"That's not what I mean..."
Cheng Lingshuang glanced at Yanqing, still expressionless: "Need to eat. Or do you want to seek help from those others?"
Yanqing sighed. Of course he didn't want to get involved with those senior sisters and junior sisters again.
Living a second life, he'd seen through many things. Relatively speaking, this Fifth Senior Sister was actually the one with the most normal mentality among the senior sisters.
Of course, most importantly... needed to earn money to eat.
Thus, he gripped the iron hammer in his hand.
"Senior Sister, pardon the offense."
"Bang!"
As the hammer struck down, the stone slab on Cheng Lingshuang's chest shattered.
Then Cheng Lingshuang calmly rose, looking at the watching audience, but found their reactions lukewarm.
Vaguely, she could even hear things like "just breaking stones on the chest again," "no skill," and such.
A trace of confusion actually appeared on her deadpan face.
Yanqing approached, saying quietly:
"Senior Sister, the internet is so developed now. Everyone's seen too many strange things. The threshold has long been raised."
"Simply put—no skill."
Of course, Yanqing felt there was another most important reason—this Fifth Senior Sister's expression was too rigid, giving a perfunctory feeling.
He'd indeed heard people in the crowd say things like "that stone slab is too fake."
"No skill..." Cheng Lingshuang fell into thought. "I seem to have heard that when there's no skill, you can try biting a lighter."
"Yanqing, do you have a lighter?"
"I don't. Does Senior Sister have one?"
Cheng Lingshuang looked at him expressionlessly: "Do you think I have one?"
"True... So Senior Sister, what now?"
Cheng Lingshuang thought for a moment: "Many principles in the world are connected. Although there's no lighter, I feel biting something else should also be fine."
"Is... is that so?" Yanqing was skeptical.
Cheng Lingshuang looked left and right, shifting her gaze from the iron hammer in Yanqing's hand, finally seeing a sharpened longsword standing on a wooden stake not far away.
She casually grabbed it, splitting the wooden stake before her in half, proving it was a real iron sword, then pointed the sword tip at her open mouth.
Seeing this, Kiana beside Lucius holding a bowl of steamed cake widened her eyes. "Mu, I know this—swallowing an iron sword. I've seen it in movies. Can swallow the entire blade into the stomach."
But next she saw Cheng Lingshuang press the sword in her hand to her mouth and bite down on the gleaming sword tip.
Accompanied by a crunching sound, Kiana saw that iron longsword actually had a notch bitten off by Cheng Lingshuang, which after chewing was swallowed directly.
Soon, the longsword was eaten like a snack until only the hilt remained.
Kiana looked at the steamed cake in her hand decorated with red dates and dried fruit, then at Cheng Lingshuang discarding the hilt while chewing away, suddenly feeling the steamed cake in her hand wasn't fragrant anymore...
"Lucius, is swallowing an iron sword done this way?"
Lucius smiled and asked: "Did she swallow the iron sword?"
"She swallowed it."
"Then isn't that swallowing an iron sword?"
"Is... is it?"
Kiana's confusion was also the confusion of many onlookers. However, Cheng Lingshuang's feat of swallowing raw iron sword indeed stirred up the audience's emotions.
Finally, sparse applause rang out.
After chewing and swallowing the entire blade, Cheng Lingshuang clasped her hands and bowed to everyone, then said in a tone with little emotion: "The performance is finished. Please give me..."
Before finishing, she was pulled back by Yanqing, who lowered his voice: "Senior Sister, that's not how you ask for money... Watch me."
Yanqing stepped forward, clasped his hands and bowed to the many spectators, saying:
"Ladies and gentlemen, uncles and aunties, big brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters, please all look here."
"As the saying goes, 'At home depend on parents, away from home depend on friends.' Today being able to perform for you noble patrons at this blessed place is our fate!"
"If you felt those few moves just now were worth watching and didn't make you stand here in vain, please raise your noble hands."
"Those with money support with money, those without support with presence!"
With this voice, the audience immediately felt favorable and took out spare change.
Yanqing gestured for Fifth Senior Sister to take the gong to collect money.
Cheng Lingshuang held a copper gong upside down, using it as a tray, walking past the watching audience.
When reaching them, Lucius placed a bill into the gong.
Meeting Cheng Lingshuang's gaze, Kiana had Lucius hold her steamed cake, took a bill from her wallet and placed it in the gong.
Cheng Lingshuang examined Kiana a few more times. After all, Europeans were indeed rare here.
However, she didn't pay much mind. After all, she herself was a whitehead—nothing strange about that.
She just said thanks and turned to others.
Soon, the surrounding people gradually dispersed. Cheng Lingshuang and Yanqing began packing up.
At this moment, a figure approached.
Yanqing froze upon seeing, but Cheng Lingshuang didn't raise her head, only asking: "Seventh Junior Sister, what matter?"
Qin Suyi smiled charmingly: "Fifth Senior Sister, Master has become possessed. I need your power..."
After some conversation, Qin Suyi received a satisfactory reply and left.
After she left, Yanqing asked puzzled: "Fifth Senior Sister, why agree to Seventh Junior Sister? We can't repeat past mistakes."
"To protect Master."
"Ah?"
Looking at the confused Yanqing, Cheng Lingshuang's eyes were somber.
"Whether the demon thought exists, whether it wants to harm Master—I don't know."
