Scarcely had Xiaozhi fled the room when footsteps sounded on the stairs, and then, Shenqi's figure materialized in the doorway, fixing Lin Luo with an unwavering gaze.

Lin Luo spread his hands, teasing, "What kind of day is it today, anyway? Such excitement first thing in the morning."

Shenqi ignored his jest, her brow furrowed. "You clearly know, so why didn't you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"About Youxiang. Although I don't know exactly what transpired last night, I have a feeling you know. If that’s the case, why keep it from Xiaozhi? This isn't like you."

Seeing her serious expression, Lin Luo dropped his playful tone. He pulled on his jacket and stepped down from the **, moving to the window to stand with his back to her. "Relationships between people, they can be simple, or they can be impossibly complex. Sometimes, even without words, two people can understand what the other is thinking. But other times, even when everything is spoken aloud, they still can't truly understand each other..."

"What are you trying to say?" Shenqi found herself unable to follow.

"What I mean is, whether I speak of it or not changes nothing. Youxiang has made her decision and she won't go back on it; she is determined to follow this path to the end. And Xiaozhi has her own mind, too. Though they are young, they are not as naive as they appear. As for whether their ideals and commitments will ultimately clash, that is no longer something others can intervene in."

"..."

"There's also a more crucial point: my time here is also running short... although it’s progressing a bit faster than anticipated, it’s not entirely outside expectations overall."

"Eh?!" Shenqi’s face instantly shifted. Did that sentence imply...?

Just then, Lin Luo turned around. "Shenqi, you should leave too."

Xiaozhi’s pursuit had been exhausting. It actually took her a full two days to finally catch up to Youxiang.

This seemed somewhat absurd, considering Xiaozhi possessed the divine artifact, the Gap. Her maneuverability far surpassed Youxiang’s capabilities. Even starting several hours late, she should have overtaken Youxiang much sooner, but reality was not as simple as theory suggested.

For one, Youxiang understood Xiaozhi’s Gap better than anyone else. Since she was resolved to leave without a sound, she naturally took precautions against Xiaozhi tracking her. To counter Xiaozhi’s Gap, her chosen strategy was misdirection.

With her ability to control flora, Youxiang could anchor her aura onto plants. Then, when herbivores consumed these plants, her aura would transfer to those animals, simultaneously drastically lowering her own detectable presence. At that point, her aura would be scattered everywhere.

Of course, because the trajectories of many animals were unpredictable, if she relied solely on this, a careful Xiaozhi could quickly ascertain Youxiang’s actual direction of travel.

However, Youxiang faced no such dilemma. After all, since birth, she had continuously strived for survival, not only improving her own strength but also mastering and utilizing the environment in ways far beyond the ordinary person.

The animals she sought out were those whose movements could be precisely mapped. This way, even without deliberate control, these creatures would follow the general path she intended. Even if one or two strayed, at least eighty percent of the decoys would serve their purpose.

Moreover, at regular intervals, she would employ the same tactic again, continually obscuring the line of sight.

While this method was one commonly used by those accustomed to evading pursuit, Youxiang’s ability to maximize its potential was inspired by the computer games she often played.

Perhaps influenced by Lin Luo, Youxiang frequently indulged in visual novels. Although these games primarily focused on graphics and narrative—and, of course, the characters themselves, which went without saying—after playing for some time, Youxiang discovered the most fundamental element of these games: Choices!

Although the player controlled the game, and the plot and ending would develop differently based on the player's personality and interests, this was merely superficial. In reality, whenever a choice point appeared in a game, regardless of the title, the entity manipulating the player was those choices, not the player's own will.

Different selections from the options led to vastly different storylines and conclusions.

If Youxiang’s departure were a game, the options she laid out at this moment would be enough to make one’s scalp tingle. Every few milestones, ten or more new choices would appear, stacking up to present hundreds or thousands of potential routes. Yet, only one led to the true ending; all others were... BAD ENDS!

Though Xiaozhi knew Youxiang intimately, and was familiar with her aura beyond measure, operating with design against unawareness, she still chose far too many incorrect paths. Fortunately, this wasn't a game; taking the wrong route didn't signify an end, and she could backtrack to make new choices. However, the delay in time was unavoidable.

When Xiaozhi finally stood before Youxiang two days later, she was breathless with exhaustion. During those two days, she had eaten nothing, drunk nothing, and slept not a wink, all in her desperate effort to catch up. Thank goodness she was a yōkai; an ordinary human would have met a BAD END long ago.

Youxiang, too, looked genuinely surprised to see Xiaozhi, completely unable to believe that despite all her intricate planning, Xiaozhi had still managed to follow.

Youxiang spread her hands, offering a wry smile. "I genuinely thought that with the arrangements I made, there was no way you could catch me. But once again, the result exceeded my expectations. You truly are something else, Xiaozhi... So, what do you plan to do now? Say goodbye? Or stop me?"

