Why Am I the One Being Pursued?

Sushang blinked and pointed at herself in surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about, Senior? I just got here."

Cloud Knights: Black Guy Question Mark.jpg

Meanwhile, Bai Jun looked at his front door in the distance and felt oddly moved at the thought of soon being able to lazily roll onto his own bed.

As he stepped into the corridor, his hand froze just as he was about to reach into his pants pocket for his keys. Realizing he was wearing a skirt now, he silently withdrew his hand. Besides, looking at his battered front door, there did not seem to be any need to unlock it.

"Honestly, I'll have to fix the door later... Hm?"

Bai Jun's expression changed slightly. He did not remember leaving the door ajar. If someone he knew had come over, they would definitely have let him know. That meant the answer was obvious—there was a burglar in his house!

Without making a sound, he raised the imitation Xuanyuan created by the fox mask's transformation effect and quietly entered his home.

When he realized that the thief had not left and was even still in his room, Bai Jun immediately furrowed his brows in anger and kicked the bedroom door open.

After serving as a security guard in front of the Divination Bureau for several days straight, Captain Qing Que had finally managed to sneak away while Fu Xuan was not looking. She eagerly rushed to the Earth-Balance Commission to find Bai Jun and hang out.

She had wanted to surprise him, but after learning from his colleagues that he was off today, Qing Que simply followed the route she remembered toward Bai Jun's home. The moment she arrived, she saw his ruined front door, which looked as though it had just survived a catastrophe.

Qing Que had not even touched it before the door crashed to the ground with a bang. Left with no choice, she entered, intending to ask Bai Jun what had happened. But after searching the room once, she still could not find him. Qing Que, who had expected Bai Jun to be sprawled in bed sleeping in, was at a loss, so she could only sit there and wait for him to return.

"That's weird. He should've been back by now..."

Qing Que was dressed in a cool summer outfit today, exposing her delicate, snow-white shoulders. Her soft tea-colored hair was tied into an adorable bun. She lay on the bed, idly scrolling through her Jade Omen while her long, fair calves swayed in the air.

Waiting around was too boring, so she sat up and curiously looked over the furnishings in Bai Jun's room. After taking a lap around it, she discovered that his home was almost excessively austere. Other than a row of books in the bookcase, the entire room was spotlessly empty.

Even under the bed, there was none of the stuff boys were supposed to hide.

With a plop, Qing Que flopped onto Bai Jun's bed again, lazily rolled around twice, and buried her face in the blanket. His bed is pretty comfortable. And it smells really nice...

Just then, a thunderous shout suddenly came from the doorway. "What petty scoundrel dares cause trouble here—?!"

"Eek—!"

As the door was kicked open, Qing Que, who had been about to secretly do something naughty, abruptly lifted her face from the blanket. Her little face flushed red as she waved her hands, trying to explain. "No, wait, listen—listen to my explanation... Huh?"

"Qing Que?"

The two stared at each other. Qing Que was the first to break the brief silence, flicking an Imperial Jade Card Game tile from her pocket. Planting her hands on her hips, she pointed at Sushang-version Bai Jun and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the home of an unmarried upstanding young man!"

"Shouldn't I be saying that?! And is this your house? How can you say something like that so naturally?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you female hooligan?! And how do you know my name?"

Ignoring his complaints, President Qing Que frowned and immediately prepared to hand Bai Jun over to the authorities!

You've Been Touched by Aha? (4.2k)

"Uh, so you mean... you're actually Bai Jun, but you accidentally touched some mask of unknown origin and turned into this?"

"That's right! You have to believe me!"

Though she should have been the guest, Qing Que sat on the bed as confidently as if she were the owner of the room. She propped up her chin with one hand, crossed her fair legs, and nodded thoughtfully as she listened to Bai Jun's explanation.

"I see... I understand."

Then, under Bai Jun's touched gaze, she reached out and pinched his cheek, sneering as though she had seen through everything.

"I thought I'd merely caught a petty thief. Who knew you were a repeat offender? You can tell such lies without even changing expression. Come on! Turn yourself in with me."

