The reunion between Lin Rui and The First Generation, who represented each other’s past and future lives, was now completely separated, marking The First Generation’s parting gift to Jiang Yimi and Lin Rui.

It was a gift for Bai Wu as well.

Qian Yixin had once said that he would make sure Bai Wu encountered old friends on the road ahead.

And that friend wasn’t just The First Generation.

Hearing Lin Rui mention Bai Wu, The First Generation said:

"Not long ago, the concentration of world distortion dramatically decreased worldwide, and a large number of Evil Fallen reverted to being human. I suspect this has something to do with Bai Wu."

"I think the way to defeat the Twisted Master is to follow the method of the High Tower Master and seal it. But Bai Wu may have tried a different approach."

"I don’t know how Bai Wu is doing now, but I believe he’s fine. He is Bai’s son; he will definitely be able to change the situation."

After finishing, The First Generation patted Lin Rui on the shoulder:

"You can go to Baichuan City and have a look."

Lin Rui knew that a great battle was imminent, so he prepared to refuse, thinking it was time to practice the Sealing Array.

However, The First Generation saw through his thoughts:

"We may die, so don’t let the regrets you had just before dying last time extend to your next death."

"Moreover... the Twisted Master will probably not face us until he has collected all the bodies. The World Will, which helped me break free from the closed loop... that bald man said he had taken some measures."

"He’ll plant some clues inside the Causal Phone Booth, and these clues won’t stay hidden from the Twisted Master, so it’s really just a strategy. The goal is to let the enemy find the clues and then make them believe... an invisible calamity of cause and effect is imminent."

"Having just freed himself from the High Tower not long ago, according to the bald man’s theory, the Twisted Master will engage in a major battle only after he has gathered all the remaining bodies, and the battlefield..."

"Will be in Denglin City."

Lin Rui paused: "Here in this city? Why?"

The First Generation started to relay the revelation from his time on the farm combined with insights from the bald Qian Yixin:

"Because the ’heart’ of the Twisted Master is hidden in this city. Unlike human structure, a person from the previous higher-dimensional civilization could live without a heart, but without a heart, it’s much easier to separate the soul from the body."

"The High Tower Master fought the Twisted Master for many years because the Twisted Master possessed an Immortal body and was always unbeatable."

"Immortality is too powerful; not even the Rule Binding could erase the property of immortality."

"That’s why the High Tower Master thought of bypassing immortality and merely defeating the Twisted Master. To detach its soul from its body."

"He didn’t need to defeat immortality, just needed to take the Twisted Master’s heart for a short time."

"The beings from the previous higher-dimensional civilization, their structure is very different from ours. Once the heart leaves the body, while it doesn’t immediately result in the soul separating from the flesh, the heart indeed is key to Stitching the body and soul together."

"To retrieve the heart, a complete body is first needed. Thus, although the heart is extremely important, in the order of retrieval... it’s the last."

"Therefore, the location of the heart will be the final battlefield. The Twisted Master doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake, so naturally, he must ensure he’s in his strongest state."

At this point, The First Generation paused before continuing:

"There’s still some time left. Go and say your farewells, go and let go. Not just the girl from Baichuan City but also the person who once killed you."

Lin Rui had already sensed it.

Above the powerful presence of The First Generation, there was another terrifying existence.

Jing Si.

Recalling Jing Si, the sense of overwhelming despair still sent chills down Lin Rui’s spine.

Fortunately, from The First Generation’s words, it seemed that Jing Si had already... become an ally.

Lin Rui stood up and nodded to The First Generation.

No one knew the outcome of the life-and-death battle that was about to arrive.

Alpha couldn’t see through causality, so he could only follow the most reliable method to collect the bodies, to appear in his strongest form.

This also granted others some time.

The final quiet before the storm.

...

...

Baichuan City.

Not long ago, Baichuan City was purified due to the efforts of the Doomsday Puzzle fragment collection team.

And with the death of Seven Sins, the surroundings of Baichuan City became even more normalized.

This long-abandoned city now waits to be revitalized, and when the people from High Tower arrived, they too joined in the reconstruction efforts, greatly accelerating the progress.

Although it’s not as intact as Sanchez City, this place is truly habitable for humans.

But humans always manage to benefit indirectly from others, don’t they?

In this era, whether they’re wealthy or poor inhabitants of High Tower, their identities were reset by the Tower’s transformation and by leaving it.

Everyone starts from the same point.

But there are exceptions.

There are quite a few who benefited from Bai Wu, from Xie Yingjie, and from Yan Zizai.

Sometimes people grumble that to be born mundane is perhaps to be born equal, yet life afterwards, through various choices and sides taken, can lead to different circumstances.

Take, for instance... Liu Chengzi.

Liu Chengzi, a girl from the lower strata, now owns her own clothing store in a golden location of Baichuan City, which will soon be worth its weight in gold.

