When Qiao Xi opened her eyes again, she was greeted by two very familiar faces.
"Dead Man, look, she's opening her eyes! Look quickly, how adorable!" Needless to say, this had to be Xia Xiong, Xiong Ge.
The man addressed as Dead Man replied:
"Indeed! Let's give her a name!"
"Alright, then let's call her... Xia Xi! Xialang Xinde Xi!"
"Splendid! Dead Man, that's a wonderful name! Come, give me a kiss~"
"Naturally." Ye Siren leaned his face forward.
Qiao Xi—ah no, Xia Xi, as she should now be called—stared blankly at Ye Siren and Xiong Ge, who were excitedly naming her while still finding time to display their affection, and thought to herself:
"Is it really okay for you two to corrupt a newborn baby like this..."
Xiong Ge picked up little baby Xia Xi from the cradle and said to Ye Siren, "Dead Man, let's take her to the Power doctor to check if she has any Powers."
"Alright, Xiong Ge, whatever you say."
At the Ancient Tomb Hospital:
Auntie walked over to Xiong Ge holding Xia Xi in her arms.
"She possesses Powers, and her potential is enormous. Because her constitution is special, her Powers will grow extremely fast. However, precisely because of this bizarre constitution, there will always be a few days every month when her Powers temporarily vanish. During those days, she is particularly prone to misfortune, so you must pay close attention to this."
Xiong Ge carefully received Xia Xi from the Dragon Girl's hands. "Understood, we will be extra careful."
Looking at the Dragon Girl, Xia Xi experienced for the first time the difference between watching through a screen and actually participating in person.
"Oh, so Auntie was actually quite normal when she was young. As it turns out, some things shouldn't be judged by surface appearances."
————Back at the Xia Family————
"Xia Tian, Xia Yu, Xia Mei, from now on she is your younger sister! You must get along well with her."
Xia Yu was five years old, Xia Tian three, and Xia Mei two.
Xia Xi was designated as one year old.
Inside Xia Yu's mind:
"So this is a younger sister? I heard she has Powers. Will Mom's attention be drawn even more to the sister, leaving me unseen... No, she's my sister and she's so cute, I must take good care of her."
Xia Yu looked at Xia Xi with sparkling eyes, his two clear, bright eyes full of absolute earnestness.
Xia Xi felt somewhat strange under Xia Yu's gaze.
"Huh? This oldest one must be Xia Yu, right? Why did he look at me with such a disappointed expression just now, and why is he suddenly looking at me with such seriousness? But with those big eyes and that serious expression, he's so incredibly cute!! In my past life, I was head over heels for Jiro Wang!!!"
Xia Tian climbed onto the crib's railing and looked at the little dumpling-like younger sister.
"Little sister is so cute, when I grow up I'm going to protect her well."
Xia Tian also gazed earnestly with big eyes at the newest member of the family.
Xia Xi felt the gaze from the other side, Xia Tian's. "Huh? This one must definitely be Xia Tian! Why does he have that expression too?"
Meanwhile, Xia Mei, who had no idea what was going on, stared straight at Xia Xi from inside Xiong Ge's arms.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the doorway:
"Xiong Ge, I'm back~"
As soon as Grandpa Xialang walked in, he saw an unfamiliar child in the crib beside Xiong Ge.
"Xiong Ge, has my amnesia gotten worse? Is this kid part of our family??" Grandpa Xialang was momentarily bewildered.
"Dad, I'll explain it to you later."
"Oh, right."
Fearing that Grandpa might not like her, she put on her cutest act for him, acting coquettishly and stretching out her little arms for him to hold.
How could Grandpa possibly resist such an adorable sight? He scooped up Xia Xi and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Xiong Ge! This is my golden grandchild! So adorable, I don't care if she's the child you gave birth to or not, we are definitely raising her."
Xiong Ge looked at her father speechlessly.
————Time Skip————
Time flew by. On this day, Xia Yu turned six. He proudly wanted to show his mom and dad his report card to win their praise, but he was brushed off each time.
Meanwhile, Guilong and Ghost Doll, residing within Xia Tian and Xia Mei, manifested and injured a child at kindergarten. When the parents came to demand an explanation, Xiong Ge and Dead Man Dad frantically rushed over to check if Xia Tian and Xia Mei were hurt, completely neglecting Xia Yu, who stood off to the side holding his perfect-score test paper with his head lowered in disappointment.
Sitting on the sofa, Xia Xi watched Xia Yu as he lonely prepared to light a candle and sing a birthday song to himself. Heartbroken, she crawled over to his side and patted his shoulder with her chubby little hand.
