Chapter 4

Shu Ying’s question was extremely direct. Long Qi stared blankly for several seconds. Did Miss Shu want to date her?

But they had only just met and knew nothing about each other. Why would Miss Shu choose her?

Besides…she had grown up in an orphanage and stumbled through life before encountering the apocalypse. If she had not obtained a fragmentary copy of the Xuanjian and forged an unconventional path into cultivation, she would have died long ago amid the scarcity of the apocalypse. She was accustomed to living and cultivating alone. Her plans for her life contained nothing related to romance, marriage, or even children.

She would not make a suitable romantic partner, much less someone with whom to share a life. She was afraid she could never fulfill anyone’s expectations.

Long Qi quickly made her decision. She said gently, “I’m sorry, Miss Shu. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you.”

The woman beside her said nothing for a moment.

Then came the faint sound of fabric brushing against fabric. The trailing hem of a black satin gown glided across the leather seat. Long Qi raised her head, only to be caught completely off guard as the woman left her seat, leaned over, pressed herself into Long Qi’s embrace, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders and back. The woman’s expression and tone remained cold, yet her body was soft, warm, fragrant, slender, and light. She pressed close to Long Qi without the slightest reservation and asked with a frown, “You don’t have those kinds of feelings for me? Not even a little? Is there someone else you like?”

As the woman drew closer, the diffuse rose fragrance gradually intensified, permeating and occupying every one of Long Qi’s sensory [read the original at bailiantales.com]cells. The woman’s manner was cold, but she smelled sweet, making her seem delicious and tempting—like a sugary rose ice cream cake blended with chocolate, milk, and honey.

Long Qi had gone hungry for a period during childhood. Although she had managed to stay fed after the apocalypse began, it had been a very long time since she had eaten any especially delicious sweets. She simply could not bring herself to dislike something her mind perceived as exceptionally sweet. Besides, she truly was attracted to women.

She turned her head away with difficulty. Countless ripples disturbed the lake of her formerly tranquil heart, making it impossible for her to maintain a steady state of mind.

Keeping her voice as calm as possible, she asked, “Is Miss Shu looking for someone to have a one-night stand with?”

“What I want is a more permanent, long-term arrangement,” Shu Ying said evenly. “I am an adult Omega. I’m twenty-eight years old. For the past ten years, I have relied on suppressants to endure my heats. If I continue using suppressants and soothing agents, their side effects will gradually cause my pheromone glands to deteriorate, and I may even become infertile. I now need an Alpha who is compatible with me. I need her to remain by my side as much as possible during my heats and provide temporary marks.”

Gazing at Long Qi from extremely close range, she asked softly, “Would Miss Long be willing to become my partner Alpha?”

Long Qi belatedly recalled that her scattered memories did contain some knowledge about ABO sexes. But her body was unquestionably her original body—even the tiny mole on the inside of her left wrist was the same. How could she possibly possess an entire secondary sex system?

She smiled bitterly. “Miss Shu, I’m not an Alpha. I’m afraid I don’t meet your needs. Besides, I currently have nothing at all. I’m not suitable for you.”

Even at such close range, Shu Ying still could not detect the slightest hint of pheromones from Long Qi. All she could smell was the detergent on her clothing. It was quite common for an Alpha and an Omega [unauthorized copy]to establish a semi-permanent arrangement. An Alpha’s pheromonal response to an Omega she desired should occur naturally. This Alpha was unwilling to let Shu Ying obtain any information from her pheromones. She truly did not have the slightest interest in her.

She was even willing to deny her own sex to reject her.

“I was presumptuous.” Shu Ying rose and returned to her own seat. Resting her cheek on one hand, she silently gazed at the city streets beyond the window.

Shu Ying said nothing more, so Long Qi also fell silent. Without her noticing, the car had already arrived at the police station. She promptly got out, bent slightly at the waist, and politely thanked Shu Ying inside the vehicle.

Housekeeper Mei E got out as well and handed Long Qi a small paper bag of cookies. She smiled and said, “I made these cookies myself. I hope everything goes smoothly for Miss Zhu!”

