Xianyu couldn't make sense of it.
He was just about to open the door, so he hastily sent a meme he'd saved from Jing Yuan.
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: confused Kitty.jpg]
[Jingliu: Have some Fleece Lamb Milk on me]
Oh, so this was about the bottle of Fleece Lamb Milk he'd brought Jingliu back then.
But the amount Jingliu had transferred was far too much...
Forget one bottle-even after buying a hundred, he'd still have plenty left over.
Once Xianyu got home, he lay back on his bed, deducted the price of one bottle of Fleece Lamb Milk, and transferred the rest back.
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: That's plenty, that's plenty]
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: spinning Kitty.gif]
Unexpectedly, Jingliu transferred the money right back.
Xianyu had no choice but to send it back to Jingliu again.
Could she not know how much Fleece Lamb Milk actually cost...?
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: That's too much. It's enough for a hundred bottles]
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: spinning Kitty.gif]
Jingliu transferred the money for a third time.
[Jingliu: Don't send it back again]
Perhaps she felt she'd sounded too stern, because after a while, she sent another message.
[Jingliu: It's only Fleece Lamb Milk. Just take what I give you]
[Jingliu: spinning Kitty.gif]
It was a meme she'd saved from Xianyu.
...Well, it gave him the strange impression of an aloof beauty trying to act cute.
Xianyu chuckled and could only accept it.
He could use the money to treat her to a meal or buy her a gift sometime.
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: I'll treat you to a meal next time]
Only after sending the message did he belatedly realize that this seemed a little flirtatious.
He immediately added another line.
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: And Baiheng too]
It took a while for her reply to arrive.
[Jingliu: Jing Yuan isn't nearly as polite as you]
The moment Xianyu read that, he relaxed.
He'd been overthinking it.
There was nothing romantic behind Jingliu's praise or care for him. She simply regarded Xianyu as a younger friend she was close to, looking after him the same way she looked after Jing Yuan.
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: Then I won't stand on ceremony]
[No Replies Outside Work Hours: cat making a heart.jpg]
The person on the other end followed his lead and replied with a meme.
[Jingliu: cat making a heart.jpg]
Jingliu put down her Jade Abacus.
Seated in the milk tea shop with her arms crossed, she gave a cold snort and shot a murderous glare at each of the three men.
All three wore different expressions.
Dan Feng was utterly unapologetic, straightening his sleeves as he fearlessly met her gaze.
The moment Jingliu discovered him, he'd immediately found somewhere to change out of the cheap coat he'd worn as a disguise and into his own clothes, which cost seven figures in Strale.
Yingxing was just enjoying the show, glancing between Dan Feng and Jingliu.
Only Jing Yuan, seated beside his frost-radiating master, tried to inch as far away from her as possible. He huddled pitifully to one side, cradling his milk tea without daring to make a sound.
Thanks to his height, he easily caught a glimpse of the messages on his master's Jade Abacus out of the corner of his eye.
Jing Yuan: "..."
He looked at that adorable little meme, then at Jingliu's icy face that kept everyone at arm's length, and fell silent.
Besides the three cups of Peppery Soup milk tea Xianyu had ordered, the table also held the cup of sweet milk tea Jingliu had taken away from the shop and brought back.
Dan Feng's gaze shifted to the cup Jingliu had emptied, and he chuckled softly.
But however quiet the High Elder's chuckle was, it couldn't escape the ears of anyone present.
Upon hearing it, Jingliu's expression changed in a most uncharacteristic fashion. Beaming, she pushed those three cups of vile-tasting milk tea toward them.
Dan Feng stopped smiling. He averted his gaze as though facing a formidable enemy and asked gravely, "Care to spar?"
Jingliu gladly accepted and rose to her feet. "Come on. Let's go to the Training Ground."
Jing Yuan: "..."
Jing Yuan was practically breaking into a cold sweat. He cast a pleading look at Yingxing.
Yingxing completely missed his signal. He eagerly stood up, intending to join Dan Feng and Jingliu for a bout as well.
