Although he had refused the third condition, Yaxiu didn't dare tease the Sword Princess too much, hurrying to explain:
"Your first condition is that I have to go to the Starry Country to see you, and your second condition is that I'm not allowed to date anyone before I see you. In other words, before I meet you, I already can't take the initiative with anyone else.
"Even if you hadn't brought up a third condition, every one of my romantic firsts would have been reserved for you.
"And besides..."
Yaxiu blinked. "I always intended to save what is most precious for you anyway."
Sonia folded her arms over her chest, letting out a feigned sniff of disdain, though she did nothing to hide the smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I didn't force you into anything. That was your own promise."
"Right, right. The Watcher prostrates himself before the charms of Miss Sword Princess, willingly becoming a captive at her feet." Yaxiu smiled faintly, lowering his eyelids. "So hold on to that third favor for now. Consider it something I owe you..."
Sonia shot him a look. "Is this an apology? Then I accept, but mark my words, you'll regret your generosity today sooner or later!"
Yaxiu looked at her quietly, saying with complete sincerity:
"Thank you."
Sonia didn't respond to that, swiftly changing the subject. "Don't you regret falling for someone like me? Sensitive, suspicious, possessive, and completely unreasonable... If only you'd found an open-minded woman who didn't care about you fooling around, maybe you wouldn't have to suffer such headaches. After all, you're a Sanctuary Sorcerer now. Having dozens of lovers wouldn't be a big deal."
"I'm not fooling around, I just have a few psychological issues..." Yaxiu offered another defense before continuing, "Besides, one can't really control the way one feels about someone.
"Which is why I actually rather doubt whether you can stick to our agreement." He blinked. "Can you truly guarantee that you won't have any intimate contact with me in the Void Realm?"
At this, Sonia grew a little bashful. "Not for the next two days, anyway. You did just kiss me, after all."
"And after two days...?"
"If I can't hold back after two days, then I'll find a moment when the Witch won't notice at all to get a little close with you." Sonia cast him a sidelong glance. "When the time comes, you know what to do, right?"
Yaxiu started, hesitating slightly. "...Righteously reject you to defend my unsullied purity?"
"Respond to me!" Sonia lightly thumped Yaxiu's chest with her fist. "I only laid down these rules because I didn't want the Witch to be hurt. Did you honestly think I wanted to draw a line between us? As long as we make sure she doesn't see, we can totally sneak around and date in secret!"
Yaxiu blinked. "Wait, doesn't that just make you a double-standard dog?"
"What of it?" Sonia seized Yaxiu by the collar, feigning ferocity. "You don't like it?"
Yaxiu burst out laughing, then whispered softly into her ear,
"Woof, woof."
"Hmph, I'll put a collar on you sooner or later." Her face was flushed bright red, yet the president of the Paw-Stretching Club looked thoroughly satisfied.
"Have you considered one problem, though?" Yaxiu asked. "What if the Witch follows your lead..."
"I won't give her the chance." Sonia took his hand, their fingers interlacing without the slightest gap. "If she still manages to find an opening, then I'll concede the round to her."
In truth, Void Realm explorations rarely offered any time alone anyway. Once this rule was declared, both of them would undoubtedly keep an extremely close watch on each other, leaving even less room for loopholes. But Sonia's words also subtly drew her boundary of tolerance: any intimacy between Yaxiu and the Witch could at most be fragmented, occasional, innocent, and covert.
At that level, it would only provoke jealousy rather than outright fury.
Of course, the same applied to her and Yaxiu; the loophole was equal for everyone.
Only for the Witch would she be willing to endure this much. After all, she had a good relationship with the girl and was willing to make compromises for the team. But that was the absolute limit. If anyone dared step out of line right under the Sword Princess's nose, she wouldn't hesitate to knock their head crooked.
On the whole, Sonia was still confident she could completely shut down any private interaction between Yaxiu and the Witch. She would never propose terms that put herself at a disadvantage; even if loopholes existed, she believed she could plug them.
"Then let's go find the Witch to see if she's willing to accept the proposal, has other requests, or if we can negotiate a better plan," Yaxiu said.
