Listening to Qi Xinzhu's voice, Lu Luo's expression became somewhat rigid.

In truth, he wasn't particularly surprised that Qi Xinzhu had woken up. Her breathing and physical condition, although weak, had been gradually stabilizing. With her Transcendent life rank and a Constitution of 150, she was bound to wake up. It was only a matter of time.

What truly puzzled Lu Luo was not that Qi Xinzhu had woken up at this particular moment. It was that he hadn't felt her waking up; he hadn't sensed her presence at all. Even the Observer hadn't provided any hints.

"Xinzhu, when did you wake up?"

Qi Xinzhu, looking at Lu Luo's odd expression, didn't yet realize she had caused the Observer to malfunction. At this moment, she also wore a face full of confusion. Why is Lu Luo looking at me like this? She felt there was something in her head and subconsciously touched her head, frowning slightly.

"This feeling... Huh?"

Just as she was about to say something, Qi Xinzhu suddenly saw her father, Qi Lin, along with Dumb Hair's father and Councilor Luo Xuemin, still standing at the door.

"Dad? Councilor Luo? What are you doing here?"

Qi Lin felt a wave of relief wash over him upon seeing his daughter awake. Though he sensed that Qi Xinzhu seemed somewhat different from before, he couldn't specify the difference. Qi Lin wasn't a Transcendent, so he couldn't articulate it. In any case, as long as Qi Xinzhu had woken up, that was all that mattered. For any parent, the hope was always for their daughter to be safe and sound. As long as Qi Xinzhu was alright, everything else was trivial.

"Xinzhu, you've finally woken up! It's good you're okay. You've been unconscious for almost four days."

"Eh? Unconscious for four days?"

Qi Xinzhu turned to look at Lu Luo, and only after seeing him nod did it belatedly dawn on her.

At this moment, Qi Xinzhu suddenly staggered, clutching her head again. The observant Lu Luo immediately noticed something was amiss with her. The power of Holy Radiance seemed to be on the verge of bursting forth from her body. He quickly gave Qi Xinzhu a meaningful glance. Thankfully, his wife was, after all, perfectly in sync with him, and Qi Xinzhu quickly understood that this was not the time to say too much. Due to her unconsciousness, she wasn't fully aware of her current surroundings, nor was she clear about her own physical condition.

"Dad, I'm alright now. These past few days felt like I was just sleeping. I'm feeling pretty good now; you don't need to worry too much."

"Good, good. As long as you're fine."

After repeatedly checking Qi Xinzhu's condition, a smile slowly spread across Qi Lin's face. Qi Xinzhu was fine, and naturally, Qi Lin was relieved. Meanwhile, Councilor Luo Xuemin was quite anxious, as Bai Yuetong had yet to appear.

"Qi Xinzhu has woken up, but what about Bai Yuetong?"

Lu Luo didn't know how to answer. With Qi Xinzhu awake, he had one less reason to refuse Councilor Luo Xuemin.

Just then, a crisp voice came from inside the house, "Dad, I'm in here."

It was Bai Yuetong's voice. Hearing her, Lu Luo finally relaxed.

Alright, everyone's awake now, he thought.

Hearing his daughter's voice, Luo Xuemin also let out a slight sigh of relief. "It's good you're fine. Tong Tong, won't you come out for a moment? Dad is very worried about you!"

Bai Yuetong hesitated briefly from inside the room before answering, "Wait a bit, Dad. I'll come see you at mealtime. You can go back first for now."

Hearing Bai Yuetong say this, Luo Xuemin felt somewhat helpless but didn't insist further. He knew his daughter was very headstrong, and more words at this time would be futile. I'll take a good look at her during the meal, he decided.

"Alright then, I'll head back first. If anything comes up, you must tell me."

"Fine, Dad. What could happen to me here? Stop nagging."

Bai Yuetong's tone was the same as always; Luo Xuemin didn't detect anything different.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop rambling. You get some rest."

After saying this, Luo Xuemin left, and Judge Qi Lin followed him.

After the two fathers-in-law had left, Lu Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, they're gone. But Observer, did you not notice something off about Qi Xinzhu? When she appeared just now, you didn't even give a hint. What's going on?"

[I really cannot be blamed for this. As you know, it's impossible to evaluate anything above the Sequence. Qi Xinzhu now carries information from the Li Ming Disc. In a sense, she now possesses some characteristics of the Li Ming Disc, making her imperceptible to me.]

"The Star of Li Ming, and the Li Ming Disc too?"

Lu Luo turned to look at Qi Xinzhu beside him, somewhat worried. "Your current condition... it should be a reaction from the Star of Li Ming, right? How do you feel now?"

Qi Xinzhu frowned slightly and once again pressed her palm to her head. "Lu Luo, I feel like there's something in my head. How should I put it? It's like there's an extra lump inside, very sudden, and it feels intensely foreign."

