episode_0071

So why on earth did Su Qingya think she was an illusion?

Xu Nian couldn’t figure it out.

What exactly had just happened?

But it was probably some kind of ability that made Su Qingya conclude she was an illusion.

“Alright then, I’m definitely real. Ask me a few questions, and see if I can answer them. If I were an illusion, there’s no way I’d know everything.”

Xu Nian was quite confident about this.

Her [Joy] ability activated, which led Su Qingya to believe her words.

Xu Nian couldn’t just say something and have the other person blindly accept it.

That would be hypnosis, not [Mockery].

Mockery required logical persuasion—it had to be something the other person genuinely believed.

Since Su Qingya was now convinced she was an illusion, a straightforward approach wouldn’t work.

So, Xu Nian had to tackle it indirectly.

“Hmm~”

Su Qingya paused, seemingly half-convinced by Xu Nian’s words.

Right—if the Xu Nian in front of her could answer questions only the two of them knew, wouldn’t that prove she was the real Xu Nian?

“Fine. First question: When did we start dating, and what’s our anniversary?”

“Three years ago, October 25th.”

Xu Nian answered without hesitation!

She remembered that day vividly.

“Alright, you pass the first one. But the second question won’t be this easy.” Su Qingya pondered, pacing slightly. “Then, how many times have we done it since we started dating?”

???

Xu Nian was stunned!

What kind of ridiculous question was that?!

How many times had they done it?!

How the hell was she supposed to remember that?!

Couldn’t she ask something normal?!

Xu Nian’s brain short-circuited, buzzing as it worked at high speed. If exaggerated, steam might as well have been rising from her head.

Had they done it every single day since they started dating?

Had they? Probably not.

But there were definitely times when they got carried away and did it multiple times in a row.

Ahhhh!!!

There was no way she could remember!

“Do you even remember? What kind of question is this? Are you messing with me?!”

“872 times.”

???

“Wait, you actually remember?! You’re just throwing out a random number to mess with me, right? If that’s the case, I can do it too—I’ll say 937 times. Would you believe me?”

Xu Nian’s eyes swirled like mosquito coils—she was utterly speechless!

Su Qingya didn’t respond. Instead, she opened her phone, tapped into a document, and there it was—a file labeled with the bold number “872.”

“I record it every time we do it. So of course I remember. It’s completely accurate.”

She sounded smug, even the dark aura around her shrinking slightly as she lifted her chin.

Xu Nian’s fox ears drooped, and her fluffy, duster-like tail clamped tightly between her legs.

Her face flushed red as she stared at Su Qingya like she was looking at a pervert.

“You! What’s there to be proud of?! Why would you even record something like that?! Are you some kind of stalker?! You’re definitely a pervert, aren’t you?!”

But Su Qingya ignored her, calmly typing “937” into the document.

“What are you doing?!”

Xu Nian snatched the phone from her and began scrolling through the file.

She had seen this document before when she’d checked Su Qingya’s phone, but back then, it was just a bunch of strange numbers, so she hadn’t paid it any mind.

“What does this ‘653.5’ mean?”

“The number of times I’ve defeated Nian-nian.”

Su Qingya’s nose practically pointed to the ceiling.

“And what’s this ‘3420’ next to it?”

“It’s how many times Nian-nian has—”

“STOP! Delete it! I’m deleting this right now! Something like this shouldn’t even exist in this world! Don’t make me look down on you, Su Qingya!”

Xu Nian was completely flustered!

What kind of [Fear]-path practitioner was this?!

You might as well just switch to the [Lust] path already!

You’d probably level up way faster that way.

Wait—

No.

If she switched to [Lust], wouldn’t I be the one suffering?!

Xu Nian suddenly felt a strange sense of relief.

Thank goodness… thank goodness this woman wasn’t on the [Lust] path.

“Not allowed.”

Xu Nian’s movements froze—her finger hovered over the delete button, completely immobilized.

“These are my most precious memories. Also, 937 is my new goal~ I’ll aim to reach it within a week.”

“Are you trying to wear me out?!”

Xu Nian clutched her head in shock!

She regretted it!

She never should’ve blurted out a random number in frustration earlier.

“Y-you can’t do this! If I said 3000, would you just make that your goal?!”

“Why not?”

With that, Su Qingya changed the target number to 3000.

“You—you absolute—!”

Xu Nian was about to faint from anger!

Maybe if she switched to the [Rage] path, she’d level up crazy fast!

“Alright, enough about that. Now, the third question.”

Su Qingya’s expression suddenly turned serious, the dark aura around her vanishing completely.

“What is the thing I care about and love the most?”

“It’s… it’s…”

Xu Nian’s face burned red.

The answer was on the tip of her tongue.

But saying it out loud like this—she’d die of embarrassment!

Wouldn’t it sound way too narcissistic to just say it outright?

But still…

“It’s spicy crayfish.” Seeing Xu Nian hesitate, Su Qingya answered solemnly.

“…Huh?”

Xu Nian’s head snapped up in confusion.

“What do you mean, ‘spicy crayfish’?”

“Spicy crayfish is just spicy crayfish. It’s delicious.”

“So… you’re saying a plate of crayfish ranks higher in your heart than me?!”

Xu Nian immediately pounced on her.

Her pupils trembled, her drooping ears instantly perking up, even the fur on her tail standing on end.

“Why crayfish?! Why not me?! The one you care about and love the most should be me—got it?! No matter when or where, that’s the only answer you’re allowed to give!”

“None of this ‘spicy crayfish’ nonsense.”

“If you love it so much, I’ll buy it for you every single day from now on. Every meal, every bite—until you’re sick of it, until you can’t stand it anymore, until you force yourself to eat it even when you’re full. Once I’ve traumatized you with crayfish, you’ll never like it again—”

Xu Nian gripped Su Qingya’s shoulders, shaking her lightly.

Su Qingya was startled.

“N-Nian-nian, calm down! I-I was joking! Of course the one I care about and love the most is you. Only you, Xu Nian.”

Xu Nian froze, then immediately switched expressions.

Her terrifying glare melted into a mischievously smug grin.

“Pfft—got you, didn’t I? You idiot Qingya, the way you panicked just now was hilarious.”

“Ah! Nian-nian! You’re teasing me again! I’m adding this to the record too.”

But by now, Su Qingya had already confirmed the answer.

[Fear Value: 43%]

“Are you two done flirting yet?! Xu Nian! Hurry up and use the Death Soul Lantern!”

Just as the two were about to say more, Leng Xiao’s shout rang out from below the stage.