"Are you going to fight Xuefeng too?" Xuefeng saw Guhan stand in front of her, recognizing him as the human who had given her the spicy sticks earlier, and suddenly felt a bit sad.
"Yes, I have no choice. If I don't capture you, Anning's neighbor will die in the outside world!" Guhan said with a sigh.
"It's no use, you can't hurt Xuefeng!" Xuefeng shook her cute little head, feeling a bit depressed. "Go ahead and try."
"Alright!" Guhan nodded, walked to Xuefeng's side, and patted her cute little head. "I really don't want to hurt you, little Xuefeng. Actually, I prefer to call you Danyang!"
"Xuefeng or Danyang, it's fine!" To be honest, Xuefeng didn't really like being called Danyang.
"Hey, stupid human, give up! You can't possibly hurt Xuefeng!" Jingang, seeing that Guhan hadn't made a move, immediately shouted, "If you hurt Xuefeng, I'll let you ride me..."
"I'll make my move, no need for you to worry!" Guhan waved at Jingang and then turned around, facing Xuefeng with his back.
Guhan's action puzzled the onlookers. What was going on? Why was he facing Xuefeng with his back? Everyone wished they had dozens of eyes to watch Xuefeng's every move, hoping to successfully attack her. Why did Guhan turn his back and not watch Xuefeng's movements?
"Hey!!! Sour popsicle, are you scared stiff? Attack her from the front, you idiot!" Songhama shouted, trying to get Guhan to turn around.
"What a fool..." Anning said sarcastically, but she wasn't mocking Guhan; she was mocking the loudmouth.
"Stop arguing! I think the Admiral has a deep reason for doing this!" Dangnian Mingyue stopped Songhama and Anning, thinking for a moment. An idea suddenly popped into her head!
"I get it!" Dangnian Mingyue clapped her hands excitedly. "I get it! I get it!"
"Big sister, what do you get? Tell us!" Songhama asked, completely confused.
"Didn't you notice? Xuefeng isn't dodging our attacks with some nonsense aura; it's an illusion!" Dangnian Mingyue said confidently.
"Illusion?" Songhama and Anning looked at each other, seeming to understand something.
"Yes, it's an illusion. Xuefeng appears to be in front of the swordgirls, and the swordgirls seem to be attacking her position, but it's all fake. Xuefeng is confusing their eyes and senses, which is why they end up hurting themselves!" Dangnian Mingyue became more and more excited as she spoke, feeling more and more convinced.
Dangnian Mingyue's words influenced Songhama and Anning, and they were convinced by this explanation.
"Big sister is right, I get it too. It's definitely an illusion!" Songhama said loudly. "That's why Sour popsicle turned his back, not looking at Xuefeng's position, because that position is fake, all fake! Maybe Xuefeng is right in front of Sour popsicle right now!"
"But how does the Admiral know that Xuefeng's real position is in front of him?" Anning asked, puzzled.
"You don't know. When Sour popsicle taught me swordsmanship, he told me never to trust my eyes and brain, but to trust my sword! Your eyes and brain can deceive you, but your sword won't!" Songhama said in a teacher-like tone, educating Anning.
Anning, who rarely contradicted Songhama, asked, "What do you mean? Explain it to me!"
"Cough... I haven't fully grasped it yet, but Sour popsicle said I have good insight. I'll understand it in my next life, something most people wouldn't understand in a hundred lifetimes!"
Songhama's words made Anning roll her eyes. She really was blind to think this frog could understand such profound truths...
"Shut up, look, the Admiral is about to make his move!" Dangnian Mingyue said excitedly. At that moment, Guhan, facing Xuefeng with his back, had already raised his long sword high!
"Do you think Xuefeng used an illusion too?" Suddenly, Xuefeng behind Guhan asked.
"Idiot, you spoke too loudly. Xuefeng heard you... Now it's bad. Xuefeng is on guard, and the Admiral's plan is ruined by you!" Anning angrily stepped on Songhama's foot.
