously, and suddenly felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.