Flower Fairy: After transmigrating again, I became An'an's younger brother.

After hearing Lucio's serious question, "Let's talk about the Flower Fairy Magician," Xia Tong raised an eyebrow slightly and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"What's wrong?"

His tone was slightly teasing, "Lucio, do you want to talk about the battle that wasn't finished yet?"

Lucio's expression visibly froze for a moment.

He pushed up his glasses, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes behind the lenses—helplessness, wariness, and a hint of simply "I can't continue this topic."

The previous encounter in the restroom of the administrative office building, Xia Tong's strange abilities, and those powerful dark elf kings.

That's something they simply can't handle at their current stage.

However, Xia Tong is Xia An'an's younger brother, so from a standpoint of opinion, he should at least be considered an ally.

Therefore, the strategy needs to be adjusted; instead of confrontation, it is better to try to build good relations.

"No, that probing... was presumptuous of me."

Lucio shook his head, his voice steady, "This time, I just want to talk to you about the growth of the Flower Fairy Magician."

He paused, observing Xia Tong's expression, before posing his first substantive question:

Why hasn't the Plum Blossom Fairy King, Nine Thousand Years Old, returned to his position yet?

"Of course it's because my sister is still very young and has only just started out."

Xia Tong shrugged, her tone matter-of-fact, "What else could it be?"

Lucio stared at him, trying to find a flaw in that calm face—

Hiding? Covering up? Or is it really that simple?

But he couldn't see anything.

A few seconds later, Lucio nodded slightly:

"So I plan to give them some... 'help,' to help them grow up faster."

"..."

Xia Tong was silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"Then why are you telling me this?"

His tone even carried a hint of curiosity, "Logically speaking, shouldn't this kind of thing be easier to handle by keeping it from an 'outsider' like me?"

"Because you are not an outsider."

Lucio's answer was straightforward.

"You are the biggest variable. Your power, your choices—all of these will affect the whole thing. I need to know your perspective."

He spoke very frankly, almost to the point of sincerity.

Xia Tong looked at the ancient spirit fairy clan genius disguised as a primary school student and suddenly found it somewhat interesting.

Edwin was smart—smart enough to know to warn the "variables" in advance, instead of trying to be clever by operating in secret.

"As long as there is no danger to life,"

Xia Tong finally spoke, her voice calm, "I don't care."

He paused, then added:

"It's good to have something fun to watch, and it's quite interesting."

Lucio's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Fun?"

He repeated the word, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

"yes."

Xia Tong smiled easily.

"Watching my sister go from being flustered to becoming more and more adept, watching you 'seniors' rack your brains to design growth plans, and watching those Elf Kings being subdued one by one—it feels like watching a live-action TV series."

Hmm? What exactly does this person take all of this for?

However, Lucio did not ask the question.

Some questions, even if asked, will not yield a true answer; he only needs to ascertain the bottom line.

"I see."

Lucio adjusted his glasses and didn't press further. "So, as long as it doesn't endanger their lives, you won't interfere, right?"

"Um."

Xia Tong nodded, giving an affirmative answer, "As long as my sister is alright, you can arrange things however you like."

Then, as if remembering something, he added in a relaxed tone:

"Okay, for the parts that require my cooperation in the performance... just let me know in advance."

After saying that, he casually waved his hand and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

Lucio watched his departing figure until it disappeared around the corner of the stairs before slowly taking off his glasses and rubbing his temples.

Talking to Xia Tong was more tiring than I had expected.

This person... is too unpredictable.

What bothered Lucio even more was Xia Tong's last sentence—"The parts that require my cooperation in the performance."

How could he have known that there would be a part of the plan that required his "cooperation"?

On the other side, on the stairs.

Xia Tong walked down slowly. Seeing that there was no one else around, the Shadow Camellia in his pocket flew out of his pocket on its own.

Shadow Camellia hovered beside him, its deep red eyes first glancing unhappily at the upstairs before turning back to Xia Tong's face.

"That Edwin guy, he clearly didn't have any good plans."

Her tone was full of undisguised disdain, but upon closer examination, beneath that disdain lay a subtle, almost imperceptible, concern about Xia Tong's ease in reaching an "agreement" with the other party.

"Xiaotong, why are you wasting so much time talking to him? Just leave."

Xia Tong didn't stop walking, and a smile still lingered on her face:

"Hmm? He doesn't seem to want to cause me any more trouble now. That way, I can continue to safely join in the fun and watch the show."