"Mm, let's go."
After two steps, Yaxiu glanced back down at his hand held in Sonia's grasp. "Shouldn't this be..."
Sonia lifted her chin proudly, giving him a sidelong look as she delivered a remarkably petty declaration: "I'll let go once we run into the Witch."
"You really are something..."
Sonia suddenly thought of something and asked, "You do know there's a strong chance I might abandon you completely, right? You don't actually think I can't live without you?"
"How could I?" Yaxiu replied. "Before entering the Void Realm, I had already prepared myself for you to leave me."
"And what would you do then?" Sonia asked. "Just let me go like that?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Mm."
"Then try acting cute and coquettish with me first?" Yaxiu proposed on a sudden whim.
Sonia looked at him in surprise, tilting her head. "Fine."
She reached up to lift Yaxiu's chin, her tone turning soft, helpless, and pitiable, while her proud smile brimmed with pure indulgence. "Go ahead and bully me just because I love you."
Though it wasn't quite the display of acting cute he had imagined, Yaxiu still felt thoroughly captivated and helpless. He could only answer honestly, "If you really walk away, I'll still go to the Starry Country to find you."
Sonia asked, "What if I'm already married by then?"
Yaxiu said, "If you aren't married yet, I'll pester you relentlessly until I win you back; if you're about to be married, I'll smash the axle of your bridal carriage and snatch you away; and if you're already married, I'll sneak into your bed every single night to sleep with you until you yield."
"You absolute dog of a man," Sonia said, poised somewhere between outrage and laughter. "You never even considered letting me go, did you? Crossing paths with you is like getting bitten by a rabid dog."
"Only an idiot would let go of what they truly love."
Sonia feigned indignation. "I'm not a 'what'!"
Yaxiu suppressed a laugh. "Then what are you?"
"I am..."
Sonia threw her arms around Yaxiu's neck, lightly nibbling on his earlobe:
"Woof, woof."
***
Gospel, the Yisu Imperial Palace.
Annan had concluded her regional inspections two days earlier and returned to her duties in Nabistin. Lisi naturally continued to insist on sleeping with Big Sister Annan, currently burrowed deep in the Purple Moth's embrace.
Her Great Imperial Majesty rubbed her eyes and sat up, pushing aside the plush dolls sprawled over her, and yawned as she headed to the washroom to clean up. Although the palace had maids who could easily attend to the Empress's washing and dressing, her older sisters firmly insisted that Lisi handle such daily chores herself. At most, she could wheedle Annan into helping; under no circumstances was she permitted to misuse her imperial authority to demand whatever she pleased.
They had no intention of spoiling Lisi into an unruly brat.
Lisi was still half-asleep at first, but as she looked into the mirror and listened to her sisters recount the events in the Void Realm, her eyes gradually widened until she accidentally gulped down a mouthful of mouthwash.
When the Sword Princess proposed the new 'party affix' to the Witch, the Witch naturally agreed.
Diya lacked Sonia's courage to risk breaking their bond; she was the one who most wanted to drag things out.
Postponing the issue also aligned perfectly with her interests, as Diya needed time to master the 'Gospel' god. Before bending Gospel to her will, Diya could only snuggle and get touchy-feely with Yaxiu and dared not reveal her secrets.
The Witch sisters certainly saw through the Sword Princess's little scheme, understanding that the red-haired girl never intended to give Yaxiu up—he might well end up locked away in a dark room once he reached the Starry Country.
Even so, Diya felt somewhat guilty when facing the Sword Princess, so conceding a bit here did no harm. Furthermore, by the time she mastered the Gospel god, the Sword Princess would at best be a Legendary Sorcerer. On top of that, the probability of Yaxiu returning to Gospel first was far higher than that of him finding his way to the Starry Country.
When that time came, whose dark room Yaxiu would reside in remained entirely up in the air!
Still, there was one small problem...
Lisi quickly dried her face and scampered back to bed to wrap her arms around Annan.
