Chapter 111

The gift box was pure black, without the ribbon embellishment, it looked much darker and more mysterious.

Song Pianxian remembered that Nie Lingbo said she wanted to open this gift together with her, and she glanced at the person still sleeping next to her.

Would this count as together?

She was pondering, but Nie Lingbo woke up on her own.

Nie Lingbo’s reddish-brown curls spread out on the dark gray velvet pillow, falling on her fair shoulders, her eyelashes half-fallen, still drowsy, but a lazy smile appeared on her face:

“I thought there would be a good morning kiss – guess what I dreamed about?”

“I can’t guess.”

Nie Lingbo reached out and flicked her ponytail:

“I dreamt that a little cat was lying on my pillow, swiping its tail across my face, and I woke up.”

Furry and light.

Song Pianxian understood what she was talking about, probably her unsecured hair fell onto Nie Lingbo’s face when she wasn’t paying attention.

But Song Pianxian didn’t think she looked like a cat, she glanced at Nie Lingbo, who seemed boneless with sleepiness.

Who looked more like a cat?

She didn’t argue with the little cat, instead gesturing to the black gift box on her knee.

“You’re awake, shall I open it?”

Nie Lingbo grunted in response.

“See if you like it.”

Nie Lingbo had sent Song Pianxian several small gifts or surprises before, all of which were to Song Pianxian’s liking. It should be said that as long as Nie Lingbo put her heart into it, Song Pianxian would gladly accept whatever it was.

And Nie Lingbo seemed to understand Song Pianxian’s preferences very well. Every time Song Pianxian received something from her, she really loved it.

As Song Pianxian opened the gift box, she smiled and said, “If it’s something you sent that I don’t like…”

Her gaze fixed on the contents of the gift box, and she forgot to finish the sentence.

Nie Lingbo sat up, covering herself with the quilt, and leaned towards Song Pianxian’s back. She wasn’t surprised by Song Pianxian’s astonished reaction.

“I didn’t expect it to be this kind of gift, right? I saw it at the old man’s place, I thought it suited your taste, so I got it.”

Song Pianxian was a little distracted and reached out to touch it.

“How did you think of giving this to me?”

Nie Lingbo rested her chin on Song Pianxian’s smooth round shoulder, thought for a moment, and raised her eyebrows.

“Intuition.”

Song Pianxian finally took the gift into her hand and lifted it up.

It was a plain-looking dagger, with a shiny blade reflecting sharp light, and the tip of the sword forming a cold gleam, captivating.

Only on the blade… Song Pianxian reached out to touch the two words –

Qinglu.

Song Pianxian remembered the butterfly brooch from before.

She gripped the dagger in her hand and felt the texture of the handle.

Upon closer inspection, she could still see small white marks the size of fingernails on the blade. They were the marks left by the assassin’s arrow on the dagger during the festival at Jinming Pool that year.

Exactly the same.

“Thank you, I really like it.”

This was a faint clue pointing to the truth, just like the reappearance of the butterfly brooch.

Song Pianxian looked at Nie Lingbo inquisitively.

Was this another hint from Qinglu?

After properly putting away the dagger, Song Pianxian and Nie Lingbo tidied up and went downstairs for breakfast.

A sumptuous breakfast was already laid out on the table. When Song Pianxian and Nie Lingbo came down, everyone at the table turned to look at them.

Song Pianxian casually pulled out a chair for Nie Lingbo and then sat down herself, saying, “We talked late last night, so my cousin slept in my room.”

Liu Ying nodded and said, “No wonder the butler told me early this morning that the guest room was untouched. I thought Lingbo had left in the middle of the night.”

Nie Lingbo handed Song Pianxian her favorite beef and vermicelli bun, replying to Liu Ying, “I made Aunt Liu worry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have been lazy and gone back to the guest room to sleep.”

The younger generation had a good attitude, and Liu Ying wasn’t upset about this trivial matter. She smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter. In Aunt Liu’s eyes, this is just like being at home, not to mention that you two are sisters.”

Even Song Sen said, “We’re all family here, no need to be formal.”

The adults at the table were all in harmony.

