Chapter 400: Honey Qing of the Sleep Bridge Cave

Chu Yuanqing softly replied,

“This is the result I wanted.”

Since the magical girl with endless potential was born, the stars had been in a prolonged state of decline, unable to consistently revive their will.

If even the weakened and fading stars could not forget her, then it was even more impossible to deceive the higher-ranked and more troublesome Disaster group.

After all, just as the stars remembered this savior with gratitude,

after slaughtering and devouring tens of millions of worlds and civilizations, the Disaster group had fallen before Chu Yuanqing, and because of her, saw hope for evolution, leaving a deep impression on them.

They even recorded her in their deepest records.

These feelings, mixed with hatred, covetousness, fear, survival, and a strong desire for evolution, were, in some ways, the opposite of love.

Therefore,

Chu Yuanqing had to be hidden deeper by the Void in order to have a chance to be forgotten by the stars and the Disaster group.

The shrine maiden lifted her eyes to the crowd on the street. She glanced at a child holding a balloon, smiling happily. On her beautiful and skillful face, eyes cold as winter revealed a hint of longing, with soft, flowing shimmer.

This Nostalgia, residing in the cherry blossom tree, appeared almost identical to Little Sakura, only significantly older. Her waist remained slender, with an even better waist-to-hip ratio; her upper body fuller, the generous curves pushing her clothes outward.

And just like the Demon King in the apocalypse,

the shrine maiden’s first impression was not coyness or beauty, but… majesty.

The girl’s aura was excessively sharp, fierce, and cold. Her presence was unlike ordinary people’s, making one feel as if gazing upon the graves of numerous epics and tales, poised to step into the Netherworld. She resembled a vast celestial body, exuding heavy solemnity.

This was the price of gaining power. To confront the Disaster Wave, she had used her own body as material to forge the Mythical Armament. She had long ceased to be fully human; what appeared as normal flesh and bones were woven mythological concepts, tantamount to a humanoid weapon.

The shrine maiden admired the peaceful scene and softly said,

“The Sea of Truth will not forget you; its gaze still lingers.”

“Even at such a price, you cannot gain more time for humanity.”

Chu Yuanqing gently tilted her head. Her single remaining golden eye looked intently at this familiar figure.

The shrine maiden was very beautiful.

Apart from her temperament and figure, unlike Little Sakura whose eyelashes, hair, and eyes were all cherry-pink, the shrine maiden’s hair and eye color were a darker, crow-blue shade that appeared jet black in the light, with hints of iridescent purple and green gleaming.

Chu Yuanqing smiled softly and quietly said,

“I know.”

The shrine maiden turned to look at the person who had just finished the last bite of an egg pancake, wiping their lips with a smile. Her brows and eyes revealed a trace of helplessness as she softly said,

“You could have done it in another way, couldn’t you?”

Chu Yuanqing calmly nodded and admitted that with her younger self as fuel and the blessing of the Demon King, she could have pulled Little Shu out of the Disaster influence, physically interrupted the sunflower’s conspiracy, and brought this incident to a joyous conclusion.

But…

that method could not truly save Little Shu.

The sunflower had already perfectly fused with Little Shu’s soul; separation was nearly impossible.

Without harnessing the power of [Nothingness], even at her full strength, she was not confident she could extract the complete [Son of Mankind] without harming her daughter.

Chu Yuanqing certainly believed that with Little Shu’s potential, she could gradually erase the sunflower over time, perfectly defeat a [Calamity God], and naturally absorb their power.

But there was no more time.

Not to mention, all of this depended on no outside interference.

Chu Yuanqing looked toward the bustling square ahead. She slightly turned her head, and in her remaining field of vision, the sunlight was still clear and bright, casting a golden glow over the land:

“The Disaster group will likely remain calm for now.”

“The leaders of the thirteen sects, the [Calamity God’s] secret trump cards left in the outside world—the apostles and Supreme Disaster Beasts—have all been wiped out at once.”

“But this peace was only temporary. As the power of [Pure White] continued to weaken, more apostles and Supreme Disaster Beasts would hatch, and their strength would far surpass those that appeared in Sea City.”

“These new generation children were excellent and full of potential, but sadly, there was no time left for them to grow. The next attack would inevitably cause many casualties, with losses thousands or even millions of times greater than this time.”

“By that time…”

Even if they could protect Little Shu, she and the other magical girls could not protect many innocent people.

