Chapter 115: Destiny Is Truly Precious

Wow!

Bai Hang was startled into a shiver, nearly leapt off the cart.

She snapped her head around and saw, in the shadow at the alley mouth, Jing Liu standing there silently, having watched for an unknown length of time.

She was still dressed the same: a black Eye Mask, a snow‑white high ponytail, and an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

Bai Hang's mind rang alarm bells: "When did she catch up?! I clearly shook her off! Are her legs equipped with a Star Chariot Engine?!"

Her face quickly formed a practiced fake smile, her tone exaggeratedly surprised: "Uh! I‑I'm honored, sir! Um… no, sir, your legs are quite swift!"

"Um, sir, uh, today… hmm, we're closing early! Yes, closed! It's getting late, how about… come tomorrow? Our shop treats everyone fairly, we guarantee your satisfaction!"

She spoke while trying to quietly hop back onto the cart, ready to slip away at any moment.

Jing Liu seemed not to hear her evasive words, merely lifting his head slightly; though wearing an Eye Mask, he gave a "gazing to the heavens" impression and calmly stated, "It's still early. Why such haste?"

Bai Hang's mind raced, spouting nonsense: "Uh, something at home! Yes, the stew's simmering! Oh dear, I think the stove fire isn't out yet! Look at my memory!"

She pretended to pat her head, moving swiftly to pedal, "I must rush back to check, or the house catching fire will be a trouble!"

Yet, as soon as she pressed the pedal, a cool hand lightly pressed the cart's handrail, its force small but carrying an undeniable weight, freezing her in place.

Jing Liu's voice remained unruffled: "I haven't bought yet."

Bai Hang: "……"

She felt her smile hardening into a mask.

Reluctantly, she stepped off again, resignedly setting up her stall, weakly saying, "Then… sir, which do you like? Pick any, choose any."

Jing Liu's gaze swept over the pile of He Ta Zhou Bian, finally fixing on Bai Hang's face: "You, recommend one."

Bai Hang sighed inwardly; this meant he wasn't going to let her go easily.

She casually grabbed from the hanging ornaments a tiny metal piece that looked the most inconspicuous, stamped with a simplified Black Tower Space Station Emblem, and handed it over: "This one, low‑key, durable, and… wards off evil!"

She truly couldn't think of any other merits for this trinket.

As Jing Liu reached to take the ornament, his attention seemingly captured, Bai Hang seized the chance, like a startled rabbit, agilely turning to leap onto the seat—

"Stop."

The cold two words, as if bearing invisible chill, instantly froze Bai Hang's movement in place.

A sharp sword aura seemed to lock onto her, chilling her spine, daring her not to move a fraction.

Bai Hang, with a pained expression, slowly turned, forcing out a smile uglier than crying: "Sir… sir… what further orders do you have?"

Jing Liu walked forward at an unhurried pace until the distance was close enough for Bai Hang to see the fine pattern on his Eye Mask.

She raised her hand, fingertips clutching the tiny ornament, tone flat and steady:

"Haven't paid yet."

Bai Hang: "!!!"

She was so focused on running that she forgot this incident!

"No, no money! No money!"

Bai Hang hurriedly waved her hand, almost thrusting the item into his arms, "Consider it… destiny! I'll give it to you! Yes, destiny!"

Jing Liu said nothing, just watched her.

That gaze, even through the Eye Mask, seemed to carry a thousand‑pound weight, pressing immense pressure on Bai Hang.

Bai Hang yielded, weakly rephrasing: "Then… you decide how much to give?"

Jing Liu drew a few Patrol Arrows from his sleeve, placing them on Bai Hang's open palm.

Bai Hang saw the amount far exceeded the broken ornament's value by more than tenfold.

"I… can't take this much…"

She tried to ask for change.

Jing Liu withdrew his hand, calmly saying, "It's all destiny."

Bai Hang: "……" (Your destiny is truly costly!)

She looked at the heavy Patrol Arrows in her hand, then at Jing Liu's "I'm in charge" expression, completely losing her temper.

"Fine, you have the money, you decide."

She carefully stored the Patrol Arrows, tentatively asking, "Then… sir, this time… am I really leaving?"

Jing Liu gave a slight nod.

Bai Hang, as if pardoned, scrambled up the cart with hands and feet, twisted the handle, the cart wheels skidding, and with a "whoosh" she darted out, so fast only a after‑image remained, vanishing in an instant at the other end of the alley, fearing a slower step would get her called back.

Jing Liu stood alone where he was, fingers rubbing the cold metal ornament, "gazing" toward Bai Hang's vanished direction, unmoving for a long while.

She whispered to herself, her voice so light it almost vanished in the wind:

"In the end, is it you…"

Pure White Space

Ying snapped open her eyes, and an endless expanse of pure white filled her sight.

No sky, no ground, no sense of distance, as if standing within a void.

(Is this…? The afterlife? No, that's wrong… I'm a Data Body of Past World Paradise, theoretically not truly dead… so what is this…?)

Thoughts just began to churn, and that piercing memory instantly rewound—Pa Duo's terrified face, the knife through the body, the shattered, fading silhouette, and Heimu's cold whisper…

"Pa Duo…!"

She instinctively let out a low cry, a fierce guilt flooding her like a tide.

She painfully closed her eyes, body trembling slightly, knuckles whitening from the clenched fists.

It was me, with my own hands…

Ying?

A voice, slightly hesitant yet familiar like a cat's, gently sounded, as if right beside the ear.

Ying stiffened all over, flung her eyes open, and looked toward the sound in disbelief.

Not far in front of her, Pa Duo stood there unharmed, head tilted, eyes full of pure worry, looking at her: "Ying sis? Are you okay? Your complexion looks awful..."

Not a hallucination? Or a false image?

That familiar aura, that one-of-a-kind feeling...

"Pa Duo!"

Ying all but lunged forward, scooping up the petite cat-eared girl and holding her tight in her arms; her arms trembled from the effort, her voice choked with unsuppressible sobs: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Pa Duo... I..."

She repeated the apology over and over, as if only that could ease the bone-deep guilt.

"Wah! Ying, Ying sis! Too tight! I can't breathe!"

Pa Duo's face turned red from being choked, she flailed her hands on Ying's back, trying to break free: "AiLi sis! Help! Ying sis seems off!"

"Oh dear, it seems our 'Shana' hero also has moments like this."

A light, pleasant voice came, laced with laughter.

Ying lifted her head, only then noticing that Ailixiya and Ge Lei Xiu had also appeared in this Pure White Space at some point.

Ailixiya had her hands behind her back, her pretty face bearing her usual bright smile that seemed to dispel all gloom.

Ge Lei Xiu stood quietly beside her, her glass-like purple eyes curiously scanning Ying, then the tightly held Pa Duo; in her hand she now held a small sketchpad, absently smearing it with her fingertip.

Ailixiya stepped forward, lightly patted Ying's shoulder, her tone gentle yet undeniable: "All right, Ying, let go of little Pa Duo? You're about to squish her into a cat-shaped pastry. Whatever you have to say, we can talk slowly."