Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

"It's all that useless god's fault."

Xia Yunli reached into Bai Ze's pocket and, like fishing, pulled out a tiny, sleeping doll-like girl.

Mingming stretched and looked at her with a dazed expression, half-opening her eyes.

"Hello, congratulations on your marriage..."

Then she was suddenly thrown away, but Bai Ze caught her with lightning speed.

Xia Yunli coldly looked at the embarrassed god: "After returning from the underworld, we probably also became tainted by concepts related to death, which is why we attracted spirits."

"Wait a minute, you four weren't the only ones swept into this other world. Did others encounter the same thing?"

Bai Ze questioned.

Moreover, he himself not only entered the underworld, but even smashed the Yellow Springs. How come he didn't encounter any stalking phenomena?

Surely they're not afraid of some unseen force and dare not show themselves.

"That's why I said I wanted to quit."

Xia Yunli pointed to herself, then to Mingming being carried by Bai Ze, her face full of disgust, "That guy and I... because of the ritual, we established a deeper bond than anyone else at the time."

That's why she was able to call out to the other person when she was trapped in the Qingqiu Otherworld, which eventually attracted the attention of Bai Ze and her sister.

"So ultimately, the stalking phenomenon was attracted by you."

Bai Ze helped her finish what she hadn't said.

The girl pursed her lips, like a cat trembling its whiskers to express its dissatisfaction.

"That's right, they were just implicated because of me. It's better for me to leave, isn't it?"

"You're exactly like your sister in this respect."

Bai Ze couldn't help but sigh.

This is the kind of person who feels responsible for the misfortunes around them and then chooses to flee far away from everyone else at lightning speed.

Xia Yunli, you are so sweet and gentle right now!

"Huh? Can you stop acting like you're already my brother-in-law? Do you even know my sister?"

Xia Yunli crossed her slender, shapely legs, turned around, and leaned against the wall next to Bai Ze.

They probably looked like delinquent teenagers being punished for smoking together—this strange analogy flashed through Bai Ze's mind.

"It's mainly because your sister's personality is too easy to understand."

He shifted his feet slightly, making way for them.

"I wouldn't dare say that, after all, she doesn't even know that she's actually jealous of me."

The girl gazed ahead with a hint of loneliness, gently tapping the edge of the wall with her heel.

She was indeed somewhat hurt by what happened in the Qingqiu Otherworld.

"Am I... a burden to my sister?"

She murmured to herself.

In her attempt to actively seek greater power to get closer to the other party, Xia Xingzhi ended up in Fuyuna, leading to a series of events.

In a sense, the reason my sister was controlled by jealousy was because I sent a phantom thief warning letter to the witch of the Spirit Disaster Bureau.

The more you do, the more serious your mistakes become.

So when she realized she was attracting stalkers and causing trouble for her bandmates, her first reaction was to run away.

"If I had just settled for a peaceful life from the start, avoiding anything unnecessary—it would have hurt!"

The once melancholic, artsy young woman covered her head after being struck by Bai Ze.

"Then I wouldn't have met your sister, and we wouldn't have had this conversation."

He put the rolled-up newspaper he had picked up from the recording studio doorknob back in its original position; it was with that he had just violently interrupted Xia Yunli's sentimental musings.

To connect a paranormal event to a strained sisterly relationship is truly remarkable, considering she's in a band.

"Both of these sound like great news."

Xia Yunli covered her head with both hands to prevent him from attacking again, while stubbornly retorting, like a gray rabbit on high alert.

"I wonder who it was that tried to sell me their older sister last time we met." Bai Ze used his secret technique of exposing dark history.

"I've changed my mind. You actually believed the phantom thief? Your shockingly perverted sexual fetishes are not suitable for my sister."

"I see. So your pitiful, remorseful look just now was also an act?"

He feigned surprise, "How dare you deceive my sympathy! That's outrageous!"

"Well……"

The girl murmured in distress, feeling both uncomfortable about admitting or denying it.

"Anyway, your sympathy must be cheap."

"The price has risen to three million per gram."

"You unscrupulous businessman, I will definitely find time to send you a warning letter to punish you."

"A defeated foe dares to boast? By the way, you only need 15 million to buy in with your entire capital now."

"Then the total amount is only a mere five grams?!"

"Now you know how terrible it was to have tricked me out of my rare and precious compassion, right?"

Bai Ze had successfully gained the upper hand in the verbal battle and was in a great mood.

"Xia Yunli, who called me brother at the beginning, was cuter."

"Even if you tear my mouth apart now, I will never again show you the slightest respect for your elders."

She declared angrily.

"That's not what you said when you were tied up."

Bai Ze dodged a flying kick from the Phantom Thief.

"Forget about it!"

Xia Yunli was furious and embarrassed. After assessing the difference in strength and realizing that she couldn't physically erase the other party's memory, she continued to lean against the wall with a gloomy face.

"In short, I've told you the whole story. There's no need for any exorcists to get involved. I'll figure out how to deal with the stalking phenomenon myself after I leave the band."

"Just like how your sister distanced herself from you because of her abilities?"

Bai Ze's question left her speechless.

Do you think your friends would be happy for your noble act even if they knew the truth?

"...So what? This is the best way to protect them."

The girl awkwardly turned her face away, avoiding eye contact. "Isn't my sister also enduring loneliness and living far away from her family?"

"That's why she sometimes regresses into a dark, fungal creature!"

"...Huh?" Xia Yunli was full of confused questions.

"Don't worry about it."

Bai Ze coughed lightly. "In psychology, this is called compulsive repetition. Because you witnessed your sister's behavior patterns, you project them onto yourself. Once you are in a similar situation, you will repeat the same things as her and experience similar psychological trauma."

"I'm nothing like my clumsy sister, please don't compare us, okay?"

Xia Yunli couldn't understand his sophistry, but she still sensitively refuted it.

Such superficial sisterhood is truly an occasional occurrence.

Bai Ze pressed further, "Then explain your feelings about deliberately distancing yourself from your friends to protect them? And explain why you agreed to cooperate with me, but haven't contacted me yet?"

"You're actually planning to act alone, aren't you?"

He gave his final verdict.

Why should I tell you what I'm thinking?

The girl bit her lip slightly, "Even if I'm sad... what's it to you?"

Bai Ze extended his hand to her: "Because you are my partner—that reason is obviously untenable."

"But you're my friend's sister, so I'll help you."

Xia Yunli stared at the lines on his palm.

My friend's...sister?

Was it for this reason that you stood up to fight against the anomalies that govern the underworld when you were in the underworld?

The accumulated pressure has made the shell she built on teeter on the brink of collapse;

The less-than-pleasant second meeting with her sister, during which she concealed her identity, further amplified the rift between them.

At times like these, if someone takes the initiative to extend goodwill—

"...Please help me, please."

Xia Yunli grasped his hand.

There was no other way but to refuse.