As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

Li Xian's mind went blank.

The fatigue from being "visited" by two S-class officials in turn was instantly wiped away by this news.

Did I anger Lilith?

That "Witch of Reason" who just broke through to SS rank, can theoretically decompose and recombine any matter, and whose age is a mystery?

He could almost picture the scene that Lingdang was facing right now:

A "little girl" who looks only twelve or thirteen years old and is wearing a Lolita dress exudes a terrifying energy that could easily wipe out a building.

He was staring at her with a stern face, as if she were an insect (or a spoiled brat)...

"I'll be right there!"

Li Xian hung up the phone without even having time to leave the house.

He glanced at the room layout, locked onto the direction of Li Yu's suite, and a thought flickered in his mind.

Spatial folding and short-distance jumps.

It's not a complete jump; that would be too disruptive.

He chose the more refined "wall-penetrating" mode.

Essentially, it involves creating a very brief and minute spatial overlap between two points, allowing him to "squeeze" through.

With a soft "pop," it sounded like a small bubble being popped.

Li Xian felt as if he had passed through a layer of sticky but harmless jelly.

In an instant, the scene before my eyes changed from the sofa in my own room to the living room carpet of Li Yu's suite.

The place to land... isn't ideal.

He was standing right next to the low glass coffee table in the center of the living room.

The airflow generated by the transfer caused a plate of unfinished, beautifully crafted macarons on the coffee table to tumble all over the floor.

Li Yu was standing next to the sofa, looking anxious.

Lingdang stood in front of her, her back to Li Xian, her little head slightly lowered, and she seemed to be tightly clutching something in her hand.

And across from them, on a single sofa…

Sitting there was a little girl who looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old.

Black Lolita dress, white stockings, and black leather shoes.

Her long, silver hair, like a waterfall woven from moonlight, was loosely tied up at the back of her head.

Her face was so exquisitely beautiful that it seemed unreal; her skin was porcelain white; her large, clear purple pupils were slightly narrowed; her delicate nose was wrinkled; and the corners of her mouth were turned down.

It was emanating an extremely unpleasant aura... that was completely at odds with its appearance, belonging to a powerful being who had lived for countless years.

SS-rank, "Witch of Reason" Lilith.

She held a steaming cup of black tea in her hand, her movements elegant.

But Li Xian could clearly "see" that, centered on her, all the microscopic particles in the air within a one-meter radius were in an extremely active and unstable state, as if they could be decomposed and recombined at any time.

Is this the unconscious energy dissipation during the "Reconstruction of Everything"? Indeed... even the air seems to want to rearrange itself.

"Brother! How...how did you get here?"

Li Yu was startled when she saw Li Xian suddenly appear, but then felt as if she had seen a savior.

Bell also turned around abruptly, her big golden eyes filled with tears, looking like she was about to cry.

Upon seeing Li Xian, he immediately called out in a wronged tone, "Old Deng..."

Li Xian didn't have time to explain how he got there.

He stepped forward immediately, subtly standing between Bell and Lilith, a smile as sincere as possible on his face.

"Senior Lilith, hello. I am Li Xian, Lingdang's father. This child is young and doesn't know any better. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf. Please don't hold it against her."

As he spoke, he quickly glanced at the scene.

There was no fight, nothing was broken up, and the bell didn't seem to be injured.

Although Lilith was angry, her energy control remained perfect, with no outward signs of aggression.

This relieved him slightly. It seemed the conflict wasn't irreparable.

Lilith raised her amethyst-like eyes and looked Li Xian up and down.

She didn't respond to him, but instead slowly sipped her black tea before speaking in a clear but slightly old-fashioned child's voice:

"Your daughter...is very interesting."

She paused, her gaze falling on Lingdang's tightly clenched little fist.

She said she wanted to give me a "gift" to mark our meeting.

Li Xian's heart skipped a beat.

A gift to mark our meeting?

What kind of greeting gift can a bell be?

snack?

He looked at the bell.

Lingdang sniffed, raised her clenched little fist, and then opened it.

Lying in his palm was the cat's paw flower that had been plucked from "Little Gold" and processed by Li Xian to look like an ordinary, exquisite gold craft.

"I...I just wanted to give the flowers to Sister Lilith..."

The sound of the bell was tinged with tears.

"My aunt said that Lilith is amazing, and I wanted to give her my prettiest flowers... and then, I asked..."

"What do you want to ask?"

Li Xian had a bad feeling.

Lingdang pouted, and tears finally fell.

"I asked her... 'Sister, you're so amazing, is it because you've lived for hundreds of years, like an old monster in a story, accumulating a lot of energy?'..."

Li Xian: "..."

Li Yu covered her face in anguish.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze instantly.

Lilith's hand, holding the teacup, paused almost imperceptibly.

On her delicate little face, there was originally only an expression of "displeasure".

At this moment, it slowly shifted to a mixture of absurdity, anger, and a hint of... "I knew it."

"Old...monster?"

She repeated each word slowly and deliberately, her purple eyes slightly narrowed as she looked at Li Xian.

"Li Xian, is this how you usually educate your children?"

An invisible pressure began to permeate the air.

