Not long after Bronya went [Offline], the sisters Cangxuan and Danzhu went [Online]. However, the moment they manifested, their expressions were... strained.
Cangxuan: Level 4 → Level 7 (NEW!)
Danzhu: Level 3 → Level 8 (NEW!)
As if to compensate Danzhu, when she woke up, she found herself facing a "vigorous impact" while a babbling stream seemed to flow from a valley before her eyes.
"Hi!" Luo Hong greeted the dazed Danzhu with a bright, sunny smile. Simultaneously, he didn't forget the older sister. Looking down, he asked, "Cangxuan, have you and Dark Ji Xuanyuan finished your talk?"
He could only guess what happened outside, but he didn't believe Dark Ji Xuanyuan would actually attack them. Even if she claimed to have nothing but hatred for those she once protected, she wouldn't stand a chance against the sisters in their prime—at least not until the crystal cores they resided in were destroyed by the Hyperion's main cannon.
Luo Hong had intentionally withheld this intel, curious to see what "fun" would ensue when they met. To his disappointment, they had talked so long that Bronya had already left before they arrived.
What a waste. I wanted to see their faces when they realized someone else was watching!
"L-Lord..." Cangxuan struggled to remain calm. Sensing Luo Hong's slight disappointment, she quickly asked, "Can we... stop now? Otherwise, we won't be able to report the situation outside to you." She closed her eyes, trying her best to hide her disheveled state from Danzhu.
"Fine, let's stop then." Luo Hong nodded. "But you'll have to endure a little 'bitterness'... or maybe it'll be 'sweet'?"
"Huh?" Before Cangxuan could process his words, an overwhelming sensation, like a floodgate opening, surged through her entire body, causing her to convulse on the bed. Her hands gripped the sheets until her knuckles were white, her slender legs kicking wildly in the air.
Cangxuan: Level 7 → Level 8 (NEW!)
"Sister... what's happening to her?" Danzhu asked, coming back to her senses.
"I was going to let an NPC handle this, but since you went [Online], I couldn't keep the NPC waiting too long, right?" Luo Hong wore a delighted smile, admiring his handiwork. "By the way, it was the same for you earlier; you just came online late."
"You... you sadistic Lord!" To Danzhu, his bright smile was pure evil.
"Call me what you like." Luo Hong waited for Cangxuan to pass out before snapping his fingers to restore them both. "Now, let's talk about the outside world."
"Phew..." Cangxuan exhaled, feeling as if she'd just taken a tour through a hell filled with Luo Hongs. "Ji Xuanyuan has regained her sanity for now," she said, her voice turning professional. "But she needs to merge with the remnant soul in the Xuanyuan Sword to truly return to her old self. Right now, she's just barely holding it together because we arrived."
Thinking of their old friend, who acted a bit like she had "Chunibyo" (eighth-grader syndrome), her mood lightened. At least after a thousand years, they were all "alive." But then she remembered the sensations from earlier, and for a split second, she wished her consciousness had just rotted away in Soul Steel instead of suffering this villain's "training."
"I see," Luo Hong nodded. "Bronya just left to start her mission. You two can play here for a bit and then head back. Don't let her think something went wrong."
"Um..." Danzhu said timidly, "Can we go back now? we just came to report..."
Honestly, she hadn't expected such a "shocking opening" the moment she entered this world. Even yesterday, she hadn't seen her sister look so disheveled. She feared if she stayed, she'd end up in the same "unsightly" state—after all, Luo Hong was a man who believed in "fairness."
"So eager to leave me?" Luo Hong looked dejected, like a lonely elderly man left at home. He waved them off. "Fine, go. Everyone is busy. Being busy is good..." He got out of bed, shaking his head and sighing with a sense of profound loneliness.
Cangxuan: "←←!" Danzhu: "→→!"
The sisters shared a look. They weren't fooled by his acting, but they knew better than to offend him in this world.
"Lord, what do you want to play today?" Danzhu approached and grabbed his right arm. "But we have to help the people of the future destroy Chiyou soon, so we can't stay long." She quickly tried to narrow down his "play" options.
"Exactly," Cangxuan added, grabbing his left arm. "We have urgent matters to attend to. Please understand, Lord. Once Chiyou is defeated, we will surely stay by your side."
Though I might need to use the resources of the future people to invent a 'Never-Sleep' potion, she thought. Of course, she wouldn't actually do it—Luo Hong was their savior. And with the future being so uncertain, she couldn't just "wait" like he suggested. Their existence as "dead" people returning to life would surely cause a butterfly effect. For the sake of defeating the Honkai, she couldn't afford to leave Luo Hong's side!