"You're not reflecting at all, are you?"
Bai Ming's eyelid twitched. She had a feeling Herta actually looked genuinely angry.
So Bai Ming immediately dropped to her knees in a smooth, practiced motion—flexible enough to bend when needed.
"Sorry, I was wrong."
"You'd better actually know you were wrong."
Herta shot her a glance, then walked up to Bai Ming, raised her hand, and smack—pressed her palm against Bai Ming's forehead.
When Herta pulled her hand away, a chibi Herta mark appeared right in the center of Bai Ming's forehead.
And that wasn't all.
Herta casually slapped again, her palm landing on Bai Ming's chest. Right along that valley, she stamped another mark unique to herself.
"Returning the favor. You're not allowed to erase it within a day, and you're not allowed to cover it up."
"Are you in elementary school?"
Bai Ming lowered her head and touched her chest, feeling speechless.
"Hmph~"
Seeing Bai Ming behave so obediently, Herta snorted softly, her mood clearly improving.
She opened the dessert box and took a simple bite.
It tasted okay, though still not as good as Ruan Mei's.
"Flavor's so-so. But why is Acheron being so enthusiastic?"
"She's been training at the Boundary of Nihility, purifying Sin Thirsters and trying to master more of Nihility's power until now, of course she's enthusiastic."
Herta nodded.
"Let's put Acheron aside. I came to ask—about when you'll be able to control Nihility and take me to the Boundary of Nihility to deal with Kakamond."
"You already chased Kakamond off and you're still not satisfied?"
"Of course not. That woman didn't even try. She ran halfway through—I wasn't done yet."
Bai Ming raised an eyebrow. Judging by Herta's attitude, she was probably going to hold onto that grudge for a long time. But before Bai Ming could speak—Herta stormed over, grabbed Bai Ming by the waist, yanked her close, and kissed her twice, hard.
"Tch. Can't settle a grudge on the spot. Annoying."
"…You're annoyed, so you're taking it out on me?"
Bai Ming braced against Herta's shoulders, complaining helplessly, but Herta glared back like she'd heard a trigger word.
"You're the same. You randomly came and messed with me back then. How many grudges do you think you've built up here?"
"Yeah, yeah, and you've gotten plenty of revenge already."
"I don't care. Just stay with me."
As she spoke, Herta tightened her core, pivoted on her toes, spun Bai Ming around, and fell onto the bed in one smooth motion.
From above, Herta stared down at her.
"And you came to see me carrying desserts made by another woman. I don't feel like letting that grudge sit overnight."
"…"
Right, right. When it comes to labels she stays silent, but now her possessiveness shows up.
Even though her mind was full of complaints, Bai Ming saw Herta was clearly in a bad mood, so she chose to go along with it.
But—
A researcher is still a researcher.
Though Herta's physical ability far surpassed ordinary people, compared to Bai Ming she was basically a stamina disaster.
And Herta herself was the awkward type—using her bad mood as an excuse to cling to Bai Ming.
She struggled for a while… and then exhausted herself completely.
Bai Ming's experience, on the other hand, was pretty good—she just had to lie there and cooperate.
Then, Herta collapsed from fatigue, while Bai Ming still looked refreshed, even smiling and comforting her.
That sense of defeat and frustration made Herta even more displeased.
Who knew where that sudden competitive spirit came from.
Originally, Bai Ming planned to end things there. Herta was clearly worn out and needed rest, but this woman insisted on throwing taunts.
Her whole body was soft—only her mouth stayed stubborn.
Could Bai Ming just indulge her?
Well… at first, she planned to.
Herta being sharp-tongued but soft-hearted wasn't new. Bai Ming had understood and accepted that long before they became intimate.
Unfortunately, for Herta, who had failed the "challenge," this kind of concern from her "enemy" felt worse than punishment, especially seeing that expression.
It practically said: your efforts only make me happy; your provocations feel like you're acting cute.
Of course, that wasn't entirely Herta's imagination.
At least in Bai Ming's eyes, Herta's weak, soft provocations really did look like acting cute.
So Herta got even angrier.
In the end—
To soothe her, Bai Ming pushed back decisively.
Sometimes Bai Ming really felt Herta had a bit of a masochistic streak.
