“I... bzzzt... I lied again...” The little fox’s voice was halting and broken, like a scratched record.
Its amber eyes gazed at Yun Shu, filled with an unprecedented complexity.
“Tongzi, what on earth is wrong with you?” Yun Shu tried to scoop the little fox into her arms, but her hands passed right through its body.
The little fox’s tail flicked slightly.
“Host, I really don't want to leave you...”
Before its voice could fully fade, the snowy-white fur covering its body gradually shattered into points of light. They drifted and scattered into the night, revealing its original form underneath—a glowing orb of light.
Seeing this, how could Yun Shu not understand?
“Stop! I command you to stop!” For the first time, she completely lost control of her emotions, her tone a mix of frantic panic and anger.
The glowing orb swayed gently, as if shaking its head.
“It’s too late, Host.” Its voice grew even fainer, carrying the serene calm of a settled fate. “This is something I decided a long time ago. I am a sub-system of the Great God, and the Great God controls my core programming. If I remain by your side, I will eventually become nothing more than a tool for the Great God to harm you.”
“I don't want that to happen.”
“Also... when I said before that I could help you lure the Great God into this book world, I was actually lying. I can’t do it at all. I really am so useless...”
“Tongzi, listen to me! I have a way. I can definitely find a way, you have to believe me!”
Yun Shu watched the glowing orb become increasingly transparent. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably, and her eyes grew red.
“If I could, I really would have liked to eat another bowl of yuanxiao so I could stay with you for a few more minutes.” The glowing orb flew over, gently rubbing against Yun Shu’s cheek. Its voice carried a hint of a smile, yet hid a faint sob. “Host, the days spent with you were the happiest days of my life.”
Yun Shu refused to listen to any farewells. “Tongzi, I'll go buy you some yuanxiao, okay? I'll buy you as many bowls as you want! Be good, don't do anything foolish!”
“It’s not foolish,” the glowing orb said. “Just now, I stripped all the authority of the Dress-Up System and transferred it to you. The Great God will never be able to manipulate the Dress-Up System’s permissions through me again. From now on, you are the true master of the Dress-Up System.”
It reluctantly retreated about a cun.
“I don't need it at all!”
Yun Shu instinctively reached out to grab the orb flying away from her, but once again, she caught only empty air. “Listen to me! I don't need the Dress-Up System! Get back here!”
But the glowing orb said, “I can’t listen to you this time. The Great God is insidious and cunning; he would definitely use me to threaten you. Only by self-destructing my system can I ensure you have no weaknesses.”
Yun Shu's eyelashes were wet with tears.
At the same time, the Dress-Up System's panel materialized before her, and its locked functions began to unlock one by one.
Even more, all the outfits in the prize pool that she hadn’t won yet appeared in the system wardrobe.
Just as the glowing orb had said, she had become the true master of the Dress-Up System, possessing absolute control over it.
“Host, don’t be sad.”
“In any case, the Dress-Up System is a part of me, so you can just think of it as me still fighting alongside you.”
As it spoke, cracks slowly spread across the glowing orb. “You will definitely defeat the Great God. I believe in you.”
The orb shattered into tens of thousands of tiny glimmers, falling onto Yun Shu's shoulders like a meteor shower—warm, lingering, and slow to disperse.
“Goodbye, Host...”
The wind rose, and the light vanished.
The glazed tiles were empty. Only Yun Shu was left, a solitary figure staring blankly at the empty bowl.
In the past, she had always nagged the little fox for being greedy, calling it the reincarnation of a glutton—and indeed, it was.
“Just one more, please.”
“The very last one, Host. You're the best!”
“Really, really the last one...”
Those bargaining voices echoed in her ears, but there was no longer a little fox spinning circles around her.
In her daze, she remembered the joy that the system couldn't hide in its eyes when it first put on the little fox skin.
And during those days of running around everywhere, it would curl up in the crook of her neck, purring as it napped. That small, warm bundle had made her feel like she wasn't completely alone in the world.
“Host, I'm so tired. Let's take a break. I don't care, I don't care, I can't work anymore!”
She knew the system wouldn't actually get tired. It had only been worried about her staying up night after night to feed Love Gu and pomegranate seeds to the livestock.
“Host, I'm so hungry! I want to eat!”
She knew the system wouldn't actually feel hungry. It had only been worried about her forgetting to eat because she was too busy drawing maps.
“Host, it's really hard to lift everyone in this world out of poverty and lead them into prosperity.”
The system always complained about how difficult everything was, yet it had never once let her down when it came to taking action.
It had accompanied her day after day just like this, helping her achieve the unrealistic ideals she held in her heart.
Now, this world was brightly lit, and tens of thousands were celebrating.
Yet she had lost her only companion.
A sudden sting hit her nose, and she finally burst into tears.
“I'm sorry. It was me... I was the one who got you killed...”
First came stifled, intermittent sobs, followed by heart-wrenching, uncontrollable wails that were ultimately drowned out by the fireworks filling the sky and the sounds of gongs and drums.
Below, the procession was passing through the liveliest intersection. Children chased after the imperial litter, their laughter shaking the heavens.
The lights made all of Xindu City as bright as day. The gauze curtains of the imperial litter fluttered gently in the wind, as if the Divine Lady were looking upon the lively scenes of the city with joy.
Yet on the roof, that slender silhouette sat alone, clutching an empty bowl, sobbing until her entire body shook.
But not a single person noticed her presence.
Not until a little girl wearing a red cotton-padded jacket passed under the eaves, held by her mother’s hand.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, furrowing her little brow.
“Mother, I think I hear someone crying.”
Zhao Chunniang looked down at her daughter. “An'an, did you hear wrong? Today is a day of great joy, and everyone is happy. Why would anyone be crying?”
“No, Mother, I really heard someone crying. I'm not lying to you. She sounds so sad...”
Li An looked left and right, but she simply couldn't find where the crying person was hiding.
“Why can't I find anyone? How strange.”
Just as she was utterly bewildered, she heard her brother’s loud, clamorous shout from a distance, “Mother! Little Sister! Why aren't you over here yet? The procession is getting far away!”
“A'le, be careful! Don't run off blindly.” Zhao Chunniang scooped up Li An and walked toward the father and son standing a short distance away.
She clearly hadn't taken Li An's words to heart, dismissing them as the nonsense of a silly child.
After all, on such a wonderful day, who would cry?
Seeing Zhao Chunniang walking over with the child, Li Chong reached out without a second thought to take the girl, saying softly, “Chunniang, let me carry An'an. Don't tire yourself out.”
“I'm not tired.”
Zhao Chunniang handed her daughter to her husband with a smile.
“Why is An'an so quiet?” Li Chong thought his daughter was sulking again. “How about Father buys you a sugar figurine, okay?”
Beside him, Li Le pursed his lips. “Father, you're biased! When I'm quiet, how come I never see you buy me sugar figurines?”
“Has your mouth ever been shut?”
Li Chong gave him a sidelong glance.
“I don't care! I want a sugar figurine!”
Teasing and laughing, the family of four walked toward the sugar figurine stall.
Rate on N.U.
