Chapter 173
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Chapter 173: The Smile of the Pure White Witch, a Burning Heart of Love
Inside the bathroom,
Chu Yuanqing’s small face was serious, and almost as soon as she heard the knocking, she used her magic thread to toss the childish little yellow duck into the sink to show her innocence. She didn’t like playing with such childish toys; she only squeezed it when she was bored!
Outside the door, Xie Qingxuan patiently waited for a moment, then a magic thread slipped out from the crack in the door, twisted the lock, and opened the door, allowing her to walk into Chu Yuanqing’s room.
The golden retriever cleverly closed and locked the door, glancing at the mist curling on the glass door of the bathroom. Her platinum eyelashes fluttered a bit, and she asked,
"Is Little Qing taking a bath?"
Chu Yuanqing buried her head in the warm water of the bathtub, letting the water bubble and gurgle around her, with no colorful white hair floating in the water, her milk-like smooth skin hidden beneath the gentle foam, making it hard to see her clearly…
How frustrating! As soon as I think about what Qingxuan is here for, a wave of shame rushes up from deep inside!
No, this way of avoiding things is just too silly.
Chu Yuanqing lifted her head above the water, no longer pretending to be naive. She straightened her beautiful back, placed her hands on the edge of the bathtub, and slowly curled her long legs until… she finally gave up struggling, feeling a sense of despair, and stood up.
Splash, splash.
Large droplets of water jumped up, like they hit a glass wall filled with ice and mint, sliding down her legs in curves, causing ripples in the bathtub, making the reflections on the water surface blurry, like pieces of shattered glass put together.
Chu Yuanqing sighed and looked down, stepping out one leg, her toes touching the chilly floor. Suddenly, she heard a sound and instinctively turned to look at the bathroom door. She saw Xie Qingxuan naturally push the door open, blinking her innocent eyes, curiously looking in.
"So beautiful."
Xie Qingxuan sincerely praised the scene, like a mermaid emerging from the bath. She put down the basket of clothes, casually removed her gear, and then picked up a toy that looked very childish. Without hesitation, she splashed into the bathtub filled with Chu Yuanqing’s bathwater while Chu Yuanqing was daydreaming.
Splash, splash.
The water and foam in the bathtub spilled over in big waves, flowing down the white porcelain wall to the floor.
Chu Yuanqing felt both embarrassed and flustered. She didn’t know where to look, and her arm was pulled by the clingy golden retriever, forcing her to sit back in the tub. She hugged her knees to cover some of her skin, lowered her eyes, and said seriously:
"Qingxuan, I am all done washing."
The golden retriever dove its head into the water, then quickly popped back up, its golden fur wet and looking very cute. Then it placed a plastic crab in the bathtub, which began to spin and blow bubbles as the music played, looking quite silly.
Yes, she was clearly well-prepared; this toy crab was like a ring taken from a rose during a candlelight dinner, paired with the steaming mist in the bathroom and the colorful bubbles, creating a delightful atmosphere that was hard to resist.
Especially…
After showing the toy, Xie Qingxuan looked at the other person eagerly, blinking her eyes like a child tugging at a teacher, and said with her head tilted:
"Little Qing, let’s wash together."
Chu Yuanqing felt a warmth in her heart as she thought about playing house with the little children. She soon realized there was nothing awkward about it anymore, so she simply tossed a quick-dissolving bath bomb into the tub, creating a mountain of white bubbles that covered most of the view beneath the water, and said:
"It’s fine, but… but that should happen on the bed!"
"Hmm, hmm."
Xie Qingxuan nodded in agreement, understanding perfectly, just like how you can’t perform surgery outside of the operating room. A clumsy person who lacks skill shouldn’t do magic outside of the bed with Honey Qing.
Chu Yuanqing was unaware of the dog’s impressive understanding and continued:
"Also, don’t splash around in the bath! We’ll soak for a bit and then go out. When we leave, you go out first, and then wait for me on the bed."
Xie Qingxuan agreed without a second thought, as she had purposely arrived a little early today, timing it just right to be with Chu Yuanqing during bath time!
The reason was that Liuli had said in a movie she watched, couples always take a bath together before doing important things, so it must be a significant ritual that needed to be experienced.
Meanwhile, the green-eyed cat was still lying on the living room sofa playing games on the PS5, lost in false happiness, unaware that its precious knowledge was being put to good use by the clever golden retriever.
Chu Yuanqing poked the plastic crab with her fingertips, watching it shake and bump into obstacles. The bubbles it released popped against Xie Qingxuan’s pretty and innocent face, making the girl look a little silly, but also… cute.
Chu Yuanqing felt mixed emotions. Deep down, she wondered if this Qingxuan could really be her old friend.
If so, would the person from the old days still have the same personality?
If… the shining scene on stage was the true history, how would she feel about having killed Xie Qingxuan with the Levatin?
Chu Yuanqing suddenly did not want to think about this anymore. The old history faded in the tide of time, impossible to reclaim. Even if she remembered everything about the past, Xie Qingxuan would not be the same Xie Qingxuan from before.
