Chapter 568: The Average Quality of the Inn

The scene fell quiet for a moment. Hu Li's pair of fluffy big ears twitched as she looked up at Yu Sheng, then casually went back to noisily sucking on her chicken drumstick, seemingly unconcerned with what was going on around her.

Erin, on the other hand, placed her treasured frying pan on the table, then sat cross-legged right inside the pan, propping her chin on her hands with an expression of watching a show.

Yu Sheng thought for a moment, looking at Bai Li Xue, who was currently disguised as Bai Li Qing. "I remember your sister said those horns of hers will fade after a little while..."

Bai Li Xue said calmly, "Skills that aren't used for a long time degenerate."

Yu Sheng instantly recalled the scene of the pure white dragon landing face-first, and all his doubts vanished.

But he couldn't help being a little curious. "Don't you think your sister would have a problem with you talking behind her back like that?"

"She won't find out," Bai Li Xue said calmly, and whether it was an illusion or not, there was a relaxed air around her. "I've blocked the surveillance here."

Yu Sheng blinked, and then his vision blurred as an image appeared in his mind: the tall grass in the Soul Wilderness, and the blonde young knight looking at him with a radiant smile. "I recorded all of that."

He blinked again, and saw Luna, who had been standing solemnly at his side, tilt her head slightly and make a "peace" sign with a solemn expression.

Yu Sheng: "..."

Bai Li Xue naturally had no idea that Yu Sheng and Luna had a communication interface in the soul world, and she also seemed not to notice the little gesture from the artificial saint standing coldly nearby. After chatting with Yu Sheng for a bit, her gaze fell on Erin.

The little doll was currently sitting in her treasured frying pan—from a certain angle, the pan was actually a good size for her—and noticing the other's gaze, Erin instantly reacted. "What are you looking at?"

"Just coming to greet a guest who visited this world three thousand seven hundred years ago," Bai Li Xue said with a momentary hesitation, and a hint of a smile seemed to appear on her face—Yu Sheng wasn't too sure, since what he saw of Bai Li Qing/Xue was a bunch of overlapping images, rich in expression but low in resolution. "Even though we've met many times before, considering the special circumstances this time, I think it's necessary to have a renewed and formal greeting."

Erin thought for a moment, then turned to look at Yu Sheng. "What does she mean?"

"She's worried that you might still carry contamination from the Blight Omen Goddess, so she came to check on you," Yu Sheng said casually, then turned his gaze to Bai Li Xue. "That's what she means, right?"

Bai Li Xue: "...Yes, but we could be more tactful."

"She won't understand tact," Yu Sheng pointed at Erin, but then changed his tone. "Of course, I understand you too. If she does understand, she'll curse you."

Bai Li Xue: "...That's not what I meant..."

"I know," Yu Sheng waved his hand before she could finish. "After all, unlike the previous two 'Angel Falls,' this Blight Omen-Boundary Bridge incident is special. You have to be responsible for the safety of the borderlands."

He paused here, and his expression suddenly grew somewhat serious.

"She's not the Blight Omen. You can rest assured—even if she were, you would still be safe."

Bai Li Xue was silent for two seconds, then her eyes, hidden behind the illusion, lowered slightly. "Alright, I understand."

Erin sat in the frying pan, propping her chin as she looked from Yu Sheng to Bai Li Xue. Then she suddenly caught on and pointed at the latter. "You..."

Yu Sheng used two fingers to push the little doll's arm down. "That part is over. That part is over."

"Is that so?"

Bai Li Xue watched this scene silently, and soon a smile appeared on her face. Then she bowed slightly and left the seat.

"Then I won't disturb you further," she took half a step back. "Oh, by the way, the Special Service Bureau just received a transit application from the Border Embassy District. I've already opened a temporary special permit for them. That Miss 'Marise' will be waiting for you in the parking lot of the SSB headquarters."

Bai Li Xue left.

Hu Li very seriously finished sucking on her chicken drumstick, then casually tossed the clean bone into her mouth and chewed (mainly for the ceremonial feel), then pulled one of her tails behind her to wipe her mouth, looked up at Yu Sheng with sparkling eyes. "Benefactor, just now she spent a third of her time looking at Erin, but two-thirds of her time was actually looking at you."

Yu Sheng rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "What was she looking at me for..."

"I don't know," Hu Li said, her ears twitching, then perking up. "Ah, the fried meatballs are out!"

Yu Sheng laughed. "Eat, eat. Even if Marise comes from the border and takes a 'shortcut' into the city, it'll still be a while."

---

Inside a high-end apartment in the central district of the Boundary City, the wide floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the night scene of the city.

The world of ordinary people was still as peaceful and tranquil as ever. The citizens living on the "surface" had no idea of the crisis that had occurred beneath their daily lives. People lived busily, worked busily, and under the night sky, the city was still bustling and prosperous—except occasionally someone would talk about the strange dreams they had during a daytime nap, or mention the bizarre thoughts that flashed through their minds when their attention wandered. Everything in the Boundary City seemed to have returned to normal.

