The wind was rising.
On this night after the start of winter, the air held a certain desolation.
Kiana, having just left the training grounds, was drenched in fragrant sweat. A beautiful heat radiated from her skin, exuding a sense of youthful health and an aesthetic unique to adolescence.
A wind carrying a chill blew past, and Kiana instantly felt a refreshing coolness.
"My dear niece, don't stand in the wind right after finishing your training."
Theresa tossed a jacket over to her.
"Aiyah, it's fine. I'm covered in sweat."
Kiana caught the jacket and used it like a towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
It was an ordinary action, but when Kiana did it, it had a unique charm that made even Theresa stare for a moment.
Perhaps it was due to "thermal expansion and contraction"? Kiana's clothes now seemed a size too small, clinging tightly to her radiant skin and giving off a feminine allure that a girl her age shouldn't possess.
It was practically the scent of hormones.
"Kiana, you've… really changed."
"What's changed?"
Theresa tilted her head and said seriously, "You've become more beautiful. Just like…"
Just like Cecilia right after she gave birth.
Theresa kept that last part to herself.
"Heehee, of course. I am a knight of the Kaslana family, after all."
Theresa's face fell. "Right, right. All you Kaslanas are this narcissistic."
"Hey, Auntie! You're the one who said I got prettier!"
Kiana placed her hands on her hips, instantly reverting to her silly Chong Chong persona.
"Pfft."
Theresa laughed. This was the Kiana she knew.
"But speaking of which, you've been training quite seriously these past few days, even coming here for extra sessions. Mm-hmm, as your aunt, I'm very gratified."
"Ahaha, of-of course. To be humble and not arrogant, diligent and hardworking—isn't that what you told me, Auntie? Hehe, hahaha."
Kiana rubbed the back of her head, the words flowing out easily.
How else was she supposed to explain it?
That bastard Ye Feng hadn't shown his face in days.
She had all this pent-up energy and nowhere to vent it.
No, wait, if she counted correctly, it started the week before last, around the time she was "rejected from entering the world."
Kiana felt like she had been shelved.
Although it wasn't like she hadn't gotten a taste of sweetness at all, it was nowhere near satisfying.
It was more like "fishing," a game of playing hard to get!
He'd ignite Chong Chong's passions, then ignore her.
And who was Kiana?
She was a knight of the Kaslana family, a girl with pride.
There was no way she would kneel and beg Ye Feng, saying, "Please, I'm begging you to fuck me. I'll do anything."
"Is that so?"
Theresa had a gratified look on her face.
Her niece really seemed to have grown up.
"Huh? What's this?"
On the path between the green belts, a cluster of orange light had appeared.
Theresa felt no sense of crisis.
St. Freya Academy's defense system was the best in the world. Not even a fly could get in…
Alright, a small fry from Anti-Entropy did manage to sneak in last time, but didn't her good niece take him down with just three punches?
The Valkyries themselves were a part of the defense system.
"It's them."
As they got closer, Theresa recognized the newcomers.
Fu Hua had reported them: the ancient sages of Shenzhou who were now residing on Chiyou Islet.
The legendary heroes who had sealed a Judgement-class Honkai Beast.
There were two in feather form. She didn't know if they were Cangxuan or Danzhu.
The cluster of light, like a phoenix feather, stopped in front of the two of them, and then the ethereal image of a girl in flowing robes materialized.
Her ruby-red eyes were lively, and a smile always hung on her lips. She seemed to be a very energetic girl.
"Danzhu."
"Wow, you can actually tell me and my sister apart. Even Ah Lin used to get us mixed up when she first met us."
Danzhu wasn't familiar with Kiana.
It would have been different if it were Cangxuan, who had met Kiana in the library before.
However, Kiana had often seen the two sisters in Ye Feng's world, always battered and bruised.
"Ah Lin, you mean Ji Lin, right?"
A smile bloomed on Kiana's face. She and Ji Lin were good sisters from the same trench.
They had carried guns together and taken cannon fire together.
Unlike with Mei, where she could only be a cushion.
"You are…"
"I'm Kiana Kaslana, the one destined to end the Honkai… Hey, Auntie, why'd you hit me?"
Theresa jumped up and smacked Kiana on the forehead. "Hmph, not very big, but you've got a big mouth. You just said you'd be humble, and now you're getting cocky again?"
The principal turned to Danzhu. She naturally respected these heroes who had once given their lives for humanity… though she didn't know how they were alive again.
