Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 29

A violent explosion spread rapidly through the underground network’s pipes.

Cheng Jinyang had already activated his demonization state, using mental shockwaves to withstand the blast’s impact. The guards on the other side weren’t as lucky—they were blown away by the flames and shockwaves.

Two bullets had already been fired from the direction of the princess sister, striking the arms of two distant Ability Users with precision.

More bullets rained down like a torrential storm. Cheng Jinyang had to press down on Su Lili, who was about to draw her sword, and also stop Jiang Jiu, who was ready to charge forward. Then, picking up Miss Wang, he gestured for everyone to retreat swiftly.

If they really wanted to, they could force their way in, leaving the subterranean city of Qinghe Commandery in complete ruin. But there was no need for such extreme measures. The conflict had arisen from a misunderstanding, and once cleared up, things would resolve themselves.

However, given the aggressive stance of the other side, any attempt to provide evidence now would likely be drowned out by the barrage of their attacks. It would be better to retreat temporarily and wait for both sides to calm down before reasoning things out.

Cheng Jinyang led the group in a rapid retreat, soon reaching a bend in the underground tunnel. Meanwhile, voices started clamoring in his mind again:

“Why haven’t you checked in for several days?”
“Weren’t you supposed to contact us three times a day? Where are you? Did Wang Wanrou abduct you?”
“Where, where, where? Report your coordinates immediately!”

“Quiet, all of you!” Cheng Jinyang quickly muted them and said, “Stop shouting! I’m in the middle of a fight right now. I’ll explain later when I have time.”

He retreated further into the tunnel. Seeing that the enemy soldiers hadn’t pursued them, Cheng Jinyang decisively deactivated his demonization state, grabbed Miss Wang’s arm, and wailed, “Wanrou, help me! I haven’t told them my location recently, and they’re going to nag me to death!”

Wang Wanrou silently turned her head away.

Elsewhere, the girls who were visiting the Qinghe Cui Clan’s estate suddenly had their expressions change simultaneously.

The reason for their visit to the Cui Clan was clear enough: Xing Yuanzhi had disappeared for several days. Her father and the Xing Clan patriarch had checked the Ground Network and found that she had chased Cheng Jinyang all the way to Huai Tower Base. This revelation nearly gave them a heart attack.

A fifth-grade Ability User was considered the backbone of humanity’s resistance, but against high-ranking demons, they were far from adequate. If anything happened to Xing Yuanzhi in the north, the Hejian Xing Clan would immediately decline, with little hope of revival.

Thus, the Xing Clan urgently contacted the Yangdi Chu Clan, the Qinghe Cui Clan, the Hongnong Yang Clan, and others. They also reached out to every noble family whose young ladies had joined the pursuit. Of course, the Shendu Cheng Clan, the source of the chaos, became the main focus of the investigation.

Major families gathered at the Cheng Clan estate. The governor’s staff in Jingkou worked tirelessly. Cheng Jinyang’s elder cousin, Cheng Yuexian, apologized profusely while silently cursing him to the heavens for abducting the daughters of so many noble families.

When word came from the Ground Network that the girls had arrived in Qinghe Commandery, Cui Taichong, an elder of the Cui Clan, reluctantly swallowed his pride and asked the local branches to take care of Cui Jinqi and the others. Under no circumstances were they to venture onto the dangerous surface.

Thus, as soon as Cui Jinqi and two others arrived in Qinghe, discussing where to eat, they were quickly located by the Cui and Zhang Clans, who treated the situation like a military emergency. Meanwhile, Li Qingwan and four others, who had been sneaking behind them, were also “invited” back to the estate for a visit.

As they were exchanging pleasantries with their northern relatives, Cheng Jinyang’s shared vision suddenly connected. While they complained loudly, they couldn’t help but notice something alarming: “That’s the underground entrance to Qinghe Commandery, isn’t it? We’re already in the city, but you’re just entering it?”

“Uncle.” Suppressing her anger as Cheng Jinyang cut off communication and retreated outside the city, Cui Jingqi smiled and said, “We’re here to find someone.”

