INE Chapter 129: Complete

Ji Rong obtained the four swords, recovered the chip, and broke through to the Returning to the Dust realm alongside Gu Baiyi.

Surprisingly, she didn’t lose her sense of perception this time.

01 told her that perhaps the Administrator had already poured emotions into her when creating her. She wasn’t born without feelings.

The memories stored in her mind were the true source of her emotions.

Carrying memories that had lasted for millions upon millions of years, Ji Rong took Gu Baiyi’s hand and shattered the barrier that had once seemed insurmountable.

Afterward, they traveled through countless worlds, passing through one after another.

But they never stayed long. They were merely collecting energy, to rebuild a body for 01.

When the energy was finally gathered, Ji Rong opened the energy chamber. Watching 01 stand before her just like in the past, she couldn’t help but smile.

01, now in a childlike form, tilted her head and looked up at Ji Rong coolly. “Is this your idea of fun? It’s so dull.”

Ji Rong reached out to pat 01’s head, but 01 avoided her with a frosty expression. Left with no choice, she asked seriously, “Sister, what are you planning to do next?”

01 flexed her newly rebuilt body and replied calmly, “I’ll stay in the Clock Tower for ten thousand years to recover my energy.”

“And after that?”

“I’ll head to a higher-dimensional world to see if any new lifeforms have appeared in the Administrator’s homeland.”

Then, 01 slowly said to Ji Rong, “Maybe you were right. Whether something is right or wrong, we have no right to erase any life.”

“And I believe the Administrator’s homeworld may still exist. Even if a world is reset, new life will continue to emerge. Even without humans, something new will rise, rebuild their homes, and carry on.”

Gu Baiyi quietly stood to the side, listening.

She couldn’t fully understand everything 01 said, but she could tell, 01 would keep moving forward, seeking the truth behind the world’s resets.

…

After 01 left, Ji Rong shattered the barriers of every box, leaving only Earth untouched.

Because she wanted to return once more, before destroying it too.

The lattice of time crumbled completely.

Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi stood together, watching glowing motes drift down like falling stars.

Ji Rong reached out and caught a fragment of radiant light, murmuring, “A sight like this, maybe you only see it once in a lifetime.”

This was the work of the Administrator and 01. These barriers had preserved the fate of humanity. And now, she had destroyed them with her own hands.

From now on, there will only be the future. No more endless past.

Gu Baiyi gently clasped Ji Rong’s hand and smiled. “Some things only need to happen once.”

Ji Rong nodded. Yes, once was enough.

After all, she had always been easily satisfied. Whether as Guardian 02 or the Immortal Sanhua, she had always drifted through life, uncaring whether the world lived or died.

What meaning did the world hold?

It was merely energy and a collection of boxes that contained life. She never truly loved any of it.

Until that day, when Guardian 02 arrived at the Divine Sect.

She saw clusters of peach blossoms in full bloom.

Sunlight flowed like water over someone’s warm fingertips.

The Clock Tower’s hands began to turn. Her heartbeat resonated with the tolling bell. That was the moment the world came alive.

For that fleeting feeling, Ji Rong endured endless reincarnations.

And now, standing at the end of time, holding the hand of the one beside her, she could smile and say, without regret, “It only happened once, but I think it was worth it.”

She imagined that in the boxes of the future, many variants would appear. No longer outcasts, no longer mistakes.

These variants would lead humanity out of the boxes, out of this absurd, beautiful world. Like the Administrator and 01, they would become pioneers, exploring the unknown. And as for herself…

“What I want most right now is to go back to the modern world and lie in bed for three days and nights. What do you say, Junior Sister?”

Gu Baiyi held Ji Rong’s hand and smiled. “Wherever Senior Sister goes, Baiyi will follow.”

To avoid being left behind by the flow of time, Ji Rong chose to return to the point when she had first been sent to the orphanage.

She pointed to the old building and explained to Gu Baiyi, “This is already a relic of a bygone era. According to the timeline, I’ll walk out of this broken-down house soon, and then my sister will come pick me up.”

“Broken-down?” Gu Baiyi glanced at the building. It wasn’t comparable to Wantangju, but she wouldn’t go so far as to call it broken-down. She asked softly, “Senior Sister… were you rich before?”

“Yes, I was very rich. But the money wasn’t mine, it was my sister’s.”

Gu Baiyi nodded thoughtfully. “If we plan to stay in this world for a while, but don’t have the local currency, what should we do?”

Ji Rong looked at her like she was a fool. “Junior Sister, we could casually pull out a piece of furniture from the cultivation world, it’d be a hundred-percent antique. We’d instantly be rich.”

Gu Baiyi gently reminded her, “Senior Sister, an ‘antique’ should be an old artifact. No matter how skilled the artisan is, the item doesn’t belong to this world. And even if we brought genuine antiques, I doubt the appraisers here could determine which era they came from.”

