Xyrin Empire-Chapter 659: Xue Huajing, Don’t Cry

The moon was bright, and stars sparse; Dingdang was flitting about chaotically. Lying in bed, I was tossing and turning. Having bustled about outside all day, why on earth couldn’t I fall asleep now?

The little thing was jubilant from harvesting a heap of candy, now circling around and around on the ceiling, while the box in the corner was slightly swaying because the few dolls inside had received storybooks as gifts. Until a few minutes ago, they were not sleeping but chattering nonstop about the contents of the books—by heavens, those things were more suitable for children than Lilina’s gruesome fairy tales.

And I, until now, was still marveling at the wonder that is fate.

Yukari Yakumo and Boli Lingmeng—how did those two even end up here? Gulping water gets stuck in the teeth, blinking cramps the face, opening a gap turns into illegal interdimensional travel, accidentally destroying Imperial Army property, and then losing personal freedom; technically, neither of them is a Gunman...

Probably soon, Bubbles will find out about these two people. I wonder if that otaku’s mother will go berserk because of it?

Perhaps the doll girls can breathe a little sigh of relief.

These past few days, Zhenhong and the others had been tortured by Bubbles, the Xyrin Host obsessed with fixation, swore to make several one-to-one models part of its collection. For this purpose, the means employed were verging on the edge of humanity, obviously leaving the dolls with severe psychological shadows. Just now, when Little Baobao came over to say goodnight, Cui Xingshi mistook her for someone else and almost flew out the window along with the box—but just like when Mercury Lamp first came, the little doll bounced back off the Energy Barrier.

Perhaps too many strange things happened today; all these chaotic thoughts were rolling in my head like a screen, and with my increased spiritual power, sleep had become merely a habitual issue. But I couldn’t fall asleep for half the day, until suddenly a voice echoed in my mind: "Lord Brother! Come see this child!"

It was Alaya’s voice—what child is that Dull Cat Angel talking about?

I was first irreverently shocked: I hadn’t done anything to that clumsy Angel. And then, more respectfully shocked: could it be she’s referring to Xue Huajing?

Sensing the urgency in Alaya’s spiritual wave, I quickly calmed my mind, submerging my consciousness swiftly into the Spiritual Domain. Soon, I reappeared in that pale world.

"Alaya?!"

"Lord Brother, we’re over here!"

The voice of the Dull Cat Angel immediately rang out. Following the sound, I saw a figure shining with white light not far away and hurriedly moved toward it: in my own Spiritual Domain, convenience was key, Instant Teleportation didn’t even need a cooldown.

But as I instantly arrived in front of Alaya, before I could ask what was happening, a tiny figure suddenly threw itself onto me, followed by a bout of wailing from the arms.

The tender softness of the small being in my arms informed me that this was the child temporarily residing in my Spirit World, Xue Huajing, but what happened to her?

"I don’t know, Lord Brother, she was fine before, just that she has not spoken all day," Alaya’s face wore great confusion, but more a relief, "Just now I noticed her body started to dissipate again, but it seems she has calmed down now."

"Dissipate?" I slightly lifted the small figure in my arms to eye level, and after making sure everything was normal, I calmed down. The only problem now was, how to stop her from crying?

The little doll was sobbing like a three-to-five-year-old child. I had never seen a Rose Maiden express such emotional outpourings, but what about the child before me... what had happened?

"There were no anomalies with this child during the day?" I cradled the tiny girl against my chest and asked Alaya.

"She was on standby... erm, staying still all day, not talking, and I don’t know how to communicate with her, so I just slept next to her."

Alaya honestly admitted.

During our conversation, the Rose Maiden named Xue Huajing, who had in fact reverted to a clean slate, gradually stopped crying. Even though she was still sniffling, the increasingly tight embrace told me that the little girl had calmed down.

Faster recovery than I had anticipated.

"Alright, alright, what’s going on here?" I carefully cradled the little girl in front of me, one hand stroking her long, loose ponytail—an expertise I had mastered while dealing with Little Baobao, which Lilina venomously dubbed as the "Daddy’s Ultimate Move from the 36 Paternal Arts" to soothe the inconsolable Little Baobao after her lollipop was stealthily purloined by Pandora and Visca. Now, the skill proved unsurpassed in effectiveness when applied to the doll-like girl before me. The tiny girl sniffled and replied blankly, "What... sniffle... what’s wrong?"

"Alright, I forgot you still can’t speak..."

"Can... sniffle... can speak."

Me: "..."

Is she able to speak, or not?

The current situation seemed identical to being utterly unable to communicate with Xue Huajing. Her habit of mimicking the last few words of anything I said appeared to be an innate instinct of the Rose Maids, but aside from this "speaking" talent, her mental state was truly like that of a child.

And it was more troublesome than the kind of child Little Baobao had been back then: Xue Huajing’s template was nothing like that of a typical baby!

Although I didn’t know what had happened, Xue Huajing seemed to have calmed down now, except for one thing: the girl was clutching my clothes tightly, refusing to let go.

"Lord Brother, could it be..." Alaya suddenly raised her hand, indicating she had something to say, "Could it be that this child thinks you’ve abandoned her?"