Of course, Xia Tong wouldn't forget his goal of becoming stronger just because of Edwin's words. After all, Edwin was only speaking politely because he knew Xia Tong was not someone to be trifled with.

"Joining the fun? Watching the show?"

Shadow Chun tilted her head and stared into Xia Tong's eyes, then flew closer and gently pinched Xia Tong's cheek.

Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and an inexplicable awkwardness.

"Xiaotong, why do I feel like... you're becoming more and more like that annoying person? Have you been influenced by her bad habits?"

She didn't name names, but the two of them knew exactly who "some annoying guy" was referring to—who else could it be but the Shadow Nine Thousand Years Old, who also loved to join in the fun and was always stirring up trouble?

Xia Tong blinked, looking slightly innocent: "Really? I've always been like this."

He raised his hand, gently grasped the mischievous hand of the Shadow Camellia, and then released it naturally.

"Hmph, better not."

An Ying Chun turned her face away, a faint, almost invisible blush appearing at the base of her ears, but she still maintained her haughty tone.

She then withdrew her hand, but did not fly far away, maintaining the same height as him.

"Where to next?"

Shadow Chun asked, her gaze falling on Xia Tong's face, "Going straight home?"

"No."

Xia Tong shook her head. "Let's go take a look at that peach tree first."

They then headed towards Andromeda Park.

As they walked, Xia Tong seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to look at An Ying Chun beside her.

"By the way, Chun, do you know why the Ninth Prince has been so sleepy these past few days?"

As she spoke, Xia Tong reached into her pocket and took out the plum blossom pendant.

Upon hearing this, Shadow Chun shifted her gaze from Xia Tong's face to the pendant.

"Her,"

Shadow Camellia spoke calmly, with a nonchalant air of stating a fact, "It's probably because the plum blossoms have finished blooming."

"The flowering season is over? So... being sleepy is normal? Is it related to the season?"

Xia Tong repeated it, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the surface of the pendant as she looked down at it in her hand.

Because its corresponding flowering period has passed, it can no longer recover energy from the flower and thus enters a dormant state.

Is this... hibernation?

This realization made him understand, but it also raised another question.

"Hey? How are you feeling, Tsubaki?"

Xia Tong then raised her head, her gaze returning to An Ying Chun. "I remember the camellia blooming season is almost over, isn't it?"

Hearing Xia Tong turn the topic to herself, An Yingchun's originally straight lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

"I?"

She slightly raised her chin, her tone naturally revealing a sense of superiority, "I'm much better than her."

Shadow Camellia paused, seemingly considering her words, but ultimately chose a direct and slightly arrogant explanation:

"I have more than one way of restoring energy from flowers."

Xia Tong looked at the subtle glimmer in her eyes and her unconsciously straightened posture, nodded, and smiled, "I see. That's good."

He then carefully put the plum blossom pendant back into his pocket and put it away properly.

Now that he knew it was a normal phenomenon and Chun was in good condition, he stopped worrying about it.

Therefore, Xia Tong refocused her attention on the road ahead.

Just then, at the intersection not far ahead, a woman who looked to be in her twenties covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling slightly, and walked from the right sidewalk to the left, with the faint sound of suppressed sobbing coming from her.

Ok?

Xia Tong paused slightly.

It wasn't just because the woman had a familiar aura, but also because she exuded a magical aura.

Therefore, almost subconsciously, a whisper tinged with surprise and confirmation escaped Xia Tong's lips:

"Shanshan?"

Then, the woman who was crying in front of him suddenly stopped in her tracks.

A few seconds later, she turned around hesitantly.

The moment Xia Tong turned around, she realized that the other person might have heard her.

He reacted quickly, almost reflexively reaching out to pull the shadowy Tsubaki hovering beside him close, holding her in his arms, and whispering rapidly, "Tsubaki, turn back into a card first..."

Xia Tong wanted to bring Shadow Chun back first to avoid unnecessary trouble (so that she wouldn't be seen by those who could see her).

However, before he could finish speaking, the woman had already turned around and was looking directly at Xia Tong.

Her face was still streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and the desperate urgency of a drowning person seeing driftwood.

Then, she jogged over, her steps a little unsteady, but her goal was clear, and she rushed straight to Xia Tong.

As the distance closed, Xia Tong could see her face more clearly.

It was the face of a mature woman, with a familiar outline in her eyes and brows that she vaguely remembered, but the age didn't match at all.

Moreover, she seemed... not to "see" Shadow Chun, who was being held in front of Xia Tong?

The woman's gaze was fixed firmly on Xia Tong's face.

