Yuan Qiaoqiao Side Story 04

The dusty path ahead became somewhat clearer under the glow of the staff.

It was easy to spot the glowing source of chaotic energy.

"Doesn't seem too far away," Little Wei remarked with a sigh.

"Not necessarily," the staff's voice echoed in her ear.

To quickly locate the energy source, the staff remained silver-white, doubling as a makeshift light.

But no matter how far Little Wei walked, the energy seemed just as distant.

Damn it, was it just her imagination?

Little Wei furrowed her brows, but before she could ponder further, a large black shadow darted past her vision.

What the hell?!

What was that?!

Little Wei froze in shock, trembling as she clutched the staff.

Holy mother, was this the Chaotic Abyss or some horror movie set? She had a weak heart when it came to ghosts.

Despite her fear, she didn’t dare close her eyes, terrified something might happen.

Luckily, nothing did—but strangely, the chaotic energy now felt slightly closer.

Was she imagining things again?

Before she could react, an icy arm coiled around her waist, sending shivers down her spine.

"Sister."

Little Wei: ?

For some reason, Yuan Qiaoqiao’s voice sent a chill down her spine.

This girl was definitely here to scare her—wasn’t she satisfied unless Little Wei was terrified out of her wits?

Ugh, could this person just drop dead already?

Little Wei turned to Yuan Qiaoqiao, puzzled. "Weren’t you supposed to lure the monsters away?"

Yuan Qiaoqiao smiled sweetly at her.

"I did. But since someone seemed free, I didn’t mind letting him work a little harder."

Little Wei: Emmmm…

Well, she supposed she’d just dragged her buddy into trouble.

Hope he’s okay.

Little Wei silently prayed for Chi Mu before glaring at Yuan Qiaoqiao.

"What do you even want?" Little Wei demanded.

Yuan Qiaoqiao smirked.

Little Wei hated when she smirked.

It looked downright sinister—utterly terrifying.

"I just don’t like him getting too close to you, my dear Little Wei." Yuan Qiaoqiao leaned in, casually obliterating the chaotic energy with a wave of her hand. Her warm breath brushed against Little Wei’s face, tickling her skin and raising goosebumps.

Her "dear Little Wei"?

Since when did she belong to anyone?!

"Get away from me," Little Wei snapped, thoroughly annoyed.

Si was fine for cuddles, but Qiaoqiao? Hard pass.

"You like me, don’t you? You never refused me before," Yuan Qiaoqiao murmured, lowering her gaze.

Little Wei rolled her eyes at the act.

Here we go again.

The fake pitiful act—who’d fall for that?

Who’d sympathize with a black-hearted girl like her?

"Enough," Little Wei said coldly. "Stop messing around. We need to report back and leave."

Once this was over, she wouldn’t have to deal with Yuan Qiaoqiao anymore.

Especially since she was wearing Si’s face.

Hearing her call her "sister" made Little Wei’s skin crawl.

"Do you really want me to go back? I came all this way—don’t I deserve a little reward?" Yuan Qiaoqiao stepped closer, forcing Little Wei against a tree, her legs nearly giving out.

What the hell?!

Why couldn’t Yuan Qiaoqiao just act normal?

"You’re not planning to do something here, are you?" Little Wei muttered under her breath.

That would be way too much.

Instant bad vibes.

"Then let’s go somewhere else." Yuan Qiaoqiao grabbed Little Wei’s hand and effortlessly lifted her into her arms.

Help! Murder!

Someone’s trying to kill me!

Little Wei glanced back—no sign of Chi Mu. Yuan Qiaoqiao had really gone too far this time.

"What about Chi Mu? Are you just going to leave him here?" Little Wei struggled free from Yuan Qiaoqiao’s grip.

"What’s wrong with leaving him?" Yuan Qiaoqiao countered.

Little Wei: …

All she wanted to say was: Yuan Qiaoqiao, you heartless monster.

"No! If something happens, neither of us can take responsibility. Plus, he’s helped me a lot—you’re not that unreasonable, are you?" Little Wei was genuinely panicking now.

Please, let her have some conscience.

Miraculously, Yuan Qiaoqiao’s expression softened slightly at her words.

Seizing the moment, Little Wei dashed back to the original spot. Thankfully, the sounds of battle were loud enough that she quickly found Chi Mu.

And what a sight it was—three or four giant monsters, each three times his height, swarming him.

Chi Mu was too busy fighting to even notice the two approaching.

Little Wei leaped in front of him, using her staff to block a clawed strike from the side.

"That fast already?" Chi Mu asked, panting heavily.

But with him struggling to breathe, Little Wei didn’t have time for small talk.

"Fight first, talk later."

Luckily, despite their size, the monsters weren’t too hard to handle, and they hadn’t provoked a whole horde—otherwise, Little Wei would’ve been crying in despair.

It only took half an hour to finish them off.

The awkward part? Little Wei barely got to fight before Yuan Qiaoqiao shooed her away.

"Sister, I’ll help him."

Little Wei: …

Well, since this mess was Yuan Qiaoqiao’s doing, she might as well clean it up herself. Little Wei didn’t interfere further.

"Thanks," Chi Mu said, wiping sweat from his brow as he glanced at Yuan Qiaoqiao.

Yuan Qiaoqiao ignored him, her gaze fixed on Little Wei.

Little Wei huffed. "Let’s get out of here first. We can deal with the rest later."

Whatever. No point staying mad at Yuan Qiaoqiao.

Getting worked up over a kid would just make her look childish.

"Sure," Chi Mu agreed.

He’d already guessed Yuan Qiaoqiao was behind this mess.

But since she’d at least helped, he wasn’t going to hold a grudge.

No need.

Chi Mu wasn’t the type to fuss over small things—next time, he’d just make Si cook more dishes as payback.

The three of them made it out of the Chaotic Abyss without further trouble.

The source of chaos here had been easy to deal with—the red-robed man had left the hardest part to them, so the journey had been smooth.

It would’ve been even smoother if Yuan Qiaoqiao hadn’t stirred up trouble.

The thought made Little Wei want to grumble endlessly.

"Sister," Yuan Qiaoqiao suddenly spoke up.

"What?" Little Wei snapped.

"Walk with me for a bit? I don’t want to go back yet."

Yuan Qiaoqiao knew that if they returned, Si would suppress her consciousness again. But she loved her sister too much.

She wanted to share some heartfelt words with her.