You're my wife, don't doubt it!

“Okay, I won’t ask who you are, but we’re not here to play around,” Xiao Yao insisted. “My two friends are probably still trapped here. If you can send us away, could you help us find those two friends first? We’ll leave together and won’t come back to cause trouble.”

“We can sense that there are two more humans trapped inside this hall, and that is why we have come here,” the white knight declared loudly. “We cannot allow you to be put in danger.”

"As you can see, we are capable of fighting too," Shen Jie finally said.

The white knight turned to Shen Jie: "Miss, are your injuries any better?"

The white knight spoke in a very gentle tone, completely different from his tone when he spoke to Xiao Yao.

"Thanks to you, it seems I'm mostly recovered?" Shen Jie examined her injuries with some disbelief. "Thank you so much."

“You just said that you are also capable of fighting,” the white knight chuckled seemingly without malice from inside his helmet, “but if we had arrived any later, you and your squire would have become prisoners of this hall.”

“I am a servant!” Xiao Yao immediately protested.

"Palace? Prisoners?" Shen Jie asked.

"Those who die in the temple will have their souls imprisoned here, and unless someone comes to their rescue, they will never escape," the White Knight warned.

"Soul? Then what about our bodies..."

"You should know what a body without a soul would be like. Lying there, silent, neither alive nor dead."

"A vegetable?"

“Therefore, we cannot stand by and watch such a beautiful, lovely, and kind lady fall into danger again.” The White Knight extended his right hand to Shen Jie.

“Yes, yes,” Xiao Yao agreed, “Sir Knight, please take Shen Jie back first, and I will go with you to rescue my friend.”

"You do have a bit of chivalry." When the white knight looked at Xiao Yao again, his tone softened slightly.

"I'm not leaving!" Shen Jie retorted angrily, "I'll follow you wherever you go!"

Just as Xiao Yao was about to argue with her, the white knight sighed, "Very well! If you really want to help us, then hurry up."

As the white knight spoke, he turned and walked out of the teachers' office. Xiao Yao and Shen Jie exchanged a glance and had no choice but to follow.

Before leaving, Xiao Yao walked to the fallen head of Sekker and pulled the axe out again.

This time, the door to the office was no longer open to a church, but rather to a normal school corridor.

The white knight led the two up several floors to the rooftop: "Look."

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie walked side by side to the edge of the rooftop and looked in the direction the white knight was pointing.

Even though they had already witnessed too much magic in this mirror world, they still couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at the spectacle before them.

On a clear day like today, the skyline that should be visible from this direction is defined by the Shanghai landmark, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and the skyscrapers of Lujiazui. However, the right bank of the Huangjiang River under the bright sun is now a hazy yellow.

The East China Sea has become a sea of ​​sand—a tsunami that just submerged the left bank of the Yellow River has occurred, several cargo ships are stranded on the riverbank, and only crumbling ruins remain of Lujiazui in the sand. The Pearl of the Orient has disappeared, replaced by a huge white, pyramidal building with a golden spire that shines brightly in the sunlight.

"Pyramids? Brand new?!" Shen Jie exclaimed excitedly, quickly taking out her phone to take pictures.

"Let's start filming!" Xiao Yao took on the role of the吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to complain or criticize).

“Taking pictures is useless; nothing from this world will be brought into the real world.” The White Knight gazed at the Pyramid of the Orient and explained, “The pyramid you see is your classmate Xiong Ji’s research laboratory.”

"What are you researching? Are you researching the resurrection of the dead?" Xiao Yao asked casually.

“You’re right.” The White Knight remained serious.

"Are you serious?" Xiao Yao chuckled.

"Are the pyramids white? Aren't they just piles of yellow earth and stones?" Shen Jie asked doubtfully.

"The pile of loess and stones is a pyramid that has stood for thousands of years. Originally, it was white and gold," Xiao Yao explained.

"We will go there and bring him back," the White Knight announced. "You two go and rescue Yu Luying. Be quick. Every physical body that enters this world has a countdown; if it stays too long, it will be permanently controlled. That's why we agreed to let you help."

"Huh? How much time do we have left?" Xiao Yao asked nervously.

"You have enough time to love."

"? Isn't that Heinlein's science fiction novel?" Xiao Yao was completely baffled.

The White Knight did not answer his question again. He simply put two fingers into his mouth, whistled, and a tall, pure white warhorse with a full saddle and bridle appeared out of thin air beneath him.

"How did he manage to stick his hand inside the helmet and whistle?" Xiao Yao asked Shen Jie in a low voice.

"Open the saddlebags," the White Knight commanded.

Shen Jie stepped forward and took out a top, a short skirt, another top, a pair of trousers, and finally two student ID cards with fluorescent green ribbons and a map from her saddlebag.

