Arya was dragged out of the Iron Wall Space by Xue Ji. Along the way, she told Xue Ji the reason why she had become like this.
“You’re saying you went to see Ling Xiaoxiao, and she didn’t want to see you?”
“Yeah, I staked out in front of her place for several days and never even saw her leave. When I knocked on her door, she told me to get lost. Boo-hoo…”
“Wait, when did you start staking out?” Xue Ji suddenly thought of something.
“Two weeks ago.” Arya rubbed her hands together and lowered her head.
Two weeks ago? That means she was downstairs that day when I was with Ling Xiaoxiao!
Xue Ji’s mouth twitched, and she suddenly understood why Ling Xiaoxiao was so annoyed with her.
“Um, Arya, why did you feel the need to stake out in front of her door?”
“Do I even need to ask? Because I like her. No, wait—it’s more like she’s the only one in my heart. I wanted her to see me the moment she opened the door.” As Arya spoke, her gaze grew dreamy, and a faint blush crept onto her face.
After saying that, she suddenly leaned in and sniffed Xue Ji, startling Xue Ji so much that she quickly dodged to the side.
“You smell like Sister Ling!” She moved closer to Xue Ji again and whispered into her ear.
A look of sheer terror that Xue Ji had never shown before appeared on her face. Even Cha Ya had only picked up on the scent within two days. It had already been half a month—how did she manage to do it?!
At that moment, cold sweat beaded heavily on Xue Ji. She was beginning to understand why Ling Xiaoxiao was hiding from Arya.
The weight this girl carried with her was just too terrifying.
In the hallway, Xue Ji found herself trapped against the wall by Arya’s hands. Yep, she was being cornered.
“What do you think you’re… doing!” Xue Ji started to say, but quickly changed her words. Back then, Ling Xiaoxiao had shamelessly taken advantage of that exact phrase, and she couldn’t give anyone that kind of opening again.
Arya had no idea what was going through Xue Ji’s mind, but the scent on her was something she found deeply captivating.
As it turned out, Arya was also a psychic. She could perceive emotions through smells. What she called “sniffing” was actually her way of sensing the emotions attached to someone’s scent.
And unfortunately for Xue Ji, what Arya picked up from her was a trace of that passionate, lingering moment—a surge of intense emotions that left Arya completely entranced.
Which led to her acting like a total obsessive, huffing Xue Ji’s scent like there was no tomorrow.
“That’s enough.” Xue Ji’s expression was complicated, cold sweat trickling down her face.
How was it that everyone connected to Ling Xiaoxiao was so uniquely gifted? And none of them were normal.
Wait a second… does that mean I’m not exactly normal either?
“Pfft, no way. Back off!”
She pushed Arya, who tumbled to the ground. Xue Ji had used a bit too much force in her panic.
“Are… are you okay? I didn’t mean it.”
After all, Arya was the highly respected Pope. It was probably best not to make an enemy of her.
But contrary to Xue Ji’s expectations, Arya wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she looked utterly delighted, grinning at Xue Ji like a fool.
“Are you serious right now?” Xue Ji was both exasperated and amused. Could she just meet one normal person? Why were all the people around her this intense?
“Are you coming or not, you freak!” Xue Ji was running out of patience with this woman.
“Freak… me… a freak?” Arya repeated the word over and over, as if savoring it.
Xue Ji’s brows furrowed tightly, her face showing genuine disgust.
Arya gazed at Xue Ji with an infatuated look, her voice filled with longing. “Miss Xue Ji, could you call me that a few more times?”
This woman was beyond hope…
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Xue Ji used her spiritual energy to restrain Arya and transported her out like a parcel.
“Hee-hee, could you tie it a little tighter?”
“Shut up!”
…
After escorting her out, Xue Ji fled to Ling Xiaoxiao’s former office and immediately sent a furious WeChat message to vent.
Xue: “You mean to tell me you knew she was downstairs that day at the villa and did nothing about it (angry)!”
Ling: “Why would I bother? It’s not like I was going to let her in.”
Xue: “She came all the way for you! How can you treat her like that? And you made me clean up the mess (cat-style psychic wave)!”
Ling: “Guilty.jpg”
“Don’t be mad. I never wanted to deal with her in the first place. She just used her status to tag along, and I had no grounds to kick her out.”
Xue: “And you think I had grounds?”
Ling: “Of course you do. Your relationship with me is already pretty hard to define, right (smug).”
Xue: “Even if you say that, are you really okay with her getting all tangled up with me?”
Back in her villa, Ling Xiaoxiao’s lips curled into a smirk. Was Xue Ji trying to threaten her? Interesting.
Ling: “Woman, you’re playing with fire here (cold and aloof).”
Xue Ji looked around the office. The desk was covered in documents. Apart from a potted plant, everything was strictly work-related. It was hard to imagine what kind of expression Ling Xiaoxiao had on her face when she typed that.
Who taught her this stuff? Stop teaching her nonsense!
Xue: “Alright, enough (awkward laugh).”
But then again… what exactly was her relationship with Ling Xiaoxiao?
Whenever she thought about it, Xue Ji felt troubled. In practice, they were basically lovers. But something about their dynamic felt slightly off—like a thin veil obscuring the truth.
Tucking her phone away, Xue Ji vented her frustration by tugging at the leaves of the potted plant. No matter what kind of plant it was, the leaves just wouldn’t come off.
“So annoying. Even this plant’s against me.”
Frowning, she walked out of the office. The moment she opened the door, Arya was standing right outside. The woman had clearly tried to hide behind the door but got squeezed out when Xue Ji stepped through.
“Let’s go.” Xue Ji had been dealing with a weirdo all day, and after finally becoming a bit more outgoing, she was back to being quiet again.
Chen Shijie had just finished eating and was about to say hello when he noticed Xue Ji walking out with Arya, her expression dark.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Shijie asked.
“I’m really sorry for my behavior these past few days. I’ve been a handful. Thank you all for putting up with me.” Arya apologized earnestly.
Chen Shijie remained composed and shook her hand.
“Your Holiness, no need to worry. Just take some time to rest. Go with Xue Ji to collect the artifacts.”
As Xue Ji passed by, she saw nuns and warriors chatting and laughing with each other.
The nuns who had come to help had developed a bond with the warriors through their earlier clashes. At first, they had just been collaborators, but now Xue Ji could see them happily eating together in the cafeteria. Her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
Collecting the boundary stone fragments was actually the easiest part. Xue Ji looked at the piece in her hand and let out a long sigh.
“Finally… it’s over, isn’t it…”
Arya gave her a meaningful glance and asked, “Will we meet again?”
“I think so. Why?”
The faint shadow of the Priestess appeared behind Xue Ji. Arya could see it clearly with her eyes.
It was because of that shadow that she had stopped questioning Xue Ji’s use of black magic.
Xue Ji knew a holy figure far more powerful than her. Who was Arya to doubt her identity?
Snapping back to the present, Arya smiled under the setting sun. “Nothing. Goodbye, then.”
Xue Ji nodded. “Goodbye.”
“How many people are watching over you now? I can’t even begin to imagine,” Arya murmured, gazing at Xue Ji’s retreating figure.
After this matter concluded, Arya returned home and upgraded the temporary cooperation with China to a long-term partnership. It sparked quite a bit of discussion in the international community.