Chapter 123

Chapter 25: Hurry up and establish it…

Xiao Su is currently in a panic.

Yesterday afternoon, while at work, Li Li from the office approached her with several neatly organized property transfer documents that needed to be delivered to Miss Yuan Xiaoling tomorrow. Xiao Su knows who Yuan Xiaoling is—a super cute blonde-haired beauty with an impressive chest despite still being in university. She’s also a Fourth-tier Water Elemental Spiritual Energy Manipulator, extremely powerful.

Initially hesitant, Xiao Su usually doesn’t leave Four Squares Academy for fieldwork. But Li Li insisted that the organization had already decided—she was the one to deliver these documents. At the time, Xiao Su muttered under her breath:

“Nothing bad will happen, right?”

“Just delivering some papers, what could go wrong?” Li Li reassured her.

But today, as soon as Xiao Su entered the room, she was instantly surrounded by several people. The intimidating blonde-haired cutie with the large white rabbit-like qualities slowly approached her:

“We’ve called you here today mainly to inquire about something. I hope you cooperate fully with us; we won’t let you down.”

Xiao Su was terrified. Sister Li Li, what are you doing? Why are you just watching…

“Yeah, Xiao Su, just cooperate,” Li Li said, “It’ll be over in no time.”

Instead of continuing to observe, she chose… to help the bad guys.

A few minutes later, Xiao Su sat on a chair holding a cup of hot tea, her mood slightly calmer.

The chubby uncle sitting opposite her kept chatting incessantly:

“Xiao Su, I used to be part of Four Squares Academy too. Technically, we’re colleagues. If you ask around about me, everyone knows I’m the most loyal. So don’t worry too much today. We just need to know one small thing.”

Under Liu Yaohua’s persuasion, Xiao Su gradually relaxed. Seizing the opportunity, Yuan Xiaoling asked:

“We want to know about Dai Hengzhu’s wife, Li Yuehong.”

Just as Xiao Su had started to relax, upon hearing this, she immediately stood up, reacting quickly.

“No, no, no, I can’t say this… I mean, I really don’t know.”

The young girl’s face turned pale, shaking her head continuously, as if saying oyster, oyster, oyster, oyster.

Clearly not ignorance but fear.

Yuan Xiaoling’s little face tightened, imitating Bai Ling’s tone coldly: “You better think carefully. Pragmatists are wise, but if you aren’t pragmatic, I might get angry.”

“Eek?!”

At this moment, Li Li quietly pulled her aside, whispering privately.

“Xiao Su, look at the situation now. You’ve already been exposed before. Think about it—if you’re the only one who knows those secrets, wouldn’t you be in more danger? Now that things are urgent, telling everything might allow them to directly resolve your worries once and for all.”

Eventually, Xiao Su was persuaded, sipping a few mouthfuls of tea, glancing fearfully at Yuan Xiaoling, and began speaking slowly:

“Li Yuehong, Director Li, is a very charismatic lady. When I first joined, I followed her. For the cultivation plan, she invested a lot of effort. I heard from other seniors that even before Director Dai arrived, Director Li had already started working.”

Yuan Xiaoling nodded, knowing this information.

“I don’t know how much Director Li sacrificed, but when I started working, I heard that Four Squares Academy had gone through many batches of Spiritual Energy Manipulators. It was thanks to Director Li’s own strength—reaching peak Fourth-tier before the incident—that others trusted her.”

“Hold on, what did you say? Peak Fourth-tier before the incident?”

Xiao Su nodded.

“What kind of ability?”

“Mental-type, supposedly even core-level with offensive capabilities—not just auxiliary perception.”

“…”

Yuan Xiaoling glanced at Bai Ling, who remained silent but furrowed brows indicated her inner turmoil.

The room fell silent. Xiao Su looked at the quiet crowd, confused: “Don’t you know?”

