After leaving the hospital room, Ye Lan sprang into action. Using her Night Watcher access and her status as Bai Yu’s friend, she got a briefing on Bai Yu’s condition.

“It’s not a normal illness? It was caused by Star Eclipse?”

Once she realized things weren’t following the usual rules, Ye Lan began looking into it carefully.

According to the records, Stars can be inherited.

Bai Yu’s parents were Star Holders too—or, as they were also known, Night Watchers.

They had two children, Bai Tu and Bai Yu.

When Bai Tu was born, nothing went wrong. She inherited her father’s Stars without any trouble.

But when Bai Yu was born, something went wrong.

Around the time Bai Yu was born, her mother’s Stars showed signs of losing control. They affected the newborn Bai Yu, who nearly died.

Fortunately, the Night Watchers arrived in time and quickly stabilized her mother’s Stars.

Later, they discovered that the problem hadn’t been completely resolved.

Bai Yu’s life force kept dwindling, and she could die at any moment. Staying away from her mother was the only thing that seemed to ease it.

Ye Lan kept going through the records and found a little information about Bai Yu’s mother’s Stars.

“Bai Yu’s mother had curse-type Stars. Could Bai Yu have been affected by Star Eclipse when her mother briefly lost control? Is that why her life force and soul are cursed, and keep dwindling?”

As for why being near her mother made the decline worse, some Night Watchers suspected that the Stars had mutated, causing two powers of the same origin to repel each other.

“Hmm...”

She didn’t understand it. Not one bit.

Ye Lan realized she still knew far too little. There were so many terms she didn’t understand.

Then she remembered Bai Yu had said her parents were dead. Maybe she could find something by looking into that.

But when Ye Lan tried to search, she discovered she didn’t have enough clearance.

Now she was completely lost.

With a troubled look on her face, Ye Lan left the medical facility.

She was about to go find Ling Miao and brush up on her Night Watcher basics when she ran into Bai Tu, who was by herself.

Ye Lan thought for a moment, then hurried over.

“Bai Tu-senpai.”

“Hmm? Ye Lan, aren’t you chatting with Bai Yu?”

“Well, I’ll go see her again tonight.”

“Really? Good. That girl gets lonely a lot. Thanks for taking the time to keep her company.”

“It’s nothing. We’re friends, after all.”

Ye Lan looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite bring herself to. Bai Tu noticed.

Bai Tu patted Ye Lan on the head. “If there’s something you want to say, go ahead. I won’t mind.”

“Um... I found out about Bai Yu’s illness. Have you found any way to treat it?”

Bai Tu fell silent. The light in her eyes visibly dimmed.

“Not yet. But I’ve found hope. I’ll make sure Bai Yu recovers completely.”

Remembering what Bai Yu had said, Ye Lan couldn’t help saying, “Bai Yu said she doesn’t want you to feel too much pressure...”

That wasn’t exactly a secret.

“She’s said that to me too. But I know she wants to live more than anything. That’s enough for me. She keeps hiding what she really feels, thinking she can fool me—but I’m her older sister. How could I not notice?”

Ye Lan’s small lips parted. She was a little taken aback.

So Bai Tu already knew?

But why did that sound so familiar? It was almost the same thing Bai Yu had said.

Now Ye Lan understood.

The two sisters were both so bad at being honest. They both seemed to be doing it for the other’s sake. It was all so complicated.

Ye Lan gathered her thoughts and said what was on her mind.

“Um, I want to help too. She’s my friend. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Bai Tu’s gaze softened. She didn’t dismiss Ye Lan just because she was a rookie Night Watcher, either.

“In that case, let’s go find the Wish Machine—the Transcendent Star.”

“The Wish Machine? What’s that?”

“Well... it’s a Transcendent Star that appeared not long ago. Maybe it can grant wishes. The odds might be slim, but at least it’s a hope.”

Ye Lan looked completely baffled.

Could there really be a power in this world that made wishes come true?

That sounded ridiculous.

Wait. She’d turned into a little girl because of that inexplicable wish she made before going to sleep, hadn’t she?

Did that mean the Wish Machine was near her—or that she herself was the vessel for the Wish Machine Star?

The thought instantly set Ye Lan’s heart ablaze.

But then she remembered all those experiments that had done absolutely nothing, and her heart went cold, as if someone had dumped a bucket of water over her.

【Hmm... It was probably just a coincidence. No way, right? My Stars just happen to be good at running away...】

Sometimes, Ye Lan really didn’t have much faith in herself.

“Um, I want to look for another way. I don’t think it’s good to rely only on some vague, uncertain hope. Could you tell me what happened before? I mean, after Bai Yu was cursed?”

“What happened before...”

Bai Tu fell silent.

Ye Lan felt the air around Bai Tu change completely, turning unbearably oppressive.

But the feeling vanished almost immediately, as if it had all been her imagination.

“Forget it. What’s past is past. There’s no need to dig into it, and there’s nothing worth investigating. We’d be better off looking for the Wish Machine.”

With that, Bai Tu turned and left, leaving Ye Lan standing there in a daze.

“Hmm... Bai Tu-senpai felt really scary just now. Is what happened in the past something she doesn’t want to remember? Looks like I messed up...”

Looking utterly crestfallen, Ye Lan headed for Ling Miao’s place. It’d be better to learn some basics first.

Knowledge is power.

Meanwhile...

In the little house, the white-haired Yexing was fretting too. She wasn’t even in the mood to play games.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Yexing went to answer it and found the young guy who’d moved in next door again.

“I made too many pastries again, and there’s no way I can finish them by myself. If you don’t mind, take some.” Mo Tu wore the same gentle smile as always.

Yexing thought about it, then accepted them.

“Thank you.”

“You look a little down. Did something happen? Maybe I can help.”

Yexing had no intention of telling him. This was a secret, after all.

Besides, she didn’t completely trust Mo Tu yet. He was just a nice-looking neighbor, as far as she knew.

Seeing that Yexing didn’t want to talk, Mo Tu didn’t press her.

“Are you worried you won’t be able to do it? Why not have a little more confidence and trust in your own strength? Things might not be as complicated as you think. And there may be some things only you can do.”

Yexing listened, completely stunned.

Before she could ask anything, Mo Tu left with a smile.

“If I make too many pastries again, I’ll bring you some. I hope you like them.”

“Um... thanks.”

Ye Lan closed the door and went back to her room. She looked down at the bag of pastries in her hands and fell into thought.

Half a minute later...

“What was he trying to say?”

She still didn’t get it!

Riddle-speakers, get out of Yunchang City!

Still, the pastries he’d brought were really good, so she’d forgive him.

Yexing chewed on a pastry, looking utterly satisfied.