Who is being conquered?

[Nan Liujing: Has the holiday already ended? I remember you said you had another half a month last time?]

[Do not disturb without reason. For urgent matters, please contact my work phone: Well, something like that. I suddenly received a job position change and need to rush back. But the good news is I got promoted.]

[Nan Liujing: Although the shortened holiday is quite pitiable, I still have to congratulate you on your promotion.]

[Do not disturb without reason. For urgent matters, please contact my work phone: Thank you for your kind words. Speaking of which, Bai Jun, do you have time these few days?]

Upon seeing this message, Bai Jun felt an inexplicable jolt in his heart. After all, there had been too many things happening these past few days, and he really had to consider whether he was free or not.

[Do not disturb without reason. For urgent matters, please contact my work phone: It's not anything important, I just wanted to say goodbye... If you're busy, then forget it. After all, isn't there a saying on Xianzhou that as long as the sentiment is there, it's enough?]

[Nan Liujing: When are you leaving? I'll come to see you off then.]

After agreeing with Ye Linna, Bai Jun suddenly thought of a very serious problem—his wallet was empty. Should he still give her a farewell gift?

But after thinking about it, he felt it was better to give one. As for the money... why not find Tingyun to borrow some? No, he shouldn't say borrow, he should say compensate, since she broke his bed last night.

Having made up his mind, Bai Jun clicked on Tingyun's profile in his contacts list.

[Nan Liujing: Send me some Credits.]

[Not a Scummy Fox: ?]

[Not a Scummy Fox: Oh my, my benefactor, what's gotten into you today to be so shamelessly asking me for money? (little fox happy expression)]

[Not a Scummy Fox: I remember you used to say you'd rather die than lend money. Could it be that my benefactor wants to yield to me now?]

[Nan Liujing: ?]

[Nan Liujing: You broke my bed board last night. This is compensation.]

[Not a Scummy Fox: Sigh, my benefactor is truly unromantic~ Is this enough?]

「Not a Scummy Fox transferred 100,000 Credits. Please accept.」

[Nan Liujing: E-enough, no need to send more. This much money is enough for me to get a new bed and buy a gift.]

[Not a Scummy Fox: ???]

[Not a Scummy Fox: What gift? Explain clearly, who are you giving a gift to?]

Bai Jun didn't notice the messages Tingyun sent later, his gaze fixed only on the 100,000 Credits she sent. With a ding, it seemed that not only Credits were deposited, but also his lost confidence.

"Phew, the problem is solved. Now I just need to return the desserts to Guinaifen."

Bai Jun, in a great mood, put the Jade Omen back into his pocket, picked up the desserts on the table, and walked out the door humming a tune.

Meanwhile, Su Shang, who had been foolishly following Guinaifen, finally realized something was wrong.

"Rely on parents at home, rely on friends when out. Stand on solid ground, look at living people. A ten-thousand-foot high city wall relies entirely on friends to help. Everyone, please stay!" Guinaifen's crisp gong-striking voice quickly attracted many passersby.

Seeing Guinaifen returning, many onlookers stopped and gathered around, asking, "Little girl, why are you back again? What act are you going to perform now, smashing tofu with a stone?"

Under everyone's gaze, Guinaifen pointed her right index finger to the sky and her left fist towards Su Shang beside her, announcing loudly, "Stop calling me little girl! From now on, call me Guinaifen. Guinaifen is the Xianzhou name Shang Shang gave me. You ask who Shang Shang is? Ta-da! It's her!"

"Y-yes, I am Su Shang!" Su Shang, acting as the straight man for the first time, nervously replied, her body tense.

The people around looked at each other, not knowing what they were up to. Some were even preparing to leave. Seeing this, Guinaifen quickly spoke up, capturing everyone's attention: "Don't go yet, don't go yet. The main event is coming."

She suddenly hugged Su Shang and announced in front of everyone, "Shang Shang will be my partner. I'll show you all what real chest-smashing-stone is!"