If Bai Ming cared for her gently, she got upset and said she was being looked down on, but once Bai Ming counterattacked and pushed her until she lost composure, showing that soft expression…
Herta's mood improved instead.
Then she fell asleep on the spot, completely satisfied.
After everything, Bai Ming personally cleaned up Madam Herta and tucked her into fresh bedding.
Finishing tidying up, Bai Ming looked at the peacefully sleeping Herta.
She reached out and pinched her cheek. The marks on both their faces hadn't faded yet—probably another ten system hours left.
More noticeable, though, were the red marks on Bai Ming's neck and chest.
When she went back to the Luofu later, she'd need to change into something not low-cut.
Herta's mouth was the toughest thing about her—she liked biting at the slightest chance, only because Bai Ming deliberately suppressed her physical strength.
Otherwise, with a body enhanced by the Path of Permanence, even breaking her teeth wouldn't let her bite through, let alone leave marks.
Even so, these traces would heal automatically in one or two system hours.
If Bai Ming stopped suppressing herself, they'd probably already be gone.
Sigh… but since Herta left them, what else could she do? Just spoil her.
Bai Ming didn't hesitate to pick out a light-colored small dress from Herta's wardrobe.
The style resembled the puppet outfits—not overly fancy, but convenient for movement. As for whether Herta would mind… she said Bai Ming could wear whatever she liked.
--+--
After quickly tidying herself and dispersing the scent on her body, she returned to the Luofu.
Acheron was wandering around, eating and drinking nonstop.
Seeing Bai Ming return—changed clothes, with a stamp on her forehead—she looked surprised.
"Why were you gone so long? And you even changed clothes. What happened?"
"Madam Herta was in a bit of a mood. I soothed her." Bai Ming shrugged with a smile, completely calm.
They were all adults, after all—not inexperienced teenagers.
"Madam Herta? It's hard to imagine that genius needing comfort."
A thoughtful, puzzled look appeared on Acheron's face.
She probably couldn't picture it.
But…
"Sounds like you and Madam Herta are… very close."
"We get along pretty well. She was the first person I met when I came to this grand galactic stage."
Bai Ming blinked playfully, then clasped her hands behind her back, stepping closer and meeting Acheron's gaze.
"Are you jealous?"
Faced with what sounded like teasing, Acheron immediately countered. "A little. After all, you did say you'd take responsibility for me."
"Cough… that responsibility wasn't meant that way, right?"
"It could be. You're not as distant as other Aeons. It makes people want to pluck you down."
Acheron looked at the Herta-shaped mark on Bai Ming's forehead for a while.
She didn't know what exactly happened, but she could tell they were very close.
Otherwise, it was hard to imagine Madam Herta stamping someone like that.
So yes… she was a bit jealous.
Acheron wanted to become closer to Bai Ming too.
Seeing the change in Acheron's gaze, Bai Ming broke into a cold sweat.
Wasn't she just supposed to be a mental anchor? A spiritual support?
How did it… change so quickly?
It wasn't that Bai Ming disliked Acheron. She just never considered anything actually happening.
Acheron's condition wasn't good, and she resisted deep connections. And in this situation—Bai Ming felt like she'd be taking advantage.
If Acheron didn't need a mental anchor, would she still feel this way?
As Acheron stepped closer, Bai Ming held her shoulders and spoke seriously.
"Calm down, Acheron. I'm happy to be your anchor—it means I matter to you. But if we go further under these circumstances, I'd feel like I'm taking advantage. Can you understand?"
"… "
Acheron stopped.
She understood.
She needed an anchor to reality to strengthen her will against Nihility.
Otherwise, she would die.
In such extreme circumstances, Bai Ming refusing feelings born from that was reasonable, but for Acheron, choosing Bai Ming as her anchor already meant a decision.
Still… for now, seeing Bai Ming's expression, Acheron knew she wouldn't accept it even if she explained.
So she stepped back half a step.
"To me, choosing you already meant my decision. But if you're concerned, then we'll leave it like this. I'm willing to wait."
"… "
Bai Ming felt her heart skip.
Being chosen so firmly, and hearing it spoken so openly—anyone would be moved.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL