"Of course, no problem!" Just as Ji Huaichu tried her best to fulfill all of Mu Anqi's requests, how could Mu Anqi possibly refuse such a small wish from the General? As for the points…
A VIP 30% discount might not seem like much, but when it comes to large purchases like this, the points saved are substantial!
She didn't use the dimensional ticket to leave immediately. Mu Anqi planned to rest properly for the night and set off tomorrow. After all, she needed to explain the rules and common sense of her former world to the General. This time would also allow her to adjust her mindset, ease her nervousness, and recall if there had been any pursuers during her student days or if she had ever had feelings for anyone—potential factors that might upset the General.
…
Ordinary Dimensional Seven-Day Tour, Price: 5000 points! VIP Discounted Price: 3500 points!
Bringing along one Shattered Mirror expert, cost 1000 + 7*100 points, discounted price 1190 points.
Her points balance instantly plummeted to 1771.1. Of course, this wasn't the final cost. Changing the time or location after arriving in the other dimension, or exchanging for local currency, would likely all require spending a certain amount of points.
"All the hard work through so many instances, gone after just one seven-day trip." Mu Anqi sighed. The Nirvana Space really was constantly pushing players to strive and create value for it. Even with her passive skill, spending so many points at once made her heart ache. She wondered if Xia Yun, after saving enough points to take her master to the cultivation world… would her hand tremble so much she couldn't even hold her sword steady after paying.
"Alright then, let's go!" Steeling herself, Mu Anqi took Ji Huaichu's hand and used the dimensional ticket to begin the teleportation.
Time selection… five years after the incident. Location… downstairs from home? Confirm!
The familiar feeling of weightlessness washed over her. The dizziness was gone in an instant. By the time colors returned to Mu Anqi's vision, she and Ji Huaichu were already standing downstairs in the familiar residential complex.
Five years had passed, but the changes… weren't actually that big. The greenery seemed a bit better, there was a row of sorted trash bins, and the complex looked much cleaner and tidier.
It's just… Mu Anqi didn't know if her parents still lived here. Winning the lottery, their daughter passing away… if reporters or the media hadn't let the news go, her parents had probably bought a house elsewhere to live, right? Mu Anqi guessed, hesitating and not daring to go up.
"Weren't you looking forward to this for a long time?" Ji Huaichu held Mu Anqi's hand in hers. The little Money Tree's hand was a bit cold, probably still extremely nervous. "I'm with you."
"Mmm…"
In the end, they still went upstairs.
Arriving at the familiar door, Mu Anqi kept taking deep breaths. After hesitating, she still hid behind Ji Huaichu and whispered, "Even if it's a parallel world, I don't want them to experience loss again… C-could you look for me?"
"Okay." Ji Huaichu stood ramrod straight, her every movement exuding a sense of solemnity. She politely pressed the doorbell and waited. No sound came from inside. Ji Huaichu waited a moment, then pressed it again—still nothing.
"…It seems they moved away." Mu Anqi said, somewhat dejected. Of course, she knew this was normal, but truly not seeing them… she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Perhaps she should have directly located her parents' current residence. Even if she didn't specify the exact location, the Nirvana Space could probably teleport her to their doorstep.
Opening the special store, location teleportation required 100 points, time selection required 200 points. With the VIP 30% discount, it was even cheaper.
Mu Anqi didn't leave immediately. She looked at the closed door, then at Ji Huaichu, and whispered, "Can you turn invisible and take me through the wall? I want to see if my old room is still there."
The omnipotent General Ji: "…"
"…Would breaking down the door work?"
Mu Anqi: "…"
Ji Huaichu glanced at the door, placed her hand over the keyhole, and manipulated her Yin energy to take form. After about ten seconds, Ji Huaichu gently pushed the door—it opened. "I picked the lock. We just need to close it when we leave."
If they got caught for this kind of behavior… Mu Anqi didn't dwell on it further. She tiptoed into the house. Surprisingly, it was very clean, as if someone regularly cleaned it. There were no shoes in the shoe cabinet. Most of the furniture and utensils in the living room and kitchen were gone. The house seemed emptied out; clearly, no one lived here. Mu Anqi hesitantly walked towards her parents' former master bedroom. Inside, only a bed and a wardrobe remained.
"Right, of course they wouldn't still live here…" Mu Anqi sighed quietly, hesitantly turned the doorknob to her own bedroom, and slowly pushed it open a crack. The moment she did, she froze.
Even though everything else in this house had been cleared out… her room lacked nothing.
Her books, both extracurricular and required reading, novels and others, were all neatly arranged in the bookcase. That bookcase also contained a completely deflated, dusty basketball. The dartboard on the wall was still there. The bed only had a mattress left, no pillows or blankets, but the pink bunny plushie still leaned against the headboard. The shoebox under the bed, filled with anime discs, was still there too. The skateboard and swim ring on top of the wardrobe were covered in a thick layer of dust, extremely conspicuous.
What was different was probably the desk. Her usual computer wasn't there, but there was a photo frame containing a picture of her taken while she was out having fun. She was looking at the camera with a silly smile, showing off eight big white teeth.
There was almost no visible dust on the photo frame.