Ji Rong was briefly speechless. She had just said it offhandedly, but Gu Baiyi had taken it so seriously.

She patted Gu Baiyi’s shoulder and said grandly, “Don’t worry about money. I’ll take care of you.”

“…”

Gu Baiyi knew that “take care of” wasn’t exactly a noble term. But she still hesitated and asked, “Then… how does Senior Sister plan to take care of me?”

Hearing Gu Baiyi say “take care of” in such a serious tone made Ji Rong burst out laughing. “There are many ways. For example, we could enter the entertainment industry. With our Returning to the Dust-level cultivation, we wouldn’t even need wires for martial arts scenes. We’d go viral instantly.”

“Mm. And we could even contribute to this world, like taking down crime syndicates. We just have to release our divine senses, and they’d be caught. Society would be filled with righteousness, and we’d become heroes, just like the superheroes here.”

Ji Rong’s vision sounded surprisingly realistic and idealistic. Gu Baiyi listened patiently, finding her senior sister’s ambition truly impressive.

That thought lasted all of three seconds.

Because three seconds later, Ji Rong saw 01 walking to the orphanage gate, and her younger self slowly emerged from within.

Ji Rong smiled faintly, moved her fingers, and used her spiritual power to send a flurry of autumn leaves cascading down.

Leaves fluttered past, brushing against 01’s hair and eyes.

01 frowned. Something about the arc of those falling leaves felt strangely intentional. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

Ji Rong pointed at the slowly drifting leaves and explained seriously to Gu Baiyi, “That’s called a special effect. It helps enhance the illusion.”

Gu Baiyi nodded and silently erased the idea that her senior sister had lofty ambitions.

Still, time was a strange thing. The real 01 was clearly in the Clock Tower, and yet when they returned to the past, they could witness everything as it had once been.

Until the younger Ji Rong took 01’s hand, and the two of them gradually vanished into the falling leaves.

Only then did Ji Rong turn to Gu Baiyi and say, “They’re gone. It’s time for us to go too.”

Gu Baiyi tightened her grip on Ji Rong’s hand and smiled. “Alright.”

…

At first, Ji Rong had only planned to stay in the modern world for a few years.

But then she realized, Earth was just too comfortable.

She didn’t need to practice swordsmanship or sit in meditation. Her daily life was more carefree than even an immortal’s.

Whenever Gu Baiyi gently asked, “Senior Sister, we’ve been here for so long. Shouldn’t we move on and explore somewhere else?”

At that moment, Ji Rong would be sprawled on the couch watching TV, and she would lazily reply, “Let’s stay a bit longer. The me from back then still hasn’t grown up yet.”

As time passed, Ji Rong practically turned into a Buddha.

Aside from being “forced” to move a bit at night, she barely even walked during the day. She even had the ridiculous idea of installing a teleportation array at home.

Eventually, Ji Rong realized this life was far too idle. She made up her mind to break free from her comfort zone and leave.

But then Gu Baiyi began to hesitate. She said gently, “Senior Sister, I’ve recently taken on a new job. Let’s wait just a little longer.”

Ji Rong understood, Gu Baiyi had found a few jobs to pass the time.

For example, he once opened a clinic that specializes in prescribing medicine for the elderly. The old lady next door swore by his prescriptions and praised Doctor Gu as a modern-day Hua Tuo, a divine doctor descended from the heavens.

In addition, Gu Baiyi also ran a restaurant. Its signature dish was a health-nourishing porridge, a hit among middle-aged and elderly customers who frequented the place.

He was, without a doubt, the ultimate master of wellness.

Ji Rong recalled all the shops Gu Baiyi had wanted to open and hesitated before asking, “Your new job… is it that martial arts school you used to talk about starting?”

Gu Baiyi gave a gentle smile. “No, I’m not opening a martial arts school anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because every time someone signed up, it was always little kids. Looking at their frail little bodies, even if I only used ten percent of my internal energy, I’d probably kill someone by accident.”

Ji Rong felt a bit regretful. Such a pity. Master Gu’s unparalleled swordsmanship, and yet in the modern world, there was no one to pass it down to.

But the leisurely life that followed soon made her forget all about it.

Until that day.

While scrolling through Weibo, Ji Rong happened to see that the online game Sword God had shot to the top of the trending searches, being dragged by angry players. Her excitement flared. So the timeline had finally reached this point.

This was the historic moment when she, Ji Rong, would become a righteous internet warrior and go down in online history.

One by one, she read through the scathing comments under the game developer’s posts, deeply moved. Truly, words have memory.

These colorful, poetic comments, imbued with human wisdom, captured the players’ fury over being cheated out of their money with perfect clarity.

Every one of these remarks was a gem.

“The developers have no shame! The BaiHe couple ending was perfectly justified, don’t twist it for drama! rnm refund now!”

