"She's not in our basement, is she?" Chu Lian asked, sounding somewhat embarrassed. If that were true, then shouldn't she start paying closer attention to changes at home? Not even noticing that someone had been added to the household was simply absurd. What if an enemy slipped in someday? Wouldn't that be incredibly dangerous?
"What are you thinking? Our basement isn't a freezer, nor is it a place suitable for someone to recuperate. How could we possibly store a person down there?" Li Mingxue was equally speechless at her words.
She knew her daughter's imagination was vast, often coming up with ideas far beyond common sense. But this bizarre train of thought—hiding a frozen person in their house—was truly something else. Was she secretly hoping for an extra person to appear in their home?
If the one who appeared were a 'daughter,' she wouldn't object. Someone as beautiful as Inori, or as lovable as Anna—she wouldn't mind having a few more like them. The problem was that Wang Shiyu held a very serious misunderstanding about you.
"Ah, so she's not at home. That's good, that's good." Chu Lian wasn't rejecting the idea of someone else living there. She simply felt that having unfamiliar people in her home would make her uncomfortable. It would feel as if her hands and feet were tied no matter what she did. She didn't like that.
"You really shouldn't overthink it. I'll tell you—she's at the bottom of Sudi's lake. The very lake you went to today. She's at the bottom of that lake. I imagine you didn't notice." Li Mingxue didn't hide anything and told her directly. After all, this was something she would need to handle sooner or later. Knowing now or later made little difference.
Knowing now would at least allow her to prepare, avoiding a hasty reaction that might lead to unforeseen complications.
"The bottom of the lake?" That truly hadn't crossed her mind. Wasn't the lakebed usually just mud and rocks? Why would someone be placed there?
"There's a passage there that leads to the cultivation world. Outsiders have no way of accessing it. Only those familiar with it know. And down there, there's even an underwater city built by a peculiar race."
"With your current strength, you're nothing remarkable there. Those stronger than you are everywhere. However, that race is tasked with guarding the various passages to the cultivation world. They have their own mission. Unless someone forcefully breaks in, they won't intervene. So you don't need to worry about that." Li Mingxue understood that Chu Lian was unfamiliar with many things, so she explained patiently.
"Mom, you mean the cultivation world isn't located within the present world, but exists in another space?" Chu Lian began to understand. If that were the case, it would explain why people from the cultivation world rarely appeared before ordinary people.
"Yes. Both the cultivation world and the Otherside each exist as independent realms. However, unlike the Otherside—whose passages are almost completely sealed—the majority of the cultivation world's passages remain open, allowing people to come and go freely. Of course, certain hidden places, such as the passages belonging to major clans and sects, are not open to outsiders."
"Those blessed lands and secret realms cannot be reached directly through passages either. Only those with fate can find them. Not even most people within the cultivation world know their locations, let alone those in the present world."
"There are only two types of passages to the cultivation world—through the sky and through the water. They lead to different places and appear in different locations. If you're interested, you can try them and see where you end up."
"In the cultivation world, as long as you are not guilty of heinous crimes or harbor pure malice, it doesn't matter if you were born in the Otherside. It is a very free world, rich in spiritual energy, and one where different races coexist harmoniously."
"Logically speaking, such a world should produce more powerful experts. Unfortunately, precisely because of its special nature, the cultivation world rarely fights among its own. Most of the time, they confront foreign races or various monsters. As a result, their combat experience and discipline pale in comparison to those of the Otherside, where survival demands constant bloodshed. That is also why the number of top-tier experts there is relatively scarce."
"That's why, overall, the cultivation world's strength is far inferior to the Otherside. If not for the present world acting as a buffer—and the fact that it is extraordinarily difficult for those from the Otherside to reach the present world—the conflicts between them would not occur only once every century. Otherwise, the cultivation world would already be facing imminent disaster."
"Those who live in comfort—how could they possibly rival those who will do anything to survive? I don't particularly like the people of the cultivation world. That's one reason I never went there." As Li Mingxue said this, she looked at Chu Lian. Her gaze seemed to stretch across endless time and space, distant and profound.
"Even though the present world is the weakest of the three connected worlds, it isn't some soft persimmon for them to squeeze at will. In fact, most of the truly powerful experts are born in the present world. It's just that, due to limited dissemination, relatively few people step onto the path of cultivation."
"The people of the cultivation world originally came from the present world as well. But after discovering it, most cultivators relocated there. Compared to the heavily restricted present world, the cultivation world—with its freedom and abundant spiritual energy—naturally suits them better."
"Of course, not all cultivators leave for the cultivation world. Some of the powerful families in the present world have always remained. Most of them not only serve as Rift Guardians but also stand on the front lines resisting invasions from the Otherside."