"Turn myself in, my ass! If anyone should turn themselves in, it's you for breaking into someone's home!"

Seeing the distrust written all over Qing Que's face, Bai Jun knew he would not be able to muddle through this without offering convincing proof. He sighed and pointed toward the bookshelf in the corner.

"The third shelf of that bookcase, from left to right, has Introduction to Surface Treatment Technology, Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering, Metallography and Heat Treatment, and Records of Ancient and Modern Swords."

Qing Que checked them one by one and found that his words matched the books on the shelf perfectly. More than half her doubts immediately vanished. After all, among the people she knew, Bai Jun seemed to be the only one who would buy books like these. Still, that was not enough to earn her complete trust...

Seemingly noticing the lingering trace of suspicion in Qing Que's eyes, Bai Jun shrugged and continued, "The time before last when we played Imperial Jade Card Game, you stuck thirteen little paper slips on my face. Fu Xuan caught you and punished you by making you stand guard at the Divination Bureau entrance."

"Wow, Jeanne, eat mud—no, wait a second!"

Qing Que abruptly changed tack, rose to her feet, and leaned close to Bai Jun. The mischievous smile on her face made him feel uneasy. "One last question. When is my birthday? If you're Bai Jun, you definitely know."

"...I confess. Officer Qing Que, please arrest me."

"That was fast! Uh, no, that's not the point! We've known each other for so long, and fine, maybe you don't know—but you won't even try to guess?!"

Watching Bai Jun lie flat on the floor, having completely given up resisting and apparently ready to let her do whatever she wanted, Qing Que loudly complained.

"You've never told me something like that! And if I don't know, I don't know. Wouldn't guessing wrong make me even more suspicious?" Bai Jun, who had completely given up and was sprawled on the floor like a salted fish, rolled over and answered with absolute calm.

Yet that familiar tone and attitude were, to Qing Que, the best proof of his identity.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop messing with you. Tell me properly what happened." Qing Que copied him and sat on the floor, poking his cheek curiously. "And this transformation effect is incredible... Your skin temperature, texture, even your scent have all changed."

"I don't know. What's giving me the biggest headache right now is figuring out how to undo this state."

"More importantly, why did you turn into her? And what is your relationship with the original owner?" Qing Que narrowed her eyes slightly, placing a little extra emphasis on the final question.

"She's just a junior I happened to run into while passing by today." Bai Jun had prepared his answer to that question long ago.

He sighed and irritably ruffled his hair. "As for why I turned into her, she probably happened to touch the mask before I put it on. So I think the mask's transformation effect might be related to that."

"A mask of unknown origin, an absurdly powerful transformation ability, a state that can't be undone... Why does that sound like an Aeon's handiwork? Could this be Lord of Joy again?"

Aeons were mysterious, higher beings who each presided over a different Path. They could travel freely across the sea of stars and wield enormous power capable of erasing reality itself, even through the faintest projection of their strength.

They rarely intersected with mortal civilizations. Take the Aeon of The Hunt, for example. It moved too quickly, and there were far too few observational records of its true form, so even the Xianzhou's internal documents on it were not especially detailed.

Though people knew very little about most of them, a few Aeons frequently appeared in mortal view. Aside from the Aeon of Abundance and the Aeon of Preservation, the most famous of all was the renowned Aeon of Joy, Aha.

Compared to the first two, this one was the real heavyweight. No Aeon was more troublesome than Aha. It was utterly self-unaware, unpredictable, and willful. There was nothing in the world it would not dare do. Once, it had even turned a bug with an underdeveloped brain into an Emanator.

Qing Que had heard plenty of stories about Aha at the Divination Bureau. She knew it was a chaotic god that acted entirely according to its mood and sense of amusement. As far as she knew, those blessed by Joy gained power far beyond imagination, but their endings were usually not good. Once Aha grew bored, they would generally fall into a plight worse than death. And Bai Jun's current symptoms...

"Qing Yan, have you been touched by Aha?"

