Chapter 18: Acting

Black Curtain Lady again turned her gaze toward the chain-bound Xi Lian, and a feeling of utter absurdity welled up in her heart.

(inner thoughts: Wanting to recall the past……uh, although I don't have a 'past', but in the game, the Golden Descendant exclusive, gave the Black Tower the cold shoulder! I never expected, never expected, the feng shui turns, today it's my turn to be this 'landlord'! This is called heavenly justice cycles, who does heaven spare!)

Of course, these random past-life game memes were just a flash.

She quickly got into character, speaking in a deliberately lowered, heavy voice:

"You,"

She stared at Xi Lian with a gaze like a torch (she thinks), "Any last words?"

Xi Lian kept her eyes shut, crystal tears hanging from her long eyelashes, sliding down her cheeks.

She seemed to squeeze out a few words with all her strength, her voice broken and desperate: "... No more to say... hurry... act..."

(inner thoughts: This…should be enough, right? Following her words…the performance is over…)

Heimu nodded slightly, (inner thoughts: The emotion is spot on! This broken feeling, that desperate little gaze! I'm almost moved!)

However, no task-completion chime sounded in her mind.

She glanced sideways doubtfully, only to see a semi-transparent small panel appear silently:

【Performance Score: 7/10】

【Commentary: Emotion full, lines precise, but lacking a bit……not enough 'fun' oh~】

【——From Aha Liu, who expects more fun】

Heimu frowned.

(inner thoughts: Only 7 points? Aha, your standards are too high! Isn't this tragic enough? Do we have to make it a melodramatic prime-time soap?)

She was a bit impatient, but for that 2% repair degree, she had to grit her teeth and again said solemnly to Xi Lian: "Not enough! Do it again!"

Xi Lian suddenly opened her tear-filled eyes, incredulously staring at Heimu, her lips trembling slightly, then she pressed them shut and resignedly lowered her head again, gathering her emotions.

(inner thoughts: Why……why must I be tormented like this……)

Let's rewind a few minutes, when Heimu had just sent Bai Hang away and faced Xi Lian alone:

Xi Lian watched warily as Heimu stepped closer; the icy, malicious aura emanating from her (under the Aha Filter) made her shudder.

However, Heimu's first words caught her off guard: "First, don't question, just listen to me."

Heimu's tone left no room for doubt: "We, let's perform a play."

"A play?"

Xi Lian's eyes were full of doubt, which quickly turned into deeper wariness.

How could she cooperate with this "Iron Tomb" that imprisoned her here?

Heimu wasn't surprised by her reaction; she had long expected she wouldn't yield easily.

She snapped her fingers, and a light screen instantly unfolded between them.

"You must listen to me."

Heimu's voice carried a hint of danger: "Otherwise……"

She deliberately paused, her gaze sweeping over the light screen, "Do you recognize……Na Ke Xia?"

Heimu slowly uttered that name, observing Xi Lian's reaction.

Upon hearing that name, immense sorrow instantly surged in Xi Lian's azure eyes.

Na Ke Xia……

That wise and gentle scholar, a companion of Weng Fa Luo Si and a member of the Golden Descendants……

What happened to him?

A faint, almost imperceptible curve rose at the corner of Heimu's mouth, like a hunter who'd seized a deadly lever; just thinking about what she was about to do, she could barely contain herself.

"Guess, how is he now……"

Before her words finished, the light screen blazed to life, an extremely impactful scene accompanied by demonically catchy background music (imagine a rhythm‑filled, exotic Indian dance tune) began to play!

At the center of the screen was none other than the scholar familiar to Xi Lian—Na Ke Xia!

But his current state made Xi Lian's pupils quake, directly striking her cognitive baseline!

Only to see Na Ke Xia completely devoid of his usual composure and wisdom, frantically twisting his body against a backdrop that looked like the domain of an Earth Beast!

His movements were exaggerated and lawless, his face bearing a near‑manic grin, his voice hoarse from singing off‑key to the music's rhythm:

"Earth Beast~my true love~!"

"Hahahahahahahaha~!"

"Come to Daddy's arms~!"

"Hahahahaha~!"

He clutched an Earth Beast plush toy tightly, sometimes raising it high, sometimes hugging it to his chest, swaying wildly with the dance moves, the whole scene filled with indescribable abstraction and spiritual pollution!

The demonic melody, the frenzied dance, plus the fact that Na Ke Xia's normally solemn, wise visage now wore a silly face……

All this combined to form an abstract image capable of mentally shattering anyone who knows him!

Xi Lian: "!!!!!!!!"

Her whole body froze, her azure eyes widening to perfect circles, her mouth slightly open, as if struck by a thunderbolt, completely petrified.

This, this is Na Ke Xia?!

(Note: This abstract video clip is a spiritual‑pollution level‑2 fanwork unearthed by Heimu from a pink small TV in her past‑life memories, now used as her trump card to "persuade" Xi Lian.)

Heimu timely shut off the light screen, the demonic music ceased abruptly, leaving Xi Lian standing there doubting life.

"Did you see that?"

Heimu said in a tone almost pitying, "This is the fate of non‑cooperation. Spiritual invasion, cognitive distortion……he is now exactly like this, already a happy madman."

She gazed at Xi Lian's world‑shattering, near‑despairing expression and slowly added, "So, if you agree, just obediently listen to me from now on, cooperate with me to finish this play……I might consider letting him recover a bit."

She pointed to where the light screen had been, "At least……he won't continue like this……well, 'lively and cheerful'."

Xi Lian bites down hard on her lower lip, almost drawing blood.

She cannot imagine her companion suffering such inhuman torture (as she sees it), and she cannot bear to see Ke Xia, a rational scholar, become like that in the picture.

The immense grief and worry for her companion overwhelm her personal humiliation and fear.

"……I… I promise you…" She almost exhausted all her strength, squeezing these few words from between her teeth.

For her companion, she has no other choice.

Thus, there came the opening scene of a 'Bitter Fate Mandarin Ducks'-like (one-sided) tragedy of parting in life and death.

Xi Lian genuinely put herself into a degree of worry for her companion's situation and her own predicament.

Unfortunately, the audience (Aha) demanded too much.

Heimu looked at the glaring '7' on the scoreboard, then at Xi Lian, who was forced to stir up her emotions again, feeling that playing this villain was truly exhausting.

"Are you ready?"

Heimu cleared his throat, trying to find a more 'tense' feeling, 'We…… let's start the second round.'

Xi Lian closed her eyes, tears clinging to her long eyelashes, silently apologizing to Ke Xia in her heart, then she threw herself even more 'into' it, immersing herself in the coerced grief and helplessness.