As expected, this statement instantly attracted everyone's attention, with some even shouting, "Really? Guinaifen, don't fool us with tofu again. If it doesn't work, you can continue to bet with the reward money like before?"

"I won't gamble! And with Shang Shang here, we definitely won't use something as childish as tofu!" Guinaifen said, holding her head high.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Now Su Shang was a bit unsteady. She couldn't help but lean closer to Guinaifen and whisper, "Little Gui, I, I can't smash stones with my chest, can I do this?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. Just like we discussed at the dessert shop, you just lie down, and I'll handle the rest. We'll definitely make a lot of money afterward!" Guinaifen gave Su Shang a thumbs-up, showing her a reassuring look.

"O-okay then..."

Su Shang, half-believing, half-doubting, lay down on the wooden table with the large bluestone slab. But what happened next made her already unsettled heart panic again: "Little Gui, why are you tying me and the stone slab to the wooden table!?"

As Guinaifen tied Su Shang and the bluestone slab together, she explained, "Chest-smashing-stone requires stability. Shang Shang, you don't have much experience, and I'm afraid you won't be able to balance the slab properly. Doing this will prevent you from getting hurt."

"Is that so... Can I be the one swinging the hammer then!"

Su Shang, with the stone slab tied to her chest, let out wails.

"Heh heh, of course not. Shang Shang, you don't know, but the one swinging the hammer requires more skill. Otherwise, any deviation in force or direction can cause injury. But you just need to lie there properly, and I'll handle everything else! I swear by my six years of diligent study, I absolutely won't hurt you!"

Guinaifen glanced at the surrounding crowd and then eagerly lifted the half-human-sized stone hammer.

"What! You've only studied for six years? And this hammer is almost as big as me. Are you sure nothing will go wrong? You'll definitely smash me flat, won't you!?"

Looking at the enormous stone hammer Guinaifen was carrying on her shoulder, Su Shang's face, lying on the wooden table, turned pale with fright. She was already wondering if Guinaifen was getting revenge for what happened earlier.

"Don't worry, just close your eyes. It'll only be for a moment."

Guinaifen comforted her softly while swiftly swinging the massive stone hammer and smashing it down fiercely, with a decisive, all-or-nothing attitude.

BANG—!

Amidst the crowd's almost frenzied cheers, the stone hammer, carrying wind pressure, smashed through the wooden table and the ground with terrifying force. The shockwave even caused spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the surrounding floor.

"Aaaah, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, someone's definitely going to die!!!!"

Slipping free from the wooden table at the last second, Su Shang stared at the ground, now pulverized into dust, and shouted with a deathly pale face.

Seeing Su Shang was unharmed, the onlookers who had been enjoying the spectacle let out sounds of dissatisfaction. Some even started booing, "Are you two trying to break stones with your chests? If I didn't know better, I'd think this was an underwater escape simulation on land!"

"Exactly!"

"I even wanted to give you a reward, but this is it?"

"I'll never trust you again, Gui something Fen!"

Hearing the jeers from the crowd, Guinaifen, who had expected a perfect performance, anxiously looked at Su Shang, who was trying to escape with the stone slab still tied to her. "Shang Shang, why did you run? Hurry up and let me smash you!"

"No way! Little Gui, you're definitely getting revenge!"

"Revenge for what? I just wanted to smash you (the stone slab on your body)!"

Guinaifen had only omitted a few words, but unbeknownst to her, her intended comforting words were completely twisted by the time they reached Su Shang's ears.

"Waaah, Bai Jun, save me!"

Seeing that Guinaifen couldn't even be bothered to find an excuse and was clearly intent on smashing her, Su Shang, still bound with a large slab of granite, could only cry out and flee in a panic. In the face of death, she felt an immeasurable strength coursing through her. Even carrying the granite slab, she felt as if she could run at lightning speed.

This was a thankless task for Guinaifen, who was trailing behind. Carrying a stone hammer, she shouted and chased, "Don't run, Shang Shang, it's really just once, I'll only smash you once!"

