The realm of genius is often inscrutable to mortals. Likewise, the persistence of mortals is often incomprehensible to genius.

It is as if two individuals perform the same task: one spends months to complete it, while the other finishes in an hour, achieving superior results. Clearly, the latter cannot grasp the hardship endured by the former.

Although Xiao Zi and You Xiang shared an extraordinary bond, and Xiao Zi was not ignorant of You Xiang’s toil and helplessness, she was never You Xiang. What she could see was only a fragment of the surface; having not personally experienced everything You Xiang had, she could not truly understand.

This had nothing to do with the quality of their relationship, good or bad; some things simply demand personal experience. Thus, Xiao Zi could not fathom the root of You Xiang’s intense obsession.

Especially You Xiang’s parting words, which seemed imbued with despair and the loneliness of being misunderstood, struck Xiao Zi like a physical blow, causing her heart to convulse as if sliced by a blade. Watching You Xiang’s retreating figure vanish before her eyes, she wanted to shout, but though her mouth opened, no sound emerged.

She longed to chase after her, yet when she lifted her foot, she lacked the courage to take the step, for she was afraid. She feared You Xiang would utter more such words, afraid of feeling that tone of despair and solitude once more.

She didn't know what You Xiang’s final statement signified, but she could feel it was a disappointment directed at her—a disappointment that she had failed to comprehend her. Had she done wrong?

But where? Was desiring to protect her friend a mistake?

Was watching her only friend walk to her death the correct path? Xiao Zi pondered, yet could make no sense of it, feeling like an ignorant child.

Was Xiao Zi an ignorant child? Yes, and no.

To say no, it was because she possessed great wisdom. No one could deny this; in the battle against the Ghost Yaksha, it was she who instantly saw through the foe's weakness.

It was she who, in just a few sentences, uncovered the Ghost Yaksha's vulnerability. Such intellect—not only rare among yokai her own age but perhaps unparalleled in the entire world.

Even Lin Luo, without his external aids, would likely fall short of Xiao Zi here. In terms of wisdom, Xiao Zi was clearly superior to Lin Luo.

If that were the case, why could Lin Luo perceive You Xiang’s true feelings while Xiao Zi could not? Simply put, she was a child, holding a vast gap in life experience—a disparity that wisdom alone could not bridge.

It was like a game: a novice character PK-ing a max-level character. Even if the novice player was technically brilliant and the max-level player inept, the immense gulf in levels and equipment meant the novice couldn't even scratch the defense, let alone win.

Xiao Zi certainly possessed great wisdom, but she only ever deployed it against enemies. When interacting with family, she was utterly guileless, acting precisely as she felt and thought.

This time was no different: knowing You Xiang was venturing into danger, she pursued without a second thought, never considering why You Xiang had chosen that path. This was truly not a failing of immaturity.

In terms of both intent and action, no one could fault her. If she had erred, the mistake lay in not being You Xiang, in not being a mortal.

This couldn't truly be called a fault, so was You Xiang wrong? No, because You Xiang’s decision was made only after deep deliberation.

No matter how absurd or headstrong it appeared, her life was her own, and she had the right to make any choice. Who (ShuShuWu) On the journey back, Xiao Zi continuously wrestled with this question.

Though she found no answer, she would not give up... While she didn't know the exact location of the Flower Lord, she could roughly estimate that You Xiang was at least five days' travel away from the Lord's residence.

Accounting for inevitable delays along the way, it would take at least seven days. She could return home in two days, leaving a comfortable five days to catch up to You Xiang again.

The critical issue was whether she could find the answer she sought in this short span of time. "I can do it, I definitely can!" Following a brief period of disorientation, Xiao Zi quickly rallied her fighting spirit, cheering herself on as she sped toward their residence.

It didn't matter that she didn't know now; she could consult Lin Luo. In her mind, Lin Luo, being so capable, could surely help her find the answer.

When she finally caught up to You Xiang again, she was confident she would never again hear You Xiang utter those sorrowful words, "You surely don't understand." She knew that only by truly understanding could she gain the power to bring You Xiang back; otherwise, all efforts would be in vain. ...

Two days later, Xiao Zi finally returned to their home. Having traveled four days without eating, drinking, or sleeping, her body was utterly exhausted, a fatigue evident in the expression on her face.

Yet, she seemed entirely unconcerned. The moment she arrived, she immediately sought out Lin Luo...

The physical strain had long been cast aside when faced with the imperative to stop You Xiang from going to her death. "You're back.

Did you find You Xiang?" As Xiao Zi returned, she found Lin Luo drinking alone in the courtyard. She felt a flicker of confusion, as she had never seen Lin Luo form a habit of drinking in the months prior.