Xia Yu turned his head in confusion and saw his younger sister flashing an ultra-cute smile while opening her arms to him.
Xia Yu smiled wryly and shook his head, pulling his little sister into a hug. But what followed was an action from Xia Xi that left Xia Yu both startled and overjoyed.
"Bro... ther."
Xia Yu widened his adorable, undeveloped peach-blossom eyes.
Because this was the very first word Xia Xi spoke since coming to this world.
"Bro... ther Yu."
"Xiao Xi, you can call me brother!"
Xia Xi smiled proudly in her heart. Heh, of course, she had known how to speak for a while now; she just had to pretend to be a baby—even though acting like one was genuinely exhausting.
"Bro... ther Yu, hap... py... birth... day."
Hearing his younger sister clearly wishing him a happy birthday, Xia Yu's eye sockets turned red.
As it turned out, someone still remembered his birthday. Little sis was not even two years old yet, yet she knew it was his birthday today, while his own mom and dad had poured all their attention onto Xia Tian and Xia Mei, completely forgetting that today was his birthday.
As these thoughts swirled, Xia Yu's eyes filled with tears that fell one by one.
Panicking at the sight of a grieving, heartbroken Xia Yu, Xia Xi thought:
"Hey, hey, hey, why is Brother Yu crying?? What, what, what, what do I do..."
With that, she threw her arms around Xia Yu's neck and began to comfort him: "Brother Yu, don't cry, birthday, smile, Xiao Xi wants to see, Brother Yu smile."
Seeing Xia Yu break into a relieved smile through his tears, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
And at that moment, Xia Yu made a secret resolve in his heart.
Time flew by once more, and in the blink of an eye, Xia Xi was four years old.
Today was Xia Xi's fourth birthday.
Xia Xi sat at the table, looking at the cake placed before her and a few gift boxes.
"Xiao Xi, today is your birthday, blow out the candles and make a wish." The first to speak was our dearest Xia Yu.
Dead Man Dad used a lighter to light the candles one by one.
The family watched as Xia Xi brought her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a wish.
"I hope Brother Yu can get a bit more attention from Mom."
Because over the past two years in the Xia family, Xiong Ge and Dead Man Dad's attitude toward Xia Yu was truly identical to the original story: because Guilong and Ghost Doll frequently came out and caused trouble, their attention remained heavily focused on Xia Tian and Xia Mei. Xia Yu could only silently help Xiong Ge tidy up household chores on the sidelines to lighten her burden.
She opened her eyes and blew out the candles.
Looking at the extinguished candles, Xia Xi smiled happily at her family. Suddenly, a wave of reluctance to leave washed over her. But she knew that once all the events across the Twelve Dimensions concluded, a massive war would erupt. She had to travel through the Twelve Dimensions in advance to understand the events of each dimension and befriend key figures beforehand. Only then would it be easier to incorporate them later and make ample preparations for the upcoming war of the Twelve Dimensions.
She had to protect everyone here.
Her greatest wish upon coming here was to protect every single person.
After finishing Ultima Class 5 in her original world, she had decided that if she truly ever had the chance to time-travel, she would protect everyone, even if it cost her her life.
The day after her birthday, around three in the morning, Xia Xi put on the Siman that Xiong Ge had hidden away when she was little, walked to the door of Xia Yu's room, and left a letter along with a delicate small box.
Walking over to the dining table in the living room, she left another letter. Stepping out the front door, she whispered a goodbye to the Xia family and teleported away.
When morning came, Xia Yu was the first to wake up. He spotted a letter and a small box right outside his bedroom door.
He opened the letter, glanced at its contents, and instantly lost his composure.
My dearest Brother Yu:
It's your cutest little sister, Xiao Xi! Brother Yu, did you know I've been super smart since I was little? Even junior high math problems are a breeze for me. But I suppose adults would call someone like me a monster, hehe, who can blame me for being too smart?
Because my Powers are growing too fast and are extremely unstable, I've decided to go out and temper myself through travel for a few years. With my Powers, surely no one can bully me, and with my intelligence, no con artist could ever trick me. So don't worry about me, I'll come back to check on you from time to time.
Unfortunately, Xiao Xi won't be able to spend this birthday with Brother Yu. But please don't be mad, big bro, your little sis has already prepared your present in advance.
Brother Yu, thank you for treating Xiao Xi so well all these years. Xiao Xi loves Brother Yu the most!
Remember to miss me, yo! I'll write letters from time to time to Brother Yu, Mom and Dad, Little Bro, Sister Mei Mei, and Grandpa.
Bye-bye~
PS: Hehe, I wrote letters to Mom, Dad, and Grandpa too, but Brother Yu gets a special standalone one!