"Shut up, don't speak, trust the Admiral's ability!" Dangnian Mingyue seemed to have become a fan of Guhan.
"No, you didn't use an illusion!" Guhan shook his head, very certain. "I know your true form is there, with no illusions."
"Then why? Facing me with your back?" Xuefeng's usually cold face finally showed a hint of confusion.
"Can you come a little closer? I'll tell you if you do!" Guhan seemed like a creepy uncle luring a little girl with a lollipop!
To be honest, little girls usually can't resist a creepy uncle's lollipop. So Xuefeng obediently took a few steps forward, standing less than a meter away from Guhan!
"Still a bit far, come closer!" Guhan continued to lure Xuefeng.
"Is this close enough?" Xuefeng took another step forward, standing less than half a meter away from Guhan.
"One more step, just one more..." Under Guhan's lure, Xuefeng unconsciously took another step, making her flat little chest almost touch Guhan's back.
"No closer! Any closer and I'll touch you!" Xuefeng frowned.
"Alright, that's enough! I'll tell you why I faced you with my back!" Guhan said with a smile, but the next second, his raised Qingpin Sword suddenly stabbed down quickly and fiercely.
"Ouch!!! Ouch!!! Ouch!!!!"
Intense pain suddenly flooded Xuefeng's brain. She staggered back a few steps, her face contorted in pain. She clutched her stomach, and fresh red blood flowed out from between her fingers!!!
Xuefeng was bleeding, injured!!!
"System: Xuefeng -267"
The system notification of Xuefeng's injury appeared, confirming that she was truly hurt, though the damage was not significant compared to her thousands of hit points.
"Xuefeng, are you okay! You're really hurt!!" Jingang, who had been watching the show, quickly rushed over, holding Xuefeng's body. Seeing the blood still gushing from her stomach, Jingang was devastated. She never expected that Xuefeng, who had never been injured in countless brutal battles in the shipgirl world, would experience her first injury and shed her first drop of blood here.
"It's okay, Big Sister Jingang, Xuefeng is so happy... Xuefeng is really so happy!" Xuefeng, though in pain, had a contradictory smile of genuine joy on her face.
"Xuefeng, you idiot, why are you happy after being stabbed...?" Jingang was confused. Was Xuefeng hit on the head?
"Big Sister Jingang, you don't know! Every time I see you fight the welfare fleet; every time I see you shed blood for the Sea King, Xuefeng envies you... envies you for being able to get hurt, to bleed, to feel pain. Unlike Xuefeng, who only causes her teammates to bleed and get hurt, but never experiences the same pain as you!" Xuefeng revealed her long-hidden true feelings.
"Never thought I would experience the same pain as my sisters here for the first time! So Xuefeng is really so happy, so happy to experience this feeling!! Xuefeng is no longer the shipgirl who only causes others to bleed and get hurt!!" After saying this, Xuefeng, feeling an unprecedented sense of fulfillment she had never experienced before, closed her eyes deeply...
Cough, don't misunderstand, 267 points of damage isn't enough to kill Xuefeng; she's just a bit tired!
However, as Xuefeng closed her eyes to rest, suddenly, another cry of distress rang out.
"Sour popsicle, what's wrong with you? Are you okay? Are you going to die?!"
"Admiral, why are you so foolish? Why are you so foolish?!"
"Mr. Admiral, what happened? Why is he about to die??" Xuefeng quickly opened her eyes and asked Jingang.
"This... you'll see for yourself."
Xuefeng, with Jingang's help, straightened up and looked in Guhan's direction. She was completely stunned.
At that moment, Guhan was kneeling on the ground, his head deeply bowed, buried in Dangnian Mingyue's arms, who had come to help.
His clothes were thoroughly soaked in blood, and half of the Qingpin Sword protruded from his back, covered in blood, both his and Xuefeng's.