Chapter 361: A Bit Familiar

"No trouble, no trouble!"

San Yue Qi walked in, placed the fruit basket she was holding on the nightstand, pulled a chair and sat down, "Sakura and Rin have been good, studying seriously, even helping me with chores! Uncle Tohsaka, just focus on recovering; getting better quickly is the most important thing!"

She truly took caring for the neighbor's child as a responsibility, her eyes filled with sincerity.

This moved Shichen quite a bit; in this unfamiliar city, encountering such enthusiastic neighbor sisters was truly lucky.

The two chatted about everyday matters, mainly San Yue Qi recounting the amusing incidents of Sakura and Rin at school and home; Shichen listened, a faint comforting smile appearing on his face, temporarily forgetting the pain in his hips and the boredom of being hospitalized.

Just then, the ward door was knocked again.

"Hmm?"

San Yue Qi got up to open the door.

When the door opened, standing outside was Chang Ye Yue.

She gave San Yue Qi a slight nod, her crimson eyes glanced into the ward, then she stepped aside and said to the inside, "Mr. Tohsaka, look who's come to see you."

Shichen, lying on the bed, strained to turn his head toward the doorway, feeling a bit puzzled.

At this hour, who else could be here besides the regular visiting neighbors and the doctors and nurses?

Then he saw the figure walking into the ward behind Chang Ye Yue.

A black priest's robe, meticulously trimmed short hair, an expressionless face, and those hollow eyes.

Yan Feng Qili.

Shichen was stunned for a moment.

(Who... is this?)

(Looks a bit familiar...)

(But why... does my heart suddenly feel uneasy?)

Before he could sort out that vague sense of familiarity and the inexplicable resistance stirring in his heart, Yan Feng Qili had already reached the bedside.

He stopped, slightly bowed his head, looking at the disheveled Shichen lying on the bed, his face still bearing that flat, expressionless look, then in his steady, clear tone called out:

"Teacher."

That single "Teacher" was like a massive stone dropped into a calm lake, and also like a forcibly sealed switch being flipped!

Shichen felt a "Boom—" in his head!

The hazy images instantly sharpened—betrayal's dagger, the disarray at the street corner, the ultimate humiliation in the alley, the death threat in the abandoned building, and the scorching, indelible pain in his hip like a brand...

Everything, like fast‑forwarded film frames, surged into his consciousness alongside the smug, pretentious face before him!

"You... you... you!!!"

Shichen's eyes widened instantly, pupils constricted, the color draining from his face cleanly, then swelling red from extreme Rage.

He pointed at Yan Feng Qili, his fingers trembling violently; the feigned weakness and courtesy he had kept vanished, replaced by fury and madness.

The wound on his hip, already nearly numbed by the Illusion Realm, now seemed ignited, sending sharp stabbing pains that reminded him of those unbearable memories.

"You heretic! Beast! Despicable, shameless, filthy traitor!!"

Shichen's voice was a bit distorted by his agitation and the prone position, but the hatred poured out, "You still have the nerve to call me Teacher?! How dare you appear before me?! Why don't you just die!!!"

He struggled to sit up, apparently trying to lunge and strangle the scoundrel, but the injury in his hip prevented the movement, instead pulling a wave of excruciating pain that made him hiss, becoming even more disheveled.

Yan Feng Qili watched the teacher's outburst silently; his face twisted by Rage and pain, those hollow eyes showing a faint, icy ripple that quietly spread again.

(This ultimate Rage, collapsing elegance, naked hatred...)

(Indeed, a genuine reaction, most worth savoring.)

(Pleasurable forms, indeed varied.)

His face still bore that seemingly world‑bearing innocence, even tilting his head slightly, as if wondering why the teacher was so agitated.

"Teacher, please calm down."

He said in a tone that seemed considerate of the teacher, "Your injury requires rest; emotional upheaval hinders recovery. I only heard you were hospitalized, and as a student, I ought to come to visit..."

