The Ultimate Conqueror: Xī'ěr Triumphs Over the Mirror Lady

"The Call Was Dropped"

The phone call was abruptly disconnected. Yi Bai could almost feel the fury of the Rose Earl, though she didn't even have to speak for him to imagine it. In fact, just before the call ended, he was pretty sure he heard something like, "Keep practicing with me," followed by thunderous crashes. Then, the reflection in the mirror vanished.

"Well... This can't end well," Yi Bai muttered, a wry smile creeping onto his face. "The Rose Earl's anger is probably through the roof. She's not going to want to talk to me for a while."

"As for Jiang Ling... She's probably been dragged off to practice after discovering the Earl's dirty secrets."

Yi Bai grinned. "Looks like I might get some peace and quiet for a while. No need for any more potions for the time being."

A thought struck him—he never expected that forming a contract with Xī'ěr would come with such unexpected perks. Maybe he'd have to thank her properly for this later.

Just as he was contemplating that, a voice rang out, cutting through his thoughts.

"Big Brother~"

Yi Bai froze. It was Xī'ěr's sweet, lilting voice, but something about her tone felt off. Her usual cheer had softened, and she sounded almost timid.

"Uh..." Yi Bai snapped back to attention, immediately sobering. The grin he'd been sporting faded, and his expression turned serious. In front of him sat Xī'ěr, still clutching the shattered mirror, her face tinged with worry. In the reflection, Mirror Lady's disheveled image caught his eye—her elegance now gone, replaced with a sharp, blazing fury in her eyes.

Talk about bad timing. It was like trading a wolf for a tiger.

"Hello, Mirror Lady. What can I do for you?" Yi Bai asked, forcing a polite smile, though internally, his mind was already racing. The last time the Mirror Lady had looked at him with that much rage was when she found out about Xī'ěr's little surprise visit.

It wasn't hard to guess why the Mirror Lady was still mad. She had just been venting her frustration on the Rose Earl, and now she was here to take it out on him.

"What's going on?!" Mirror Lady snapped, her fury nearly tangible. "You're asking me what's going on?!"

Yi Bai froze, a sense of dread creeping up his spine. What should he say? Should he come clean about the little games he and Xī'ěr had been playing? Or should he keep quiet and pretend nothing had happened?

He quickly decided silence was his best bet. "Silence is golden," he muttered to himself. "And it's probably going to save my life."

Xī'ěr seemed to notice her mother's growing anger. She quickly flipped the mirror to face her own cute face and deployed her ultimate weapon: an innocent, wide-eyed look. The power of childlike charm was undeniable.

"Mommy~"

Mirror Lady's anger immediately softened. Her icy glare melted as she gazed at her daughter, her expression turning tender. She had always been a formidable bloodline aristocrat, but when it came to Xī'ěr, she was utterly powerless to stay angry.

"Turn around," Mirror Lady said, her tone much softer, though still stern.

"No~" Xī'ěr pouted, shaking her head defiantly. "You haven't missed me at all? Aren't you curious about how I've been doing? Don't you want to chat with me?"

Yi Bai took a deep breath and gave Xī'ěr an exaggerated thumbs-up for her skills. "Nice," he whispered to himself.

Xī'ěr didn't stop there. Her face twisted into a perfect pout as she switched to her backup tactic: throwing herself into the role of the wronged child, accusing Mirror Lady of neglecting her.

The tactic worked wonders. Mirror Lady's resolve cracked immediately. Her stern gaze melted as she sighed and began asking Xī'ěr about her day.

Yi Bai observed the scene, mildly entertained but also slightly relieved. Since the day Xī'ěr had "run away" with him, Mirror Lady had been preparing herself for this moment. What she hadn't anticipated was how quickly things would unfold. If it weren't for her keeping a few cards up her sleeve, Xī'ěr might have completely fallen under Yi Bai's influence by now.

The heartwarming scene of mother and daughter chatting was almost too perfect. However, Yi Bai knew better than to let things drag on too long.

"Alright, alright, I'm off," Yi Bai said, giving Xī'ěr a thumbs-up and pointing toward the door.

Xī'ěr silently acknowledged with a gesture, and Yi Bai slipped out quietly.

He made his way to the poolside, where, despite the lack of sunlight, lounge chairs had been set up for sunbathing. He plopped down, letting out a long sigh.

"Well, that was a rollercoaster of a day!" Yi Bai muttered to himself. "Not quite a battlefield, but close enough. Maybe this is a test from the heavens to see how much I can handle."

He thought about the whole mess with the Mirror Lady, the Rose Earl, and Xī'ěr, feeling a strange sense of pride. "Thank goodness my silver tongue worked. I managed to talk my way out of that one."

"Now, onto the next task!" he said, pulling himself together. "We've got to stay on track. No time to rest."

He waved at a nearby Water Ghost employee, who immediately scurried over to attend to his needs.

As the Water Ghost approached, Yi Bai casually asked, "Got anything to drink? I'm feeling a bit parched. Maybe a snack too?"

Lazily reclining, he figured it couldn't hurt to try out some side quests. After all, with Ralph's intervention, he had already been given a "completion" notification for the main game, but there was still plenty of room to mess around with the side tasks.

"Go ahead and issue me a task," Yi Bai added, his tone casual but filled with intent.

The Water Ghost blinked in confusion but quickly recovered. "Of course, Lord Yi Bai! I now issue you a task: please consume the food in front of you and drink this wine made from the blood of the Tiger Demon."

Yi Bai grinned, giving a satisfied nod. "Ah, now that's a proper task."

The Water Ghost was quick and efficient, bringing over a tray with strange, exotic fruits and a deep red drink. Yi Bai didn't hesitate. As he sat back and prepared to enjoy the oddities of this strange world, he couldn't help but marvel at the bizarre, yet strangely thrilling, life he had found himself in.