AITAMITB Chapter 77

The absorption of the power of faith is simpler than Zhao Xiaokui imagined.

The sensation during absorption is more comfortable than she had imagined as well.

She felt as if she were soaking in warm water, every joint of her body stretching out. She could sense a mysterious force invading her cells, quietly transforming. Her originally incongruent body with her soul became strong at an unimaginable speed. However, this change was gentle, not painful at all. It even freed her from the constant pain she used to endure day and night, like being squeezed in a tight suit.

The constantly flowing power of faith gathered from all directions. Zhao Xiaokui spent the whole day immersed in the water without coming out. She didn’t even answer the congratulatory calls from her manager. Instead, it was Shen Zhifei who took her phone and mimicked Zhao Xiaokui’s tone to post a thank-you message on Weibo for her fans. Manager Luo Ziwei couldn’t stop smiling all day, thinking she was accompanying the prince to study, never expecting the prince to have genuine talent and was about to ascend the throne.

Countless invitations flew in from all directions like snowflakes. Among them were brands that used to look down on Zhao Xiaokui. Manager Luo Ziwei felt a sense of triumph, receiving call after call of congratulations. Especially when those who had betrayed her called to congratulate her with gritted teeth, Luo Ziwei smiled so much that her teeth were almost revealed.

She took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief in her heart.

Although Zhao Xiaokui, as an artist, was not very qualified. She skipped events, avoided social gatherings, and even her studio might not see her twice in a month. After the studio’s establishment, everyone had a lot of free time. But as long as she, a singer, had real talent, the team could take care of everything else.

With the release of three songs, those who had doubts about Zhao Xiaokui as a creative artist now firmly labeled her as a musical genius. Brand endorsements, variety show invitations, and even requests from many film and television directors for collaboration landed in Luo Ziwei’s hands, hoping Zhao Xiaokui could create special soundtracks for their works.

Anything unrelated to music that Zhao Xiaokui could endorse was mostly given to her. Only a few suitable endorsements were kept to consolidate Zhao Xiaokui’s current commercial value.

As for the invitations from directors, Luo Ziwei kept them all, planning to wait until Zhao Xiaokui woke up to make a decision.

Zhao Xiaokui soaked in the bath for a full three days.

At first, Shen Zhifei was quite worried, not daring to leave the bathroom for a moment. However, seeing her complexion gradually improving and the pressure of the supernatural being gradually released, even reaching a point that she, as a supernatural being herself, couldn’t bear. Shen Zhifei was forced to step back. She didn’t leave the house but continued her work in the study.

On the third day, postponing the request from Luo Ziwei for Zhao Xiaokui to record a video thanking people, Shen Zhifei stood up from her chair, put on her coat, and walked towards the bathroom.

The girl in the bathtub had undergone a significant transformation by now.

She had pointed ears pressed against the butterfly bone, covered with a thin membrane.

Below the ears were golden scales, sparkling as if polished a thousand times over.

Two straight and slender legs lay quietly in the water, fine scales appearing from below the lower abdomen, spreading downward from the hip bones. If you didn’t look at the exposed snowy white skin in the middle of the legs, at first glance, it resembled a golden fishtail.

“Stunned, aren’t you?”

The voice of the girl, or rather, the woman, was a bit less crisp and a bit more deep. The laughter in her words, like a hook, teased the heart.

Shen Zhifei’s heart paused for a moment.

The transformed Zhao Xiaokui stood up from the water, droplets falling from the golden scales into the water. Under the direct light, each scale shimmered with a brilliant glow.

“You…”

As soon as Shen Zhifei spoke, she found that her throat seemed to be blocked, unable to utter a word.

Zhao Xiaokui stepped out of the bathtub and took a step toward Shen Zhifei. Instinctively, Shen Zhifei retreated but quickly stabilized her body, her gaze filled with surprise as she looked at Zhao Xiaokui.

She raised her eyes and hesitated, saying, “Did you grow taller?”

