Chapter 161: A Heartfelt Confession Amid the Talisman Storm

Shen Yan was still lying face down on the ground, his face nearly pressed against the stone platform, the lingering warmth on his lips not yet faded.

His mind was completely blank, like a server that had just been forcibly restarted, without even time to generate an error report. His limbs were still bound by Demon Power, unable to move, and he could only watch helplessly as Luo Li narrowed her eyes with a smile, her tail gently brushing his cheek. “Retake exam—did you pass?”

Just as he was about to argue that this wasn’t following procedure at all, a yellow Talisman Paper suddenly flew from the side and slapped onto his forehead.

“Let’s test it and find out!”

Yu Xiaotang hopped to the center, waving another freshly drawn smiley-face talisman in her hand, half a candied hawthorn stick clenched between her teeth, her cheeks puffed out. “Brother Shen Yan, what kind of girl do you like best? Tell the truth—no writing Code to fool people!”

The Talisman Paper flashed with green light and actually spoke, its voice thin and smooth, like an electronic child’s voice playing through a speaker: “Scanning target emotional data… Please remain still, detecting—”

Ye Zhao frowned, her Sword Qi instantly unsheathing three inches, a cold gleam sweeping past the edge of the talisman.

“Stop.” Her voice was cold enough to freeze frost. “Such tricks don’t belong here.”

But the talisman wasn’t sliced apart. Instead, it trembled as the Sword Qi grazed it, splitting open a crack and releasing a few wisps of green smoke. These gently touched the tip of the silver needle that Pei Yue had just extended from her fingertip, producing a soft ding sound.

Pei Yue paused for a moment, then murmured, “Wait… it’s synchronizing our Spiritual Power Fluctuations.”

Before her words faded, the phone in Shen Yan’s pocket vibrated violently. The Terminal Interface automatically popped up, with four curves jumping side by side onto the screen—heart rate, spiritual pressure fluctuations, emotional energy values—all clearly displayed, with names plainly labeled: Ye Zhao, Pei Yue, Luo Li, Yu Xiaotang.

“Holy crap!” Shen Yan nearly threw his phone away. “Who authorized this Permission?!”

“You’ve got something to hide.” Luo Li lazily leaned back against the stone platform, her tail flicking out to coil around his wrist. “Otherwise, why react so strongly?”

“I’m not—” He was about to retort when the talisman on his forehead suddenly exploded into a burst of green flames. Countless fragments rose into the air like a swarm of butterflies, each reflecting a scene: Ye Zhao secretly glancing at him while sharpening her sword under the moonlight; Pei Yue’s fingertip accidentally brushing his lips after feeding him medicine; Luo Li quietly burying her face into the crook of his neck as he carried her to escape danger; Yu Xiaotang handing him the last stick of candied hawthorn while licking the bamboo skewer with a silly grin…

“Warning.” The Notification Tone abruptly sounded. “Detected multi-source Spiritual Power resonance. Talisman storm prototype has formed. Recommend immediately terminating emotional detection program.”

Shen Yan’s scalp tingled. He quickly pulled up the Background to try and close the Process, but a line of red text popped up in the code box: 【Current module is Heavenly Dao-level judgment. Host does not have Permission to terminate.】

“What does that mean? Is the System rebelling on its own?”

“It means—” Yu Xiaotang jumped up and clapped her hands. “It thinks you’re all too repressed and need to blow up!”

Before her words finished, those talisman fragments began to spin, faster and faster, forming a ring of fire that encircled him at the center. The flames weren’t hot, but they carried an intense pulling force, tugging at the Spiritual Power within him, drawing it outward. The Terminal Interface refreshed frantically, finally freezing on a selection window:

【Please select primary bond partner】

? Ye Zhao (Sword Heart anchor point)

? Pei Yue (Medical source resonance)

? Luo Li (Bloodline Contract)

Yu Xiaotang (Talisman Dao Symbiosis)

Shen Yan stared at the four options, his finger hovering in the air, unable to select any of them.

He knew this was no joke.

This was the System forcing him to make a choice—and once chosen, the emotional weight of the other three would automatically be downgraded, possibly even triggering a Spiritual Power imbalance.

“I can’t choose,” he whispered. “Not a single one can be left out.”

Pei Yue stood outside the circle, her voice soft: “But we… all want to be the only one.”

Shen Yan closed his eyes.

He knew they weren’t competing for favor—they were afraid of being left behind. Afraid that one day, to save one person, he would have to abandon another.

Suddenly, he smiled faintly and raised his hand to type a new line of code into the Terminal.

“Define Variable: Heartbeat = True, applicable to all.”

The moment the code ran, the selection window shattered with a crash, replaced by four holographic images slowly rising—Ye Zhao turning back with her sword in the midst of wind and snow; Pei Yue slumped asleep before the medicine furnace, still clutching a silver needle; Luo Li waving at him in the pouring rain, her tail puffed up like a dandelion; Yu Xiaotang laughing as she held up a Talisman Paper, Candied Hawthorn dripping at her feet.

Green light surged violently as the Terminal scrolled with a new Notice:

【Bond Protocol Upgrade: Multi-Core Synchronous Binding Initiated】

【Emotional Weight Redistributed: Balanced and Stable】

【Warning Lifted】

The Talisman storm began to subside, the ring of fire contracting into a point before finally transforming into four miniature Talisman seals, each landing in the palms of the four, faintly warm to the touch.

Shen Yan put away his phone, walked to the center, and extended his hand: “No matter how the Heavenly Dao writes its code, this line of emotion—I don’t want to optimize it, and I don’t want to delete it.”

Luo Li was the first to place her hand on his, poking his forehead with a smile: “This test… barely passes.”

Pei Yue chuckled softly, resting her hand on top: “Then from now on… don’t make us wait too long.”

Ye Zhao remained silent for two seconds, her gaze sweeping over the Demon Power lock marks still visible on his wrist, before finally covering his hand with hers, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: “If you dare change the code… I’ll personally cut it down.”

Yu Xiaotang was the last to jump in, stuffing the remaining Candied Hawthorn into his palm: “Then I’ll be in charge of your health packs! Remember to check in and claim them daily!”

The Talisman Paper completely dissolved into points of light, drifting away like stardust, and the Altar fell silent once more.

But just then, Shen Yan suddenly sensed something amiss—the Terminal Interface flashed another message, but this time without sound, only a line of text slowly appearing:

【Detected Hidden Protocol Activation: Mother’s Blood as Key, Child’s Soul as Guide, Abyss Gate Countdown Initiated】

His heart tightened, and just as he was about to examine it closely, the Medicine Pouch at Pei Yue’s waist suddenly glowed faintly.

A soft light shone through the pale green gauze, revealing the outline of a thumb-sized crystal, lying quietly deep within the medicinal herbs.

(End of Chapter)