…At this moment, dusk was settling in.
Streetlights flickered on one by one, and countless pedestrians walked along the cobblestone streets.
Acheron had already sheathed her blade and, with Song Qianqian beside her, quietly stepped onto the road.
They drew no attention.
Meanwhile, Little Yao had wrapped herself around Acheron's neck like a soft, white "scarf."
This inevitably attracted a number of curious glances, though no one found anything particularly strange.
As for whether those gazes were truly directed at Little Yao—
Or something else—
That was harder to say.
"Don't worry. I'm here.
Besides, in this world, almost no one can harm you."
Sensing the slight stiffness around her neck, Acheron spoke softly in reassurance.
Hearing this, Little Yao whispered cautiously,
"R-really?"
"Yes. But you must not be too conspicuous."
After confirming it, Acheron added a small reminder, just in case.
Little Yao nodded seriously in response,
Promising that she would behave.
The exchange between Acheron and the "scarf" did not escape Song Qianqian's notice.
For a brief moment, she felt a hint of envy.
After all, this was the kind of creature one usually only saw in videos—
An otherworldly existence that was both adorable and intelligent.
It was almost impossible to suppress that fluttering girlish excitement.
…
As time passed, the road ahead grew quieter.
Little Yao gradually fell asleep, resting silently.
It was only natural.
Earlier, she had wandered off on her own and ended up getting severely injured.
Now that she had finally relaxed, sleep came easily.
Thus, the journey continued with only Acheron and Song Qianqian remaining awake.
Since it was getting late, Acheron planned to escort Song Qianqian back to school first.
However, along the way, she noticed something.
Song Qianqian seemed unusually subdued.
"Little Qian, why so down?"
Hearing Acheron's question, Song Qianqian hesitated for a moment before voicing what had been weighing on her mind.
"Acheron… do you think Sister Jiang's actions… were right or wrong?"
From their earlier conversation, she had already pieced together part of the truth.
Jiang Qingning's eyes held nothing but hatred.
Because of that, she had chosen a path of darkness—
Hurting many innocent people along the way.
Revenge. Hatred.
At their root, they often came from the loss of loved ones.
It was a common trope in stories.
But in reality…
Song Qianqian did not know the answer.
She was not like Mo Xin or the others, who had experienced such things firsthand.
Perhaps in the past, she would have answered confidently.
But after witnessing another side of the world—after stepping into the cultivation world within the mystic realm—
She could no longer speak so easily.
Jiang Qingning had saved her.
And for that, Song Qianqian was sincerely grateful.
But now…
"…Does it matter?"
Acheron did not answer directly.
She knew that Little Qian could come to her own understanding.
For now, as an ordinary person, she was simply struggling to accept these realities.
"Once, someone told me—
'Show no mercy to your enemies, for that is cruelty to yourself.
But you must recognize who your true enemy is…'
And you must understand the meaning—
And the cost—
Of wielding that blade."
Acheron paused slightly.
"This is the only advice someone burdened with countless blood debts can give."
Little Qian was still just an ordinary person.
Saying more would not change anything.
After all, no one could predict the path ahead.
For now, quiet companionship was enough.
Their pace was unhurried, and the surrounding pedestrians paid no attention to their conversation.
"…Thank you."
After a while, Song Qianqian's mood gradually eased.
The events of the day had been far too overwhelming.
She estimated she would need a few days off to recover—
Leaving poor Mu Yao to attend classes and clock in alone.
But in the end—
Song Qianqian suddenly reached out and gently grasped Acheron's wrist.
The warmth of her fingertips felt as though it could melt ice.
She looked up, meeting Acheron's gaze directly.
Her eyes were filled with sincerity.
"If you ever face difficulties in the future, don't carry them alone.
At least… let me share some of that burden with you."
She knew she was only an ordinary person.
That from now on, she and Acheron might walk entirely different paths.
But—
Someone burdened with countless blood debts…
In the mystic realm, she had seen Acheron's expression with her own eyes.
Combined with everything she knew—
Acheron carried secrets.
A past no one else understood.
Her past was not something beautiful like poetry.
It was more like ruins after a storm—
Every brick and stone hiding wounds that had never healed.
"Even if I can't help much…
At least let me walk beside you."
Acheron looked at Song Qianqian in silence.
For a brief moment—
A faint ripple passed across her cold, beautiful face.
Moonlight draped over her like silver gauze, illuminating the slight curve of her lips.
That subtle smile was like a snow lotus blooming beneath ice—
Delicate, fleeting, yet quietly radiant.
It lasted only an instant.
But it was enough to make Song Qianqian's heart skip a beat.
Acheron gave a slight nod.
"The scenery ahead may be unclear…
But it must be beautiful.
We should all cherish the time we have together."
…
"Tsk… you just walk away after causing all this and leave the mess to me?"
Silver Wolf frowned as she stared at the aftermath.
Although the others were unaware, the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
"Hmph. Next time, I'm definitely switching to a paid service.
Otherwise, you can deal with your own mess!"
She popped a piece of gum into her mouth, muttering under her breath.
Despite her complaints, her hands never stopped working.
"Oh? Didn't expect someone to escape the mystic realm before I even got here… not bad."
While analyzing the mystic realm, Silver Wolf discovered that someone had already left ahead of her.
As for the dozens of others who had entered—
Not a single one had survived.
She did not care about their lives.
What concerned her was something else.
Crack—
Silver Wolf pushed up her camouflage goggles and looked toward the night sky with a troubled expression.
The darkness above resembled shattered glass.
A tiny red fissure had split open in midair—
And was slowly spreading.
The mystic realm had originally been confined within the forest.
Earlier, when Acheron reached its boundary, she had stepped beyond it effortlessly—
Like a needle piercing thin paper, leaving almost no trace.
But after that single strike—
After the world itself had been split—
The boundary now showed signs of instability.
Silver Wolf, however, was completely unaware of the true cause.
At this moment, her face was filled with frustration.
Even her favorite gum tasted bland.
She simply could not understand what Acheron had done to create such a disaster.
"…Don't tell me…"
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes at the crack in the sky.
"Did she really split that entire world in half with a single strike?"