Chapter 283: Return to the “Present”
In the deep of night, in the guest room at the northwest corner of the third floor of the Dai Mu Institute, the lights were bright.
“Is… is she really a pure succubus?” After listening to Luxianbei recount Lilith’s past, Shen Baiwei looked up at Luxianbei, her eyes filled with disbelief.
In her understanding, anything related to succubi, no matter how “pure” it seemed, was merely a veiled guise for soft, salacious content. Calamity’s creation of such themes for her works certainly had ulterior motives.
But what she didn’t expect was that Calamity’s story was surprisingly serious…
It was just a bit disappointing, like having spent an entire night watching “Housewife in a Passionate Fight with Young Boys,” only to discover it was actually the 8K HD version of “Calabash Brothers.”
Shaking off her thoughts, Shen Baiwei pressed further, “What happened next? That witch, or rather, the original succubus, after taking revenge with her witch followers, where did she go? If this is where the story ends, it feels a bit anticlimactic.”
Of course, it would feel anticlimactic! Because this wasn’t the real ending… Luxianbei thought, and continued, “Later, she died…”
After a few minutes, she told Shen Baiwei how Lilith and her witch followers had been ambushed by an army of spiritual ability users sent by those traitors, experienced a brutal slaughter, and in the end, heartbroken, chose to sink into the Red Sea, returning to the embrace of her “mother.”
It was a complete origin legend of an urban legend! Worthy of being recorded… After hearing it, Shen Baiwei nodded thoughtfully.
However, just when she thought the story had ended, Luxianbei spoke again.
“But her story didn’t end here…”
“After she transformed into the Witch’s Egg and sank into the Red Sea, a long, long time later, a naive and lovely, pure-hearted girl picked up the now dusty and decayed Witch’s Egg on the shores of the Red Sea.”
“She discovered the soul dwelling within the Witch’s Egg, felt the sadness, resentment, and even the hostility towards the world from that soul. Wanting to change its thoughts, she took the Witch’s Egg, packed her bag, and set off on a journey.”
“In the distant East, where the Miracle Flower bloomed, the girl found a place where the soul inside the Witch’s Egg could rest.”
Luxianbei immersed herself in the story she crafted, and only returned to reality when she noticed Shen Baiwei had put down her pen and paper, casting an unfriendly sideways glance at her.
“The protagonist of this story wouldn’t happen to be named Calamity, would she? You think I can’t tell? Even now, you still want to spread faith within the God Realm Yumen. You really are something, Calamity, shameless!”
How could she dare to call herself naive and lovely, pure and kind? Shen Baiwei thought.
“…” Luxianbei was at a loss for a few seconds, her chin slightly raised, and she retorted, “Just tell me whether you’re going to draw or not! If not, I won’t tell you my source of information.”
“You!” Shen Baiwei bit her silver teeth, suddenly turning away, leaning over the table, and fastly scribbling on her notebook, “Draw! Whether you spread faith or not has nothing to do with me!”
But… if Calamity could take advantage of the God Realm Yumen, could I not do the same?
I’ll leave a few pages in the notebook for the people in the God Realm Yumen to help record what has happened over a thousand years…”
As much as I can record, it will be beneficial for the enhancement of powers!
Shen Baiwei was inspired by Luxianbei’s “shameless” behavior and eventually came to this conclusion.
While thinking, she sketched in her notebook, and after about ten minutes, she presented a draft to Luxianbei, “What do you think? Is this okay?”
I must say, after refining her spirit patterns, Shen Baiwei’s drawing skills had indeed improved remarkably. On the pages of her notebook, a succubus with revealing attire and a fiery figure was depicted, her sultry eyes making even the draft exhilarating to look at.
However, Luxianbei felt a stabbing pain in her heart.
It wasn’t psychological; it really hurt.
It felt as though Lilith was dissatisfied with Shen Baiwei’s submission, her little hand twisting Luxianbei’s thigh violently under the table.
