[You got it, rich lady! Are you planning to give it to him today? I'll go get the stock transferred over now.]
[Starcutter: Not today. I'll contact you when I need it.]
Before she knew it, she had spent 100,000 Strales.
Jingliu sighed, sincerely hoping Baiheng would crash fewer starskiffs this month.
She continued reading the guide.
[Make sure you win over his close friends. They might play a decisive role at a crucial moment.]
Jingliu immediately thought of Jing Yuan.
Ever since he had become her disciple, she had taken great care in teaching him.
As long as Jing Yuan was willing to learn, she taught him everything without holding anything back. Her teaching methods just weren't exactly gentle...
Counting the years, she had taught Jing Yuan from his early teens until he was nearly twenty. That ought to count as winning over someone close to Xianyu.
She kept reading the document.
[If he gives you a gift first, you absolutely must buy something more expensive in return. (I think a gift has to cost at least seven figures to show sincerity.)]
Seven figures in Strales...
One glance was enough for Jingliu to know this was another of Dan Feng's suggestions.
Imbibitor Lunae was always talking about hiring eight servants for Yingxing. His ideas probably weren't all that normal either.
She would put that on hold for now. Spending a million Strales in one go was far too excessive.
The gift Xianyu had sent brought Jingliu joy, but also fresh worries.
Xianyu's position at the Divination Commission wasn't particularly high, and his pay was average.
Even when ordering milk tea, he chose drinks with a second-cup-half-price offer...
Perhaps his life wasn't all that easy.
When she had taken him home, Jingliu had noticed his courtyard residence, and a guess had formed in her mind.
Perhaps he had bought a house? Taken on debt?
Yet Xianyu had never shown any signs of it before, and he was always treating Jingliu and Baiheng to drinks.
She had barely transferred him some Strales under the pretext of paying for Fleece Lamb Milk before he sent a gift to repay her.
She had to think of something.
As for what... she certainly couldn't follow Dan Feng's idea and give him a gift worth a million Strales.
Xianyu would definitely refuse, or accept it and give her something even more valuable in return.
After some thought, Jingliu decided to keep it simple. No gifts. Just throw Strales at him.
A hundred thousand, or a few hundred thousand, would be easier to accept.
Once they grew closer, perhaps he would be willing to accept it.
Having settled on an amount, the Sword Champion opened the forum to search again.
[After receiving a gift, make sure you respond! For example, give him a kiss in return, or share it on social media-]
Jingliu fell silent.
A kiss in return was going much too far...
She could only manage the latter suggestion.
The Sword Champion clumsily opened her account. She almost never posted anything on social media herself; usually, she just reposted other people's pictures and text.
For example, the Nine-Grid Collages Baiheng photographed and carefully edited at their gatherings, or reports of victories from the various Xianzhou ships, as her superiors requested.
After a great deal of thought, Jingliu haltingly typed out a sentence. But when it came to choosing a picture, she hesitated.
She remembered a line in the document: "Treat him as an exception."
If all the pictures she shared were the same, that hardly counted as making an exception, did it?
Jingliu took another photo. This time, she wasn't in the frame. The picture showed only her courtyard and the Moon Lamp.
[Starcutter: An unexpected gift. Thank you. I like it very much.]
Baiheng and Jing Yuan, both avid internet surfers, were the first to see the post.
[Baiheng: Wow! What a huge lamp! It must look gorgeous lit up! I want to come take pictures!]
[Jing Yuan: vacant stare.jpg]
Jingliu agreed to Baiheng's request, then ignored Jing Yuan's comment as naturally as could be.
It was clearly the same picture, so why did her disciple's version look that much stupider?
Dan Feng and Yingxing arrived a little later.
[Dan Feng: Doesn't seem as good as milk tea.]
[Baiheng replied to Dan Feng: Why do you keep saying that lately? Are you a broken record?!]
Jingliu: "..."
Dan Feng really never knew when to stop.
[Yingxing: At this rate... can't you wait until I've saved up seven figures?]
Jingliu didn't understand Yingxing's reply, so she could only respond with a question mark.
