Chapter 104: The Emergence of Blood and Tears

Seeing that Nvluo finally showed signs of movement, Shikong called out softly, "Your Highness."

Nvluo did not turn around. She could not let them see her in her current state; once they witnessed such tears of blood, it would only cause unnecessary concern.

Nvluo's silence made Shikong feel even more distressed. She finally concluded that Her Highness must be truly angry.

Shikong knelt down slowly. "Shikong is incompetent; please punish me, Your Highness."

Seeing Shikong like this, Siji also knelt down. "I beg for Her Highness’s mercy."

They actually thought she was angry. But that was fine; perhaps giving them some pressure now would force them to improve their strength. If anything were to happen to her, they would not be left helpless.

Nvluo finally turned around.

However, neither Shikong nor Siji dared to look up. They only felt Nvluo’s gaze resting upon them; it lacked its usual gentleness and carried an added weight of oppression. This was the true aura of their Highness.

"Do you know where you went wrong?" Nvluo's voice lacked any warmth, sounding as strange as if it belonged to someone else.

"Your subordinate is incompetent and delayed Your Highness's plans." Although Shikong knew she had done her best, the subsequent events had occurred because of her, and she deserved to be punished.

Shikong felt the pressure upon her remain, yet her heart was calm. Fortunately, she had not affected the reconstruction of the Path of Reincarnation; otherwise, no amount of punishment could erase the remorse in her heart.

Siji longed to plead for Shikong, but she sensed something unusual about Nvluo today. Furthermore, she felt the pressure radiating from Nvluo was stronger than ever before. She thought to herself that Her Highness was rarely angry, but once she was truly provoked, the consequences would be severe. It would be safer to remain silent; to anger her again would only make matters worse.

Shikong and Siji waited nervously, heads bowed, kneeling on the ground.

Nvluo watched them in silence. For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense, as if something were brewing.

Without eye contact, Shikong and Siji could not perceive Nvluo’s current state.

Nvluo was grateful that they could not see her. Another drop of icy liquid flowed from the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away calmly. It was blood and tears once more.

They say blood is hot, but at this moment, Nvluo’s body could not maintain a normal temperature. Her injuries were continuing to worsen.

Yet, Nvluo could not reveal any sign of her wounds before Shikong and Siji; she could only let them believe she was enraged by Shikong’s mistake.

If she were not in this state, Nvluo would certainly have rewarded Shikong.

Shikong had shouldered too much for her, building Fengdu City to what it was today without a single complaint. And now, she was bearing undeserved punishment for a reason Nvluo could not disclose.

Nvluo finally regained control and returned to her usual demeanor, completely masking her injuries.

"Rise, both of you!"

Shikong and Siji stood up hurriedly. They saw a flicker of softening in Nvluo’s eyes and felt the pressure on them lift significantly.

"It is enough that you know your mistake. Let this be a lesson; do not let it happen again. Remember, never forget your duties, no matter the circumstances. If you cannot perfectly complete the tasks you are least likely to fail, how can you expect to handle anything else?"

"Yes, Your Highness is right. Your subordinate will certainly take this lesson to heart." Shikong looked at Nvluo with guilt.

"Your Highness, can the punishment be lightened?" Siji, seeing Nvluo’s attitude soften, tried to intercede.

"Siji, do not say such things. No matter how Her Highness punishes me, it is what I deserve."

"Siji, you should also take Shikong’s lesson as a warning."

"Yes, Your Highness." Feeling a shift in Nvluo’s tone, Siji immediately shut her mouth.

"Let this matter end here. Be more careful in the future. If anything similar happens in the City of Reincarnation again, there will be no leniency."

Her Highness was not punishing her. Shikong found it hard to believe, but upon reflection, she realized Her Highness had never truly punished her; she always relented at the final moment. At this thought, Shikong felt even more guilty. She swore to herself that such a situation would never happen again; otherwise, how could she be worthy of Her Highness’s unwavering trust?

She would make up for her lack of strength with doubled effort.

Siji was happy to see this outcome. She had no idea that Nvluo never intended to punish them at all.

"How is that place?" Nvluo was worried about further large-scale casualties.

"Reporting to Your Highness, only a few people were injured. There was no major loss, and Siji and I have already handled it. Please rest assured, Your Highness."

"That is good."

"Shikong, Siji..." Nvluo hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

"Please speak, Your Highness."

