Yu Sheng felt relieved.

Today, he thought, there would be no “Bloody Calamity.” Clearly, the little doll’s earlier “divination” had missed the mark.

Standing before him was Xuan Che, Eldest Senior Brother from Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain, whose attitude was pleasantly friendly. Perhaps this goodwill was out of respect for his esteemed master, or maybe due to the intimidating tale of Anka Aila’s incident. Either way, it seemed clear he had no intention of pursuing that past grievance involving being hung from the rafters and whipped with a Copper Headed Belt. This realization alone allowed Yu Sheng to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

With his anxiety settled, Yu Sheng wisely decided not to inquire further about the aftermath of that past “misunderstanding.”

After exchanging more polite greetings, Xuan Che finally grew accustomed to the peculiar atmosphere inside Wutong Road No. 66. Reaching into his robe, he conjured from nowhere a finely-crafted wooden box and presented it respectfully to Yu Sheng.

“This is a modest gift from my esteemed master,” the young cultivator said politely. “Please don’t refuse. It’s merely an ordinary specialty from Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain.”

Yu Sheng’s heart fluttered the moment he saw the beautifully carved box, excitement blooming within him. He’d often written about such scenes in his novels, but to experience one firsthand was something else entirely. This was a genuine cultivator’s gift! Although cultivators in this world seemed somewhat peculiar, surely whatever was inside would be remarkable.

He accepted the box eagerly, offering his thanks while carefully lifting the lid, hoping fervently to find precious spiritual treasures inside.

Inside lay neatly arranged pills, each a delicate, shimmering violet. Upon closer inspection, the surface of each pill glowed softly, intricate mystical patterns rising and falling like starlight.

Yu Sheng’s eyes immediately brightened, his mind racing through a thousand cultivation stories. He glanced up at Xuan Che eagerly. “Are these… Immortal Pills crafted by your Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain?”

“My Esteemed Master personally refined them,” Xuan Che answered, smiling gently. “Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain has three main peaks: Spirit Infusion, Divine Armament, and Beast Taming. Spirit Infusion Peak is preeminent, excelling in Alchemy and runecraft. My Esteemed Master is a grandmaster in this art; his pills are celebrated among the stars.”

Yu Sheng was thrilled. Sure, Foxy often cooked strange concoctions with peculiar powers, but those always seemed oddly bizarre. At least the contents of this box looked exactly as he had imagined proper “Immortal Pills” would appear—fitting every stereotype of an authentic cultivator’s gift. Enthusiastically, he asked the moment Xuan Che paused: “What are their effects? Are they for Foundation Establishment? Body Tempering? Or perhaps boosting cultivation?”

“Um…” Xuan Che hesitated, opening and closing his mouth as if uncertain how best to continue. After a few awkward seconds, he finally spoke again. “…Their primary benefit is flavor. These ones are grape-flavored, actually my Esteemed Master’s proudest creation.”

Yu Sheng’s face froze stiffly, mid-smile. “…?”

Before Yu Sheng could recover, Xuan Che continued calmly: “These are the export version. Naturally, they do have minor benefits—regulating internal balance, soothing nerves, aiding digestion—effective for most carbon-based life forms. But Forest Folk shouldn’t consume them; it causes kidney stones.”

Yu Sheng’s expression remained rigid. “…”

He felt as if he’d just heard something incredibly reasonable, yet utterly absurd. He needed clarity.

“Wait. I have a question,” Yu Sheng said carefully. “I rarely go out, and I admit I don’t fully understand the wider universe, nor have I visited your Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain. But from my understanding—and what I’ve gathered from Frontier communications—you cultivators seek spiritual ascension, so… shouldn’t these pills,” he pointed to the grape-flavored Immortal Pills with confusion, “at least have some effects like enhancing cultivation, calming one’s Qi, or reshaping muscles and bones?”

“Oh, we do have pills like that,” Xuan Che explained helplessly. “But we wouldn’t dare give them out. Impossible to get approved.”

“Approved?” Yu Sheng asked blankly.

Xuan Che sighed, spreading his hands in mild frustration. “Mainly the ‘Foreign Consumption Safety License’ and ‘Universal Biological Intake and Distribution License.’ The latter is especially tough—you need extensive ‘Alien Species Toxicity and Harm Evaluation Reports.’ Our regular Immortal Pills definitely can’t pass the screening.”

He paused again, carefully considering how to phrase it clearly. Finally, after half a minute, he found his explanation: “Simply put, any species not native to our planet, or not professionally trained beforehand, would die immediately upon eating them.”

Yu Sheng: “…”

Instantly, he recalled the scene when he’d first encountered canned alien meat on the Stellar Transit app.

This was exactly how the world operated. Perfectly logical—absurdly logical.

Yu Sheng sighed deeply, offering a helpless smile and an understanding nod. “Alright, I get it now. So you’ve specially crafted this export version… Truly, it is indeed a local specialty.”

“It’s quite famous!” Xuan Che said proudly. “To many outsiders, Featherwing-13b is a place of mystery. Thus, many have become fascinated by our pills and runes. My Esteemed Master is forward-thinking—he has spearheaded many cultural and creative projects to further our external relations.”

