Unexpectedly, Dong Chengling... overslept today.

It might have been because the weather turned cold after Yangtze River entered winter. Without underground heating, the warmest place was curled up in bed. Or perhaps it was because Little Jiu was so warm and cozy that Dong Chengling just didn't want to leave her side.

But Little Jiu had to get up for breakfast and school, and Dong Chengling had to prepare her lesson plans and head for class. After washing up, she returned to gently wake Little Jiu. Watching her rub her eyes and yawn, Dong Chengling softly said, "It's time to get up, brush your teeth, and wash your face."

"It's so cold…" Little Jiu pouted, pulling the covers tighter as she muttered, "Hmm... ah... Little Jiu, Little Jiu might have caught a cold. Maybe I should take the day off... ACHOO! ACHOO!"

Watching Little Jiu's poor performance, Dong Chengling's smile gradually faded, and she calmly asked, "Then, shall I take you to the school clinic to get checked out?"

Little Jiu immediately caved, got out of bed obediently, put on her fluffy rabbit slippers, and staggered off to wash up, still sleepy-eyed.

When Dong Chengling entered the living room, she saw the blanket on the couch had been tossed aside, and Nan Xi was nowhere to be seen.

Although sleeping on a couch in winter seemed a bit harsh, the temperature in Yangtze River was only about 14°C—it was simply a matter of enduring the cold by wearing enough clothes. Sleeping on the couch might be a bit uncomfortable, but for a cultivator, such a temperature was no issue at all. A Second Stage Cultivator could even spend a night in an ice-filled bathtub without clothes and be fine.

But being able to endure hardship and not wanting to endure hardship weren't contradictory. It's like how ordinary people are fine drinking free boiled water but will still occasionally buy milk tea that costs ten or twenty bucks.

There were several hot water bottles tucked into the blanket; Nan Xi had slept just as comfortably the previous night as Dong Chengling had while holding Little Jiu.

"Sister Ling."

Little Jiu came out, wiping her face with a hot towel, and asked, "Has Big Brother not come back yet?"

Dong Chengling knelt to meet Little Jiu's gaze, patted her little head, and said, "Yes, he's still out playing… He'll be fine, don't worry. How about I stay with you tonight too?"

Little Jiu had nightmares two nights ago, so last night she had asked Dong Chengling to sleep with her. As a result, they both had a very peaceful night, which prompted Dong Chengling's offer.

Little Jiu said, "Oh," and then suddenly suggested, "Why don't the three of us sleep together? It would definitely be very warm!"

Three people...

Dong Chengling's face turned slightly red. Without answering, she helped Little Jiu fix her hair and said, "Go have breakfast quickly, don't be late."

Little Jiu nodded, joined her at the dining table, sipped hot milk, and started munching on a roast pork bun bigger than her palm.

Dong Chengling hadn't started eating when she suddenly stood up. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Little Jiu, I'll be out for a while. Don't leave the house."

Little Jiu swallowed her bun and asked indistinctly, "Will you be back soon?"

Dong Chengling was slightly taken aback. "I'm not sure…"

"Then if you come back late, Sister Ling, does that mean Little Jiu doesn't have to go to school?"

"Yes."

Little Jiu, who was gulping down hot milk, suddenly choked, nearly gagging on the milk. She coughed a few times to catch her breath, then looked at the empty living room, only then realizing what had just happened—

Gosh, Sister Ling actually allowed her to miss school!

Had something good happened?

But by then, Dong Chengling had already teleported to Ren Suo's house. She sensed around and discovered Ren Xingmei wasn't there.

Nan Xi wasn't there, and Ren Xingmei wasn't there; the timing was perfect.

Her slender fingers gently traced patterns in the air, establishing a connection with coordinates three thousand kilometers away. Spiritual Energy ignited at her fingertips, coalescing her longing into a tethering cord.

