Xia Xiang originally went to find Jiu Wu, but ended up finding Jiu Lai, who was being enslaved by his own brother. Seeing how resentful he was, she made an excuse and slipped away.

Jiu Lai: The resentment is even stronger now!

Since Xia Xiang couldn't find anyone, she decided to go and chat with the retired old leader of the alliance.

"Xiangxiang, you're here." The old alliance leader was leisurely lounging in a wicker chair, basking in the sun, looking quite energetic. "You must have been very busy these past few days."

"I've been a bit busy, I haven't had time to come visit you," Xia Xiang complained.

"Then you can come with me today and relax here for a while." The old alliance leader laughed heartily.

"Actually, I also have something to ask you today," Xia Xiang said directly.

"I need to go to the Silver Dimension for some personal business, so I wanted to ask you what the secret mission you gave my grandfather was. My grandfather is getting old, and it's too tiring for him to travel back and forth, so I'll take care of the mission while I'm there."

"Let me think about it..." The old leader frowned and recalled for a moment, "Actually, it wasn't a secret mission. This matter dates back more than ten years."

"More than a decade ago, the spacetime order of the Silver Dimension was disrupted by unknown factors. Your grandfather went to investigate this, but in the past decade or so, he has traveled almost all over the Silver Dimension and still has not found the cause of the disruption to the spacetime order of the Silver Dimension."

"If you go, you should also investigate. This mission has been going on for over ten years, and the Silver Dimension hasn't been greatly affected. There's no need to rush."

Xia Xiang nodded obediently, but a bold guess lingered in her mind: could it be that the strange culture of the Silver Dimension was the result of being influenced by it?

She listened quietly to the old leader recount his past. Whether it was because she was too tired or the sunlight was just too comforting, Xia Xiang fell asleep immediately.

The old leader originally intended to wake her up and tell her to go back to her room to sleep.

Jiu Wu happened to return, so he didn't wake her up but let her continue sleeping. He stayed by her side, propping his head up and watching her.

Jiu Wu's expression was peaceful and gentle, with a faint smile, as he focused intently on the sleeping Xia Xiang.

He didn't actually have much free time, but every time he did, he couldn't help but miss Xia Xiang. His mind was filled with her every smile and gesture, and with her lively and cheerful personality.

He didn't understand how other people dated, so he didn't know why he liked this little one.

However, he simply couldn't imagine the scenario of him and Xia Xiang separating and each having their own partners.

He simply had an instinctive desire to be with her forever, and every contact made him realize that he was already deeply in love.

He liked her, regardless of her personality, appearance, abilities, or family background; he liked her for who she was.

Although she didn't say it aloud, he could sense that she felt the same way.

When Xia Xiang woke up again, the night sky was filled with stars...

"Awake?" Jiu Wu's voice sounded beside him.

"Hmm," Xia Xiang said, a little confused. She pulled down the thin blanket covering her, her mind still blank, and mumbled, "I don't think I've had dinner."

Her stomach also protested, echoing her words.

"Wait here," Jiu Wu handed him a cup of hot drink, then got up and went inside.

Xia Xiang curled her lips into a smile, glancing at the somewhat familiar, ugly cup. "On such a hot day, you want hot cocoa?"

"Not bad," Xia Xiang said, taking a sip.

A short while later, Jiuwu brought out a bowl of steaming noodles.

"Try it"

Xia Xiang didn't stand on ceremony and took a slurp.

"It's really delicious. But we could have gone out for a late-night snack instead of waking up the auntie to cook noodles. It's even better than usual. That's amazing."

Jiu Wu was resting his chin on his hand, watching her. Hearing Xia Xiang's words, he happily replied, "I made it~"

"Wow, that's amazing! It even tastes better than what Auntie cooks." Xia Xiang praised him while slurping her noodles, and Jiu Wu was overjoyed.

Xia Xiang: As long as he's happy.

"Then you'd better cherish me." Jiu Wu smiled smugly, picked up the cup next to Xia Xiang and took a sip.

"Cough cough!" Xia Xiang choked directly. "Jiu Wu, that's my cup!"

“This is mine,” Jiu Wu looked at the cup in his hand. “You gave it to me, so it’s mine now.”

"What..." Xia Xiang suddenly stopped.

She remembered that this was a birthday present she made for Jiuwu when he turned ten.

"What I mean is, I just had a drink."

"Oh," Jiu Wu took another sip, completely unconcerned.

Xia Xiang: As long as he's happy.

"Well, actually, I have something to tell you." Xia Xiang put down her chopsticks and let out a burp without any regard for her image.

Jiuwu skillfully wiped the corner of her mouth, waiting for her to continue speaking.

"It's that guy who rolled his eyes today. He got into trouble and asked me for help, so I might have to go to the Silver Dimension for a while."

"How long?" Jiu Wu's expression didn't change, clearly he had already coaxed himself into a better state this afternoon.

"It'll take at least a month, and no more than three months," Xia Xiang roughly calculated.

“Let the East City Guards go along, that way they can look out for each other. That guy with the white eyes doesn’t seem very reliable,” Jiu Wu nodded.

"You don't like me anymore, and you don't even ask who he is or what our relationship is," Xia Xiang said, feigning anger.

"Commander Xia, when are you going to get rid of this habit of talking nonsense?" Jiu Wu glanced at her and said irritably.

“Dear Alliance Leader, I guess I can’t change it.” Xia Xiang grinned. “We’re just senior brothers. Because he’s mixed-race, he also has superpowers, and he’s more familiar with me on the island.”

"Is there anything else you want to ask? I will answer to the best of my knowledge," Xia Xiang said, raising an eyebrow.

"Who is the person who trapped you?" Jiu Wu asked.

Xia Xiang's heart skipped a beat; how could she have forgotten about this? "...Let's ask about something else."

"Jiu Wu, believe me, you don't want to know. I'm just guessing. I'll tell you when I find out the truth or come up with a solution."

"Okay, okay, I don't necessarily need to know," Jiu Wu replied nonchalantly, getting up to take her cup and walk inside. "Going back to my room to sleep."

"Hey, wait for me, let's go together." Xia Xiang, wrapped in a thin blanket, jogged a few steps to catch up.

"No, go back to your own room." Upon hearing her words, Jiu Wu couldn't help but smile, but then his expression turned serious, and he refused with great principle.

Xia Xiang looked at him, somewhat confused. "I'm going back to my room, what else?"

“…” Jiu Wu, “That’s what I meant too.”

"Alliance Leader, do you not want your legs anymore?" Xia Xiang glanced at him sideways.

Jiu Wu immediately turned the tables, saying, "What are you thinking? I'm just an innocent and naive young man."

Xia Xiang: Who exactly likes to talk nonsense?