Chapter 134: The Three-Year Agreement, But in Mecha Version.
"Have we met somewhere before?"
In a garden within the Jia Ma imperial city, Jiang Lin bumped into Nalan Yanran, who seemed deep in thought.
"Is this another cliché pickup line?" Yuan Bao, standing nearby, chuckled.
Looking at Nalan Yanran in front of him, Jiang Lin smiled helplessly. Luckily, the young lady didn't start off with a "I've seen you before, brother," or he would have found it hard to keep his composure.
"You must have seen me in Wutan City. I'm from there. I remember seeing the Nalan family's carriage there," Jiang Lin didn't hide the truth and spoke about it openly, recalling the incident with a humorous twist.
"…Ah." Nalan Yanran looked at Jiang Lin quietly for a while, and she finally realized why Jiang Lin felt so familiar to her. As soon as he mentioned Wutan City, she immediately thought of the impudent person who had peeked at her through the gap in the city gate.
Nalan Yanran's memories of Wutan City were limited to two things: one was related to Xiao Yan, and the other was the person who had dared to spy on her at the city gate.
"Huh? You really met? Oh right, Junior Brother is from Wutan City, and Miss Nalan also visited there recently. This caused quite a stir," Yuan Bao chimed in, recalling the events. He didn't seem to notice the increasingly dark expression on Nalan Yanran's face.
Yuan Bao continued, "If you, Junior Brother, show off the Feather Sheath Wings three years later, having that Xiao Fire guy use a bow and make a name for himself at Yun Lan Sect, it would also be a good way to promote it."
Jiang Lin: "…"
Yao Yue and Nalan Yanran: "…"
Jiang Lin looked at Yuan Bao in surprise and said, "Senior Brother, your idea is quite similar to mine!"
Yuan Bao grinned proudly. "After all, we're brothers. It's normal for us to think alike."
"…Are you guys really going to be that excessive?" Yao Yue looked at the two big guys, who seemed to be proudly coming up with bad ideas in front of the person involved, with disbelief.
It must be said, "Birds of a feather flock together," right?
The two big guys, one being 1.9 meters tall and the other nearly 1.8 meters, stood in front of Yao Yue like two walls. Nalan Yanran, who was beside her, was a bit taller at 1.7 meters, while Yao Yue was slightly shorter than Nalan Yanran.
"Yeah, that is a bit much." Jiang Lin thought for a moment and nodded seriously.
Yuan Bao also stroked his chin, nodding in agreement with Princess Yao Yue's comment.
"But I just had a good idea."
Boom!
In the unseen air, a lightbulb suddenly lit up over Jiang Lin's head.
Yuan Bao looked around, at Yao Yue, Nalan Yanran, himself, and Jiang Lin. There were already more than three people. According to the Weapon Refiners' Guild's formula, the idea king was now ready for a refresh.
"Senior Brother, Miss Nalan, who named Xiao Fire? Xiao Yan, my little brother, and I go way back, so I can't just help Miss Nalan attack him. But if he's in trouble, I might offer some help within my abilities."
Jiang Lin still hadn't found a way to deal with Little Doctor Fairy's poisonous body, but Xiao Yan's grandfather's ring said he had a solution, though still keeping it a secret. Therefore, Jiang Lin, who needed help, still had to side with Xiao Yan.
"I'm a soft-hearted person. I can't stand Xiao Fire being bullied, so I might offer some support with equipment."
Nalan Yanran: "???"
So, your kindness and softness mean you're helping Xiao Fire bully me? When you're bullying me, you don't seem to have any mercy at all?
Boom!
Yuan Bao instantly connected with Jiang Lin's brainwaves, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Miss Nalan, don't worry. I'm also soft-hearted. I can't stand seeing someone being bullied by my Junior Brother."
Jiang Lin: "???"
Wait, what? The first half of your sentence was fine, but why does the second half feel so pointed? Do we know each other that well? How presumptuous of you!
Shouldn't you be saying something like 'gentle and kind-hearted, won't stand to see a girl bullied by a bad guy'? Why does it feel like you're directly targeting me, you annoying guy?
"Since Junior Brother said he would support Xiao Fire with equipment, Miss Nalan, you don't have to worry. For the sake of your fair duel, as Senior Brother, I'll also provide you with equipment support." Yuan Bao patted his chest with confidence, putting his arm around Jiang Lin's shoulders and speaking to Nalan Yanran.
"Senior Brother, don't make me sound like a bad guy." Jiang Lin weakly said with a somewhat dark expression.
"You flew up and bullied a great Dou Master without any mercy. Hey, we're family. Stop talking nonsense. Don't worry, give Xiao Fire the best equipment you're proud of. I won't bully you. Let's set a limit—Fourth-Rank Xuan Equipment, no more upgrades." Yuan Bao patted Jiang Lin's shoulder, making a verbal agreement.
They had to set a limit, or who knew what kind of crazy stuff they might create?
"…You guys really don't care about my opinion, huh?" Nalan Yanran silently looked at the two big guys, who were busy making decisions for her and setting her future. This déjà vu feeling was something she hated the most.
"I'm the one involved here. You're not even considering my opinion, just making decisions for me?" Nalan Yanran's expression darkened.
But Yuan Bao looked at her with a strange expression. "Do you know what you're saying? Teacher Hulei said Junior Brother will soon become a Fourth-Rank Xuan Refiner. In three years, you'll face a fully-equipped opponent with Xuan Equipment?"
"When the equipment race starts, you won't be able to stop it. The lower the rank, the bigger the influence of Dou Devices. You're a Dou Shi now, but a fully-equipped fighter with some battle experience could still kill you."
"…In three years, I'll reach the Great Dou Master stage!" Nalan Yanran said stubbornly.
Yuan Bao spread his hands. "Then what? Didn't you see today's fight? A Great Dou Master was fully suppressed by a Dou Shi."
"That Xiao Fire… Xiao Yan can't reach the Dou Shi stage!" Nalan Yanran still couldn't accept being intervened by two unrelated people and having her competition turned into a game.
"For this, I do have some say." Jiang Lin spoke up at this point.
"When I left Wutan City, Xiao Fire's Dou Qi talent improved. In three months, he went from the Third-Stage Dou Qi to the Seventh-Stage Dou Qi. Reaching the Dou Shi stage in three years should be easy."
"…" Nalan Yanran fell silent.
What could she do now? It wasn't that she wasn't trying hard enough, but Xiao Fire had opened a cheat mode first, starting the equipment race, and she had no choice but to follow. Now, it wasn't about whether she trained hard enough; even with her strong body, a Great Dou Master had limits. How could she match someone in a hard clash with a mecha? Yuan Bao's Sixth-Rank Xuan Shield could easily nullify most of the attacks from a Dou Wang. Nalan Yanran wasn't even sure if her attacks could break through the defense of Fourth-Rank Xuan Equipment.
So now, with free Xuan Equipment on the table...
It was tempting.
A three-year agreement, but in mecha version.
(END CHAPTER)
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