The days ahead... will probably be good.

Ever since Shen Shuyue and Qu Li set out to find Jing Er, and on the return trip to the farm, Qu Li completed her mission. She bid farewell to Shen Shuyue and returned to Baichuan City.

Back in Baichuan City, Lizhi told Chengzi that Little Moon’s original intent had never changed.

The three sisters, although unable to reunite, have their hearts together once more.

Of course, this is a good thing.

The people of Baichuan City feel as if there might be an event coming that could impact the entire world. While everyone busies themselves in calmness, the continuous reassignment of the powerful protectors of Baichuan City has them sensing that something big is about to happen.

Against this backdrop, all good things seem precious.

Just like today, the girl who was always melancholic, always keeping herself busy, always reluctant to approach others for fear of bringing them bad luck...

Saw someone she thought she would never see again.

Liu Chengzi swore that she had flirted with too many men, her acting had reached perfection.

One could say that if her eyes looked at a man tenderly, he should be moved by them, unless he is Bai Wu.

But the way Jiang Yimi looked at Lin Rui moved Liu Chengzi deeply.

It was a look that only comes with the true giving of one’s heart...

Jiang Yimi hugged Lin Rui and poured out the true thoughts in her heart.

"So the girl who only had Black Cat for company could also have such a gentle and touching moment..."

Liu Chengzi didn’t know about the past between Lin Rui and Jiang Yimi, or rather, between Masked Strange Person and Jiang Yimi.

But she could guess that Jiang Yimi must have seen someone... someone she might never have the chance to see again, hence the strong emotions.

Liu Chengzi, watching the two embrace on the campus, knew that everyone understands... the world has changed completely, and perhaps even hoping for a future is a luxury...

Yet she still felt that this moment was truly beautiful.

It was in that instant that Liu Chengzi heard the young man with a notch missing from his ear say some incredibly touching words:

"Partings in life and separations through death are normal, especially so for someone like me... but death marks the start of the next journey, and no matter which journey, Jiang Yimi, I will find a way to see you."

Over seven hundred years, there have been departures and farewells, familiar faces in first meetings, and moments of sudden clarity in long-awaited reunions.

Liu Chengzi, catching a glimpse of this scene from a distance, left with a smile.

Seeing these beautiful moments always made her happy.

But also a bit lonely.

So Liu Chengzi decided to go find Yan Jiu and spread some of her anxiety.

...

...

Seeking out Yan Jiu to spread anxiety might sound rather inconsiderate.

But Yan Jiu had undergone significant changes recently. As a vital mediator in the breakthrough of the relationship between Yan Zizai and Bai Wu, Yan Jiu had always held a high status.

Everyone was very worried that this young girl, unable to feel joy, might not be able to survive in a world where negative emotions were extremely dangerous.

But they had overlooked one thing: the less one is able to feel joy, the more one craves it.

The more one is prone to being engulfed by negative emotions, the more one seeks to maintain calm.

Her family might not like her, but she would still love her family members.

If she was placed in a mental hospital, then she would make friends with the people in the mental hospital.

If she was kidnapped by a madman, then she would become friends with this madman.

She appeared very fragile, like a flower that could only be kept under the thick walls of the third floor of the High Tower mental hospital...

But in fact, Yan Jiu was always trying to adapt to her environment.

Outsiders saw it as her compromising with life, but in reality, she had never given up on life.

Yan Jiu, with such a mindset, was actually in a better frame of mind than the vast majority of people.

It was such a person who made the astonishing decision of "marriage annulment."

After the defense battle of Baichuan City, Yan Jiu and the Clown became friends.

The Clown, capable of eliciting fake smiles that made those around him laugh, had extremely terrifying abilities.

He was definitely a dangerous element, and no one dared to approach the Clown.

But Yan Jiu did.

She could feel that deep inside, Mr. Clown wanted others to gain a smile.

As a girl who never smiled, even though her fake smiles were becoming increasingly natural as if she could truly be happy and joyful... still, she inherently did not get along with the Clown.

Yet it was Yan Jiu who became the only person who could understand the Clown.

To put the Clown at ease, Yan Jiu also kept practicing her smile in the mirror.

She, who had never felt any real joy, was working hard to learn how to appear more like a normal person.

She was constantly changing herself, hoping to greet others with the best and most normal appearance when someone came back.

As a result, many people thought Yan Jiu had become cheerful and lively.

When a person acts for a long time, and acts so convincingly that they believe it themselves, then naturally the people around them won’t have any doubts either.

In the past, it was Liu Chengzi who comforted Yan Jiu, but now, when Liu Chengzi encountered something upsetting, it was Yan Jiu who comforted Liu Chengzi.

So Liu Chengzi, feeling a sense of loneliness, found Yan Jiu.

The two were in the Supernatural Tale Apartment building that Bai Wu once explored.

