Chapter 396: Brother, the Melon is So Sweet

Ordinary.

Quiet.

The light and shadows of childhood had long since faded.

But today, because of the dappled light leaking through the gaps in the leaves and the brother accompanying her, that gray world turned colorful once again.

Xu Moli lived very happily.

Forgetting all troubles.

Forgetting all sorrows.

Immersed in a world that belonged only to her and Xu Xi.

In everyone's heart, there is a self-defined utopia.

Xu Xi looked toward the sky, stroking his sister's smooth long hair, thinking that this might be her utopia.

It had nothing to do with the Supreme of the cultivation side.

It was the Mortal Xu Moli's precious fantasy, something she had yearned for and obsessed over for countless years.

"I'll spend more time with Mo Li," Xu Xi thought. The sunlight was too dazzling, making him squint slightly as he planned for the future.

…

Nighttime.

With skilled techniques, Xu Xi cooked a table of delicious food.

The ingredients weren't special—just common vegetables—but with the enhancement of magical culinary skills, the surface of the glistening dishes shimmered with a faint golden light.

"Mmm…"

Xu Moli sat at the dining table.

Looking at the table full of glowing dishes, she fell into deep thought.

"Even though it's not the first time I've seen it, as expected… it's still very surprising."

"To what level have Brother's culinary skills reached?"

"Just ordinary ingredients, yet they can have such a magical effect."

The girl frowned.

While puzzled, she chewed the dishes Xu Xi had stir-fried bite by bite.

"Brother, can you teach me how to cook?"

"Of course, but why so suddenly…"

Xu Xi was a bit surprised.

This was the first time his sister had proposed the idea of learning to cook. Xu Xi was curious why she suddenly felt this way.

Xu Moli's answer was simple.

She said that from childhood to adulthood, it had always been Xu Xi cooking, and she felt bad about it.

"Brother, I've grown up. From now on, leave things like cooking to me."

The girl giggled.

She claimed she would definitely make the most delicious food.

That confident look left Xu Xi stunned. Ultimately, he agreed to Xu Moli's request.

There was no time like the present.

After dinner ended, Xu Moli took to the stove, deciding to try her hand at it.

Her culinary skills actually had a certain foundation; they just weren't as profound as the Witch's or the Mech-Servant's, and she certainly didn't have Xu Xi's glowing ability.

"There's no reason I can't do what Brother can…"

The girl muttered to herself.

Deliberating, thinking, and trying to make a glowing dish for Xu Xi.

About half an hour later.

Xu Xi saw the following scene:

Scorch smoke filled the pot, the color of the vegetables was twisted and strange, and black bubbles gurgled as if it were an indescribable otherworldly monster.

Flames rose, and the wall turned black.

An unpleasant, pungent smell gradually drifted into his nostrils.

Xu Xi chuckled. He didn't criticize Mo Li's cooking, nor did he scold her harshly. He only comforted her in a gentle tone:

"It's okay, Mo Li."

"I believe that one day, your culinary skills will catch up to mine."

Afterward.

Xu Xi and Xu Moli cleaned the stove together, tidying it up.

In a corner where Xu Xi couldn't see.

Xu Moli silently discarded one of the tactics from "108 Strategies to Capture a Man's Heart."

[To capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach.]

This strategy wasn't wrong.

But unfortunately.

The girl found no possibility of success.

…

The following days remained ordinary and plain.

In their leisure time.

Xu Xi and Xu Moli would sit at home and chat, listening to each other's stories after the first simulation ended.

Or they would leave home to wander the city market.

And head into the mountains and forests, using their superhuman experience to gather wild items that could be exchanged for money.

Time was silent.

Years left no trace.

Gradually, the people nearby learned of the existence of the Xu siblings.

Some farmers sent fruits and melons to show friendliness.

There were also those who were arrogant and domineering, wanting to commit illegal acts upon seeing only two of them.

However.

Such thoughts were often never implemented.

The person involved would suffer a sudden disappearance.

"Xi-geer, you two really have good luck. That Wang Erhu was a famous villain for miles around. Fortunately, he was taken by the immortals before he could harm you."

An old man sighed, exclaiming that the heavens had eyes.

Xu Xi chatted with the old man nearby, agreeing deeply: "Yes, the immortals are protecting us."

So.

Who was this immortal?

Xu Xi, who possessed the status of both a True Immortal and a God, felt it was truly too difficult to guess.

…

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since they arrived in this Mortal world.

A scorching summer.

It had officially entered the Great Heat stage.

That blazing sunlight seemed to ignite the very air.

Sultry and suffocating, people wore thin clothes just to seek a sliver of coolness in the heatwave.

Cicadas chirped in their ears, and green waves of midsummer rolled.

Even wearing cloth or straw shoes, the roads baked hot by the sun still made people suffer.

Xu Xi also reduced the number of times he went out.

Most of the time, he would rest at home, eating watermelon with his sister, quietly watching the summer heatwaves beat against the treetops, waiting for that stunning intersection of red and green.

"Brother, this melon is so sweet."

Gently holding the ice-cold watermelon.

Taking a bite, she only felt a grainy texture, with a clear sweetness rushing into her mouth, the flavor bursting forth as she bit down.

The girl ate sweetly and happily.

Because she ate so fast, a large circle of water stains and a small amount of red fruit pulp stained the corners of her mouth.

Xu Xi wiped the corners of the girl's mouth.

Then, he also picked up a slice of watermelon and ate it with Xu Moli.

"Yes, it is indeed very sweet."

The azure sky, the scorching air—the sweltering world only left the sound of green leaves rubbing together, with the occasional insect flying by.

Everything seemed like a replica of old times.

Back in Blackstone City.

The siblings had also each held a slice of watermelon.

Only back then, Xu Moli was only four or five years old, her legs not even as high as the doorstep.

But now.

She had fulfilled her past wish.

Her body had grown tall, and she accompanied Xu Xi in a mature state, sharing his worries and paving the way ahead for him.

"Brother, I'm sleepy~~."

Xu Moli was very full.

After eating.

She skillfully fell into Xu Xi's arms, looking drowsy and ready to sleep.

That posture was very similar to the Mech-Servant's, making Xu Xi feel that the loyal Mech-Servant might have invisibly corrupted his sister.

"Then take a nap."

Without exposing the girl's thoughts.

Xu Xi wiped his hands with a clean cloth, then gently wiped Xu Moli's face, removing the remaining watermelon juice.

The summer day was peaceful, and the atmosphere was lazy.

Along with the threads of cicada chirps, the girl, who was originally just pretending to sleep, gradually grew drowsy.

She lay in Xu Xi's arms.

Making slight resting sounds.

Xu Xi adjusted his sitting position to make Xu Moli sleep more comfortably, his fingers lightly brushing the fine hair on the girl's forehead, slowly soothing her uneasy heart.

The summer heat turned the outside world into a furnace, continuously roasting all things.

But Xu Xi sat in the cool house with Xu Moli, successfully avoiding all the scorching heat in their small space for two.

"Nothing has changed at all…"

"Mo Li is still so dependent on me."