Ning Li still remembered that after she first obtained Resurrection, the first creature she brought back was a sparrow.
The sparrow’s corpse was already starting to rot, and its claws were nearly unrecognizable.
Yet when it was revived, the bird took flight, and those same claws were perfectly restored.
So far, she had only revived the sparrow and Yin Que.
When she encountered the sparrow and Yin Que, their corpses had been mostly intact.
But in truth, she believed her skill’s limits were far beyond that.
Perhaps, even a single finger bone or a tuft of hair could be enough to bring the dead back to life.
After awakening from the Dream of the Samsara Sphere, Ning Li vaguely sensed a change in her mindset.
When she was Furnace Mist, she had no spiritual body, just an ordinary person at the mercy of others.
Now, switching back to the identity of Ning Li, her philosophy of “living low-key” had subtly shifted.
Since she possessed a unique and unparalleled power, maybe she could wield it to its fullest.
After experiencing what it was like to be defenseless, power became all the more precious.
Perhaps, she was just like Xiao Hei by nature—wild and uninhibited, adventurous and daring—only in daily life she cloaked herself in caution.
Why not be a little bolder?
After being refused by Yin Que, Ning Li had only said, “You can change your mind at any time.”
Ting Rui returned from a lap outside, his expression grave.
“Commander, the snowstorm has stopped, and the people hunting me have entered. I heard Shura Prison has sent in a lot more people. With just the three of us, I’m afraid it’ll be tough to get Yu Jiu out.”
If Yin Que were at his peak, he could come and go from Shura Prison at will, regardless of how many extra men they sent.
But now, only a few months after his Resurrection, his spiritual sea had reverted to its initial state.
No sooner had Ting Rui finished than the first wave of pursuers arrived.
Noticing Ting Rui now had two helpers, one of the three sentinels sneered and threatened, “These are people the Commander wants. I advise you to be sensible and stand aside.”
What answered him was a sudden, wild gust of wind that rose from nowhere.
The wind swept towards them like an overwhelming tide.
Ning Li instinctively grabbed Yin Que’s arm.
“You’re not allowed to forcibly call on the Master of Storms’ power.”
Yin Que’s smiling voice carried through the wind to her ears, “I won’t. There’s no need.”
At first, the three pursuers didn’t take the wind seriously.
The wind was fierce, yes, but that was all.
“That’s it?”
“Ting Rui’s new friends aren’t so impressive after all.”
The three casually began to cast their skills, but the wind came faster than they expected.
“Block the wind! Quick!”
“No, it’s not the wind! What’s that thing?!”
“Wait? Is that a flower petal?!”
In the instant the gale swept over them, the three were killed by inconspicuous petals riding the wind.
Even in death, they never managed to truly see what those petals looked like.
The problem was solved in three seconds.
Ting Rui:
???
“Commander! You’ve gotten even stronger!”
The combination of Cosmic Rose and the Master of Storms took Yin Que’s abilities to a new height.
This was the first time Yin Que had combined the power of two spiritual bodies.
The wind confused the enemies, making them overlook the fatal crisis hidden within.
A first attempt, yet textbook-perfect—crisp, decisive, utterly clean.
Ning Li’s eyes sparkled.
Such terrifyingly powerful strength—she wanted it too!
[So cool!]
[He’s so cool!]
[Master, I want to be this cool too!]
While the second wave of pursuers had yet to arrive, Ning Li once again took out the Reincarnation Orb.
Yin Que’s instant kill had triggered Ning Li’s desperate yearning for power.
The moment the Reincarnation Orb touched her hand, it began to glow faintly.
In the rush, Yin Que could only hurriedly grab her arm again.
The next second, the two vanished from where they stood.
Ting Rui, Xiao Hei:
???
[Welcome to once again unlock the God-given Artifact—Reincarnation Orb.]
[This time, what do you desire?]
[Wealth, fame, power, status, eternal love… here, you can obtain whatever you wish for.]
“Power.”
Ning Li heard her own clear answer, “I want great power.”
Just as her consciousness was about to sink into darkness, she quickly added, “This time, I want to go with Furnace Fu.”
The next moment, her voice was swallowed by endless blackness…
Ning Li sat cross-legged on damp earth, unceremoniously tucking her legs beneath her.
In front of her was a blazing fire, upon which fragrant mushrooms were roasting.
The sky was dark; it was already late.