“Thank you,” Long Qi said.

The woman standing outside the car possessed an ethereal presence and impeccable manners. She smiled faintly, seemingly unaffected by the small incident that had occurred inside the vehicle.

Shu Ying withdrew her gaze and said listlessly, “Let’s go.”

The luxurious limousine started smoothly and drove away.

Long Qi watched the vehicle leave. At the last moment, she noticed a faint pink flush extending from the corners of Shu Ying’s eyes to her cheeks. Those features indicated approaching romantic fortune—and a favorable romance at that.

An outstanding woman like Miss Shu would certainly have no shortage of Alphas willing to accompany her.

A few faint traces of regret suddenly arose within Long Qi.

She knew that Shu Ying had been serious when proposing that arrangement. That woman was not the sort to accept others easily, yet after such brief contact, she had considered choosing Long Qi, a potential partner with no foundation or status. She must have difficulties of her own.

How could Long Qi possibly have no favorable feelings toward Shu Ying? She was such a beautiful, extraordinary woman with such an uninhibited and fiercely individual soul.

Once the thought arose, Long Qi’s mind immediately became tangled and complicated. Standing beside the road, she smiled bitterly. Given the path of cultivation she followed, it would actually be best if she never allowed her heart to be moved.

The wind blew from the southeast, which was also the direction in which Shu Ying had departed. Long Qi turned toward the police station and suddenly remembered with perfect clarity that Shu Ying’s beautiful wide-brimmed hat had been decorated with nine dark-blue lilies of the valley. Today was September 1.

On a sudden impulse, she drew a number and [read the original at bailiantales.com]cast a divination. Qian above, Xun below—the hexagram was Tian Feng Gou.

Gou meant encounter. It represented an exceptionally important first meeting.

Long Qi’s heart grew even more unsettled.

Had this not been her first meeting with Miss Shu?
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“You want to change your surname to ‘Long’?” The service window was staffed by a middle-aged man. After reading Long Qi’s application, he looked her up and down and questioned her. “Your surname was given to you by your parents. Why would you change it to an unrelated surname?”

“Wanting to change it is reason enough,” Long Qi answered politely without offering any further explanation. Local law allowed adult citizens to choose their names freely, and household registration regulations were very lenient. She also intended to transfer her household registration into the city’s collective household registry as a single adult citizen, cleanly severing her connection with both of her original families.

Cultivators were wary of karmic ties and entanglements. Leaving the Zhu family alone had been the first step in severing those ties. Changing her name and transferring her household registration would be the second. Once that was done, her entanglements with the Zhu and Liu families would be minimal. Whether those two families prospered or fell into ruin in the future would have nothing to do with her. Conversely, neither family would be able to benefit from her future success.

Long Qi was very confident about her future. A cultivator could never lack money; there were many ways to earn it. Her requirements were not particularly high, either. She could do any kind of work, earn enough money to meet her needs, and live a simple life in this materially abundant world.

“Ms. Zhu, I suggest you think it over,” the employee said rigidly. “This service window is unauthorized copynot processing surname changes today…”

Long Qi frowned. Changing her name should have gone smoothly. Why were these additional obstacles appearing?

Agonizing pain suddenly pierced her head. A second passage of plot text appeared before Long Qi’s eyes, written in a glaring blackish-red that evoked an intense sense of horror:

〖Zhu Qi stumbled away from the Zhu family, heartbroken, furious, terrified, and lost. Her wealthy adoptive parents had abandoned her, yet deep in her heart, she looked down upon the impoverished household of her biological parents. She hid inside a hotel room, numbing herself with delivered food and alcohol. The small amount of money remaining in her account was soon exhausted. Zhu Qi ended up homeless. At her most destitute, she could only spend the night beneath a drafty bridge…〗

Changing her surname was something Long Qi had decided to do herself. It was not part of the plot. So some unknown entity now believed she had deviated from the story and wanted to punish her, using pain to force her back onto the plot’s path?