Moreover, sooner or later, she would return to that state of losing herself, concentrating solely on fighting the Void. Perhaps she could barely manage to fight once or twice more, but beyond that would lead to the outcome she had seen in her dreams, or even worse.

Chu Yuanqing said no more.

The shrine maiden cupped the falling cherry blossoms gently, eyes lowered, and remained silent.

The *Eternal Intertwined Fate* might continue to borrow Liuli’s power, repeatedly summoning the Awakened One from the future before the overwhelming crisis arrived, helping everyone to reverse the situation.

But reality was not a game; even the Awakened One was not invincible, and every time their strength was used, there was less left.

This time, it had relied on the efforts of Kirimi Miyuki, Xie Qingxuan, Tang Liuli, Charlotte, and many other magical girls.

What about next time?

Xie Qingxuan’s *Virtuous King* technique had almost collapsed; no one knew when it would recover, and she could never replicate herself, Chu Yuanqing, Kirimi Miyuki, or Tang Liuli again.

Even if the Awakened One came again, she could not use the same method to prepare Chu Yuanqing with chips for a comeback.

Therefore, removing the hidden danger of the Son of Mankind and cutting off the Disaster group’s direct means of interfering with Little Shu was indeed a necessary decision.

If one disregarded the cruelty to Chu Yuanqing herself, this choice had almost no drawbacks.

Little Shu could perfectly inherit the authority of the Son of Mankind, thereby gaining the Disaster group’s power and intelligence, growing rapidly, making it extraordinarily difficult for the Disaster group to confront her.

Secondly, if the Disaster group truly forgot the Savior due to causality, they might also forget Chu Wang Shu, who was the daughter of the other side. Once the other side was no longer seen as the “key to the Sovereign Lord,” it would naturally be much safer.

Finally, Chu Yuanqing hiding in the shadows was far more terrifying than Chu Yuanqing openly waiting for the Disaster group’s schemes.

This was undoubtedly a perfect plan.

But…

Was it worth it?

The shrine maiden swallowed those meaningless words and softly said,

“On the final path of life, if no one accompanies you, won’t you feel lonely?”

The Void was a majestic concept enveloping the infinite cosmos. Even a Disaster group born from the *Entropy of Disorder*, like the *Shadow of the Masses*, was but a mayfly to heaven and earth in comparison. To tamper with such power naturally came at a price.

In fact, if not for the blessing of the Demon King, the spark of the young savior, and the cherry tree given by the shrine maiden, she would not have been able to recreate this miracle before fully recovering.

Now, Chu Yuanqing’s soul root could enter a special dimension that revealed the side of the Void. The shadow linking countless universes, worlds, and dimensions stood like a Giant God behind her, casting a faint, almost imperceptible gaze.

If the Void in the past came passively because of the Sea of Truth’s gaze, and would leave as soon as the Sea of Truth stopped watching,

then now, even if the Sea of Truth no longer watches her, the Void would still embrace her until the end of her life.

Because of this, she was constantly surrounded by the tendrils of Nothingness.

For example, if Xu Ling suddenly remembered Chu Yuanqing’s existence, name, or past, it would directly touch the medium and trigger the gaze of Nothingness. In the worst case, Chu Yuanqing could be dragged into the Void along with it and completely disappear.

Of course, this probability was very small, as rare as winning the lottery.

But as more and more were swallowed by the Void, the probability would accordingly rise. Given Chu Yuanqing’s personality, she naturally would never gamble with the lives of those close to her.

The Pure White Witch showed a radiant smile and replied:

“No, everyone hasn’t left. They have always been here. The only one who left was me.”

“Besides, this is the best solution.”

“Forgetting is cruel, but also gentle. At least this way, after the best outcome arrives, no one will be sad or troubled. Everyone can find happiness.”

The shrine maiden remained silent. She understood the other party. From Chu Yuanqing’s perspective, she was going to die anyway. Since that was the case, being forgotten while increasing the odds of victory was an all-around happy matter.

The shrine maiden sighed helplessly and said:

“I don’t expect you to change your mind.”

“But at least, be kinder to yourself. No matter what, don’t sleep under the bridge again today!”

Yes, if anything, what troubled the shrine maiden most now was not Honey Qing’s overly saintly ideology, but this rigid moral view combined with the lack of ID and money, which induced problems of food, clothing, and shelter.