However, she didn't dwell on it and was about to speak when Lin Luo initiated the conversation. Xiao Zi relayed the events truthfully without hesitation.

Lin Luo showed no surprise, as if he had witnessed it all, nodding. "I see.

What do you plan to do next?" "Bring You Xiang back, of course!" Xiao Zi declared matter-of-factly. "I absolutely will not stand by and watch her seek death, even if she hates me for it later.

But stopping her presents a major obstacle, which is..." "No need to say more, Xiao Zi. Let this end here." Before Xiao Zi could finish, Lin Luo shook his head.

"What?" Xiao Zi paused, slightly baffled by Lin Luo's meaning. "I mean, you can let go of You Xiang's matter." "What...

do you mean?" Xiao Zi finally understood, yet became even more confused. "Because my time is running short.

Look." As Lin Luo spoke, he raised his right hand. Xiao Zi followed his gaze and gasped.

Only then did she notice something distinctly different about Lin Luo's right hand—it was semi-transparent, seeming ready to vanish at any moment. "What's happening?" An ominous premonition struck Xiao Zi.

"You haven't noticed yet?" "Noticed what?" "Sense it carefully." "..." Xiao Zi didn't understand, but respecting Lin Luo, she complied. Moments later, she finally detected it: the house was missing one person...

Shen Qi! "Where did Sister Shen Qi go?" Xiao Zi asked quickly.

"I made her leave. Yesterday, in fact.

And she won't be returning." "This..." Xiao Zi was speechless. She desperately wanted to ask what was going on.

First You Xiang left, and now even Shen Qi was gone—what in the world was happening? But she held her tongue because Lin Luo had spoken just before: "The conflict between you and You Xiang was supposed to erupt much later, but I don't have much time left.

So, I gave you both a push. Though I apologize for interfering, this way I can control the progression of events and minimize the harm." "You Xiang left because of Master..." Xiao Zi looked utterly disbelieving.

Lin Luo nodded. "It has something to do with it." His statement wasn't untrue; after all, without his guidance, You Xiang wouldn't have made her decision so quickly.

"Why? Why do this?" Xiao Zi was aghast.

"Didn't I already tell you? My time is short." Lin Luo raised his hand again.

"You saw it, didn't you? Doesn't my hand look like it's about to disappear?" Xiao Zi nodded.

"Do you know why?" Xiao Zi shook her head, now reduced to merely performing mechanical actions, unsure what else to say. Lin Luo replied, "Because I am not a person of this era.

The world is beginning to reject me." "Huh?!" "Let me be more specific: I came from the future. But such an act greatly violates the rules, so the world is urging me to leave quickly." "Why...

is this happening?" Xiao Zi was shocked again. This was the first time she learned Lin Luo was from the future.

However, what concerned her more was that Lin Luo was leaving. Leaving?

Did that mean returning to the future? Did that mean they would never see each other again?

Lin Luo shook his head. "This is also the first time I've encountered a situation like this.

At first, it was hard to comprehend, but upon reflection, it seems normal... Given my power, destroying this planet would be too simple; causing catastrophic damage to the entire world wouldn't be difficult either.

If this were the era I belong to, fine, but transplanting that into the past creates problems. What if, one day, I genuinely wished to destroy the world by accident?

What would happen to the future that is supposed to exist? The world is rejecting me precisely to prevent such an occurrence." Lin Luo had felt the world's repulsion for half a month.

As his recovery accelerated, the repulsion intensified. No matter how he resisted, it only grew stronger.

Initially, Lin Luo was puzzled. He had spent a long time in the Nasuverse without issue, so why the change now?

But gradually, he began to understand. Firstly, in the Nasuverse, he spent most of his time between the seams of reality, not causing too much harm to that era.

Secondly, he had been too weak then; even if he caused some damage, the world would self-correct, rendering it inconsequential. The current situation was different.

Nearly recovered to the Quasi-Heavenly Rank, his influence was enormous. Even without actively doing anything, his mere daily movements created a massive butterfly effect.

A slight disturbance now could lead to a complete upheaval later, rendering the future unrecognizable. At this point, he understood that the reason his power had severely diminished upon arriving in this era was not solely due to injury and capacity issues; this factor played the largest role.

He believed that even if he had arrived at his full strength, his current power level wouldn't have been much higher. This was easily explained: if traversing to the past didn't affect one's power, wouldn't Heavenly Rank experts be able to move freely between the past and future, arbitrarily altering what is to come?

Wouldn't the world descend into complete chaos?!