Upon entering the room, Bai Zhiqiu closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the floor.
“Live well…”
Bai Zhiqiu softly repeated the words, yet an inexpressibly complex emotion surged within her heart.
She distinctly felt it was a mother’s profound love for her daughter.
Yet, she was not Yun Paopao, nor even a Cloud Whale. She was merely a pawn caught in a scheme, imprisoned here by An, with no inkling of when she might break free.
The more she pondered, the more convoluted her thoughts became, to the extent that her brain felt as though it were being pierced by countless needles.
Subsequently, she shook her head, forcing herself to dispel the emotions that did not belong to her.
“I am Bai Zhiqiu! I am not Yun Paopao! I am Bai Zhiqiu! I am not Yun Paopao!”
Through countless self-affirmations, Bai Zhiqiu finally managed to purge those alien emotions and thoughts from her being.
Only after she had banished those feelings did she have the presence of mind to meticulously survey the room.
The room’s decor was both warm and exquisite, subtly hinting at a maiden’s touch, yet maintaining an air of profound elegance.
Several luminous pearls, embedded in the pale pink walls, served as the primary source of illumination.
‘These luminous pearls must be incredibly valuable!’
The thought immediately sprang to Bai Zhiqiu’s mind upon seeing the pearls, and she almost, as if bewitched, reached out to pluck one.
Suddenly, Bai Zhiqiu snapped back to reality, pinching her own thigh.
“Bai Zhiqiu! Bai Zhiqiu! What are you doing? This is no time to be a little money-grubber! Hiss~ that hurts!”
Bai Zhiqiu gently massaged the spot on her thigh where she had pinched herself.
‘I can’t use too much force! My body is so sensitive; it would hurt too much!’
Having successfully calmed herself, Bai Zhiqiu began her search for anything of value within the room.
If anything held the most value in the room, it was undeniably the books.
Books would allow her to quickly grasp the events that had transpired here, saving considerable time in gathering information.
A diary, or something similar, would be ideal; after all, reading through books one by one would certainly take more than a single night.
Soon, Bai Zhiqiu moved to the desk, where a few books lay neatly arranged.
Perched atop the stack was a book that struck her as vaguely familiar.
“《The White Rose Blooming in the Orange Sea of Flowers》?” Upon seeing the book, Bai Zhiqiu couldn’t help but read the title aloud, utterly surprised to encounter such a familiar volume in this place.
‘It seems this Yun Paopao wasn’t such an innocent child after all…’
Then, just as Bai Zhiqiu was about to cast the book aside, a peculiar notion suddenly surfaced in her mind.
‘Why not open it and take a look? Yin has already read it anyway! My reading it more is just to better understand Yin’s hobbies!’
‘Yes! Exactly! That must be it! I’m reading these solely for Yin! Only by understanding her preferences can I find a way to correct her!’
Having successfully convinced herself, Bai Zhiqiu opened the book.
What first greeted her eyes was not a series of blush-inducing illustrations, but rather a single line of text inscribed on the title page.
“A magnificent book bestowed by my Divine Sister!”
‘Divine Sister? A magnificent book? Then this deity must be utterly improper!’
After secretly assigning a label to the ‘Divine Sister’ in Yun Paopao’s mind, Bai Zhiqiu continued to flip through the pages.
“Wow! The illustrations on these two pages are so seductive! The protagonist is so adorable! She looks just like Divine Sister!”
After reading Yun Paopao’s fervent ramblings, Bai Zhiqiu concluded that this ‘Divine Sister’ was likely a petite loli with white hair and crimson eyes.
Bai Zhiqiu continued to turn the pages, finding the remaining ones filled with Yun Paopao’s extensive writings.
Most of them were fervent, almost delirious, declarations, such as:
“I am Divine Sister’s little pet!”
“I will pursue Divine Sister forever!”
“Divine Sister is the greatest!”
“I love Divine Sister the most!”
And other similar sentiments.
Before long, Bai Zhiqiu had finished perusing the thin picture book.
The artist’s skill was undeniable; the depiction of the two white roses evoked immense pity and affection. No wonder Yin was so utterly captivated by this book…
‘But why does the female protagonist in the drawings resemble me so much…’
Gazing at the female protagonist pinned beneath another in the illustration, Bai Zhiqiu couldn’t shake the peculiar sensation…
‘It must be an illusion…’
As she turned to the final page of the picture book, a small booklet slipped out and dropped to the floor.
“What is this?” Bai Zhiqiu retrieved the small booklet from the floor and opened it.
Inside lay a diary—Yun Paopao’s diary!
The moment her eyes fell upon the diary, Bai Zhiqiu’s breathing grew noticeably shallow.
Clues had appeared right beside her, a discovery that truly required no effort at all.
Opening the small booklet, Bai Zhiqiu began to read.
“Today, those lunatics calling themselves Shadow Cultists attacked the family’s stronghold again. Thankfully, everyone worked together to fend them off…”
“While out playing today, I met a mysterious little girl; she was truly beautiful!”
“I met that beautiful little girl again today! Is this fate? I want to play with her! But then Shadow Cultists suddenly appeared and blocked my way! It infuriated me!”
……
“Today, I didn’t listen to my parents and secretly snuck out, only to be discovered by those lunatics! Luckily, that beautiful little girl saved me! She’s so pretty and so strong! I absolutely must introduce her to the family!”
“Everyone in the family holds her in great respect. Although I don’t know what they discussed, everyone was very happy! And Father actually referred to her as a Divine Lord?”
……
“Today, following behind Divine Sister, I found a picture book. Ugh! The contents inside are so embarrassing! So Divine Sister likes these kinds of things? Should I go try it with her?!”
“I tried to try it with her but Divine Sister chased me out, and then she shoved a huge pile of books at me! None of these books are as interesting as the one I found! They look so painful! This book is called? A Death Question? What a strange name!”
“Wuwuwu! Why is it so hard! I can’t even finish it!”
……
“So amazing! Divine Sister annihilated an entire army of Shadow Cultists by herself! No wonder she’s a Divine Lord!”
“Divine Sister left today! Thankfully, she gave me a small flower! A dark red little bloom! So fragrant! So adorable!”
……
The diary entries concluded there, but Bai Zhiqiu’s findings were undoubtedly substantial.
For instance, she now understood the connection between the ‘Divine Sister’ and the entire Cloud Whale clan, even if the reason for the ‘Divine Lord’ title remained a mystery.
Furthermore, it was clear that this ‘Divine Lord’ wielded immense power.
However, this diary also presented numerous perplexing questions that awaited Bai Zhiqiu’s investigation.
For example, the Shadow Cultists, by their very name, seemed to be An’s subordinates, yet the Cloud Whale ultimately obeyed An? This contradiction was glaring.
The most perplexing mystery, however, revolved around the identity of the so-called ‘Divine Lord’!
Why would she possess ‘Death Questions’—a concept seemingly belonging to a more modern era?
Gradually, a clearer understanding of certain events began to form in her mind.
The presence of this palace here was no mere coincidence; after all, the Cloud Whale at Xuan Guan also bore a palace upon its back.
Moreover, the energy An utilized to activate the altar seemed to emanate from that very Cloud Whale, sparking a daring hypothesis in Bai Zhiqiu’s mind.
That Cloud Whale at Xuan Guan was, in fact, Yun Paopao herself!
She had, at this very moment, entered Yun Paopao’s perspective, allowing her to discern precisely what had transpired back then!