For Yingxing, who spent his own money to go to work every day, the goal of "saving up seven figures" was still far too difficult.
She hoped the Master Forger would face reality soon and give up on that goal as quickly as possible.
Jingliu read her friends' replies again and noticed something odd in Baiheng's words.
Did Baiheng not know about her and Xianyu?
It seemed Jing Yuan and the other two hadn't told Baiheng...
For a moment, Jingliu had no idea how to bring it up.
If her friends exposed her and stumbled upon the truth, she would only lash out in embarrassment. Once she got her emotions under control, she would pretend to take their teasing graciously.
But if she had to bring it up herself...
Jingliu sighed and raised a hand to cover her face. Once she had composed her expression, she lowered it, once again the aloof Sword Champion who kept everyone at arm's length.
Jing Yuan and the others would surely tell Baiheng themselves.
With that thought, Jingliu buried herself in the guide again. Only when it was nearly time for the Cloud Knights to assemble did she set off to rejoin the ranks.
General Teng Xiao, who rarely appeared at the Drill Ground, made an uncommon appearance and stood before the formation to address them as usual.
Then a pointed-eared Vidyadhara stepped forward, whispered a few words to the general, and left.
The general had no choice but to cut his speech short. After a few words of encouragement, he dismissed the formation and headed in the direction the Vidyadhara had left.
Once everyone began dispersing, Jing Yuan sidled over.
Her disciple wore a suggestive smile. One glance told Jingliu that the brat was about to tease her, so she struck first and ordered him to practice his swordsmanship.
Seeing her disciple's miserable expression instantly improved Jingliu's mood.
Once Jing Yuan had obediently finished his practice, Jingliu spoke again. "Come have dinner with me near the Divination Commission tonight."
Jing Yuan said, "Huh? Who else is coming?"
"You, me, and Xianyu."
At that, Jing Yuan's smile slowly vanished.
In a flash, he saw the truth.
Master, what does your dinner date with Xianyu have to do with me?
You could at least invite Dan Feng and Yingxing too! Why only me? I can't be the only third wheel!
Jing Yuan decided to invent an excuse on the spot. "Master, I already made plans with Dan Feng today. We're going to-"
Jingliu looked at the white-robed High Elder behind her disciple and raised an eyebrow. A hint of amusement entered her otherwise calm voice.
"You can turn him down now."
Jing Yuan stiffly turned to look behind him.
White robes, black hair, blue eyes, dragon horns atop his head-wasn't that Dan Feng himself?
The High Elder stood with his arms folded, his expression seemingly indifferent. But Jing Yuan knew his friend well enough to tell at a glance that Dan Feng was enjoying the show.
Dan Feng asked, "Turn me down for what?"
Suddenly, Jing Yuan didn't want to say anything.
Outsiders knew Imbibitor Lunae as cold and arrogant. Only those close to him knew what he was really like.
Having suffered plenty at his hands, Jing Yuan was more than qualified to speak on the subject.
On the surface, he pretends to be some little immortal dragon untouched by worldly dust. In reality, he's a fussy dragon with no common sense who lives for entertainment!
Every piece of clothing and every accessory Dan Feng wore was in the latest Luofu fashion. His favorite pastime was putting on a flawlessly impassive face while embarrassing people and deliberately undermining them!
If he found out about this, he would absolutely look bewildered and say, "Really? Jing Yuan never made any plans with me."
And if Dan Feng accidentally got caught in the crossfire himself, he would drag someone else down with him. Tormenting people was the whole point.
"I invited Jing Yuan to dinner near the Divination Commission, but he said he had plans with you."
At the mention of the Divination Commission, Dan Feng raised an eyebrow. Ignoring Jing Yuan's pleading look, he spoke with every intention of enjoying the spectacle.
"Did he? This is the first I've heard of it."
Jingliu took the opportunity to lecture him. "It's not as if we're at war. Why are you playing these little games here on the Luofu? If you have time for that, you would be better off practicing your swordsmanship."
Jing Yuan: "..."
He glared furiously at Dan Feng.
You bastard! You're enjoying the show without caring whether anyone else survives! Who wants to be a third wheel?!
Before you continue