Song Fei seemed a bit listless, poking at her preserved egg and lean meat porridge with a spoon.

She had stayed up late last night, propping up her ears and waiting until late at night, but she hadn’t heard the door open at all. In the end, she didn’t even know how she fell asleep.

Now knowing that Nie Lingbo hadn’t even come out last night, Song Fei felt sour inside and secretly asked Xiang Sixi, “Have you ever slept in the same bed as my sister?”

“What ‘your sister,’ she’s my sister.” Xiang Sixi refuted this first, then guessed somewhat dejectedly, “Maybe when I was little.”

Since Xiang Sixi could remember, it definitely hadn’t happened. After figuring this out, Song Fei looked at Nie Lingbo sitting side by side with Big Sister, and bitterness churned in her heart.

Why could Nie Lingbo, who had only known Big Sister for a short time and wasn’t even related by blood, sleep in the same bed with Big Sister, while Xiang Sixi, who had been dependent on Big Sister for over ten years, and she herself, who was so adorable, couldn’t?

At this time, Song Fei was still very naive and didn’t think too deeply. She just felt that she had managed to fend off “Little Sister” Xiang Sixi, but how did she fail to guard against “Big Sister” Nie Lingbo?

Darn it, she was careless.

Song Fei bit the spoon for a moment, then stood up and served Song Pianxian a bowl of red bean porridge she loved.

“Big Sister, here you go.”

Xiang Sixi glanced over, then followed suit, putting a fried bun on a small plate and passing it over.

“Big Sister, the fried buns today are delicious.”

The two little girls were extremely gentle and quiet. Not only did they offer food, but they also expressed concern about Big Sister’s health and sleep. They were like two considerate little cotton jackets, and Liu Ying nodded repeatedly as she watched.

Nie Lingbo, however, sensed a subtle atmosphere. Normally, these two little girls were very tactful; they always treated her and Pianxian equally. Why were they showing favoritism today?

Nie Lingbo was perceptive, but she had no intention of questioning this trivial matter. Teenage girls of fifteen or sixteen years old always had capricious thoughts.

However, whether intentionally or not, after accepting the offerings from the two Little Sisters, Song Pianxian pushed the untouched fried dough sticks and dumplings in front of Nie Lingbo.

“I can’t finish these.”

Liu Ying looked concerned, “But you shouldn’t let your cousin…”

“It’s okay, Aunt Liu.” Nie Lingbo lightly hooked Song Pianxian’s hand under the table, showing a hint of indulgence on her face. “I see Pianxian as my Little Sister. Uncle just said it earlier, there’s no need to be formal.”

“But…”

Nie Lingbo was the pampered daughter of the Nie Family in this generation, noble and dignified. Despite her upbringing, how could she eat the leftovers of her own daughter like this?

Liu Ying was about to say more, but Nie Lingbo had already started eating with relish. Her appearance made the neighboring children envious to the point of tears.

Song Fei and Xiang Sixi watched eagerly, also close to tears.

Song Fei: Damn, I want to eat Big Sister’s breakfast too.

Xiang Sixi: If Big Sister doesn’t want the fried dough sticks, I’ll take them. I can.

The two of them looked on with envy as Nie Lingbo ate the fried dough sticks. Suddenly, they heard Big Sister say:

“Yesterday, Lingbo bought you both so many gifts, and you haven’t even said thank you yet.”

Song Fei and Xiang Sixi hesitated, pausing their chopsticks.

Before they could speak, Nie Lingbo swallowed her food and calmly said:

“You don’t need to thank me for giving presents to my own little cousins.”

She continued, “I’ll continue to give you gifts in the future. Do you have to thank me every time? No need.”

Her words were so thoughtful, but the more considerate Nie Lingbo was towards the children, the more it made her own child seem lacking in manners. This time, without Song Pianxian needing to speak up, Song Sen said:

“How can you not say thank you even once? At least thank her for all the future ones.”

With the head of the family speaking, Song Fei and Xiang Sixi hadn’t even figured out the situation when they sleepily thanked her.

Actually, they weren’t ungrateful. After receiving so many gifts from their cousin, it was only right to say thank you.

