Bai Tang: Call Me Big Sister, and I'll Make You an Emanator
Seeing that Blade was about to give up, Bai Tang knew he really would abandon her if she didn't learn it now. She mastered it in a second, making it obvious she had just been stringing him along.
Sure enough, Blade was utterly furious.
"Blade, I was wrong. Teach me some more. I brought you some good liquor."
Bai Tang had countless ways to stop Blade from leaving, but she chose the most down-to-earth one. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back, refusing to let him leave.
Her movements were determined, yet held a trace of dependence.
Blade's body stiffened slightly, but he didn't immediately break free.
The little panel figures watching the scene: Look, she's acting spoiled already. Bai Tang's condition is recovering nicely.
Since he hadn't broken free, that meant Blade was still willing to stay.
Seeing that Blade wasn't leaving, Bai Tang beamed and produced some good liquor, placing it in front of him. "I swiped this from Jing Yuan's place. It's bound to be good."
Jing Yuan: Where's the liquor I left here?
Hearing that it belonged to Jing Yuan, Blade recalled how, when he had wanted a drink before, Jing Yuan had tattled to Baiheng and gotten his liquor confiscated. He promptly poured himself a large cup without the slightest hesitation.
It was Jing Yuan's liquor, so he might as well drink it. He could consider it payback for all the times that brat had screwed him over before.
"Blade, if you don't teach me, won't I ruin your and General Huaiyan's reputations when I go to Zhuming with skills like these? I won't say I'm your apprentice, but the technique is too obvious. People will definitely recognize it at a glance."
Blade: !!!
That wouldn't do! Anyone who didn't know better would think the genius Yingxing couldn't even teach a student. His reputation in the field of education would be ruined!
Yingxing had lived a glorious life. He couldn't let this ruin his reputation in his later years!
Blade, who cared about his reputation, no longer had trembling hands. He started using his sharp tongue and teaching Bai Tang hands-on, completely forgetting that she had only been pretending she couldn't learn.
Bai Tang, who had tricked honest Blade until he didn't know which way was up, declared: Little Blade, easily handled.
Proud Yingxing cared about his reputation, and of course Blade did too. Every time the Stellaron Hunters appeared, he carried himself with an air of supreme cool. If anything threatened to ruin that image, he would definitely wipe it all out.
As long as she kept that in mind, she could get Blade to do her bidding!
Hehe, she was the most capable one!
After spending the entire day teaching Bai Tang, who was pretending she couldn't learn, Blade seemed more alive. His brows were tightly furrowed, and only when he returned to the Stellaron Hunters in a rage did he remember that Bai Tang had been pretending.
He dropped heavily into a chair and folded his arms, Bai Tang's innocent yet smug expression still replaying in his mind. The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew.
Why hadn't he gotten angry earlier?
Oh, it was because whenever he was about to explode, Bai Tang had quickly cooled his temper.
Kafka lounged elegantly against the sofa, a playful smile curling her lips and a gleam of anticipation in her eyes. Seeing him run toward the door, she smiled and used Spirit Whisper to restrain Blade, keeping him from going after Bai Tang.
Blade: "..." Let me go back. I'm going to give her a proper beating!
Bai Tang had already returned to the Express and was lying lazily on her berth, staring into space.
March 7th and the others had gone to Belobog for a meeting. They would probably soon need Himeko to act as guarantor so Belobog could develop on its own.
That wouldn't do!
She moved as fast as the wind, scrambling upright, only to lose steam an instant later and collapse back onto the bed.
What did she have to trade with the company now? At most, she could help Belobog develop faster.
As she pondered, exhaustion gradually crept over her. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
How nice. She hadn't had a nightmare today.
Bai Tang opened her eyes groggily and reached for her phone. The screen lit up, revealing a message Himeko had sent earlier. She rubbed her eyes and read it carefully.
[Himeko: Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts, the one who escorted you home, wants to make a deal with you. If you don't want to, I can turn him down for you.]
When Himeko learned this from Topaz, she added Aventurine as a contact. As soon as they connected, he told Himeko he wanted Bai Tang's phone number.
Because of what the Himeko at Bai Tang's home in the dream had said, and because Bai Tang had said Aventurine had escorted her home, Himeko gently told Aventurine that she would have to ask Bai Tang.
Bai Tang looked at the message on her phone, her fingers tapping lightly against the screen.
Aventurine suddenly wants to make a deal with me?
She was a passenger on the Astral Express now. By rights, he should have gone to Himeko to make a deal, or at the very least gone to the Xianzhou to negotiate.
A flicker of doubt crossed Bai Tang's mind, but she was more curious than anything.
[Bai Tang: Give it to him.]
Bai Tang agreed solely because it was Aventurine.
[Aventurine: Miss Bai Tang, it's been a long time. I hear you've taken a great step on the path of Trailblaze and become a great hero of the Xianzhou Luofu.]
The phone screen lit up, and Aventurine's message appeared before her.
[Bai Tang: Call me big sister, and I'll make you an Emanator.]
[Aventurine: All right, big sister. I'll be waiting for you to make me an Emanator.]
Bai Tang's hand paused. He'd actually called her that? She had only said it offhandedly.
Since she had promised to make Aventurine an Emanator, she couldn't go back on her word. The trip to Penacony would begin soon; she could deal with it then. There was no point thinking about it now anyway.
[Bai Tang: Once we get to Penacony, I'll make you an Emanator. It won't be of Preservation, though. The company won't object to you, will it?]
[Aventurine: You must be joking, big sister. The company puts profit first. They'd be thrilled to have another Emanator, so why would they object? Besides, it would be an Emanator of that Path.]
[Bai Tang: I can't bestow a blessing directly. When you get back, see for yourself how much energy you can get. Whatever you get is yours.]
Bestowing blessings was something Aeons did, not her. Naturally, Aventurine would have to put in the effort himself.
Just after Bai Tang sent the message, she suddenly remembered that Aventurine had come to discuss cooperation. When had the conversation gone off in this direction? Oh, it was because she'd focused on the wrong thing.
But it didn't matter. Aventurine was willing to play along anyway, and hadn't brought up the deal at all.
[Bai Tang: By the way, what did you want to see me about?]
She should get back to the point first. After all, Aventurine must have had something important to discuss.
[Aventurine: You'll be going to Penacony soon. I'd like to reach an agreement to cooperate with you in advance.]
[Aventurine: For example, we could use your Dream Passport to exchange information.]
Only then did Bai Tang remember that neither she nor Stelle had a Dream Passport. In fact, because they had arrived too late, their names weren't on the list at all.
[Bai Tang: If you want to cooperate with the Astral Express, please speak to the navigator. If you want to cooperate with me personally, please show me your sincerity.]
[Bai Tang: Forget it. I'll come over to you. There are some things we can't discuss in Penacony. Wait for me in your office.]
Bai Tang sent another message, her tone carrying a trace of resolve.
Discuss it in Penacony and let old Sunday spy on us?
It was better to clear things up face-to-face, so nothing else would go wrong.
Bai Tang opened the map and used the Realm Anchor. She closed her eyes, sensing the fluctuations of energy around her as her body gradually became transparent.