Yaxiu, Endure!

*Shhhhhh...* Sitting on the sofa and listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, Yaxiu closed his Book of Gospel, walked over to open the refrigerator, and pulled out a can of Azure Lalafell liquor. The Azure Lalafell was one of the few inedible varieties of Lalafell, but the liquor made from it was remarkably crisp and refreshing. Even Yaxiu, who normally had no interest in alcoholic drinks, liked it very much. *Drip, drip... drip-drop, drip-drop... drip-a-drop... swish...* Even though Yaxiu did his utmost to rein in his attention, the sound of flowing water still faithfully sketched the scene inside the bathroom within his auditory world. Although he had never deliberately trained his physical body in the ascetic faction, sorcery power, serving as an "all-purpose energy," naturally strengthened a sorcerer's body over time. Sword Princess had once shared a hypothesis: a sorcerer was fundamentally a sorcery spirit themselves, and a Four-Winged Sorcerer was essentially a four-winged sorcery spirit. Yet compared to other sorcery spirits with singular effects, a sorcerer possessed far too many functions: exercising, eating, studying, reproducing... It was just that sorcerers could perform these tasks on their own without needing sorcery power to drive them, which was why they rarely consumed sorcery power to enhance themselves in daily life. Some sorcerers had wondered whether they could enhance themselves directly with sorcery power in the absence of a sorcery spirit to the point of shattering a stone with a single punch. However, a sorcerer could only perform what they were "capable of imagining." They had to imagine in exhaustive detail precisely how sorcery power strengthened their fist—for instance, skin like bronze and bones like iron, or force-exertion techniques such as overt force, covert force, or inch-force... Yet by the time one could picture strengthening a fist with sorcery power down to the finest detail, they were basically capable of summoning a fist-or-claw sorcery spirit like "Iron Fist" or "Inch Punch" anyway. Sorcery power, sorcery spirits, and sorcerers seemed to form a perfect closed loop. Even so, there were loopholes—elderly sorcerers, for example. An old sorcerer's physical functions were nowhere near what they were in their youth, but because they had actually experienced their own peak, it fell within the realm of what they were "capable of imagining." Thus, an old sorcerer could expend sorcery power to restore their physical functions to their peak and even sustain it indefinitely, which served as crucial evidence for the "sorcerer sorcery spirit hypothesis." While becoming a sorcerer did not directly prolong one's lifespan—and dying in the Void Realm even led to sudden demise, leaving their lifespans sometimes shorter than ordinary mortals'—their quality of life was extraordinarily stable thanks to benefits like never needing sleep and keeping their bodies permanently at their peak. All of this was merely to explain one simple fact: Yaxiu's hearing was not naturally this sharp. Driven by stirring desires, he had simply used sorcery power to boost his hearing to the absolute limit. "Ah!" Yaxiu sprang to his feet at once. "What is it? An assassination?" "N-Nothing's wrong! Don't you dare take this chance to barge in—I'll scream!" Originally, Yaxiu had purely been worried that "Gospel Yaxiu" might have ambushed her. But with Annan saying this in a voice full of teasing and coquettish charm, an inexplicable fire surged straight into his lower belly. He sat back down and gulped down a huge mouthful of Azure happy water, trying to use the chilled alcohol to regain inner tranquility. For reasons he could not fathom, whenever Annan actively flirted and clung to him, he could uphold his inner principles with unyielding rigidity, adopting a staunchly chaste posture of *even if you have my body and unlock all my positions, you will never have my heart.* Yet now that Annan had declared that absolutely nothing was allowed to happen tonight and relegated him to the sofa, Yaxiu found himself helpless against wild, stray fantasies. He slapped his own cheeks and told himself, *Yaxiu, oh Yaxiu, Annan just didn't want anyone else to see her frightened state, and she needed someone around to protect her tonight, which is the only reason she asked you to stay. If you can't keep yourself in check, she'll only look down on you!* *Besides, she doesn't mean anything by it. Leaving aside the fact that she can control you directly, she also carries the Second Miss, Donna, who can spit nine-millimeter rounds at a moment's notice. If both sisters gang up on you, will you even be able to take it?