Chu Yuanqing would certainly feel happy because this meant that the reversed time had successfully changed the tragic fate of these friends. But she would also feel a bit sad because the past cannot be chased, and old friends are no longer the same.
Xie Qingxuan broke the silence, poking the toy crab back and softly saying:
"Little Qing, I’ve had strange dreams again lately."
Chu Yuanqing came back to herself and immediately asked:
"What a dream."
Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment and said:
"In the dream, I live in a magical City of the Sky, beneath which lies a dark and frightening deep sea. I can’t remember much else, just a feeling as if I experienced someone else’s childhood, everything is blurry and chaotic."
These words stirred fragments of memory in her mind.
Chu Yuanqing absorbed the scattered memories, closed her eyes, and whispered to herself:
"Final City, and… the Black Tide?"
Final City, a city that holds millions of people, was originally built by a pioneer with blessings that allowed it to grow.
In fact, many others possess similar blessings.
This is also the reason why, amidst the continent’s plate fractures, the cold waves and black rain arriving, and the many zones of the Calamity Gods’ prohibitions, humanity could still have their great cities.
All these main cities are built from the top technology left by civilization, combined with the blessings of many lucky individuals. Only those that can be called main cities have the means to fight against the Supreme Disaster Beast.
Final City is one of the best among them. Chu Yuanying’s predecessor, before he passed away, infused blessings into the heart of the city. In terms of the amount of food blessings, Final City is only slightly inferior to the later thriving Levatin. It is the last safe haven for humans from the old era.
This city can not only ignore the various harsh weather of the late apocalypse, but it can even withstand the rule erosion of the Calamity God.
So, until Chu Yuanying defeated the thirteen Calamity Gods and watched Charlotte take her own life to activate the Burial, it finally fell from the sky with a roar, sinking to the bottom of the sea like a burial companion for The Last Diva.
As for the Black Tide…
It is a special phenomenon formed by a large number of soul remnants intertwined together.
In my memory, after I used the power of the King of Salt to kill Youmir, the Black Tide evaporated into the global atmosphere, creating an incredibly beautiful aurora, forged from hundreds of billions of soul remnants into the last Calamity God.
Chu Yuanqing forgot its name and can only record it as the Thirteenth as a code.
As for how the opponent was defeated, the memory is also hazy and unclear, even the origin of its birth began to slowly fade from my mind shortly after.
Chu Yuanqing did not try to hold onto this memory and simply asked:
"Is there more?"
Xie Qingxuan shook her head and said:
"I can’t remember."
"Little Qing, are you very interested in my dreams?"
Chu Yuanqing poked the toy crab back and replied:
"It’s okay, I’m just very curious."
"Didn’t you show me a glimpse of a dream on stage? I want to know if there are any similar scenes."
Xie Qingxuan appeared deep in thought, having a strange feeling that… as long as she updated the way to restore magic today, she could dream of more similar scenes and successfully satisfy Little Qing’s curiosity!
So, the golden retriever said seriously:
"I will try my best."
Chu Yuanqing shifted her hips, moved a little closer, and gently touched the dog’s wet head. After a moment, as if she had finished rewarding him, she moved back. Relying on her sharp instincts, she felt that something was a bit off. After hesitating for a moment, she quietly said:
"Actually… you don’t need to try so hard, dreams are better when we let them happen naturally, right?"
Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment and said:
"No way! We can’t just let things happen, I must work hard."
Chu Yuanqing found this a bit strange, but because she didn’t want to discourage the golden retriever’s enthusiasm, she said no more and kept poking the crab with her finger.
"Little Qing, when does the second performance start?"
Chu Yuanqing looked up at the usually very dedicated Great Devil and was quite surprised, unable to help but ask:
"Did you not listen when Dream Weaver Rabbit spoke?"
The golden retriever answered confidently:
"No, I was thinking about tonight’s events."
Chu Yuanqing wisely avoided the topic and replied:
"Dream Weaver Rabbit said it will be in three weeks, and because of the competition format, we need to learn one more dance."
Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment; learning an extra dance seemed to prevent the audience from getting bored. Could it be that the 33 teams would have to perform four or five Stage Battles to decide which team is the strongest before it’s over?
That doesn’t seem right; if we got unlucky and lost in the first round, we could be out right away.
Chu Yuanqing immediately knew she hadn’t heard the rules that followed, so she continued:
"According to the competition rules, we will only perform a maximum of two rounds."
"In the first round of the competition, if you win, you can compete again. After two rounds on stage, the 33 teams will be ranked based on their group ticket scores. The top three teams will receive prizes: the first place team gets an extra five thousand, the second place gets three thousand, and the third place gets two thousand."
Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment and said:
"Isn’t it a big loss to sit out? What if I sit out both times? That means I won’t get any tickets."
Chu Yuanqing explained:
"There are pros and cons. Sitting out just means you have no opponent, but you can still perform on stage. Even though you won’t get extra votes for winning, without an opponent, the audience tends to be more forgiving. It also ensures you move on, so it’s somewhat fair."
That said, when Dream Weaver Rabbit announced this rule, many players felt tricked, because if those eight players were directly eliminated during the voting, there would be no need for the sit-out rule among the 32 teams.
