A clear summer.
The school's infirmary was quiet and bright, the air conditioner humming as it blew out cold air.
Kiana swallowed hard, sweat dripping from her chin and pooling on the tiled floor.
"I'm not eating anymore!"
Kiana shot to her feet, wiping her mouth with the back of her fair hand.
A single, slightly curled black hair came away with the motion, sticking to her smooth white skin, standing out starkly.
"You don't actually have a way to deal with Chiyou at all, do you!" Kiana demanded, hands on her hips.
The little bug had finally learned to think.
She was so very clever, after all.
Recalling their previous conversation, Ye Feng had never once said he would "tell her the solution."
Ye Feng smiled. "I just pointed down below, and Bug-bug herself twisted her hips and knelt down."
"You despicable Dog Ye Feng!"
Kiana was furious, having even picked up a new term from Higokumaru.
Kiana had never actually met the real Higokumaru, but the "Higokumaru NPC" would sprint wildly across the athletic field on nights of the full moon, shouting "Dog Ye Feng" with every breath.
Kiana had had the good fortune of hearing it.
"Bug-bug, no swearing."
Ye Feng pressed Kiana's head down and gently patted her.
The knight of House Kaslana wiped her face with disgust, lifting her head defiantly.
"You brought me here and toyed with me for so long, and I'm not even allowed to be angry?!"
"Sigh." Ye Feng let out a breath. "My dear Bug-bug, why is your mind so full of lewd thoughts?"
"Huh? Me?"
Kiana jabbed a finger back at her own chest.
"That's right. Didn't I already tell you the method?"
The little bug blinked in confusion. "When?"
"It was to 'keep eating.'"
"What does that mean?"
"Chiyou should currently be in a state of 'passive devouring,' where it will swallow everything in its path. Although it can theoretically 'devour infinitely,' is it truly 'infinite'? Could it eventually swallow the 'Tree and the Sea'?
I think that's impossible. The worldview of the 'Tree and the Sea' wouldn't allow for such an absurdly powerful Honkai Beast to exist.
In fact, it doesn't even need to reach the level of the 'Tree and the Sea'; it wouldn't even get past the 'Cocoon of Finality.'
Therefore, Chiyou's 'devouring' must have an upper limit."
Ye Feng paused.
Kiana listened with a completely bewildered expression. What tree? What sea?
But she could vaguely understand that Ye Feng did, in fact, have a plan.
"So, I told Bug-bug from the very beginning to let it 'keep eating.' We just need to turn Chiyou into the shape we want. Who knew that you, Bug-bug, would twist your hips and…"
"Ahhh! Stop talking, I get it!"
Kiana's face was beet red as she flailed her arms wildly.
This was utterly humiliating.
Kiana took a deep breath, then another, repeating it several times until she finally managed to compose herself.
No, she still didn't get it.
What did he mean by "turn it into the shape we want"?
It sounded completely wrong.
"So, what do we do? Aunt Himeko said Chiyou could swallow the entire planet."
"You received the communication from Higokumaru, right?"
"Yeah."
"She'll head over there shortly, let Chiyou swallow her, and then erode it from the inside out. When the time comes, remember to tell Theresa to take in Higokumaru and the others."
"Wait, Higokumaru? That little girl with the big belly?"
The little bug was skeptical. "Can she really do it?"
Kiana was still unaware of Higokumaru's true identity.
Ye Feng gently wiped the sticky sweat from the corner of Kiana's mouth and whispered.
"We will win."
---o---
Three hours passed. Cangxuan and Danzhu hadn't vanished, so the plan was likely proceeding smoothly.
The Chiyou incident wasn't a major problem.
If the Previous Era's Herrscher of Erosion couldn't even handle a Judgment-class Honkai Beast from the current era, Ye Feng would laugh at Higokumaru for a whole year.
At this time, Ye Feng finally arrived before Ji Lin.
Ji Lin, also known as Ji Xuanyuan, was the ancient ancestor of Shenzhou.
She was a stunningly beautiful young woman of peerless grace.
Her features were dignified and lovely, her temperament gentle and virtuous, and she was even surrounded by a kind of divine aura.
Her hair was done up in a bun, with a small braid left to hang down over her right breast… hmm, truly a dangerous hairstyle.
"Ji Lin should count as a married woman, right?"
With this thought, Ye Feng looked the ethereal beauty up and down, then reached out a hand to get a feel for himself.
Hmm?
Her skin was about as firm as Kiana's on a Monday.
Ye Feng's gaze then fell to her lapels. The noble, gilded gold symbolized her high status, but the smooth flatness of an open plain made it hard to imagine she was a married woman.
"So flat… about the same as Fu Hua."
No, there was a difference.
Fu Hua was filled with a violent aesthetic.
Ji Lin, however, was very soft and very moist. Like a water-dipped cherry.
One yin, one yang.
"If they got bigger, it would surely feel amazing, right?"
Ye Feng thought for a moment, opened her attribute panel, and performed [Human Body Modification].
And then, a distinct curve was outlined beneath the lapels of her ruqun dress.
However, [Human Body Modification] wasn't permanent. On Monday, she would refresh back to her initial panel, matching the one outside.
"Mmm, this way, the married woman vibe is much stronger."
Night fell.
It was still early, and the chirping of summer insects had not yet begun.
Ji Lin "awakened" here.
The moment her consciousness returned, she felt extremely uncomfortable.
This discomfort came from several sources: the soreness of her body, the slight unease from some kind of tight clothing pressing against her, but the primary factor was the new weight on her chest—something substantial was constantly creating a sense of pressure on her ribcage, making her feel quite distressed.
It was a pressure she had never felt before.
With her mind still a jumbled mess and her thoughts offline, she could only gasp for air upon waking, trying her best to adapt to her current state.
"Where am I…"
Ji Lin slowly sat up from a floor scattered with shredded pieces of stockings and unidentifiable fabric. This seemed to be the inside of some high-rise building, but it didn't belong to any kind she recognized.
The ceiling above was almost completely gone, offering a direct view of the clear night sky filled with countless stars.
The walls had been replaced by massive, floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Though it was nighttime, she could clearly see her own reflection: sitting on a large, round bed, dressed in a strange set of clothes.
In her state of bewilderment, Ji Lin's mind snapped to attention.
Because this outfit was far too shameless.
Her arms and legs were adorned with silky fabric embroidered with patterns, the gauze was light and airy, and there were pieces around her neck and waist as well.
Bells were tied to her ankles with red string, the small, exquisite silver bells jingling with the slightest movement.
And it wasn't just her ankles; a bell was also tied to the area that concerned Ji Lin the most.
And that—that was the source of the pressure on her chest.
"Is this… me?"
Ji Lin stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror, her newly cleared mind becoming bewildered all over again.