Long Qi’s head hurt as though it were about to split apart. Her complexion gradually turned pale, and dense beads of sweat seeped from her temples and down her back. Yet she merely blinked, raised her head, and stared at the male employee behind the window. “I am requesting a surname change. Process it for me now. It is not yet closing time, my application is legitimate, and the regulations permit it. If you cannot process it, find someone else who can.”

Her brain throbbed violently, as though countless fine needles were stabbing into her fragile head at once. It was an agony no ordinary person could possibly endure. The pain made her want to scream, howl, and roll across the floor. She even wanted to smash and pound her head against something hard, crushing her brain until the pain finally disappeared.

But Long Qi had survived ten years of the apocalypse alone and relied on her extraordinary spiritual perception and perseverance to forge her own path of cultivation. How could she be someone who surrendered easily to fate? Had her will been even slightly weaker, she would have died long ago in an apocalypse where people killed others for a single mouthful of water or a piece of bread.

Long Qi sneered. What she hated most in this life was being threatened.

Enduring the excruciating pain, she visualized an immense mirror within her mind, vast and boundless. It extended infinitely, enormous yet minuscule, heavy yet weightless. It was clear, bright, pure, and flawless, reflecting every object in the world. Her state of mind became like a lake reflecting the world. The final ripple caused by the pain faded from its surface, and Long Qi gradually detached her consciousness. The excruciating pain remained, but it could no longer affect her heart.

For the first time, Long Qi saw her own figure within the mind-mirror she had visualized. It was an extraordinarily profound state. She seemed to have gained another pair of invisible eyes and could actually “see” herself standing before the service window. She was covered in cold sweat, her expression dark and gloomy, but she displayed no other abnormalities.

A faint sense of delight naturally arose within Long Qi. Her cultivation had advanced.

With a shift of thought, Long Qi stared at the employee behind the window and asked, “Can you process it or not? If you can’t, find someone else. Otherwise, I’ll keep filing complaints all the way up the chain.”

The male employee actually felt somewhat intimidated by her mirror-bright eyes. After staring at them for two seconds, another, far more reasonable thought—one he had intentionally or unintentionally ignored—suddenly surfaced within his mind.

That was right. The law stated that citizens could voluntarily change their surnames. Why could this woman not change hers? Why had he said that they could not process the request today?

But the lucid thought lasted only an instant. The male employee quickly returned to his rigid manner and said, “I’m sorry. This service window isn’t processing surname changes today.”

It was as though the man had been possessed by a ghost, ​stolen content​with conflicting thoughts battling inside his mind.

Long Qi studied him for a moment. An idea suddenly came to her. She tore off a square yellow sticky note, picked up the counter pen attached to a coiled cord, and wrote the character “除” in bold, sweeping strokes.

This was the simplest type of evil-warding talisman.

Her handwriting was both elegant and unrestrained. After writing the character “除,” she casually pressed the note onto the back of the male employee’s hand, making it stick.

The employee froze, then said angrily, “What are you sticking on my hand?” He reached out to tear off the note, but his mind suddenly felt exceptionally clear and comfortable, causing him to shudder involuntarily. He lowered his head and looked at the character “除” written on the note, then sneezed. His mind became even clearer, and he instinctively stopped himself from removing the note.

Long Qi asked again, “May I change my surname now, or should I file a complaint immediately?” She took out her phone.

“…Yes, you may.” According to regulations, adult citizens were indeed free to change their surnames. The employee hurriedly accepted Long Qi’s documents. In only ten minutes, he helped her change her surname and issued a new citizen identification card on the spot. He then processed the transfer of her household registration, moving her directly into the collective household registry.

Long Qi was very satisfied. She stood and walked out of the police station. The floating plot text before her eyes was now such a dark crimson that it appeared almost black. The excruciating pain inside her head continued. Although it could not influence her behavior, it had still consumed a great deal of her strength.

“If you want me to follow the plot, don’t try to force ​stolen content​me.” Long Qi looked at the sky and muttered to herself. No one answered, but she did not care.