Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 107 Daily life
Hidden in the darkness outside the courtyard wall, Bai Yuekui's gaze followed the three vibrant figures inside the house.

Yang Chen could clearly feel her hand trembling slightly as she held his, her fingertips icy cold.

Warm lighting flowed through the living room.

Little Yuekui, wearing cotton pajamas with a bear pattern, rubbed her sleepy eyes and ran down the stairs in her slippers.

Like a little bird returning to its nest, it flew straight to its parents on the sofa.

"I'm not thirsty. Are you still working?" She curiously peeked her little head out from behind the sofa.

Theresa immediately opened her arms and pulled her daughter to her side, letting her sit between herself and Bai Jingyu.

"Mom just got back and is talking to your dad. Is Xiao Kui having trouble sleeping?"

"I can't sleep." Little Moon Queen shook her head and snuggled into Theresa's warm embrace.

Theresa picked up the fruit plate from the coffee table, carefully used a toothpick to pick up a piece of apple cut to a suitable size, and fed it to her daughter.

"Here, eat some fruit."

Little Yuekui obediently opened her mouth and ate, her little cheeks bulging as she chewed.

Bai Jingyu put down his work tablet, looked at his wife and daughter with gentle eyes, and gently stroked his daughter's head.

Little Yuekui swallowed the fruit, her big eyes sweeping over her parents' faces, as if she had suddenly remembered something important.

"Mom, let me tell you something. This afternoon, a strange older brother came to the yard!"

Theresa paused slightly as she handed over the fruit, looking at Bai Jingyu with a questioning gaze.

Bai Jingyu shook his head almost imperceptibly at her, indicating that they would talk about it later.

Theresa maintained a gentle expression: "Oh? What big brother?"

"He's a big brother wearing really weird clothes!" Little Moon Clan gestured, trying to describe him.

"Like...like those adventure movies on TV! He suddenly appeared in the yard, and I don't even know how he got in."

"And then?" Theresa's voice softened further.

"I fell while chasing Xiaobai and scraped my knee. It hurts so much!" Xiaoyue Kui frowned, as if she could feel the pain again.

She subconsciously pointed to her right knee.

“That older brother saw it, and he waved at me here,” she mimicked Yang Chen, pointing her little finger to her knee, “just like that!”

Her voice was full of surprise: "Then, then 'whoosh,' the pain was gone! The wound was gone too, like magic. He said he had magic!"

She tilted her little face up, her big eyes sparkling as she looked at Bai Jingyu and Teresa, seemingly seeking validation and proof that she hadn't lied.

Theresa was completely stunned. She looked down and carefully examined the knee her daughter was pointing to.

Under the bright lights, that skin looked smooth and delicate.

She looked at Bai Jingyu again, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Bai Jingyu received his wife's gaze and his mind was filled with doubts.

The surveillance footage clearly shows that only my daughter was there...

He suppressed his turbulent thoughts, forced a smile, and gently pinched his daughter's nose: "Tell Mom what happened next."

"Then he left, and he just disappeared in a flash!" Xiao Yuekui said, even mimicking the act of disappearing.

He said we would meet again in the future.

"Alright, alright." Theresa hugged her daughter tighter and gently patted her back.

"Did Xiao Kui have a little dream? Or was he too engrossed in reading? Look, his knee is fine, isn't it? Maybe he just didn't fall hard and it'll heal on its own."

"It's not a dream! It's real!" Xiao Yuekui pouted in rebuttal, but drowsiness seemed to surge up as she talked, and she yawned slightly.

"Alright, alright, it really is a little magician who has come to see our little Kui." Theresa went along with her words, her tone coaxing.

"But it's very late now, the magician needs to rest too. Shouldn't our little Kui go to sleep too? After you've had a good sleep, Mommy will take you to play in the lab tomorrow, okay?"

Xiao Yuekui nodded, and just as she was about to say something more, she started yawning one after another, and her eyelids began to droop.