Before leaving, Yingxing spotted the fried dough sticks that came with the Peppery Soup milk tea. He swiftly packed them up to take along and helped himself to one.
The craftsman belatedly met Jing Yuan's eyes and cheerfully offered him a fried dough stick.
Jing Yuan's mouth twitched. "No thanks. You have it."
Jing Yuan sighed deeply and followed Jingliu and Dan Feng alongside Yingxing.
Everyone else was drunk, and I alone was sober...
He took pride in his brilliant mind, yet felt a little lonely too.
The four entered the deserted Training Ground.
Jingliu strode to the wooden weapons rack and casually picked up a sword.
At this, Dan Feng raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you using your usual weapon?"
Jingliu scoffed.
"Do you think a superior weapon guarantees victory? It's only a weapon... Even if I gave you a one-handed handicap, you still couldn't beat me."
Knowing her friend's proud, unruly nature all too well, she'd said it deliberately.
Sure enough, Dan Feng's expression changed at the provocation.
"I don't need a handicap."
The High Elder was too proud to take shortcuts or win unfairly, so he followed her example and grabbed a random spear.
Without needing to exchange a word, Yingxing and Jing Yuan moved away from the pair and settled in a corner of the grounds.
Holding her sword in her right hand, Jingliu slowly walked to the center.
Spear in hand, Dan Feng instinctively gave it a flourish.
Jingliu raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "All flash."
Even a dozen flourishes wouldn't help Dan Feng beat her.
Dan Feng shook his head, his face cold. "Your taste leaves much to be desired."
It wasn't as though they were fighting Abominations. Jingliu really had no appreciation for aesthetics!
With that, they both stopped in their tracks.
Yingxing and Jing Yuan held their breath and focused, unwilling to miss a single move of the impending fight.
Bzz-
Yingxing casually asked, "Whose Jade Abacus was that? Yours?"
Jing Yuan patted the pocket holding his Jade Abacus. "Mine. Probably nothing important."
He refocused, staring unblinkingly at the pair in the arena.
Frankly speaking, there wasn't much to see when equally matched opponents sparred.
Both could anticipate the other's next move from their reactions. Each predicted and second-guessed the other, and the fight went on endlessly.
Outside the Luofu, a duel between the Sword Champion and the High Elder would be a rare spectacle. If word got out, countless people would willingly pay for a chance to watch and learn.
But on the Luofu, ever since the five of them became friends, they'd fought every few days. The number of bouts was beyond counting.
By all rights, Jing Yuan should have long since tired of watching, yet their every move still captivated him.
Spear met sword with an ear-piercing clang.
Jingliu lightly pushed off with her toes. As though her body weighed nothing, she flipped gracefully into the air and slashed down at Dan Feng.
Jing Yuan watched their every movement intently.
Suddenly, Yingxing let out a yell, grabbed Jing Yuan's arm, and shook it.
Jing Yuan jumped. "Yingxing, what's wrong?"
Yingxing's grip on Jing Yuan tightened.
"Check your Jade Abacus! Is it that person?!"
At those words, Jing Yuan's appetite for gossip flared, and he swiftly pulled his Jade Abacus from his pocket.
They put their heads together and got a clear look at the sender's name.
Yingxing grew even more excited and urged Jing Yuan to open it.
[Xianyu: Your master is such a nice person]
Yingxing: "Hurry up and ask!"
[Real-Name Internet User: What happened?]
Apparently, the person on the other end had nothing else to do, because he replied quickly.
[Xianyu: She actually sends you Strale. Why don't I have a teacher like that?]
Jing Yuan's face went blank. No matter how he searched his memory, he couldn't recall anything like what Xianyu described.
He turned to Yingxing. "Have I lost my memory? Has Master ever sent me money?"
Yingxing thought carefully, then shook his head. "Knowing you, brat, if you'd received money from Jingliu, you'd have gone around bragging to everyone! I don't remember anything like that, so she probably hasn't."
Jing Yuan: Master, what's going on, Master? Why the double standard?!
Before you continue