A Lady’s Love and a Dangerous Realm

“Bai Wanting, you underestimate a man’s willpower!”

Mingqian is the kind of man who once spent a full half hour searching for a suitable takeoff vehicle without giving up. How could he possibly be defeated by such a small setback?

“Next, I just need to break through to Level Six before she returns…”

****

But why hasn’t she returned this time?

‘Could it be that a malevolent god captured her and turned her into an evil magical girl…’

While he had no idea what she was truly up to, her absence was undeniably peculiar.

Previously, Bai Wanting was the type to check on him four or five times a day.

Though he couldn’t precisely gauge the time, his instincts screamed that a significant duration had passed.

How could someone like her suddenly alter her routine?

‘Strange… Could she have truly seen through his plan?’

That was impossible; she had no knowledge of Mingqian’s new abilities.

While Bai Wanting’s absence was certainly a blessing, he faced an equally pressing issue.

“…I’m so hungry.”

He couldn’t possibly starve to death here, could he? Or had Bai Wanting already seen through his thoughts, deliberately leaving him to hunger?

If he were to truly perish from starvation in this place, how would people remember him?

‘Shocking: A shut-in dies of hunger during a confinement roleplay, the reason behind it sending shivers down one’s spine…’

“No, no, no…”

Such a death would be far too ignominious.

Mingqian, therefore, had no choice but to conserve his magical energy, praying silently for the girl’s swift return.

****

On the outskirts of Seven Hills City, a golden barrier shimmered in the distance, enveloping something within its radiant embrace.

“!!!”

It was a barrier spell forged by the combined might of numerous cultivators, yet in the very next moment, the golden light shattered, scattering into countless fragments.

From afar, the secret realm appeared swathed in an ethereal, deep blue, silently devouring everything in its vicinity as it continued to expand.

The creeping, cerulean aura emanating from it caused several cultivators to instantly cough up blood on the spot.

Witnessing this horrifying sight, the cultivators immediately braced themselves to flee.

Risking their lives for money simply wasn’t worth it.

They lacked the courage to venture into such a secret realm; preferring to try their luck in established, stable ones rather than this perilous enigma.

Bai Wanting, who had coincidentally stopped nearby, observed the cultivators’ retreat.

Frankly, she merely attributed their failure to insufficient strength, not to the inherent danger of the secret realm itself.

Seeing her gaze fixed on the secret realm with fervent intensity, a man who appeared to be a manager wiped cold sweat from his brow and tried to dissuade her:

“Don’t go there. That’s not a place we can enter.”

“We’ve already requested reinforcements from the branch office! If you wish to visit the city outskirts, please return another day!”

While the Seven Hills City outskirts were indeed a pleasant place for recreation on ordinary days, the current tempestuous weather, complete with lightning and thunder, corroborated the manager’s warning.

Seeing the young woman in a short skirt and stockings, he seemed to mistake her for someone out on a picnic.

“Is it very dangerous?”

Bai Wanting raised an eyebrow.

Ever since her powers awakened, she had endured countless instances of being underestimated, yet each time, she personally shattered those prejudices.

Her sole reason for striving for strength was singular: she wanted to become powerful enough that no one in the world could ever harm Xiaoqian.

And anyone who dared to stand between her and Xiaoqian…

Her tone held a hint of displeasure, her delicate brows furrowed as she cast a reproachful glance at the man.

“Miss, I find it difficult to answer you… This is my job, please, you must go back…”

Seeing the young woman not only refusing to leave but also growing more talkative, he raised his hand, intending to push Bai Wanting away.

The young woman subtly stepped back, and a surge of True Qi instantly sent the man flying.

The expression on her face instantly turned grim.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I have no desire to be touched by any man other than Xiaoqian.”

“Ah! Ungh…”

The man let out a slightly pained groan.

“Furthermore, I am the reinforcement you spoke of. Move aside.”

Cold sweat poured down the man’s forehead, yet he was too terrified to even breathe.

He was merely an ordinary person; when had he ever encountered such an imposing cultivator?

Bai Wanting shot the man a warning glare, then stepped over him, her gaze fixed on the secret realm not far away.

From a distance, ethereal blue flames burned all around, and though only separated by a thin membrane, the world within the secret realm remained impenetrable to observation.

However, one thing was certain: a torrent of death energy surged within the secret realm.

It was an entity that no ordinary cultivator could possibly contend with.

She gently glanced back at Chris, the golden-haired girl gazing at the realm with a pensive, distant look.

Chris had only recently learned that so-called secret realms were, in fact, the products of other worlds merging with this one, known as ‘Blue Star’.

