"Tch~ How dull."
As if he'd anticipated that answer all along, Bai Heng's face showed no trace of disappointment.
He simply waved a hand and settled back into his rocking chair, returning to his earlier relaxed posture.
Watching his reaction, the icy-blue figure let out a soft laugh.
"Oh? Aren't you going to ask me why I refused?"
"Why? I just mustered up twenty years' worth of courage only to get an 'I'm not willing.' And now you want me to ask for the reason? What? After killing a man, you want to condemn his heart too? Tsk tsk tsk, who would've thought the kind and lovely Miss Baiheng had such a vicious side~"
Rocking the chair rhythmically, Bai Heng spoke in a lazy, drawn-out tone.
"Hah. You can't see. How would you know if I'm 'kind and lovely'? For all you know, I could be a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted shrew with no sense of reason," Jingliu said.
"Now that's where you're wrong~ Eyes can be deceived, but a voice doesn't lie. The way you speak, your tone of voice... they both tell me one thing."
Here, Bai Heng sat up in the rocking chair. His expression turned serious, his tone becoming utterly sincere.
"You're quite pretty~"
Compliments on their appearance are always effective for women, and this held true even for the future Sword Champion of the Luofu.
When those few words reached her ears, Jingliu's expression froze for a moment, a faint, barely perceptible blush rising on her pale cheeks.
But the blush came and went quickly. Immediately, she launched a verbal counterattack:
"You scoundrel. No wonder you, a short-life species, were born with such a deficiency—it must be retribution. With a glib tongue like yours, who knows how many girls you'd have led astray otherwise."
With that, Jingliu rose to leave. She'd come here today just to pass the time in leisure, never expecting to get tangled up in such a nonsensical conversation.
But just as Jingliu took a step to turn and leave, that frivolous voice sounded again from behind her.
"Alright, alright. Since your goal is that Sword Champion title, how could I, as your friend, not show some support?"
"Mark my words today: If you manage to seize the championship, I'll get a one and only rare branch from the Alchemy Commission and make a sword tassel for you~"
That promise caused a softness to bloom on the cold figure's face.
Jingliu retorted, "But in your eyes, Jingliu is already the top swordmaster. What meaning does this promise of yours hold?"
"Hey now, that was just an objective analysis! Subjectively, of course I'm rooting for you to win~"
Bai Heng laughed, utterly shameless.
"Hah, such a smooth talker. Well, you'd better start preparing early then, because that Sword Champion title will undoubtedly be mine~"
Leaving behind those supremely confident words, the icy-blue figure departed from the Alchemy Commission.
Watching this scene play out, the livestream chat was exploding, buzzing with more excitement than ever.
--+--
Lumine: 「Just get together already, you two! [(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻]」
Kiana: 「Why do I get the feeling these two are fishing for each other.....」
Kiana: 「Miss Jingliu is interacting with Mr. Bai Heng under her friend's name, while Mr. Bai Heng here is complimenting the 'stranger' Jingliu while also encouraging Bai Heng... he's getting all the good lines.....」
Elysia: 「My, oh my, if this is really a tactic to win over girls, it's simply masterful~」
Stelle: 「There's too much to learn, I can't possibly learn it all! Bai Heng should just start a course! I'd be the first to sign up!」
Keqing: 「Compared to that... I'm more looking forward to what happens after Miss Jingliu's identity is exposed!」
Stelle: 「Sorry, just thinking about it has me laughing already.....」
Silver Wolf: 「Firefly, any thoughts?」
Firefly: 「No particular thoughts. They just seem like ordinary friends, that's all~ [ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ]」
Stelle: 「What 'composure of the rightful wife'... I'll come back to see your reaction when those two are locking lips later~」
Silver Wolf: 「Okay, stop talking. She's already about to set the seas on fire.....」
--+--
In the livestream chat group, everyone was full of anticipation for the future developments.
Meanwhile, Bai Heng's simulation continued.
[The Sword Championship Assembly commenced as scheduled. Due to your inability to see, you did not go to the venue, instead waiting within the Alchemy Commission for the results.]
[Soon, news related to the Assembly reached your ears through people outside.]
[You heard that at the Assembly, a short-life species artisan dressed in black challenged Jingliu of Cangcheng by throwing his sword with his hands behind his back, but was ultimately defeated by her. He was left with words of admiration: 'The sword I forged can only reveal its true marvel when wielded by the Sword Champion of the Luofu Cloud Knights.']
