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Seeing the object brought the person to mind. Jingliu's expression inevitably grew a few shades more wistful.
There was no helping it—holding a weapon like this in her hands, how could she possibly ignore that departed old friend?
"Hey!"
"Mm." Jingliu was startled by the sudden call. Her small body trembled, and as she felt an arm wrap around her neck, she snapped ramrod straight as if electrocuted. The flicker of nostalgia that had just surfaced vanished without a trace.
Her emotions instantly smoothed over. Frowning, she turned her head—and found Feixiao squatting beside her, smiling as she slung an arm over her shoulders.
With a hint of dissatisfaction, Jingliu said, "If Jing Yuan dared be this rude, he'd already be outside swinging his sword ten thousand times."
Watching this scene, Sylvester chimed in half-jokingly, half to fan the flames. "Exactly. Respecting one's seniors is a traditional Xianzhou virtue. This is simply outrageous!"
Hearing that, Feixiao shot him a look but didn't bother responding, instead puffing out her chest toward Jingliu. "What's ten thousand sword swings? Even a hundred thousand would be fine!"
Then she smiled ingratiatingly. "Haha, as long as you let me borrow the car for two days."
She really wanted to try what it felt like to ram a star with a war vehicle.
"Here, take it." Jingliu kept a cool little face as she held the concept car's steering wheel out in front of her.
Seeing her play dumb like this, Sylvester's smile deepened.
It seemed Jingliu truly had stepped onto the path of normal life.
In the past, she would only choose between yes and no—she wouldn't deliberately tease someone like this.
"Oh? So, you can play dumb too?" Feixiao scratched her head, then added, "We're already this close—just let me take it for a spin. With how sturdy this thing is, I won't break it so easily."
At that, a trace of a childlike smile appeared on Jingliu's face. She said, "You want to drive it?"
"Mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm." Feixiao nodded repeatedly, her soft fox ears flipping back and forth, the fine down inside faintly visible.
"Hmph~" A hint of smugness crept into little Jingliu's eyes as she smiled. "Then beg me."
Maybe it was because she'd been startled earlier and was holding a grudge; maybe it was her way of casually striking back at Feixiao for treating her like a child.
Either way, she decided to make things difficult for her "temporary guardian."
Feixiao hesitated. "Uh…"
"Hey, that's actually right. Like the saying goes, courtesy costs nothing—borrowing something without showing proper attitude just won't do!"
Sylvester, never one to shy away from a spectacle, backed her up from the side. "Go on, beg her. You won't lose a few pounds of flesh over it—we're mainly looking at your attitude!"
Feixiao turned her head and said helplessly to him, "What are you to her, anyway, to be this protective?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Sylvester waved his hand, putting on the air of a reasonable mediator. "We're just talking principles here. We're asking for fairness."
"You've got nerve." Feixiao stopped paying him any mind, turning back—only to meet Jingliu's teasing gaze head-on.
Honestly, the expressions you've shown in these few minutes might be more than in the past year.
But asking me to beg…
She mulled it over, hesitation written all over her face.
"Tch…"
At last, she made up her mind.
Clenching her teeth, she lowered her head, deliberately dipping her posture even lower than Jingliu's current height.
She clasped her hands together like she was coaxing an upset little daughter, pinching her voice as she said, "Please, please."
"Pfft."
That utterly insincere, child-soothing tone didn't anger Jingliu—instead, it made her laugh softly.
Jingliu shook her head and said to Feixiao and Sylvester, "You two really do have good eyes. I just didn't expect your coordination to be this seamless as well."
Though she carried labels like battle maniac and lone wanderer, she was never some old fossil—something made obvious by how she once called Yanqing "little brother."
Likewise, how could she not see that these two had noticed her wistful mood and deliberately come over to cheer her up?
Feixiao was a general of Yaoqing, holding a position even higher than Jingliu's most glorious days. Sylvester, as the owner of this shop and a holder of an honorary general's title, was no longer an unknown figure either.
For people like them to lower themselves to this extent—was that treatment just anyone could receive? It was clear they regarded her as a close friend.
Having been seen through, Sylvester wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. He clasped his hands behind his head, leaning comfortably against the chair back as he said to Feixiao, "See? You got found out. Didn't I signal you earlier—be careful not to overact?"
Seeing him shamelessly dump the blame, Feixiao laughed and cursed, "My acting's always been solid. It was obviously your line that was too abrupt, alright?"
Sylvester replied, "Well, that's hard to say. Jiaoqiu isn't exactly—"
Seeing the two bicker back and forth, Jingliu gently shook her head, a gratified smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
She spoke softly, her voice not loud, yet clearly reaching both of them. "You don't need to worry so much about me. Seeing objects and thinking of people is only human. I have been reborn—I won't wallow in the past."
"Mm, we can all see that." Sylvester said with a grin, pinching his chin.
The old Jingliu would never have thought of teasing Feixiao like this.
Cleave the rivers and illuminate all streams—that would've been far more satisfying.
Eh? If I'd suggested using two patrol tokens as collateral just now, wouldn't that have been even better?
What a shame…
Sylvester looked full of regret.
But Jingliu, whose Mara had already been cured, probably wasn't that impulsive anymore. At most, he'd just earn himself a glare now.
"Take it."
Jingliu handed the war chariot to Feixiao, gathered up her own gains, and walked toward the rest area.
After turning her back and hopping lightly onto a chair, she sat down and said to Jade and the others nearby.
"Sorry for the expense. Now, it's your turn."
Jade smiled politely. "You're too kind. Being able to see such powerful Curios has broadened our horizons as well."
Jingliu nodded and said no more. Feixiao also returned to the rest area and sat beside her.
Jade then turned to her two colleagues. "Well? Which of you will go?"
Her gaze shifted between the two, though in truth, she was placing more hope on Aventurine.
The fame of Sigonia's lucky one was well known. With him around, in a matter of gambling on luck like this, how could she expect anyone else?
But facing that expectation, Aventurine shook his head. "Let's skip it today. I have a feeling my luck isn't good right now. A gamble without confidence is doomed to fail from the very start."
Jade didn't try to persuade him. In matters like this, Aventurine had more say than she did.
Her gaze settled on Topaz instead as she teased, "What about you? How are you feeling, Little Jelena? If you also think your luck's off, we might as well take the day off and spend it sightseeing around the Luofu."
Topaz stroked Numby's back and smiled. "That really would be a pity. A perfectly good vacation, just slipping away like that."
She set Numby on her shoulder and stood up, walking toward the counter.
She said to Sylvester, "Shopkeeper Sylvester, long time no see. I remember you once said that the two relics I got last time—if I found two more, they'd form a four-piece set and their power would rise another level. Am I right?"
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