“Find someone?” Cui Boyuan asked, puzzled. The list provided by Jingkou indicated that everyone had already arrived.

Moments later, soldiers from the underground entrance were sent out to search for Cheng Jinyang and his group.

In the Cui Clan’s estate in the city, Cheng Jinyang finally reunited with the long-lost girls.

Standing beside Cheng Jinyang were not only the familiar Princess and Miss Wang, but also two unfamiliar young women. Even the usually gentle Sister Xiao Pei and the composed Li Qingwan didn’t look particularly pleased.

As for the fiery-tempered Miss Qingqing, she nearly lost her composure and almost started scolding him. However, when her gaze fell on Su Lili, her expression instantly turned serious.

Having joined the group relatively early, she knew of Su Lili but had never seen her in person. The heavy aura of killing intent surrounding Su Lili was hard to ignore. With the Princess standing nearby—who was notoriously protective and unreasonable—Qingqing had no choice but to swallow her words.

Before anyone could react further, Cui Xiaoniang threw herself into Cheng Jinyang’s arms, wailing loudly:

“Waaaah! Jinyang, where did you go? I’ve been looking for you for so, so long…”

Her “sobbing” was all sound and no tears, leaving the other girls stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Cui Xiaoniang, how could you be so shameless? Everyone had agreed to scold him together, yet her first words were a complete betrayal!

The Princess sneered faintly from the side, while Su Lili looked at Cui Xiaoniang in surprise, thinking, This girl seems to like Jinyang a lot. That’s wonderful.
I do too.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Jiang Jiu remarked from the back. “I never thought I’d see you all here in the real world. This really must be fate.”

Having acquired a Star General’s Fire from Yingzhou Island, Jiang Jiu spoke with newfound confidence. When she spoke, the girls finally recognized her as Yujing San from the dream realm. As an old acquaintance, they greeted her warmly.

Meanwhile, aboveground at the ruins of the Qinghe County Lord’s residence, Murong Shu stood silently at the edge of the devastation, grief etched into her face.

Ye Ru stood quietly by her side.

The dimension-lowering strike from the Ziwei Emperor wasn’t permanent. Like a sponge forcibly compressed into a plane, space would gradually rebound and restore itself.

What now stood at the site of the County Lord’s residence was a massive, misshapen mass, impossible to distinguish as ruins, furniture, or anything else. The remains of flesh and blood, comprising only a minuscule fraction of the wreckage, were even less discernible.

“Do you want to cry?” Ye Ru asked. “I can lend you my shoulder.”

“There’s no need,” Murong Shu replied calmly.

As a long-lived demon, she had long prepared herself mentally for this eventuality. After all, her mother would inevitably pass away before her; this just came a few decades sooner than expected.

Time would heal all wounds.

“Who’s there?” Ye Ru suddenly grabbed Murong Shu, preparing to teleport them away. But before she could act, Xie Guyan emerged calmly from the ruins, followed by an elderly woman who was trembling but alive—the presumed-dead Madam Luo.

“You are… the former Southern Dipper Star Lord…” Ye Ru said in astonishment, simultaneously restraining the now-overwhelmed Murong Shu and signaling her to stay calm.

Be careful, Ah Shu! Ye Ru warned. We’re not familiar with her, and yet she saved your mother. She must have ulterior motives!

“This is your mother, Meng Zhang,” Xie Guyan said flatly. “Do you want to take her back?”

“What do you want, Xie Guyan?” Murong Shu asked, her voice trembling.

“I have a son,” Xie Guyan said indifferently. “I’m very concerned about his future. I hope he’ll settle down soon so I can enjoy the pleasures of doting on grandchildren. But he doesn’t seem to respect my wishes as his mother.”

“So I had to find someone to help me… And now there’s an opportunity before you: you can return to being a filial daughter and, at the same time, experience what it’s like to be a mother. Think about it.”

“Demons don’t have reproductive abilities,” Murong Shu said cautiously, regaining her composure.

“No, it’s just that it doesn’t work with humans,” Xie Guyan replied with a faint smile. “And there are no males among demons.”

“But my son—his name is Cheng Jinyang. You’ve already met him, haven’t you?”