Yu Sheng felt quite fortunate at the moment.

He thought today might finally pass without any Bloody Calamity—Irene’s earlier card Divination clearly missed the mark this time.

This Eldest Senior Brother Xuan Che from Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain was surprisingly friendly. Maybe it was out of respect for Yu Sheng’s master, or perhaps he still remembered the intimidating scene involving Anka Aila. Either way, he obviously wasn’t planning on holding grudges for that incident of being hung from the ceiling and whipped with a Copper Headed Belt. This made Yu Sheng feel greatly relieved.

With that relief, Yu Sheng decided it was probably best not to ask about the follow-up of that particular “misunderstanding.”

After exchanging polite pleasantries, Xuan Che finally got used to the slightly eerie atmosphere inside Wutong Road No. 66. He reached into his clothes, seemingly out of nowhere, and conjured a beautifully crafted wooden box.

It turned out to be the specialty merchandise from Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain—a star product personally handmade and signed by their local leader.

By this point, Yu Sheng’s expression was calm, utterly unruffled.

Yet Irene, standing nearby, suddenly perked up with excitement. The little doll swiftly climbed onto the tea table, pointed straight at Yu Sheng, and said to Xuan Che, “Hey, you should’ve brought your authentic elixir pills! This guy eats anything—even if it kills him, we won’t hold you responsible!”

Xuan Che blinked, his expression freezing instantly.

Seeing this, Yu Sheng generously leaned over and gave the handsome young man’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “It’s always like this when different worldviews first meet. One sentence and someone’s bound to freeze—just ignore this little one’s nonsense. I actually really like your gift.”

To emphasize his words, Yu Sheng picked up one “immortal pill” from the wooden box and popped it into his mouth. It truly tasted like grapes.

He then tossed another into Foxy’s eagerly waiting mouth and promptly put the rest away.

He had no choice but to store them securely—judging by Foxy’s intense gaze, any hesitation meant the whole box would vanish into her stomach.

With that, the conversation finally moved toward the real purpose of Xuan Che’s visit.

Under orders from his master, Four Thousand Wicked Disciples, Xuan Che had come specifically to meet this “internet friend” Yu Sheng, to investigate the mysterious object found inside a strange room on the second floor of Yu Sheng’s house.

Xuan Che placed another small wooden box on the tea table.

“This is the object Eldest Martial Uncle brought back from his wanderings years ago. My Esteemed Master retrieved it from Eldest Martial Uncle’s Treasure Pavilion.”

Yu Sheng, Foxy, and Irene immediately crowded around, examining the plain-looking piece of cloth resting quietly inside.

“Indeed, the patterns along the edges match perfectly. The texture and color are slightly different, but they definitely came from the same source,” Yu Sheng carefully compared the cloth fragment to photos on his phone, thoughtful as he spoke. “Also, the edges on this piece are neatly cut, as if by something sharp, whereas the one I found appears to have been roughly torn off.”

“Could I perhaps take a look at this room you mentioned?” Xuan Che asked politely. “Junior does have some modest skills regarding Mystical Techniques and otherworldly spaces—I might be able to notice something.”

Yu Sheng nodded at once, rising to his feet. “Of course. It’s right upstairs. I’ll take you there now.”

Picking up an Irene and placing her on his shoulder, Yu Sheng led Foxy and Xuan Che up to the second floor.

They soon arrived at the strange room at the end of the hallway.

“It’s this room,” Yu Sheng gestured to the door. “It has always felt weird. Sometimes it shows scenes that aren’t from our world. And this door itself was quite tricky—I struggled a lot to open it the first time.”

Xuan Che couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

[This room feels weird?]

[Nothing about this whole house feels normal!]

Yet, mindful of his master’s instructions, he quickly calmed himself. After discreetly casting several protective spells on himself and crushing a pill in his palm for added safety, he cautiously stepped behind Yu Sheng and crossed the threshold into the room.

At first glance, it was simply an ordinary room, just as plain and normal as any other in Wutong Road No. 66.

Yet, as soon as Xuan Che stepped inside, he felt an immediate sense of… dissonance.

This feeling wasn’t about spatial orientation or distance—it was as if the room itself wasn’t quite right.

His eyes instinctively fell upon the mirror on the opposite wall.

Yu Sheng noticed this immediately, raising an eyebrow slightly. “You sense something?”

“This mirror is peculiar,” Xuan Che said quietly, stepping closer and cautiously touching its surface. “But… Junior can’t quite place why.”

“You’re right. There’s definitely something odd about it,” Yu Sheng casually explained. “At the moment, the mirror is ‘closed.’ When it ‘opens,’ it reveals scenes from another place—sometimes ruins filled with dark mist, sometimes snowy caves with fierce wind. And when it shows the latter, snow actually blows through this entire room. Sometimes, I even get the feeling that the room itself has torn into two—not physically, but…”

Yu Sheng hesitated, unable to find words to describe the strange sensation clearly. After a pause, he finally added, “It’s as if the whole room exists simultaneously in two places at once. What our eyes can see overlaps with another side that we can’t see.”

Xuan Che thought carefully, then spoke slowly: “…Like it’s stuck between two worlds?”