The girl looked a little confused and said earnestly:

“The place under the bridge is clean and safe. It’s much better than the barren ruins, which could collapse anytime and are full of nuclear pollution, disaster aura, and disaster beasts.”

“Besides, the magical girl still has a little power left. She won’t feel cold at all. It’s fine.”

Chu Yuanqing thought it wasn’t so bad. Unlike when she first arrived here, there was no young daughter who needed care around her now, and materially she wanted nothing. The egg pancake she just ate could last her a week.

The shrine maiden could not bear to see Honey Qing sleep under the bridge. She pondered hard, changed her angle of persuasion, and gently coaxed:

“We can go to a hotel room where no one is sleeping. It’s still better than the bridge or park benches, right? If you sleep outside and someone sees you, they might call the police, and that would be a waste of public resources.”

Chu Yuanqing hesitated for a moment, then was persuaded.

Although she could use magic to conceal her form, after being forgotten by the world, the “anti-theft” mechanism of the stars’ warning system against the Disaster group’s looting had already been triggered, and she no longer could restore her magic on her own.

The prosthetic limbs and artificial eye she wore now were all to save magic essence; they were fixed in place and loaded with many advanced magical techniques all at once.

Besides that, her magic essence was gradually being depleted.

Pure White, the power of the savior, was also in a state of gradual transfer to Little Shu.

Therefore, insisting on sleeping under the bridge and using concealment magic was undoubtedly a wasteful behavior. It would be better to settle somewhere more concealed and shadowy, like a small alley or another place where no one came.

Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, and said:

“Right, I should have a place to stay.”

The shrine maiden breathed a sigh of relief, then spoke cautiously:

“Anyway, living outside is not an option. No matter what, you must have a bed and a place to bathe, right?”

“Also, you don’t have a phone now. If you want to keep track of them, you have to sit in a mall looking at ads or watch replays on street TVs. It’s terribly inefficient. You really must get a device.”

The normally reserved and solemn shrine maiden was forced by the Pure White Witch into being a chatty ghost, muttering incessantly beside her.

Chu Yuanqing listened patiently and recorded these words in a small notebook with a pen.

By the way, the notebook and pen in her hand were gifts from a child when she played guitar, so they were covered with childish cartoon patterns, quite cute.

After finishing writing, she stood up and left the crowded place, took the subway and bus, and returned to a place both familiar and strange.

This was Chu Yuanqing’s home.

To be precise, this was an “imaginary setting” that appeared out of nowhere after Chu Yuanqing transformed into a magical girl and rewrote a line of fate—a rented apartment she never actually lived in but theoretically had lived in for many years.

Chu Yuanqing vaguely remembered that this rent was paid by the government, like subsidized housing from a welfare institute. Since the one-year rental term was not over yet, no one should be living there.

Before coming, she had wondered whether this rented apartment would be swallowed by the Void and simply cease to exist.

Fortunately, the apartment was still there, and nearby were heaps of unopened gifts.

The shrine maiden glanced over and said:

“These should be gifts from your fans, right? The hallway’s almost full. It’s strange that no one has cleaned them for so long.”

Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and guessed:

“Maybe because this area is in the outer ring’s suburbs. No one rents or manages here?”

As she spoke, she picked up the greeting card on the gift box by the door and observed it for a while. There should have been a signature and writing, but now it was completely blank.

It seemed the Void only erased information about her, without wiping out these gifts.

By this rule, this originally sparse rented apartment should have seen little change, remaining largely the same as before.

The shrine maiden asked:

“Do you have a hidden key? Maybe in the flower bed or under the carpet?”

Chu Yuanqing shook her head regretfully. She reluctantly sent out a wisp of silver magic into the lock, tracing its shape, then instantly forged it into a key, opened the lock, and pushed the door open.

Inside, the furnishings were just as expected. About 30 square meters, overall clean, though some dusty spots needed tidying. The bedsheets and clothes in the wardrobe also needed washing and drying.

Chu Yuanqing cleaned a little, then, under the shrine maiden’s strong urging, moved the gifts once given by her fans into the apartment. She was persuaded by the reason, “If you don’t open them, sooner or later they’ll be thrown away, which is an even greater waste,” and got ready to open them.

The shrine maiden happily sat beside Honey Qing. Looking at the pile of gifts stacked almost to the ceiling, she showed no grave majesty entangled by mythological concepts, only a joyful expression. Curiously, she urged:

“Hurry up and open them. Maybe there’s a phone inside.”