"Didn't you say you'd figured it out? Then why are you still afraid?" Chu Lian didn't open her eyes, only asked softly toward the girl behind her.
"Precisely because I've figured it out, that's why I'm afraid. I'm worried I won't do well enough," the girl's faint voice came, as though she didn't wish to disturb anyone else.
"You're just overthinking it. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you when we get back..." Chu Lian paused slightly before answering as gently as she could.
A cool finger suddenly slipped under her nightdress and traced slow circles on her back. The girl whispered beside her ear, "I'm just afraid I don't have that kind of talent, you know, Chu Lian. The world you've brought me into is so magical—it feels so much richer than the life I used to have."
Chu Lian resisted the ticklish sensation and didn't let a sound escape. Hearing her words, her ears twitched slightly. "That's because your old life was too monotonous. Though you were born into a prestigious family, how could you have enjoyed the wonders of the outside world in that kind of household?"
"You chose music as your path, but in the end, you're still a girl who doesn't know how to move forward."
"You take pride in your musical talent, yet because of your family background, you never let that pride show. If I hadn't appeared in your life—and if I hadn't earned your respect through music—you'd probably still be trapped inside that world you wove for yourself, unable to leave."
Chu Lian's words made the girl's hands pause for a moment, but soon they became even bolder. Another hand slipped under the blanket to encircle Chu Lian's slender waist. Resting her cheek against Chu Lian's neck, she exhaled softly. "There are many reasons for this, but family really is the hurdle I can't get over. My father still resents my choices. My mother may support me, but in private, she still hopes I'll go into business and take over the family company after graduation."
"I fought hard for this opportunity. You might laugh and think it's ridiculous, but I still have to say it." As she spoke, the girl's tongue flicked lightly against Chu Lian's earlobe, making her tremble once more. "You know, I promised my father—if I couldn't become one of China's top stars before turning eighteen, I'd follow their plan instead."
"Just like in some drama or novel, right? But I understand. Every great family has its share of burdens, especially one that's the top in China," Chu Lian said, pressing down on the hands resting on her abdomen to keep them still.
"Mm, every family has its own difficulties. I was born into a family most ordinary people could never even meet, let alone enter. The price I pay for that is my freedom—I'm a caged daughter sold to privilege," the girl sighed softly. For all her wealth, she yearned more for a world wide and free.
Pfft... "My, my, Miss Cai, so eloquent. You really don't know how lucky you are. Do you know how many people give up everything to chase their dreams and still fail?" Chu Lian's tone grew slightly more serious.
"Yet you—everything's within reach for you. The only limits are your own abilities. But as for your talent in music... I don't think I need to say anything about that, do I?"
"I used to be confident. But after meeting you, I stopped thinking my talent was so great. Whether you like it or not, you'll always be the one I aim to catch up to," Cai Ya murmured, rubbing her head against Chu Lian's back like a cat seeking affection.
"Me? I'm not that remarkable. But if you want to use me as your target, that's fine. I'll always make sure you have something to chase—a benchmark for your growth," Chu Lian said with a quiet smile. She knew her own limits, but she couldn't say that aloud.
"I believe you'll make it... but I also believe I'll surpass you one day..." Cai Ya's voice grew softer and softer until it faded completely. She had fallen asleep.
"Mm, I believe it too..." Chu Lian sensed it and smiled faintly. "I believe you will."
"Mm..." With that soft nasal sound, Cai Ya's body relaxed completely. Aside from her small hands still wrapped around Chu Lian's waist, she seemed to have released all her tension.
"Lian..." Inori, who had been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes and looked toward Chu Lian, who met her gaze and gently smiled.
"Be good. Go to sleep, it's late..." Chu Lian said softly, her tone tender as she gazed into those wine-red eyes. Seeing her expression, Inori felt reassured, closed her eyes, and drifted off.
"Whose family doesn't have things they can't speak of?" Cai Ya's story wasn't complicated, but some of her words had touched Chu Lian deeply. Indeed, not all families were like that—but some truly hid countless unspeakable secrets. Some were private matters, while others were things that simply couldn't be told to outsiders.
For example, in her own family—Chu Lian's identity and the existence of the system; Chu Chu's mysterious trips every so often; her mother Li Mingxue's reasons for returning home every month and her past identity; her father's true occupation beyond being the chief editor of a cultural group; and the unknown activities of her brother and sister, who had both chosen universities far from home since the age of ten.
Which of these weren't secrets that couldn't be spoken? Some things weren't unutterable because they couldn't be said—but because once spoken, relationships would change.