She began to observe her unfamiliar teammates.
According to the memories she inherited, from left to right sat Furnace Fu, Furnace Mist, Silent Maple, and herself—Bamboo Cake.
Silent Maple was Bamboo Cake’s childhood friend—a mid-level sentinel with a dolphin as his spiritual body.
Bamboo Cake was secretly in love with Furnace Fu, a top-tier sentinel with the Master of Storms as his spiritual body.
Furnace Mist was Furnace Fu’s biological younger sister.
The two depended on each other and were searching for the God-given Artifact.
Ning Li:
This web of relationships was a mess, to say the least.
Though the relationships were tangled, there was good news—she was a mid-level guide, with Princess Sea Anemone as her spiritual body.
Whenever Furnace Fu spoke, Ning Li would feel a faint stirring inside—she chalked it up to lingering emotions from the original Bamboo Cake.
The object of Bamboo Cake’s crush, Furnace Fu, had a strikingly handsome face.
He exuded an unruly, wild beauty, and when he smiled, it was carefree and direct.
His sister appeared much more reserved, as if burdened by many worries, only occasionally glancing at Furnace Fu.
They barely communicated; most of the time Furnace Fu talked, and Furnace Mist listened.
Bamboo Cake had been infatuated with Furnace Fu for a long time.
They had met years ago, but Furnace Fu had forgotten; this was their second encounter, so they temporarily formed a party due to having the same destination.
Bamboo Cake had told Furnace Fu her name several times, but every time, he forgot it as soon as he heard it.
Compared to crushing on a top-tier sentinel who couldn’t even remember her name, Ning Li much preferred the idea of becoming a top-tier guide herself.
She gazed at Furnace Fu with calm eyes, aware these feelings were her own.
“Brother, are the mushrooms ready to eat yet?”
Furnace Mist suddenly spoke, interrupting Furnace Fu’s animated story.
He’d been recounting amusing things they’d seen along the way.
To him, this world was fascinating.
The only uninteresting part was probably that his sister was such a weakling, unable to protect herself.
Furnace Fu stood up to check more closely.
“Wait a bit longer. Almost ready.”
After saying that, Furnace Mist fell silent again.
It was a casual party.
Ning Li, with Bamboo Cake’s memories, knew this clearly.
Rather than trying to win over Furnace Fu, who might leave at any moment, it was better to maintain a good relationship with her childhood friend.
She turned to look at Silent Maple, who was quietly grilling mushrooms.
In the flickering firelight, his side profile appeared serene and refined, with sharp jawline, high nose bridge, and long eyelashes.
Nearly half a meter separated them.
Bamboo Cake and Silent Maple seemed a bit distant.
The reason was simple—Bamboo Cake admired the strong.
As a mere mid-level sentinel, Silent Maple obviously didn’t make the cut.
Ning Li picked up a skewer of perfectly grilled mushrooms and moved closer to Silent Maple, chirping, “Silent Maple-ge, this one’s for you.”
The moment she called him ‘ge,’ the atmosphere froze.
Even Furnace Mist stared at her in surprise.
Before, Bamboo Cake had always treated Silent Maple with indifference—never once had she called him ‘ge.’
Everyone has a desire to admire strength.
Ning Li could understand some of Bamboo Cake’s girlish thoughts.
But being obsessed with the strong while pushing away those you could truly rely on—that was just narrowing your own path.
Ning Li would never make such a rookie mistake.
The moment she saw Furnace Mist, a sour emotion rose in Ning Li’s heart.
She guessed this was called envy—a lingering feeling from Bamboo Cake.
But what was the point of envying Furnace Mist?
She was just an ordinary person who couldn’t awaken a spiritual body.
Perhaps Furnace Mist, too, envied Bamboo Cake for having a healthy body.
Furnace Mist had a brother.
Bamboo Cake could have one, too.
Silent Maple was slightly stunned, not reaching for the food right away.
Ning Li sighed, “Silent Maple-ge, the mushrooms are edible.”
She demonstrated by taking a bite and chewing it.
In the inherited memories, Bamboo Cake had once played cruel jokes on Silent Maple—spiking his food with laxatives and laughing with others as he clutched his stomach in misery.
Despicable.
Pitiful, too.
“Silent Maple-ge, I’m sorry for what I did before. Will you give me another chance?”
Ning Li apologized sincerely.
In memory, Silent Maple always carried a cloud of depression.