“How would we know? We don’t even know her,” Yuan Xiaoling shrugged, shifting the topic back, “If she was already at peak Fourth-tier then, how did she meet her downfall? Was it the Yun Family’s plot?”

Xiao Su shook her head: “Not related to the Yun Family. They came after the incident.”

After the incident?

Yuan Xiaoling signaled Liu Yaohua and Wu Bian with her eyes, indicating that Director Dai’s enemy wasn’t the Yun Family.

Nor were they ours.

“So, what exactly happened during the Four Squares Academy incident?”

“Back then… back then…”

Xiao Su hesitated, weighing how much to disclose. In the end, thinking nothing undisclosed should remain unsaid, she spilled everything.

“At that time, Director Li seemed to have received some orders from above. Her mood wasn’t great. Those Spiritual Energy Manipulators apparently caught wind of something and agitatedly confronted her. I was accompanying Director Dai outside during a meeting, helping with the records.”

“I heard they argued, then suddenly lost control. Everyone died, and their bodies vanished without a trace.”

Xiao Su spoke cautiously; for her, it was an utterly irrational event that truly happened right before her eyes.

Yuan Xiaoling pondered for a moment and asked: “What were they arguing about?”

“Apparently, it was about treatment issues. Promised benefits weren’t fulfilled, and they caught wind of something else, leading to tragedy.”

Xiao Su placed the teacup back on the table, pitifully rubbing her hands: “That’s all I know.”

“Alright, thank you. You can leave now. If you’re not comfortable, you can stay here.” Yuan Xiaoling told her.

“I’d rather go back…”

Xiao Su ultimately chose to leave, returning with Li Li.

In her view, even Li Li, the pragmatist who had long since ‘adapted’, dared to return openly, so it should be fine.

After the two from the Countermeasures Group left, Liu Yaohua stood up immediately: “They definitely heard about the downsizing. This has been happening for years.”

He had authority to speak on this matter; during his brief time at Four Squares Academy, he left due to dissatisfaction with reduced benefits.

Thinking about it, Old Liu sighed: “Those brothers were indeed wronged. After struggling hard for years at Four Squares Academy, they thought they’d make it eventually, only to find out there was no reward, and instead faced layoffs and unemployment. Who could bear that?”

Wu Bian chuckled: “Losing jobs is one thing, but going to argue and getting wiped out entirely… dying with regrets.”

“…”

The words may not have been pleasant, but the truth was harsh.

“Alright, things are roughly clear now. Let’s take a lunch break,” Yuan Xiaoling patted the table, standing up and saying, “Bai Ling, let’s nap.”

Bai Ling readily complied, and the two girls tapped-tapped-tapped away.

Wu Bian looked bewildered: “Ah? That’s it? There’s still a lot we don’t understand.”

Like how those people died, or why Dai Hengzhu acted the way he did afterward…

“Lao Wu, you’re just too impulsive,” Liu Yaohua grabbed him, whispering softly, “If Miss Yuan didn’t say it, it means you shouldn’t know.”

Things you shouldn’t know, best not to pry, otherwise you might end up like Xiao Su today, grabbed halfway through the road to be interrogated.

Upon hearing this, Wu Bian realized, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Yes yes yes, Brother Liu is absolutely right.”

…

Back in the bedroom, door closed, Yuan Xiaoling and Bai Ling silently stared at each other for a few seconds.

“Is it what I think?” the Blonde-haired Maiden asked.

Bai Ling nodded: “Very likely.”

Peak Fourth-tier couldn’t achieve that level. Considering Li Yuehong’s past experiences and the “incident” encountered that day, it was highly possible her emotions exploded, allowing the Inner Stone of the Mind to take advantage and fuse with her.

The Inner Stone of the Mind differs from elemental stones. Elemental stones lack self-awareness. Like Grandfather Yuan fusing with a stone, losing his body but maintaining complete self-awareness.

But the Inner Stone of the Mind… judging by its name, Li Yuehong’s mind might already be terminated.

