NOVEL NEXT Chapter 288:
Chapter 288: Returning to the Old House:
“Moli, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Moli only wants to stay by Brother’s side.”
“Then… Krisha, what about you?”
“I have no such preference, Teacher.”
“Sigh… Ailei, do you?”
“I have no places I wish to visit, no scenery I wish to see. My only desire is to continue serving you.”
The shopping trip was over.
Xu Xi walked out of the mall, accompanied by the supreme beings around him—some coldly elegant, some calm as ice, some fiery and passionate, and some poised and graceful.
He had asked if any of them wanted to go anywhere else, thinking they could make a visit together.
Unfortunately, the answer from all of them was the same—no.
“What about me? What about me?”
“Sir, you didn’t ask me!” Wu Yingxue widened her eyes in disbelief, shocked that Xu Xi had skipped over her.
Thump—
With a light flick, Xu Xi tapped her forehead.
His tone was resigned. “Do I even need to ask? You go out more often than I do. You’ve probably explored the entire planet by now.”
“Heh, well, that’s true.”
She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing her forehead.
The lively crowds, the running children, the laughter and playful chatter filled the winter streets of Yan Mountain City.
Though the New Year was still a ways off, the city—draped in white snow—was already exuding the festive warmth of the upcoming celebrations.
More importantly, the bitter cold had significantly lessened.
Xu Xi extended his hand, letting a snowflake land in his palm.
It was barely noticeable, just the faintest touch of frost.
“Since no one has anywhere in mind, let’s just wander around for a bit.”
None of the girls had a specific destination.
After thinking it over, Xu Xi decided they might as well take a casual stroll through the city.
It was still early, and there was nothing pressing waiting for them back at the courtyard.
They walked, stepping through the intertwining dance of wind and snow.
Their footsteps repeated the cycle of passing years.
With his subtle magic at play, no one paid attention to Xu Xi or the girls walking beside him.
His thin silhouette blended into the snowy world, unremarkable and unnoticed.
But as he walked, his steps suddenly halted.
The familiar signs of nearby shops, the bustling storefronts filled with customers, stirred old memories from the depths of his mind.
[Taiji Bun Shop]
[Psychic Hair Salon]
[Battle Qi Horse Training Academy (Now Offering Battle Qi Wings!)]
Familiar signs.
Familiar advertisements.
A familiar layout.
“Without realizing it, we’ve walked near my old house?”
Xu Xi chuckled, glancing around at the street lined with businesses that had fused Earth’s culture with transcendent practices.
Memories surfaced.
The courtyard he lived in now—
He had only moved there after the second simulation ended.
Before that, he had lived in a small, cramped old house, confined to a wheelchair, watching the world through a window.
Passive.
Helpless.
For years, he had observed the outside world from a distance, merely watching as time passed him by.
Now that he thought about it…
That felt like a lifetime ago.
“Since we’re here, let’s go take a look. I might as well check if anything seems off in that place.”
“Maybe the simulator’s appearance is somehow connected to that house.”
With that thought in mind, Xu Xi led the way toward his former home.
Along the way, he stopped by a bun shop and bought snacks for the girls.
Surprisingly, the flavors of tofu pudding sparked some disagreement.
Moli liked sweet.
Yingxue preferred savory.
Krisha liked bitter.
“…Ailei, you’re not eating?” Xu Xi glanced at the machine servant, who had remained silent.
The winter sun was not as blazing as summer, nor as dazzling as autumn.
But in the pure, crystal-clear world of snow, everything was illuminated with an almost flawless clarity.
The snow-covered path reached up to Ailei’s ankles.
She stood quietly, shaking her head at Xu Xi.
“I do not require food, Master.”
In the fourth simulation, Ailei had been an intelligent machine. She had never needed sustenance—eating was meaningless to her.
And now, even after transcending into an eternal supreme being, she had long since abandoned the cycle of mortal needs.
She had no habit of eating.
No need to eat.
Unless… it was food personally made by Xu Xi.
“I see… Then I’ll find time to cook something for you later.”
Xu Xi smiled and reached out, gently ruffling Ailei’s hair.
Snowflakes danced, their shimmer reflecting in her silver-blue eyes.
Yet the ones that fell upon her head never settled—her ears trembled slightly, shaking them off with high-frequency vibrations.
“Yes, Master.”
“Ailei will always be waiting.”
The machine servant’s expression was simple yet undeniably happy.
With that, Xu Xi continued forward, leading the girls toward his old home.
—
His spiritual energy condensed into a solid key, mimicking the shape of a real one.
He inserted it into the lock, turned the handle, and—
With a light push, the long-abandoned door creaked open, dust shaking loose in the process.
Creak—Creak—
The rusty hinges groaned, the sound sharp and grating.
Inside, the room was small and dimly lit.
It was practically empty.
Anything useful had long since been moved to the courtyard.
All that remained were a few scattered, worthless objects, things that would likely never be used again.
Like his old wheelchair.
In the corner, the cheap folding wheelchair sat folded up, coated in a thick layer of dust.
The once-metallic surface had dulled with age, giving it an air of utter neglect.
“Purify.”
Krisha lifted a single delicate finger.
An invisible wave spread through the room.
All the dust vanished instantly.
Even the stale, musty air had been purified, leaving the room fresh and spotless.
“Thanks, Krisha,” Xu Xi said, stepping inside.
His eyes swept over his former home.
There was a deep sense of nostalgia.
Who would have thought…
That someone who had resigned himself to a lifetime of despair would one day obtain a Life Simulator, turning his fate around?
“The mysteries of fate… truly beyond comprehension.”
Lost in his thoughts, Xu Xi reflected on his past.
Meanwhile, the girls’ attention had shifted elsewhere.
Specifically, to the wheelchair.
“Brother… You used to use this?”
Moli’s voice grew colder.
A realization hit her—a delayed reaction.
Xu Xi had the ability to reset his body and heal himself, but his previous disability had haunted him for years.
Perhaps…
She should rewrite history.
Find the culprit.
And cut them down.
“Yeah, I used to use that.”
“But there’s no need to dwell on it. That’s all in the past now.”
Xu Xi snapped out of his thoughts and laughed.
He reassured them, gently nudging them away from the idea of seeking revenge on whoever was responsible.
The source of his past misfortune was the Life Simulator itself.
And they wouldn’t even be able to find it.
Let alone kill it.
Of course…
If that day ever came, Xu Xi wouldn’t mind swinging his sword himself.
He’d make sure the simulator understood the wrath of a sacrificial offering.