**Chapter 45: Listen to Uncle’s Advice, Let Uncle Come**
The moment Jiang Li proposed to replace Bai Kai, Qi Dong immediately rejected her request without hesitation.
“No way! Absolutely not!”
Hearing this, Jiang Li tilted her head, glanced at Qi Dong, then at Bai Kai, and felt confused.
“Why can you both go, but I can’t?”
“No, Jiang… Miaomiao Sauce!” Bai Kai explained earnestly, “The things inside that place are all virtual, and it’s very deep; you can’t grasp it. Listen to Uncle’s advice, let Uncle go!”
“Exactly!” Qi Dong said seriously, “Don’t blame us for being blunt; we’re worried you might go in and never come back!”
“……” Jiang Li assessed Bai Kai and Qi Dong, and after a two-second pause said, “You two didn’t really explain everything clearly, did you?”
“There must be something you’re hiding from me, right?”
As she spoke, her chin slightly lifted, her eyes narrowed, and a cold glimmer flashed in her gaze, an invisible oppressive feeling permeating the entire private room.
It was as if she had unleashed the Conqueror’s Haki.
Jiang Li’s “k*ll with a glance” was indeed effective on most people, but if the person being watched had no sense of shame, then her glare would be completely ineffective.
Bai Kai and Qi Dong, one a veteran bronze pea and the other an old trickster, didn’t even know the extent of their limits, let alone feel any shame.
Let her be powerful; I will just let it ride!
“Don’t look at me like that! I’ll tell you everything!”
Unable to bear the suffocating pressure, Gu Xiliu shouted.
“They didn’t dare tell you, if you go in, you’ll end up like Luxianbei, losing yourself!”
What the heck! Where did this pig teammate come from?
Bai Kai and Qi Dong simultaneously looked at the panicking Gu Xiliu, rolled their eyes, and were at a loss for words.
“Lose myself?” Jiang Li tilted her head, casting an inquiring look at Gu Xiliu.
Gu Xiliu shrank her neck, weakly said, “W-well, actually…”
“Hey, let me tell her,” Bai Kai interrupted Gu Xiliu, “actually…”
————
Previously, Bai Kai and Qi Dong only informed Jiang Li of Luxianbei’s whereabouts and what they were doing, without mentioning the risks involved.
Only when she pressed did the pig teammates immediately surrender, and the two were forced to compromise.
The day before, they discovered that the Inheritance Beast’s flesh invading that cursed place, affected by the Solar Eclipse Society, had suddenly become active, complicating and endangering the situation even more.
Now, even Gu Xiliu, wanting to rely solely on dreams to send her consciousness in and temporarily attach herself to Luxianbei or any random person to transmit information, would face strong interference, even getting intercepted or attacked by the Inheritance Beast’s flesh.
So, an hour ago, Bai Kai and Qi Dong decided to try the last method—using Gu Xiliu’s uniqueness to conduct a ritual, sending themselves in to personally search for Luxianbei.
There would inevitably be a period of time in a completely unprotected state during this process.
Though this time would be very brief, one could not entirely rule out the possibility of being attacked by the flesh of the Inheritance Beast.
Moreover, that special space was constructed based on the projection of Huacheng.
It could be said that except for those like Gu Xiliu, who originally came from there, anyone entering would face the same result as Luxianbei under the influence of the rules set up by Qi Nanzhu using her residual powers and vast memories flooding into their minds.
Honestly, even Bai Kai, who considered himself to have experienced many things and is mentally resilient, felt that he wouldn’t be able to recognize reality in a short time when faced with the temptation of “re-living life on a beautiful track.”
He certainly wouldn’t be able to withstand it, especially a young person like Jiang Li with a dark past.
Bai Kai was genuinely worried that if she entered that special space, she might lose herself.
If he were to send Jiang Li in, Bai Kai feared she would not only be unable to awaken Luxianbei and bring him back but also that she would be lost herself.
Wouldn’t that just fan the flames?
————
After the supplementary explanation, Bai Kai spread his hands, “That’s the situation; strictly speaking, this mission not only has risks, but the risks are quite high. So…”
As he spoke halfway, he suddenly became serious, looking intently into Jiang Li’s eyes, “Let me give it a shot first, alright?”
