Chapter 1326

Cough, anyway, this is also learned from storybooks—heroes don't take the ordinary path, right.

Xilian: "However, I've been the only one living here recently, and it's been a long time since I properly took care of it—really embarrassing. With so many corners, where should I start?"

The two split up to work together—Xilian tidied the roof, Bai'e tidied the hall. Xing realized he hadn't yet seen the view upstairs, so he simply followed Xilian's steps.

Xilian stood by the railing, humming a song while holding a spray bottle to water the flowers upstairs.

"The girl before you, carrying an inscrutable secret, is very friendly toward you…" Laigushi's narration rang out again: "It inevitably makes one wonder: could that telepathic bond truly exist?"

"Hmm… gazing far off, it's still the familiar scenery. If I had to say what makes Aolixie most nostalgic, aside from the swing set under the big tree, it's this place."

"Three, two, one… jump!"

Xilian widened her eyes suddenly: "Yah! What's that noise? Be careful… Although I'm the village's little fortune-teller, I haven't yet mastered the ability to turn back time, you know."

"Because I've been able to hear the vague divine oracle since childhood, the villagers say I'm the future Time Priestess. However, the more I divine, the more confused I become about fate. Though I speak of faithfully believing in the oracle, if we truly had to leave Aolixie… I wonder where that docked ship would take us."

From downstairs came Bai'e's shout: "The Shenpai is found, here—"

Xing: "I haven't had enough of the view yet."

"It's already etched in my eyes—I'll cherish it wherever I go, including… my childhood playmates, you know!" Xilian leaned on the railing, "Come on! Indeed, in the unseen depths, the gods are listening to the voice of the heart."

Several people came downstairs, Bai'e took out the box that held the Shenpai, but after rummaging through all the miscellaneous items inside, the Shenpai was still nowhere to be seen.

"But the Shenpai is missing… could someone have taken it?"

"... Huh? What's this covering the bottom of the box?"

Only to see a note pressed on top, upon which was written: "One two three four five six seven! Do-re-mi fa-so-la ti!"

——Stamped: paw print

Upon seeing this paw print, Xilian already guessed who it was, and led the two to a forest path outside the village.

"This is the place~ It's been too long since we visited the little sprites; even the road to the Phantom Realm is overgrown with weeds, so we can't see clearly."

Xing was bewildered: "Little sprites?"

Bai'e turned around: "Don't you remember, partner? We used to go play with them all the time when we were kids."

Under Xilian's guidance, several people arrived at a narrow tree hollow; this is the entrance to the Phantom Realm. Bai'e squeezed in first, leaving Xilian and Xing outside.

"How clumsy…" Xilian watched Bai'e's figure disappear into the tree hollow, "But now… it's just us, right? Shall we continue our earlier talk? Actually, ever since seeing the cute note from the little sprites, my premonition has grown stronger… Perhaps, when we step again into the long‑untouched secret realm, the gears of fate will begin to turn."

"You wouldn't be the mastermind behind this, would you?"

"……" Xilian gave a mischievous smile, "... If I were, what would you do?"

——

Silver Soul

"Mmm, a girl who looks petite and cute but is actually quite mature inside…… Oh oh, I remember!"

Ginji, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, suddenly widened his dead‑fish eyes, slapped his thigh, and pointed at Xilian on the screen, shouting loudly: "This little girl, she couldn't be the… 'pink‑cut‑black' type that often shows up in manga, could she?!"

"Pink‑cut‑black?" Kagura tilted her head; she'd never heard the term before.

"Cough cough… Simply put, a 'pink‑cut‑black' is that kind of soft‑and‑cute pink‑haired girl whose inner self is extremely dark, scheming, and yandere—on the surface they may look pure and cute, but once their true nature is exposed, they might very well chase you from behind with a fruit knife, stabbing you! Such folks are the ultimate boss hiding in a pink coat!!"

"Wait wait wait…… Gin‑san, besides the 'soft‑and‑cute' part you just mentioned that relates to Xilian, the rest—dark, scheming, yandere—what does that have to do with her? Don't go spinning wild fantasies in your head!" Shinbayaji couldn't help but retort.

"Ah… Shinbayaji, you pure‑hearted boy are really easy to fool."

Ginji wore a "wish iron could become steel" expression, he sighed deeply.

"Think about it— the sweeter and kinder a pink‑haired beauty who wants to save everyone appears, the more prone she is to obsessive emotions; if she fails to achieve the ending she hopes for, she's very likely to fall into darkness, you know?"

Ginji rolled up the Weekly Shōnen Jump in his hand and kept lightly patting his palm, "Shinbayaji, someone with your nature definitely wouldn't survive three episodes in an anime; from now on, if you go out, you absolutely must not be fooled by any woman with pink hair outside!"

"Don't just randomly send me lunch boxes! If I can't survive three episodes, then whoever's appearing here now must be a ghost?! Besides, regarding your 'pink‑cut‑black' comment, I've already thought of a counterexample."

"Who?"

"March 7!"

"Hmm……"

Ginji thought carefully, and it really seemed he couldn't find any reason to rebut. Indeed, taking little March's genuine, carefree personality… even if all the pink‑haired beings in the universe bore a trace of "pink‑cut‑black" traits, this one certainly could not have any.

——

"Just joking, no other meaning." Xilian said with a bright smile, "But even if fate is fixed and unyielding, no matter where it tries to take the world, as long as we face it together, there's nothing to fear, right?"

"So, if you're willing…"

The conversation trailed off abruptly. Xilian shook her head, lowered her gaze to her toes, and said, "Eh~ never mind, it's nothing. If fate really does start to turn… then later, please listen to my request."

The two followed Bai'e into the tree hollow; after squeezing through a narrow crack, the interior opened up suddenly.

"We actually managed to get in—no easy feat… I can't even remember when we last came here."

Xilian chuckled lightly, "Back then we were just kids."

As they walked, suddenly a… Mimi? floated into view ahead.

"No, upon closer look, Xing realized they only looked similar, but their fur was completely different."