Thinking of her own family matters, Chu Lian gradually grew drowsy, her breathing slowing as she drifted off to sleep.
While they slept, strange events unfolded beneath the night sky covering Los Angeles. Many drunks lying along the streets, or homeless vagrants sleeping in alley corners, began to mysteriously vanish...
In the Purgatory Space unseen by ordinary humans, a shadowy figure covered entirely in black sludge wandered about. Whenever it encountered a weak wandering spirit, it would capture and devour it.
Even those souls still lingering in the living world, who hadn't yet stepped into the Purgatory Space, became its prey—it crossed over into reality and devoured them completely. Wherever it passed, it was like locusts sweeping through a field, leaving no chance for any lesser spirit to survive.
If not for the fact that its strength remained stuck at the peak of Spirit level, unable to break through to Earth level, even the powerful Purgatory Lords would have become its prey.
Far above the distant Pacific Ocean—ten thousand meters in the air—a black rift appeared, like a wound torn across the world. Slowly, it expanded, widening until it stretched over ten meters long.
Then, a pair of thick claws thrust out from the middle of the rift, tearing it open with brute force.
After an unknown amount of time, when the rift had widened to over twenty meters, the claws managed to tear it apart completely.
Moments later, a massive dragon head emerged from the center of the rift. Its pair of amber-gold vertical pupils gleamed with a violent, uncontrollable fury as it scanned the surroundings.
Its nostrils flared, sensing the lingering scent in the air. What little intelligence it retained was enough to help it lock onto the direction of its intended prey.
Then, with a shove of its shoulders, it completely broke the already-weakened seal apart.
A pair of flesh wings nearly eighty meters wide stretched out, beating against the wind. The dragon threw back its head and let out a thunderous roar that sent terror rippling through every living creature within tens of kilometers.
Fortunately, it had broken free at dawn—when most life still slept—and the place beneath it was the endless deep sea. Otherwise, that roar alone might have frightened tens of thousands of weaker beings to death.
After beating its wings for a while, it finally calmed the wild excitement that came from being free again after so long.
Turning its head to the right, hunger burned in its vertical pupils. Why had it struggled so desperately to break the seal?
Was it not because it had sensed the aura of a divine spark passing by earlier? Though its mind was now dominated by revenge and destruction, its instincts still pushed it toward anything beneficial.
And without a doubt, the divine spark that Chu Lian carried within her was the highest treasure countless beings yearned for. Even with its limited intelligence, the creature knew well just how much it stood to gain by claiming that prize.
Its wings beat once more. Though its flight speed couldn't quite match that of an airplane, it wasn't far behind.
Even more terrifying was that all modern detection systems lost their function in its presence. No radar, no satellite, no sensor could register its existence. Thus, no one knew—a creature awakened from the depths of ancient times was now flying toward the North American continent.
When the morning sunlight broke through the clouds and streamed through the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows onto Chu Lian's body, she awoke.
She shifted slightly. Behind her was Cai Ya's soft body, and in front of her was Inori, sleeping close against her. Sandwiched between the two girls, even the slightest movement from Chu Lian could easily wake them both.
Opening her eyes, Chu Lian gazed at Inori's peaceful sleeping face and felt the steady rhythm of Cai Ya's breathing behind her. With a small shake of her head, she activated her Teleport ability and quietly left the bed.
However, the moment she vanished, even though she hadn't touched either of them, both girls instantly sensed the loss of her presence and opened their eyes at the same time.
Inori smiled shyly at Cai Ya, who looked momentarily flustered, then sat up straight and watched Chu Lian's departing figure. In a soft whisper, she murmured, "Lian would never understand—so long as she's beside me, even if we were in hell itself, I wouldn't wake up. I only wake because she leaves, because her warmth is gone."
"I..." Cai Ya opened her mouth to respond to Inori's words, but in the end, she didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, the white-haired girl, who had already been awake, finished her morning training on the balcony. Stepping back inside and seeing Cai Ya lying on Chu Lian's bed, a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes.
"So, she's one of Chu Lian's admirers," she thought to herself. But she said nothing—only picked up her twin katanas, grabbed a change of clothes, and walked toward the bathroom.
She had been training for an hour, and the sticky sweat on her skin was uncomfortable. It was time to wash up.
"I'll go freshen up too..." Cai Ya said softly as she sat up, glancing around the room. Realizing that staying any longer would only make things awkward, she got off the bed, slipped on her slippers, and quietly left for her team's bedroom.
"Proud girl... when will you dare to face your own heart in front of everyone?" Inori murmured as she watched her leave, shaking her head slightly.