It wasn't an aura of energy, but rather a heavy feeling stemming from the passage of time and the strength of one's abilities, making one instinctively want to bow down.

Li Xian felt a chill run down his spine, wishing he could sew up Lingdang's little mouth temporarily.

Even if children speak without thinking, they have to consider who they're talking to! My little darling!

This "older sister" might actually be older than your great-great-great-grandfather!

The term "old monster" is a perfect landmine!

"Please calm down, senior! This child meant absolutely no harm!"

Li Xian quickly pulled the bell behind him and explained in a rapid-fire manner.

"She just... has a vivid imagination! She's read too many fairy tales! She absolutely didn't mean any disrespect to you! She just thinks you're powerful and mysterious, like those legendary... well, highly accomplished hermit masters!"

As he spoke, he frantically gave Li Yu meaningful glances.

Li Yu quickly chimed in.

"Yes, Senior Lilith, Bell admires you so much! Before we came, she kept saying she wanted to see what a legendary SS-rank was like! That girl is so straightforward, she says whatever comes to mind. She probably thinks you're so amazing because you've undergone a long period of training, and she's praising your profound knowledge!"

Lilith didn't speak, but simply took another sip of tea.

His gaze swept between Li Xian, Li Yu, and the sobbing Lingdang.

The atmosphere remained tense.

Li Xian knew that it would be difficult to explain with just words.

This "young girl" who has lived for over two hundred years (maybe more) has a mind... well, her experience is far beyond what an ordinary child can match.

Should I do something to distract myself, or... show some sincerity?

His gaze swept over the macarons rolling on the ground, then looked at the cup of black tea in Lilith's hand, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Ahem, senior,"

Li Xian gave a slightly apologetic smile.

"The child is being naughty and has spoiled your enjoyment. How about this, I'll perform a little magic trick for you as an apology, and also to appease the child? Is that alright?"

Lilith raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat interested.

"trick?"

"Yes, a little trick for using space."

As Li Xian spoke, he walked to the coffee table, bent down, and picked up a perfectly intact pink macaron that had rolled into the corner.

He held a macaron in his left hand and gently tapped the air with his right index finger.

There were no incantations, no visual effects.

But the people in the living room, including Lilith, clearly felt that, centered on Li Xian's fingertips, the space underwent an extremely subtle and indescribable "folding" and "displacement".

The next second, the pink macaron in Li Xian's left hand disappeared.

Above the cup of black tea in Lilith's hand, about three centimeters above the rim, appeared out of thin air a... crystal clear, tiny cat's paw, carved from pure ice, radiating a faint chill.

The ice cat's paw is only the size of a thumbnail, incredibly delicate, with even the texture of the paw pads clearly visible.

It floats above the steaming black tea, slowly rotating, the cool air blending with the heat of the tea to form a subtle mist.

"I swapped the position and shape of this macaron on the ground with a little water in the refrigerator in the distance."

Li Xian explained it in a very casual way.

"I also used that little bit of water to carve a little trinket in the shape of the bell flower. I hope you like it, senior."

This technique, seemingly simple, actually involves spatial folding, causal substitution, and precise manipulation of the form of matter.

Moreover, the energy fluctuations throughout the entire process were almost nonexistent, demonstrating an abnormal level of control.

A genuine look of surprise flashed in Lilith's purple eyes.

She put down her teacup and stretched out her fair little hand.

The tiny icy cat paw landed lightly in her palm, its cool touch sending a sensation through her.

"Spatial folds... and the scent of causal threads?"

She tilted her head, her gaze towards Li Xian now filled with a hint of inquiry.

"You really have 'strong telekinesis'? Grade B?"

Li Xian felt a pang of anxiety, but managed a bitter smile.

"Senior has a discerning eye. It's just a little talent, and I figured it out on my own using the 'Basic Space Application Manual' issued by the Supernatural Abilities Bureau. It's nothing special."

He steered the conversation back to "apologizing" and "soothing the child."

Lilith stared at the ice cat paw in her palm as it slowly melted.

She glanced again at the bell, which was still peeking out from behind Li Xian, its eyes red but curiously staring at the ice cat's paw.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"……never mind."

She finally spoke, and most of the displeasure in her tone dissipated.

Instead, there was a slightly helpless disdain.

"It would make me seem petty to argue with a little kid."

She waved her little hand, and the icy cat paw instantly decomposed into the most basic water molecules, dissipating evenly into the air without leaving a trace.

"However, I don't like the term 'old monster.' Don't mention it again."

"Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely not!"

Li Xian and Li Yu were granted a pardon.

The bell was clever, though it didn't quite understand why the "old monster" was bad.

But sensing that the atmosphere had eased, he immediately crawled out from behind Li Xian and bowed obediently to Lilith.

"Sister Lilith, I'm so sorry! I won't call you an old monster anymore! You're the most beautiful and powerful fairy sister!"

Although the flattery was blatant, it was surprisingly effective when combined with her tear-stained, sincere face.

Lilith's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

But he quickly straightened his face and gave a soft snort.

"Smooth-talking...just like your father."

Li Xian: "..."

Where did I become glib? I was being very sincere!