"Lord of Joy? That can't be it, right? I can't sense any power of Joy in my body."

Bai Jun's expression grew somewhat serious. He sat up and examined his body again. Although Primordial Suihuang resided within him, Aha was simply too terrifying. He had no choice but to stay on guard.

"Fu Xuan is an expert on this sort of thing. Sigh, but she just happened to go to the Institute of Omniscient Matter at the Jade Palace for an observation exchange today... Huh? How about I take a look at you?"

Anything abnormal had a cause behind it. Bai Jun understood that principle well, so he raised a hand to stop Qing Que as she eagerly leaned toward him. He said nothing, but his suspicious stare conveyed everything.

"Oh, come on. I'm a proper diviner, you know. And things have already gotten this far, so we might as well try anything!"

"It's 'treat a dead horse as if it were alive,' not the other way around. Now I'm even less willing to let you divine anything!"

In the end, after Qing Que persistently wore him down, Bai Jun reluctantly decided to trust her once and see what exactly she was trying to do.

She closed her eyes, muttered a string of mysterious technical terms Bai Jun could not understand at all, then slowly opened her eyes and confidently ordered, "All right, take off your clothes."

"...Huh?"

"What's strange about that? I remember Fu Xuan does divinations this way too." Qing Que tilted her head in confusion. Her clear eyes left Bai Jun speechless, because she was right—Fu Xuan really did do it like that.

If it had been before, Bai Jun would have stripped without hesitation. But the current situation was different.

"I refuse. Let's think of another way."

Bai Jun's answer was decisive. Hearing it, Qing Que also realized that the current situation was indeed unsuitable. Besides, what she wanted to see was Bai Jun's body, not another woman's body. She could only wave it off.

"Then how about we ask General Jing Yuan? Maybe he can see something too."

That was not a bad idea. As an Emanator of The Hunt, Jing Yuan's experience and strength were both trustworthy. If there really were signs of Aha's influence, even if Jing Yuan failed to notice them, the Divine Monarch was still there.

However, the reality was—

"Sorry, neither the Divine Monarch nor I detected any power related to the Path of Joy. I'm afraid Lord of Joy is not behind this matter." Jing Yuan sat behind his desk with his hands folded, shaking his head regretfully.

"And please don't make jokes with me about something like this. Luofu's affairs cannot afford even a moment's delay... So you really are Bai Jun?" Jing Yuan picked up his long-cold teacup and asked calmly.

For some reason, however, Bai Jun could hear a hint of teasing in Jing Yuan's voice, as though he were simply taking the chance to make fun of him. So Bai Jun showed no mercy either, imitating how someone looked when drunk and gazing sentimentally toward the ceiling. "Ah, those days were like irretrievable phan-phan-phantoms of light..."

"Pfft—! Cough, cough, enough, enough! Qing Que, see the guest out!"

After leaving Shence Mansion and walking back, Qing Que, who had not been able to get a word in, finally asked in confusion, "What was that just now? It's my first time seeing General Jing Yuan get so worked up."

"Nothing. I was just imitating the way he got drunk and made a scene on my roof."

Bai Jun shrugged smugly. He had plenty of embarrassing stories about Jing Yuan. This was nothing. He still remembered Jing Yuan's Jade Omen browsing history, too—he just had not said anything. Otherwise, Jing Yuan would definitely lose his temper.

Qing Que clasped her hands behind her back and silently followed beside him, wearing a serene and gentle smile he did not notice.

She had once thought she was attracted to Bai Jun's looks. After all, people were visual creatures, and Bai Jun really did perfectly suit her tastes. There was nothing embarrassing about admitting that. But now, it seemed it was not so shallow after all...

Take his smile, for example. She really liked his smile. Even though he was not currently wearing his own appearance, that had not changed.

Take his presence, for example. Everyone had their own aura, but being around Bai Jun always gave her a sense of peace, like a breeze brushing across a tranquil lake and touching her face. That serenity stemming from the soul could not simply be fabricated.

