What is a Sense of Security

【The Ghost Slayer Heavenly Child】 was truly formidable. The dark red blade lights intertwined in the night sky, magnificent like a series of large nets. Each strike appeared grand and heavy, yet Su Ze wielded it effortlessly, even with a sense of lightness.

Waves, hurricanes, flames, dragons…

A dazzling array of natural disasters and supernatural phenomena appeared before the two contestants, who stood back-to-back, nervously fending off these illusions that blurred the line between reality and fantasy.

After hours of fierce combat, the battered Su Ze used the power of the laws to twist and distort the space around them!

The two let out blood-curdling screams, their voices filled with terror!

Su Ze clenched his hand in mid-air once more! Their bodies twisted and compressed, blood spurting out instantly!

With a horizontal slash, a blade light dozens of meters long cut through the air, severing their heads!

The amount of law energy Su Ze had absorbed reached sixty percent, with forty percent remaining to reach the limit. Once the limit was reached, Su Ze would go into hiding, scattering his clones across the city, ready to escape at any moment!

Su Ze couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Acquiring the laws was far too easy!

Su Ze noticed that in this neon-lit city, there weren’t many who possessed vast amounts of law energy.

It suddenly occurred to him that across the myriad realms, there should be more people with law energy participating in this battle. The number of beings in this city couldn’t exceed a few thousand!

Could it be that the battles were divided into regions based on the amount of law energy one possessed?

Before Su Ze could figure it out, a deafening roar erupted in the distance!

A massive insect-like creature, its front half scaling a crumbling skyscraper, its long and enormous body pressing down on the streets!

Su Ze recognized it—it was the monster that had descended from the tower at supersonic speed!

It seemed to be called… ‘Rogue Snake!’

The creature really did resemble a rogue snake, with thick armor covering its body, its sharp eyes scanning the city as if searching for someone. Its long forked tongue flicked out, and the terrifying pressure of its law energy filled the city’s inhabitants with fear!

The amount of law energy it possessed was undoubtedly greater than Mo Ziang’s!

Su Ze was about to sneak away when suddenly, the Rogue Snake charged straight at him!

“Holy crap!”

Su Ze was startled and immediately turned to flee! Thousands of clones scattered in all directions, but just as he tried to use them to teleport away, the Rogue Snake used its law energy to obliterate Su Ze’s clones!

“You’re really a rogue!” Su Ze gritted his teeth in frustration.

……

o(*￣︶￣*)o “Dinner’s ready!” Uesugi Chigenki smiled as she brought over a steaming pot of fragrant rib soup, placing it in the center of the dining table.

Uesugi Akizuki sniffed the delicious aroma, her head lifting slightly as she glanced at the soup. Though she clearly liked it, she didn’t show much emotion.

To Meng Xingyao, who was sitting nearby, it seemed like Akizuki’s mood was still somewhat down.

A hand reached out to pinch Akizuki’s fair cheek. Her eyes lit up with surprise as she instinctively grabbed the hand, only to look up and see Meng Xingyao, her wavy hair cascading down, exuding a cool and confident aura.

“Su Ze will be back. I’ll take care of you both in the meantime,” Meng Xingyao said with a smile, her fingers gently pinching Akizuki’s cheek. Her wrist bore a delicate watch.

It was the second day since Su Ze had left Akizuki. He had informed Meng Xingyao of his departure, asking her to look after Akizuki.

Su Ze had also asked Uesugi Chigenki to take care of Akizuki, and now both of them were looking after her.

Meng Xingyao guessed that Su Ze was worried that if these two—one big and one small—went out hand in hand, happily strolling through the streets, they might fall prey to scammers and end up being sold off to work in coal mines.

If human traffickers ever encountered these two, it would probably be the easiest job they’d ever done.

Meng Xingyao couldn’t help but imagine the two of them, covered in soot after a day of mining, their yellow hard hats tilted to the side, their faces blackened except for their bright white teeth when they smiled. Would anyone even want them like that?

During dinner, Akizuki kept her head down, silently eating the plain rice in her bowl. Both Meng Xingyao and Uesugi Chigenki felt a pang of guilt.

Su Ze’s absence had clearly left Akizuki feeling down.

Meng Xingyao smiled to herself, thinking that this little shrine maiden was truly inseparable from Su Ze—adorable yet clingy.

