Chapter 112: Speak My Heart!

Xi Lian and Ti Bao both froze in surprise.

Ti Bao subconsciously tightened her arms, hugging Xi Lian even tighter, her eyes filled with vigilance.

Xi Lian slightly furrowed her brows, guessing in her mind: "Is it the Heimu Lady?"

Before they could respond, the door was pushed open from outside.

Standing in the doorway was Ke Xia.

He still had that scholar's appearance, his short green hair a bit disheveled, his gaze no longer the previous ferocity but a sharpness tinged with fatigue after clarity.

He scanned the "kingdom" drowned in body pillows, his eyes finally settling on Xi Lian, tightly embraced by Ti Bao.

Xi Lian instantly understood his meaning—he had business with her.

Ti Bao clearly got it too; she glared at Ke Xia in displeasure, let out a light snort, and showed no sign of loosening her arm around Xi Lian.

Ke Xia's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if finding this cognitively confused senior somewhat troublesome.

Xi Lian gently struggled a bit and whispered, "Ti Bao sister, I'll step out first, I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Don't…"

Ti Bao pouted, but under Xi Lian's gentle yet firm gaze, finally reluctantly released her hand, muttering, "Then hurry back, without my little sister to reference, I can't win…"

Xi Lian soothingly stroked her red hair, then rose, straightened her crumpled dress, and walked toward the door.

Stepping out of Ti Bao's overly "cozy" room, the outside was the typical System Space scene—an endlessly extending dim corridor, walls seemingly made of flowing data and shadows, occasional violet‑red light streams flashing like veins.

The air was slightly cool, bearing an unreal tranquility.

Ke Xia casually closed the door, sealing Ti Bao's complaints inside.

He habitually leaned back, resting against the icy data‑flow wall, arms crossed, looking at Xi Lian.

"How is it?" he asked succinctly.

Xi Lian gently shook her head, a trace of helplessness on her face: "Unsatisfactory. Ti Bao sister… she seems quite content with the current state. Though she's willing to play with me and accepted the Heimu Lady's 'toy,' she resists leaving the room, even the 'outside,' extremely, even… fearful."

She could feel that those body pillows and dolls were not merely decorations, but materials Ti Bao used to build barriers and cut off reality.

"I can see that."

Ke Xia's voice was flat, revealing no emotion. He paused, then asked back, "And you? It seems your range of movement has expanded."

"Hmm."

Xi Lian nodded, a flicker of complexity in her azure eyes, "It seems… as a sense of belonging rises, the restrictions loosen. I can now move freely in the corridor."

She looked at Ke Xia, "Teacher Ke Xia, any progress on your side?"

Ke Xia fell silent, a hint of gloom crossing his otherwise calm face.

He hadn't been idle these two days; after initially familiarizing himself with this bizarre System Space structure, he used the Heimu Lady's "generous" simulated‑universe portal opened to them, and, while ensuring his own safety, tried to reach other imprisoned Golden Descendants.

He mainly went to find A Ge Lai Ya.

Not because he cared about her, but purely due to A Ge Lai Ya's abilities.

It was a gloomy seaside.

Under a gray‑hazy sky, lead‑gray sea water slowly lapped the beach; A Ge Lai Ya sat in a wheelchair, back to the doorway, gazing at the endless horizon, motionless, like a sorrowful statue.

Ke Xia tried to converse, bringing up Weng Fa Luo Si's past and the Black Tide…

The figure in the wheelchair seemed to shift slightly.

Just as a faint hope rose in Ke Xia's heart, a cold, clear voice rang in his mind, exploding:

"sB"

Speak My Heart!

Ke Xia: "…"

Xi Lian looked at Ke Xia's expression—"I've been mentally shocked but I must keep my composure"—and couldn't help a light laugh.

In such a stifling environment, hearing any news about A Ge Lai Ya, even insults, carried a reassuring sense of reality.

"Seems Miss A Ge Lai Ya… still the same style."

Xi Lian squinted, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

Past World Paradise.

In the corridor, it was so quiet one could only hear the echo of one's own heartbeat.

Pa Duo moved cautiously, her lively cat eyes scanning left and right, ears twitching slightly, catching any unusual sound.

"Phillis, oh Phillis, you must stay steady…"

She muttered softly, palms a little sweaty, "Please not Corrosion, please not… our little bodies can't take another round! Hopefully it's just a Letu system glitch, or some prank—yes, definitely Sister A Bo Ni Ya testing a new 'law', or Sister Wei Er Wei creating an ultra‑realistic holographic projection… In short, absolutely, absolutely not the Invasive Lawgiver!"

She was almost conducting a frantic prayer, trying to dispel the inner chill with optimism.

Sister AiLi was gone, and Ge Lei Xiu was gone too; this Letu suddenly became empty and unfamiliar, making the little cat, accustomed to surviving in cracks, feel unprecedented panic.

At that moment, a slender shadow silently spread from behind, slowly enveloping her.

Pa Duo's whole body froze, hair standing on end!

She whirled around—

A black shadow stood silently a few steps away, wearing a wide hat whose brim cast shadows that completely concealed its face, only a black‑purple dress outlining a vague silhouette.

It was slowly raising a gloved hand toward Pa Duo's back.

Pa Duo was terrified, her soul scattering; she tried to scream, but her throat felt strangled, only a faint "hoho" escaped, her body rigid and immobile.

"Found you."

A voice as cold as an icy spring suddenly rang out!

At the same time, a sharp blade of light, like a new moon tearing the darkness, instantly sliced between Pa Duo and the black shadow!

The extreme cold from the blade caused the moisture in the air to crystallize into tiny ice shards.

Sakura, wielding a greatsword called "HanYuBingTian," stood tall as a pine, firmly blocking in front of Pa Duo.

Her pink long hair moved without wind, and the Fox Ears atop her head stood straight up, displaying a high degree of vigilance.

Her icy blue eyes locked onto the Black Shadow ahead, and she radiated a chilling aura that warned strangers to stay away.

"You must be the Behind the Scenes Black Hand."

Ying's voice carried no warmth at all; it was a statement, not a question.

She lowered the tip of her blade slightly, assuming the optimal opening stance.

The Black Shadow did not seem surprised by Ying's sudden appearance; it stepped back half a step, avoiding the area of greatest blade intensity.

From beneath the hat brim came a few light chuckles tinged with a hint of playfulness.

"Ha…"

She did not answer Ying's question; instead, in a leisurely tone she reminded, "Why don't you… take a look behind?"

Ying furrowed her brows; this low‑level attention‑diversion tactic had long been commonplace in the countless battles she had endured.

She firmly trusted her judgment, her gaze never wavering, her entire attention still locked on the enemy ahead.

However—

"Ying… Sister Ying…"

From behind came Pa Duo's voice, filled with incomprehensible panic and a deep sense of helplessness.

Damn!

Ying's heart sank sharply!

In the end she still turned her head, glancing sideways at the rear with the corner of her eye.

With just one glance, her blood nearly froze instantly.

The violet‑red data stream had already coiled around Pa Duo's body!

They covered half of her body, even crawling up half of her cheek.

Pa Duo's pair of eyes, which always sparkled with cleverness and a hint of charm, now—one still retained its original color, filled with fear and confusion, while the other… had been completely overtaken by Corrosion from the eerie violet‑red data, losing its focus like a broken glass bead.

Pa Duo reached out to her, seemingly pleading for rescue, but her movements had become rigid, like a marionette.

"Pa Duo—!"