Hu Li quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Just a moment before, she was chatting with Yu Sheng, her curiosity and excitement evident as she adapted to her new surroundings.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Yu Sheng and Ai Lin could only hear the soft and even sounds of her snoring from the bed.
Ai Lin sat beside Hu Li's bed, gazing at the little fox spirit who had already drifted off.
"She really falls asleep in an instant... She's already dreaming. Hm, it seems like a peaceful dream."
"She probably hasn't had a good sleep in a long time," Yu Sheng whispered, lowering his voice.
"At first, I worried she wouldn't be able to sleep here, especially since she's been in such a different place — there wasn't even a bed where she used to stay."
Ai Lin stood up from the bed and walked over to adjust the blanket for Hu Li.
In a professional tone, she added, "She must feel safe here—she told me fox spirits have very good instincts..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Hu Li turned over in her sleep, and then Yu Sheng saw an unexpected sight: the fox girl’s tail, which she had tucked away before sleeping, suddenly popped out, knocking Ai Lin, who was trying to tuck in the blanket, off her feet with a "Mamma!" Ai Lin flew back, crashing into the wall along with a painting.
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but shout, "What the heck!" and hurriedly ran over to pull Ai Lin up from the floor, where she started spewing a string of colorful curses.
Yet Hu Li remained undisturbed, mumbling incoherently a few times before settling into an even more comfortable position.
She picked two tails out from her fluffy mass to cuddle, while the rest of her tails replaced the blanket that had just been knocked away, wrapping around her snugly.
Within two seconds, she had transformed into a soft, furry ball of fox.
"What the heck! That tail’s a monster! I’m trying to help her..."
Ai Lin grumbled while clinging to Yu Sheng’s arm.
Suddenly, she turned to him and said, "Listen, you don’t need to buy her a blanket tomorrow. It seems she won't need one at all!"
Yu Sheng hurriedly ushered the grouchy little doll out of the room and breathed a sigh of relief once they were in the hallway.
He glanced back, slightly helpless.
"Okay, looks like she'll need time to adjust... Are you okay, Ai Lin?"
"Does having my pride hurt count as a problem?" Ai Lin rolled her eyes dramatically, climbing onto Yu Sheng's shoulder.
"Ugh, if I were still in my original body, I could take this indignity — you don’t know how strong I used to be! I was really amazing!"
"Alright, alright, you’re amazing, I believe you..."
Yu Sheng replied, somewhat evasively, as he carried Ai Lin back to his room.
However, the little doll unusually didn’t engage in their usual banter over his dismissive response.
Feeling something was off, Yu Sheng glanced up and noticed Ai Lin was slightly bowing her head, seeming deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was pondering what you said about having Hu Li help you fight," Ai Lin replied, surprisingly serious.
"Looks like you've already decided you'll be dealing with otherworldly matters going forward, right? I don’t mean getting sucked into events, but... you want to seek trouble yourself?"
Yu Sheng fell silent for a moment, which tacitly confirmed her suspicion.
"Why?" Ai Lin asked with curiosity.
"You saved Hu Li; there shouldn’t be any need to seek out other trouble now — although those who have dealt with the other realms often encounter ‘the other side’ again throughout their lives, but you could choose to cooperate with the Special Operations Bureau. You could learn some techniques to avoid the other realms — plenty of people would choose that path and live securely for many years. At least more safely than those spirit world detectives and investigators."
Yu Sheng pondered for a moment, then looked at Ai Lin with a half-smile.
"What if I said it’s out of curiosity? The other realms' peculiarity has sparked my interest; I want to explore a bit..."
In response, Ai Lin immediately ruffled Yu Sheng’s hair into a mess.
"Are you serious? You’re really serious?"
Quickly, Yu Sheng pressed his hand against Ai Lin's paws and spoke rapidly, "Wait, wait, stop tugging — I’m half serious."
Ai Lin ceased her hair-wrecking and stared wide-eyed at him.
"Curiosity is indeed one part of the reason; I’m not joking," Yu Sheng caught his breath, his expression becoming grave.
"Remember that night I took you to open door after door? Those... grand sights behind the doors, do you remember?"
"… I remember."
"I remember well; it left a deep impression," Yu Sheng sat in a chair, slowly continuing, "So many distant places... And we seriously discussed that glowing mountain. Ai Lin, don’t you want to see them? That floating city, the birds soaring over the chasms..."
"Not to mention the senior brother hanging from the beams."
"... Right, the senior brother hanging from the beams," Yu Sheng shook his head with a smile.