She waited for half an hour before Annan finally exited the Void Realm and returned to reality. The moment the Purple Moth opened her eyes, she was met with Lisi staring at her with sparkling eyes.
The Purple Moth sat up and leaned down to plant a kiss on Lisi's forehead. "Good morning, Your Majesty."
"Annan, I have a question for you!" Lisi made no attempt to hide her curiosity. "If Papa comes back, what do you plan to do?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I plan to do'?"
"Like, are you going to have babies with him?" Lisi asked.
Annan shook her head. "No, I don't really want to have children."
She then gently ruffled Lisi's little head. "But I know what you're actually asking... I will do the things that make babies with him. When that happens, neither of us will be able to sleep beside you. And I probably won't use contraception either; if it happens, I'll just let nature take its course."
Lisi asked, "What if Papa refuses?"
Although the Purple Moth's first instinct was 'how could he possibly refuse,' after thinking it over carefully, she indeed factored that possibility into her plans. "If he refuses, then so be it. There's no contract binding us now... and even if there were, I wouldn't manipulate him anymore."
Lisi blinked. "So you'd just give up, Big Sister Annan?"
"Well, as for that..." A dangerous smile touched the corners of the Purple Moth's mouth. "When we finally reunite after such a long separation, if I invite him to a private dinner, he couldn't possibly turn me down, could he?"
"Papa wouldn't refuse."
"And if the venue is my home, he wouldn't mind, would he?"
"He probably wouldn't mind."
"And then, if I pray for a 'Fervor Blessing' for him, he wouldn't be able to resist, would he?"
Lisi froze. Connected to Gospel's vast database, she naturally knew at once what a 'Fervor Blessing' was—a positive blessing anyone could petition through the Gospel Book, causing the recipient to feel boundless enthusiasm toward whatever they were currently doing, with urges powerful enough to drown out all reason.
Noticing the shift in Lisi's gaze, Annan knew the girl had caught on. She tapped the Empress's forehead with a laugh. "Yaxiu is actually someone very easily swayed by atmosphere. All it takes is a gentle tug and a little push...
"I am already the moth; how could he not burn for me?"
*Oh my.*
Lisi held a brief discussion with her Witch sisters and confirmed that Yaxiu would likely never escape Annan's machinations. Thus, she turned to the Purple Moth with grave seriousness: "Big Sister Annan, you'd better advance to Sanctuary as soon as possible."
"Hm?" Annan found this strange. "Second-wing strength is plenty for my work."
According to the Sword Princess's declaration, the fact that she wouldn't direct her anger at Yaxiu meant her wrath would only be unleashed upon the other party.
Lisi said earnestly, "If you don't advance to Sanctuary, I'm afraid you'll be in grave danger."
***
The Starry Country, Sword Flower University.
The moment Sonia pushed open her dormitory door, Adele poked her head out from her bed. "You forgave him?"
The country girl blinked, a sudden thought springing to mind—was Adele a destiny sorcerer?
"The news of your radiant joy has spread from the meditation building to the dining hall, from Sword Flower University to Truth University. Not a single soul is unaware." Lois looked up from her book, studied Sonia intently, and nodded. "Truly glowing, thoroughly nourished to the point of overflowing."
Adele added, "If you check the campus forums, the hottest posts right now are *Did Miss Servi Just Come Back from a Date?* and *The Sword Princess Smiled at Me!*"
Flustered by their remarks, Sonia muttered self-consciously, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"If you were a cold, indifferent glacier a few days ago," Adele said, "then right now, a hundred thousand roses have burst into bloom across that glacier, ushering in a whole new spring."
Ingrid raised her hand. "Allow me to say a fair word."
Sonia seized upon this. "Ingrid is the fairest of all. She never joins in on their teasing. You tell them!"
"When I attended my cousin's wedding, she wasn't even this happy as the bride," Ingrid stated plainly. "Only when she went out on secret dates with her lover did she ever look like you do now—radiating charm straight down to her bones."
"Ingrid, you've gone bad too, egging them on like this! I'm ignoring all of you!" Sonia spun around and stormed out. "I'm going to train!"