As for the Inner Stone of the Mind’s purpose, Bai Ling had learned through combat—it wanted to assimilate and consume, dragging material reality into the Spiritual World. The disappeared corpses could prove this.

Of course, that’s the ultimate goal. The current stage’s aim is to absorb enough emotional spiritual power to “hatch,” also known as the spirit energy enrichment phase.

“So what about Dai Hengzhu?” Yuan Xiaoling wondered curiously, “Does he still think that’s his wife?”

Bai Ling shook her head: “Unknown, maybe yes, maybe no. He clearly understands what entity it is.”

“If it’s the latter, why does he help it?” Yuan Xiaoling didn’t understand.

“Because, for a desperate person,” Bai Ling said indifferently, “obtaining something doesn’t quench thirst, destroying something releases frustration better.”

Yuan Xiaoling understood: “So who does he want to revenge himself against? The world?”

“That only he knows.”

“…Then we’ll confront him directly.”

Indeed, after learning the truth about the Four Squares Academy incident and Dai Hengzhu’s goals, Yuan Xiaoling prepared to negotiate cooperation with him in a couple of days.

Dai Hengzhu lacks the power to help the Inner Stone of the Mind consume the world. At most, he can accelerate its hatching process. This is something Yuan Xiaoling won’t stop.

Impossible to stop unless all Spiritual Energy Manipulators love each other, never fight, not even argue. Otherwise, various emotions will inevitably arise in the process.

After it hatches, finding a way to snatch it into her possession is what they should do.

“Do you have confidence in dealing with it?” Yuan Xiaoling asked, “Against the Inner Stone of the Mind.”

Bai Ling frowned slightly: “Hard to say, it… is bizarre. Last time, I almost got taken down by it.”

She recounted the detailed battle in the dream.

Yuan Xiaoling inwardly gulped. She knew Bai Ling fought the Inner Stone of the Mind but didn’t realize how perilous it was, nearly losing her beloved bunny permanently.

“Wait, you mean, my crucial move where I smothered your face, causing a milk waterfall in the dream, helped you repel it?”

So it was her achievement! Ning Ning was delighted.

Bai Ling’s lips twitched faintly: “…Mainly coincidence.”

And the primary reason was that the big white rabbit smothering her caused suffocation, triggering a crisis response in her brain, forcibly awakening her consciousness. Since the Inner Stone of the Mind hasn’t hatched yet, it can only dominate in the spiritual realm. Physical reactions from the real world amount to dimensional superiority against dreams.

Simply put, “awakening” equals pulling the plug.

“After it hatches, engaging it in the dream again won’t be so lucky. A mental anchor point is still necessary.”

“What’s a mental anchor point?”

“It’s the most profound image or scene of someone or something cherished. Imprinting this onto its spiritual realm gives counteracting power. Thus, establishing a mental anchor point is essential… Hmm?”

While explaining, Bai Ling suddenly saw a blinding white vision and found herself enveloped in softness.

Face-washed.

After more than ten seconds, she was finally released, her wine-red eyes filled with question marks: “What was that for?”

“You said this is useful, right? It saved your life, clearly a powerful image,” Yuan Xiaoling confidently stated, “Hurry up and establish it.”

Logical and reasonable.

Worried Bai Ling wasn’t fully focused earlier, Ning Ning grabbed the back of the White-haired Maiden’s head and forcefully pressed it towards her prominent chest.

Another wash!

This time it lasted longer, a full half-minute before releasing Bai Ling. The White-haired Maiden’s breathing was disordered, unsure if it was from oxygen deprivation or…

“How’s it going? Established yet?”

“Established.”

“Good job establishing it. I told you this would work… Wait, what did you just say?”

Yuan Xiaoling noticed something off in Bai Ling’s reply, about to say something, but was abruptly tackled and pinned down by heavy panting.

“Eep?”