* *Maybe I should ask Igola to hypnotize me? Like temporarily stripping away all carnal desires... No, that male veela would never let me hear the end of it.* *Forget it. It's not like I've never seen beautiful girls before. Looks-wise, Annan is "merely" on the same level as Sword Princess and the Witch. Still, her gaze really is hard to handle—it feels like your eyes get pulled right in... Fine, I just won't look at her face later. Getting through tonight will be a breeze!* Just as Yaxiu steeled his resolve and calmed his heart, the bathroom door swung open with a creak. A pair of shapely, slender legs stepped barefoot onto the carpet. "Yaxiu, are you going to take a shower now?" "I..." Yaxiu turned his head to glance at her and instantly covered his eyes with his hands—though the gaps between his fingers were wider than the fingers themselves. "Where are your clothes?!" Annan was wrapped in nothing more than a bath towel. Steam drifted off her long purple hair, and lingering droplets of water slid down her shoulders along her arms and collarbones. The towel barely managed to wrap around her bust and hips, leaving her long legs entirely exposed to the air—as radiant as a lotus rising from the water, and as alluring as a veela in the afterglow. Worst of all, she had not dried herself thoroughly; several glistening drops of water trembled and swayed against her skin... Yaxiu hated seeing people look untidy or unkempt the most, and his stern gaze could hardly tear itself away from her! Now, though, it was not just looking at her face that dealt critical hits—Yaxiu felt that looking at any part of her would inflict true damage! "I usually come out before changing into sleepwear, and sometimes I don't even bother changing, so I forgot to bring fresh clothes inside tonight. But asking you to fetch them felt awkward." Annan sat down at the dressing table to brush her hair. "I'd rather you didn't go digging through my underwear." "Then couldn't you have come out in your old clothes?" "What's the difference between putting on dirty clothes and not bathing at all?" Annan tossed him a sidelong roll of her eyes. "And I can't change with you standing right here. Hurry up and take your shower." Yaxiu hurriedly grabbed his change of clothes and dashed into the bathroom. For safety's sake, he even locked the door behind him, stripped off his clothes, and stepped under a cold shower to cool himself down quickly. His first reaction was: *Could Annan be attacking me with a mind miracle?* Yet on second thought, that seemed unlikely. Annan's tone was completely normal, her reasons unassailable, her actions courteous and proper, and her attitude toward him casual without being intimate, maintaining the exact right distance. His inability to keep himself in check was purely his own problem; he could hardly blame Annan for being too beautiful and sexy, could he? Besides, the only reason Annan had stepped out wrapped in just a towel was that she accepted him from the bottom of her heart. Just as she did not mind showing her vulnerable side in front of him, she did not mind revealing her everyday habits. Yet he had focused solely on her physical appearance without giving a thought to her inner emotional world. Yaxiu felt profoundly ashamed of his own shallowness. Soaking in the bathtub, he gathered his focus and calmed his mind, resolving that he would pass the time reading the Book of Gospel later and never look at Annan once, so that no wicked thoughts could plague him— *Wait, why is there a scent of violets?* Yaxiu looked down and saw purple petals floating across the water. After a moment of hesitation, he realized this was Annan's bathwater. Just minutes ago, the young mistress had been soaking right here... *Wait, wait, wait! It's not like I've never used someone else's bathwater before. Whenever Igola finished bathing, I always jumped straight in to keep soaking. Igola's bathwater smelled far stronger than this!* *Nothing to get worked up over, don't overthink it!* *Yaxiu, endure!* Despite thinking this, Yaxiu felt his body temperature climbing rapidly. He cut short what was supposed to be the most relaxing part of his day, dried himself off, changed into his sleepwear, and stepped outside. "All done?" Annan was sitting on the bed leaning against the wall, her long purple hair loosely tied and draped over her right shoulder, with a plush blanket covering her legs. She was wearing an oversized white shirt that was clearly the wrong size for her, and she had a pair of glasses on as she read her Book of Gospel. "You can sit on the bed if you like, but when logging into the Void Realm, you have to go back to the sofa." Yaxiu stared blankly at her shirt. "That shirt..." "It's yours." Annan raised both hands and shook her sleeves, her hands completely hidden inside. "My