I paused, looking into Xue Huajing’s sole amber eye which still glistened with moist luster, radiating joy and grievance, but more so, the lingering panic that had yet to dissipate.

Alaya carefully articulated her hypothesis, "The soul of this child was washed clean by Lord Brother’s spiritual power. Afterward, to repair her, and to prevent her from being repulsed by Brother’s spiritual power again, I merged my energy with Lord Brother’s spirit, reshaping this child’s form. Could it be... Due to this, she has come to regard you as her father?"

I was aware of Alaya’s ability; she could turn a ghost into a Holy Creature with just one of her feathers. So, of course, reforming another Spiritual Body with my spiritual power wouldn’t be a problem. So this was the situation with Xue Huajing now?

"This fragile child has forgotten how to control Spiritual Sensing. In this vast Spirit Sea, there are countless disturbances everywhere. She simply cannot feel that Lord Brother is right beside her, therefore, after Lord Brother left, she must have thought she was abandoned again. Alaya has heard Lord Brother’s stories about the Rose Maidens – those girls were all pitifully abandoned once, which must have left them with painful memories. Maybe despite having her memories washed by you, Xue Huajing still retains some of that lonely and dreadful memory, so..."

"I get it," I interrupted Alaya’s analysis with a wave of my hand. There was no need for further explanation; I knew what was going on, "It seems it was my oversight—but I can’t always maintain a spiritual introspection, can I? Such a young child, only a day or two old, can’t be without parental care!"

"Lord Brother, I can get close to her," Alaya pondered and then approached Xue Huajing, who at first hesitated and then hesitantly reached out to hug Alaya’s wings, nestling her face against them, "This child also has a part of my energy within her, so she’s close to me as well. But ever since her soul was cleansed, she’s grown up in your Spirit Sea and relies on you heavily. I think, as long as she knows you’re always with her, and with me by her side, this child will surely be at ease."

Despite the sense in Alaya’s words, why do I seem to foresee some unsettling news—Damn it, doesn’t this mean that the reborn Xue Huajing is now essentially a child of mine and Alaya’s?

This thought startled me as soon as it surfaced, and what frightened me even more was that this thought continued to grow unstoppable!

A completely newborn, blank slate of a child, her soul inheriting one-third from Xue Huajing, one-third from my spirit, and one-third from Alaya’s energy—what a ruthless lineage! This would be considered royal blood!

"Lord Brother?"

Seeing me suddenly freeze and fall silent, Alaya immediately approached with concern, but the "Brother" who was thinking of some ungracious topic let out a startled yelp and jumped back several meters, inadvertently flinging the little Qi Jing along with him.

"Wah—," the little girl burst into tears once more.

But seriously, turning such a powerful Seventh Doll into this state by force, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

After finally calming baby Qi Jing down, Alaya and I spent most of the night fussing over her...

Perverts, go stand in the corner and draw circles!

We were just trying to find a way to enhance Qi Jing’s Perception, as Alaya said. Now, Qi Jing is too weak. Perhaps the Seventh Doll once had the ability to infiltrate countless hearts and dreams, but this Qi Jing, who’s had her Spirit thoroughly cleansed by my Spiritual Shock, lacks this ability. In the vast and boundless Spirit Sea, she’s like a tiny boat adrift. Although Alaya is always there to protect her, she’s panicked because she can’t see land. That’s why I must find a way to make her understand that this boundless ocean is not a place of loneliness, but her cradle.

Although the "cradle" is a bit too big.

After all the fussing, it was almost two or three in the morning before we got everything sorted out. By reshaping her power with spiritual energy, we successfully doubled Snow Qi Jing’s strength. Then, I made an interesting little invention.

Everyone at home was already fast asleep at this point, even Dingdang, who usually flits about my room, now snored softly and evenly from inside the lampshade next to me. I gently lifted my left hand and watched a faint white halo flash over my wrist.

The Angel’s Ring—I dubbed it with such a tacky name very much to my own chagrin.

It’s an extension of Alaya’s power, sort of like the result of a long-term fusion (no mistake there) with that silly cat, the first Fusion Skill (even less of a mistake) we developed. It has no attack or defense capabilities; it merely serves as a conduit for Alaya’s power to guide Snow Qi Jing "out."

The little girl is too weak. Without this method, she’d dissipate immediately upon entering the real world.

Now, Little Qi Jing must be curiously observing the outside world through this halo, though she can only sense a bit of information fuzzily. But with this, she can be sure that "Lord Father" is by her side and gradually gain information from the outside world to grow. It’s a perfect solution. Seems that someone with a natural ditziness can occasionally have a stroke of genius.

What about me?

Well, after all that work, I can finally go to sleep. And so, the night passed uneventfully.

********** I don’t know why there’s a break line here ***********

Due to the energy I spent last night (not from lack of sleep, but because developing cutting-edge skills is indeed mentally exhausting), I didn’t wake up first the next morning, which is rare for me. By the time I stirred, not only had Dingdang disappeared from the lampshade, but there were also six tidy boxes piled in the corner.

No rainbow of colors to wade through today?