Feeling the determination in Bai Kai’s words, a trace of hesitation appeared in Jiang Li’s eyes, but it quickly faded back to her usual calmness.
“Fine! However, we must act immediately to avoid any prolonged delays.”
Since Bai Kai was so adamant, letting him test the reliability of the ritual first wasn’t bad… Jiang Li thought.
In her view, if Bai Kai failed, she could still try afterward. If Bai Kai succeeded, with only Gu Xiliu left, she was also confident she could persuade Gu Xiliu to conduct the ritual again.
In short, regardless of whether Bai Kai succeeded or not, she could follow right after him into that special space without needing to get bogged down in this issue, wasting time.
“……” Bai Kai opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Why don’t you keep insisting!? I might just change my mind!
I’m scared to go to that cursed place too, okay?
Forget it, as an elder, I should have the attitude of taking risks for the younger ones… Bai Kai thought.
Just then, while Bai Kai and Jiang Li stood off, Gu Xiliu quietly tugged at Qi Dong’s sleeve, whispering, “Speaking of which, I’ve wanted to ask for a long time—who exactly is this big sister?”
Bai Kai had seen Jiang Li appear in the form of Miaomiao Sauce, and Qi Dong, as an old trickster, could decipher who the girl in front of him was through Jiang Li’s every move and Bai Kai’s behavior, but Gu Xiliu completely failed to recognize her.
Qi Dong was taken aback, looking at Gu Xiliu with a face full of black question marks, “Wait, after all this time, you still haven’t figured out who she is?”
“Uh…”
“Then why are you scared of her?”
“Because she just looks very intimidating!” Gu Xiliu said seriously.
Qi Dong, “……” This kid, is she still half-asleep? How can she be so foolish?
————
Moments later, at the underground nightclub, in the luxurious private room.
Bai Kai and Gu Xiliu sat cross-legged facing each other, with bright yellow talisman papers densely attached to both their foreheads, resembling someone who lost a ton of poker games.
On the tea table beneath Bai Kai, cinnabar outlined a complex solidification spell combination, and the manner of drawing the talismans was completely different from the currently circulating structures, hinting at ancient techniques.
While Qi Dong was drawing these talismans, Jiang Li felt astonished by his skill in mastering such ancient spells but said nothing.
Who doesn’t have a few secrets?
Just like no one specified that Siye Association operatives couldn’t moonlight as male public relations, can’t be sleeping addicts, or can’t be gamblers.
No one stipulated that a Special Action Team member with only D-level spirit energy fluctuation couldn’t master the ancient talisman drawing methods.
“Ready?” Jiang Li asked softly.
“Mm.” Bai Kai nodded.
Jiang Li looked to Qi Dong standing beside Bai Kai, “Shall we begin?”
“Okay!” Qi Dong responded and silently recited that part of the urban legend power description he was unwilling to disclose.
Born as divine spirits, proclaiming their names, all ink is a hymn, reciting “Jiu Shao”… whatever the sun and moon illuminate, where wind and rain reach, must all submit.
As Qi Dong finished reciting the long power description in his mind, the cinnabar-drawn solidification spell suddenly glowed with a crimson light, gradually intensifying.
At the moment the light changed from red to gold, a soft “pop!” echoed.
Jiang Li poured the substitute for the Primordial Spirit—pure silver—from the crystal bottle.
Under the pull of spirit energy fluctuations, droplets of mercury transformed into strands that flew towards the talisman papers on Bai Kai and Gu Xiliu’s foreheads.
“Puff—!”
The strands of pure silver touched the talisman paper, instantly igniting silver flames that consumed the talisman paper, erupting numerous small silver arcs that crazily danced across Bai Kai’s surface, while the solidification spell beneath him radiated light.
In the glow of gold and silver, Gu Xiliu’s body suddenly convulsed violently, as if in a seizure.
In a blur, a vague shadow floated out from above her head, flying towards Bai Kai and merging into his brow.
On the other side, under the cover of light, Bai Kai’s figure gradually faded, leaving only a blurry outline, as if he had suddenly transformed into a cloud of mist that would disperse in the wind.