Mu Anqi instinctively reached out to touch the photo, but stopped halfway, afraid of leaving traces, and stiffly withdrew her hand. She suddenly laughed, turned around, and fiercely hugged Ji Huaichu. "This is wonderful."
Ji Huaichu raised her hand to encircle her and asked softly, "Can I have a little of your blood?"
"Huh?"
"If your parents aren't too far from here, I can find them." Ji Huaichu said. "Save some points."
Mu Anqi was a bit surprised; she hadn't known Ji Huaichu had such methods before. "Take as much as you want," Mu Anqi whispered. "Let's go out first, and then… I just want to see them from afar, just see that they're both doing okay. Then we can go have fun, take you to see my childhood self, go traveling… the seaside, amusement park? Anywhere is fine."
"Okay."
Mu Anqi led Ji Huaichu out of the room, closed the door properly, confirmed they hadn't left anything behind, then slowly retreated from the house and closed the security door. Only after walking downstairs to the complex did Mu Anqi ask, "Will you take the blood now? Do we need to find a small corner or something?"
"No need." Ji Huaichu raised her hand and gently brushed the back of Mu Anqi's neck. Just as Mu Anqi couldn't help but shrink her neck, Ji Huaichu's fingertips stirred a few wisps of Yin energy, gently grazing Mu Anqi's skin. Mu Anqi didn't even feel any pain, nor did any wound appear, but a single drop of blood, enveloped in Yin energy, had already surfaced.
Ji Huaichu lightly flicked her fingertip, absorbing the drop along with the Yin energy. She closed her eyes for a moment. Black mist rose from her feet but did not spread. Passersby wouldn't see anything, at most they might feel a sudden chill in the air as they passed by.
Mu Anqi stared dumbly at Ji Huaichu. That action just now… was inexplicably captivating.
"…In this complex?" Ji Huaichu's tone held a trace of hesitation. She looked at Mu Anqi, about to say something, then suddenly closed her mouth. She pulled Mu Anqi into her embrace, turning her back to the pathway. Mu Anqi was full of questions but didn't struggle. Ji Huaichu quickly released her and pointed ahead: "That… couple?"
"Huh?!" Because Mu Anqi had her back to the path, she hadn't seen them. Hearing this, she looked over, excited and shocked, and saw a couple pushing a stroller, talking and laughing as they strolled. They looked very much in love. Several bags of groceries hung from the stroller's handles.
Their clothes were still simple, not recognizable as big brands, but looked very comfortable. Suddenly, the child in the stroller started crying. The mother quickly stepped forward, picked the child up from the stroller, and skillfully soothed them. The father pushed the stroller closer to look, seemingly saying something with a smile.
A scene of harmonious happiness.
They had a new life.
"This way, I can rest assured." Mu Anqi watched for a while, until the family of three disappeared around the corner, then smiled.
She said, "This is good."
"I thought you would feel sad."
"Why? But I already have a new life. I hope they can have a new life too." Mu Anqi thought about it and said, "Maybe there's a little bit of sadness, but seeing my room preserved so well, and seeing them able to start over, I'm very satisfied." Mu Anqi raised her arms and hugged Ji Huaichu, planting a kiss on her cheek. She didn't feel sad about this in her heart, but she noticed the General's mood seemed somewhat low, as if she was feeling sad on Mu Anqi's behalf. This realization made her feel both annoyed and amused. "General?"
"Mmm…" Ji Huaichu seemed to sigh. She said softly, "Thank the Nirvana Space, for letting me meet you."
…
On the first day, despite Ji Huaichu's insistence, Mu Anqi ultimately didn't immediately take Ji Huaichu to see her childhood self. Clearly, Mu Anqi still wanted to show the General what she looked like as a child to help ease her emotions, but Ji Huaichu felt it was inappropriate to have Mu Anqi, in her current state, go back to see the happy life of her childhood. Even though Mu Anqi repeatedly said she didn't mind and wasn't sad, Ji Huaichu was unexpectedly stubborn at times.
Mu Anqi took Ji Huaichu to the snack street she loved most in high school. Perhaps because it was a parallel world, the points exchange rate here was very favorable. The "1:50,000" exchange rate allowed them to eat from one end of the street to the other, even buying two bowls of Bingfen (iced jelly dessert).
After eating, Mu Anqi held Ji Huaichu's hand and watched the students running and chatting on the sports field from outside the fence for a while. Then they took the subway together, transferred, took a taxi to the nearest riverside beach, and walked along the willow-lined path. A gentle breeze blew, and the sky was filled with purple clouds. Birds and insects chirped by the roadside, willow branches swayed; the scenery was perfect.
"When I was little, my parents often brought me here on weekends to fly kites." Mu Anqi reached out and grabbed a willow branch, but didn't use force, letting it drop again. "I had so much energy back then, never felt tired. But later in high school, I didn't even want to walk. But coming here now, I feel that having someone to walk hand-in-hand with, to stroll with, no matter how long, is really nice."
"It's a ghost," Ji Huaichu deliberately corrected.
"Oh, I misspoke," Mu Anqi laughed. "Having a General Ji to walk hand-in-hand with me, I could go however far."