She nestled in her mother's arms, her little head bobbing up and down.

“Come on, let Mommy carry you upstairs.” Teresa gently picked up her daughter.

"Goodnight, Daddy..." Little Yuekui mumbled sleepily, her little hands wrapped around her mother's neck.

"Goodnight, Xiao Kui," Bai Jingyu replied softly, watching his wife carry their daughter up the stairs and disappear around the corner on the second floor.

The living room returned to silence, leaving only Bai Jingyu alone.

He pulled up the afternoon's surveillance footage from the courtyard again, scrutinizing every detail with sharp eyes.

A moment later, Theresa tiptoed back to the living room, sat down next to Bai Jingyu, and asked in a low voice.

"Jingyu, what did Xiao Kui say...?"

Bai Jingyu handed the tablet to Theresa, which was frozen on the image of Xiao Yuekui sitting alone on the ground.

He then explained the whole story of what had happened that afternoon to Theresa.

“Xiaotian told me about it in the afternoon, but the surveillance footage showed that from the time she fell to the time she got up, she was the only person in the yard. The security system did not issue any intrusion alarms, and the gate lock was intact.”

Theresa carefully watched the surveillance footage and confirmed that no one else had appeared.

"The surveillance footage is fine... but Xiao Kui's knee..."

Theresa pondered, knowing that she knew her own daughter well enough not to say anything deceiving.

"Her description was so detailed, and that ability to heal instantly..."

Countless research topics on rapid repair and cell regeneration in the laboratory flashed through her mind, and only a rapid repair gene drug developed by the Jien Kingdom could achieve this.

“I also find it strange,” Bai Jingyu said in a deep voice.

“Tomorrow,” Theresa said decisively.

"I'm not busy tomorrow, so I can take Xiao Kui to the lab for a full body scan to see if there are any abnormalities."

She added, "Besides, Xiao Kui is almost of school age. In a while, we'll send her to the same school as Xiao Tian so she can go to and from school together. Right now, she spends all her time at home reading and researching mice, and she doesn't interact with many outsiders. At school, she'll have peers, and Xiao Tian will be there to look after her. It's much better than her staying at home alone."

Bai Jingyu pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's fine too."

"Mmm." Theresa nestled into her husband's arms.

"I hope it's just a child's wild imagination."

Bai Jingyu hugged his wife tightly, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window.

Outside the courtyard wall.

Bai Yuekui watched quietly as his mother leaned on his father's shoulder.

Everything came to an abrupt end when she was 11 years old.

Since that incident, she has never seen her mother again, nor has she spoken to Bai Jingyu.

Yang Chen didn't urge her, but silently and more tightly gripped her hand in return.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe just a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Bai Yuekui sighed deeply, as if he had used up all his strength.

She slowly turned her gaze away, no longer looking at the window that reflected the "past".

She turned her head slightly, and her voice softly reached Yang Chen's ears.

"Let's go."

Yang Chen was slightly taken aback as he looked at her profile.

He had thought she would want to stay a little longer, even if it was just to take another look.

"Won't you look at it a little longer?" he asked softly.

Bai Yuekui did not answer immediately; she gently shook her head.

"No need." She paused for a moment.

"There will be plenty of time in the future."

Yang Chen squeezed her hand tightly.

"Ah."

"Then, let's go."

Bai Yuekui took one last deep look at the warm living room window, then turned to look at Yang Chen.

"Let's go," she repeated softly.

"Now that we're back, let's go see other places."

Seeing the light return to her eyes, Yang Chen smiled and said, "Yes, sir, Boss Bai. Where to go next? You decide."

Bai Yuekui's gaze fell upon the dazzling strip of light in the city center in the distance, where Jiuchuan City's largest amusement park was located.

The enormous Ferris wheel, like a giant, luminous ring embedded in the night sky, slowly rotates.