Originally, the two of them had a similar height, but Shen Zhifei liked to wear high heels. So when they stood together, she always appeared taller, making Zhao Xiaokui seem delicate. However, the current Zhao Xiaokui was as if she was injected with growth hormones. When she walked over, Shen Zhifei found that when looking at her at eye level, she could only see her prominent nose.

“Grown taller?” Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t very clear about her situation. She walked towards Shen Zhifei and used her hand to compare their heights. Only then did she confirm that she seemed to have really grown taller.

She casually ruffled Shen Zhifei’s hair, a gesture she had wanted to do for a long time, and chuckled softly, “I like being taller.”

Shen Zhifei brushed away her hand, “Stop fooling around…”

“Fooling around?” Suddenly, Zhao Xiaokui took a step forward, pushing her against the bathroom wall. With both hands, she restrained Shen Zhifei between herself and the wall, lowering her head to ask, “Don’t you like me being taller?”

Shen Zhifei raised her eyes, meeting a pair of dark golden eyes.

The increase in Zhao Xiaokui’s height wasn’t significant, but every centimeter seemed to be in the right place. Even though she wasn’t much taller than Shen Zhifei, when she looked down at her like this, it brought a great sense of oppression.

She felt as if her heart was gripped by a large hand, each heartbeat completely controlled by the other.

The air was filled with Zhao Xiaokui’s breath. Since Zhao Xiaokui had no clothes on, Shen Zhifei had to reach out and hold onto her slippery body to avoid falling to the ground with weak legs.

Zhao Xiaokui lowered her head, lightly sniffing on Shen Zhifei’s body. She felt that there wasn’t a single part of the person in front of her that she didn’t like. She wished she could grow fangs and tear the person apart to swallow her into her stomach.

No, she couldn’t harm her. What she wanted was Shen Zhifei alive, moving, laughing, and talking.

It’s just that Shen Zhifei must love her, stay by her side for a lifetime, and never betray her…

Otherwise, she couldn’t say for sure whether she would go crazy without an anchor.

Under Zhao Xiaokui’s dominance, Shen Zhifei was prepared to sacrifice herself. She even recalled where she had placed the safety measures she had prepared in advance. However, Zhao Xiaokui just pressed her against the wall, gave her a few affectionate touches, not even counting as a passionate kiss, and then restrained herself — her innocence far exceeded Shen Zhifei’s imagination.

“If you want to…” Saying this made Shen Zhifei’s face turn red, her eyes flickering. However, she forcibly restrained the shame in her heart and continued, “There’s safety in the bedside table in the bedroom…”

“No, don’t say it,” Zhao Xiaokui quickly interrupted her. She had already endured it quite difficultly. If Shen Zhifei initiated an invitation, she feared she wouldn’t be able to control herself and might lose her sanity. “Just hug me for a while, that’s enough.”

“I…” Shen Zhifei wanted to say something more, but Zhao Xiaokui smiled helplessly, explaining to her, “Be good, don’t tease me. You wouldn’t want to see me completely lose control.”

A sudden image flashed in Shen Zhifei’s mind, her face turning red as she closed her mouth.

Some things could be concealed, but a sudden increase in height couldn’t be hidden from others.

Zhao Xiaokui rarely showed her face, and in the entertainment industry, many lied about their height. It wasn’t difficult to deceive fans, and they could find excuses without needing explanations. However, deceiving Nightwalkers wasn’t easy.

But she had no intention of deceiving them.

After reporting the increase in her height and promotion to the next level on WeChat, Lin Bai replied with six ellipses.

Sis, what’s going on with you? Are you leveling up with a song? Did the fans help you boost your experience?

This kind of thing couldn’t be found in Nightwalker records. After pulling Zhao Xiaokui back and conducting a thorough examination, confirming that she had indeed advanced to the next level and was on the verge of the second tier, with the optimized results in height and physique, the Nightwalker Base in S City urgently convened a meeting to discuss what this situation was all about. Even the headquarters were alarmed, and Shi Ning, as a representative, was sent down.

