A lamp hung inside the tent, casting a warm yellow glow across the thirteen-square-meter space.
The Four Pillar Cult had long prepared for camping in the wild, outfitting their caravan with an inflatable campsite tent this large. Built around integrated air beams, it had room not just for a bed, but also a small sofa and a low drinks table—just like a portable wooden cabin.
Weixi sat on the edge of the bed, her stocking-clad legs resting on the carpet and her hands propped against the frame, projecting an easy relaxation as though lounging in her own bedroom. Beneath her maid outfit, however, every nerve in her body was strung tight. Her heart hammered against her ribs, as nervous as if she had stepped straight into a demon's den.
"Want a drink?"
"No!"
Yaxiu glanced at her, wondering if she was simply that excited about ascending to demigodhood, seeing as her voice had become so resonant and punchy. He picked up the kettle, poured two cups of water, and returned. When he sat down on the air mattress, Weixi nearly sprang off the side.
"This mattress is very bouncy."
Weixi offered the excuse without missing a beat, then took the cup, drained it in one gulp, and fanned her neck with a hand. "Is it a little warm in here? If there's something to discuss, why don't we go talk outside—"
"Warm?" Yaxiu looked puzzled. The ambient temperature was only in the mid-teens. Or were elves particularly sensitive to heat? "You can take some clothes off."
"Huh?"
"You're wearing such a heavy maid uniform; it's no wonder you feel hot." Yaxiu pulled out a small notebook and flipped through its pages. "To be honest, I was actually curious why you're still wearing a maid uniform now that we're back in reality."
"Because these aren't real clothes." Weixi showed him her long white gloves, which dissolved into blazing flames and vanished in the blink of an eye. "This outfit is woven from the Knowing and Guarding Fire. It can transform into any garment I desire at will."
"So you haven't actually been wearing any clothes this whole time?" Yaxiu remarked casually.
By rights, she should have flirted her way past it with something like, *Why yes, Master, would you like to take a look underneath?* But the words caught in her throat. Her lips twitched, and as if possessed, she blurted out, "I'm wearing underwear underneath."
"There's something I've been wanting to ask," Yaxiu said. "How did you end up here? Our physical bodies in reality weren't anywhere near the same place."
"Did you forget, Yaxiu? We're all soul bodies now," Weixi replied. "The moment our soul bodies formed, our physical bodies in reality ceased to exist, leaving only the demigod forms that have conquered death. Even though we weren't together before, I followed you back, so naturally I ended up by your side."
Yaxiu nodded, took a look at her curly pink twin tails, and said, "Still, in reality you shouldn't have been wearing a maid uniform or had this hair color, right?"
"Since I can't break free from my chains, I have no choice but to obediently carry on as your maid." Weixi twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "As for the color... didn't you mention you didn't like that I *also* had red hair? So I used the Knowing and Guarding Fire to change it."
Yaxiu fell silent for a moment and closed the notebook in his hands. "So I did say that."
Weixi paid no heed to his muttering. She glanced toward the tent flap and offered a feigned, well-meaning reminder: "Master, if we don't head out soon, certain people might start getting anxious..."
"The whole reason I had you come in was because I didn't want the Sword Princess and the others to know," Yaxiu said. "This is something only you and I can do."
As Yaxiu leaned in closer, Weixi pressed her legs tightly together, every muscle coiling as if she might bolt like a cheetah at any second. Even so, she managed to maintain a serene, composed facade, asking with practiced ease, "Are you saying the Sword Princess and the Witch won't do, and only I can... satisfy you?"
"That's right." Yaxiu nodded. "Only you have the ability."
Weixi snapped her head away, a sudden shiver shooting straight from her tailbone to her pituitary gland. Her cheeks flushed burning hot, and her breathing hitched.
*Was he for real?* The Sword Princess, the Witch, and the Silver Lantern were all right outside, yet this guy dared to be so bold? Or had that dream awakened some bizarre kink in him, completely altering his personality?
"I need you to examine my memories," Yaxiu said. "Only someone who is a Soul Demigod like you can verify whether my memories are genuine."
Weixi's wild thoughts screeched to a halt. She stared at Yaxiu's dead-serious face, her mouth twitching. "Examine your memories? That's all this is about?"
"It's hardly that simple." Yaxiu raised an eyebrow. "I know all of you think there's something wrong with my head. But even if I've gone mad and warped my own memories, you'd be able to see right through it, wouldn't you, Weixi? And if even you can't find anything wrong with them, wouldn't that prove Igola and Harvey from my memories truly existed?"
"Then why keep it from the Sword Princess and the others?"
"They can't examine my memories the way you can. They'd only think I've gone even crazier." Yaxiu let out a sigh. "Besides, with so many things I knew suddenly vanishing from this world, I can't even be sure whether my own memories have been tampered with... Only you, as the Spectre Prophet, can help me tell illusion from reality."
Weixi froze. Her entire body instantly went slack, and the hips she had kept perched delicately off the mattress finally sank into it, leaving an oval indentation. Crossing one leg over the other, she considered it for a moment and said, "That's not a big problem. As long as you recall the past in your mind, I should be able to retrieve those memories using a soul lock.
"However, I'll need intimate contact to obtain clear, complete memories." Weixi tapped her lips, batting her eyelashes at Yaxiu with bedroom eyes. "For example, a kiss..."
"Fine."
When Yaxiu took hold of her arms with both hands, Weixi shuddered. He closed the distance between them until their noses were nearly touching. He didn't seem to have dried his hair properly; faint wisps of steam still rose from the tips of his locks. The gaze from his pitch-black eyes coiled around her like chains. Perhaps it was knowing he possessed both a soul Kingdom of Heaven and the Supreme Tail Feather, but Weixi suddenly realized this fool was actually quite handsome.
*Wait, this isn't how the script goes!* Wasn't Yaxiu supposed to push back violently, allowing her to gracefully retreat and say holding hands would work too, and then trace teasing circles on his palm?!
"Go ahead." Yaxiu closed his eyes, searching through all his memories of Igola and Harvey. "I'm ready."
With things having come to this, Weixi had no choice but to take a deep breath. She looped her arms around Yaxiu's neck, her voice softening to an intoxicating, soul-stealing murmur: "Here I come, then."
She leaned in, parting her crimson lips, and then—pressed a kiss to Yaxiu's upper lip.
She gave his lower lip a peck as well, then immediately pulled away.
"...?" Yaxiu opened his eyes, staring at her in bewilderment. "I wasn't even done reminiscing yet. And can a kiss that light really work?"
Weixi's eyes lit up, and she nodded hurriedly. "Exactly! I just realized that a kiss that shallow doesn't work well at all. It has to be a deep kiss to ensure clear memory retrieval, and you have to take the initiative. But aren't you afraid of me turning the tables and dominating you? After all, I am the Spectre Prophet, which is why I—"
Before she could finish the excuse—*which is why I thought of a method where holding hands works just fine*—Yaxiu cut her off immediately.
"I don't care."
"As long as you can help me tell truth from falsehood, I'll accept it even if I end up under your control by accident." He seized Weixi by the shoulders, pulling her right in front of him. "Are you ready?"
Weixi's lips trembled, but she forced an entirely unbothered expression onto her face. "I'm ready."
The Spectre Prophet could never admit defeat, much less let anyone call her bluff. If she couldn't even deliver on her word, how would anyone believe her when she threatened to wipe out their entire family?
Chapter 1023