A bowl of fragrant rib soup, filled with large chunks of meat, was placed in front of Akizuki. At the same time, a pair of chopsticks picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her bowl.

Meng Xingyao, her watch-clad hand retracting, picked up some vegetables and put them in her own mouth. “Eat more. If Su Ze comes back and sees you’ve lost weight, he’ll be sad.”

Hearing this, Akizuki paused for a moment before starting to eat earnestly—one bite of vegetables, one sip of soup, one mouthful of rice. She ate with great focus.

Meng Xingyao could tell that Akizuki, due to Su Ze’s absence, was beginning to feel a lack of security. Even with her sister and Meng Xingyao by her side, she desperately wished for Su Ze to return.

Girls who lack security are often gentle.

If they find security in their boyfriend, they become dependent, clingy, and love to stay close to him.

They are tender, cooking for you, becoming lively in your presence, and staying happy for a long time just from a few compliments. These are the kind of girls many people dream of—the ones whose eyes are filled only with you.

When their boyfriend has to leave for a while, their hearts feel empty.

At such times, they become even more insecure than before they found a boyfriend. They’ll call or video chat every day, and only when you answer immediately and they see your handsome face on the screen will their anxious expressions soften into a warm smile. They’ll sweetly ask, “Have you eaten, baby? I miss you! Hahaha…”

She’s truly a good girl, but she’s just too insecure.

Sometimes, she becomes overly sensitive, doubting many things.

If you don’t answer her call right away, she starts to feel uneasy. If you don’t pick up for a while, she begins to fear the worst—cheating or an accident are usually her first suspicions.

She’ll wait anxiously for your call, sending messages or voice notes every few minutes, even every one or two minutes.

“Baby, the moon is so bright tonight. Can you see it? If you look up at the moon now, are we watching it together? Hahaha… I miss you so much, baby…”

“Baby, when are you coming back? I miss you…”

“Baby… are you busy?” Her voice starts to tremble after you haven’t replied for over an hour. “Call me back when you’re done… I miss you…”

“Baby, please call me back… I miss you…”

Every time her phone rings, she frantically checks it, only to find it’s some random notification. She scrolls through her messages, but none of them are from you.

By midnight, she’s sent over fifty voice messages, along with the two missed calls at the top of the list. And this is her holding back, afraid of disturbing your work, not daring to send too many messages or call too often.

She carefully nurtures this relationship, placing herself in a humble position within it.

At midnight, her final message to you is one where she tries to keep her voice steady, but it’s hoarse and choked with emotion: “I’m going to sleep now, baby… Can you reply to me tomorrow…?”

In truth, that night, she tosses and turns, unable to fall asleep.

The next day, exhausted and almost collapsing at work, you finally leave the office.

As soon as you turn on your phone, you’re bombarded with messages, one after another, your phone vibrating nonstop. It’s annoying, and you don’t even bother listening to the voice notes. You wait for the notifications to stop.

Still, you patiently reply with a single word: “Yeah.”

“Baby, you finally replied! Hahaha, I’m so happy!”

She replies almost instantly. She hadn’t slept that night, and this was the first time you’d taken so long to reply. So, she kept checking her phone every few minutes. Since she’d said she was going to sleep, she resisted the urge to send more messages.

"Mm," you replied coldly. You were the one being loved, and you knew she was clingy. You weren’t afraid she would leave; you felt secure in her affection.

When she called, her slightly tired yet still gentle and lovely smile appeared on the unanswered call screen.

"Can’t you stop bothering me?" you roared into the phone, hanging up as she looked startled and scared.

Work had already driven you to the brink of madness, and this girl, who had been with you for two or three years, was just too clingy. It annoyed you, even though her concern was genuine. She was always lively and chattering like a rabbit, reminding you of your mother, who cared for you but never stopped nagging.

You had grown tired of her gentleness and liveliness. What you wanted now was someone completely different—a quiet, mature girl.

This is one of the major reasons why gentle, sweet, and naive girls often get dumped.

In the end, you argued, and you came out on top because she kept crying, saying, "I’m sorry," or, "Can’t we stay together? Please, let’s not break up…"

You had long had enough of her, and this was the perfect excuse to "break up" and send her away.

