Chapter 15: Friends?

Ah?

Bai Hang froze for a moment, then realized that "she" referred to Black Curtain Lady; she scratched her head and answered honestly, "I'm a little scared… She… can be quite frightening at times, especially those eyes—when they look at you, it feels like everything in your heart is seen through…"

She muttered softly, then quickly added, "But! She saved my life! Though the method was a bit… strange, and she even made me call her master…"

She blushed again at that.

"Rescue?" Xi Lian caught that word.

Hmm!

Bai Hang nodded vigorously, her gaze turning distant with the sentiment of a survivor, "I originally… should have already been dead. In a great battle, to destroy a terrifying thing… she pulled me out of the explosion."

She didn't go into detail about Xianzhou and Shuhuo, thinking it might be too complicated.

Xi Lian listened quietly, thoughts flowing in her azure eyes.

A being that can rescue others' lives…

And the "Iron Tomb" that binds her here, exuding cold malice, seems to hold some contradiction.

Bai Hang watched Xi Lian's silence, and the urge in her heart to help her grew stronger.

She walked a few steps around the lower part of the chains, tilted her head and observed carefully, "These chains… don't seem like solid metal? They feel… more like some kind of energy or…"

She tried to reach out, intending to touch the nearest chain, but her fingertips stopped a few centimeters away, a chilling, bone‑piercing repulsion preventing her from getting closer.

Useless.

Xi Lian spoke softly, her tone bearing a resigned calm, "This is the manifestation of Iron Tomb's power, both a binding and… a scar."

It is the solidified painful memory that was Corroded and controlled.

Scar…

Bai Hang chewed on the word, watching Xi Lian's dim eyes, feeling extremely distressed inside.

She clenched her small fist, her gaze firming, "No! We can't give up! Miss Black Curtain… though she seems cold, I think she's not entirely unreasonable! Maybe… maybe there's a way to beg her? Or… we could find a way to break these chains ourselves?"

Bai Hang began to look around wildly, searching for any possible switches or weak points, even trying to jump to reach the chains, but her height and leaping ability fell far short; her clumsy yet diligent attempts formed a strange contrast with the gloomy surroundings.

Xi Lian watched her bounce like a small animal trying to reach a high snack, her mouth corner twitching slightly—hardly a smile, yet it dispelled a hint of gloom from her eyes.

The unfamiliar girl with fox ears was like an unexpected light shining into the abyss, faint yet bringing a long‑missed, vibrant breath of "life".

"Bai… Hang?" Xi Lian spoke again, awkwardly uttering her name.

Hmm! I'm here!

Bai Hang immediately stopped her futile jumps, lifted her face, her azure eyes sparkling as she looked at Xi Lian.

"…Thank you," Xi Lian said softly.

Thank you for your concern, thank you for this untimely yet incredibly precious kindness.

Bai Hang froze for a moment, then a brilliant smile blossomed on her face, as if it could dispel the surrounding darkness: "No need to thank me! We… we are friends now, right?"

She asked cautiously, with a hint of expectation.

Friends?

Xi Lian looked at those crystal‑clear eyes, and a cold, hard corner of her heart seemed to loosen ever so slightly.

She gave no answer, only blinked again, extremely subtly.

Bai Hang took this as consent, and her smile grew brighter.

She silently vowed in her heart to find a way to help this sad yet gentle friend trapped by the chains.

Perspective shift.

Black Curtain Lady's figure silently reappeared in the pure white System Space.

She smoothed her not‑messy skirt, her gaze habitually scanning the surroundings, then she narrowed slightly— the white Hu Niang was gone.

Hmm?

She thought for a moment, summoned the System Panel, and quickly retrieved the recorded footage from the space.

In the footage, Bai Hang was like a curious yet timid little animal, first hiding behind a fence and peeking, then carefully descending the stairs toward the chain‑bound Xi Lian, followed by their conversation about "Iron Tomb is too terrible", "Miss Black Curtain is a bit scary but saved me", and "Let's be friends"…

Watching Bai Hang's clumsy attempts to bounce and reach the chains, and the faint melting frost in Xi Lian's eyes from the stranger's kindness, Black Curtain Lady's mouth twitched uncontrollably a few times.

(Inner monologue: This… why does this development feel weird? I clearly came to be the villain, yet as the scene goes on it feels like I'm turning into… uh, a domineering master with her two poor little ones? Also, Bai Hang, I heard your "too terrible" jab!)

She rubbed her forehead, feeling that the direction of events seemed to deviate from a typical "villain" trajectory.

In truth, she wanted more than anyone to end Xi Lian's misery immediately, but her gaze caught the glaring 【Core Repair Degree: 28%】 on the System Panel…

(Inner lament: Still 2% short! Just that damned 2%! And I have to keep being the "villain" to earn it! What the heck is Aha's stupid rule!)

A vague irritation rose in her mind.

Her gaze unintentionally fell on the nearby Black Tower Doll, standing still like an exquisite ornament.

The doll retained the classic Black Tower design— a petite body, visible intricate joints, wearing the signature beret, its face delicate yet lifeless, like a toy waiting to be wound.

On a whim, Black Curtain Lady lifted her hand, her slender fingertips slowly approaching the doll's cheek.

Just as she was about to touch, the System Panel suddenly popped up a prompt before her:

【Detected an unowned high‑grade carrier suitable for assimilation/modification. Proceed with 'Corrosion' and 'Personalized Reshaping'?】

Black Curtain Lady was slightly startled.

(Inner thought: Ownerless? Oh right, I've already severed its link to the Black Tower itself… Personalized Reshaping? Sounds kind of interesting?)

With a hint of curiosity and perhaps the chance to find a new "toy" to distract herself, she chose 【Yes】.

In an instant, violet‑red data streams, like living tendrils, surged from Black Curtain Lady's fingertips, swiftly enveloping the entire Black Tower Doll!

The data streams roiled like boiling solution, violently rolling and reconstructing on the doll's surface!

After a few breaths, the violet‑red glow faded.

The original Black Tower Doll had already changed dramatically!

The doll's figure remained petite, but on its once‑pure cheek, faint violet vines spread from the corner of the eye, adding an eerie mystique.

The familiar outfit on the body had been altered to a dark‑toned style, the fabric seemed stiffer, the details were adorned with simple yet aesthetically pleasing silver skull motifs, and the hem was cut cleanly, giving off a gothic‑fashion vibe.

The hair turned deep violet, like nightfall descending.

The most striking feature was the opened eyes—originally inorganic, now transformed into a deep violet‑red, and within the pupil a tiny inverted cross pattern was clearly imprinted!

The doll stiffly turned its neck, emitting a faint mechanical sound, then faced Heimu, arms outstretched, and in a completely flat, inorganic voice announced each line with a pause:

"Black Curtain Lady! Peerless in the world!"

"Black Curtain Lady! Supremely intelligent!"

"Black Curtain Lady! So beautiful it makes fish sink and geese fall!"

"Black Curtain Lady! So beautiful it eclipses the moon and shames the flowers!"