But with Big Sister speaking up and asking them to thank Cousin Lingbo… why did it feel like Big Sister was venting her anger at Cousin Lingbo?

When the two of them got to school and told Nie Xingzhou about it, Nie Xingzhou widened his eyes in disbelief and said:

“What—my aunt bought you so many nice things? Are you two her secret daughters or something?”

Song Fei unceremoniously tapped her forehead:

“What nonsense, trying to be on equal footing with us, forget it, eldest niece.”

Nie Xingzhou, relegated to the status of eldest niece based on seniority, felt both angry and aggrieved. She never let them bring it up, but Song Fei deliberately brought it up, prompting Nie Xingzhou to chase after her and hit her.

Song Fei purposely hid behind Xiang Sixi, causing Nie Xingzhou to bump into Xiang Sixi and fall over.

“Alright, stop fooling around, let’s talk about something serious.”

“What you guys say is serious?”

In her heart, Nie Xingzhou silently compared these two usually academically excellent friends, who were both elder sister enthusiasts, and wriggled on Xiang Sixi’s shoulder:

“What’s wrong with Teacher Xiao Song sleeping with my aunt? Even sisters sleeping together is quite normal for good friends.”

Xiang Sixi was unconvinced: “Big Sister has never slept with me.”

“They’re the same age and have things to chat about, what can you talk about during your bedtime chat? Asking if you have any more homework problems?”

Once Song Fei thought about it, damn, she was convinced.

Xiang Sixi, upon hearing this, seemed to have no objections either.

“As for what you said, Teacher Xiao Song pressed your heads to apologize to my aunt, it’s to vent for my aunt, my aunt isn’t that childish to bother with you two.”

Is that so?

The two sister enthusiasts were doubtful.

Finally, Nie Xingzhou curiously asked, “Even if all this is true, what can you do to my aunt? I’m quite looking forward to it.”

“…”

“…”

The two high school sister enthusiasts shed tears of pity, weakness, and helplessness.

“Why are you educating the kids like this today?”

On the way to Xi Zihua’s place, Nie Lingbo asked cheerfully. Even the driver could tell that Ms. Nie was in an exceptionally good mood today.

Song Pianxian lowered her head to flip through the documents and replied, “Teaching them a lesson.”

“What?”

Song Pianxian glanced at her and sighed:

“Being soft-hearted.”

Nie Lingbo chuckled sullenly.

Yes, being soft-hearted.

Sooner or later, even Big Sister would compensate herself.

Nie Lingbo had no schedule in the morning, so she accompanied Song Pianxian to sign the contract first, meet with Xi Zihua, and then go to her own company in the afternoon.

The specific terms of this matter had already been drafted, and representatives from both sides had been dispatched. Song Pianxian’s personal presence seemed more like a symbolic gesture of the Song Family’s importance to this project.

Just as Xi Zihua hadn’t expected Nie Lingbo to accompany Song Pianxian here, Song Pianxian hadn’t expected to see Xia Lei here either.

The matter between Xi Zihua and Xia Lei had already been settled. Both families maintained a standard marriage alliance relationship. Because Xi Zihua was deeply involved in her career, and Xia Lei didn’t even have someone to catch infidelity, they were only waiting for Xi Zihua to finish her busy period so they could hold the wedding, adding an extra layer of security to the cooperation between the Xi and Xia Families.

But as everyone knew, apart from catching mistresses and going to Big Sister to settle bills, it was impossible to see Ms. Xia in the workplace.

Song Pianxian glanced at Xia Lei and heard Nie Lingbo ask Xi Zihua:

“What is Xia Lei here for?”

Xi Zihua was checking the contract line by line and replied without looking up:

“Oh, just to foster relationships, she’s been coming here lately.”

“Did Xia Zhang ask her to come?”

Xi Zihua paused and said, “Ah, I didn’t pay attention, but I suppose so.”

Nie Lingbo teased, “You really don’t care about Xia Lei at all.”

“Not at all.” Xi Zihua looked up and clarified seriously, “I’ve already applied for a supplementary card for my black card and sent it to the Xia Family.”