The girl really left.

Watching her dejected figure walk away, you suddenly felt a void in your heart, and your chest tightened.

But you hardened your resolve and didn’t try to stop her.

You felt liberated, lying on your bed and lighting a cigarette.

The apartment had felt a bit cramped when the two of you lived together, but now that you were alone, it somehow felt much bigger…

Over the next three days, you couldn’t quickly find the mature, quiet girl you had in mind. And when you did, you suddenly realized that the lively, gentle, sweet, and naive girl wasn’t so bad after all.

Confidently, or perhaps nervously, you called her.

What greeted you was either the automated voice of a customer service line or the endless beeping of a disconnected call.

Those who are loved take it for granted.

You thought she would never leave you, and even if she did, you could confidently win her back.

But alas, girls like her, once hurt, become even more insecure and find it hard to trust romantic relationships again.

Yes, you had truly lost her…

You would never find that gentle, lively girl again—the one who called you "baby" with every breath and whose eyes were filled with only you.

Girls with such personalities are incredibly rare, as rare as a shiny Pikachu—something you might encounter by chance but could never seek out. Back then, you were thrilled to catch her with a Master Ball, but now, foolishly, you had released her, and you could never find her again…

It was like how Su Ze had once caught a shiny Pikachu with a regular Poké Ball but had to release it for some reason.

When Uesugi Akizuki asked the little sweetheart if she wanted to return to Su Ze, she just shook her head in silence.

She had made up her mind not to go back to Su Ze because, in her eyes, he didn’t like her and that’s why he had let her go.

This was the first major crisis in their relationship, and it seemed like things were on the verge of falling apart. And indeed, at that time, their relationship was truly hanging by a thread.

But thanks to Uesugi Akizuki’s nonsensical explanation, the simple-minded girl mistakenly believed that Su Ze truly liked her and had no intention of abandoning her, so she returned to his side.

However, after she came back, her clinginess increased, and she was constantly afraid Su Ze would leave her. She would cling to him every night when they slept, a clear sign of how insecure she had become. It took a long time for her to slowly return to the way things were before.

Now, Uesugi Akizuki, somewhat absent-minded, was in a situation similar to the gentle girl in the story, trying to reach out to you.

Though it’s just a metaphor, she had no way to contact Su Ze. She wouldn’t suspect him of cheating; she would only worry that something had happened to him.

After dinner, she stood on the balcony, praying devoutly for Su Ze. No one saw the tear that rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away when she turned around.

A girl who lacks security, once she has something or someone she treasures, becomes overly sensitive. She would overthink and worry endlessly, shedding tears over nothing.

It was the third day since Su Ze had left.

Uesugi Akizuki, wielding the Autumn Slash Cherry, charged fiercely at Meng Xingyao, who held a straight sword, on the training grounds of Huaxia University.

Meng Xingyao dodged with light steps, and Uesugi Akizuki felt like she was trying to stab a feather floating in the air. Every time her blade thrust or slashed, the feather would be blown away by the wind from the blade’s path.

Even when she was about to strike Meng Xingyao, the latter simply raised her straight sword and effortlessly blocked her full-powered attack.

Meng Xingyao made it look easy to dodge the little sweetheart’s attacks, but in reality, she was carefully observing every move, the path of the blade, and guiding Uesugi Akizuki to correct her technique.

This approach was risky. One wrong move, and it could end in tragedy. At the funeral, Shen Qingsheng would surely be the one crying the loudest and eating the most.

"Lunch is ready!" Uesugi Chigenki ran to the training ground to fetch the two.

At lunch, the little sweetheart ate very little.

Meng Xingyao noticed. "If you eat so little, Su Ze will be sad when he sees how thin you’ve become!"

The little sweetheart thought about it and ended up eating a bit more.

"Are you thinking… of living on your own, without us taking care of you?" Meng Xingyao had long sensed this intention in Uesugi Akizuki.

She noticed that this simple-minded girl was doing everything herself, trying out things she had never done before and diligently learning small daily tricks from Meng Xingyao and Uesugi Chigenki.

For example, Meng Xingyao drank boxed milk without a straw, tearing off the corner of the box and drinking directly from it—a very convenient method.

Uesugi Akizuki tried to copy her but ended up with milk spraying all over her face…