One hundred ninety-two hours and sixteen minutes had passed since their last meeting. During this time, Dong Chengling and Nan Xi became good friends. Dong Chengling learned how to cook braised bamboo rat, make Zha Jiang sauce with egg and minced pork, and stew beef brisket. The beef brisket Zha Jiang lo mein she made won unanimous praise from everyone.

But when she was alone at night, she found it hard to sleep. Little Jiu wanting to sleep with her last night was exactly what she needed.

As long as she held Little Jiu, Dong Chengling felt an unbreakable bond with Ren Suo, and the unspoken unease in her heart gradually dissipated.

However, when Dong Chengling was about to pull them back, she suddenly found herself hesitating slightly, her heart torn between excitement and fear.

Clearing her mind of distractions, Dong Chengling gently disturbed the space, only to find that the weight of the object being pulled greatly exceeded that of an adult...

A moment later, she finally saw the two of them after a long absence.

She saw Ren Suo, tattered and torn, calmly holding Qiao Muyi in a princess carry. Qiao Muyi had a gaping hole in her chest and abdomen, her face adorned with a serene smile, looking as if she were asleep.

"Suo, Xiao Qiao, she…"

Dong Chengling had considered many scenarios and prepared for the worst: perhaps only Qiao Muyi would return, or they would return missing a few parts, or they would return in another form… But she never expected that Ren Suo would return unharmed, while Qiao Muyi had died!

This was a logical deduction based on available intelligence, as Qiao Muyi's combat power was far superior to Ren Suo's. If even Qiao Muyi had fallen, Ren Suo's chances of survival would naturally be extremely low—unless Ren Suo had managed to escape first.

But now, Ren Suo had not fled.

And Qiao Muyi had kept her promise.

"Didn't we agree... just to investigate, no fighting?" Dong Chengling asked, her throat dry and voice trembling.

Recognizing this place as his home, Ren Suo carefully placed Qiao Muyi on the couch and replied softly, "I've always treated Destiny gently, but occasionally, Destiny acts unreasonably."

"What exactly... happened?" Dong Chengling was at a loss. "What did Xiao Qiao do wrong? She never did anything bad in her entire life. Why did this happen to her?"

"Yes, Young Master, she did nothing wrong, but her Awakening Technique was her fatal flaw. The Six Great Supernatural Organizations also did nothing wrong; they were merely following clues to hunt down the Demon King who instigated the disaster. Even the man behind the scenes, Bright—can he truly be summarized with the simple word 'bad'?" Ren Suo seemed to be answering, yet also muttering to himself. "In the eyes of others, he should be seen as a Brave who sacrificed himself to exterminate the Demon King. He was a man who actively protected the populace, and whose very presence deterred countless criminals. Had he succeeded and reached a higher position, he might have propelled the course of history forward..."

"A greedy man dies for wealth, a warrior for fame; each regards the other as a greedy man, and himself as a warrior."

He took a deep breath and said, "Everyone acts merely for what they pursue... and then the gears of Destiny, turning perfectly, guide everything to this current juncture. It's just that..."

"This world should not be like this."

Dong Chengling heard something different in Ren Suo's tone. When she saw him heading towards the bedroom, she grabbed his hand and asked, "Suo, what are you going to do?"

Ren Suo turned to look at Dong Chengling, smiled, and said, "I'm going to get something."

From that look, she saw a great deal.

Dong Chengling pursed her lips, let go of his hand, and said in a low voice, "Don't do anything wrong..."

"Hmm?" Ren Suo remembered something, picked up the remote control from the coffee table, turned on the TV, and said, "Right, you were still sleeping earlier... Cheng Ling, if we're asking who truly did something wrong in this matter, then it might just be me."

As he spoke, Ren Suo walked into the bedroom and closed the door. Dong Chengling looked at the TV, which was broadcasting international news: "...Federal Watcher Bright was killed at 12:32 a.m. today, dying in a fight with the internationally wanted criminal 'Qiao Muyi'..."

