Chapter 329: By this point, everything had formed a closed loop

When Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi underwent another time travel, the surrounding environment completely changed.

Corpses littered the ground before them, the air reeked of blood, and the lingering smell of gunpowder from the battle had not yet fully dissipated.

Ning Jinli's pupils trembled, and she couldn't help but freeze in place.

She had seen too many horrific scenes before and could have remained calm, but she realized this was actually a period when Huaxia suffered massive invasion by a certain country in modern times.

Because before her lay not only the mutilated corpses of ordinary civilians, but also the bodies of the invaders from that country.

Preliminary judgment: an entire village of Huaxia civilians had been invaded, then engaged in a death‑to‑death struggle with a small detachment of the invading army, and both sides likely perished together.

"A bunch of damned beasts!" Ning Jinli couldn't help but curse loudly.

Even though, for the era she was in, that invading nation which once caused great pain to Huaxia in modern times no longer existed, having time‑traveled to this period and seeing the scene with her own eyes, she was still burning with rage.

In an instant, she even wanted to bring advanced weapons, equipment, and combat personnel over, and tear to shreds the demons rampaging across the Huaxia land of this era!

However, she soon forced herself to suppress her grief and calm down.

After all, this was not a parallel world; even if she wanted to intervene, she couldn't do so.

"Qidi, I know that after reverse‑time travel within the same world, one must not act arbitrarily, but if there are still survivors here, must we really stand by and let them die?" Ning Jinli asked Xiao Qidi for his opinion.

Xiao Qidi said: "To be honest, I'm not sure."

"Then let's save her!" Ning Jinli no longer hesitated, sprinted forward, and pulled a frail little girl from a pile of corpses.

She had just circulated her internal strength to scout the area and discovered the sole survivor.

The little girl had sunken eyes, was as thin as a skeleton, her clothes were torn, her whole body covered in dirt and blood, and she even had several wounds deep enough to expose bone.

Ning Jinli's heart broke; she reached out, placed her hand on the girl's chest, and infused her with internal strength.

Seeing her tightly shut eyes and the extraordinarily stubborn expression on her face, Ning Jinli felt an inexplicable closeness toward her, even a hint of familiarity.

"Qidi, I'd like to stay a bit longer in this era." Ning Jinli held the unconscious girl and said, "At least find her a place to stay."

Xiao Qidi glanced at the device on his wrist: "Time travel within the same world is less stable than moving between parallel worlds; at most we have half a year, we must leave, and during that half year we must also try to avoid causing major impacts or leaving traces in this period."

"All right, half a year it is." Ning Jinli breathed a sigh of relief.

A few days later, Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi found a concealed spot in the destroyed village, built a shelter, and properly buried the sacrificed villagers.

The rescued little girl began to improve under their attentive care.

However, after waking, the girl showed strong resistance and aversion to everything, often startling awake from nightmares; it was clear she had suffered severe psychological trauma.

Ning Jinli consistently maintained patience and love, meticulously attending to the girl's food and daily life, treating her, and even each day while she slept, secretly transmitting internal strength to her.

Besides that, she also told her a story every day.

The little girl didn't like fairy tales, so Ning Jinli related some of her own experiences instead.

What she liked most were the stories about time travel; although she didn't understand much of it, she listened especially attentively.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qidi was responsible for going out to find reliable people to whom they could entrust the little girl with peace of mind.

At present, most of the country had fallen under occupation, the war against the brutal invaders was reaching a fever pitch, the Huaxia land was filled with desolation and wailing, and finding a good home for the little girl was no easy task.

Days passed one by one.

The half‑year limit was approaching.

The little girl's health had long since recovered; she was pretty and lively, and trusted Ning Jinli deeply, yet she stubbornly refused to speak, rarely left the room, at most tiptoeing into the yard, and at the slightest rustle would dash into a corner, curl up, and clasp her mouth shut.

The final day.

Ning Jinli had already sensed abnormal spatial energy fluctuations around her.

This was the world's supreme rule telling her that time was nearly up.

She then held the little girl, went to the courtyard to bask in the sun, and enjoyed the little remaining time they had together.

The little girl lay atop her like a cat, snoring loudly.

At that moment, footsteps sounded.

The little girl instantly woke up.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid…" Ning Jinli gently stroked the girl's short ear‑length hair, "I've found you a new home; they've come to pick you up."

Upon hearing those words, the girl suddenly grew angry and ran straight into the house to hide.

Xiao Qidi brought a young couple into the courtyard, while another dozen or so personnel protecting the couple stood outside.