Take how she liked seeing the occasional helpless flush on his face when she teased him, or his tsundere actions where his mouth said one thing but his body did another. Every one of those things constantly held her attention.

He was like the blazing sun. He always radiated dazzling light and a sense of safety. Even if he appeared cold and distant on the surface, he was still gentler than anyone else.

Though the truth made her feel embarrassed and she did not want to admit it so easily, her heart had truly been drawn to him.

That was right.

Her heart had been completely drawn to this person.

After admitting it, she felt as though a weight had lifted from her heart. It was like a breeze had blown into her chest, like finding some hidden treasure and suddenly feeling light all over.

If it had been before, she might have puffed up her cheeks and angrily turned away, too stubborn to admit the truth. But after frankly acknowledging that she had fallen completely in love, a calm smile she had not expected appeared on her face.

They passed through a deserted alley. Bai Jun had deliberately chosen this route on the way here to avoid Sushang herself.

Bai Jun, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Qing Que, lost in thought, crashed into him before she could react. Then Bai Jun grabbed her and pulled her into the cramped corner beside them.

Ordinarily, such a narrow corner could not fit both Bai Jun and Qing Que. Fortunately, his current size and height matched Sushang's, allowing them to stand face-to-face.

Countless thoughts flooded Qing Que's mind in an instant. In the midst of an ordinary day, without any warning, so suddenly—

And perhaps it was just her imagination, but why did Bai Jun seem to be getting taller and taller...? Her delicate little face instantly turned crimson. Not only her cheeks, but her ears, neck, and even her whole body trembled and grew hot as embarrassment gradually overwhelmed her reason.

"Shh... Be quiet for a moment."

Bai Jun quickly covered Qing Que's embarrassed cry with his hand, while turning his gaze toward two furtive figures some distance ahead in the alley. Holding his breath and focusing, he could vaguely hear their conversation.

"Merciful Medicine King, what did those above say?"

"Merciful Medicine King, the Cultivator said that this is not the time for unrest. We must put the bigger picture first. In short, we're supposed to focus on the upcoming touring concert. As for the specifics, that's beyond our station."

"Merciful Medicine King, cough, cough... The new Cultivator in our district has been skimming too much. D-do you still have any medicine? My omnipotent stem cells are about to give out..."

"Merciful Medicine King, sigh, just hold on a little longer. Once we coordinate with those Vidyadhara, we won't have to worry about medicine."

Bai Jun quietly eavesdropped on the two Medicine King's Legacy followers without alerting them. Instead, he focused on several key pieces of information. "Touring concert... those Vidyadhara..."

It seemed Jing Yuan's concerns had not been unfounded. And those Dragon Masters were starting to get restless too.

After organizing his thoughts, Bai Jun looked at the two men's retreating backs and prepared to pull away to deal with them. But he discovered that he could not move.

Looking down, he finally noticed that the transformation effect had disappeared and that he had returned to normal.

This should have been a good thing, but the problem was precisely that—

The space that had barely allowed him and Qing Que to stand face-to-face became even more cramped as his size returned. Qing Que's petite body was pinned against the wall, her mouth covered by him. Their bodies and skin pressed tightly together, transmitting a heat that made one's heart race. They were so close that they could easily feel each other's breathing.

The girl's cheeks were dyed a burning red. She lowered her head slightly, her long lashes trembling softly as they hid her lovely, dazed eyes.

"S-sorry..."

Bai Jun hurriedly released his hand. Freed from the pressure, the girl finally managed to gasp deeply for air. Her scorching breaths met the cool air in the alley, creating wisps of white mist.

For some reason, Bai Jun seemed to hear bursts of a clown's delighted laughter by his ear. Coupled with the suspiciously perfect timing of his ability failing—

Damn it. Now he had no choice but to wonder whether Aha had really set its sights on him.

P.S. The daily-life arc is about to end. After the touring concert, it'll be the much-anticipated reunion of Hajyan and Sacred Judgment of Heavenly Fire again. (Fog)

Swaying Between Mundane Friendship and Affection

"Ding—"