Baiheng: "..."
Her fingers tightened around the Energy Bow, and she nearly failed to stop herself from throwing the words "Are you kidding me?" directly at the other party's expressionless face.
Who needs to sneak silently to the bedside and reach out to snatch someone's eye mask just to ask about a kettle?!
This excuse was so perfunctory that even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it!
But, she couldn't break the facade.
Baiheng took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
A smile quickly formed on her face—one that said "Ah, I see," "So that's it," and "You should have said so earlier"—and the Energy Bow in her hand silently dissipated into specks of light.
"Oh dear! Look at my memory!"
She slapped her forehead. "I forgot to prepare drinking water in your room, Guest! My mistake, my mistake! Come, come, I'll take you to the kitchen right now—we have hot and cold water!"
As she spoke, she naturally stepped aside and made a "please" gesture, as if their recent standoff with the bow had merely been a friendly exercise.
Jingliu nodded slightly, turned readily, and followed "Bai Heng" out of the room.
In the kitchen, "Bai Heng" diligently found a clean cup, filled it with drinking water of a suitable temperature, and offered it to Jingliu with both hands.
The entire process was accompanied by a pleasant smile and smooth movements, making her seem like the most attentive waiter.
Jingliu took the cup but did not drink.
She merely looked at the slightly trembling surface of the water in the cup and remained silent for a moment.
"Your skill," she suddenly spoke, her voice exceptionally clear in the silent kitchen, "is excellent."
"Bai Heng's" heart tightened, but the smile on her face didn't falter: "Heh, when you're running Intergalactic Trade, the roads aren't safe. You have to learn a few clumsy moves for self-defense! Please forgive my poor display!"
"Clumsy moves?"
Jingliu repeated the term, her tone flat. "There aren't many 'clumsy practitioners' who can instantly escape my grasp."
"Bai Heng" gave a dry laugh: "Luck, purely luck! I just... suddenly felt something was off, got startled, and my body moved on its own! Really!"
Jingliu said nothing further.
She raised the cup, took a symbolic sip, and then gently placed the cup on the counter.
"Thank you."
After speaking, she turned and left the kitchen, the hem of her black sleeping robe sweeping past the threshold as she silently merged into the darkness of the corridor.
Baiheng stood in the kitchen until she confirmed that the cold sense of pressure had completely receded. Only then did she suddenly lean against the cool metal counter and let out a long breath she had been holding.
(That was close...)
She raised her hand and touched the eye mask pressed tightly against her skin.
This was a special piece of equipment left to her by her Master. It could change shape, block many forms of detection, and was one of the core components of her "Bai Heng" disguise.
If it had been taken off just now... the consequences would have been unthinkable.
She walked back to the room, gently closed the door, and looked at Bailu, who was still sound asleep on the bed, oblivious to the undercurrents that had just surged. The string in her heart tightened even further.
(Jingliu... has she grown suspicious to this extent?)
Stelle awoke from a dream that was unusually satisfying, perhaps even a little tiring.
She had swung a Baseball Bat with great enthusiasm, and at the end, she seemed to have smashed an iceberg with one hit, which felt incredibly refreshing.
So when she opened her eyes, she felt refreshed and energetic, as if she had just completed a high-quality aerobic workout.
She stretched, sat up, and noticed her gray hair was sticking up a bit from sleep.
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