“Of course it won’t do!” Luxianbei hastily said, “Don’t let stereotypes influence you! Try to show some creativity as an artist! Purity, do you understand? Like the little flower blooming on the mountain ridge, unforgettable white moonlight kind of purity.”
What a difficult client! Shen Baiwei rolled her eyes, turned back, and after another flurry of drawing, submitted a second proposal.
This time, on the pages of her notebook, there appeared a young girl looking about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a white dress and adorned with a luxurious floral crown resembling a tiara, her figure tall and graceful, her face radiant. Although the image remained on paper, it felt as if she could smell the faint floral fragrance wafting from the girl, even across dimensions.
Her heart did not hurt again, and Luxianbei nodded in satisfaction, “Good, let’s go with this design!”
Shen Baiwei looked at Luxianbei, then at her draft, tilting her head, “Are you sure?”
What kind of succubus is this?
Might as well say she’s a forest elf or the daughter of a god, and someone might actually believe it!
I can understand beautifying the image related to one’s powers, but isn’t overdoing it really going to lead to a distortion towards something strange? Shen Baiwei thought.
“Absolutely sure! I told you not to have stereotypes…”
Because, this was clearly Lilith’s true form! Luxianbei added in her mind.
“Alright!” Shen Baiwei said, pouting slightly, raising the pen in her hand towards Luxianbei, “Then I’ll start drawing!”
The client always wants things to go their way unexpectedly. If she follows her instructions, they can muddle through sooner rather than later! Shen Baiwei thought.
Seeing Shen Baiwei so enthusiastic about her work, Luxianbei no longer interrupted, quietly stepping aside, taking up her pen and paper, and began preparing a “manual” for Long Bang.
According to her plan, the whole manual could be divided into “Body Techniques,” “Spell Formulas,” “Alchemy,” and “Practical Insights”…
The “Body Techniques” section could just incorporate a few fighting skills from the Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration and the Siye Society.
For the “Spell Formulas,” it was fine to include all the internal spells from the Siye Society.
The Great Serpent God and Lan Yi’s memories contained many alchemical potion formulas. Just selecting a few simple and easy ones would suffice for the “Alchemy” section.
Luxianbei was quite conscientious in compiling this “textbook,” unlike some textbook editors who create misleading content based merely on their own will. The alchemical formulas she selected wouldn’t poison someone, even if they went wrong.
As for the “Practical Insights,” that’s even simpler, right? Just pick up a pen and write?
[The Art of War says: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you won’t be imperiled in a hundred battles. It’s essential to gather information about your opponent and prepare thoroughly before engaging.]
[When conditions permit, engaging in a duel can take advantage of timing, location, and morale, which is superior to ambushing or unprepared frontal assaults, which have neither timing nor advantageous terrain. They are the least preferred option.]
[As Han Feizi states: In battle, deception is permissible. The deception that occurs when fighting isn’t real deceit, and it doesn’t harm one’s character.]
…
[Lastly, life is only once. In times of fear, running away is also acceptable!]
After putting down the last line, Luxianbei assessed her masterpiece and nodded.
She was very satisfied.
If this were placed in a novel, it could almost be considered the early golden finger of the protagonist, potentially supporting Long Bang in becoming powerful enough to break free from the God Realm Yumen’s restraints, leading to a new chapter in a broader “map”…
————
The work of Luxianbei and Shen Baiwei in compiling the manual and the pure succubus book lasted until noon the next day.
Although compiling the manual was just a matter of filtering and transcribing the content in her mind, which only took about two or three hours, the rest of the time, Luxianbei did not remain idle but stayed by Shen Baiwei’s side, playing the role of a meticulous and sharp-tongued, difficult client.
This could be a pure succubus book that might last for thousands of years! How could it be produced so crudely?
Of course, this couldn’t all be blamed on Luxianbei; in a strict sense, she was the client, and the one being picky was the consciousness of Lilith residing in the Witch’s Egg, which left her no choice.