Bamboo Cake admired the strong, but hadn’t he also longed for strength?
Bamboo Cake envied Furnace Mist, and Silent Maple envied Furnace Fu.
Yet strength is not something one can simply wish into being.
Ning Li patiently waited for Silent Maple’s cold sarcasm, expecting him to say she was fawning over the strong and asking why she was suddenly trying to please him now.
She’d already prepared herself—if once wasn’t enough, she’d apologize twice, and if not twice, then three times.
In this perilous world, Silent Maple, who had grown up with her, was her best possible companion.
They knew each other well, with deep childhood ties.
Silent Maple was a reserved person, but not a bad one; most importantly, their relationship was stable.
He wasn’t like Furnace Fu, who could leave at any time.
It was essential to repair things with Silent Maple.
Ning Li braced for ridicule—but it never came. Silent Maple simply accepted the skewer and softly said, “Thank you.”
She stared at him in surprise.
The constant gloom between his brows had vanished like passing clouds.
His gaze was clear, with a subtle sparkle in his eyes.
Gentle, calm, composed—he didn’t seem at all ashamed of being a mid-level sentinel.
“Silent Maple-ge, I really am sorry about before.”
Ning Li apologized again.
Silent Maple accepted her apology.
“Do you hate me?”
Ning Li studied his expression carefully.
Silent Maple looked surprised at first, then chuckled.
“No.”
Staring into the fire, his tone was tranquil.
“Everyone makes mistakes. Yours weren’t unforgivable.”
Good.
Ning Li was curious.
“Then, has Silent Maple-ge ever made mistakes?”
This time, Silent Maple hesitated for a long while.
“Me? I suppose I have.”
Then he laughed.
“Some things… I really didn’t do well.”
Ning Li closed her eyes and praised, “Really? I remember Silent Maple-ge always did things well. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
After dropping the “Silent Maple” part, both of them paused.
That form of address felt familiar.
As if, somewhere in the past, she had called someone that, many, many times.
From a short distance, Furnace Mist kept a suspicious eye on Ning Li, unable to guess what she was up to.
Furnace Fu, on the other hand, was still brashly unaware of the odd atmosphere between Ning Li and Silent Maple.
Maybe, in his eyes, there was never room for anyone but his sister Furnace Mist.
There were many mushrooms nearby.
The smell of grilled mushrooms drifted far.
Not long into their meal, a rustling rose around them—like feet trampling mud and dead leaves.
Just as Ning Li set down her skewer, she saw several small heads pop out from behind the trees.
Children foraging for mushrooms.
Each looked gaunt and hungry, their eyes unnaturally large.
At the sight of them, Furnace Fu immediately lost patience and snapped, “Get lost.”
Furnace Mist, unconcerned, continued to eat her supper.
The children shrank back, shoulders hunched, unwilling to leave but afraid to stay.
During the tense standoff, Silent Maple’s voice rang out, calm but weighty.
“Furnace Fu, don’t be so harsh with them.”
Then he beckoned the children over.
“Come here.”
Unable to resist the tempting aroma, the children inched closer, timid and wary.
Furnace Fu snorted, feeling slighted, and his temper flared.
“Silent Maple, what are you trying to prove? Just a mid-level sentinel—how long do you think you’ll survive, worrying about others?”
With that, he summoned the Master of Storms, and an icy wind swept mercilessly toward Silent Maple and the children.
Just before the wind could hit, a small dolphin flicked its tail in midair.
The salty, wet droplets scattered the wind’s rhythm, slow but unwaveringly breaking up the attack bit by bit.
A top-level sentinel.
A mid-level sentinel.
Their not-quite-a-fight ended in a draw.
Furnace Fu hadn’t used his full strength, not even a third.
He just wanted to show his displeasure, to give a small lesson—not to actually harm them.
Still, Silent Maple’s performance was surprising.
In Furnace Fu’s memory, Silent Maple was a coward, too timid to even fight back.
But now, he seemed different.
Watching from the sidelines, Ning Li cautiously covered her mouth, afraid she might whistle at the wrong moment.
Who could tell her why her childhood friend, her bamboo-horse, Silent Maple, had suddenly become so manly!
Despite the gap of two entire ranks between him and Furnace Fu, his counterattack didn’t feel overreaching at all.
His strength didn’t seem to come from raw power, but rather, from having a strong heart.