"An extra lump?"

Qi Xinzhu's description made Lu Luo feel that something was amiss. It was clearly not a normal state, yet he couldn't sense what kind of change had occurred in her.

"What about Holy Radiance? Can you use Holy Radiance now?"

"Holy Radiance..."

Qi Xinzhu extended her fingertip, which quickly emitted a white-hot glow. Without a doubt, this was the light of Holy Radiance. Qi Xinzhu had regained Holy Radiance, and this was probably the last of it in the entire Wasteland Alliance.

"You really can produce Holy Radiance," Lu Luo said. "According to my information detection capabilities, you now possess some characteristics of the Li Ming Disc. How should I put this? It's a situation whose danger cannot be determined for the time being. Xinzhu, you must be careful. This could be a blessing for you, but it could also be a disaster. If the people from the Church find out you have Holy Radiance, they will stop at nothing to take you back."

As Lu Luo said this, his eyes were filled with worry. He wasn't exaggerating or raising alarm without reason; the scenarios he described could very well happen. The Church, having lost Holy Radiance, had become hysterical. If there truly was a way to restore Holy Radiance, they would act without hesitation. Even the current Alliance and the Council would not be able to stop a frenzied Church.

"I understand. I'll be careful about this. I won't let anyone know about my current situation. I'll be good and stay by your side from now on, alright?"

Qi Xinzhu was in a good mood. Having survived a disaster, she wasn't feeling overly concerned. It was clear that she and Lu Luo were safe now, so she showed a touch of playfulness, even hugging Lu Luo on her own initiative.

Being good... Lu Luo mused.

[How good?]

There was another matter Lu Luo hadn't mentioned because he was unsure if he should. Qi Xinzhu seemed to have acquired some very special qualities. It was as if she were an existence vastly distant from him. This feeling was indescribable yet certain, like faith, like a deity. Lu Luo didn't know if this was due to the Star of Li Ming. All he could do was protect Qi Xinzhu.

"Never mind," Lu Luo said. "We'll talk about the Star of Li Ming later. Let's go in and see Bai Yuetong first."

"Okay."

Lu Luo closed the door but didn't recall the Specter Species lurking around. The situation was still uncertain; it couldn't be confirmed that this place was safe.

When Lu Luo returned to the room and saw Bai Yuetong sitting on the bed, he was startled and rubbed his eyes.

"Ah? What's... what's going on here?"

It wasn't just him; even Qi Xinzhu, who had returned with him, wore a stunned expression.

"Bai Yuetong, your appearance..."

"Me? What's wrong with me?"

Bai Yuetong was still somewhat groggy. As a woman, it was perfectly normal for her to run her fingers through her hair upon waking. But when she did so, she realized her hair had grown long—very long. It had changed from its previous shoulder-length style to long, straight white hair. In terms of length, it was now even longer than Qi Xinzhu's.

"How did my hair get so long? What's going on?"

[She's asking you what's going on. Aren't you going to answer her?]

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" Lu Luo snapped.

[My... such a 'hellishly' insightful response. Truly brilliant.] the Observer retorted.

"Get lost!"

At this moment, Bai Yuetong stood up. Only then did Lu Luo notice that her changes weren't just limited to longer hair. Besides her hair lengthening, her overall height had also increased significantly. Lu Luo walked over and roughly estimated it; she had grown by about five centimeters. This change was even more startling to him.

However, what Lu Luo found regrettable was that her bust size remained the same; there had been no secondary development. And because her height had increased, Bai Yuetong's chest... well, it now appeared even flatter.

"What's going on with you?"

"I don't know either." Bai Yuetong touched her forehead and subconsciously scratched it, though there was clearly nothing there. "Lu Luo, there's something extra in my brain, around this spot, about five centimeters deep."

Unlike Qi Xinzhu's vague feeling, Bai Yuetong directly described her own situation, pointing to her forehead with her finger.

Lu Luo looked at her, somewhat at a loss. Even if she knew there was something in her brain, what could she do about it? Have surgery to remove it? With the current medical capabilities of the Wasteland Alliance, performing such an operation would likely be impossible.

"What are you trying to do?" Lu Luo's expression was exaggerated. "You're not thinking of trying to remove that thing from your brain, are you? That could kill you!"

Dumb Hair was momentarily startled, then sheepishly scratched her head. "Okay, it seems like there really isn't anything we can do right now. But having this thing in my brain... I'm really not used to it. However, I'll try my best to adapt. This is probably something *she* left for me."

Lu Luo knew Dumb Hair was referring to the Judgment Chief. Maybe over the years, the Judgment Chief had also secretly done things for Bai Yuetong, just like the Star of Li Ming had for Qi Xinzhu. The Key of Truth must be what the Judgment Chief left for Dumb Hair, he surmised.

