She immediately reacted, a hint of admiration on her face: "Baiheng? Of course I know her! Who in Luofu doesn't know this legendary pilot, a great hero and one of the High-Cloud Quintet! What a pity... to die so young, truly heaven's envy of talent."
She even sighed dramatically, as if lamenting a sealed piece of history.
Jingliu remained silent, her calm, unreadable face leaving Baiheng completely unable to guess her thoughts.
Baiheng only felt a chill down her spine; this was more unsettling than facing a Mara-Struck enemy.
"Um... Guest, are you still buying anything?"
Baiheng tried to break the suffocating silence, steering the conversation back to safe commercial territory.
"Buy."
Jingliu finally spoke again, but the words she uttered almost made Baiheng bite her tongue, "Everything here. How much?"
Baiheng: "!!!"
Her lips twitched uncontrollably, and she screamed internally: 'Everything?! Jingliu, you weren't like this before! When did you become so... so outrageously rich?!'
"Ahem, well... Guest, you see."
Baiheng quickly waved her hand, forcing a difficult smile, "These are all precious, limited-edition items related to Ms. Herta, from the distant Space Station! To prevent some... uh, overly zealous collectors from clearing out stock and affecting other Guests' experience, we have a purchase limit policy. Each person can only buy one of each item per visit!"
She started babbling, trying to use verbose nonsense to cover her inner panic: "Look at this Herta plushie, it uses the latest nano-filling technology, top-notch feel! And this necklace, look at the cut, the luster, it's said to contain a glimmer of Ms. Herta's wisdom... The ornaments are even more remarkable; hanging them in your room not only decorates but can also... also inspire thought! These all come from legitimate channels, with... with Interstellar Peace Corporation certification... probably..."
Baiheng spoke until her throat was dry, but Jingliu seemed not to be listening to her introduction at all. The gaze hidden behind her blindfold seemed to pierce through the sunglasses, landing directly on Baiheng's face, with a look of scrutiny and... nostalgia?
This feeling was terrible!
Baiheng bit the bullet and, as if possessed, blurted out, "Um... if you don't believe me, you can feel it? The texture is really good!"
Her original intention was for the other party to feel the merchandise.
Jingliu, however, nodded, and then—reached out directly, past the items on the stall, and gently... touched Baiheng's cheek!
Baiheng: "!!!!!!"
She instantly froze, her mind a blank.
The cool touch of her fingertips, through the thin skin, felt like an electric current, making all the hairs on her body stand on end.
Jingliu's fingers even gently caressed her cheek, then moved upwards, as if trying to remove her disguised sunglasses.
"!!!"
Baiheng suddenly snapped back to reality. Almost instinctively, the agile attribute integrated into her body instantly activated—her figure rippled like water, instantly blurring, and the next moment she appeared a few steps behind the side of the stall.
"G-Guest! Please maintain proper decorum!"
Baiheng covered the
However, her heart was already in turmoil: 'Jingliu!!! You, you, you... you actually dared to grope a respectable Foxian maiden in broad daylight?! You weren't like this before! Where's your aloofness?! Where's your 'keep strangers away' attitude?! How did you change so much after not seeing you for hundreds of years?!'
Jingliu slowly withdrew her hand, her fingertips gently rubbing together, as if savoring the touch from earlier.
She remained silent, not speaking, but the invisible pressure intensified.
Just then, a sharp female voice broke the eerie atmosphere:
"Cloud Knights! It's that stall! That white-haired Foxian maiden! I suspect she's selling unlicensed goods, evading taxes, and possibly involved in smuggling!"
Baiheng looked in the direction of the voice, only to see the woman who had tried to scam her earlier, now rushing over menacingly with several Cloud Knights in uniform.
Baiheng's heart jumped, and she cursed inwardly: 'Can't play fair, huh? Reporting me!'
The situation was critical; she couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Sorry, Guest! No business today!"
She quickly said to Jingliu, then nimbly pressed a button on the cart.
With a few soft clicks, the stall quickly folded and retracted, transforming back into its sleek riding form.
Baiheng leaped onto the cart, and the power core instantly activated.
"Whoosh—!"
The cart shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring, carrying the flustered fox-person maiden, deftly weaving into the bustling crowd, and disappeared around a street corner after a few turns, leaving only a faint trail.
When the Cloud Knights arrived, they only saw the empty street, and... the former Luofu Sword Master, Jingliu, standing in place, still maintaining the posture of raising her hand as if savoring something.
Jingliu slowly lowered her hand, her gaze seemingly directed towards the direction Baiheng had disappeared.
In the air, a faint, familiar scent (?) seemed to linger, as well as... that soft cheek, exactly as she remembered.
"Too similar..."
She murmured softly to herself, a ripple quickly passing across her cold face.
Except for the hair color... almost, identical.
That friend whom she thought had long passed, whom she could only mourn alone in the endless night... was it truly just an illusion?
Meanwhile, Baiheng, speeding through the streets and alleys of Luofu on her cart, clutched her still-burning cheek, her heart pounding.
"It's over, it's over, it's over... I've been targeted now! Help me, Ms.! Jingliu, she... she touched my face! Did she recognize me? No, I need to report this quickly; I probably can't stay in Luofu much longer!"
Perspective shift.
In Tribbie's room, the Tribbie plushies with various expressions, some sitting, some lying, watched silently from the center of the room with countless button or glass bead eyes.
Cyrene sat on a soft goose-down cushion, her pink short hair appearing particularly docile in the gentle indoor light.
She watched Tribbie—the mature woman with thick, fiery red hair and a white dress—frantically tapping her phone screen with a childish impatience that completely belied her appearance.
On the phone screen was the "Currency War" game created by Madam Herta.
At this moment, Tribbie had chosen the Belobog team and was fiercely battling
"Ah! It's gone again! Why is this Seele so fragile!"
Tribbie wailed, watching the battle fail on screen and the health bar instantly bottom out, "These guys are too useless! They haven't even finished the first stage, and their health bar is almost empty! Is this difficulty A8 reasonable?!"
Cyrene leaned slightly, gently comforting her, "Sister Tribbie, it might be luck. Next time... try Ms. Aglaea's team?"
Tribbie pouted her crimson lips, tossing her phone onto the nearby pile of cushions, and slumped down as if boneless: "But it's so boring always using Agy... she's almost going to call me 'overly dependent'."
As she spoke, she suddenly flipped over, spread her arms, and hugged Cyrene next to her, rolling with her into the soft sea of cushions.
"My little sister is the best!"
Tribbie buried her face in Cyrene's faintly fragrant pink short hair, rubbing vigorously, her voice muffled, "It's just so hard to 'draw' you! When will Mom increase the probability of 'little sister'...?"
Cyrene, held tightly and slightly breathless, smiled helplessly and gently patted Tribbie's back, like comforting a large cat.
"Sister Tribbie, I'm right here."
Just then, a clear and regular knocking sound came from the room's seemingly decorative, usually closed door.
Thump, thump, thump.
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