“With this diagram, you should be able to find Yu Luying’s classroom. Wearing this St. Francis Xavier’s uniform and carrying your student ID should be enough to fool most of the Seckles. But be careful, there might be some sharp-eyed ones, and,” the White Knight cautioned, “don’t linger in the shadows.”

"At least we have pants to wear now," Xiao Yao commented.

"Take Yu Luying back to this rooftop to meet us." The White Knight finished speaking and then took the reins. "You're a Knight too, protect your Queen."

"So," Xiao Yao said, taking out the badge, "do you know what's going on with this chess piece? She's the Queen, why am I not the King?"

"Want to be king, huh?" The White Knight chuckled from inside his helmet. "Then join us in our conquests."

As soon as the white knight finished speaking, the warhorse neighed, its front hooves left the ground, and it reared up, carrying him as it leaped off the rooftop.

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie watched as the warhorse, halfway down its descent to the ground, suddenly extended a pair of pure white wings from its sides, resembling those of an angel, and flew towards the distant Oriental Pearl Pyramid.

"He's kind of handsome," Shen Jie commented.

"These must be VVIP players who have spent a lot of money," Xiao Yao said.

"You're talking nonsense again," Shen Jie rolled her eyes and said, "Change your clothes!"

……

“If you dare to look back, I’ll throw you off this cliff,” Shen Jie warned.

"Is it really necessary? We're an old married couple..." Xiao Yao muttered.

"What did you say?" Shen Jie asked with a smile.

"I said... Ouch, it hurts, it hurts! No, no..."

The two changed into their school uniforms, neatly pinned their student IDs to their chests, and looked each other over.

"This school uniform is quite nice," Shen Jie said. "Is it from your school?"

"It's alright, nothing special." Xiao Yao tucked the axe handle into his waistband and unfolded the map: "What about our school? I've never seen it before."

This map is less of a map and more of an architectural diagram. In reality, St. Francis High School only has two or three buildings, but in this mirror world, these three buildings are copied and pasted in all directions, forming a huge three-dimensional maze.

“This reminds me of Nobita and the Platinum Maze,” Xiao Yao said with a wry smile. “No wonder we haven’t been able to find Yu Luying.”

Shen Jie said she could understand architectural drawings, so Xiao Yao had her take the drawings and walk ahead while he followed a couple of steps behind, keeping watch for the appearance of Seckel around them.

"This map is amazing! It even shows our current location, and the cursor keeps moving with it," Xiao Yao said.

"Hmm," Shen Jie replied indifferently.

"Just like in a game," Xiao Yao added.

Shen Jie did not speak.

"I have to say, this tattered school uniform is actually quite good-looking."

Although Shen Jie is short, her proportions are impeccable. Her long, fair legs peek out from under her British-style plaid skirt, swaying rhythmically back and forth.

Her dress was new, but her chunky sneakers and socks looked like they had just been pulled out of the mud, which looked very out of place.

Is the allure of ankles peeking out from trousers and shoes more captivating, or is the charm of short socks framing the smooth curves of the calves? Xiao Yao had no answer.

"I feel like I've somehow managed to summon Don Quixote again. Is it something I can only use in a critical moment?"

"..."

Xiao Yao finally realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere. Shen Jie's reaction reminded him of that day when he took a taxi home from Gongqing Forest Park and the girl was angry and preoccupied.

"What's wrong? What did I do to upset you?" Xiao Yao rushed forward and walked alongside the girl.

Chapter 63 Stroll

2023-01-01

"What's wrong? What did I do to upset you?" Xiao Yao rushed forward and walked alongside the girl.

"No."

"Then what's wrong with you?"

"I'm just tired."

"..." Xiao Yao was about to speak when his stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?" Shen Jie put away the structural diagram in her hand and took out a chocolate bar from her coat pocket—a foreign brand, not even in English, the packaging was intact, but it was all melted.

"Aren't you hungry?" Xiao Yao asked her.

"I'm fine," Shen Jie replied calmly.

The two sat down on the ground by the school corridor to rest for a while. Xiao Yao plopped down on the ground, only to see Shen Jie elegantly cross her legs and place them to one side, forming a Z-shaped sitting posture. She even deliberately pressed down her short skirt, seemingly to prevent any accidental exposure.

"Thanks... Goodness, this gigolo is too bitter." Xiao Yao opened the chocolate packaging, took a sip, and then grinned.

Shen Jie looked at him, neither scolding his glib tongue nor pretending to ignore his verbal advantage: "Do you think being a kept man is so delicious? If it's going to be bitter no matter what, you might as well make it bitter in a pure way."

"Huh?" Xiao Yao was completely baffled.