"My words earlier may have been harsh. But you must understand, I do not have many assistants in the Human Realm that I can trust. The weakness of the Human Realm’s power is well known. Countless forces in the shadows are eyeing it covetously. I cannot relax my requirements for you. If something were to happen to me, you must take up my responsibilities." Nvluo paused.

"Although such a thing will not happen now, no one can be certain of the future. If I were to fall, how could you deal with those malicious interferences in your current state?"

"Your Highness, how could you..." Shikong could not help but interrupt; she could not imagine what would happen if Her Highness were to fall.

"Shikong, let me finish. Just because it is not happening now does not mean it won't in the future. We must prepare for the worst. My words may be harsh, but you are indeed too weak right now. To say nothing of the distant future, how much certainty do you have regarding the God of Sleep?"

Shikong and Siji thought for a moment and shook their heads. Although they had not truly fought him, they had already sensed his power.

Siji thought of Niaoniao in the city; at least they should be better than it. Siji couldn't help but voice this thought aloud.

Nvluo and Shikong looked at her simultaneously.

Shikong had not expected Siji to compare herself to a bird; she didn't know what to say to her!

"Siji, do you think you are stronger than Niaoniao?"

Siji nodded.

"You are gravely mistaken. You have no idea what Niaoniao’s true strength is."

When Nvluo said this, Shikong and Siji were both astonished.

"I encountered Niaoniao in the Sunset Mountains. You might think its appearance there was a miracle, but I must tell you that without its help, I could never have left those mountains safely. Furthermore, in the Underworld, Niaoniao was powerful enough to rival the most formidable forces there." Nvluo suddenly remembered she had to keep the secret about Linge, so she phrased it differently.

"Therefore, you are still the weakest. Shikong, your space-time manipulation is indeed good, but it is not the best. If your power were stronger, perhaps there would have been a perfect ending."

"Enough, reflect on this carefully." Nvluo fell silent.

Shikong and Siji pondered Nvluo’s words. While shocked, they also felt the gap in their own abilities. It turned out that Niaoniao, which they had always overlooked, possessed such great power.

Perhaps after the affairs of Fengdu City were concluded, they should focus on improving their own strength.

"Your Highness, what is Niaoniao’s true identity?" Siji still could not believe it possessed such a status.

"I do not know that myself." To this day, Nvluo had not seen through Niaoniao’s true identity. However, she had never sensed any malice from it; it always appeared at her most critical moments. Nvluo had already come to view it as her partner.

Shikong was worried: if Niaoniao possessed such great power, why did it hide its identity?

"But do not worry about it for now; it holds no malice toward us."

Nvluo did not want to suspect Niaoniao yet, nor did she believe the Human Realm had anything worth Niaoniao’s attention. It was indifferent to everything and held power in contempt. Moreover, it had a hostile attitude toward the God and Underworld realms; it was impossible to harbor any suspicion toward such a bird. Perhaps Niaoniao had its own hidden reasons for concealing its identity.

Shikong recalled some of Niaoniao’s words and actions and found nothing abnormal. Perhaps she was being overly suspicious. But regarding Niaoniao’s strength, she would have to be more vigilant.

Nvluo was pleased to see this result; she had successfully ignited their fighting spirit.

Deep down, Nvluo clenched her fists, and another wave of sharp pain shot through her. She fought to keep from showing any irregularity; she had to persevere.

Shikong and Siji never noticed Nvluo’s injuries, nor did they imagine how dangerous her condition had become. In their eyes, she was an indestructible figure, the power they could rely on for their entire lives.

Nvluo was also grateful that they had not discovered her condition.

The Path of Reincarnation had been built; the next step was to select the souls to be the first to reincarnate.

Regarding the souls, Nvluo thought of a question she had been pondering for a long time.

Human power was too insignificant; any setback could result in irreversible loss. If she took this opportunity to imbue the souls with some special power, they would be born with the ability to protect themselves after rebirth. In that case, even if new threats emerged, they would be better equipped to protect themselves.

However, she was still uncertain about what kind of power to bestow, or which souls should receive it.

What if the souls used such innate power to commit evil after being reborn?

She hoped her original intent would not have the opposite effect. At this thought, she missed Shaoguang. She wondered where she was now and how the investigation was going. She had to discuss this matter with Shaoguang before taking the next step.

Nvluo did not realize that the matter she was considering would bring earth-shattering changes to the Human Realm.