As the ritual concluded, Gu Xiliu’s body softened and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Jiang Li stepped forward, caught her before her head hit the tea table, and took out a pillow to gently place her head on it.
“Did it work?” Jiang Li looked at Qi Dong, softly asking.
Qi Dong nodded, pondering for two seconds before shaking his head, then nodding again.
Jiang Li frowned, “So did it succeed or not?”
“It did, but not completely.”
“……” Jiang Li opened her mouth, about to say something when the spirit energy fluctuations in the room suddenly intensified.
The next moment, Bai Kai’s figure completely vanished.
However, less than three seconds later, a figure, as if teleported by some strange, unstable teleportation spell, shot down from the ceiling with a “thud!” as it hit the ground.
Upon focusing, it was Bai Kai.
At that moment, Qi Dong looked at Jiang Li and shrugged, “That’s what I meant.”
Jiang Li, “……”
————
That night, in an old yet tidy little inn.
At the writing desk, a table lamp emitted a warm light.
Wang Meili sat at the writing desk, holding an old pen and pondering for a long time before finally writing a sentence on the stationery in front of her.
“My child, reading this is like seeing you: I am now using this letter to say goodbye to you forever…”
She had just completed a line, slightly paused, and was about to continue writing when, as if sensing something, she raised her head and looked out the window.
Those golden eyes seemed to gaze out at the snowstorm or perhaps something far beyond.
“Who came in?”
Wang Meili muttered, making a grasping motion in the air, and a photograph suddenly appeared in her hand. Upon closely examining it, her expression turned playful.
In the photograph, amidst a chaos of darkness, Bai Kai was flying like a cannonball, his body heading straight toward a large, shimmering bubble, about to crash into it.
“Why is this noob Bai Kai?” Wang Meili frowned slightly and muttered, “Does he plan to go in to find Luxianbei?”
“That won’t do. If he gets lost in there and can’t come back, won’t it be in vain for that girl to risk her life to exchange for his pathetic life? So…”
“You’d better hurry back!”
As her voice fell, a ruthless glint flashed in Wang Meili’s eyes. She rubbed the photograph between her fingers, and a flicker of flame instantly turned the photo to ashes.
————
Everything around seemed like an illusion, the scenery before his eyes faded to only black and white.
Before he could react, Bai Kai felt a strong sense of weightlessness, his body uncontrollably dropping, even spinning.
The next moment, darkness enveloped him, sinking him into an unexpected drowsiness.
It felt like being dragged by something, suddenly falling into an abyss, with his body helplessly plummeting deeper and deeper until he beheld that giant bubble.
In a dreamlike state, countless whispers arose in his ears, flooding his soul, recounting pieces of memories he had never experienced.
A deep pain throbbed at his brow. Even as a spiritual ability user, facing this overwhelming flow of information, his consciousness began to drown.
In a haze, he seemed to see himself at eighteen, with Xing Yuan still by his side, never leaving…
Bai Kai desperately clung to the last thread of rationality, soaring towards the immense bubble ahead when suddenly, he felt a heavy impact on his body.
Bai Kai, “??? What the hell? What’s going on? Did the ritual fail?”
It felt like being kicked away out of nowhere. He sensed himself rapidly retreating in the opposite direction of the massive bubble.
Soon, he fell into a prolonged stupor.
————
“……I love you very much, and it is this very thought of loving you that has prompted me to face d*ath bravely…”
Wang Meili had just finished writing a passage when her pen paused again.
That feeling of someone intruding returned again.
“Who else is coming in? I see these people have completely no respect for me! I want to see which fool it is!”
Wang Meili cursed, and with a flick of her wrist, another photo appeared in her hand. She focused in on the photo.
Upon seeing the blonde girl with an alluring figure in the photograph, a cryptic smile appeared on her lips.
“Another one? I didn’t expect the dead guy Lu Ming to have such good taste in choosing a daughter-in-law! But with so many relationships, could it be a bit…”
“Forget it, if I don’t play the field for a few years, how will I be able to provide for a certain girl in the future?”
This time, she did not stop Jiang Li from entering the special space but silently tucked away the photograph and continued writing the letter she prepared for Luxianbei.
Her husband’s good brother wants to enter, no way!
Her daughter-in-law wants to enter, fine!
