"Pitiful..."
The word slipped from Jingliu's lips in a whisper, a flicker of confusion crossing her usually frosty expression.
It was the first time she had ever heard someone use such a word to describe her.
"Don't you agree?" Bai Heng continued, his voice steady. "At a tender age, your hometown, Cangcheng, was devoured by the calamitous star, Rahu. Since then, you've been adrift like duckweed on the water, utterly alone, until you finally reached the Luofu."
"Everyone says her swordsmanship is peerless, her blade unmatched. But who knows that aside from her sword, she possesses nothing else?"
"They call her arrogant and stubborn, but who realizes that might just be a mask she wears?"
"All anyone ever sees is the surface; no one glimpses the heart she keeps hidden."
"Someone like that... isn't she pitiful?"
The moment his words fell, Jingliu's icy heart quivered.
It felt as if her most deeply buried secret had been dug up. A look of stunned surprise, rare on her frost-kissed face, followed suit.
Jingliu had to admit, the man was right.
The reason she honed her sword skills to such perfection was precisely because there was nothing else for her but the swing of her blade.
Before Cangcheng's destruction, she had laughed and cried like anyone else.
But... how did this man know these things?
Staring at the white silk blindfold covering his eyes, Jingliu sought an answer within it.
She found none. Behind that veil, his silver eyes, devoid of highlights, held nothing but emptiness.
After a moment of silence, Jingliu chose to ask directly:
"Is the Chief Alchemist well acquainted with that Jingliu?"
"Not at all."
"Then how do you know these things?"
Hearing the question, Bai Heng smiled. He reached out and tapped the blindfold over his eyes.
"I'm blind. Some things I cannot see, but naturally, other things become clearer."
What kind of nonsensical answer was that?
Jingliu thought to herself.
Yet, she didn't notice the slight, almost imperceptible curve that touched her lips, which were usually set in a stern line, prompted by his cryptic reply.
Their conversation had begun abruptly and ended just as quickly.
As Bai Heng finished writing the prescription, Jingliu rose to leave.
But then, Bai Heng called out to her again:
"Ah, that's right. We've been talking for so long, and I never asked your name."
Hearing this, Jingliu's lips parted slightly. She was about to give her real name when she seemed to think better of it, her words shifting abruptly.
"Just call me Baiheng."
The moment the name left her lips, she noticed the man's expression turn somewhat strange.
Had he seen through her?
Or was this Chief Alchemist actually acquainted with the real Bai Heng?
As these thoughts raced through her mind, she saw Bai Heng point to himself and say:
"Guess what my name is."
"Please enlighten me, Chief Alchemist."
"My name is Bai Heng."
Silence. Deathly silence.
It felt like calling someone 'baby' online for a year, only to realize the day before meeting that you never learned their name. After maneuvering through an awkward conversation to finally ask, you see your own older sister's name pop up in the chat window....
After what felt like an eternity, Jingliu lightly coughed, breaking the stalemate.
She said:
"How... fortuitous."
Exactly! Even when thoroughly embarrassed, the future Sword Champion would maintain a facade of composure!
--+--
March 7th: 「If I remember correctly... Baiheng is a good friend of this Luofu Sword Champion, right...?」
Stelle: 「So the question is, how is this any different from using your bestie's photos for an online romance?」
Silver Wolf: 「Correction, this isn't an online romance; this is meeting IRL. It's just that this world's Bai Heng is a bit blind.」
Lumine: 「Blind is good! Blind is good!」
Paimon: 「Stop obsessing over your flawed aesthetic sense!」
Kiana: 「Speaking of which, why didn't Miss Jingliu give her real name?」
Bronya: 「Silly Kiana, Mr. Bai Heng just delivered a sweeping critique of Miss Jingliu. Revealing her real name then would have made the situation incredibly awkward, wouldn't it?」
Jing Yuan: 「Haha, not necessarily. If my teacher in this world is anything like the one I know, her actions can only be explained by one thing: she's become interested in Mr. Bai Heng.」
Black Swan: 「That makes sense. Having someone instantly see through your hidden self would make anyone curious, after all.」
Kiana: 「Interested... Wait, why do I get a bad feeling about this?」
Kiana: 「Let me think. In the first story, Firefly met Mr. Bai Heng, and then Mr. Bai Heng was gone. In the second story, because Bronya glanced at Mr. Bai Heng during the Rebellion Night, Mr. Bai Heng was gone again. And now, Jingliu is interested in Mr. Bai Heng...」
Stelle: 「Shut up, shut up! Are you crazy, thinking such dangerous thoughts! Have you been possessed by that damn Masked Fool?!」
Silver Wolf: 「Well, well. So meeting Bai Heng truly spells doom for life, huh.」
--+--
While the group chattered on, the simulation surrounding Bai Heng continued uninterrupted.