"I am Theresa Apocalypse, the principal of St. Freya Academy. Please forgive my incompetent niece."
"Good evening, Principal. I apologize for the sudden visit."
"Did you come here for a specific reason?"
"Um… actually, I'm looking for Fu Hua."
St. Freya Academy was quite large. Cangxuan had wandered around for half the day without seeing Fu Hua.
"Class Rep? At this time, she should be working at the construction site."
"Working?"
Danzhu's eyes widened.
"It seems my sister's foresight was correct."
Back when they were still on Taixuan Mountain, Cangxuan had prepared enough funds for Fu Hua to last at least a thousand years.
At the time, Danzhu had even teased her sister for being a little money-grubber.
Kiana volunteered to take Danzhu to the construction site, as Theresa still had school matters to attend to.
On the way, Danzhu, like a bird, rested her feather form on Kiana's shoulder.
The two of them brought up Ji Lin.
With a common topic, it was easy for the conversation to flow.
Kiana said, "I first met Ji Lin in 'another world'."
"Another world?"
"Hmm… how should I put it? At first, I thought it was a Stigma Space, then I thought it was a game world or a dream world, but lately, I'm starting to feel more and more that it's a real, special world that truly exists. When the consciousness of the original world falls asleep, it wakes up over there."
"Huh?"
Danzhu was taken aback.
That description… why did it sound so familiar?
Danzhu had also experienced "another world." At first, she thought it was the world after death.
Later, she came back to life but could still enter it. She had even met a kindred spirit there, Qingque.
The way Danzhu entered that world was very similar to what Kiana was describing.
Naturally, she would have such a suspicion.
"It's the same place," Kiana said as if it were obvious.
"Why are you so sure?"
"I've met your sister there. Her name is Cangxuan, right?"
"I see…"
Hmm, wait a minute. In that case…
"You said you met Ah Lin there a long time ago?"
"Yeah."
Kiana blinked, clearly not grasping the main point of Danzhu's question.
"How long is 'a long time ago'?"
"During summer vacation. It's been a month or two."
"..."
Danzhu fell silent for a moment.
In that case, Ah Lin had known about that strange world for a long time?
Then why, when I mentioned it to Ah Lin, did she act so clueless, as if she knew nothing at all?
As I thought, there's something strange about Ah Lin.
Pushing down her confusion, Danzhu followed Kiana's lead to the expanding edge of the artificial island.
Fu Zhuangshi, wearing a white tank top and a safety helmet, with a towel draped over her shoulders, was bustling about the brightly lit construction site, looking thoroughly capable…
---o---
The night was dark, the wind was high, and the moon was cold.
The hearts of people were even colder.
According to the "fishing" plan, Big Duck Duck had agreed to Ji Lin's conditions.
"A very wise answer, Boss."
Ji Lin leaned her hands on the desk, her beautiful, clear black-and-white eyes staring at Bronya. "Don't look so glum. This is a win-win. If you're worried, Boss, you can come and observe."
Ji Lin licked her moist, cherry-red lips. "This servant will be very gentle with your husband."
"Since you've achieved your goal, you can leave. I won't see you out."
Big Duck Duck said coldly, her face filled with unwillingness and shame.
If you're going to act, you have to go all the way.
She couldn't let her see any flaws.
Ji Lin let out a satisfied laugh and walked out of the office.
The moment she reached an empty area, it was as if all the strength had been drained from Ji Lin's body.
She leaned back against the wall as if about to collapse, then slid down softly.
She hugged her knees, looking incredibly weak and helpless.
There was none of the imposing aura she had when coercing the wife just moments before.
"With this, Master's mission should be more or less complete…"
Although Ye Feng had already lifted Ji Lin's contract curse, she still subconsciously called him Master.
At this moment, Ji Lin's heart was in turmoil.
After being oppressed by her master for so many days, she now had the chance to bully him in return… It had to be said, a faint sense of anticipation was rising in Ji Lin's heart.
And the root of this ancestor of Shenzhou's turmoil was precisely that "anticipation."
"It shouldn't be like this…"
"Why am I… feeling something?"
She could still find excuses for her body's reactions.
But the thoughts arising from within… how was she to explain those?
She couldn't just blame it all on her master "controlling" her.
Ji Lin fell into a state of confusion.
Soon, she stood up again.
Since it had come to this, she would put aside her turmoil for now.
