But no matter what, some things just taste better when earned through one's own efforts.
Little Wei watched as the young girl jumped down to stir up trouble, then without another thought, stepped outside and got into the parked car.
"How'd it go?" Youyin asked.
Little Wei pressed her lips together and leaned back into the seat.
"Not bad. As for what she does next, that's her problem." Little Wei could only help them this far—she certainly wasn’t about to do the rest of the work.
"In that case, we’ll just wait for her results," Youyin said, reclining comfortably with her eyes half-closed.
Little Wei was about to say something else when a sharp scream pierced the air.
Definitely a girl’s voice—and it sounded pretty brutal.
Little Wei clicked her tongue.
"Sounds rough."
"Now that it’s settled, should we wait here for her to come out?"
Little Wei thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No need. This is her own home. Even if Zhao Xi has nothing better to do, she wouldn’t go around capturing people one by one. Besides, the cemetery’s being watched."
At the mention of the cemetery’s caretaker, Youyin’s lips pressed into a tight line.
She was feeling a little jealous.
"So, Jiang Xixi… I was wondering, how did you meet that guy?" Youyin ventured cautiously.
"Him? You’re bothered by that?" Little Wei knew Si’s soul fragments all too well—each one was a little vinegar jar.
"Huh?" Youyin blinked, momentarily lost.
Was that what Little Wei thought she meant?
No, she didn’t mean it like that at all.
"I’m not bothered, just curious," Youyin muttered, quickly turning away and starting the car.
With the autopilot engaged, she had plenty of time to chat.
"Really, I was just asking," she insisted firmly.
Little Wei: "…"
"Yeah, I believe you," she said slowly.
As if anyone would buy that.
Still, when had Youyin developed feelings for her? She hadn’t noticed at all.
The real question now was whether to address it outright.
But…
She was supposed to reincarnate in this world.
That complicated things.
She’d never seen Si throw a tantrum before, but if she left, Youyin would probably cry, wouldn’t she?
Amusing.
Might be worth it.
Then again…
She couldn’t quite bring herself to do it.
"So, what did you mean by that earlier?" Youyin glanced at the navigation on her phone, shifting uncomfortably.
Deep down, she was still shy.
Even if she acted outgoing.
"Nothing much. Just asking. And what exactly do you want to know about what I meant?"
Little Wei’s roundabout reply left Youyin flustered.
"I-I-I—"
She stumbled over her words, too nervous to speak.
"You-you-you… what’s wrong?" Little Wei teased.
Si was getting annoyed.
"Gu Wei, what are you doing?"
"Wahhh, Big Sis is so mean! I just teased your soul fragment a little, and now you’re gonna log into your main account to beat me up? Boohoo."
Si: "…"
"Come on, Big Sis, hit me~" Little Wei had truly mastered the art of being obnoxious.
She’d been more restrained in the last world.
How had she gotten even more shameless since then?
Si was baffled.
"Stop it, you’re scaring me," Si deadpanned.
"Enough messing around. I need to wrap this up." When Little Wei got serious, she had a certain coolness to her.
By the time they’d escorted the ghosts home, dawn was breaking. Little Wei took the wheel while Youyin dozed in the passenger seat.
She glanced at Youyin, her expression unreadable.
Truth be told…
This was the only world where she’d have to part ways with her wife’s soul fragment.
And she was a ghost, while her wife was human.
The thought weighed on her.
"Ah, what a shame we can’t… you know," Little Wei sighed wistfully.
Si: "?"
"Keep this up, and you’re getting smacked. Behave. Focus on scoring high in this world—it’ll make future competition easier. You might run into stronger opponents later."
Climbing the ranks early was a smart move.
This stage wasn’t really about the host’s true strength anyway.
Not that Little Wei had any to begin with.
She mostly coasted by.
"Mm-hmm," Little Wei hummed absentmindedly.
"Listen, this is important. If you mess up, your rewards could get cut in half."
No matter how good the energy from these sub-worlds was, it couldn’t compare to the purity of the system’s official soul energy rewards.
If she made it into the top ten this time, Little Wei had a real shot at becoming a demigod.
And once she did, she could customize a physical body.
Si wanted her to have one sooner rather than later.
Even in the void, ascending to godhood required surviving divine tribulation.
Souls weren’t exactly lightning-proof—one strike, and Little Wei could be gone for good.
Si wasn’t in the mood to attend her funeral just yet.
"Alright, alright, I get it. We’re here. I know you’re worried, but no need to rush. Haste makes waste."
Little Wei looked out the window—they’d arrived.
Time to get out.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xi and Xu Yichen were still tangled up in their… activities.
The dream had become reality, and Zhao Xi was equal parts bashful and terrified. But Xu Yichen couldn’t hold back.
Zhao Xi was, by far, the best source of ghost energy for him.
Back in the dream—though Zhao Xi thought it was just a dream—Xu Yichen had actually separated her soul from her body to engage in those ambiguous encounters.
As a feng shui master, her constitution was fundamentally different from ordinary people’s.
"You’re making me so shy like this," Zhao Xi mumbled, covering her flushed face.
She’d never imagined such things could be so thrilling.
Now she understood why some people were so obsessed with it.
She loved it too.
Xu Yichen let out a low grunt, smirking but saying nothing.
He felt nothing for Zhao Xi. To him, she was just a tool—one he planned to use until she was spent.
Prolonged contact would drain her life force and cultivation dry.
"So… do you like me?" Zhao Xi asked timidly.
She was starved for affection.
Raised solely on her master’s teachings, she’d never interacted normally with others. She couldn’t even figure out why everyone seemed to dislike her.
But it couldn’t be her fault.
She was pretty, after all.
And Xu Yichen liked her.
Her happiness had finally arrived.
She turned and kissed Xu Yichen, who stiffened slightly.
"What’s wrong?" Zhao Xi asked.
Remembering that he still needed her, Xu Yichen softened his expression.
"Nothing. I just love you so much, my dear wife."