[Perhaps it was truly fate, but you befriended a woman whose name differed from yours by a single character, who called herself Baiheng. You told her about the terrifying swordsmanship of Cangcheng's Jingliu, and even asked her if she wanted to taste the sharpness of her blade. But her response was: 'My sword is not without its own edge either.']
(T/N: Jingliu uses the name of her friend, the Foxian Baiheng, which has the same english translation as Bai Heng, the MC, but the chinese spelling for Heng is different. I kept the name Bai Heng cause it fit Xianzhou and I'm glad I did or this scene would make no sense to me and other people)
[In the days that followed, as if to prove her point, this 'Baiheng' would frequently visit your Alchemy Commission, often bearing injuries from sparring sessions. You, in turn, would personally tend to her wounds.]
[Back and forth you went, growing increasingly familiar. Even on days without injuries, she would bring a small flask of wine to share a drink with you. When she left, you would give her a prescription to ward off the chill, a token of your own.]
[As the day of the Sword Championship drew near, she came to find you one last time.]
"What's wrong? Getting cold feet now that the fight's almost here? It's a bit late for second thoughts, don't you think~?"
Having known each other for a while, Bai Heng's tone with this friend, whose name was so close to his own, had become completely relaxed, devoid of the initial formalities.
"I merely came to see you. I haven't said anything yet, so how would you know I'm afraid? Besides, are you so confident in that Jingliu?"
Her tone was still cool and clear, but it held a warmth absent from their first meeting.
"Tch... It's not so much confidence. It's just that Jingliu took to the battlefield and started reaping the lives of the Abominations of Abundance mere days after first picking up a sword. Every move, every feint, every strike was taught to her by the enemies falling at her feet."
"To exaggerate a little, she's a natural, her heart one with the sword. In a storybook, she'd be the fated protagonist."
"So it's not that I lack faith in you. I simply lack faith in everyone~"
As he spoke, Bai Heng wagged a finger, looking utterly pleased with himself.
"Heh."
Hearing his words, the figure in ice-blue curved her lips into a faint, amused smile.
"Last time, and now this time... I get the feeling you know a great deal about this Jingliu."
Sitting up straight, Bai Heng hurriedly corrected her:
"Ah~ now that's not quite right. I'm a man with a deficiency, blind to the world. All I can do each day is treat patients here in the Alchemy Commission and listen to interesting tidbits."
"After a while, if not the whole Luofu, I've at least heard half of its gossip. I could even tell you a few embarrassing stories about Luofu's Vidyadhara High Elder himself. Matters concerning the future Sword Champion Jingliu are naturally the same."
"Oh? From the sound of it, you know other things about Jingliu too?" She raised a delicate eyebrow, a spark of interest flashing in her crimson eyes.
"But of course~" Bai Heng lightly flicked his bangs, his smile unwavering.
Though born with a disability, his nature was flippant and lazy, unlike others with similar fates who were filled with resentment.
"Then why not tell me? So I might not lose so disgracefully to her in a few days."
"In that regard, I'm afraid I can't help you. But I can share some interesting gossip."
"Gossip?"
"Indeed. Many of the Cloud Knights here on the Luofu are smitten with her beauty, making her their primary pursuit. But just the other day, her criteria for a partner somehow got leaked."
"The first requirement is that his strength must surpass her own."
"If you ask me, that single rule alone probably means our future Sword Champion will be single for the next few centuries~" As he relayed this gossip, a smile played on Bai Heng's lips.
Hearing this, the woman who called herself Baiheng frowned slightly, a subtle arc forming at the corner of her mouth as she asked:
"And what about you? Don't you have any thoughts about her?"
"Thinking about it, you're the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission. In terms of status, you're even above her, since she hasn't yet become Sword Champion."
"Me?" Bai Heng pointed at himself, his expression exaggerated. "A man must know his limits. I have a deficient body. My hands cannot properly hold a sword; my eyes cannot see. How could I possibly be worthy?"
"Besides, if we're talking about someone to marry, I think you're a much more suitable candidate."
The flippant words were spoken in jest, yet they caused a small, unexpected flutter in the heart of the ice-blue figure.
But she quickly regained her usual composure, replying with a faint smile:
"Since you've put it that way, why not try your luck with me? You might just get the answer you're looking for."
Intrigued, Bai Heng's expression immediately turned solemn. He suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Then may I ask, the graceful and elegant Miss Baiheng, would you be willing to entrust yourself to me and walk with me until the end of our days?"
Bai Heng's voice was earnest as he spoke these words, showing little trace of his earlier jest.
The response he received, however, was exactly what he expected.
"I'm not willing~"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.