Little Black might not have believed Mu Anqi, but she herself did.
Feeling at ease, she rubbed Little Black again. Mu Anqi wasn't in a hurry to return to the Nirvana Space. She drew some hot water for herself and asked Ji Huaichu for the ingredients for the medicinal bath, soaking for a while. After her energy almost recovered, Mu Anqi lay down on her treasured recliner, completely relaxed, not wanting to move again.
When Ji Huaichu finished bathing and went to get dinner from Mu Xiaobai before opening the door to call Mu Anqi, she saw her slumped on the recliner with her eyes closed, resting.
"Want to eat dinner?"
"Eat!" Mu Anqi, with firm willpower, overcame the temptation of the recliner and instantly got up from it.
After eating and drinking her fill, Mu Anqi carefully washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then lay down together with Ji Huaichu.
…Mu Anqi couldn't fall asleep.
Or rather, lying next to General Ji made her unable to stop overthinking. The details of the Black Mirror Vortex slowly resurfaced in her mind. Her actions would cause the game to reset, and General Ji's forced breaking of the formation would also cause a reset, but after all her later crazy maneuvers… "General, did I affect your breaking of the formation?"
For example, just when she had a bit of a lead, the world reset again?
"You created an opportunity for me," Ji Huaichu turned to her side and said softly, "Besides, I kissed you back."
"!" Mu Anqi's ears turned red, and she instantly remembered that kiss under the bridal sedan. That really was… Ji Huaichu rarely showed strong possessiveness, and even when she kissed her, she was usually restrained. But those times when she kissed her until her legs went weak… weren't exactly few.
Mu Anqi had almost managed to forget about it, but Ji Huaichu brought it up again.
"But General, you also made me reset many times," Mu Anqi said. "I can practically recite that part of the plot by heart now."
"It was my fault. You can kiss me back."
Mu Anqi immediately fell silent. She looked at Ji Huaichu with a hint of accusation, feeling that the General's lack of need for breathing was really cheating. She clearly wanted to kiss the General until she was dizzy and breathless, best if her legs went weak and she collapsed into her arms—but Ji Huaichu, in essence, was a ghost.
Trying to kiss a ghost until they're dizzy… that's really hard. Mu Anqi sighed. She didn't bother to hide these thoughts; she told Ji Huaichu everything in her heart, just looked at the General with grievance, as if asking her to come up with a solution herself.
"That's really a pity, but I don't want to pretend, I don't want to deceive you," Ji Huaichu said softly. She shifted her body and slowly snuggled into Mu Anqi's arms, lifting her head to brush the corner of her lips against Mu Anqi's chin. "Do you like this?"
"…You're really adorable." Ji Huaichu said, "If I were to faint in your arms, it would definitely be because your cuteness made me dizzy."
Mu Anqi truly had no idea where Ji Huaichu had learned to say things like that. Yet, the General's tone remained as gentle and cool as ever, without a hint of teasing. She was speaking those… love words? Or heartfelt words?… with utter seriousness. Mu Anqi couldn't help but laugh, but fearing she might discourage Ji Huaichu, she forced down her laughter and wrapped her arms around her. Lowering her head, she imitated Ji Huaichu's movements and gently kissed her hair, then her forehead.
The night was silent, and Mu Anqi's heartbeat grew louder. Her breathing gradually quickened as she earnestly and reverently bit Ji Huaichu's lips. Her fingertips brushed against Ji Huaichu's cheek—her eyelashes were long… perhaps because she had become a ghost, even her skin was flawless. Mu Anqi soon lost the mind to think about such things. As the oxygen between their lips and noses grew scarce, she once again fell into a disadvantage, gasping as Ji Huaichu turned her over and pressed her down, beginning another round of interlaced-fingers kissing.
…Like two young lovers who had only just started dating, just kissing under the same blanket was enough to make their faces flush and hearts race in excitement.
Ji Huaichu gently and rhythmically helped Mu Anqi catch her breath, and in the end softly kissed away the tears that had overflowed from her excitement. Lowering her head, she lightly bit Mu Anqi's earlobe, but in the end did not leave a mark of blood on her neck.
"It feels really good," Ji Huaichu said.
Mu Anqi responded with a quiet sound; she hadn't held back from touching the General's waist just now either.
"What are your plans for the next game?" Ji Huaichu asked. "You've already unlocked the special shop."
"I know. If there's no invitation, I'll just keep clearing the Black Mirror vortexes with you, General." This time, the Black Mirror vortex hadn't used up many items, saving quite a bit of cost. Aside from drawing for new skills, there wasn't anything she needed to buy. If she saved up some more points, she could soon unlock the Seven-Day Blue Star Tour.
She wanted to go back to that room she'd revisited through the illusion—to see her father reading the newspaper and watching TV in the living room, to see her mother who was always worried she wasn't getting enough nutrition. She wanted to see how life had gone on in that parallel world without her, to take Ji Huaichu to her old school, the track where she'd nearly died running 800 meters, the school cafeteria with good food, the park where she'd gone ice skating, barbecue? Hot pot? Desserts! Candy! She wanted to play on the swings and seesaw from her childhood with Ji Huaichu, to take photos together.
If possible, she also wanted to buy Ji Huaichu a ring. Even though things from a parallel world had no real effect, they were still a kind of emotional keepsake. She could give it a meaning of her own.
"Are you going back to the Nirvana Space tomorrow?" Ji Huaichu asked. "And the day after, come continue practicing sword techniques?"