[You also heard that the aloof and proud Luofu Dragon Lord, having witnessed Jingliu's divine skill, was stirred by a competitive desire to match her. He battled Jingliu fiercely at the Assembly, with neither gaining a decisive advantage for a long time.]
[After waiting for what felt like ages, you still hadn't heard any news about Baiheng. You couldn't help but shake your head and sigh: 'Seriously, sis? You talked so big before, how come there's not even a peep now? Don't tell me you got taken out in one hit?']
[As the sun began to set and the temperature in your Alchemy Commission room dropped a few degrees, you knew she had arrived.]
[Yet, for some reason, Baiheng did not speak.]
Looking at the leisurely man reclining in the rocking chair inside the room, a trace of conflict flickered across Jingliu's cool and elegant features.
She had come here now, of course, for the sword tassel Bai Heng had promised.
But she was momentarily at a loss about how to reveal her true name.
That's why she had been standing here so long without speaking.
Just then, Bai Heng's slightly teasing voice rang out first.
"What's this? Been here a while and not saying a word? Did you really get beaten into silence?"
His voice continued, spilling out like an unstoppable torrent:
"I told you, there's a gap between people. That Jingliu's sword skills were tempered in the fires of battle, honed by taking the lives of one Abundance abomination after another. It's a killing art—how could your usual ordinary sparring compare?"
"Sure, there are as many experts on the Luofu as fish in the river, but to become the one in ten thousand, you need a bit more substance."
"Alright, come here. Let me see where you're hurt."
Though his words were meant to comfort and held concern, they made Jingliu's eyebrow twitch.
She sat down in front of Bai Heng and suddenly spoke:
"I won the Championship."
Her tone was cool and detached, as if stating a simple fact.
Yet those words caused the air to briefly solidify.
Slowly lifting his head, a trace of gravity seemed to rise in Bai Heng's empty eyes, hidden behind their white blindfold. He spoke:
"You... what did you say?"
"I won the Sword Championship."
Jingliu repeated it, her tone unchanged from before.
And after hearing this, the expression on Bai Heng's face turned strange.
He pinched his chin, deep in thought. After a long moment, he muttered to himself:
"Hiss... How could Jingliu hit so hard? She's beaten the poor girl delusional..."
Jingliu hardened.
The hand that held her sword tightened.
But before she could act, she saw Bai Heng take a small object from his robes. At the same time, he said:
"Alright, alright, if you say you won, then let's go with that~"
Dangling from his fingertips was a sword tassel, icy-blue and shaped like a crystal shard. It spun at his fingertip before he presented it, offering it to Jingliu.
"This gift, you should take it~"
Looking at the object before her, Jingliu was slightly stunned.
She could see the exquisite craftsmanship of the tassel. Every carving technique, the cord binding it together—all revealed immense care and effort.
But...
Her eyes unconsciously drifted to the man's empty ones, and her heart tightened slightly.
For someone with his... deficiency, how much effort must it have taken to make this tassel?
"Want it or not? If not, I'm taking it back~"
Seeing 'Baiheng' not reacting, Bai Heng urged, pretending to withdraw his hand.
But before he could, a faint chill brushed past him as Jingliu swiftly took the tassel into her hand. She stated:
"You made the promise. I accomplished the task. Of course I'll take it."
"Good. Now come here, let me see where Jingliu whacked your head to make you spout such nonsense."
"In a few days, I'll send someone to demand an explanation. In a sparring match, how could they hit someone on the head!"
As he spoke, Bai Heng got up and began feeling his way towards the medical room.
His somewhat offensive words, however, inexplicably failed to anger Jingliu.
She simply took a step forward, guiding him by the arm to show him the way.
--+--
Silver Wolf: 「They seem to be playing a whole new game....」
Lumine: 「I really thought Mr. Bai Heng was about to find out Miss Jingliu's identity...」
Kiana: 「This version of Mr. Bai Heng... how do I put it? If you say he's dumb, he can accurately read a girl's feelings. If you say he's smart... Miss Jingliu practically spelled it out for him, and he managed to misunderstand it like this....」
Keqing: 「Let's just say... he's too smart...」
Raiden Mei: 「And have you all noticed? Miss Jingliu's expression seems much softer than before.」
Stelle: 「The iceberg is starting to warm up~ Next, it'll slowly melt away~」
Silver Wolf: 「Firefly, any thoughts?」
Firefly: 「It's... it's nothing much. They're just... normal concern between friends! Very... very normal! Yes! Totally normal!」
Kafka: 「But you seem to be sounding less and less confident?」
--+--
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.