"This journey will be long. Take care, and don't let this disciple of mine miss you too much."
The Master gently stroked his pale beard, speaking softly to the person before him.
"Thank you, Senior, for the years of healing. Please forgive Jingliu for being unable to repay this kindness..."
Jingliu clasped her fists in a gesture of respect toward the Master. Looking at the old, white-haired man before her, her heart was filled with a thousand emotions. Although this senior was once her adversary, after everything that had happened...
"Haha, just help my disciple out a bit more when he's grown. It's a pity I won't be able to see that day."
The Master shook his head with a sigh. He already knew his fate.
"Since I have received such [great favor], a day like this was to be expected. You need not look so shocked."
Seeing the incredulous look on Jingliu's face, the Master smiled helplessly.
"You no longer need to cling to life with hatred, do you? You should stop practicing that Method of Transforming Yin I taught you for now. The day you and my disciple meet again will be the day your Mara is broken. But until then, it is best you do not see each other. The Yin of the Mara will disrupt the hard-won Yin-Yang balance within him. This has been a great hardship for you..."
"Old Senior..."
"Rest assured, the remnant soul within his body will not cause any trouble. When the time comes, I will have to trouble you to personally tell him... everything..."
The Master turned away, raising his head to gaze at the star in the sky, his figure cutting a lonely silhouette.
---o---
"All those years ago, the Senior passed a secret technique to me that suppressed my Mara, but he told me not to use it until we were reunited. This is why I was in a daze all this time. It wasn't until I met you again that I could feel the long-lost warmth return to this body..."
Jingliu shook her head, sighing with emotion.
"So... can't you just talk without getting handsy?!"
Wende, flustered and exasperated, tried to stop Jingliu's harassment. But in his current state, he had no strength to stop this bad woman. In the end, he could only let her have her way, his face flushed a rosy red—whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
"Hehe... To be able to see you like this again is an unexpected joy in itself. Once you've returned to your adult form, I naturally wouldn't treat you this way... but..."
With a small yelp from Wende, Jingliu placed him on her lap, greedily inhaling the medicinal fragrance that clung to him...
"What can you do now?"
Resting her chin on top of Wende's head, Jingliu chuckled softly, her crimson eyes twinkling with satisfaction.
"Hey! You're going too far! You'd better watch out! Once I'm back to normal, I'll pin you to the ground and beat you up!"
Little Wende yelled furiously at Jingliu behind him. Although the icy chill that once emanated from her was gone, the warmth pressing against his back... who could stand this?!
"Oh? You're welcome to try. But... we have plenty of time in the future."
She shamelessly slipped a hand under little Wende's clothes, pinching his soft belly.
"Keep your hands to yourself! Wait, what do you mean? What do you mean 'plenty of time in the future'?"
Wende, who had been agitated, immediately caught on to her words. Though he was held firmly in the bad woman's embrace, he struggled to twist his neck, staring at her fair throat as he demanded an answer.
"Oh? It seems you haven't been informed."
Jingliu raised an eyebrow, looking with some surprise at the little Wende in her arms.
"Starting today, Miss Tingyun and I will be boarding the Express to become members of the [Nameless]. What do you think? Do you like it?"
"!!!"
Hearing this, little Wende was instantly plunged into shock.
He... he, he, he... had been backstabbed by the Astral Express!
"Oh, right, the Xianzhou has approved it as well~"
Pfft!
Jingliu's words were another knife in Wende's back...
The light in Wende's eyes instantly dimmed.
"Heh heh... I'm tired..."
"Tired? Then rest here for a while~"
"Suddenly, I'm not tired anymore."
Creeak...
Just as Jingliu was still teasing little Wende, the white-haired Tingyun gently pushed open the door. Wagging her large tail, she walked in. She was startled at first to see the listless little Wende in Jingliu's arms, then subconsciously closed the door behind her.
"Miss Tingyun! Quick, help me!"
Little Wende looked toward Tingyun, his eyes filled with hope.
"Sister Jingliu, what are you doing~ Benefactor's body is frail right now, he hasn't fully recovered yet!"
Tingyun sat down next to Jingliu with a worried expression, and in doing so, successfully transformed Wende's look of hope... into one of utter despair.
Yin and Yang began to revolve once more. As if some prerequisite condition had been met, the Yin-Yang energy inside Wende's body began to recover rapidly.
So then... what was the price?
---o---
"What! That bad woman sent you a message? Don't you dare get tricked by her again!"
Seeing Stelle's confused face, March 7th quickly grabbed her sleeve, urging her to think twice before acting.
Last time, it was because Stelle was tricked by that bad woman that she managed to leave the Divination Commission so easily! And now she was secretly texting Stelle again, asking to meet up?
She definitely had ill intentions toward Stelle, damn it!!
"It's alright, March. How could I fall for the same trick multiple times? I've already asked Mr. Yang about it, so don't worry."
Stelle smiled awkwardly, trying to reassure March.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
March's face was completely deadpan, her eyes filled with distrust as she looked at Stelle.
That was Kafka! She was Stelle's special weakness! March wouldn't believe for a second that Stelle wouldn't be fooled by her!
"It's true, really! I'll definitely be cautious this time!" Stelle said helplessly, seeing the genuine concern on March's face.
"Fine... I can't talk you out of it. But you have to remember this time! You must be careful, then be cautious, and then be careful again!"
March shook Stelle by the shoulders, her expression extremely serious.
"Alright, alright! I swear! Nothing will go wrong this time!"
---o---
"Will she really come? The impression you left on them last time didn't seem very good."
Silver Wolf blew a bubble, lying on a bed with a nonchalant expression, showing no sense of urgency despite being in enemy territory.
"Don't worry, she'll come."
Leaning against the windowsill, Kafka gazed at the green plants outside, a gentle look in her eyes.
Based on her understanding of Stelle, she wasn't the suspicious type. In fact, if things truly went against her expectations, Kafka would probably be even happier.
But... as Kafka looked at the photo of Stelle and little Wende in her phone's gallery, a smile couldn't help but blossom on her face.
Ah~ If I could bring him over as well... wouldn't that be even better?