"But I know Seventh Junior Sister definitely wants to 'betray Master and ancestors'..."
...
Leaving the acrobatics performance area, Lucius continued touring the temple fair with Kiana.
Lucius walked ahead, Kiana followed behind, occasionally tossing ginger candy into her mouth.
Chew chew chew.
Suddenly, Lucius stopped.
Kiana didn't notice and bumped into Lucius's back.
"Lucius, why stop?"
Kiana's gaze passed Lucius, seeing what appeared to be a clothing design shop ahead. Exquisitely crafted garments were placed in the display window, shown to passing pedestrians.
"Saw an interesting person and clothes." Lucius entered the shop.
Kiana didn't understand but still followed behind him.
After entering the shop, Lucius examined each distinctively styled garment. They weren't mass-produced clothing from industrial assembly lines—each extremely aesthetic, showcasing the creator's ingenuity and skill.
Kiana also looked at each garment. She just thought they looked good.
Walking along, she stopped before one garment. This was an antique-style winter dress layered overall with red and white satin, surface decorated with cold toad and moon rabbit ornaments. She felt this dress was very beautiful.
"This dress, I named it 'Snow Moon Spirit Rabbit,' referencing moon toad and moon rabbit allusions. Counts as one of the presentable garments."
Kiana discovered a woman with brownish-red hair and a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth had somehow appeared beside her.
"Would miss like to try it? I feel this garment suits you well."
Hearing this, Kiana retreated several steps.
Hurriedly shaking her head: "No no... no need!"
Then, realizing her reaction was too intense, she could only awkwardly express refusal: "I... I'm not interested in wearing dresses."
"I see..." The woman wasn't disappointed.
However, at this moment Lucius's voice came.
"I'll take this dress."
Hearing this, Kiana's eyes widened. Covering her chest, she retreated several steps with a horrified expression looking at him.
"Lucius, what do you want to do? I took you as a brother!"
Lucius tilted his head, looking at her strangely: "Since you don't want it, I'll bring it to Mei. You didn't think it was for you, did you?"
"Oh... I see..."
"What else?"
After paying, the brownish-red haired woman smiled lightly watching Lucius and Kiana leave.
Then this shop owner whose real name was Su Mei returned to a table inside the shop with a book about fashion design on it.
She was about to open it when footsteps sounded. Looking up, she saw Qin Suyi walk in.
"Seventh Junior Sister, how do you have time to come here?" Su Mei wore an approachable smile.
"Master has appeared." Qin Suyi said thus.
Hearing this, Su Mei's smile faded somewhat. After pondering, she said: "Already has nothing to do with me. Let past dreams drift away."
Qin Suyi heard the gentle refusal in her words. Silent for a while, she suddenly smiled: "Senior Sister, I ask you—what about debtors?"
Su Mei said: "Debtors repay debts. Natural justice."
Thus, Qin Suyi smiled even more.
"Senior Sister, back then I followed your orders to assassinate Master. This is what you owe me."
"Now, you should repay."
Su Mei closed the book, expressionless: "What if I say no?"
Just as these words emerged, she felt terrifying killing intent fall on her from all directions, making her feel like falling into an icy pit.
As someone who'd successfully cultivated Taixu Sword Qi, she knew she'd been locked on by the other's sword momentum.
Worse, Su Mei discovered she didn't seem to be this Seventh Junior Sister's match anymore. Similar threatening feelings she'd only experienced from Fifth Junior Sister who'd achieved Sword God.
"Senior Sister also said debtors repaying debts is natural justice. Then the favor Senior Sister owes me naturally must be repaid. Of course... Senior Sister can also choose to renege."
"However," Qin Suyi's face still carried a gentle smile, but the cold killing intent seemed to materialize, "hehe... then I can only kill Senior Sister first."
"Senior Sister, you don't want us senior sisters to cross swords, right?"
Su Mei sighed: "Seventh Junior Sister, the past is like passing clouds. Why must you still cling to..."
Before finishing, she was crudely interrupted by Qin Suyi.
"Nonsense! You people who betray Master and ancestors, don't try to stop me from showing filial piety to Master!"
I think you're the madwoman who truly wants to betray Master and ancestors! You want to show filial piety? I'm too embarrassed to expose you!
However, Su Mei couldn't say this. She felt since living a second life, this Seventh Junior Sister's mentality seemed to have problems. Speaking directly would stimulate her.
Of course, most importantly, she felt Seventh Junior Sister's cultivation had far surpassed her own. If she spoke frankly... she'd be eliminated.
Ultimately, could only patiently advise: "Junior Sister, listen to Senior Sister's words. Turn back..."
Su Mei swore that living two lives, she'd never spoken such honest words.
"Shut up! No one can stop me from showing filial piety to Master!"
"When I carried Master's corpse leaving Mount Taixu, feeling Master's cold body, I realized what foolish thing I'd done. Infinite regret drowned me."
"Then I fantasized—if there was a chance to start over, I'd definitely be a filial disciple. And now, I truly have a chance to start over."
"This must be Heaven giving me a chance to make amends!"
Qin Suyi grabbed her own face with both hands, but still couldn't hide the mad smile and flushed complexion on her face.
"Master, please wait. This disciple will 'show you filial piety' right away!"
Seeing her insane appearance, Su Mei didn't know what vocabulary to use to express it. After long silence, could only say somberly:
"...Junior Sister, you've truly become possessed."
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