"Youxiang, I know what you intend to do." Xiaozhi took a small step forward. As Youxiang looked on with a questioning expression, she began to speak. "A month ago, when the uncles were still at home, you asked them a question. I didn't hear the entire exchange, but fortunately, I caught a few sentences. That question concerned the Lord of the Flowers in the Deep Blue Flower Fields. And Youxiang... what you plan to do is challenge that Flower Lord, isn't it!"

The "uncles" Xiaozhi referred to were naturally the Thirteen Guardians. Since Lin Luo knew he would soon be returning to the future, he had arranged for them to depart beforehand.

Youxiang burst into laughter, as if hearing the most ridiculous joke. "Stop joking, Xiaozhi. That Flower Lord is one of the renowned (Lord-level Yōkai), far stronger than the Oni-Yasha we fought last time. While he is a foe I am destined to challenge, I am still nowhere near strong enough now. How could I possibly go looking for death? I just meant to..."

"Don't lie to me!" Xiaozhi roared before Youxiang could finish, her voice echoing like the cry of a winter cicada.

Youxiang instinctively froze, then heard Xiaozhi continue, "I know. Your strength has been regressing lately, and you've been anxious about it. Though I worried for you, I also understood your pride. With a spirit as high as yours, you couldn't show weakness in front of someone your own age. So I pretended not to notice. I even pretended not to see you sneaking out late at night to train."

Hearing this, Youxiang was stunned, then let out a helpless laugh. "Indeed. Nothing can truly be hidden from you. But based on that alone, how can you claim I'm going to challenge the Flower Lord?"

"Because I understand you. Just like when you challenged the Oni-Yasha—the harder the task, the more determined you are to attempt it. And once you start, you cast your own life aside," Xiaozhi stated without hesitation.

"..." Perhaps having the truth revealed left Youxiang speechless for a moment. But after a beat, she shook her head, a hint of pain on her face. "Xiaozhi, you truly don't understand me. If you did, you certainly wouldn't try to stop me."

"What did you say?" The words made Xiaozhi involuntarily step back.

Youxiang met her gaze steadily. "You are right. I am going to challenge the Flower Lord. I have already decided. I am staking my future, everything I have, on that single fight."

"I won't let you go!" Xiaozhi spread her arms, blocking the path before her.

"Why? You don't trust me?" Youxiang frowned.

"I trust you! No matter if it's the Flower Lord or the Wolf King Ghost King, one day you will surpass them. But not now! Neither of us can even defeat the Oni-Yasha. How can you possibly take on the Flower Lord, who is stronger than the Oni-Yasha, all by yourself?"

"I have been working hard."

"Even hard work is useless in this case! That's fundamentally... Ugh!" Xiaozhi cried out, but cut herself off as she noticed the change in Youxiang’s expression. She realized in her agitation she had spoken the single most damaging thing possible.

All her life, Youxiang had survived purely through effort. To say effort was useless was, in a way, to negate everything Youxiang was.

Realizing this, Xiaozhi was flooded with regret. "I'm sorry, Youxiang, I didn't mean to..."

Youxiang closed her eyes and shook her head. "I know you didn't mean it. It’s true that sometimes ten parts of effort can’t equal one part of innate talent. But effort is all I have."

"That’s not true, that’s not true..." Tears welled in Xiaozhi’s eyes as she shook her head repeatedly. She knew all too well the significance of the word 'effort' to Youxiang. Even if unintentional, her previous statement had genuinely wounded her friend.

While Xiaozhi was reeling in regret, Youxiang was already stepping past her. "I’m sorry, Xiaozhi (Shūshūwū)."

"Don't go!" Xiaozhi finally snapped back to reality and shouted. But Youxiang did not halt her steps, nor did she look back. No matter how loudly Xiaozhi called, she continued walking forward silently.

Suddenly, a web bristling with thorns blocked Youxiang’s path. Xiaozhi spoke from behind her, "This is my Realm Net. If you’re pricked by the thorns, you will bleed constantly. It won't kill you, but it will leave you permanently weakened. So... stop, Youxiang."

Youxiang paused, but hesitated for less than a second before continuing forward, as if the web were invisible.

This reaction pierced Xiaozhi’s heart like a knife. Watching the net’s thorns about to strike Youxiang, she finally retracted the web with a choked sob. "Why? Why is it like this?!"

Youxiang’s actions explained everything: no matter what, she would go challenge the Flower Lord, even if it meant losing limbs, becoming frail, or being utterly destroyed. Nothing could stop her!

So, Xiaozhi couldn't understand—what was this goal worth? Was becoming stronger more important than her?

However, at that moment, Youxiang finally turned back, a look of profound sadness flashing across her face. "Xiaozhi, you truly cannot understand."

With that, she continued walking forward without looking back.

Behind her, Xiaozhi stood frozen like stone.