Sent… Song Pianxian looked up at Xi Zihua incredulously, and Xi Zihua’s assistant next to her also showed an indescribable expression.

What’s this? The great Xia Zihua can’t even find someone to help with errands?

Isn’t this too obvious of a perfunctory attitude?

Xia Lei returned with coffee, dressed in fur and long manicured nails, looking like a virtuous young wife. The young wife Xia Lei said:

“I was so happy when I opened the express delivery.”

Xia Lei’s tone was filled with surprise and longing, which was the joy of Ms. Xia receiving her second black card supplementary card in life, something others would find hard to understand.

As for whether it was delivered or given in person, she didn’t pay attention at all. Once she got the card, that was it.

Of course, if Xi Zihua came in person… that would be really different.

Xia Lei held the coffee cup and looked at Xi Zihua, who was focusing on her business.

After signing this contract soon, it would be their wedding date. Xi Zihua estimated that she would still be accompanied by her career after marriage. As for her, Xia Lei, in this marriage, she could only get endless money. If things went wrong, they might end up living apart, possibly ending up lonely and old…

Thinking about the potentially unfavorable future life after marriage, and looking at Xi Zihua’s graceful figure, tears uncontrollably flowed from Xia Lei’s eyes.

At the moment when the signing ceremony officially ended, the cold voice of 01 resounded in Song Pianxian’s mind:

“Mission progress reached 96%. After the evaluation by the Quick Transmigration Bureau, this world has reached a stable state and can enter efficiency mode.”

“Do you want to activate it?”

Song Pianxian ignored her.

It wasn’t until after having a simple meal with Xi Zihua and Xia Lei, calling her parents and two Little Sisters, and sending Nie Lingbo to the company’s car, that Song Pianxian stood in the bustling street and responded to 01.

“Can you transfer personnel and directly let me exit the small world?”

01 replied quickly, “Yes, if you need it.”

Song Pianxian stood at the bustling intersection.

The three hanging bell trees above her head, after enduring the cold winter, had not yet sprouted. The trunks were mottled with gray and white, resembling varying shades of ink wash. They lined both sides of the road, neatly splitting apart, with branches extending outwards. The gray-black branches divided the azure sky.

Under the towering hanging bell trees, girls wearing goose-yellow and tender pink skirts held hands as they crossed the road, laughing and joking on their way to buy the bright red candy apples from the street stalls.

Song Pianxian said, “Hmm, just quit directly.”

For the other people in this world, her usual move was a silent farewell.

As for Qing Lu, because they would meet again soon, there was no need for farewells.

She had never forgotten Qing Lu, standing in the snowy night, watching her leave.

—Saying goodbye would make her sad, so Song Pianxian decided to skip this step and save the next meeting for a new encounter.

“However, I need to go back home for a while.”

When Song Pianxian returned home, everyone was out doing something, so she didn’t need to say goodbye again.

She went back to her room and held the butterfly brooch and dagger from the bedside table in her hand.

01 had already guessed this, seeing her like this without stopping her, and directly sent her back to the Quick Transmigration Bureau’s domain.

After the white light disappeared before her eyes, Song Pianxian—or rather, Jian Yixin—blinked, ignoring her surroundings and first clenched her fists.

Both the butterfly brooch and dagger were there.

They were both brought into the Quick Transmigration Bureau.

09 was waiting beside her. “Host, you’re back. Congratulations on the successful completion of the mission.”

Jian Yixin responded and quickly walked to the locker to find the jewelry box where she had placed the butterfly brooch.

The jewelry box was easy to find, but when she opened it, the brooch that was originally inside had disappeared without a trace.

Jian Yixin exhaled slowly.

The dormitories of the employees in the Quick Transmigration Bureau’s domain were highly confidential, and no one else could enter except for Jian Yixin.

If it wasn’t the system causing trouble, then this proved that the brooch Nie Lingbo had given her was originally in this jewelry box, rather than a string of data that could be replicated countless times.

Jian Yixin stood quietly for a while, then put the brooch back into the jewelry box again, along with the dagger. This time, she didn’t put them in the locker but placed them together on the bookshelf.