And Shen Baiwei was merely outsourcing for the client…
Around noon.
When the last stroke was made, Shen Baiwei leaned back and slumped into her chair.
Although she knew that the witch-type urban legends were universally appealing, and there was a possibility she might someday become a toy of some high-ranking witch, she never expected she would one day be drained by a witch in such a way.
Luxianbei stood behind her, gently kneading her shoulders, saying softly, “You’ve worked hard. Now, all preparation work is complete.”
“Take a good rest. I’ll first head to the Longxiang Army camp, then arrange the pure succubus book. Let’s meet up later at the old place? You know, the little cottage where we hid after escaping from Zawen Temple together.”
“I’ll explain the matters concerning the Saint’s Plan in detail once we return.”
“Sure.” Shen Baiwei lifted her eyelids, glanced at Luxianbei, nodded, and closed her eyes again, clearly exhausted.
She allowed her surroundings to fall into darkness, listening to the sound of Calamity’s departing footsteps.
After a moment of waiting.
Once everything around settled down, confirming that Calamity had gone far away, Shen Baiwei suddenly opened her eyes, a spark of brilliance flashing through them, as if she had come back to life. She sprang up with a sudden, agile movement.
Calamity’s incessant chatter was indeed bothersome, but it was nowhere near the mature oppressive system of the Tethys Laboratory that truly drained her energy. How could it ever exhaust her strength?
After rising, she quickly activated her spirit pattern powers, summoned her notebook, flipped to the last page, carefully tore out several inner pages, and then hurried out of the guest room.
Luxianbei had a good relationship with Long Bang within the God Realm Yumen.
Shen Baiwei had stayed here “more” than Luxianbei for over a hundred days. Although she was usually taciturn and rarely interacted with others, she still formed some connections.
For instance, the maid of Xia Lianqing, who often brought her food, and Chen Long, who faced Xie Erlang with her in the Dai Mu Institute hall…
Now, she was going to seek their help to strengthen her powers.
…
“Hey! Is that you, Brother Chen Long? Can I ask you for a little favor?”
“Miss Shen, you needn’t worry, I will do my utmost to help.”
“No, not so exaggerated, it’s just a small matter…”
And thus, Shen Baiwei used the excuse of needing to “compile records” to entrust several pages of notebook inner pages to a number of residents familiar to her in the God Realm Yumen…
————
In the evening.
After visiting the Longxiang Army camp, Luxianbei and Shen Baiwei met at the agreed-upon small cottage in the southern part of the city.
What was once a small cottage had turned into ruins; the earthen buildings had collapsed, and the fence enclosing the yard had been burned to ashes.
During the assault by the Shaman Queen’s Army, although most tribal warriors were intercepted by the Longxiang Army soldiers stationed there, a few tribal warriors, spurred on by the fear brought by Luxianbei, had brazenly scaled the city walls, sneaking into the city and causing considerable damage in the southern part.
As dusk fell, the two stood amidst the ruins of the small cottage, exchanged a glance without any unnecessary words, and went straight to the point.
“Shall we begin?” Luxianbei said expressionlessly.
“Um.” Shen Baiwei nodded.
“Alright, I’m going to transfer control of the Miracle Flower to you,” Luxianbei said.
“Okay…” Shen Baiwei pondered and said, “Once you transfer it to me, you just need to hold my hand tightly.”
“Don’t we need to contact each other beforehand about how to use it?” Luxianbei asked.
“No need,” Shen Baiwei glanced at her, “Did you forget? I was once a trusted aide to an elder of the Miracle Cult?”
Although what I once controlled regarding the Miracle Flower was all mysteriously “taken” from others… Shen Baiwei added in her mind.
“Uh, I forgot about that.” Luxianbei scratched the back of her head.
“Come on, give it to me!”
As she spoke, she extended her left hand, grasping the shimmering dazzling flower that Luxianbei was holding, and slowly tightened her grip.
