After the fourth simulation ended,
The witch, Krisha, fell into a brief state of preparation for battle.
She claimed that war was imminent.
To protect Xu Xi, she had to work hard and remain vigilant against the unknown enemy.
Now, Krisha informed Xu Xi that the war had already ended.
"Master, I have won."
Her calm and delicate face seemed to flash with a hint of a smile, but it disappeared too quickly, making one doubt if it was just an illusion.
In stark contrast,
When Xu Xi returned to the courtyard,
He saw the mechanical maid, Ailei, at the entrance.
Her expression was emotionless, and though her words still carried respect for Xu Xi, there was an inexplicable coldness in her tone, her voice faint:
"Master, are you ready to sleep?"
"Ailei can't sleep."
Crack—
Crack—
In the courtyard, the thick snow caused a few tree branches to snap, producing crisp breaking sounds.
The long night stretched on, the flickering lights casting a dim glow, as Ailei's silver-blue mechanical eyes shone brightly in the darkness, dazzling and eye-catching.
The emotionally detached witch, Krisha, wore a faint smile.
The emotionally rich mechanical maid, Ailei, remained expressionless.
It was as if their roles had reversed.
Sparkling with an incredible tension.
The darker the night, the more illusory the snow.
At the courtyard entrance, where dead branches swayed and fell, Xu Xi looked up at the moonlight, instinctively tightening his clothes, feeling the cold bite even more.
It was subtle.
Even though he had already ascended to godhood in the real world, he felt a bone-chilling cold that he had never experienced in any of the simulations.
Since Earth's ascension, the changes in celestial phenomena had become increasingly frequent.
"Ailei."
"Yes, I'm here."
"Could you prepare a cup of hot coffee for me? I plan to stay up a bit later tonight."
Since Ailei couldn't sleep, Xu Xi decided to stay awake as well.
At the same time,
His gaze turned to Krisha.
"Krisha, could you prepare some late-night snacks for me? Perhaps I've been out for too long, but I feel a little hungry now."
"...Yes, Master."
"...Yes, Master."
Ailei and Krisha stopped their silent confrontation.
Ailei was loyal, and Krisha was obedient.
At Xu Xi's command, they both chose to carry out his orders immediately, and in the restored warmth of the atmosphere, they brought him hot coffee and late-night snacks.
"Tonight's bedtime will likely be much later than usual."
In the study,
Xu Xi looked at the coffee and food placed on the desk.
He fell into deep thought.
Only then did he belatedly realize something—could the danger and enemies that Krisha and Ailei had spoken of have been each other?
"Fortunately, the misunderstanding has been resolved."
"In the future, the two of them can gradually build a relationship, with me mediating between them."
Xu Xi sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility.
He picked up the coffee but suddenly remembered something.
With practiced ease, he activated the laws of space and time.
In the same fleeting moment, he took the first sip of the coffee prepared by Ailei and the first bite of the food prepared by Krisha.
Hmm, perfect.
No mistakes whatsoever.
Sensing the rising warmth in the study and savoring the food prepared by the two girls, Xu Xi smiled with satisfaction.
The long night stretched on, and he decided to continue his research into the supernatural.
He needed to prepare for his future ascension in both cultivation and martial arts.
As Xu Xi had predicted,
This night,
He stayed up until three in the morning before finally retiring to his room to rest.
When he opened his eyes again, Ailei and Krisha had already returned to their usual selves, with no signs of conflict or coldness, just as before.
"Master, I have cleared away some trash for you."
During breakfast,
The precise and elegant Ailei, with an apologetic expression, informed Xu Xi that after he had fallen asleep, she had eliminated some hidden predatory civilizations on Earth.
Why did she do this?
Ailei's answer was simple.
"They disturbed your residence, these evil and filthy insects, lurking and preparing to commit slaughter. I could not allow them to continue existing."
"Please rest assured, I did not harm any orderly civilizations."
Loyalty!
Justice!
Xu Xi nodded with approval, praising Ailei's actions: "Ailei, you did well."
"Thank you for your praise, Master. It is my duty."
Ailei's movements remained graceful and composed.
Only her ears twitched rapidly.
Good, everything was going smoothly. Not only had she vented her frustrations, but she had also earned her master's praise.
The score was even.
The real competition had just begun.
Ailei, charge!!
...
"Master, this is the new tea I prepared for you."
"Master, this is the new tonic soup I prepared for you."
"Master, I will take care of everything in the courtyard for you."
"Master, the intelligent housekeeping maid, Ailei, is at your service 24/7."
"Master..."
"Master..."
Time passed incredibly quickly.
The old trees in the courtyard added another ring to their trunks, witnessing the sprouting of new leaves and the falling of withered ones.
The quiet streets.
The bustling households.
As the last remnants of the sunset disappeared on the horizon,
The New Year officially arrived.
Perhaps because the days were so fulfilling, living each day amidst the greetings of Krisha and Ailei, when this day finally came, Xu Xi felt a sense of disorientation.
It felt as though time had flown by too quickly, so quickly that he hadn't even noticed.
"Happy New Year, Master."
Visiting the Heavenly Sword Sect in the capital, Xu Xi presented Li Wanshou with Dragon Blood Spirit Tea. This batch of tea had been accelerated using the laws of time, giving it the essence of a century of aging.
Aside from the slight cost in dragon blood,
There were no other flaws.
"Hmm, not bad. You still remember to show respect to your master."
The old man stroked his white beard, his expression serious and pleased, but in the next moment, his demeanor shifted to one of exasperation.
He asked Xu Xi when he planned to ascend to immortality.
"Soon, soon, next time for sure."
Xu Xi replied with a smile.
Seeing this, the old man huffed and puffed, and when he finally tired of scolding, he downed the spirit tea Xu Xi had brought in one gulp.
"Hmph, you rascal!"
Li Wanshou snorted and tossed Xu Xi a small wooden box.
When opened,
It revealed a magnificent pill engraved with Daoist patterns.
"This is a pill I specially—uh, accidentally refined. It will be of some benefit to you. Remember to take it when you return."
"Remember, don't come see me until you've ascended to immortality!"
With that,
The old man waved his sleeve, sending Xu Xi out of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Xu Xi chuckled and responded from outside the sect gates: "As you command, Master."
Afterward, Xu Xi visited the Supernatural United Bureau to meet with Rex Santos.
More accurately, it was a post-event consolation.
The cultivation and nurturing of Dragon Blood Spirit Tea were inseparable from Rex Santos's selfless contributions. Thus, Xu Xi brought the red dragon a New Year's gift.
A large box of fiery red gemstones infused with fragments of the law of fire.
For Rex Santos,
These gemstones were not only valuable as collectibles but also helped it comprehend the law of fire, bringing it one step closer to the semi-divine realm.
"Loyalty!"
The loyal red dragon, Rex Santos, solemnly thumped its chest with a serious expression.
It declared that donating dragon blood was a sacred and noble act.
It would not hesitate to do so!
"Good, good, little Rex. I have high hopes for you. You have a bright future ahead."
Xu Xi nodded with satisfaction. As the old saying goes, a wise dragon knows when to yield. He thought Rex Santos fit the bill quite well.