"I'll take you for a stroll around Jiuchuan." Bai Yuekui's eyes reflected the distant neon lights.

"...Let's go ride the roller coaster."

Yang Chen raised an eyebrow: "A roller coaster is more thrilling than the Swift?"

"Give it a try?" Bai Yuekui snorted and took the first step, with Yang Chen following with a smile.

……

Inside the park, the lights were bright and the air was filled with laughter and joy.

Aside from the time her parents brought her and her brother to play there when she was little, she had never been to an amusement park again.

Bai Yuekui, arm in arm with Yang Chen, waited quietly in line, just like any other couple.

"Ready?" Yang Chen looked at Bai Yuekui beside him.

"Hmm," Bai Yuekui responded, his voice not loud, but carrying a long-lost eagerness.

In the post-disaster world, such pure excitement and joy are long forgotten memories.

The train starts moving and accelerates! A strong sense of acceleration hits you instantly.

During the first thrilling vertical dive.

"what--!"

Screams rose and fell, interspersed with a short, suppressed gasp from Bai Yuekui, which then turned into hearty laughter.

Her silver hair danced in the rapidly shifting light and shadow.

Yang Chen turned his head to look at her; her smile bloomed in the night sky, more dazzling than any neon light.

He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

……

When the train finally glided smoothly into the terminal station, Bai Yuekui's breathing was still a little rapid, his face was flushed, and his eyes were surprisingly bright.

"How do you feel?" Yang Chen asked with a smile as he helped her release the safety lever.

"It's only slightly more exciting than fighting the Devouring Beast." Bai Yuekui tidied her wind-blown hair, and the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her good mood.

"not bad."

"What's next?" Yang Chen looked around.

Bai Yuekui's gaze passed over the noisy crowd and landed on the slowly rotating Ferris wheel.

“Go there.” She pointed to the Ferris wheel.

"...the highest point."

……

The transparent spherical cabin slowly rises, and a panoramic view of the city unfolds beneath your feet.

The noise was shut out, leaving only tranquility in the cabin.

Bai Yuekui leaned quietly on Yang Chen's shoulder, her gaze fixed on the city she once thought could only exist in her dreams, through the glass window.

Yang Chen put his arm around her shoulder to make her more comfortable.

He could feel her body relaxing, and that silent dependence.

He didn't say anything, he just stayed quietly by her side.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Bai Yuekui’s voice was very soft.

"This is... the Hisakawa I remember. The place where I lived and grew up."

"Yes, it's beautiful," Yang Chen replied softly, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her head. "Even more... vibrant than I imagined."

"I've only ever told you this before." Bai Yuekui tilted her head slightly, looking at Yang Chen's face so close to hers, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. "Now you can see it for yourself."

Yang Chen tightened his arms and lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Just then, Bai Yuekui seemed to remember something, straightened up from Yang Chen's arms, and looked at him.

"Oh, right, take a picture."

"Huh?" Yang Chen was taken aback.

“A group photo.” Bai Yuekui pointed to the magnificent night view outside the window, then pointed to the two of them.

"A keepsake. For this moment when everything is still intact."

Yang Chen immediately understood and nodded with a smile: "Great idea!"

"ASH, please help me."

ASH is practically everywhere in Jiuchuan; it can be found on almost any electronic device.

“Understood,” Ash’s voice rang out almost immediately.

A small, inconspicuous light near the top of the cockpit wall flickered slightly, and a tiny lens silently emerged and adjusted its angle.

To be fair, the technology is quite advanced; they even have selfie booths inside the Ferris wheel.

"Ready? Three, two, one..." ASH's voice was like that of a top professional photographer.

Yang Chen immediately adjusted his posture, pulled Bai Yuekui into his arms, and the two looked at the camera together.

Bai Yuekui naturally nestled against him, a relaxed and genuine smile on her face.

Click.

A soft electronic sound rang out.

"The photos have been taken," ASH reported.

Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui huddled together, looking at the printed photos.