This place was now home to many people, and those terrifying tales had long since vanished.

Yan Jiu really liked it here; she always felt it had the lively atmosphere of the mental hospital she used to be in.

She often curled up at the stairwell entrance, squatting and then listening to men and women talk about life, discussing mundane matters like groceries and household affairs.

When Liu Chengzi found Yan Jiu, she was doing just that.

Liu Chengzi thought she had come across something fun, but instead, she just heard a man and a woman arguing.

The woman wanted a child.

The man disagreed, saying in such a world, how could they afford to raise a child?

The woman believed that this is what life was like—although everyone is living in a twisted environment, everyone is also adapting to the distortion.

Finally, the man expressed his fear of not being able to take care of the child, scared of future changes in Baichuan City, scared of this world that could be contaminated by strange rules at any moment... which might make the woman filled with anxiety after having a child.

The couple who had been arguing ended up hugging each other for comfort.

The sunshine poured into the corridor, mixing with the down-to-earth dialogue between husband and wife...

It made Yan Jiu smile.

She felt it should be a lovely moment, and she should be very happy.

Liu Chengzi also wondered if the young girl had perhaps become normal now.

She had felt a bit lonely after seeing Lin Rui and Jiang Yimi, but at this moment, Liu Chengzi’s heart warmed a bit.

She liked Yan Jiu like this.

She thought the current Yan Jiu was infinitely charming. That girl who never smiled, once she learned how, was simply stunning.

"Come here, let big sister put it on for you."

Liu Chengzi looped her arm through Yan Jiu’s, and Yan Jiu asked,

"What’s the matter, Chengzi?"

"Nothing much... I just feel like something big is going to happen. Maybe our lives will get better, but maybe they’ll become worse than ever before."

Liu Chengzi was, after all, somewhat downhearted.

Though she didn’t engage in fighting the Twisted, living in this world meant she knew certain things.

Nie Chongshan, Gu Hailin, Yan Zizai, Xie Xingzhi, one by one these masters left, all signaling that something big was about to occur.

This shelter had many warm moments, and everything was slowly getting better.

"I’m just afraid... that everything we’ve struggled so hard to have will vanish in an instant."

"I’ve finally found my bestie, and even Jiang Yimi who always hid from people, she found someone she could embrace..."

"And look, the people living here, although they fear the Twisted, they’re also starting to think about extending their lives inside High Tower."

"Everything is getting better, and I’m so scared... that the world will suddenly change again."

Yan Jiu heard the panic in Chengzi’s voice. She leaned her head against Chengzi’s, doing that comforting action that young girls do when they cling to each other:

Her hand gently patted Chengzi’s shoulder, like a younger sister comforting her elder sister:

"Chengzi, nothing will go wrong, I believe things will only get better for everyone."

She still wore a smile, bright and magnificent.

Chengzi said,

"Aren’t you scared? You know, seven hundred years ago, when humans were driven into the tower, they went through severe hardship."

Yan Jiu shook her head:

"I like the sunshine now, not too cold, not too hot, not blinding. But if one day it becomes scorching and harsh, that’s okay too."

"I also like our current life, everything in its proper place, everyone busy and fulfilled, not fearing disaster. But even if disaster comes, that’s okay too."

"I like it when everyone can smile at me, living in a world where everyone likes me... But even if they stopped liking me, that would be okay too."

"I really like this orderly life, but if the Twisted arrive, that’s okay too."

Such optimism...

Liu Chengzi originally thought Yan Jiu would be the same as before, smiling brightly as she spoke...

But when she heard the faint sobbing, she turned her head, and suddenly saw Yan Jiu’s tears wetting her cheeks.

In that instant, the cheerful Yan Jiu seemed to disappear; the long-absent sorrow suddenly enveloped Yan Jiu.

It was then Liu Chengzi realized... the person who truly needed comforting was never herself... but the young girl in front of her.

"As long as Bai Wu is here, no matter how life changes, I’m okay, but where in the world is he..."

After pretending to be optimistic for so long, Chengzi almost forgot that Yan Jiu was actually a very unfortunate young girl.

Her fondness for this apartment wasn’t entirely because she could hear many lively yet sweet exchanges.

More so, it was because Bai Wu had once been here.

Jiang Yimi found Lin Rui, but what about Yan Jiu...

Everyone held a negative attitude towards Bai Wu’s survival.

And yet in such an environment, Yan Jiu still pretended to live optimistically.

Thinking of what Lin Rui said to Jiang Yimi, Liu Chengzi gently wiped away Yan Jiu’s tears:

"Jiu, he will come back! No matter what kind of journey he is on, he will definitely reappear before you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I was planning to write about Bai Wu in this Chapter and start another main storyline, but I felt that although this Chapter is a bit light, it shouldn’t be left out. We’ll cut back to Bai Wu next Chapter.)