Jingliu froze.
She truly had not expected that this woman—so gentle she reminded her of Baiheng—would say something so domineering.
But if that was how it was, then Jingliu had no choice but to offend her.
Though she had no wish to raise a hand against the one who had helped her, things had come to this. All she could do was try not to hurt the woman. If anything did happen, she would have to find some way to make amends later.
In an instant, Jingliu vanished from the bed.
Her mind was clear now. Even in the cramped confines of an inn room, she could still bring out her full strength.
And yet, just as Jingliu closed in on Cecilia with blinding speed, the other woman reacted even faster.
Her movements did not look hurried. If anything, they seemed leisurely.
But it was precisely that calmness that made Jingliu's pupils contract.
Because when Cecilia's hand came down on her shoulder, Jingliu had not even seen how she moved.
The next second, Jingliu's back slammed heavily into the soft mattress.
Cecilia leaned over her, one hand pinning down her shoulder, the other braced by her ear.
Her white hair spilled down, drawing a bright arc before Jingliu's eyes.
"I told you already. You have to listen to me."
"I wasn't asking."
Cecilia made a thoroughly overbearing declaration.
But it could not be helped. Faced with a woman this cold and unyielding, she had no choice but to use a slightly more forceful approach.
Objectively speaking, was Jingliu strong?
Of course she was. Even across the entire galaxy, she would count among the absolute strongest beneath the level of an Emanator.
Unfortunately for her, Cecilia had already become the sort of player who swiped without limits. Even among Emanators, she would have no equal.
Jingliu tried to struggle.
But in raw strength, she was completely pinned beneath the woman before her.
If she wanted to resist, she would have to use the power of her Path.
But this was the Luofu, inside a small inn room. If the two of them really started fighting in earnest here, it would end badly for the Luofu, and badly for both of them as well.
Besides, this woman was her benefactor, not her enemy.
And now, Jingliu could feel even more clearly just how powerful Cecilia truly was.
Strong. Absurdly strong.
Even if she abandoned all restraint, she still would not be this woman's match.
"...I've lost. In the days to come, I'll listen to you."
At last, Jingliu conceded.
With her strength utterly suppressed and resistance proving useless, the former Sword Champion of the Luofu finally chose to lower her head—for now.
But those crimson eyes remained fixed on Cecilia, clearly saying, This is only temporary.
Naturally, Cecilia understood the meaning in that gaze.
She smiled faintly, released Jingliu's shoulder, and straightened up.
"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd just done that from the start?"
...
...
The Skiff Haven, Cloudford.
After successfully "containing" Jingliu for the time being, the two of them did not stay idle. That very afternoon, they checked out of the inn and made their way to the district now sealed off by the Luofu.
Actually, according to Cecilia's original plan, the reason she had forced Jingliu to stay with her was that she hoped Jingliu would take her directly to Luocha.
After all, anything related to the Paths of Propagation and Destruction should be in that man's possession.
At the very least, while Jingliu had been unconscious, Cecilia had failed to find anything of the sort on her.
But from the current situation, it seemed Jingliu had no intention of doing that.
Still, it could not be helped. They had only just met, after all. Even if Cecilia had saved her, Jingliu obviously was not going to trust her that easily.
"Tell me, Jingliu," Cecilia finally asked after watching her casually cut down yet another group of Abundance abominations, "did you come back to the Luofu just to work for free?"
Jingliu sheathed her sword. The blade spun in her hand in a beautiful flourish before vanishing.
"These abominations are running wild. If they are not dealt with, sooner or later they will endanger ordinary people."
But was that really the whole truth?
Only partly.
This area had already been completely sealed off, and the cleanup would naturally be handled by the Cloud Knights in due course.
So why was Jingliu helping out like this?
Well, because she was simply too idle.
With her current status, it was difficult for her to move about freely on the Luofu.
As for going to Luocha and carrying out their plan?
Looking at Cecilia beside her—carefree on the surface, yet unfathomably deep—Jingliu decided to put that plan on hold for now.
And just then, perhaps because Jingliu was lost in thought, another Abundance abomination entered their field of vision.
Its target was Cecilia.
Seeing this, Cecilia did not dodge. On the contrary, she put on an expression of alarm.
"Jingliu, save me!"
Jingliu instinctively moved to draw her sword, only to stop after seeing the state of the creature.
The abomination lunging at Cecilia suddenly froze when it was still three steps away.
Its body began to twist, as if some invisible force were unraveling it from within.
The flesh that had once grown in mad profusion visibly withered away, until at last it collapsed into a heap of pale gray dust scattered at Cecilia's feet.
From beginning to end, Cecilia had not even lifted a finger.
She still wore that frightened expression, and even had the leisure to blink innocently at Jingliu.
Jingliu: "..."
So that display of fear just now had only been for her benefit?
Cecilia patted her chest and declared with theatrical feeling, "How terrifying."
"Good thing you were here, Jingliu. Otherwise, I don't know what I would've done."
Jingliu looked at her expressionlessly.
"You didn't even move."
Cecilia answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Exactly. But you were right there beside me."
"With you around, what would I have to be afraid of?"
Jingliu fell silent. For the moment, she truly did not know how to deal with this benefactor of hers.
"...So why exactly did you come to the Luofu?"
In the end, Jingliu asked the question she most wanted answered.
"Me?" Cecilia smiled. "I came to treat a patient. Lady Fu of the Divination Commission invited me here. She said there was someone who needed my care."
Jingliu's brow twitched slightly. "Then you ought to be at the Divination Commission, not wandering around here with me."
She was trying to get Cecilia to leave.
But Cecilia remained completely unmoved. "Wandering around?"
"I'm keeping an eye on you, so that if your mara flares up again, you don't tear this whole place apart."
Jingliu found herself at a loss for words.
She very much wanted to say that she was calm now.
But she had to admit that the only reason for that was the woman standing before her.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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