While Lu Luo and Bai Yuetong were talking, Qi Xinzhu had already begun trying to restore her Holy Radiance. It was now stable and pure, without a trace of emotion, and had lost the corrosive nature it previously possessed. At least in Lu Luo's perception, this type of Holy Radiance could now be used by him. Dumb Hair and Qi Xinzhu were both in good condition.

Seeing that the two women were okay, Lu Luo breathed another sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're both fine."

Although he didn't know what the fragments of these two discs would bring, at least for now, they hadn't caused any serious consequences. As long as they're alright, overcoming future difficulties will be much easier. If I can find a way to return to the Fourth Ring, most safety issues can be resolved, he thought. After all, he was now nominally associated with the Nightmare Demon. If Inner Ring masters really headed for the eastern part of the Fourth Ring, the Nightmare Demon should intervene, right? But if the Nightmare Demon didn't, then their only option would be to flee beyond the Wall.

"Lu Luo, so what do we do now?" Bai Yuetong asked. She had long been itching to leave the Inner Ring; there was nothing left for her there.

Lu Luo understood her feelings and nodded. "Since you've both recovered, let's head back. This place isn't for us, after all. The Fourth Ring—that's our territory."

Evening arrived. Luo Xuemin invited Qi Lin and his wife to stay for dinner. Lu Luo brought Qi Xinzhu and Bai Yuetong to the dining room at mealtime.

Luo Xuemin was obviously taken aback when he saw Dumb Hair's appearance. "Tong Tong, you...?"

"Dad, this might be one of the few times you get to see me with long hair. Take a good look, because I'm going to cut it in a few days."

"Uh, okay." Once Luo Xuemin confirmed the person before him was indeed Bai Yuetong, he didn't say much else.

The dinner began, and the Luo Family provided them with a fairly sumptuous meal. Qi Xinzhu talked with her parents for a long, long time. Knowing she would be leaving soon, she wanted to speak with them as much as possible.

Across the table, Bai Yuetong stared blankly, holding a wine glass, lost in her thoughts. The atmosphere throughout the meal was harmonious and joyful, as if their previous troubles were no longer important. Concerns about the Church or the Council no longer weighed on Lu Luo's mind. This dinner was their last in the Inner Ring.

"Uncle Qi, Uncle Luo." Lu Luo raised his wine glass to his two fathers-in-law. He didn't call them 'Dad' here, feeling a bit embarrassed with so many people around. Qi Lin didn't comment on this; both he and Luo Xuemin paused their meal and looked at Lu Luo.

"What is it?" Qi Lin asked with a smile.

"After tonight, we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Qi Lin echoed, puzzled. Luo Xuemin, on the other hand, stopped eating, seeming to have guessed Lu Luo's intention.

"Tong Tong, do you also want to leave?"

"I'm the one who asked Lu Luo to leave now," Bai Yuetong stated. "The Inner Ring... there's nothing left here to keep me. Dad, you don't need to say anything more, and you don't need to worry too much about me. I'll take good care of myself."

Luo Xuemin glanced at his daughter, then at Lu Luo, and finally shook his head with a helpless sigh. "It seems you've both already decided what you're going to do."

"Don't worry, Uncle Luo," Lu Luo said. "The Fourth Ring is doing reasonably well these days. At least we won't starve there."

Lu Luo's words carried a hint of jest, but Luo Xuemin understood the underlying meaning. "I understand. Take good care of Tong Tong. With your abilities... Never mind. Lu Luo, you are very capable, and your perspective is much broader than mine. You don't need my guidance; the wisdom of the older generation doesn't mean much to someone like you anymore. Live well after you get to the Fourth Ring."

Luo Xuemin looked at Bai Yuetong. Taller, with longer hair, she reminded him even more of the Judgment Chief, Bai Qingshuang. He had many memories, but he didn't let them consume him. The matter with Bai Qingshuang was the regret of his lifetime, but fortunately, he still had Bai Yuetong.

"Children grow up. They inevitably have to go out into the world," Qi Lin suddenly said, offering comfort. This unexpected consolation caused a pang in Luo Xuemin's heart. The atmosphere, which hadn't been particularly sentimental, suddenly became quite poignant.

"You old fellow," Luo Xuemin retorted, trying to lighten the mood, "you'd better focus on drafting new trade laws. The Inner Ring isn't likely to be peaceful in the times ahead."

"Why don't you all continue chatting for a while?" Lu Luo said, standing up. "I'm going to step out for a smoke and take a little break." He left the room to Qi Xinzhu, Bai Yuetong, and their families.

Dumb Hair seemed to want to say something, but Lu Luo waved his hand at her. "Have a good chat with your dad," he said gently. "If our true goal is to return home...

"well, we might not see each other again for a very long time."

Dumb Hair's eyes shimmered slightly. "Going home?" she whispered, then with more conviction, "Yes, we're going home!"

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