09 saw that the host seemed to have sorted out her mood, so he reported, “Host, your completion level in this world is S-class. Congratulations, host.”

Jian Yixin nodded faintly, without much joy. She even pondered whether it was S-class or the lowest D-class, what did it matter to her?

She didn’t feel any psychological satisfaction from any rating or material abundance – whether in the Quick Transmigration Bureau or the small worlds, she had never worried about food and clothing.

Looking at her expression, 09 hugged the large pencil tightly and said, “There is also good news. Since all three of your small worlds are S-class, according to the regulations, I have been upgraded to a second-level system, and some new functions have been opened. Now, I will send you the instructions on how to use them.”

Jian Yixin then said, “Alright, I will take a look.”

These were the permissions “timely” opened to her by the Quick Transmigration Bureau, and she would naturally look at them carefully.

Also.

“When will 01 come to see me?”

“Respected miss, good afternoon,” said the strict and indifferent female voice.

Inside the silver-white cabin, Qing Lu slowly woke up.

“The modern world project has officially ended. Please rate and evaluate your project experience. If you have any questions, Number 01 will be at your service.”

Qing Lu had been silent all along.

She lowered her eyelashes, lost in thought.

She already understood why the world had ended.

Not to mention, “Song Pianxian” had given her enough comfort before leaving. Thinking back now, Qing Lu still felt like it had happened last night and couldn’t really hold a grudge.

This world was over, and the next time they met would be in another world.

However—

Thinking of the two particularly familiar items that appeared in this world, Qing Lu clicked her tongue and glanced subtly at the void in front of her.

She didn’t know where 01 was, and in fact, she had never seen the true form of 01.

She was a guest of the Quick Transmigration Bureau, and she had been quite satisfied with 01’s unobtrusive service attitude before. But in recent times, with the appearance of “Song Pianxian,” some of the Quick Transmigration Bureau’s actions had made Qing Lu start to ponder whether she was too easy to deal with.

Qing Lu curled her lips lazily and said, “I heard that in some projects, I will gain the highest level of authority.”

01 paused for a moment.

“Yes.”

“But I must remind you, if you choose such projects, the difficulty of the task officer’s mission will increase when teaming up with you.”

Qing Lu smiled. This smile unexpectedly carried a heroic spirit of a young man. She was confident and spirited; her eyes sparkled.

“I believe in her.”

I believe she can do it.

Unfounded trust rooted in the soul.

Jian Yixin, while waiting for 01’s availability, browsed through the new features of 09.

She wasn’t interested in the miscellaneous features and couldn’t see any practical utility except for one.

“Query?”

“Yes, host. This query function was developed by the Quick Transmigration Bureau’s data department and can be used to collect items from different small worlds,” 09 explained seriously. “It’s similar to a general search engine that can search across thousands of small worlds.”

09 shrugged. “However, the version installed on the system side is rather useless. It takes a lot of time to search for something and cannot be used in emergencies, so generally, no one uses it.”

Jian Yixin paused and asked, “The data department, can it query the small worlds where the task officer has been?”

“It can, but it’s unnecessary. These are all available on the system side—” 09 stopped halfway, realizing that her host had amnesia, and their relationship was still relatively new. This query might actually be quite useful.

09 quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, host, do you want to check? I can input it for you now, and we’ll have the results in a while.”

Jian Yixin nodded.

She watched silently as 09 adjusted the parameters and entered her name. She didn’t ask 09 why she had never mentioned the existence of the data department before.

Even the Quick Transmigration Bureau was enigmatic; there was no point in investigating the authenticity of this data department.

She was more interested in what results she would get.

What the other party wanted her to find out.

Just as they finished, 01 arrived.

Unlike 09, 01 didn’t materialize into a physical form, but as soon as 09 heard the voice, it seemed to recognize the other party. The pink petals on the pencil’s head piled up, overflowing onto the ground. In a moment, they were as high as 09’s calf.

Jian Yixin had no choice but to ask 09 to go out and calm down, leaving her alone to talk with 01.

01 didn’t have any special reaction to 09. Compared to 09, she seemed more like a cold and emotionless humanoid machine.

However, Jian Yixin didn’t care about the romance between systems. She had only one thing to ask 01:

“You said you would reply to me when I got here.”

Was Qing Lu a new human?

Or, are new humans truly devoid of genuine emotions like humans?

01’s voice was cold but respectful as she replied, “I believe what you truly want to ask is, ‘Do new humans truly exist?'”

Jian Yixin’s eyes narrowed. After a moment, she smiled gently. “So, do new humans exist?”

“Whether they exist or not, you will know in the future.”

Before Jian Yixin could ask again, 01 took the initiative to say, “But, congratulations on guessing the correct answer—”

“Qing Lu is not a new human.”

01 didn’t provide Jian Yixin with any more information.

The date for Jian Yixin and Qing Lu’s departure came quickly.

But unlike before, before entering the world, 09 transferred the data to Jian Yixin.

“This world is more dangerous,” 09 said nervously. “It’s a high martial value world where even the Quick Transmigration Bureau can’t fully control or intervene. We might be in danger as soon as we land, and there’s no time to slowly read the data.”

“So, for the safety of the host’s life, the Quick Transmigration Bureau agrees to let us read the data before entering.”

“A high martial value world?”

Jian Yixin raised an eyebrow, almost thinking that the Quick Transmigration Bureau wanted to get rid of her through a small world. When she heard that the world was chosen by Qing Lu, she relaxed.

Here, the only one she trusted was Qing Lu.

09 was very serious, and Jian Yixin didn’t dare to be careless. She carefully read through the data. 09 was pleased to see her taking it seriously, but when she saw her almost memorizing the information, she felt it was a bit too much.

“Just get a general understanding,” 09 urged eagerly. “It’s time to enter the small world. Host, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Jian Yixin responded, stood up, and walked into the glowing sphere delineated by 09.

According to the information she just read, this high martial value world was the world of cultivation—

And based on the experiences of the previous worlds and her own identity in this world, she had roughly guessed Qing Lu’s identity.

If Jian Yixin hadn’t guessed wrong, in this world, Qing Lu should be called “Yu Yi.”

It’s quite easy to guess, but the trouble is…

Lingyun Sect, Daiyuan Peak.

Snow-covered mountains, vast and solemn, the world between heaven and earth is vast and boundless.

Birds and beasts are extinct, only at the foot of the mountain, there are some verdant trees covered with thick snow, scattered sparsely, looking pitiful.

In the cave on the peak, Yu Yi slowly opened her eyes.

The cave was warm as spring, but she felt bone-chilling cold.

Yu Yi sat on the bed, motionless.

Her face was exquisitely delicate, still that of an immature girl, a rarity in the cultivation world full of fairies.

Therefore, when such an exquisitely crafted girl showed no expression, with darkness in her eyes, it sent shivers down one’s spine, making people retreat.

Fortunately, such moments didn’t last long. Yu Yi raised her eyes and looked towards a soft couch under the window lattice.

She hadn’t seen her for many years.

Yu Yi got off the bed and walked slowly over. The closer she got, the clearer she saw.

This was her substitute puppet.

The puppet was dressed in golden-red robes, made from the Buddha armor of the Three Realms, untainted by dust, and even ordinary magical instruments couldn’t harm it. Just approaching it would turn them into scrap iron.

Every feature on its face was finely carved with soul stones and golden phoenix milk, incredibly beautiful.

Its lips were painted with the soul-captivating red of the Heavenly Origin Sand, a smile that could easily disturb the minds of low-level cultivators.

Yu Yi remembered that the puppet’s eyes were embedded with only two aurora pearls in Lingyun Sect. Even the mighty couldn’t help but be enchanted by her radiant eyes.

Using countless treasures of heaven and earth, this unique puppet in the world could still protect its master’s life. Who in the cultivation world wouldn’t want it?

Yu Yi had wanted it back then too.

But after activating this puppet, the first one it killed was her.

Her fingers traced along the puppet’s face, slowly outlining its lips and nose.

Where should she start dismantling her from?

---

Come join the Discord, where all the cool kids hang out!

Please support us on Ko-Fi. You can now read extra chapters by supporting.

Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

---

---