"I'll come back tomorrow afternoon," Mu Anqi said. "I'm just going to draw a skill, there's nothing I need to buy. I'll be back soon."
"I'll wait for you to come back." Ji Huaichu's hand rested on Mu Anqi's waist, pulling her into her arms. Mu Anqi let out a small yawn, and Ji Huaichu softly said, "Sleep. Do you want me to pat your back to lull you?"
"…There are some things you don't actually need to ask," Mu Anqi murmured. "When you kiss me, you never ask, 'May I kiss you?'"
"Then may I give you a goodnight kiss?" Ji Huaichu smiled faintly and whispered the question. Before Mu Anqi could answer, Ji Huaichu leaned in and kissed her forehead again. "Sweet dreams."
"Did I answer you?"
"You did." Ji Huaichu smiled, gently patting Mu Anqi's back to coax her to sleep. Mu Anqi could no longer feel any of the negative aura that belonged to a fierce ghost from the General. Ji Huaichu's voice was soft; she hummed a lullaby Mu Anqi had never heard before—no words, only melody—yet it made Mu Anqi's eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Holding Ji Huaichu, she drifted off to sleep, curled in her arms in a posture full of trust and affection.
"Little money tree…" Ji Huaichu murmured softly only after Mu Anqi had fallen deeply asleep, stopping her movements and humming. Love filled her voice, though she didn't speak it aloud—she only leaned down and gently kissed Mu Anqi's cheek once more.
…
There was no rush and no training scheduled for the day, so Mu Anqi took her time in the morning, eating a meat bun and drinking a cup of soy milk before teleporting back to the Nirvana Space. She had slept very well last night; General Ji's humming had been so tender that it strangely gave her a feeling like being with a mother—though in truth, ever since she could remember, she had always slept alone in her own room, an independent child. Maybe, back when she was still a baby, her mother had once hummed lullabies and patted her to sleep.
Later, Mu Anqi thought, maybe it wasn't really "a mother," but simply that kind of feeling. As if someone cared for you so dearly, willing to do so many things for you without asking for anything in return. Or perhaps the emotion was so sincere and pure that it stirred the deepest kind of warmth.
Maybe she was just being self-indulgent, Mu Anqi thought: General Ji really seemed to like her—a lot… maybe even love her?
Clearly, she could say she liked her—just that single word—but when Mu Anqi merely thought about it, she felt embarrassed. She washed her face in the Nirvana Space, trying to clear those emotions from her mind.
But just as she calmed down, a stray thought interrupted her, and she suddenly recalled the moment the bridal veil was lifted—at her angle, the sight of General Ji was truly radiant, elegant, and dashing.
No—stop! Mu Anqi washed her face again, and while drying it, the line "a beauty like jade, a sword like a rainbow" popped into her head. She let out a groan. If General Ji knew that Mu Anqi's head was now completely filled with her, who knew what expression she'd have.
Forget it, better to draw the skill early and get back sooner. She didn't even have this many wild thoughts when actually seeing the General in person. Mu Anqi casually opened the skill draw interface and paid 200 points.
[Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained the skill: Blooming Peach Blossoms!]
[Blooming Peach Blossoms]: Spend 50 Guan Si to create the most exquisite and beautiful branch of peach blossoms! You can also spend points to create a peach blossom rain~ (Note: Can be used up to ten times a day, resets at midnight.)
Mu Anqi slowly typed out a question mark.
She carefully looked at the name of her ability—[I Have Plenty of Money]—and then looked again at this [Blooming Peach Blossoms] skill. Other than the fact that using the skill required spending money, she really couldn't figure out what connection it had to her ability.
Mu Anqi: How many more surprises are you hiding from me.jpg
Mu Anqi took a deep breath and thought: What does [I Have Plenty of Money] mean? It means—rich and willful! Was this [Blooming Peach Blossoms] skill useful? No. It was utterly pointless, even requiring Guan Si or points to use. But would Mu Anqi use it anyway? Yes. Why? Because [I Have Plenty of Money.] Rich. Willful.
Who says you can't make it rain peach blossoms for your lover, or gift them the most exquisite little flowers?
And the next peach blossom rain could even provide material for Mu Xiaobai to brew peach blossom wine.
Mu Anqi quickly accepted the reality. She didn't go shopping in the item store but directly sent a teleportation request. Before it went through, Mu Anqi spent 50 Guan Si to use the skill and bought a branch of peach blossoms—on the reddish-brown twig bloomed clusters of delicate pink flowers.
Pinching a petal between her fingers, Mu Anqi placed the branch of peach blossoms on the space table. Using the insulated cup rewarded by the system, she filled it with tap water and set the peach branch inside. When the teleportation activated, she appeared directly at the main city gate—where Ji Huaichu was already waiting for her.
"General, I have a gift for you. Can you close your eyes?"
Ji Huaichu cooperatively closed her eyes, even suppressing her breath and her spiritual sense.
Mu Anqi's eyes curved in a smile as she activated the "Blooming Peach Blossoms" skill that consumed points to create a peach blossom rain—
[Peach blossom rain costs 5 points per second. Activate?]
What? Charged by the second? How outrageous! Mu Anqi was a little annoyed at how greedy the skill was, but… how many points was a surprise worth, anyway? She activated the skill, and pink, pale white, deep red, gold-dusted, and pure white petals of every shape drifted down around them.
Ji Huaichu stood amidst the falling peach blossoms, like an immortal descended to earth.
Mu Anqi handed over the peach branch and said, "Ji Huaichu, I like you."