Chapter 200 - 176: The Mortal World is Vast; All That Passes Is Scenery

Ai Ci glared at him and said viciously, "Jin Tong, one day, I will kill you!"

"You dare? Come back and say that to me when you’re strong enough to kill me."

After speaking, Jin Tong closed his eyes to rest. Barring any surprises, he would be out of here soon. He needed to conserve his energy for the battle to come.

Su Mo’s medicine was proving effective. He could already feel his Inner Strength, which Jiang Wu had suppressed, slowly recovering.

And Jiang Wu wouldn’t notice for some time yet.

As for the wound from Lin Shan’s blade, it was nothing to him.

’Looks like I can’t leave empty-handed this time. I’ll have to show some sincerity.’

...

By afternoon, the dull ache in Su Mo’s chest had vanished. She knew what it meant. ’Lin Shan must have succeeded.’

That evening, she made a sumptuous dinner for everyone.

She prepared dishes tailored to each person’s preferences.

The dinner was lavish, but her companions were distracted, barely tasting the food.

After dinner, Su Mo went to find Ah Nuan. The main purpose of the visit was to go over a few things, but she also brought some supplies for the shop, along with some personal gifts and books.

The books were mostly about incense-making methods and how to run a business.

Yue Ying, Cang Lan, and Ye Yuan followed behind her, hauling the items.

When Su Mo arrived at Ah Nuan’s home, she had them unload everything.

Ah Nuan looked at all the things and frowned. "What’s with all this? It looks like you’ve moved a whole warehouse over."

Su Mo smiled. "The shop’s been doing well lately, right? It’s always better to have extra supplies on hand."

Ah Nuan chuckled. "That’s true. When you get busy, you just disappear."

As she spoke, she picked up the books from Su Mo. "Why’d you bring me these? I’m not exactly the studious type."

"You can read them when you have free time. It never hurts to learn a little more."

Ah Nuan grinned. "Alright, I’ll listen to you!"

She then quietly extended her hand. "You haven’t taken my pulse in a long time. Check it for me."

Su Mo glanced at her again. Ah Nuan’s complexion was rosy and she had a healthy glow; it was clear she’d been in high spirits lately.

Still, she reached out to take her pulse, then exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Ah Nuan, you’re pregnant?!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Ah Nuan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. "Can you tell how many cubs I’m having?"

Su Mo felt her pulse again, then discreetly made a hand sign. Ah Nuan understood instantly!

"Can you still go to the shop? Maybe I should find someone else to help out."

"I’m not that fragile, I’m tough! Don’t worry, I won’t hold you back!" Ah Nuan grabbed Su Mo’s hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. "When the babies are born, you’ll be their godmother!"

Su Mo nodded happily. "Great! I’ll start preparing their gifts as soon as I get back!"

"It’s way too early for that. Why do you seem more eager than I am?" Ah Nuan took her hand and smiled. "I’ve realized that ever since I started hanging out with you, my life just keeps getting better! You have this... magic about you. You naturally draw people’s attention, and I feel like I’ve learned so much just by being around you."

Su Mo’s eyes curved into a smile. "You’re exaggerating. You must be seeing me through rose-colored glasses."

"No, it’s true! You’re a wonderful person. If I hadn’t become your friend, I never would’ve known I could be so capable myself!"

Su Mo smiled wryly. "If you wanted to praise yourself, you could have just said so. Why beat around the bush?"

"Oh, I can never win against you! Anyway... you know what I mean!"

...

When Su Mo returned, Mo Xiao had already prepared a bath for her. After she finished bathing, she heard her companions talking downstairs.

Mo Xiao, Fei Yan, and Yue Ying were standing to one side. Cang Lan and Ren Yeyuan were sitting, and not far away, Xuan Qing was leaning against a tree.

Against the twilight, they looked like figures in a painting.

Su Mo frowned. ’They’ve been holding these little meetings more and more frequently these past two days. Their moods must still be affected by what Jiang Wu said during the battle that day.’

Su Mo raised an eyebrow and asked Little Nine, ’What do you think they’re talking about?’

’Uh... why don’t you try eavesdropping?’ Little Nine suggested.

Su Mo narrowed her eyes, looking at the figures downstairs who had suddenly gone still.

In truth, she could guess.

Su Mo asked again, ’Little Nine, if we can’t change the ending this time, will we disappear together?’

Little Nine was silent.

Su Mo clearly saw the figures downstairs clench their hands in unison.

’I’m not that scared anymore, really,’ Little Nine’s thoughts were tinged with a frown. ’What I’m most afraid of is you disappearing, or me disappearing. I don’t want to be separated from you, Host. You’re the most interesting Host I’ve ever had~ I’ve grown attached to you!’

She understood. Once you reached a certain point, death and disappearance weren’t scary. What was truly hard to let go of were the lingering connections.

After a long silence, she said, ’No matter how it ends, the memories we’ve left each other are real. If you disappear, I’ll go on living my life to the fullest. If I disappear, you must promise to take care of yourself. The mortal world is a vast place; everything we pass is just part of the scenery. Since we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder to see this part of the view, our journey together hasn’t been in vain.’

In the twilight, the gazes from below turned to Su Mo almost in unison, their eyes filled with complex, unspoken emotions.

’No!’ Little Nine sobbed. ’I’ll do everything I can to help you rewrite the ending, Host! We can’t disappear! Neither of us!’

Su Mo let out a light laugh, turned, and went back into her room. "That would be for the best. In that case, I’ll be counting on you, then!"

It took Little Nine a moment to react before it let out a wail. ’Hey! You set me up again! AHHHH, you’re the worst!!!’

Su Mo smiled, her eyes narrowing. "And you’re the one I was tricking!"