She brought a new group of researchers and thoroughly examined Zhao Xiaokui from head to toe. Without obtaining any useful results, during the time she took a sip of water, she suddenly felt the eruption of supernatural particles in the air. Zhao Xiaokui, right under her nose, unexpectedly advanced to the second tier without warning.

Shi Ning: “…”

She, who had once worked tirelessly to advance to the second tier, suddenly felt that life was not worth it.

What was even more heart-wrenching was that she had even prepared to stand up and give her seat to Zhao Xiaokui when the fluctuations of supernatural energy around them suddenly ceased.

Shi Ning: “…You succeeded in advancing?”

Zhao Xiaokui hesitated, “…I think so.”

“How could it happen so quickly?” Saying this, Shi Ning pulled Zhao Xiaokui to undergo an examination.

Zhao Xiaokui also felt that her advancement process was a bit too smooth. But with a turn of her thoughts, she understood why she had advanced so quickly.

The power of faith had extensively transformed her body. In fact, she had long been prepared to advance to the second tier. It’s just that the energy had always been insufficient, so she only exhibited the peak of the first tier. In other words, when she stood in front of Shi Ning, she was already a second-tier supernatural being, but the energy didn’t meet the requirements. Only after completing the charge just now did the true power of a second-tier supernatural being manifest.

Such speed was fast enough to make people feel a hint of despair.

Unable to hold back, Shi Ning said to Zhao Xiaokui, “Do you know how many second-tier supernatural beings there are in the Nightwalkers?”

“Ten thousand?”

“I wish there were ten thousand.” Shi Ning said, “Divide that number by a hundred, and that’s about right.”

Zhao Xiaokui: “…”

She was stunned.

She had thought that the levels of supernatural beings in this world wouldn’t be too high, but she never expected that in Huaxia, the country with the largest population in the world, and with Nightwalkers as the largest official force organization, the number of second-tier supernatural beings was just over three digits.

Seeing her expression dazed, Shi Ning could guess what she was thinking and asked, “Do you think that out of the two second-tier supernatural beings I brought from headquarters, it’s impossible for there to be only a little over a hundred second-tier beings?”

Without waiting for her answer, Shi Ning shook her head and said, “If it weren’t for the major incident involving the parasitic evil god, do you think we would have been dispatched?”

Seeing that Zhao Xiaokui hadn’t fully recovered, apparently still accepting the fact that she had suddenly become so powerful, Shi Ning said, “Xiaokui, here, I want to congratulate you on successfully advancing to the second tier, completing the transformation of your life level.”

Zhao Xiaokui: “Th…thank you?”

Shi Ning was amused by her silly expression, coughed lightly, and solemnly said, “Xiaokui, I know you want to work part-time in the ordinary world. So, all this time, you’ve been participating in Nightwalker’s work as an external member. However, every second-tier supernatural being is a precious asset to the country. I want to extend an invitation to you once again, sincerely hoping that you can formally join the Nightwalkers, become a member of our team, and work together to maintain the peace of Huaxia and build its future.”

“In the Nightwalkers, as a second-tier supernatural being, you will face greater dangers and more challenging tasks. But at the same time, we will give you greater freedom and more support. If you want to be a singer and fulfill your dreams, we will do our best to support you.”

She said everything, leaving Zhao Xiaokui with no reason to refuse.

And there was a voice in her heart urging her, as if saying, agree, agree.

Looking into Shi Ning’s eyes, this woman seemed gentle and refined. At this moment, her eyes were full of determination, emitting a unique warrior’s radiance. Under this gaze, Zhao Xiaokui slowly straightened her posture, extended her hand, and shook hands with Shi Ning, whose hand was covered in calluses.

“Pleasure working with you.”

Shi Ning smiled, no longer regarding Zhao Xiaokui as a junior but as a future comrade. She cheerfully said, “Pleasure working with you.”

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