Especially for strong teams that are confident, if they sit out in the first round, they can console themselves that they will definitely move on. But if they sit out in the second round, it means they have no chance at victory, and won’t even have a chance to fight for a win. It feels like a big loss no matter how you think about it.
Not to mention the other teams, for Chu Yuanqing and Chen Yining, two teams with very high win rates, if they sit out, it’s a huge loss. If they get knocked out because of this, it would be an epic failure.
However, from the perspective of the program group, this rule really does create dramatic effects, adding a lot of suspense to the final outcomes and grabbing the attention of the audience watching the show.
Ten minutes later,
Chu Yuanqing used her magic to dry the droplets of water on her body, changed into her pajamas, and stepped out of the bathroom.
I must say, the golden retriever was indeed very well-behaved; it did not touch or disturb anything throughout the whole time. They simply enjoyed a relaxing bath, played with bubbles, and watched the cool crab with BGM, while chatting, which made the Pure White Witch, who was not used to being open with others, feel relieved.
Inside, Xie Qingxuan was already lying quietly in bed, showing a great awareness of the warmth in the covers.
However, compared to this peaceful way of warming the bed, that green-eyed cat, which liked to roll around under the blanket, was much more efficient at spreading warmth across the whole bed.
—Although it looked quite silly.
Chu Yuanqing climbed into bed, poked the golden retriever’s soft waist with her small hand, and pretended to be asleep, wanting to allow the dog to give her some healing.
Yes, that is the legendary flower kiss therapy!
Unfortunately, Xie Qingxuan, who had gained astonishing wisdom from the green-eyed cat, looked down on this and decided to bring a little shock of lesbian awareness to the medical world today, saying seriously:
"Little Qing, let’s create a new Mana Regeneration Method!"
Chu Yuanqing had a bad feeling.
A new Mana Regeneration Method? Wait, is there anything left besides that?!
"No, no, no… that’s not possible!"
For the first time, Chu Yuanqing was so flustered that she stuttered. She felt a terrifying sense that something was about to be broken. She quickly opened her golden eyes, held onto the lantern in front of her with her small hand, and cautiously moved backward, trying to avoid this radical-thinking doctor.
Xie Qingxuan blinked and spoke in an innocent tone, asking a soul-searching question:
"Doesn’t Little Qing want to get better faster?"
Chu Yuanqing was taken aback by the question.
Indeed, she had long suspected that a more advanced magical recovery would bring about better healing effects, but since it felt impossible to ask her little idol for such a thing and it was too embarrassing, she had always pushed the thought deep down in her mind.
After all…
This kind of thing is like the first kiss; if there’s one, there will be two, and if there are two, there will be three. Once it truly happens, it means the boundaries have been widened, and there is no way to go back to the past.
The golden retriever looked serious as she continued:
"Liuli said that Little Qing might be fighting a very dangerous and evil enemy. If she keeps being this weak, what will happen if she encounters the enemy before she’s healed?"
Chu Yuanqing regained her senses and fell into silence.
The curse of the Sea of Truth grew stronger; today she quietly endured another illusion.
Although this time she didn’t encounter an illusion so outrageous that it needed to replay the great deed of slaying a god, her soul felt like a sieve, unable to stop the magic from flowing away, causing her lantern to remain weak.
If she hadn’t started the live stream this evening, gaining a little exposure and converting more magic, she might have fallen from level [Pool] back to level [Lamp] in just a few days.
And as she approached her limits, this situation would only worsen; she might… never be able to reach [Full Bloom].
Xie Qingxuan continued speaking:
"Liuli also said that Little Qing would fight with the power of a magical girl, definitely because she has something to protect. I don’t know if she is right, but if she is, then Little Qing must want to get better more than anyone else."
"I think Liuli is not wrong, because if it were not so, Little Qing surely wouldn’t be able to say those words about ‘needing’ to Miyuki."
The girl’s platinum eyelashes drooped. With her angelic beauty, her soft pink lips pressed together as she gathered her courage and said quietly:
"Even now, I understand Little Qing’s struggles, and I know she would never suggest this kind of method herself, but… I want to help Little Qing, even if it might make you feel annoyed."
Xie Qingxuan spoke her true feelings.
This was the best solution she had come up with after thinking about it repeatedly for several days.
Chu Yuanqing was too far from her world; the fantastical idea of a magical girl was too beyond her reach, and no matter how hard she tried to think, she could only come up with such outlandish and absurd methods.
So, this is not a mixture of lust and delusion, but rather her sincere worry and blessing.
Chu Yuanqing felt confused. She didn’t care about being taken advantage of; she only wondered if she could handle the fiery and sincere love that Xie Qingxuan offered, without hiding anything.
A long time passed.
The Pure White Witch lowered her eyes and sighed, giving her answer:
"Thank you, Qingxuan."
"You are right. I want to protect the world, and I also want to protect you all."
The Pure White Witch’s eyes were misty, and her expression was solemn and serious, as if she faced a deep abyss with brave solitude. She set aside all her shame and showed a comforting, holy smile, taking on all responsibilities as she softly whispered:
"So, please help me."
