Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Cherish Your Bad Habits

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Jingliu: "So it's the Propagation power?"

Wangshu: "Yeah."

Jingliu: "..."

Wangshu: "..."

Jingliu: "..."

Asta: "You two... are doing it again? What kind of encrypted call is this?"

Wangshu: "I don't know what to say. I think I understand the real situation now — this disaster was caused by me."

Jingliu: "I don't know what to say either. To find the Propagation remnants, I endured unimaginable hardship — countless trials, nearly dying multiple times before I finally located them."

And yet, because the power was one hundred percent identical in origin, Wangshu had effortlessly bypassed nearly a millennium of her grueling journey and suffering.

Nearly a millennium!

Asta: "So, are you okay? @Wangshu"

Wangshu: "I think so... There haven't been any aftereffects, and I don't feel like I've been body-snatched. The Propagation remnants' power just briefly showed itself, then vanished without a trace."

Jingliu: "An Aeon's remnants aren't physical objects. Think of them as rule fragments. The fact that the pressure has disappeared can only mean... They've found a vessel."

Wangshu: "..."

Asta: "Sounds like someone's in trouble."

Asta: "Let me ask Ms. Herta if she has any leads or solutions."

Jingliu: "It's actually manageable. I don't fully understand how this chat group works, but the power-borrowing function in the module doesn't seem to have strict limits on frequency or duration. As long as the connection holds..."

Wangshu: "Senior Jingliu~"

Wangshu: "Whether it's the you here or the future you — you're both so kind."

Jingliu: "..."

Kind? It was rare for anyone to call her that.

Oh well.

The Abyssal Prison was empty as always. Sensing the clearly diminished upper limit of her internal reserves, Jingliu calmly reached out and pressed the emergency call button that Jing Yuan and the others had specially installed for her — the one that connected directly to the outside.

A moment later, what might have been a general's voice came through the comm.

"The previous plan... has encountered some unexpected complications." Jingliu spoke into the void, her voice flat and emotionless. "It may... need to be postponed for a while longer."

No choice — she'd treat it as making amends to her past self. She also needed time to adjust to her current power levels.

Besides, her plan wasn't urgent. If she stalled long enough, she might even coincidentally catch the divine war that Destruction had scheduled.

......

Star Calendar Year 6299, outside the Cangcheng Alchemy Commission.

Wangshu held the little Jingliu — tightly wrapped in her towel and a small jacket, barefoot — as he stood on the steps outside the Alchemy Commission, watching the Xianzhou natives and Foxians on the main street only now beginning to trickle in.

The Alchemy Commission, as one of the Six Imperial Departments, occupied an awkward position in terms of relevance. Few people lived nearby.

"Little Wangshu, do you think fate will punish us?"

Jingliu buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled.

The bad woman Huoshi had already left. She'd desperately wanted to wriggle free and tell little Wangshu that he should learn to guard his countenance and stay away from bad women.

But when little Wangshu had scooped her up in such a frantic rush, she hadn't even had time to put on shoes.

"Fate wants in on this too?"

Wangshu felt like his brain had stopped working properly. Wasn't there supposed to be a grace period for transmigrators to power up?

How was everything piling on at once?

Ahem — meeting little Jingliu's questioning crimson gaze, he cleared his throat twice and hitched the little one up a bit higher.

"It's fine." His smile was radiant. "Because in a way, the very first person I saw when I arrived here... was little Jingliu. Doesn't that mean fate is already on our side?"

Little Jingliu blinked blankly. You could read it that way?

She'd always assumed that where little Wangshu initially appeared had been planned by her future self.

"You didn't even know where you'd end up?"

It clicked, and her eyes went wide, crimson pupils filled with disbelief.

Wangshu: ...

I don't even know why I transmigrated?

"Little Wangshu..."

Jingliu's tone suddenly grew complicated.

Wangshu fell quiet. Just smile — smiling was never wrong... Senior Jingliu, the young you is truly adorable.

The walk home was peaceful. Occasionally, someone hurrying toward the Alchemy Commission would stare at the rather "striking" pair — a boy carrying a girl who was clearly fresh from a bath, wrapped in only a towel, barefoot. Anyone would let their imagination wander.

"I wonder if our current look is going to get spread around. We might even make tomorrow's Cangcheng Daily."

Jingliu sighed, resting her little head on Wangshu's shoulder. She extended a small hand and surreptitiously counted passersby — okay, none appeared to be academy students. She probably wouldn't get gossiped about tomorrow.

"I don't think people like us — just ordinary common folk — would attract that kind of attention, right?"

Probably.

"I don't think our current image screams 'ordinary common folk'... You were practically flying when you carried me to the Alchemy Commission."

Jingliu murmured quietly.

The cold wind had been rushing into her mouth at that speed — she couldn't even get out the words "I think I'm okay now."

Though that power seemed to belong to her future self... If only her future self were a good person.

"It's fine. I can borrow your future power anyway. Worst case, we run away from home and start over somewhere else."

Wangshu thought for a moment, then said it half-jokingly.

After all, he currently had the ability to hold the emperor hostage and command the realm... though thinking about it that way was unreasonable. The group's atmosphere was genuinely nice.

Hearing this, little Jingliu tugged her clothes tighter. Beneath her damp hair, a smile slowly spread across her young face.

"Yeah! The future-me is so terrible — hoarding all that power! It's only right that we get to be selfish!"

"Wangshu! Let's go exploring! The abandoned starskiff port!" Her face shot up, eyes sparkling.

Because she'd always been alone, Jingliu wasn't actually familiar with many local spots. But the abandoned starskiff port she knew well — her classmates used to drag her there all the time.

"Right now?"

Wangshu glanced up at the artificial night sky overhead. Now?

My brilliant, well-behaved, adorable Jingliu — didn't you always believe in going to bed on time?

"Yes, right now!"

Jingliu tilted her face up and nodded emphatically, her expression brimming with eagerness. When she'd been alone, there was nobody to talk to at night. A healthy sleep schedule had formed as a matter of course.

But now there was someone else at home... Mm, perhaps it was time to discover the real reason she loved being alive!

"But I need to change first."

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Jingliu: "By the way — how is the past me feeling right now?"

Jingliu suddenly remembered something troubling. If Wangshu was a normal person, he'd definitely be saving embarrassing childhood photos of his group members.

Wangshu replied instantly: "Really happy!"

Jingliu: "You sure?"

Wangshu: "This is the one thing I'm one thousand percent sure about!"