A long time later, the three sisters finally reunited.
Mo Xi successfully returned the red oil-paper umbrella to Sister Acheron.
At this moment, Acheron—the culprit behind it all—was innocently nibbling on a peach in small bites, looking as though she had nothing to do with any of it.
Meanwhile, Mo Xin, as expected, once again received her sister's "education of love."
"Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Sister Acheron? How could you let her wander off?"
"I... I didn't mean to..."
At this moment, Mo Xin was practically on the verge of tears.
She complained wildly in her heart. Sister Acheron had somehow gotten lost despite the destination being just around a corner. Her lack of direction was truly unparalleled.
But in the end, she swallowed those words.
After all, given Acheron's condition, she really had let her get lost.
At the same time, Mo Xin suddenly recalled a scene from shortly after they had moved into their new home.
Once, Sister Acheron couldn't find her way back to her room, and Mo Xin had enthusiastically offered to lead her there.
The room was right around the corner at the end of the corridor.
Mo Xin had personally watched Acheron walk in that direction. Yet just as she was about to leave, she turned around and saw Acheron standing downstairs in a daze.
To this day, Mo Xin still couldn't figure out how Acheron had managed to turn a one-way route into an entirely different path.
In the words of their parents: "When you're out with Acheron, never let her leave your sight."
And now, Mo Xin finally understood why.
...
After a brief lecture, the three officially set off for home.
Along the way, Mo Xi indirectly inquired about Acheron's situation.
She wasn't worried that Acheron would slip up. After all, Acheron was very different from her silly little sister.
And Acheron did not disappoint.
From just a few lines of conversation, she immediately grasped the situation and realized that Mo Xi had already fabricated a story and successfully bluffed her way through.
However, when she heard Mo Xin's earlier remarks, Acheron's calm heart twitched slightly.
If she remembered correctly, Mo Xin had become quite close to Yunli recently.
If this girl insisted on causing trouble—or worse, accidentally mentioned this matter to Yunli...
Given Yunli's personality, she might actually...
At that thought, Acheron glanced at the two sisters chatting happily beside her.
Acheron: (๑•. •๑)
Forget it. I'll let nature take its course.
Having reached that conclusion, she gave a suitably vague answer to Mo Xi's questions.
After hearing it, Mo Xi discreetly looked over Acheron's red dress.
The traces of having been drenched by rain were obvious, but aside from that, her clothes remained neat and flawless. There wasn't the slightest sign of a fierce battle.
The weight in Mo Xi's heart instantly lifted.
At the same time, an uncontrollable sense of shock quietly rose within her.
She had fought the Blue-Clothed Woman before and had a rough understanding of that person's strength.
But according to Acheron, after Mo Xi escaped, Acheron had remained behind alone to block the enemy for a time before successfully withdrawing.
In other words, Acheron had faced the being known as the "strongest" head-on and managed to stall her by herself.
Even more astonishingly, she had emerged completely unscathed.
Mo Xi (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡): Sister Acheron... is she really this strong? Just who exactly is she...?
During their encounter, the Blue-Clothed Woman had once said:
"Since you've chosen to step into the Transcendent Realm, conflict will inevitably follow you. How can you hope to remain unstained?"
Mo Xi had been unable to refute those words.
Yet she still refused to give up.
All for the sake of protecting her current family in the future.
Then... what about Sister Acheron?
This was the second time Mo Xi had questioned Acheron's true identity.
The first had been when they met for the very first time.
Back then, Acheron had inexplicably spoken a series of profound and incomprehensible words.
Afterward, she gradually became part of the family, naturally assuming the role of an older sister.
As time passed, Mo Xi stopped probing into Acheron's forgotten past.
But now...
That mysterious strength. Those deep, hazy eyes. Even our parents don't seem to know everything about her.
The more I think about it, the more suspicious it all seems.
Feeling uneasy, Mo Xi instinctively covered her eyes, afraid that either Acheron or Mo Xin would notice her expression.
Seeing this, Mo Xin immediately looked concerned.
"Sister, are you okay? Your face suddenly went pale. Did I make you angry again?"
"No... I just got caught in the rain for a while. I'm feeling a little under the weather."
"Is that so? Then let's hurry home before you catch a cold!"
She then turned toward Acheron.
"And Sister Acheron too! Lending your umbrella to Sister and getting soaked yourself is one thing, but couldn't you at least find somewhere to take shelter? How can you be so careless? If it weren't for Miss Robin earlier, you'd probably still be standing in the rain like an idiot..."
Through the gaps between her fingers, Mo Xi quietly observed her sister's innocent expression before glancing toward Acheron.
Acheron listened absentmindedly to Mo Xin's scolding.
Then she suddenly seemed to notice something.
Turning her head, she met Mo Xi's concealed gaze directly.
Mo Xi's pupils shrank slightly, and she hurriedly looked away.
Just as she was beginning to panic, a gentle hand softly landed on her head.
Acheron's fingers lightly stroked her hair.
"To seek is to receive a gift. We should cherish the time we spend together."
Acheron couldn't see through the other's thoughts.
She was simply expressing concern in her own way.
Before Mo Xi could respond, Mo Xin suddenly pouted.
"Even though I don't understand what you're saying, Sister Acheron, it always sounds so cool and profound! But I'm your sister too. You can't play favorites!"
Hearing this, Acheron's gaze lingered on Mo Xin's aggrieved face for a moment before shifting back to Mo Xi.
A flash of understanding crossed her eyes.
Then she gently placed her hand atop Mo Xin's head as well.
Mo Xin (＞⤙＜): "No! What I meant was that you should give me some profound life advice too, okay?!"
Even so, the moment that warm hand touched her head, she melted like a kitten being petted.
A foolishly satisfied smile spread across her face.
Watching the scene, Mo Xi froze briefly before smiling in relief.
That's right.
Sister Acheron was still their sister.
Why was she overthinking things?
All she needed to do was become stronger.
Strong enough that the woman from today would never be able to threaten her family's safety again.
...
A long while later, the three finally arrived home.
Their mother was already waiting, along with Ye Guizhou.
Seeing the three girls soaked by the sudden downpour, the adults immediately urged them to change into dry clothes.
However, Ye Guizhou, who had watched Acheron leave only a short while ago, suddenly noticed something.
Acting on instinct, he asked curiously:
"Eh? Acheron... was that flower on your collar there before you left?"