Ji Rong nearly clapped in applause. Well said! Absolutely brilliant!

Only “rnm refund now” could so succinctly express the collective outrage of all players.

A few minutes later, she was still scrolling through Weibo, nearly dying of laughter on the sofa, 

Because she saw a comment she had written herself in the past.

“What the hell, developers? Are you serious with this forced romance subplot? Trash game! Never playing this garbage again!”

Ji Rong stared at the screen, silently lighting a candle for her past self. Hope your time travel goes well, sweetie.

After finishing her popcorn moment, she was about to scroll away when a familiar comment caught her eye:

“Waaah my ship is real! I always thought the two of them had a thing going on, enemies-to-lovers is chef’s kiss! Way better than master-disciple stuff!!”

Back then, Ji Rong had assumed this was a paid shill from the dev team. But now... it was starting to sound eerily prophetic.

She was just about to give this so-called prophet a like, until her gaze froze.

That ID, 

Wasn’t that Gu Baiyi’s alt account on Weibo?!

Ji Rong was stunned. Wait… does that mean Gu Baiyi plays this game too?

She looked around the room, searching for him, and saw Gu Baiyi coming out of the bedroom, rubbing his temples.

Trying to calm herself down, she asked casually, “Junior Sister, where were you just now?”

Gu Baiyi sat down beside her, smiling tiredly. “I was on a call with my boss. Just hung up.”

Ji Rong poured him a cup of tea, slipping into the conversation with feigned nonchalance. “Work stuff?”

Gu Baiyi accepted the tea and nodded. “Yeah.”

Ji Rong continued, sounding offhanded, “Makes sense. Must be hard… developing a game.”

Gu Baiyi nodded again without thinking. “Yeah, it’s really tough.”

Time seemed to freeze for a second.

And just as Gu Baiyi realized he’d said something he shouldn’t have, Ji Rong had already grabbed him by the shoulder, her voice trembling.

“You… you made that garbage game "Sword God?”

“……”

Gu Baiyi sighed and admitted it.

“My boss just called to tell me the ending has to be changed. But I based this game on the events of my first lifetime, so that’s how it was supposed to end. There’s not much I can change.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Ji Rong forced herself to stay calm. “Then why didn’t you base it on the second life, or another timeline? Then maybe you wouldn’t be getting roasted.”

Gu Baiyi replied honestly, “Because I wanted to turn every life I shared with you into a game. This is just the first one.”

“……”

Oh wow, so you’re planning to cash in on a whole series of garbage games.

Gu Baiyi let out another long sigh. “I just didn’t expect that all the players would think the main character was romantically involved with Master Mei.”

“……”

“That’s not involvement, that’s shipping a couple.”

What Ji Rong didn’t say was: she had once been a die-hard fan of the White Crane ship herself.

After calming down, she asked the final, burning question: “I just want to know, who the heck did your art? It’s honestly the only reason that game didn’t crash and burn.”

Gu Baiyi chuckled. “Do you remember a year ago, when I went back to the cultivation world and visited the Wanjian Sect?”

Ji Rong nodded. “Yeah, I remember something like that.”

“Well, I brought back some concept sketches drawn by Master Mei. So, Master Mei is actually the lead concept artist for the game. He’s also head of the art department.”

…

As the game’s lead planner, Gu Baiyi had been flamed mercilessly online. So much so that even Ji Rong started to feel sorry for the poor guy.

To comfort his wounded heart, she told him a bedtime story that night.

It was The Little Prince.

She said, once upon a time, there was a little prince who lived on a very small planet. That planet was called B-612.

There was a single, unique rose growing on it, and three volcanoes. Aside from that, there were just two baobab tree saplings waiting to be pulled out.

Back then, the little prince was too young to understand what he had. All he knew was that he lived on a small planet, a place where he could watch forty-four sunsets in one day.

At that point, Gu Baiyi asked softly, “And then?”

Ji Rong replied, “Then, the little prince left his tiny planet and visited many others.”

Eventually, he came to Earth and found a garden. Inside were five thousand roses, all just like his own.

He was heartbroken. It turned out his rose wasn’t special at all, it looked just like all the rest.

Then the little prince met a fox. And the fox told him:

Your rose is unique.

His rose had only four small thorns.

She was delicate and fragile, yet she used those little thorns to protect herself from the entire world.

By the time she finished the story, Ji Rong was getting sleepy, so she closed the book.

“We’ll read the rest tomorrow.”

She lay down next to Gu Baiyi and faintly heard his gentle voice whisper, “You’re my rose.”

Ji Rong paused, then leaned in to kiss him.

“Goodnight. You’re my rose, too.”

--------

Note: This is where the story ends. 

If anything’s still unclear, the timeline roughly follows: Immorta Sanhua line → Yue Qianqiu line → Original Host line → Ji Rong line, then loops back to connect the Immortal Sanhu and Ji Rong lines.