"As for the cultivation world... though we cultivators collectively say we've stepped into the cultivation world, in essence, we are still somewhat different from those born there. At the very least, we understand better than they do how to use our own advantages to achieve our goals."
"Does this differ from what you previously understood? Did you always think the cultivation world was merely hidden within the present world?" Seeing the confusion on Chu Lian's face, Li Mingxue knew the girl must be wondering why what she had learned before differed so greatly from what she was being told now.
"Strictly speaking, the cultivation world is indeed hidden within the present world. The Otherside is the mirror world of the present world—a dark world that stands in opposition. The cultivation world, meanwhile, is a mirrored copy of the present world, replicating most of it, yet superior in certain aspects."
"Although the cultivation world exists as its own independent realm, it will always rely on the present world for survival. If the present world were destroyed or encountered a catastrophic problem, the cultivation world would also fall into turmoil. Therefore, they cannot possibly ignore the safety of the present world. In fact, they care about it even more than the people here do."
"Therefore, many cultivation-world families are stationed in the present world. They possess special methods to open passages to the cultivation world, allowing their clansmen to come quickly for assistance. These families are considered quite powerful within the present world. However, every such family can only exist under your father's supervision. After all, compared to the present world, those who left long ago for the cultivation world are, in another sense, outsiders. And outsiders have always been the ones who require the greatest vigilance."
"The Wang family is a present-world family. Their ties to the cultivation world are minimal, and they possess no special means of opening a passage to it. That is the main reason why no one came to their aid when they were destroyed. Of course, it was also because we could not intervene without violating the treaty."
"Even if Wang Hao betrayed the Wang family and the present world, defecting to the Otherside, he was still, in the end, a member of the Wang family. Whatever happened remained an internal matter of the Wang family. For those who fail, even the cruelest ending leaves others with nothing to say. Do you understand?"
Li Mingxue had almost told the girl everything she could say at this point. She was worried that Chu Lian might feel overwhelmed by learning too much at once, so she asked.
"I suppose I understand. Then, Mom, why not simply have someone from the cultivation world treat Wang Shiyu? Are they unwilling—or unable?" That was Chu Lian's remaining doubt.
No matter how severe Wang Tingsi's sister's injuries were, in the eyes of certain individuals, healing her would not be difficult. After all, the girl was merely an ordinary person.
"That is something you need to uncover yourself. In any case, she is currently resting somewhere within that underwater city at the entrance, waiting for you to revive her. When the time comes, you will naturally understand everything." Li Mingxue's answer ended there. Whatever secrets remained were for Chu Lian to discover on her own.
"Alright..." Just like Ayase, her mother always chose to withhold things at the most crucial moments. How could she not understand their intentions? But her curiosity was like a little cat scratching at her palm, impossible to ignore.
"Oh, right. Be careful. If your strength hasn't reached high Earth level, don't make contact. Otherwise, something unexpected may happen. Even though you could handle it now, it's better to remain cautious." After saying this, Li Mingxue picked up the book resting on her ample lap and began reading.
Her attitude clearly conveyed: You may leave now. I won't answer any more questions.
Understanding her mother's meaning, Chu Lian did not press further. She simply replied, "Alright. I'll act within my limits." Then she took Inori 's small hand and headed upstairs.
"Hm?"
The white-haired girl, who had been lost in thought, noticed that only Li Mingxue remained on the sofa. She immediately turned her head and saw the fading silhouettes of Chu Lian and Inori disappearing around the corner. She hesitated, unsure whether she should follow.
"Go on. If you don't, the one you love will belong to someone else." Li Mingxue had been observing Kurosaki Satsuki the entire time. Seeing her expression, she waved her off.
Faced with Li Mingxue's teasing, the white-haired girl gave no reaction. The one she loved... that was something that shouldn't belong to her. She merely nodded, then slid her twin blades back into the scabbards on her back. Her snow-white feet moved silently across the floorboards as she quickly disappeared from the hall and headed to the second floor.
"Lian'er, many things are not as simple as they appear. You'd better be prepared. What I said may not all be true. Well, in any case, it will be a surprise." A peculiar smile curved Li Mingxue's lips. She eagerly anticipated the expression her precious daughter would wear when she uncovered the truth herself. It would surely be interesting.
"But before that, I must ensure she won't be harmed. The people of the Otherside are never easy to deal with. Though I have confidence in my daughter, I can't be blindly optimistic. Hmm... what should I prepare? Let me think." Though her eyes rested on the text before her, her gaze gradually grew distant, as if her thoughts had drifted elsewhere.