"...At 1:00 a.m. local time today (12:00 p.m. in Federal New York), various major television stations in New York broadcast the battle between Angel Zack and the unidentified Transcendent, 'Demon King'. The footage showed Transcendents from multiple nations defeated, and Angel Zack, unable to resist the Demon King's attacks, battling all the way from the Flourishing Sakura Missile Mountain Range to Tokyo Metropolis..."

"The video from Flourishing Sakura reveals that the Demon King subjected the Angel to four hours of continuous torture, an act that is utterly horrifying..."

The TV showed footage of the battle between the Demon King and the Angel. Although the Demon King had a bizarre appearance and was even carrying a black coffin, Dong Chengling recognized him immediately—just ten seconds ago, she had seen the eyes beneath that ferocious helmet.

He wreaked havoc in Tokyo.

He defeated all the pursuing Federal Extraordinary Ones.

He continuously battered the Federation's strongest Extraordinary One, Angel Zack, for four hours.

When Dong Chengling realized that these events, seemingly unconnected to Ren Suo, were indeed his doing, she could almost feel his pain.

Dong Chengling suddenly tilted her head high, blinking to let the tears fall. She took a deep breath, allowing the sorrow of losing her friend to overwhelm and consume the envy and jealousy stirring in her heart.

She sat down next to Qiao Muyi, grabbing Qiao Muyi's cold hand, and said with reddened eyes, "This is not the outcome I wanted to see...

"I had actually prepared myself mentally... after all, a man and a woman being out alone for so many days... even though you always said Ren Suo is a pile of cow dung, always saying I got a bad deal...

"But both you and I know Ren Suo's good qualities. He becomes happy because of others' happiness and sad because of their sorrow. He may be lazy usually, but he never backs down when it's necessary...

"I was ready to lose my love advice consultant, but I had no intention of surrendering...

"But now... but you... you're too cunning...

"You actually took advantage of my inattention, won a round, and then just ran off... not giving me any chance to win it back...

"How could I possibly win against someone who's already dead?"

The familiar sound of a car horn blared again, and a stone hit the balcony window.

Only then did Dong Chengling realize why Nan Xi hadn't lazed in bed today. Nan Xi had likely received an order early in the morning to create a teleportation opportunity for Dong Chengling. Now, she was bringing the Tactical Bureau and the Yangtze River Cultivators to close the net...

At that moment, Ren Suo walked out of the bedroom and squatted in front of Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling.

He had changed out of his ragged clothes into a tidy, neat long-sleeved outfit and had combed his hair, making him seem to radiate a certain brightness.

He suddenly asked Dong Chengling, "Cheng Ling, am I very dense?"

Dong Chengling was taken aback, then nodded. "Yes. You couldn't even tell that I like you."

"Just as I thought," Ren Suo sighed. "From now on, please bear with me."

The sound of the car stopped outside. Ren Suo and Dong Chengling both heard the chaotic yet orderly footsteps of many people rushing over, just like that morning eight days ago.

And, just like that morning eight days ago, Ren Suo's eyes were still brimming with confidence, utterly fearless, as if he could casually lay down an unbeatable, game-winning hand.

"What are you going to do?" Dong Chengling asked.

"Hmm... Cheng Ling, could you scoot over a bit?" Ren Suo suddenly said.

Dong Chengling obediently moved over, and then Ren Suo squeezed in between the two of them. He gazed deeply at Qiao Muyi for a few moments, feeling the contrasting cold and warmth from the bodies on either side of him. Then, he suddenly burst out laughing. "If gears mesh too closely, they become each other's Destiny."

Dong Chengling thought, Yes, you became my Destiny, and hers as well. And her stagnation, will it make you stagnate too?

At that moment, Ren Suo stretched out his hand, letting Dong Chengling see the blood-red '×' mark on the back of his hand.

The people outside had reached Ren Suo's floor.

"I said earlier, the world should not be like this." Ren Suo pressed his fingertip onto the mark, incinerating the countless billions of negative emotions within him into the purest form of energy, and channeled it all into the 'Erase Authority'.

"So, I can only turn this world into the Inverted World."

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