Bai Yimo?
So it was her.
The Desire Demon Race aura he’d sensed in the starry sky that day had been hers. She was the one who stole the angler’s lone boat, leaving him to take the fall for it.
So, their paths crossed again.
The corners of Shi Ming’s mouth curled up as the words of the Eye of Destiny materialized before his eyes.
[Pluck a feather from a passing goose.]
[Some things are like water in a sponge. If you’re willing to squeeze, there’s always more to be had.]
[Your last squeeze was far too merciful. The Desire Demon Race’s leader, Bai Yimo, has escaped from her prison and regained her freedom. But this is not the kind of freedom she truly wants.]
[Perhaps this presents another opportunity for a squeeze.]
[...]
["Miss Bai, you wouldn’t want to waste a thousand years in this Star Cave, would you!"]
["Get me out of here, and I’ll do anything!"]
Shi Ming blinked.
’The Desire Demon prodigy, ripe for the squeezing, has shown up again... but what else does she have that I can squeeze out of her?’
’Treasures? She has none.’
’She’s flat broke.’
’Her Desire Origin?’
’She’d rather self-destruct than give it up.’
’All her other, more common Origins?’
’No, that’s not enough.’
’Such bargaining chips might be tempting in the outside world, but in this Star Cave, they’re worth very little. Not nearly enough to warrant a helping hand. In a desert in his past life, a plain old bottle of water could be sold to a tycoon for a heavenly price!’
’I have to up the price.’
’And I have to get her back for framing me last time!’
Shi Ming steered his vessel forward to meet her.
"Miss Bai... it truly is a small universe!"
...
...
...
Bai Yimo’s Spiritual Power was far inferior to Shi Ming’s.
But even from a great distance, she sensed Shi Ming using his Spiritual Power to project his voice across the Star Sea. She froze for a moment, then realized what was happening.
’So I’ve run into an acquaintance!’
The seductive fantasies swirling in her mind instantly evaporated.
’Damn it!’
’That unyielding bastard!’
’Last time in the Star Cave, he squeezed my biggest secret out of me, yet he still refused to take me from that prison—even though it would have been effortless, costing him nothing. If I hadn’t been clever and lucky enough to hitch a ride on some old codger’s boat, I’d probably still be in that prison space, keeping company with the corpses of my clan!’
She instinctively wanted to avoid him.
Yet, she had a nagging feeling that this man, so brimming with vitality, must have a way to quickly escape the Star Cave. If she could play her cards right, she could spare herself a thousand years of solitude. After a moment of internal conflict, she moved to greet him after all.
She saw Shi Ming wearing a simple, earnest smile.
It was a stark contrast to the detached, ascetic air he’d had last time.
Before Bai Yimo could even greet him, Shi Ming started chatting away like they were old friends.
"Bai Yimo, I told you that you’d be able to escape that prison even without my help. And look, just a few days later, you’ve successfully broken out of that pocket dimension connected to the Star Cave and regained your freedom. It seems my proficiency with fate is even greater than I thought."
A muscle in Bai Yimo’s cheek twitched violently.
’Hmph!’
’You’re certainly good at singing your own praises!’
’I was the one who seized the opportunity and adapted to the situation! How does that suddenly become a testament to *your* power over fate?’
"You little... heheh, it seems we’re fated to meet. I still don’t know your name, however."
"The Star Sea is endless. A name is just a label."
Bai Yimo did her utmost to keep her voice gentle and alluring—soft, silky, with a cloying quality designed to stir a creature’s protective instincts.
"Heheh. If you’d rather not say, little brother, it doesn’t matter."
"The Star Sea is endless, and exploring this Star Cave Star Realm is an unbearably lonely task. I see your ship only has a horse and a bird aboard. How dull! Why don’t we let bygones be bygones and travel together? We could have a lot more fun. What do you say?"
Bai Yimo acted as if she was ready to wipe the slate clean.
"We could also discuss how to obtain a third Nirvana Origin. And I could even give you some... hands-on instruction. A thousand years is a long time; we ought to do something meaningful with it, right?"
Shi Ming glanced at her.
"A thousand years?"
"Who told you I plan to spend a thousand years in this Star Cave?"
Bai Yimo’s heart sank.
’Just as I thought. He has a way out.’
As if to prove his point, Shi Ming swiped his hand through the void like a blade.
A rift was forcibly torn into the fabric of space.
There are two ways to traverse the Dark Cosmos. One is to use a starship’s features to plunge directly into it—in a normal Star Domain, this is the most convenient method. The other way is to first "open a door" and then "board," which is suitable for areas where space is unstable. You slice open a passage to the Dark Cosmos and then enter. Its main advantage is stability.
"For others, the depths of the Cave of the Stars is a treasured destination that takes a thousand years to reach. For me, it’s as accessible as my own backyard."
"This is already my third trip here this month."
"This reunion was certainly unexpected, but I’m heading back to Treasure Star in the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. I hope we can meet again in the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country in a thousand years."
The aura emanating from the rift was unmistakably that of the Dark Cosmos.
’Whether or not he can actually traverse it, the guy clearly has a few tricks up his sleeve. No wonder he was able to reach the depths of this prison star realm, the Cave of the Stars, at such a young age.’
’And it seems he’s the only one who knows this method.’
"You..."
Bai Yimo opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say.
’She was destitute. She could never satisfy the appetite of this insatiable man.’
"You want me to take you with me?"
Bai Yimo froze.
She had expected him to feign reluctance and play games, trying to squeeze every possible benefit out of her. She never thought he’d be so direct.
’Well, that makes things simpler.’
"Name your price. What do you want? I’m completely broke right now. You already squeezed my only spare Nirvana Origin out of me last time. As for my other three, they’re fused with my very being. If you demand them, I’d rather drift alone for a thousand years! I can give you this lone boat, though. It’s a fine supreme treasure, and it would suit you well."
"Is this boat yours to give?"
"It’s mine now, and it’ll be yours later~~"
Bai Yimo’s voice was a captivating, winding melody; no male creature would have the heart to refuse her request.
Shi Ming appeared to be pondering this.
"You’re right."
"The Nirvana Origins and all that... I don’t need them. However, that method you taught me for acquiring a third Nirvana skill—I still haven’t mastered it. So how about this: after we leave the Cave of the Stars, you will serve me for one hundred years. During that time, you must obey my commands. Of course, I won’t give any overly harsh orders. After a hundred years, you’ll be free to leave and do whatever you wish. How does that sound?"
’Since you have nothing I can squeeze out of you right now...’
’...I’ll just squeeze it out of your future self.’
’One hundred years of work in exchange for avoiding a thousand years of desolate wandering. A ten-to-one return on investment. This deal is an absolute bargain. To think that I, Shi Ming the great philanthropist, am able to offer a clear way out to a young lady on the run in this land of despair... I suppose that’s my good deed for the day!’