"Ai Lin, whether it’s a ‘faraway place’ or an ‘other realm,’ I’m really drawn to those sights. You tell me, I’ve opened so many doors, and I can open them any time again. I already know there's a vast world beyond the realm city. Can I just sit here, like you said, living an ‘ordinary life’?"
As Yu Sheng spoke, he gently released a breath.
"As long as I keep ‘opening doors,’ I will continue to interact with those ‘sights’—and this door is already open."
"That sounds about right," Ai Lin held Yu Sheng’s head, thoughtfully sorting through her own hair that she had tousled earlier.
"If I were you, I would also be filled with reckless thoughts — I’d probably be even more reckless than you."
Then, after a brief pause, Ai Lin asked, "What about the other reason?"
Yu Sheng fell silent for a moment, squinting his eyes slightly.
Images from his memory surfaced.
The sunlight filtering through an old alley, the blush of the sky, and clouds as fluid as water—the quaint yet familiar ‘coastal town.’
"There’s a place I want to find," Yu Sheng said softly.
He felt the small hands messing with his hair come to a sudden halt.
"Why do I feel like..."
Ai Lin suddenly leaned closer, gazing intently at Yu Sheng's face.
"You seem to be planning to go somewhere and not come back?"
Yu Sheng opened his eyes to meet her fierce stare.
The intensity of her ruby-red gaze made him feel somewhat uneasy.
“Uh, I just want to find that place and take a look, then come back.”
"Really?" Ai Lin replied suspiciously, her brows furrowing.
"Really," Yu Sheng nodded.
He paused, appearing to seriously contemplate something, then repeated, “Really.”
"Seems... you’re not lying to me," Ai Lin tilted her head, as if somewhat convinced by Yu Sheng's words.
But soon, she shook her head.
"Forget it. If you want to fool me, there’s nothing I can do about it—it's up to you to open those doors... Let’s drop that. Since you've decided to interact with those messy matters, have you thought about how to begin? Do you want to be a spirit world detective? To accept commissions possibly related to the other realms? Or be a lone investigator, actively searching the nooks and corners for clues of the other realms and distant places? Or maybe… just open a door every day randomly and jump in headfirst..."
"Let’s put that last option aside," Yu Sheng quickly waved his hands.
"I’m not afraid of death, but I’m not foolish enough to that extent. If I really attract something I can’t fight off and can’t escape, that would truly be the end..."
"Oh, alright then, you haven’t lost your mind," Ai Lin cheerfully shook her head.
"So it means you want to be a spirit world detective or investigator? The former relies on taking commissions, which is stable but limited; the latter depends on being tough and reckless, offering freedom of movement but frequently encountering huge ‘surprises’..."
Yu Sheng thought for a moment and asked, "What about that ‘Little Red Riding Hood’?"
"Definitely a spirit world detective! She’s always accepting contracts from the Special Operations Bureau, plus she’s just a student working temporary jobs," Ai Lin waved her hand dismissively.
"But according to her, there’s also an organization behind her, something called ‘Fairy Tales’..."
Yu Sheng’s mind began to race: "An organization… Do such organizations even need to register?"
"… Maybe?" Ai Lin scratched her head.
"If you ask me, I wouldn’t know, I’ve forgotten~ But they likely need to register. After all, with an official body like the Special Operations Bureau, if you gather a bunch of skilled experts from other realms without registering, wouldn’t that just make you an ‘active yet illegal social group’?"
At this, Ai Lin suddenly paused, her eyes wide with confusion as she looked at Yu Sheng.
"Wait, are you planning to start an organization? Right now, we only have the three of us, including that fox, and that fox doesn’t have an ID — and of course, I don’t either. Hey, thinking about it, you’re the only one here who counts as a ‘person,’ huh?"
"Seems that way," Yu Sheng awkwardly scratched his nose, realizing only now.
"Oh boy, where am I going to get Hu Li an ID…"
"Maybe you can ask when the Special Operations Bureau contacts you next?" Ai Lin suggested, "I’m sure they wouldn’t mind lending a hand with that little favor, right?"
“... Isn’t this their job?”
“Just asking won’t cost you anything.”
“Alright, I guess so.”
Yu Sheng scratched his head, but just then, he suddenly realized another issue.
"Wait, Ai Lin, are you planning to stay in my room tonight?!"
"Of course! My room is so freaky!"
"You’re freaky enough yourself; go back to your own room!"
"I won’t!"
(End of Chapter)