Sender: Xiao Xi
While feeling a wave of astonishment, Xia Yu also opened the small box.
Inside the box was a cross necklace.
A small note was attached to it:
Guardian of the Angels: Part of the Supreme Angel series, the fourth-ranked auxiliary treasure in the Grand Alliance Master Palace's treasury. It is a defensive accessory; normally it looks like an ordinary piece of jewelry, but the moment any Demon approaches, it creates a protective barrier within a radius of two meters. Legend has it that it is forged from angels' tears and hair combined with a special alloy, blessed with the light of angelic grace. It can fend off Demons below the level of Wangliang and Yankui.
(PS: Hehe, Brother Yu, I know you often feel sad because you lack Powers and don't get Mom and Dad's attention. But even without Powers, you are still my most beloved Brother Yu. I hope this necklace can take my place in guarding you.)
Seeing the words on the note, Xia Yu's eyes grew red once more.
"I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, Xiao Xi. You must keep yourself safe; Brother Yu will be right here at home waiting for you to return."
By around eight o'clock, everyone had more or less woken up. Finding Xia Xi absent felt rather strange since she usually got up very early.
Xia Yu handed the letter from the dining table to Xiong Ge.
"Mom, it looks like Xiao Xi has left. She left this letter."
Hearing Xia Yu's words, the whole family froze for a moment before rushing over to him. Grandpa looked at the pendant in Xia Yu's hand without a word.
Xiong Ge took the letter and opened it.
The letter read:
To my dear Mom and Dad, Grandpa, Brother Yu, Little Bro, and Sister Mei Mei:
I know you'll all be very worried when you wake up in the morning and find me gone. I'm fine! It's just that my internal Powers aren't mature enough yet and are growing at a visible rate. Right now, my Powers are simply too unstable, so I want to go out and gain some real-world experience.
During my last time going out, I happened to run into Senior Shen Xing Zhe. He said my Power constitution is exceptional and offered to help me train properly, so you can all rest easy! Don't try to look for me, because you won't be able to find me.
I'll finish my schooling along the way during my travels. With my intelligence, hehe, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Brother Yu, Little Bro, and Sister Mei Mei can definitely put your minds at ease.
PS: Mom, I know you hope we can live normal lives, but after all, we are one of the top Power families in the Iron Dimension. No family in the entire dimension can live worry-free forever—especially not a family like ours. Furthermore, Little Bro and Sister Mei Mei still have Brother Guilong and Sister Ghost Doll inside them. Xiong Ge Mom must have heard of the Demon Realm's three siblings, right? So I took that watch with me. I'll learn how to use the things inside properly, I won't misuse the weapons, and I won't let myself get hurt, so please don't worry about me.
Sender: Xiao Xi
After reading the letter, the family spent the entire breakfast in complete silence, no one speaking a word.
That afternoon, in Xiong Ge's room:
"Dad, Dead Man, you tell me—ever since Xiao Xi came to our house, she's been exceptionally obedient. She never cried or made a fuss, and once she learned to walk and talk, she even started studying writing on her own. Now she can actually see through the affairs of the Power world with such clarity. Such a smart and well-behaved child makes your heart ache just from how sensible she is."
Grandpa sighed. "Indeed. Did you see the necklace on Xia Yu's wrist? That's one of the twelve Angel series, ranked fourth among the auxiliary treasures in the Grand Alliance Master Palace's treasury. Though heaven knows how she managed to get her hands on it."
"Sometimes, we old folks who have struggled in the Power world for so many years don't see things as clearly as a child. It seems the Power world truly belongs to the young generation now."
"Yeah, after all these years... twenty years ago, when the people of the Yehelana Family, the most powerful demonic Power family in the Iron Dimension, attacked us to seize the Seal Dragon Card, we should have known that even if we hid our identities, we would still be targeted by demonic forces. And look at Xia Yu—he has no Powers. Xiao Xi has been close to Xia Yu ever since she came to our house. If Xiao Xi had planned to go out and travel long ago, she could have kept this pendant to protect herself. She must have specifically found it to give to Xia Yu. Ah... this child." Xiong Ge's tone was filled with heartache and helplessness.
Ye Siren wrapped his arms around Xiong Ge's shoulders and gently comforted her. "Xiong Ge, don't worry too much. A child as smart as Xiao Xi surely knows what she's doing. Traveling out there, she's bound to meet quite a few seniors, and with Senior Shen Xing Zhe's help, she'll definitely keep herself safe."
————Time Jump————
12 years later
Gold Dimension
"O(∩_∩)O Hahaha~ Gold Dimension~ Here I come!!!"