Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
94. Side Effects of a Breakthrough: Heightened Emotions

As they approached Phoenix City, a passing young woman—sixteen or seventeen at most—glanced their way.

“Senior Sisters!” she shouted excitedly.

Her voice carried through the crowd like a spark in dry grass. In an instant, every woman in the vicinity turned, eyes lighting up with curiosity.

Before Jin Shu could process what was happening, Biyu and Tian Li were completely surrounded.

The crowd varied in age—some older, many younger—but they all wore the same expression: pure, unfiltered excitement, their faces flushed as if they’d just seen the world’s hottest celebrities.

“We don’t actually have celebrities here… I’d like to see some, though.” He muttered absently.

You don’t. They’re overrated, his older self chimed in.

“Hmm… if you say so.”

“Who are you muttering to?” Li Xue’s face suddenly popped up from below him.

He blinked.

“…Why were you on the ground?” he asked, looking down to see her half-crouched at his feet.

“Your dress was rolled up,” she said, pointing to his legs, where his dress' skirt had bunched up awkwardly.

“Oh.” He quickly tugged them down, blushing lightly when he realized just how close he’d been to an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” She grinned, standing up fully.

He coughed to cover his embarrassment. “Let’s see what’s going on up there.”

They made their way through the crowd, and as they got closer, he caught bits and pieces of the excited chatter.

“…So beautiful!”

“Is this a new design?”

“Where have you been? We’ve all missed you so much!”

“Senior Sister Fan Biyu! Please marry me!”

Jin Shu nearly tripped.

The confession had come from a tiny girl—no older than nine—her face serious and full of conviction.

…And yet, no one batted an eye.

Apparently, this kind of thing was completely normal around here.

At some point, Jin Shu realized he had lost track of Yin’er.

Scanning the area, he soon spotted a group of young children gathered around a tiny, tiger-eared, winged girl—Yin’er.

“Wow! She has a tail!”

“Oh! Look at her pretty wings!”

“She’s so adorable!”

The children gushed over her, their eyes wide with awe. A few brave ones reached out, hesitant but eager, to touch her fur.

For a brief moment, Jin Shu tensed. Would she get annoyed? Would someone lose a finger?

But to his surprise, Yin’er puffed out her tiny chest, spreading her wings proudly. She even allowed one girl to rub her tail—and to his further shock, she purred in satisfaction.

Jin Shu blinked. Huh?

Then again, it was Yin’er. Attention-seeking little thing. This was the most admiration she’d ever received, and she was thriving in it.

“Yin’er is a princess,” she declared, her voice full of regal authority.

“Ohh!”

“Woooow!”

“Such a cute princess!”

“Is that why you have a tiara?”

The little girls showered her with praise, their admiration unrelenting.

One particularly bold child—who looked about Yin’er’s age—stepped forward. “Can Zizi hug you?” she asked, holding out her arms expectantly.

Yin’er scrunched up her face in deep thought, then gave a decisive nod.

“Mhm!”

Zizi immediately wrapped her arms around Yin’er, squeezing her tightly.

Jin Shu couldn't help but smile. The sight of the two little girls hugging was downright adorable.

Then, a thought struck him.

“Oh! That phone thing!”

He reached into his earring storage and pulled out the nano-enhanced cellphone he had neglected for the past three years.

Drawing from his other self’s memories, he opened the camera app and snapped a picture.

This was definitely a moment worth keeping.

Crack!

A loud noise split the air, followed by a sudden explosion of Qi.

The sweet moment shattered.

Jin Shu whipped around just in time to see bodies sprawling across the ground. Nearly all the women who had been surrounding Tian Li lay collapsed, save for a handful with the highest cultivation, who wobbled but remained standing.

At the center of it all stood Tian Li.

Her Qi radiated in violent waves, distorting the air around her. Her face was set in a stormy scowl, her gaze locked onto the two hugging children.

Jin Shu immediately understood.

She’s mad at the little girl… Zizi?

More specifically, she was furious that Zizi had received a hug from Yin’er—something Tian Li herself had rarely, if ever managed to get.

He knew how much she cared about Yin’er, had long noticed her soft spot for the little girl. But this? This was an overreaction. Her Qi was surging wildly, leaking out in a way that wasn’t normal.

Something was wrong.

The women around Tian Li, however, lacked his insight. They only saw their revered Senior Sister seething with untamed power.

“What’s happening?”

“Who angered Senior Sister Li?!”

“Show me the bitch and I’ll rip her apart!”

“She’s even more beautiful when she’s angry.”

Jin Shu ignored the excited and confused chatter, shouldering past the few blocking his way as he pushed toward Tian Li. Each step grew more difficult—her Qi pressed against him like the relentless force of a raging river.

“Tian Li! Calm down!” he called out, but she didn’t respond.

“Who’s that?”

“Wow! She’s almost as pretty as Senior Sister Tian Li!”

“Her voice is sooo~ sexy!”

The gathered women whispered and gushed over him, but their words barely registered. His focus was singular: stopping Tian Li before she lost control completely.

