Ling Xiaoxiao stayed by Xue Ji’s side as she cried her heart out, and only quietly left after she had fallen into a deep sleep.
That grief—so intense it felt like a piece of her soul had been torn away—had drowned Xue Ji completely. Even when she woke up the next day, her heart still felt hollow.
She made her way to the command room. Commander Ye saw her and quickly urged her to sit down.
Everyone else was acting carefully around her too, as if tending to a patient.
“Xue Ji, what’s wrong? Do you want to go out and stretch your legs? I can have Shen Moring accompany you?”
Xue Ji felt at a loss facing such meticulous concern and quickly declined.
“No, I just came to ask if there’s anything I can do.”
“No, no. Our combat strength is already more than enough—otherworlders, immortals, people from other worlds, even gods are on our side. The situation outside has stabilized.”
Commander Ye’s words left Xue Ji feeling strangely disappointed. She had been so swamped with work before, and now there was nothing left to do.
She was about to leave, but when she reached the door, she stopped and turned back. “Otherworlders? How many?”
Xue Ji had felt a few familiar presences just now, but she couldn’t be sure.
“That… let me think. One is that Holy Maiden, and the other two have the titles of…”
“The Hero and the Ranger?”
“Yes, yes, that’s it! How did you know?”
Her former companions had really come!
Xue Ji pressed on. “Where are they now?”
“They’re already back. In rest room sixteen.”
So close? Then why did her senses earlier tell her they were far away?
Xue Ji ignored whatever was wrong with her body and hurried toward rest room sixteen.
After she left, Commander Ye silently let out a sigh.
The adjutant couldn’t help asking, “Commander, did Senior Ling not tell her?”
Commander Ye’s face turned bitter at the question. He rubbed his temples and replied, “Ah… Xue Ji has already done more than enough. Besides, we really can handle things on our own for now. Why let her know so soon that she’s lost her power…”
After separating from the Great Shadow, the power inside Xue Ji’s body had been gradually fading away. Even though Ling Xiaoxiao tried everything, she could only preserve a tiny wisp of spiritual energy to keep it from dissipating entirely.
At this moment, still unaware of the truth, Xue Ji had just reached the area near the rest room when her steps began to falter.
“Why am I so tired? What’s happening to my body?”
She wanted to examine herself internally, but when she closed her eyes, all she saw was darkness.
A few strands of hair fell across her line of sight, and only then did Xue Ji realize that her hair had turned black.
Looking at her reflection in the glass outside the rest room, she was now just an ordinary girl with long black hair. Having just woken up, she looked somewhat sickly.
“So that’s how it is…”
Even though everyone around her was hiding it, their overly eager concern made Xue Ji feel something was off.
She had vaguely guessed that something was wrong with her, but she never expected it to be the loss of her power.
Through some fumbling around, Xue Ji undid the disguise that Ling Xiaoxiao had placed on her.
The spiritual energy that had been drifting aimlessly through her body instantly vanished—all of it had been left behind by Ling Xiaoxiao.
She just hadn’t wanted Xue Ji to find out too soon.
“How… did it come to this…”
Before she knew it, Xue Ji had reached the door of rest room sixteen, but her hand hovered in the air, unable to knock.
Realizing how her mood was spiraling downward, Xue Ji quickly shook her head and forced herself to perk up.
“Honestly. Even without power, I’m still me. How can I be this fragile?”
She pulled herself together and knocked on the door.
“Coming—” A lazy, mature voice called from inside.
When the door opened, the person froze in place.
“Are you… Xue Ji?” The girl with elf ears asked uncertainly.
“It’s me. Miss Elsa, it’s been a long time.” Xue Ji greeted her with a smile.
But to Elsa, that smile looked so strong it made her heart ache a little.
“You’ve gotten so cute that I feel bad teasing you now.”
The elf ranger Elsa looked a bit downcast as she stepped aside to let Xue Ji in.
“What do you mean by that? So you felt fine teasing me before?!”
Xue Ji couldn’t help but retort. Back then, this one had caused her no end of trouble on the road—she still hadn’t settled the score for that time at the banquet when Elsa egged her on—back when she was still a man—to get engaged to a prince from another country!
The feelings she had been bottling up were thrown clear out of her mind. Right now, Xue Ji just wanted to get her revenge.
“Take that!”
“Mmph…”
Even though Elsa saw through Xue Ji’s intention, she didn’t dodge—she just let Xue Ji pinch her cheeks fiercely.
“Shorry, I wash wrong… you’ve gotten sho pretty… help~”
The current Elsa was a full head taller than Xue Ji. If she really wanted to resist, it would’ve been easy.
But she was being careful with Xue Ji’s feelings. What had happened to this proud yet goofy person to make her so gentle?
Xue Ji couldn’t help but feel curious.
Just then, a bright, cheerful voice came from inside.
“Yo! Long time no see, little bro! Wait, I guess it’s little sis now, haha!”
A sturdy young man with red hair laughed heartily.
He was the core of the hero’s party—the Hero, Joseph.
“I never thought we’d really reunite one day. Fate really is incredible.”
Sophia, now wearing a pure white holy maiden’s robe, elegantly waved at Xue Ji, gesturing for her to come over.
The four of them being able to meet again here—each of them had so much to say.
But the two newcomers were clearly more curious about what had happened to Xue Ji, and they bombarded her with questions.
“Hey, hey, hey! Didn’t I already tell you two about this? Stop bothering Mr. Xue Ji, okay!”
Sophia pulled Xue Ji to her side and shielded her.
“Oh my, someone’s gotten brave now. How wonderful. So how’s it going?”
Elsa suddenly turned her attack on Sophia.
“Going… I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Sophia hugged Xue Ji even tighter in her embarrassment.
“I… can’t breathe…”
Xue Ji struggled to signal her to let go, and only then did Sophia calm down.
“Pfft, seems like you’re still far from it~”
“I heard Xue Ji here has beauties flocking around her. Aren’t you worried?”
“Not worried at all! She’s not like that, and you’re one to talk—what about you?”
Hearing this, Elsa proudly held out her left hand. A ring made from some kind of plant sat prominently on her ring finger.
Elsa went straight for the jugular, winking and grinning. “What about that, huh? You don’t have one, do you? If you’d called me a little later, my kid could’ve come along too.”
Sophia: (⊙_⊙)?
Knowing she couldn’t win against a wicked woman like Elsa, Sophia redirected her attack toward the party’s sunny boy, Joseph.
“It’s fine. I still have Joseph to fall back on.”
Hearing this, Elsa burst out laughing.
Joseph scratched his head awkwardly.
“Uh, my wife just stepped out earlier. Forgot to mention that, haha.”
Sophia: (?_?)
Just as the atmosphere was about to fall into silence, Xue Ji’s laughter broke through.
“Pfft, hahaha. You guys really are something. Still so funny.”
Seeing her laugh, the others laughed genuinely too.
They had put on that whole act just to cheer her up.
Sophia took Xue Ji’s hand, and everything that needed to be said was conveyed without words.
Even without power, there were still so many people willing to be her strength.
The Sage Xue Ji would never fall here!
