Chapter 118 - 118 - Parting Gift

"...So what the hell have I become now?" Xin Yu rubbed his temples, a headache brewing. He hadn't expected this. Previously, it was just that his own body had undergone a massive internal mutation, preventing him from letting his bodily fluids come into contact with others. Now, after stepping into the Nascent Soul realm, it had evolved to the point where others couldn't even directly gaze upon his appearance without being contaminated. This was truly becoming more and more troublesome. Perhaps, as he continued to grow in the future, there would come a day when even the mere knowledge of his existence would be enough to influence others. Xin Yu looked at Cecilia before him and made no attempt to hide anything. He told her everything he knew, explaining that her current sense of security, her reliance, that feeling of wanting to make him stay—all of it was likely a mistaken notion born from being influenced by his abilities. Furthermore, Xin Yu emphatically stressed that if this continued, if he genuinely complied with Cecilia's wishes and stayed by her side, it wouldn't take more than a month for Cecilia's impression of Siegfried to completely fade. Ultimately, all her emotions would become entirely invested in Xin Yu. Xin Yu would become the most important, most indispensable existence in her life, transforming her into one of his fanatical believers. It might even become more extreme: she could become a puppet dancing to Xin Yu's tune, a puppet that would even lose the ability to think for herself. After hearing Xin Yu's solemn warning, Cecilia was immensely surprised. She found that she hadn't developed any fear or unease because of it. In fact, she even felt that if things were to continue this way, it might actually be a rather good situation. To entrust all sorrow and pain, all unease and bewilderment, entirely to Xin Yu. She could then wholeheartedly enjoy the sense of security from his companionship, could justifiably shirk all responsibilities, becoming like a child who only needed to offer faith to him. "Sigh!" Seeing Cecilia's dazed expression, Xin Yu knew his words hadn't provoked any fear or unease in her at all. Her condition was already a bit too severe; she had reached a point where she wouldn't harbor any defensiveness towards him, no matter what. This situation couldn't be cured simply by him leaving. So, he had to resort to some extraordinary measures. Xin Yu stepped forward and silently raised his hand to touch Cecilia's forehead. The latter surprisingly had no thought of resisting, just standing there quietly, waiting for Xin Yu's hand to make contact. This demeanor... how did it resemble the behavior of a perfectly conditioned housewife from one of those series? ...Oh no! Am I becoming that kind of character, the one who inadvertently takes someone else's girl?! Thinking about it, Yae Sakura was originally with Kallen. Because of his appearance, Yae Sakura had completely given her heart to him. Then there was Kiana... Honestly, Xin Yu still couldn't quite figure out whether her feelings for him were love, or a distorted emotion born from possessiveness and guilt. But he didn't care. Xin Yu had said it before: he was very grateful for the feelings Kiana had revealed to him. Even if she was deceiving him, even if her words were merely a plea for his help, it didn't matter. When Kiana made her own decisions, Xin Yu would silently support her, as long as what she did didn't violate humanity's moral bottom line. Xin Yu touched Cecilia's forehead. In an instant, at the junction where his finger met her forehead, a phantasmal golden clock seemed to appear. All the hands on the clock spun counter-clockwise continuously until they reached a certain point. Then, the clock vanished, and Xin Yu's hand slowly withdrew. Cecilia's previously somewhat bewildered eyes regained their clarity. After her normal cognition was restored, she couldn't help but take a large step back, her face somewhat pale, her eyes filled with a degree of fear as she looked at Xin Yu before her. Seeing this expression, Xin Yu nodded in satisfaction. Yes, this was the mindset a normal person should have, not like just now, where she felt it was fine even if her cognition was being rewritten. "...I'm sorry." Cecilia now didn't even dare to look at Xin Yu's face, afraid she would once again fall into that bizarre state. If this Xin Yu before her weren't a good person, then she might very well have completely betrayed Siegfried, betrayed her daughter, and invested all her love and emotions into a stranger she had only met a few times. "It's alright. I should be the one apologizing. I'm truly sorry for causing you so much trouble." Xin Yu rubbed his face with both hands. When he lowered them, although his appearance hadn't changed, that peculiar, attention-grabbing presence had vanished. "As for Kiana's situation, you don't need to worry. She won't fall into your previous state because of me. Her situation is rather special; she won't be so easily rewritten in terms of cognition and spirit." "...Thank you." "It's nothing. I should probably be leaving now. I've prepared a gift for you, and for Kiana. Go take a look at the wooden cabin where she and I were staying. You should like that gift." After Xin Yu finished speaking, he left directly. Originally, he had planned to stay a little longer, even wanting to see what kind of villain this world's Mr. Otto had turned into. But because he had rewritten the fate of a pawn chosen by that individual, it was possible that the other party was somewhat dissatisfied with him and had been staring at him intently these past few days. Although the other party was observing him from a higher-dimensional space, Xin Yu could still clearly sense that gaze from above. That's why he had to quickly pack up and run, otherwise, he might really be hunted down for an offline confrontation. Currently, although he had broken through a major cultivation realm, he still couldn't fight against this kind of cosmic-level enemy. It was best to avoid a direct confrontation for now. He would wait until he had grown to a certain level and then return. By then, his sword too would prove its mettle! Cecilia, holding Kiana who hadn't spoken since this all began, arrived at the small cabin nearby where the two had settled. When she hesitantly pushed open the wooden door, she found a white-haired man lying on a recliner. He had his eyes closed as if deep in slumber, an open book resting on his chest, looking as though he had dozed off while reading. "Siegfried..." Upon seeing the man's face, Cecilia froze, an involuntary gasp escaping her lips. And the man on the recliner opened his closed eyes, looking around in a daze, as if just awakening from a long sleep. "Huh? What happened?" "Siegfried!" Cecilia put down her daughter and rushed towards the man, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. "Cecilia? What's wrong? Why am I here? Why are you crying? My head's a bit muddled!" Kiana watched her weeping mother and her flustered father with a faint smile on her face. She turned around, looking towards the spot where Xin Yu had disappeared. "Thank you..."