"No, no, no, I don't want to, Bai Jun, save me!!!"

Bai Jun, who had just arrived and witnessed this scene, was confused. "?"

Chapter 57: Big Wood and Little Wood (4k)

Bai Jun felt utterly exhausted.

He had only intended to deliver dessert to Guinaifen, but he had inexplicably been dragged into their street performance art.

Witnessing feats like catching bullets bare-handed, storing swords along the spine, locking a spear at the throat, and breaking stones on chests, Bai Jun watched as the crowd gradually dispersed, finally bringing this farce to a close.

"Phew, it's over, it's over, you two really worked hard."

Guinaifen stretched lazily in the afterglow of the sunset, a satisfied sigh escaping her.

For some reason, there were more onlookers than usual that afternoon, and most of them were women. This made Guinaifen, who usually only had about ten people watching her, feel somewhat flattered. Weighing the reward money in her small bowl, the earnings from this afternoon were almost equivalent to her efforts for the past month.

Guinaifen wasn't blindly arrogant. She knew better than anyone that all of this was thanks to her two new friends. After all, there was no reason for her performance alone to attract so many women. She knew without a doubt that it must be Bai Jun's credit.

Therefore, Guinaifen decisively divided the reward money into three equal portions, keeping only a small part for herself and handing the rest to Bai Jun and Su Shang.

"I don't need it. Little Gui, take it back to buy some food for your younger siblings."

Su Shang shook her head. After spending the afternoon together, she had a general understanding of Guinaifen's family's difficulties. Moreover, she had a lot of fun that afternoon, so she pushed back the money Guinaifen offered.

Guinaifen's smile froze for a moment. Her conflicted expression flashed and was replaced by a petulant one. She unceremoniously stuffed the money into Su Shang's pocket, admonishing her, "No, I wouldn't have earned so much without your help. If you don't accept it, Shang Shang, I won't be able to eat properly when I get home!"

"You really don't need to. Friends don't need to worry about these things."

"Precisely because we are friends, you should accept it!" Guinaifen placed her hands on Su Shang's shoulders, interrupting her, her eyes showing unprecedented determination.

Su Shang wanted to say something more, but Bai Jun was less particular. He stepped forward and accepted his share, then moistened his fingertip with his tongue and counted out the total amount of Credits.

"Hmm, the dessert fee is a total of eighty-two thousand Credits. This is thirty-five thousand Credits, so you still owe me forty-seven thousand Credits. Let's round it up to forty-five thousand Credits." As he spoke, Bai Jun handed the dessert he had been carrying all afternoon to Guinaifen.

"Eh?! It's that expensive? Eighty thousand Credits, that's enough for my whole family to eat for half a month..."

Guinaifen took the dessert with disbelief, swallowing hard as if she were carrying not a bag of sweets, but the weight of her entire family's food for nearly half a month.

"It's because this is the Starcruiser Sea Hub. Prices are generally much more expensive than in other paradises. But it's okay, at least it tastes good."

Bai Jun shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. After all, whether in his past life or now, his attitude towards money was simply to have enough. As long as he had enough to eat, he didn't have to worry about anyone else. If he ran out, he could just earn more.

Seeing this, Su Shang had no choice but to accept the money. Glancing up, she noticed the fiery clouds in the sky and suddenly realized the time. "It's almost evening... By the way, shall we have dinner together?"

Guinaifen scratched her cheek, somewhat embarrassed as she politely declined, "Thank you for the offer, Shang Shang, but I have to get back early to cook for my family. Let's do it another day!"

Su Shang understood, but when she looked at Bai Jun, she received the same answer.

"I have other things to do later. Next time, for sure." Bai Jun looked down at the time displayed on his Jade Omen. There was only half an hour left until the appointed time.

"Alright..."