I was curious for a moment, but soon found the answer: Mercury Lamp’s usual box attack is just her mischievous way of trying to get my attention. Probably she saw that I was sleeping deeply today, so she didn’t summon her sisters to do the same.

Impressive. The family head is becoming sensible.

With this thought, which I’m not sure if it’s just me feeling good about myself, I gracefully headed downstairs. The ring on my left hand had already hidden itself automatically, and it seemed that Snow Qi Jing’s reaction had disappeared from the ring as well: That little girl, after fussing all day and night, must be tired.

But she still has to meet everyone today.

"Uh, what are you guys doing?" I asked as soon as I stepped into the living room.

The scene that greeted me was somewhat bizarre.

Mercury Lamp, Lilina, Cui Xingshi, Sandora—four of them were seated in a row on the living room sofa, each holding something in their hands with a look of frustration.

Mercury Lamp glanced at me and then lifted the bottle in her hand, "I was drinking yogurt this morning and realized after a sip that it was expired."

Lilina did the same, "I was drinking yogurt this morning, and halfway through, I realized it was rice soup."

Cui Xingshi raised her hand as well, "I was drinking yogurt this morning, and nearly finished before I realized it was rice soup mixed with water."

Sandora, adding to the confusion, lifted her hand, "I was drinking yogurt this morning and only after I finished did I realize it was a can of white glue..."

I: "..."

Lilina and Mercury Lamp, will the two of you ever stop with these incessant Heavenly Pit battles?!

Ignoring the four individuals who were acting as if they were showing off a treasure, I coughed and came to the center of the living room to make a formal announcement, "Today, I introduce a new member for everyone to meet—Mercury Lamp, Cui Xingshi, act serious for a bit. Continue fighting with Lilina later; this newcomer is your little sister!"

This proclamation immediately quieted the living room, as the Rose Maidens looked at each other in confusion, not realizing when they had gained a new little sister.

I then briefly laid out the situation with Xue Huajing, whose identity was now confirmed, and things were settled in that manner. I felt it was better to let Zhenhong and the others "meet" this little girl.

Even though she had completely forgotten her own past.

Our large family formed a circle around the long dining table, with several of the Rose Maidens occupying special seats on the table itself, watching my wrist without blinking an eye.

Half a minute later.

"Cough cough, could you all back up a bit, I’m a little nervous."

Lilina immediately bumped her head forward and said, "Hey, boss, could you be serious for a moment?"

The problem was, I had just discovered that Alaya had fallen asleep again...

After much effort to wake the drowsy one and accomplish deep spiritual fusion, I began to cautiously interact with the little one in the Spirit Sea. Since it wasn’t a state of soul introspection, this operation was a bit complicated. After all, Xue Huajing was much weaker compared to Alaya. But everything went smoothly, the little one was particularly sensitive. As soon as I asked her to get up, she responded.

A white halo expanded from my wrist, interspersed with feather-like phantoms, gradually covering the table where I spread my hands. Then, a timid, tiny figure appeared before everyone like a holographic projection.

The translucent little girl was so fragile, flickering in the air as if she might disappear at any moment. Despite the support of Alaya’s feathers and my own spirit, it was still too difficult for her to manifest a solid body in the real world; after all, she wasn’t a naturally gifted ghost like Anwina, but a man-made soul.

Well, reaching the Emergence Stage two days after birth isn’t bad either—am I digressing?

"Is this that girl?"

Qianqian curiously watched the apparition in mid-air, who in turn looked back with even greater curiosity at this completely alien world around her. Although it required the dual energy support of Alaya and me to reveal her form, this didn’t affect Xue Huajing’s Five Senses: in this regard, Alaya and I tacitly chose to suppress our assistance to the child as much as possible.

"How interesting, it’s like smoke," Qianqian couldn’t help revealing her true nature after only three seconds of seriousness, reaching out with a chuckle to touch the little girl’s head in mid-air. This movement immediately frightened Xue Huajing, who was making her debut, and she let out an extremely faint scream, transforming into a cloud of smoke hovering in mid-air.

"Incorporeal?" Sandora muttered softly, "It seems her first learned skill is self-preservation. Ah Jun, pay attention to early education. Little Qijing is at a critical period for learning beginner’s skills..."

Where did this girl learn these terms?

The little girl was so timid that everyone became even more cautious. We felt as though we were dealing with a glass doll that might shatter at any moment, and nobody dared to even breathe too heavily. Having learned of Xue Huajing’s origins, everyone felt compassion for the little creature and certainly didn’t want to scare her.

A few minutes later, the smoke in the air turned back into an image of the pure white girl. Upon realizing that the people around her meant no harm, the little one seemed to grow bolder, curiously observing each person’s face: this must have been her first time seeing anyone other than "mom and dad," wasn’t it?

Mercury Lamp, pushed forward by her little sisters, appeared uncomfortably nervous in front of this nearly transparent little girl, despite usually being so imperious. After a long while, she shook her head vigorously: "Well... that’s that. I’m your sister, welcome home! Damn it, why doesn’t Zhenhong say it herself..."

"Why doesn’t she say it herself," Little Qijing immediately repeated, even getting the sentence structure wrong! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, monthly pass, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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