Step by step, Misaki made her way up the staircase. At first, it was no problem until she reached the eightieth step. This was when a great weight of pressure weighed down on her. But Misaki kept her back ramrod straight and kept Qian Yan snuggly tucked away in her arms. "Mitsu..."
Qian Yan's worried voice filled Misaki's ears. She looked down and smiled at her. "Yan'er, I'm fine. Like I said, this is my way of showing how much devotion I have for you. If I do not make it to the top, it would be the same as me saying, my devotion only goes this far before I leave you behind. And that is something I will never allow!"
Misaki continued forward with renewed strength. Each step she took, she felt like she was being crushed. But she still held on. Ten steps later, she almost faltered as the weight increased almost by one hundred times. She felt like she was being forced to kneel. Sweat dripped from her brow, but she trudged on. 91, 92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99! Now she only had one step left to go. The last step before reaching the summit. Mustering up all her strength, she stepped on to the last step. She felt a weight so strong even her bones began to creak loud enough for those around her to hear. She felt a sharp pain running through her entire body. Qian Yan yelled out in surprise when blood began to drip through her nose. By how red Misaki's face was, everyone knew she was struggling with everything she had.
Misaki felt that if she even lifted her foot in the slightest, she would collapse to the ground. She turned her eyes to see Qian Yan beginning to tear up and still forced a smile. Through gritted teeth she said: "Yan'er one more to go. One more to go, and I prove to you my love for you is stronger than anything!"
Mustering up every last bit of her strength she had left, Misaki finally moved. She stepped forward with all her might, finally stepping onto the top platform. All the pressure disappeared. Still standing tall with Qian Yan in her arms, Misaki smiled brightly. She hugged Qian Yan tightly as she yelled out: "Yan'er, I did it!"
"Mmm! Mmm! Just don't do anything so stupid again!" Qian Yan laughed as she cried. She cupped Misaki's face and kissed her lips. She then hugged Misaki so tightly she never wanted to let go. For Misaki to suffer so much to show the devotion she has for her, any doubts she had for the future were completely washed away. She now knew that no matter how many wives Misaki had, she would still hold a strong place in Misaki's heart. Misaki proved her love for her was stronger than anything.
"I have to hand it to her. She is very strong willed." Bao Chen was shocked at how Misaki was able to complete the task.
"That is because Big Sister can do anything. That is what makes Big Sister, Big Sister." Ah Chun said proudly. Ah Chun smiled. She felt happy for the two. She gripped the hand she was holding and looked up at Ning Shen. "Love is beautiful."
"Mmm… My love for you has never changed even in three lifetimes." Ning Shen said softly while squeezing Ning Shen's hand.
"I know. And when the time comes, we will move onto the next stage in our adventure. This world was not meant to contain us from the start. Me, you, Big Sister, and her new family will venture out. And see what lies beyond. There are many amazing things out there, and I only got to see a little on my way back home. I wish to see so much more and finally meet up with the other girl. Shen'er, I want to do all of this with you by my side." Ah Chun stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ning Shen's cheek.
"I will work harder on my cultivation and become stronger so I can leave with you. I may never be able to catch up for the time being, but I promise one day I will catch up." Ning Shen made a small vow in his heart to stand by Ah Chun's side as someone she can love and be proud of and not someone she loves and needs to protect.
"Mm, I know you will. Just don't do anything stupid." Ah Chun smiled and turned back towards Misaki and Qian Yan.
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"Now that is one big creature!" Alicia stood hovered in the air as she looked at this large creature she had never seen before. It stood almost as tall as a mountain and was covered in scales and fur. It had an elongated face and sharp teeth but stood like a humanoid.
"Oh? Wow never thought I would see one. This is what they call a mountain troll. It is very rare to see, and yet there are millions of them on this continent. I see now where the monkeys got their large bones." Yin Li watched in amazement. She even took out a tool and began recording what she was seeing.
"Troll, huh? I guess that does fit the bill. I guess it was a good idea to go to the larger continent." After studying the monkeys for a while, the two girls decided to check out the other larger continent. And what they found were not only very large creatures but also this troll species.
"Mmm… After this, we should continue our journey. I already marked this planet on my star map for this universe, so I can come back and study them at any time." Yin Li said with a smile.
"Alright, then let's go. We still have a long trip ahead of us."