"Visit?! You're here to mock me, right? You devil! Get out! Get out of here!!!"

Shichen was almost furious, grabbed an apple nearby and hurled it.

Next to him, San Yue Qi stared dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events, her mouth forming an O.

Chang Ye Yue wore an unsurprised expression, her crimson eyes calmly sweeping over the raging Shichen and the "innocent" Yan Feng Qili, silently assessing the awakening effect.

(Hmm, seems the stimulus was very successful.)

(Shichen, clear confirmation.)

(The lady truly is formidable.)

She subtly tugged the still-dazed San Yue Qi, signaling her to stay calm.

Perspective shift.

Heimu reclined on the soft couch of the observation deck, fingertips absentmindedly tracing the rim of a teacup, his violet‑black eyes fixed on the rolling sea of clouds in the distance, though his focus was clearly elsewhere.

Deep in his consciousness, reports from various battlefronts were being compiled with astonishing efficiency.

【System】: Node destruction progress update.

【Dongmu City Civic Hall Node】: purified.

Executors: A Xing, Gui Naifen, Ailisi Feier.

Encountered a medium‑scale Insect Swarm and Illusion Realm guardians, cleared.

Miss Gui Naifen displayed an extra purification trait against corrupt magic in this battle.

【Winterwood Grand Bridge Node】: purified. Executors: Insect‑Armor Assassin.

A stealth and targeted destruction mode was employed, without triggering a large‑scale alarm.

【Yuan Cang Shan Underground Leyline Confluence Node】: purified.

Four Nodes, three have been destroyed.

This means that the "pillars" supporting the entire Illusion Realm of Dongmu City will soon collapse completely.

Having lost stable supply and structural support, that massive Illusion Realm built by Huan Long's power and suppressed by the Suppression Force is now in a countdown to collapse.

Once the Illusion Realm collapses, all consciousnesses trapped within will return to reality, and combat will become the main thread.

With Gui Naifen, the awakened Black Tower, and any external forces that might intervene…

Eliminating that half‑dead "Huan Long's Cocoon" and the scattered Insect Swarm seems only a matter of time.

Then?

Heimu's thoughts got stuck here for a moment.

Then, the aftermath of the Holy Grail War needs to be tidied up, the Suppression Force transaction needs to be completed, Huo Huo must be found and safely brought back, and the subsequent effects on Dongmu City must be dealt with… These are troublesome, but just handle them step by step.

The thing that truly makes her heart "thump" is another issue—

The Black Tower is about to return.

The Black Tower, the #83 of the Genius Club and an Intellect Envoy whose temperament is far from good.

Once she leaves the Illusion Realm and returns to reality, what will be the first thing she does?

She will definitely return to Xianzhou immediately!

When that time comes, how can this impostor of mine still be in Xianzhou Luofu, bearing the "face" of Black Tower, and accompanying Walter in a star performance.

"What am I supposed to play?!"

Heimu can almost picture Black Tower descending onto Xianzhou, cold‑ly scanning this "pirated" version of himself with those eyes, wearing that "oh, it's you" mocking expression, followed by an "academic exchange" (physics).

No way!

We absolutely cannot let Black Tower return so quickly!

At least until the matters on Xianzhou are wrapped up relatively safely, or I find a suitable "exit" method, Black Tower must not appear in Luofu!

"System,"

Heimu urgently calls out in his mind, "Is there any way, after the Holy Grail War ends, to slightly… delay Black Tower's return? Or give her something else to do?"

【System】: Analyzing feasibility…

Warning: High‑priority anomaly report detected.

【System】: Due to multiple critical Nodes being destroyed, the overall stability of the Illusion Realm has sharply declined, and internal logic is beginning to collapse.

It is expected that, before total collapse, a large number of illogical events will occur.

"Illogical?"

Heimu's attention is drawn back, "Specifically, what does that refer to?"