In the photo, they are embracing tightly, with the dazzling and dreamlike night view of Hisakawa in the background.

Bai Yuekui's smile was bright and captivating, while Yang Chen's eyes were gentle and content.

"Well done," Bai Yuekui commented, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Looking at Bai Yuekui's radiant smile in the photo.

Yang Chen's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the small courtyard during the day, to that little figure who had fallen and hurt her knee, with tears in her eyes and a pitiful expression.

That appearance was in stark contrast to Bai Yuekui in front of him.

“ASH.” Yang Chen’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Print out the picture of Yue Kui with tears welling up in her eyes after she fell this afternoon."

Bai Yuekui instantly understood his intention, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and he nudged him with his elbow.

"Keep it as a souvenir!" Yang Chen dodged with a grin.

"ASH, delete it!" Bai Yuekui pretended to pinch him.

"Too late!" Yang Chen raised his eyebrows smugly.

"ASH, execute immediately!"

“Okay.” Ash’s voice sounded somewhat pleased.

In Yang Chen's hand is a group photo of the night view from the Ferris wheel.

The other picture... was a pitiful image of Little Yuekui sitting on the grass in the afternoon sun, her knees bleeding, her little mouth pouting, her beautiful big eyes filled with tears, stubbornly holding back her sobs.

Bai Yuekui watched as his embarrassing childhood self was printed out in high definition.

Her fair cheeks flushed instantly, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance on her face: "Orange!"

She reached out to snatch that "dark history" document.

Yang Chen quickly held the photo high: "Don't grab it, don't grab it, one for each person, it's fair and reasonable."

Bai Yuekui stared at him, then looked at the photo again.

Finally, he couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head helplessly: "Childish!"

But they didn't actually try to steal it again.

She carefully took the photo and gently ran her fingertips over the images of the two people in it.

She glanced at the "childhood close-up" in Yang Chen's hand, and a gentle smile curved her lips.

She carefully put the group photo away, then held out her hand to Yang Chen: "Give me that photo too."

"Which one? This one?" Yang Chen waved the photo of Little Yuekui crying.

"Yes." Bai Yuekui nodded, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"I will keep my own photos safe, so you won't spread them around later."

Yang Chen smiled, but solemnly placed the photo in her outstretched palm.

"Take good care of it; it's a one-of-a-kind treasure."

Bai Yuekui looked at the small, aggrieved version of himself in the photo, and his eyes softened considerably.

She carefully tucked both photos into her inner pocket.

As the Ferris wheel cabins slowly descended, the noise below gradually became clearer.

Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui walked hand in hand with the crowd.

Bai Yuekui's gaze swept over the roadside stalls selling various souvenirs, and suddenly he remembered something, turning his head to look at Yang Chen.

"By the way, those gifts... you said you bought them. In 2033, where did you get the money? Did you let ASH hack into the payment system?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chen gave a slightly guilty smile: "Well, more or less, but we did pay for it."

Seeing Bai Yuekui's puzzled expression, he continued.

"ASH was deducted directly from your dad's personal account."

Bai Yuekui paused for a moment, then raised his hand to his forehead and let out a helpless sigh.

"……All right."

The feeling... is a little subtle, but it doesn't seem too strange.

After all, the money comes from the customer; the gift was bought for her.

Besides, Bai Jingyu, who started his business in the gaming industry, is not short of money.

The two strolled around for a while longer, enjoying the long-lost warmth and vibrancy of everyday life.

As night deepened, the noise in the amusement park gradually subsided.

They found a quiet, secluded corner, away from the sight of the crowd.

"You've gone back?" Bai Yuekui looked at Yang Chen, his eyes questioning.

"Mm." Yang Chen nodded, and a faint light appeared.

"Hold on to me."

The familiar, gentle power enveloped my entire body once more, a brief gust of wind brushed past my ears, and the light and shadow before my eyes shifted in an instant.

