Chapter 849: Su… Sister?

She was a tall woman, with a slender, well‑proportioned figure, her gray‑brown hair falling from her shoulders, excessively thick, blown by the sea wind into a spread of unevenly shaded gray‑brown and tea‑brown behind her.

Her sunglasses were pushed up above her forehead, revealing a pair of wine‑rose eyes that at this moment were widening at a visibly rapid pace.

She had an oval face, a cool‑toned set of features, but that coolness shattered now, replaced by unabashed panic.

The more crucial point was her outfit; though covered by a towel, it was still visible—a two‑piece swimsuit of soft white and misty black, the neckline wide open, both shoulders exposed, and a large area of pale skin below the neck laid bare.

The lower half was an asymmetrical swimsuit in the same color scheme, with a slender black‑and‑white strap wound around the right thigh.

This look, this face, this figure, and that peacock‑feather hair ornament—

The first name that popped into Heimu's mind was "Wei Ta".

But she also knew that, according to the current Script, Wei Ta could not possibly be here.

So the answer could only be one.

An answer that made her extremely uneasy.

"Su?"

She didn't call the name aloud; she ran it through her mind and, at the same time, brought up the System Panel.

The identity‑reading cursor flickered over that silhouette, and the returned data plainly read: imprint "Tianhui", Su.

The gender field was starkly filled with a clear, crisp "female".

Heimu's mouth twitched a second time.

She raised a hand to touch her chin, forcibly flattening the upward curve that was forming.

Alright, Su.

The Awakened of Past World Paradise, Kaiwen's lighthouse, was at this moment wearing Wei Ta's swimsuit, exposing back and thighs, standing on the tropical island's beach, expression as if pondering the meaning of life.

The scene was so surreal that Heimu's urge to mock rose in her throat in multiple waves, finally compressed by great will into a profoundly meaningful silence.

On Su's side, it was a different kind of silence.

Her mind, within a fraction of a second, ran through an entire psychological progression from "it's over" to "completely over".

She had just wrapped the towel around herself when she noticed the Big Yellow Duck accelerating, so close that she could see each person's expression on its back, and realized something was wrong!

Before she could react, the Big Yellow Duck had already surged onto the sand.

The speed of this group completely exceeded her estimate.

She had thought an inflatable toy's speed at sea would be at most drifting, never expecting it could generate a car‑like thrust.

The information Ailixiya gave promised "no one else", yet now a boat of four arrived, three looking familiar, the leader even a known face, plus the subtle curve of her mouth when she sized him up, and a silence so suffocating it made one want to dig a hole and bury oneself, all of which kept this secret for her.

The other half of Su's Health Bar also dropped.

She knows!

She absolutely knows!

But, the show still began!

Su simply draped the towel over her shoulder, unhidden, forcing herself to stand upright.

Her cool‑gentle face blossomed into a bright, friendly smile.

The wine‑rose eyes curved into two pleasant arcs, lashes casting faint shadows in the sun, the sunglasses pushed up to the forehead pinning down the wind‑tossed strands.

"Ah—"

Her voice was soft and bright, carrying just the right amount of surprise and welcome.

"Didn't expect to meet visitors here. May I ask how many of you are?"

As she spoke, her right hand naturally withdrew from the woven basket, then fell to her side.

Her left arm bent slightly, letting the mist‑black gauze sleeve slide down from the shoulder to cover as much of the exposed shoulder as possible.

These covering motions blended into her natural body language, as if merely a swimsuit‑clad woman instinctively modest before strangers.

In fact, the muscles in her back were stretched to the point of cramping.

Her lower back was exposed to the air; the sea breeze felt cool, each chill reminding her that her back had no fabric.

In her whole life, from the pre‑civilization era to the Past World Paradise era, the sum of all clothing she'd worn never even approached the sheer exposure of today's piece.

Ailixiya, I'll settle this bill with you later!

She silently tallied it in her mind, while her smile remained unchanged.

Ying was the second to leap from the Big Yellow Duck, Foot‑long dagger already raised in hand, her gray‑purple eyes scanning Su back and forth.

She said nothing.

The woman before her bore no resemblance in appearance or aura to any Yingjie in her memory (?), yet this island should have no outsiders!

The appearance of an unknown person on an island that should have none was enough to raise her alertness to the maximum.

She halted three steps away from Su, her weight slightly lowered, the blade still sheathed, but the fingers gripping the hilt tightened a notch.

Her pink, medium‑short hair fluttered by the ear in the sea breeze; she turned her head to glance at Heimu, awaiting orders.

Heimu gave no orders.

Heimu was busy admiring Su's overly radiant smile with a spectator's expression.

She even crossed her arms over her chest, the Witch Hat's brim pressed down to hide her subtly upturned mouth corner.

Fine, Teacher Su, you continue the performance, I'll just watch quietly; inside her mind, comments scrolled rapidly, yet her face bore only a faint, half‑present smile, appearing contemplative but actually suppressing laughter.

Ge Lei Xiu also came down.

When Ying descended, she lightly rested a hand on her wrist, releasing only after she steadied herself.

The ice‑blue shoulder‑length hair swayed at the shoulders, a golden hair ornament reflecting sunlight, the white off‑shoulder uniform's skirt hem lifted by the wind, white silk‑wrapped calves pressed into the sand, producing a rustling sound as they sank.

After she steadied herself, those pale‑purple eyes settled on Su.

She didn't look at Su's swimsuit nor Su's sunglasses; she only looked at Su's face.

Or rather, she was looking at the wine‑rose eyes on Su's face.

She tilted her head; in her pale violet eyes there was no surprise, only a focused recognition of something that needed confirming.

Su noticed Ge Lei Xiu's gaze.

Not good!!!

In her mind a bold line looped crazily: "Don't speak, don't speak, don't speak"—Ge Lei Xiu took a step forward.

Su kept a smile, letting her gaze drift naturally away from Ge Lei Xiu, intending to divert attention, and continued in a friendly voice: "This little island rarely gets visitors; I happened upon it by chance. Are you all just passing by, or—"

She hadn't finished speaking.

Ge Lei Xiu spoke.

The voice was soft, steady and gentle, as if stating something certain.

"Su… sister?"

The air froze the instant those three words landed.

The sea breeze still blew, the palm fronds still rustled, distant gulls still croaked with smoky throats, but within a ten‑step radius of the pavilion, every living thing seemed muted.