"She's hiding again?" Xiao Qidi looked toward the house, gave a helpless, wry smile, "This lass actually understands everything, she just won't speak…"

"Hello." Ning Jinli extended her hand to the young couple, "Thank you for making the long journey."

The young couple each shook hands with her.

Next, the man spoke sincerely:

"Thank you for the medicine and food you provided; it's enough to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of our soldiers. It is precisely because of countless brave warriors and patriotic souls like you that I am ever more convinced we will one day win. Rest assured, the child you entrust to us will be regarded as our own and well cared for."

Ning Jinli felt a lump in her throat.

She wished she could do more to help, but unfortunately this was the limit of what could be done without triggering a time paradox.

"Thank you, thank you both. Please wait a moment while I fetch the child."

Ning Jinli turned away and quietly wiped the corner of her eye.

After several hours of persuasion, the little girl finally agreed.

Ning Jinli felt both happy and reluctant; she stroked the girl's head and asked, "We're about to part—won't you say even a single word to me?"

The girl's lips moved; she wanted to speak but found it hard to do so.

"How about this: do you have a name? At least tell me what you're called, okay?" Ning Jinli asked gently.

The little girl strained to utter the first sound she had made in half a year:

"I… am… called… Shangguan… Ying… I will… in the future… be like Sister Jinli… and save… many, many people."

Her childish yet firm words struck Ning Jinli like a thunderbolt.

Shangguan Ying?

No wonder, when I saved her back then, at first sight I felt an inexplicable sense of closeness and familiarity.

This little girl turned out to be the Shangguan Ying from my childhood!

No wonder Shangguan Ying could live past a hundred while still looking forty-something—could it be the effect of my half‑year of nourishing her body with Internal Strength?

Even less surprising, Shangguan Ying has always trusted me unconditionally and helped me with all her might, even setting up the Repair Plan Team.

And there's that sentence she said before going into hibernation—

"We will meet again—in your future, my past."

Thus, everything has come full circle.

Ning Jinli tightly embraced the young Shangguan Ying, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Sister Jinli…" Shangguan Ying asked, "Will… we… meet again?"

Ning Jinli's heart clenched in waves of pain.

It turns out my time travel is a part of Shangguan Ying's fate.

In an instant, Ning Jinli felt the urge to change Shangguan Ying's destiny.

But reason told her that, in the past timeline of this same world, she must not meddle.

Under such special circumstances, anything inadvertently brought about is already a fixed event in this world's historical timeline.

But if, after noticing, one deliberately tries to reverse it, only unimaginable dire consequences will result.

"Sister Jinli… will we meet again?" the young Shangguan Ying asked again.

Ning Jinli struggled to control her surging emotions, recalling how Shangguan Ying had said her life was content and that Ning Jinli must never try to alter her fate after learning the truth.

Isn't this exactly the reminder Shangguan Ying deliberately left before her hibernation for this very moment?

"I understand… I understand it all…" Ning Jinli wiped her tears, placed both hands on the girl's shoulders, and said solemnly, "Yes, we will meet again—in your future, my past. Then you will see a young, helpless me; please help me fulfill your historical mission."

The fluctuations of spacetime energy grew ever more obvious, and heaven and earth already changed color.

Ning Jinli could waste no more time; she took Shangguan Ying's small hand, led her out of the house, and handed her to the young couple.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qidi stood to the side, silently exerting his martial power to stabilize the spacetime energy as much as possible, buying Ning Jinli a little more farewell time.

"Come, let's take a photo," the young woman said, carefully pulling an old camera from her bosom, "It's a trophy I once seized—perfect for a commemorative shot."

Click—

A flash of light.

Ning Jinli and Shangguan Ying's appearances were frozen on the film.

The young woman had wanted to say that, if she ever got the chance, she would develop the photo and give Ning Jinli a copy.

However, the spacetime energy fluctuation had reached a critical point; instantly lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a violent storm raged, so Xiao Qidi could only urge the young couple to hurry and take the people away.

The young couple shielded Shangguan Ying while a group of guards escorted the three to a dilapidated military vehicle outside the courtyard.

"Let's go," Xiao Qidi said, taking Ning Jinli's hand, "to a parallel world, to do what you wish. Wherever you go, I'll follow—never to part."

"Mm, never to part." Ning Jinli gripped Xiao Qidi's hand, gave one last look at the military vehicle swallowed by the downpour, and together they vanished from the spot, hurtling into countless unknown parallel worlds.

The moment the two departed, the sky cleared.

Inside the vehicle, Shangguan Ying rested her small hand on the window, gazing at the azure sky.

"Sister Jinli, Brother Qidi, goodbye."

—— (End of book)