She would "reflect on herself thrice daily" in the future.
After all, no matter what, the master's mission… had to be completed.
---o---
The next day.
It was a rainy, gloomy day.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a cold, damp wind swept through the city.
Big Duck Duck mounted her beloved motorcycle and took her husband to the police station once again.
At the entrance, Ye Feng had a hesitant expression.
"Um… we already discussed everything yesterday. There's no need to come back again, is there?"
Big Duck Duck took off her helmet, and a cascade of silver hair flowed down, smooth and glossy, shimmering in the dim light like a flowing silver river.
Bronya said, "Since we've decided to involve the police, we should, of course, coordinate properly with them."
"We could have just called."
"Some things are more effective when discussed in person."
Bronya didn't want Ji Lin to succeed because of some minor mistake.
"Let's go in."
"Ngh…"
Ye Feng looked at the entrance, feeling as if it were the gaping, bloody maw of a giant beast, just waiting for a little lamb like him to enter and be devoured in one bite.
"Big Duck Duck, yesterday…"
"What about yesterday?"
Ye Feng's gaze shifted slightly. "We talked a lot with Officer Elysia yesterday. We should mainly just coordinate with her…"
"Understood."
"Also, um…"
"Hmm?"
"Inside the police station, don't leave my side."
Seeing her husband like this, Bronya couldn't help but smile. "Mm, Bronya will stay with you the whole time."
---o---
Inside the office.
Bronya and Elysia were talking on one side.
Just as her husband had said, after they came in, Bronya mainly conferred with Elysia.
And so, that left Mobius and Ye Feng.
Today, Officer Mobius wasn't wearing stockings. A pair of exquisite, fair jade feet were placed directly into her high-heeled sandals.
They were like finely carved works of art, made all the more bewitching and alluring by the contrast with the black sandals.
The soles of her feet were as white as jade with a faint pinkish hue, like the finest mutton-fat jade. The thin straps of the sandals were wrapped gently around her slender ankles, like a carefully bound fairy, both fragile and tempting.
Mobius sat at the desk, her jade feet facing Ye Feng.
The desk just so happened to block Bronya's view from a short distance away.
"Are they beautiful?"
Her toes wiggled alluringly.
The black high-heeled sandals seemed like a meticulously designed cage, holding Mobius's beautiful feet firmly within. The straps were as soft as silk, yet they were bound tightly to her instep and ankle, outlining their graceful curves. Each strap was like a shackle, both restraining her freedom and adding an ineffable temptation.
"Mr. Ye Feng~~ Do you want… to have a taste?"
Mobius curled her toes suggestively.
Her toes were slender and long, each one like a masterfully carved piece of art. Her pinkish nails shone with a faint luster under the light, as round and smooth as pearls.
Mobius looked at the righteous and steadfast married man with a suggestive gaze.
The more he resisted, the wider the smile on Mobius's lips became.
Mobius swung her jade feet, subconsciously scratching the inside of her high heels with her toes. Her toes flexed nimbly, sometimes spreading, sometimes curling, as if performing a silent, seductive dance. Every movement was filled with grace and charm, making it impossible to look away.
Ye Feng managed to tear his gaze away with great difficulty, but he could still catch a glimpse from the corner of his eye—
The arch of her foot was as graceful as a crescent moon, constantly rising and falling with her movements. The curve of its rise and fall was as gentle as a wave, yet it held an infinite temptation.
Whenever Mobius's arch rose, that beautiful curve would become even more pronounced. Her skin was flawless and white, and combined with the black straps, it was like an exquisite landscape painting.
What made it even more beautiful was that Mobius's feet were extremely supple. The gap formed between her tensed arch and the high heel was like a mysterious, narrow, soft space, seeming to silently invite one to explore its secrets.
"—!!"
Ye Feng closed his eyes, refusing to look any longer.
Seeing this, Mobius was secretly pleased.
She deliberately increased the swing of her feet, dangling them in the air, making the gap between her arch and the heel even more obvious.
Flap.
Her jade foot pressed down on the shoe, and the air being pushed out made a peculiar sound.
At the same time, her toes gently rubbed against the sole of the high heel, making a faint "shh-shh" sound. Though quiet, the sound seemed to carry a certain magic, making the atmosphere in the room even more ambiguous.
Mobius propped her chin on her hand, watching the married man with a teasing expression.
Her every movement, her every breath, seemed to be a silent invitation.