Seeing the other party's strong reaction, Xia Tong felt a little embarrassed, thinking that "they might have mistaken me for someone else."

He maintained his embrace of Shadow Camellia (because the other party couldn't see the flower fairy, so this action might seem a little strange to her, but he couldn't care less at the moment), cleared his throat, and spoke with a slight apology:

"Sorry, I might have mistaken you for someone else..."

"Xia Tong!"

The woman interrupted him urgently, her voice hoarse from crying and excitement, yet carrying a resolute certainty.

"You're not mistaken! It's me! I'm Shanshan! I'm Ni Ni's deskmate, Shanshan!"

Xia Tong first tightened his arms slightly, signaling the shadowy Chun in his arms to remain quiet and not speak.

Then, he raised his head, looked directly into "Shanshan's" eyes, and asked the most crucial question at that moment:

"Shanshan? Is that really you?"

Xia Tong's tone was filled with disbelief, "But... what happened to you? You look at least in your twenties now."

Upon hearing Xia Tong's question, the woman named Shan Shan—or rather, the "adult" whose soul was still that of a young girl—brought tears to her eyes again, mixed with fear and grievance. She quickly explained, "It's...it's because of making a wish!"

She sobbed, speaking haltingly.

"Mom and Dad... they're always away on business trips... every time they call, they say they hope I 'grow up quickly,' 'be more sensible when I grow up,' 'be able to take care of myself when I grow up'... I just think, if I really could grow up quickly and become like they expect, would they... would they spend more time at home with me?"

She hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, her eyes filled with a panic born of hindsight:

"Then, I...I made a wish on the wishing tree...I said, I want to grow up quickly..."

After listening, Xia Tong tentatively asked:

"A wishing tree? Is it that peach tree in Andromeda Park that suddenly bloomed?"

Shanshan nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, her voice trembling even more violently:

"Yes! That's the one! Everyone says it's very effective, so I... I went there... but I grew too fast! Just now... just now I looked like a middle school student, and when I ran out of the park, in the blink of an eye I became like this!"

She looked down at her hands, which were clearly those of an adult woman, and fear almost spilled from her eyes.

"Xia Tong, I'm so scared. If this keeps up, will I turn into an old woman soon?"

Xia Tong frowned slightly; this must be Wang Qian, the Peach Blossom Fairy.

He needed to check on the tree immediately, but he couldn't leave Shanshan, who was on the verge of collapse, alone there.

Therefore, Xia Tong quickly looked around and pointed to the public benches built at the edge of the park not far away, trying to calm Shan Shan down first:

"Oh? It's that serious... Then sit here for a bit and calm down. I'll go check on that tree now."

Upon hearing Xia Tong's words, Shan Shan seemed to grasp a glimmer of hope, but then, remembering something, she hurriedly said:

"Just now... just now An'an and Qian Han said the same thing! They saw me running out crying in the park, asked me what was wrong, and then told me to go home and wait, and not to run around... They said, they said they know a very capable friend who might be able to solve this strange thing!"

"Did you run into your sister and Qian Han?"

Xia Tong followed up with her question, keeping her tone calm so as not to increase her anxiety.

"They're right. Don't rush. Rest here for a bit and don't wander off. Their friends... can definitely help."

"R-really?"

Shanshan looked at Xia Tong anxiously, as if she were a drowning person seeing a glimmer of light. "An'an said the same thing... but... but I'm scared... Xia Tong, do you want to go see that tree? Can you... not go yet? Or take me with you? I'm so scared to be alone..."

Her fears remained deep, and she was filled with resistance to "waiting alone."

Xia Tong sighed inwardly as she looked at Shan Shan's current state.

He couldn't take the unstable Shan Shan to a potentially dangerous park, but he couldn't completely ignore it either.

"Shanshan, listen to me,"

Xia Tong softened her tone, then released her grip on Shadow Chun and placed a hand on Shan Shan's shoulder, secretly using a calming magic.

"What you need right now is safety and calm. The tree's power might have a lasting effect on you, so it's best to stay away from it. Sit here for now, I'll be right back, I promise I'll figure out what's going on, and then I'll work with my sister and the others to figure out a solution, okay?"

The magic Xia Tong cast on Shan Shan took effect, and Shan Shan's heart calmed down.

She glanced at Xia Tong, then hesitated before finally nodding, "Then...then you must come back soon, to be with An'an..."

"rest assured."

Xia Tong patted her on the shoulder, then without further delay, turned around and led Shadow Chun towards the entrance of Andromeda Park.