They originated from diverse worlds, even different planes of existence, and the forced amalgamation resulted in the birth of these secret realms.

If a secret realm remained unexplored, it would expand indefinitely, potentially consuming all of Blue Star in the end.

She always had a faint, inexplicable sense of familiarity emanating from this particular secret realm before her.

“Let’s go in and take a look…”

****

A flash of golden light, and a massive demon beast instantly collapsed to the ground.

Chris didn’t draw her sword; instead, she kept it at her side, murmuring to herself like a sorceress.

“Master, Master, Master, I miss you so much!”

Another flash of golden light, and her sword qi tore through a demon beast that was about to attack Eliza.

“Thanks, Chris. By the way, what was that tasteless chant just now…”

“Since just now, you’ve been muttering, ‘Hope to see Master soon!’ and ‘I wish Aile would just disappear!’ Who are you making wishes to? Listen, as ladies, we should always maintain our decorum…”

“Sister, you sound like Mom.”

“Gulp!”

“And your age, too.”

“Aaaah, Chris!!!!!”

Eliza let out a sound like a squashed frog.

She lightly massaged her forehead.

Ever since Chris arrived in this world, Eliza, seeing a glimmer of hope, had swiftly emerged from the gloom of losing her master.

In those years, Chris had been overly melancholic; she would occasionally run into the rain without a word, hugging her knees and weeping softly.

Now, however, she was arguably too active.

Eliza only wished their master hadn’t spoiled her so much back then!

The deeper they delved into the secret realm, the more Chris felt a peculiar surge of energy, particularly from these demon beasts, which were all types she found remarkably familiar.

Golden light flashed once more, and the demon beast before Bai Wanting froze.

“Phew… Thanks!”

She instantly drew her sword, neatly severing its head.

Compared to the young women who still had the energy to chat, Bai Wanting appeared far more strained.

These were demon beasts she had never encountered before… no, ‘demon beasts’ was a more fitting term than ‘monsters’.

Her True Qi proved ineffective against these demon beasts, forcing her to expend considerable effort to dispatch them.

“Miss Chris, you seem to be…” She chose her words carefully, speaking slowly, “…quite at ease?”

“Eh? No, no, no, it’s just that my light element happens to restrain them… Ah ha ha ha ha…”

Chris chuckled awkwardly.

Just as she was fretting over how to explain herself to the young woman, she realized the other’s attention had already drifted.

Bai Wanting was staring intently at a stalk of blue grass.

“Ah, isn’t that a Phantasmal Luminous Thread Mushroom?”

For Chris, this was a plant she knew intimately, one she couldn’t be more familiar with.

One simply needed to step into Noyu’s back garden to be enveloped by these very plants.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wanting’s eyes immediately locked onto the young woman.

Could it be! Was she also a kindred spirit?

The Phantasmal Luminous Thread Mushroom—the uses of this plant were practically unknown to the world, yet she knew…

She had always been wary of these two sisters, but if they, too, harbored a love as profound as her own…

Bai Wanting decided to subtly probe the young woman.

She halted, adopting a bewildered expression.

“You know about it? Right, I heard that when it’s mixed with something, it turns into…”

“Candle Dragon Powder! You absolutely, absolutely must not add Candle Dragon Powder, it will turn into something terrifying!”

Chris looked up, her expression earnest as she met Bai Wanting’s gaze.

Bai Wanting let out a soft chuckle.

Indeed, this young woman…

‘Is a kindred spirit!’

“Terrifying? Not at all, Miss Chris, it’s a potent medicine, you see?”

“What! You’re actually saying that something capable of poisoning demon beasts is a potent medicine!”

Chris felt a tremor of fear.

Could it be that the people of this world possessed such formidable resistance to toxins!

“More importantly, Miss Chris, do you have someone you like?”

A peculiar blush bloomed on Bai Wanting’s face.

“…”

Upon hearing this question, Chris uncharacteristically fell silent.

Yes, she did, of course she did.

But the one she loved had abandoned her and left.

“It’s alright, Miss Chris.”

Bai Wanting touched her faintly flushed cheek, her lips curving into an involuntary smile.

Just moments ago, she had already ‘pushed’ Xiaoqian countless times in her mind.

“I love my boyfriend very much, so I’m willing to do anything for him.”

Chris cast a slightly envious glance.

Originally, she too should have been serving by her master’s side like this; originally, she too should have been happy.

“But he’s sick right now, so I’m going to save him with an X-medicine.”

Chris tilted her head.

“Eh? What did you say? I think I misheard you just now; it sounded like a strange word appeared in your sentence.”

“Mhm, mhm, so I’m going to use an X-medicine to cure his illness, and then he’ll fully understand my love.”