After a moment, Adele poked her head over the railing to peek outside. Watching Sonia stride clear of the dormitory building, she asked, "What do you guys think?"
"Danced around the palm of a bad man's hand, obviously," Lois remarked placidly. "What else is there to see? It's too painful to watch."
Ingrid was astonished. "Even Sonia can have her feelings toyed with?"
"Even Sanctuary Sorcerers are subject to physical hormones," Adele sighed wistfully. "Still, this is the first time I've ever seen Sonia look so sweet. Maybe she didn't just forgive the scoundrel—maybe they even took things a step further. Loy, what do you think?"
Lois closed her book. "It's possible."
"A step further?" Ingrid blinked, a blush creeping across her prim, serious face. "Are you saying... Sonia has already... kissed him?"
"No, no, no, how could Sonia ever be won over by a mere kiss?" Adele adjusted an imaginary pair of glasses. "Through my eyes as a legend of romance, I fear she's already... connected with that bad man!"
The swordsmanship prodigy tilted her head, confusion written all over her face.
"Connected... what does that mean? Holding hands?"
Adele and Lois exchanged a glance, pure shock flickering in both their eyes. Ingrid was of noble descent, yet how could she lack even the most fundamental common sense?
Compared to Sonia, Ingrid was the true lamb waiting for slaughter; she would probably fall for a scoundrel's tricks without a fight!
Filled with the noble mission of educating her roommate, Adele beckoned to Ingrid. "Ingrid, come up here. I have some spicy videos to recommend to you..."
***
Weise opened her eyes to total gloom. Around her neck wound a vivid green, coiled like a vicious python ready to strangle her at any moment.
Serving as her makeshift bed, the blaze white tiger yawned and flicked its tail against Weise, urging her to get up. Yet Weise merely lay on her side, sinking her entire body into the plush mattress of tiger fur, leaving the beast with no choice but to remain sprawled on the ground.
"They've made up..." she murmured softly.
After the 'Curse Affix: True and False Mutual Slaying' concluded, the Sword Princess had pulled the Witch aside. Following a brief exchange, tranquility had returned to the party. Though Weise had not participated in their feast, she could tell that the Sword Princess and the Witch had traded a 'mutual retreat' for the team's ability to keep moving forward.
Even though they had fallen back into the polite, respectful dynamic of ordinary teammates and ceased their improper intimacies, their bonds hadn't receded at all; if anything, they had deepened.
Weise had initially assumed this would inevitably wound them, but she hadn't expected that a group of people who all refused to let go would also be willing to refrain from hurting one another. In the past, she never could have grasped their way of thinking, yet now, she faintly understood the turmoil in their hearts.
Just as she herself felt a pang of regret that Yaxiu hadn't broken things off with the Sword Princess and the Witch, hearing that his tone was no longer as melancholic as it had been these past few days brought an involuntary spark of joy to her heart.
It was just that Yaxiu's happiness had nothing to do with the Silver Lantern.
*I can only watch your life like a passerby, aching that none of your joys and sorrows belong to me.*
Knowing full well it was all an illusion, knowing full well she had never cared about such things before...
"Turns out... I do care after all."
She stared blankly into the night, feeling her eyes grow increasingly sore and stung. Yet she refused to wipe them with her sleeve, allowing tears to escape down the corners of her eyes until her vision blurred. She did not notice that the Strangling Green around her neck was slowly, inexorably tightening.
Just then, near the tiger's head, a square cicada suddenly emanated a bright glow. She peered over through misty eyes; the golden radiance sent ripples through her pooling tears, like a golden river commanding her sight.
A golden river.
She roughly wiped her tears away, then gently bit down on her finger. The vulnerability in her eyes was swept clean in an instant, replaced by infatuation and fierce resolve.
"Yaxiu..."
The Strangling Green ceased its constriction, easing back to its original state.
"Turns out I really do care that you love someone else," she whispered, a blush rising on her cheeks as her breathing grew shallow and hurried. "But that's fine...
"Because I'm the only one who will ever have you."
Across Senluo, the night had not yet broken into dawn.
Chapter 609