# 1044
Chapter 1045: Unfamiliar
The moment Lin Qiye bit into the Immortal Peach, a sweet and refreshing stream flooded into his mouth, flowing down his esophagus and gradually nourishing his body.
There was no dramatic energy explosion as he had imagined, nor did he achieve sudden enlightenment into the Great Dao the instant he swallowed it. Lin Qiye merely felt as though he had eaten a cooling ember that burned slowly but steadily within his body.
A steady stream of pure energy surged from his stomach, and while elevating Lin Qiye's spiritual power, it also gradually shook the heavy realm bottleneck within his body.
At the same time, Yang Jian's voice drifted to his ears:
"The Immortal Peach is a rare treasure born from the natural workings of heaven and earth, possessing the mighty power to reshape creation. It can enhance your abilities without any side effects, though you can only eat one every five years.
Moreover, you are not a deity, so you cannot digest the energy of an entire peach in one go. Therefore, it will nourish your body bit by bit until it is completely absorbed.
At your current realm, it will take approximately a full day to fully digest the peach.
During this day, you may absorb it peacefully here. I will guard you."
Yang Jian walked into the room, took out a Prayer Mat, placed it in the courtyard not far from Lin Qiye, sat cross-legged, and slowly closed his eyes.
The two figures sat quietly atop the Jade Pool mountain peak, motionless like two stone statues.
...
Kunlun Ruins.
"I understand."
From beneath the Borderless Veil, after hearing Si Xiaonan's words, An Qingyu's eyes revealed a complex expression.
"You have Loki's soul contract on your body, while Leng Xuan has been forcibly implanted with body tissue from Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, and is under constant surveillance by Loki...
This is the first time I've seen the relationship between a deity and their agent deteriorate to such an extent.
With this, what difference is there between you two and puppets on strings?"
"He is no ordinary deity. He is the Deity of Mischief, Loki." Si Xiaonan spoke slowly. "His paranoia and vigilance would never allow him to leave anything beyond his control lingering by his side.
If it weren't for the fact that he needed someone to infiltrate Great Xia on his behalf and retrieve the [Shiva's Grudge], he would never have created agents in the first place.
From the very beginning, I was nothing more than his tool."
"Then what do you plan to do? Just let Loki keep holding you in his grasp like this?" An Qingyu hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps I could ask the Gods of Great Xia for help on your behalf?"
"It's useless." Si Xiaonan shook her head. "What he planted in my soul is the most vicious master-servant life-and-death contract. If anyone tries to interfere with this soul contract, Loki will sense it immediately, and with a single thought, he can take my life...
Additionally, my life is completely bound to his. If Loki dies, I will die instantly.
But if I die, it will have absolutely no effect on him.
Seeking help from the Gods of Great Xia won't just fail to dissolve this soul contract—if the Gods of Great Xia make any move, given Loki's paranoid nature, he might simply erase me on the spot."
An Qingyu gazed at the calm eyes of Si Xiaonan and sighed helplessly.
"Then isn't your current situation completely unsolvable?"
Si Xiaonan's eyes narrowed slightly. "There is no completely unsolvable puzzle in this world. It only depends on whether we have enough care and courage to search for that slim chance..."
Hearing this sentence, An Qingyu's brow arched.
"What?" Si Xiaonan asked.
"Nothing. I like that saying very much." An Qingyu smiled bashfully. "If it weren't for Loki's interference, perhaps we could have become close friends."
Si Xiaonan stared at An Qingyu for a long while, then smiled as well. After a moment, her smile gradually faded, and her eyes grew deeper.
"Perhaps... there will come a day."
As the two were chatting, Leng Xuan walked over slowly from a distance.
Si Xiaonan waved away the Borderless Veil around them, glanced at Leng Xuan's empty hands, and sighed:
"It seems we'll have to go hungry for the time being."
Leng Xuan's gaze swept across Si Xiaonan's face and landed on An Qingyu. His brows furrowed slightly before quickly returning to normal.
The depths hidden in his eyes were concealed. His expression was no different from the usual Leng Xuan.
"Sorry, I couldn't find anything edible nearby." He said calmly. "Did you two find a way out of here?"
"No, that door has completely disappeared." Si Xiaonan shook her head.
"Maybe we can search elsewhere to see if there are other exits." Leng Xuan spoke again.
"Mm, I was thinking the same thing."
Leng Xuan's expression, accent, and tone were exactly the same as before—even Si Xiaonan couldn't detect anything amiss.
She looked around and quickly chose a remote route far from the Jade Pool, then stepped forward.
The Gods of Great Xia were stationed at the Jade Pool, and they had just played Sam Singh for a fool. The Great Xia gods were definitely searching for other intruders now. Even with the Borderless Veil, it was best to be cautious.
Perhaps Si Xiaonan herself didn't notice that after so many years as the trickster god's agent, she had unknowingly picked up some of Loki's habits.
The three walked in the opposite direction from the Jade Pool through the Kunlun Ruins for a long time, eventually arriving before a verdant mountain range.
Night had fallen, the stars shone brightly in the darkness above, and the mountain scenery was swallowed by shadow, indistinct.
Just as Si Xiaonan was about to step into the mountains, a purple streak of light crossed the sky and landed nearby. Her brow furrowed, and she immediately闪身 (dodged) behind a nearby rock face, with Leng Xuan and An Qingyu following close behind.
The purple light stopped before the mountain range and transformed into a servant girl in a purple dress.
The servant girl looked around but detected no traces of the three behind the rock face. After a moment, she soared back into the sky and flew off in another direction.
"So they are tracking us after all." Seeing this, Si Xiaonan spoke in a low voice.
"Perhaps we don't need to rush out." An Qingyu said. "Rather than risking wandering about like headless flies here, it would be better to quietly hide in one place.
Since we have the Borderless Veil, as long as we're careful, they shouldn't be able to find us. When the time is right, perhaps that door will return on its own."
"This method is indeed safer." A smile appeared at the corner of Si Xiaonan's mouth. She reached out and touched her nose:
"However, this would also delay our return to Asgard and cause quite a bit of trouble... It really is a pity."
Si Xiaonan glanced at Leng Xuan with a smile.
"Indeed." Leng Xuan nodded calmly.
Si Xiaonan turned her head, about to speak, then seemed to think of something. Her body suddenly froze.
A cold sweat instantly soaked her back.
She僵硬地 (stiffly) turned her head back, only to see that familiar figure standing quietly in the darkness. The half of his face shrouded in shadow held an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity.