Chapter 29: Who Is This Chubby-Cheeked Girl?

"How about this: I'll give you 80 game coins a month, and 20 to Granny Sun. She can assist you in answering tourists' questions and guiding them in martial arts. What do you think?" Qiao Mian asked.

Altogether, a hundred game coins—a salary about the same as an average Transformer.

Though her combat skills were a little lacking and she couldn't carry passengers yet, her beauty was undeniable.

Despite never having been to school, the Little Dragon Maiden was not only literate but also adept at arithmetic.

She calculated in her heart, "In just ten months, I can buy one vial of Blood Orchid Extract and add ten years to Granny's life."

"All right," she nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Qiao."

"Can I bring Granny over now?" she asked.

Hearing her mention Granny Sun repeatedly, Qiao Mian couldn't help but smile wryly. He hadn't expected the Little Dragon Maiden to be so impatient.

But thinking about it, he understood. The two had depended on each other for years; such concern was only natural.

It was this side of the Little Dragon Maiden that made her all the more human.

...

In the Tomb of the Living Dead.

Granny Sun knelt on the ground, utterly distraught.

"Miss, where have you gone?" She was teary-eyed.

"Granny, I'm here." A cool, clear voice suddenly entered her ears.

Granny Sun spun around and saw a white-robed figure standing by the icy bed.

"Miss!" Granny Sun exclaimed in delight, standing up.

"Granny." The Little Dragon Maiden smiled gently.

"Where did you go just now?" Granny Sun's worry returned.

The Little Dragon Maiden couldn't suppress her happiness. "I went to a..."

Half an hour later, both of them were led by Optimus Prime to the fitness plaza.

No sooner had they entered than they felt the extraordinary atmosphere of the place.

Standing in the center, they found their internal energy circulating much faster.

They exchanged startled glances.

Optimus Prime, unaware of their reactions, explained their duties as Qiao Mian had instructed.

"If you need anything, you can call Zero. That's Mr. Qiao's steward..." Optimus Prime explained.

Both nodded.

There was a small courtyard in a corner of the fitness plaza, backed by forest.

"This is your residence..."

After a while.

Having thoroughly explained everything as requested by Qiao Mian, Optimus Prime asked, "Any other questions?"

They shook their heads.

"Before we officially open, feel free to look around," Optimus Prime said. "Later, I'll bring other colleagues over to introduce them to you."

"Thank you, Mr. Optimus," Granny Sun replied hurriedly.

"Just call me Old Prime." With a swing of his iron fist, Optimus Prime quickly transformed into a truck, his cab nodding as he drove away.

Only after he was gone did Granny Sun withdraw her gaze and turn to the Little Dragon Maiden, who was looking around in wonder. "It's truly hard to believe."

"Let's check out our quarters first," the Little Dragon Maiden suggested.

Their residence was a small quadrangle, fully furnished.

To their delight, it even had a television, refrigerator, washing machine, and computer.

"This is how you turn on the TV, right?" Granny Sun asked, holding a remote.

"Maybe we should ask Zero?" the Little Dragon Maiden said uncertainly.

Soon, they had the television on, browsing the built-in film library.

Looking at the dazzling array of covers, they clicked their tongues in amazement.

Though Granny Sun insisted on deferring, the Little Dragon Maiden gave her the first pick.

After some fiddling, Granny Sun randomly selected a drama that caught her eye.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes."

They sat on the sofa, watching with keen interest.

The antique costumes and dazzling fight scenes invited their constant commentary.

Until...

Guo Jing, the great hero?

The Taoist priests of Quanzhen Sect?

At the foot of Mount Zhongnan, the Tomb of the Living Dead?

Little Dragon Maiden?

Granny Sun?

The two unconsciously sat upright, exchanging looks.

"Zero?" the Little Dragon Maiden tried to call.

"Happy to be of service," Zero responded.

Qiao Mian had enabled partial steward permissions for all employees.

"What's with this 'Return of the Condor Heroes'? Why does it mirror my world so closely?" the Little Dragon Maiden asked, puzzled.

Optimus Prime had mentioned something earlier, but she'd been too distracted by everything to think much of it.

Zero gave a brief explanation.

"It's a work of fiction from Earth's imagination, but it overlaps highly with your world," the Little Dragon Maiden mused. "If it weren't for Mr. Qiao's intervention, would my future and Granny's be just like in this drama?"

"Yes," Zero replied.

A strange, inexpressible feeling stirred in her heart.

She turned to look at Granny Sun.

Granny Sun gazed back at her with an odd expression.

"Let's keep watching," the Little Dragon Maiden said calmly.

Granny Sun nodded. "Except that old woman is far too ugly. I don't look nearly that awful."

The Little Dragon Maiden couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"How could that round-faced girl possibly be you?" Granny Sun went on. "Her looks and bearing can't compare to you at all."

The Little Dragon Maiden's smile grew wider.

They watched with relish.

Before the first episode was even over, Granny Sun had died.

"Granny!" the Little Dragon Maiden cried out.

"It's all fake, nothing to worry about," Granny Sun chuckled. "See? I'm just fine."

The Little Dragon Maiden nodded earnestly.

They kept watching.

When the scene came where "she" and a young man undressed to practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, the Little Dragon Maiden blushed and scoffed, "Utter nonsense!"

But in her heart, she couldn't help but substitute herself and Qiao Mian into the scene, her fair cheeks flushing an even deeper red.

Her cultivation required a calm, restrained heart, but not the utter denial of desire.

At heart, she was just a naïve young girl.

Until the Dragon Knight appeared...

"Outrageous!" Granny Sun shouted, raising her hand as if to strike the TV.

The Little Dragon Maiden hurried to stop her.

Her own expression was far from pleasant, but she managed to keep her composure. "It's all fake, Granny, no need to get angry. By the time we return, it might be a hundred years later."

"And there's no way that round-faced girl could be me!"

Privately, she resolved that if she ever returned, she would make sure to find and kill that wretched Daoist named Zhen Zhibing!

After the show ended, they both slumped on the sofa.

"Granny, do you think any of it is real?" The Little Dragon Maiden, who had seemed so composed, finally asked.

The show had left her breathless.

But the thought of ending up with a boy four years her junior, who called her 'aunt,' filled her with shame and disbelief.

Impossible.

She felt no connection to it at all.

Granny Sun let out a long sigh. "It's all fake as far as we're concerned."

She turned to the Little Dragon Maiden, tears streaming down her face. "As long as you live your life safe and sound, free from illness and harm, this old woman could die happy."

"Granny." The Little Dragon Maiden embraced her.

She understood that Granny blamed herself.

In the show, everything began because Granny had kindly taken in the boy called Yang Guo.

Though the ending was happy, the series of ordeals they endured—no one would ever willingly go through such things.

...