The familiar nighttime atmosphere of Dragonbone Village has replaced the amusement park.

They were already standing in front of their own door.

Pushing open the door, I saw that soft light still on in the living room.

Bai Yuekui immediately spotted the large gift bag that was still placed next to the sofa.

She carefully placed the precious photo in a frame and put it in the most prominent position in the living room.

As for the photo that recorded her childhood "ugly picture," she found a secluded place to keep it safe, making sure that no one could easily find it and make fun of it.

After doing all this, her gaze returned to the bag containing the "special gift" on the sofa, her eyes flickering slightly.

Yang Chen had just hung up his coat when he heard Bai Yuekui's voice.

"You've been out all day, go take a shower first."

Yang Chen was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked down to smell his collar.

"Huh? It doesn't taste like anything?"

"Go quickly." Bai Yuekui didn't give him a chance to object, his eyes glancing towards the bathroom.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Yang Chen, though sensing that she seemed unusually concerned about this today, still obediently replied, "Oh, okay."

Yang Chen washed up quickly, his mind still lingering on the night view of Jiuchuan and the heartwarming moments on the Ferris wheel.

He dried himself off, changed into clean home shorts, casually dried his wet hair with a towel, and opened the bathroom door.

Some moisture rushed out as he opened the door.

As he dried his hair, he casually remarked, "It's all washed, it feels so much better..."

Before he finished speaking, he raised his head.

Then, he froze at the bathroom doorway.

Under the soft light of the bedroom, Bai Yuekui was not leaning against the headboard reading a book as usual.

She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed gracefully.

What made Yang Chen's blood seem to freeze instantly and his breath catch in his throat was what she was wearing.

The garment, which he had blamed on the shop for its minimal fabric, was now fitting her perfectly.

The minimal fabric boldly outlines her curvaceous figure, covering the key areas.

Yet it reveals her snow-white, smooth skin to the fullest extent.

The delicate shoulder straps reveal her exquisite collarbone and rounded shoulders.

She tilted her head slightly, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm as she met his shocked gaze.

"Are you planning to just stand there forever?"

Yang Chen felt as if he had been hit on the head by a dragon explosion, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He opened his mouth: "You..."

Bai Yuekui seemed quite pleased with his speechless state, a faint smile curving his lips.

She gently patted the bed next to her.

"The gifts are all unwrapped, aren't you going to check them?"

He took a deep breath, as if he had just regained control of his body.

He casually tossed the towel onto the back of the chair and strode toward her.

He walked to the bedside, leaned over, and a shadow, damp and warm, enveloped him.

Bai Yuekui did not dodge, but simply tilted her head slightly to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

His kiss landed urgently, lingering and deepening.

Then, following her slender neck downwards, lingering on her delicate collarbone and rounded, firm breasts.

Bai Yuekui's body trembled slightly, and he let out a very soft moan.

My fingers involuntarily climbed up.

The tactile sensation is exceptionally clear and delicate under the palm of your hand.

Yang Chen's breathing became heavy, his large hands lingering on her smooth back and slender waist.

Bai Yuekui's response also changed from passively accepting the situation to becoming increasingly proactive.

She tilted her head back, accepting his passionate kiss, her fingers threading through his slightly damp hair.

Just as Yang Chen was about to push her deeper into the bed, Bai Yuekui suddenly exerted her strength, pressed her hands against his chest, and nimbly rolled over!

In a dizzying moment, their positions were switched.

Bai Yuekui straddled him, looking down at him with a flushed face.

She leaned down slightly.

“Tonight…” her voice was low and hoarse: “I want to be on top.”

The night was deep, and only the two of them were breathing evenly in the room.

Bai Yuekui's hair, damp with sweat, clung to his cheeks as he curled up in her arms.

After a satisfied sigh, the room returned to silence.

　It's been edited and is a bit awkward (I'll just mention SeSe briefly from now on).
　　
　
(End of this chapter)