Only those outside the sight of ordinary people—SSB agents, Deep Dive Unit, Council security teams, hired detectives and investigators—would remain busy for a long time to come.

Bai Li Qing's figure in her nightgown was reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window glass, her expression calm as she looked outside.

The bedroom was not lit. In the darkness, a pair of crystal-clear and elegant dragon horns seemed to glow faintly on their own, appearing somewhat unreal in the reflection on the glass.

"How is the situation?" she asked in her mind.

Bai Li Xue's voice sounded from within her heart. "I didn't see any contamination. That doll in my vision is mostly still the same as before, just a bit more 'solidified', which matches the traits of 'soul completion', consistent with our judgment."

"Hmm..." Bai Li Qing mused. "And what about Yu Sheng's situation?"

"I still can't see through him. I can only sense a vague 'connection', as if... part of my 'essence' is being influenced by him. But he seems unaware of it."

Bai Li Qing didn't respond for a moment. She just looked down at her own arm.

She lifted her arm, slowly rotating her hand. The slender human wrist suddenly became covered in fine scales, transforming into a dragon's rugged claw, then quietly returned to a human hand. In the midst of these changes, faint red lines could be seen appearing in the gaps at the edges of the scales.

"Sister, I... don't understand," Bai Li Xue's voice suddenly sounded in her mind again. "Regarding that so-called 'blood-granting' ritual, it was you who came into contact with the blood. Why was I also 'marked'? And you seemed to have predicted this from the start..."

"Xue," Bai Li Qing interrupted her. "You are my illusion."

The voice in her mind suddenly fell silent.

After several seconds, Bai Li Xue spoke again. "...I thought I had long existed independently of you. After all, over the years, I have been constantly breaking away from your control."

"Now the facts have proven that you haven't," Bai Li Qing said flatly. "You are my illusion. 'Freedom' is your illusion."

"...Well, it's not unacceptable," Bai Li Xue responded calmly. "And we've figured out another thing along the way: Yu Sheng's 'blood-granting' is indeed not the ordinary kind of 'contamination' or 'transformation'. Not only can it affect things that actually exist, but it can even affect... 'illusions'."

"Hmm," Bai Li Qing acknowledged. Then she seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "Does it bother you that you're just an 'illusion'?"

"It kind of does."

"Then this 'bother' is at least real—and it belongs solely to you."

"You really know how to comfort people."

Bai Li Qing ignored the teasing tone in the voice in her mind. She just let out a soft breath and turned away from the window.

"I'm going to sleep."

"Resting so early today?"

"Dragon transformation consumes a lot of energy, especially when I also have to resist the voice of the 'Darkened Angel'. I get tired too," Bai Li Qing said casually. "Besides, today Yu Sheng took his whole household to visit that 'Ambassador Alice'. He probably won't have time to call me in the middle of the night again."

"Alright, alright. Dumping the SSB work on your little sister, the 'midnight phone maniac' taking his noisy family to the border, this really is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch up on sleep. The dignified Director of the SSB also has the right to rest... Good night, sister."

"Good night."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile seemed to appear at the corner of Bai Li Qing's mouth. Then she let out a soft sigh and lay down on the bed early, relaxed for the first time in a long while.

Half a minute later, the Director lady turned over and sat up.

Her horns were pressing against the bed.

With a somewhat complicated expression, Bai Li Qing raised her hand to touch the dragon horns on her head, roughly gauged their size and position, then lay down on her side.

This time she got up again in less than half a minute.

After sitting on the bed and staring blankly for a few seconds, Bai Li Qing silently took down the pillow that was hanging on her horn. She sighed as she looked at the hole that had been poked in it.

Then she began all sorts of attempts: lying on her back, her horns propped her up; lying on her side, same thing; lying on her stomach, she couldn't fall asleep; hanging her head over the edge of the bed was even more uncomfortable. She thought about finding a saw, but couldn't saw them off—and it would hurt.

They might naturally fall off by tomorrow, in the best case. In the worst case, they might not fall off for three days.

She couldn't remember how she had slept before when the dragon horns wouldn't naturally recede... It seemed she hadn't slept at all?

Bai Li Qing sat up again in her nightgown, her face tense in the darkness, silent.

After a moment, she sighed again and casually picked up the phone on the bedside table.

If she couldn't sleep, so be it. At least she didn't have to deal with official business. Leaning against the bed and scrolling through her phone could also be considered relaxation.

The moment she unlocked her phone, a message notification sounded. Bai Li Qing frowned, then relaxed when she saw it wasn't from the SSB work group or the Council group.

But the sender of the message was somewhat unfamiliar—the source showed it was from the "Otherworld Inn" Database...