Guinaifen noticed Su Shang's slight disappointment and boldly walked up, putting her arm around her neck to comfort her. "Shang Shang, don't look so sad. If you don't mind, would you like to come to my house tonight? I'm sure my younger siblings would love to welcome you."

"Uh, this, perhaps not."

Although Su Shang appeared cheerful and optimistic on the surface and wasn't pretentious, her skin wasn't thick enough to impose on someone she had just met, let alone Guinaifen's household with over a dozen siblings.

"Oh, what a shame... But it's okay, you know we'll have plenty of time in the future!"

In the blink of an eye, Guinaifen had gathered the pile of props from the ground. Carrying the dessert in one hand and her bundle in the other, she bid them farewell. "See you next time! I'll save you front-row seats, though I suppose there aren't really front-row seats when you're setting up on the street..."

As the sun gradually set, the shadows of the buildings and people stretched long. Guinaifen left, bathed in the sunset's glow. Before leaving, Su Shang took out her Jade Omen and asked, "Oh right, Bai Jun, haven't we added each other as friends yet?"

Reminded by her, Bai Jun also noticed this. After exchanging contact information on their Jade Omens, they parted ways.

On the road to the appointed location, the brilliant fiery hues of dusk were gradually replaced by the deep leaden color of the sky, which turned hazy and dark. A row of streetlights flickered on the roadside before emitting a soft, warm yellow glow.

Bai Jun leisurely walked towards the Sanyou Bookstore in Changle Heaven. He stopped, scanned the surroundings, and finally his gaze fell upon a bench beneath a streetlight.

A black-haired girl with an expressionless face was sitting there. The soft evening light from the roadside spilled onto her black and white dress and the sliver of fair skin revealed. Although her features were delicate and cute, the icy aura emanating from her seemed to lower the temperature of the surrounding area by several degrees.

She seemed to sense the gaze from her back-left, so she straightened her posture and followed the line of sight.

"Ah, you're finally here..."

Her icy expression melted away in an instant, but before she could even muster a gentle smile, surprise took its place. The crimson eyes that usually held no emotional fluctuations slowly widened.

This seemed to be the first time she had seen Bai Jun like this. He had only changed his clothes and hairstyle, but she hadn't expected the change in his aura to be so drastic...

"Good evening?"

While she was lost in thought, Bai Jun had already sat down beside her. Knowing that Xue Yi had a habit of reading magazines and comics, he had taken the opportunity to buy her the hottest new comic.

"...Ah, good evening. You look very handsome today," Xue Yi steadied herself, accepting the comic book Bai Jun handed her and replying softly.

"You too, Xue Yi. You look very beautiful today."

"Thank you."

After that, a long silence fell. Bai Jun lowered his head and flipped through the newspaper he had bought, while Xue Yi, after gazing at his profile for a while, also buried her head in the comic in her hands.

Xue Yi frowned slightly. She didn't actually like reading comics, but since he had given it to her, she had to force herself to keep reading. However, what was this drawing...? Were they kissing?

Although the atmosphere between them was pleasant, it was making Cold Crow, who was secretly observing from the shadows, extremely anxious. She punched the wall fiercely, as if she were hitting not the cold wall, but the skull of some idiot. "Damn Bai Jun, I shouldn't have bothered teaching him!"

She was supposed to be handling various case files at the Ten Lords Bureau, but an inexplicable anxiety and worry kept welling up in her heart. So, she temporarily handed over the work to Huo Huo and came here personally to observe the situation.

And indeed, the situation was just as she feared! Bai Jun, that idiot, hadn't used anything she taught him. But for some reason... the anxiety in her heart had quietly and inexplicably eased?

No, it must be because the worst-case scenario she imagined had occurred. It was all Bai Jun's fault!

Bai Jun, who was sitting on the bench reading the newspaper, felt the Jade Omen in his pocket ring. He picked it up and his expression turned somewhat helpless.

[Cold Crow: Did you meet with my sister?]

[Nan Liujing: We met.]

[Cold Crow: That's good. Did you take her out to play according to the plan I taught you?]