As he forced himself forward, realization struck—she had advanced to the Spirit Realm.

Likely sometime during his three-year absence.

Now, battling against her Qi felt like pushing through solid stone. Ten steps away from her, he hit a wall of pure force. His body refused to move any further.

“Tian Li!” he called again, louder. No reaction.

What should I do?

A voice within him—his main soul—offered an answer.

Use a ripple.

I’m too close.

Open two connected portals.

Can I even do that? Would it work?

Just try!

With no other choice, Jin Shu closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate, despite the violent waves of Qi threatening to crush him.

He had never attempted anything like this before—had no idea where to even begin. But there was no time to hesitate.

Instinct took over.

He split the task between his three souls—his main psyche opened one portal, his older self opened another and connected them, and he controlled the entry.

It worked. Surprisingly well.

His eyes snapped open just long enough to confirm the portal’s position before he stepped through.

A flash of blue.

Then—Tian Li.

Her face was inches from his.

And then—pain.

Excruciating pain.

Worse than when Nano had revived him from the brink of death. Worse than anything he had ever experienced.

He was too close. The full force of her rampaging Qi battered his body from all sides, crushing his bones, suffocating his organs, threatening to tear him apart.

No time. I need to act. Now!

He looked into her eyes—unfocused, distant. She didn’t even seem to see him.

“Tian Li! Wake up!” he gritted out, forcing the words past clenched teeth.

No reaction.

Damn it!

A crazy idea flickered through his mind.

Maybe a kiss—

Smack!

He slapped himself for even thinking something so stupid.

“Five seconds before your body breaks,” Nano’s voice rang in his ears.

Five seconds.

Shit!

His body moved on instinct.

Smack!

A sharp, resounding slap landed across Tian Li’s cheek.

Gasp!

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

“Did that woman just slap Senior Sister Li?!”

“…She did it to help Senior Sister… right?”

“Aah~ I wish she’d slap me like that~”

“Someone come get this girl, she keeps saying horny things.”

“She’s just saying what we’re all thinking.”

“…”

Tian Li’s Qi cut off abruptly. Her body swayed forward, weak and unsteady, before collapsing into Jin Shu’s arms.

“Tian Li! Are you okay? What happened?”

She blinked up at him, dazed.

“Uu… Jin Shu…? What’s going on? My cheek hurts.”

“That’s what I wanna know! You lost control out of nowhere—I could barely wake you up.”

Her brows furrowed. “I… did?”

“It’s a side effect of her breakthrough,” a quiet voice spoke from behind him.

At some point, Biyu had approached.

Jin Shu turned to her. “Biyu, what do you mean?”

Tian Li let out a small sigh, as if finally recalling something. “Oh… she’s right. I thought I wouldn’t experience any since I built up my foundation for so long.”

Jin Shu frowned. He could make neither heads nor tails of what they were talking about.

Biyu seemed to notice his confusion.

“I’ll explain in a moment. First, let’s get some space.”

She turned toward the crowd.

“Sisters, Senior Sister Li is suffering from Spirit Realm breakthrough instability. Could you all give us some room? Thank you.”

“Oh! So that’s what it was—no wonder.”

“Of course! Everyone, let’s go.”

“If you need anything, come visit us at the medical hall!”

Just as the crowd began to disperse, a familiar voice piped up.

“Pretty sister, could you slap me too?”

Jin Shu twitched.

The same girl who had been making bizarre comments earlier stood there, hopeful and utterly shameless.

Before she could continue, two blushing girls rushed forward, seizing her by the arms.

“Ah! Wait! Pretty sister! At least tell me your name! Preferably while stepping on—”

Her words were muffled as the two forcibly covered her mouth and dragged her away in a hurry.

Biyu sighed. “Ugh… Elder Wu never changes.”

Jin Shu blinked. “That girl is an elder?!”

He gestured at the struggling girl who looked no older than eighteen.

Biyu let out a tired sigh. “Haa… yes. She cultivates a technique that prevents her body from aging. But in truth, she’s older than Master—by at least twice.”

Jin Shu did the mental math. His mother was… thirty-nine now, since three years had passed. Twice that would be—eighty?

A shiver crawled up his spine.

His gaze drifted warily over the other ‘young’ women who were slowly leaving the area.

Biyu caught his expression and reassured him. “They’re all the age they look. …Well, mostly.”

Her tone was meant to be comforting.

The look in her eyes was anything but.

“Ah! No, I—”

Cough!

Jin Shu’s protest was cut short as he abruptly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His vision swam. Dark spots clouded his sight, and the world tilted dangerously. The ground seemed to rush toward him—

Then—soft warmth enveloped him, stopping his fall.

“Jin Shu?! Are you okay?!”

Biyu’s voice rang from above, laced with worry.

He tried to answer. Tried to move. But his body felt unbearably heavy, and whatever had caught him was warm, soft—comforting.

He didn’t want to leave it.

“...I’m… going… to… pass… ou—”

Darkness swallowed him whole.

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