sleepwear was left in the previous room, and formal clothes aren't comfortable to rest in. I happened to see a shirt in your luggage, so I borrowed it. You don't mind, do you?" "I don't mind, but what's with the glasses...?" "Anti-blue-light glasses. The Book of Gospel is wonderful in every way, except its light simulates sunlight, which affects the retinas. Even though macular degeneration can be treated, I'm used to wearing glasses as a precaution, and they also reduce fatigue a bit." Yaxiu nodded in realization, then sat by the dressing table to blow-dry his hair. Annan glanced at him without saying anything, remaining engrossed in the drama playing on her Book of Gospel. The cult leader calmly dried his hair, but within his heart, tsunamis were crashing against the shore, waves churning relentlessly! He did not even dare peek with his peripheral vision, terrified that the very next second he would turn into a monster of lust on the level of the Extreme Cleaver Carp Supreme Duke. Why? Why did Annan look entirely un-seductive, yet his head was buzzing with unspeakable thoughts! How could she wear his white shirt *and* put on glasses?! Foul, an absolute foul! That kind of behavior ought to be explicitly outlawed! Rounded up, it was practically attempted murder! After drying his hair, Yaxiu let out a long breath and tiptoed onto the bed with the utmost caution. Annan seemed immersed in the drama and paid him no attention, so he inched over bit by bit until he was right beside her, asking with feigned casualness, "What are you watching?" "*From the Old World*." Annan shifted the Book of Gospel slightly toward him so he could see the screen as well. "A comedy fantasy. It's about a future world where the Gospel is provided freely and infinitely. Several 'Old People' from other nations enter the Gospel Country, and because they resist listening to the Gospel and stubbornly cling to the backward lifestyle of the old era, a series of hilarious mishaps ensues." *"Free and infinite Gospel"... In my previous life, wouldn't that just be a sci-fi premise with infinite energy? So this is a sci-fi work set within the Gospel's worldview?* Yaxiu had zero interest in sci-fi, but when he glanced at the light screen of the Book of Gospel, that single look caused him to space out slightly. "Who is that girl beating people up?" "The second female lead," Annan said. "One of the 'Old People'. She comes from an extremely poor village and is rash and impulsive. After arriving in the Gospel Country, she's both insecure and boastful, and a lot of the conflicts are caused by her stirring up trouble... Why, do you like the actress?" "No, she just reminded me of someone." "Someone similar to this character?" "Not in the slightest. Their personalities aren't alike, their looks aren't alike—there's no resemblance at all." "Then how did you connect the two?" "I don't know," Yaxiu scratched his head. "It just came to mind in a roundabout way." Annan gave him a look, and the two quietly finished watching the drama. At the heartwarming conclusion where the "Old People" integrated into the Gospel Country, Yaxiu suddenly asked, "How much time do we have left before the operation?" "The Weaving Ceremony is only missing two more leaderboards now. At the current weaving speed, the earliest we take action will be the day after tomorrow, and at the latest, no more than five days." "Five days..." Yaxiu murmured. "Then we don't have much time left." "Yeah," Annan said softly. "If there's anything you want to do, make sure to get it done while there's still time." "Mm." Yaxiu nodded. "It's about time for me to enter the Void Realm. Good night." "Good night," Annan said. "I'll browse the information stream a little longer." Yaxiu sat cross-legged on the sofa, opened *Aurora's Sorcerer Handbook*, tapped "Void Realm Exploration," and chose to enter the Void Realm alongside Sword Princess and the Witch. Once Yaxiu closed his eyes and his consciousness departed his body for the Time Continent, Annan closed her Book of Gospel, quietly lifted the plush blanket, slipped out of bed, and walked over to stand before him. If Yaxiu were able to open his eyes right now, he would see Annan wearing only the white shirt—and nothing else. The Purple Moth bent down and gazed at Yaxiu, her face filled with bewilderment. "Strange. According to the videos Evalyn sent me, this should be his exact preference. And he really looked like he was about to lose control just now. Why did he suddenly..." She pondered for a while without arriving at an answer, but the outcome clearly pleased the Purple Moth even more—losing control proved her charm, while holding back in the end proved Yaxiu's willpower. Annan gave him a gentle kiss and smiled. "Good night, my knight."