Creak
Accompanied by the sound of a door opening, a slender figure stepped into the house’s entryway.
She reached for the wall, expertly flipping the switch and causing the overhead chandelier to instantly illuminate the entire living room.
“Phew… finally home! Little Qian? Little Qian?”
The girl with long gray hair called out to someone in her mind as she took off her shoes.
“I’m here… Seriously… Don’t call me like I’m some kind of AI…”
At Li Meng’s call, Qiu Qiqian emerged from her body with a hint of reluctance.
Floating in mid-air in her Spiritual State with her arms crossed, she gave Li Meng, who was sitting on the steps changing her shoes, a look of utter helplessness.
Afterward, she quickly scanned the scene inside the house.
A spacious living room, white walls, smooth tiles, a massive LCD TV and sofa, and the glow of the sunset reflecting through the balcony…
This house looked pretty good, and it even seemed to have two floors.
“Sorry! I just thought calling you that would make us feel less like strangers.” Li Meng gave Qiu Qiqian a sweet smile, seemingly seeing nothing wrong with her behavior.
“I mean… we’ve only known each other for how long? Isn’t it normal to be strangers?”
“That’s true, but… we’re going to be living together for a long time, right? If we build a good relationship early on, we’ll get along much better in the future.”
‘Living together…’
Qiu Qiqian repeated in her mind, her face flushing slightly.
‘As a Guiyi, living with the youngest Youxun of the current era?’
It felt a bit chilling… No, spirit-chilling.
‘Is she going to accidentally beat me to death one day?’
***
A few hours ago…
“Huh? What do you mean by ‘because she’s too strong, not only did my Possession fail, but even the decision to release the possession lies with her’?”
With one hand on her hip, Qiu Qiqian asked the female analyst holding a Data Collector in a tone of utter disbelief.
“As of right now, that is indeed the case.”
The analyst looked at the data on the device, her tone quite calm.
“Furthermore, because you and Miss Li Meng are currently in a sort of binding relationship, you likely cannot venture too far from her. You might even be unable to perform any actions that would harm her against her will. However… even without that restriction, given your strength, the probability of you harming Miss Li Meng is infinitely close to zero.”
“Tsk… I know it’s the truth, but hearing it still makes me really annoyed! Then, what’s the maximum distance I can be from her?”
“Around 20 meters. However, we haven’t encountered this situation before, so there may be fluctuations in practice.”
“Haven’t encountered it before? What does that mean?”
“It means that according to the records sent back by Nether Bodies in the field, they have seen some Guiyi with possession abilities, but those Guiyi only possess lifeforms much weaker than themselves to ensure absolute dominance. Someone like you…”
At this point, the analyst gave Qiu Qiqian a strange look, as if looking at some kind of rare treasure.
“Someone like you is practically one of a kind.”
“I… you… I… hiss…”
Qiu Qiqian bit her lip and muttered to herself for a long time.
She pointed at the analyst several times, her expression switching back and forth between anger and contemplation.
It was as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words.
Finally, having no other choice, she sighed and lowered her hand.
‘There’s nothing I can do… absolutely nothing! In my current state, it’s debatable whether I could even beat this analyst.’
‘Dammit!! If I had known, I should have found a remote place to develop myself more… In a moment, this Li Meng will probably release my possession state, and then I’ll be stuck in this room again.’
‘After that, these analysts will definitely tighten security, and then there really won’t be a way out! My life as a Guiyi… just what kind of future am I heading toward?’
“So, do I need to release the binding with her?” After listening to the analysis, Li Meng leaned forward slightly with her hands behind her back and asked the analyst.
“Hmm… at the moment, it doesn’t seem very necessary. Based on the data I’ve sent back and the preliminary discussion results I’ve received, if [Number 1304] can maintain this ‘Possession,’ it might actually be a viable option.”
“Huh?”
Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng looked at her with simultaneous confusion.
“During the data analysis just now, I discovered that your physical stats are recovering. It is speculated that by possessing Miss Li Meng, you are drawing in Nether Breath from her to compensate for your own losses. Considering the amount of Nether Breath Miss Li Meng produces every moment, and… your strength.”
“Hey, why are you using that look again!” Qiu Qiqian protested heatedly, but it had little effect.
“In short, your absorption will not only have no impact on Miss Li Meng herself, but it can also suppress the natural outward release of her Nether Breath to a certain extent, reducing the unintentional impact Miss Li Meng has on her surroundings.”
“Wait… what does that mean?”
“It means that for now, your possession is a good thing for both parties.
Besides, after I remotely uploaded my analysis to the other analysts, they had a quick discussion and concluded that since [Number 1304] is an extremely rare Guiyi entity with humanity, they might be able to glean more information through her daily interactions with others.
Therefore, they do not object to [Number 1304] remaining with you, Miss Li Meng.”
After saying this, the female analyst turned her gaze back to Li Meng.
“However… the final decision still lies with you, Miss Li Meng. We will decide the subsequent handling of [Number 1304] based on your choice.”
“Hmm… I think…”
Li Meng looked upward, lost in thought.
“If Little Qian is around, my house should become quite lively.”
‘Hey… don’t talk about me like I’m some kind of pet! I’m a Guiyi! A Guiyi! Even if you’re strong and I’m weak, you should at least show some reverence!’
Qiu Qiqian kept a stiff face, her fists clenching and unclenching.
She knew she really couldn’t beat this gray-haired girl.
“Is that so? Alright, I will send this information to them. They should report the plan to the higher-ups for approval shortly, and it’s expected to pass tomorrow. However, considering Miss Li Meng’s status and strength, there won’t be any issues even if you take [Number 1304] home today.”
***
Back to the present…
‘Tsk… if I had known this girl was a Youxun, I would have just possessed some random analyst!’
‘No… come to think of it, why would a Youxun come to my area? According to their level classification for me, I’m just some… bottom-tier Guiyi.’
“Little Qian, what are you thinking about?”
Having changed into her slippers, Li Meng walked over to Qiu Qiqian.
Seeing her biting her finger and frowning in thought, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Just thinking about random stuff,” Qiu Qiqian replied somewhat impatiently.
She then moved away from Li Meng, pretending to look at the paintings on the wall.
“Oh~ Does Little Qian like paintings?”
Li Meng didn’t seem to notice Qiu Qiqian’s irritation.
She just leaned in, trying to close the distance between them.
As for Qiu Qiqian… she couldn’t actually do anything, so she could only play deaf and mute, waiting for the gray-haired girl to get bored and walk away.
However… among those paintings, Qiu Qiqian keenly noticed a difference in one of them.
That wasn’t a painting; it was a photograph.
On the right side of the photo… was an unsettling humanoid figure dressed in red clerical robes, its size so immense it could be compared to the surrounding buildings.
There was nothing inside its hood, only a void of darkness.
However… her instincts told her that within that deep darkness, something was absolutely staring back.
On the left side of the frame stood a gray-haired girl whose clothes were slightly tattered.
It was none other than Li Meng.
“This is…”
“Ah, that one. That was taken by my companion during my first official sortie. I guess they didn’t expect me to be able to defeat a Titan-class Guiyi so quickly.”
‘Defeated a Titan-class Guiyi on her first sortie? This girl… she’s a total powerhouse protagonist template.’
‘Hiss… though it might be bad to think this way, is she one of those “weapons” who lost her parents at the start and was raised specifically by this organization?’
“Hmm… oh right, there’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“Does Little Qian want to sleep with me tonight?”
“Wait… what? Wha-wha-wha-what?!”