In the silence, the flower shattered into countless sparkling light points, which leapt up her arm and finally reassembled before her brow.
The transfer of control of the Miracle Flower went much smoother than expected…
As if within Shen Baiwei’s body, there was some force attracting the Miracle Flower.
The reconstituted flower remained magnificent and brilliant, though somewhat lacking in radiant light, possessing a more paper-like pallor.
White paper flower? Why does it feel a bit ominous? Luxianbei frowned, suppressing the impulse to spout nonsense.
At the same time, feeling the subtle changes in spiritual and power that the Miracle Flower brought, Shen Baiwei calmed herself, silently accelerating the operation of the spirit patterns to the extreme.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze, and silence reigned in her ears.
Shortly thereafter, as if an illusion had emerged in that silence, strange sounds began to resonate.
Light and delicate, yet imbued with a sense of inexplicable weight, it instilled a sense of peace.
Like being in an old bookstore illuminated by warm sunlight, separated by rows of shelves, listening to the sound of the shopkeeper flipping through an ancient book.
At first, the sound of turning pages was slow, about once per minute. As time passed, it sped up, eventually reaching every few seconds, until it became a noisy high-pitched clamor.
That sound reminded Luxianbei of the day she finished her college entrance exam and returned to school, where classmates gathered on the playground, laughing against the sunset. Someone started throwing the textbooks that had oppressed them for three or four years into the sky.
Nearly a thousand students, thousands of books soared, “whoosh,” then their youth fell like an unconscious curtain.
It was as if time had been gently stolen by someone, silently…
When Luxianbei snapped back from her brief reverie, countless half-virtual outlines had already surrounded her and Shen Baiwei.
Murals, copper plates, bamboo slips, sundials, hourglasses… they coalesced, reminiscent of Shen Baiwei’s rapidly flipping notebook.
Countless petals of the luminous Miracle Flower fluttered as if following a specific trajectory, interweaving with the outlines of those objects to form a massive barrier, isolating the serpent of time’s powers from the strange creature outside.
The creature’s body was draped in pale paper, its massive head seemingly pressed to the ground violently by an invisible force, its eyes filled with hatred.
In the distance behind it, the heavenly light of the God Realm Yumen began to darken.
Though there was no sun, it was reminiscent of a setting sun, blending rapidly from crimson to indigo and finally sliding into darkness, matching the pages Shen Baiwei was turning.
Just as the view turned completely dark, countless black, chaotic lines descended from the sky, akin to a mass of ink falling onto a crystal ball, enveloping the two within the barrier.
In the next moment, the petals of the Miracle Flower surrounding the barrier emitted a dazzling golden glow, colliding with the chaotic black lines.
In a silent eruption, a fierce impact suddenly struck at their souls, rendering both women powerless like they had fallen into a deep sleep.
Then.
Time began to turn, years transformed, returning to the “present”…
————
Uncertain how much time had passed, it felt as if only a few minutes had gone by, yet it felt interminably long, as though she had truly lived through a millennium. Shen Baiwei’s awareness finally flickered back to life.
The weakness caused by the severe depletion of her spirit energy made her feel groggy, as if she hadn’t eaten and had slept for an entire day, her limbs stiff and cold.
Before she could fully awaken, she heard Calamity’s cursing voice in her ear.
“d*mn that Hong Bian! I was trying to help, and you actually dug a pit for me?!”
Upon hearing the voice, Shen Baiwei jolted awake, following the direction of the sound to find Luxianbei engulfed in golden light, stomping her feet in frustration, looking extremely exasperated.
That appearance bore a remarkable resemblance to the First Generation Miracle Saint awakened by the Miracle Cult…
Hah! I knew that monk Hong Bian wouldn’t be kind enough to hand the Miracle Flower over to you without motivation!
Now you’ve been set up, right? Serves you right! Shen Baiwei thought to herself, propping herself up with her hands to sit up.
Then.
She noticed her own legs, equally radiant in golden light.
Shen Baiwei, “…”
