"You are…?"
Looking at the blue-haired girl standing before her in an apologetic posture, Keqing felt a sense of familiarity.
But after searching her memory, she couldn't match the face to anyone she knew.
Confusion appeared on her expression.
"Um… Lady Keqing, it's me—Xingqiu. We've met before."
Xingqiu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little embarrassed.
Meeting an acquaintance while in female form— especially someone as high-ranking as the Yuheng of the Qixing— made her feel awkward.
"You're Xingqiu?!"
Keqing's eyes widened in disbelief.
The cute blue-haired girl before her—and you're telling me she's the young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild?!
But once she confirmed it was indeed Xingqiu, the earlier sense of familiarity suddenly made sense.
"How did you suddenly become a girl?"
Keqing asked curiously.
Did his gender change recently?
Or had Xingqiu always been a girl, simply disguising herself as a boy since childhood?
"It's because of a reward from the boss…"
Xingqiu explained briefly.
"I see."
Keqing finally understood.
A reward that could change someone's gender…
The items here really were strange.
Thinking about it that way, her own cat transformation ability suddenly seemed pretty good.
At least she didn't have to experience something as bizarre as a gender change.
That said—
Xingqiu's current appearance was undeniably attractive.
Someone unfamiliar with her might assume she was a noble young lady from a prestigious family.
"By the way, what was that apology about earlier?"
Keqing finally remembered the main issue.
"Uh…"
Faced with the question, Xingqiu scratched her head awkwardly.
How was she supposed to explain this?
Was she supposed to say that she thought Lady Keqing was about to be mistreated, so she rushed forward to play the hero?
If she said that, she'd probably be laughed at forever.
"Forget it, Keqing. There's no need to dwell on it. Did you two finish your comics?"
Han Feng stepped in smoothly and changed the subject.
Keqing still felt a bit curious, but since her master had spoken, she chose not to pursue it further.
Maybe not in the future— but today, she would follow his lead completely.
That was the contract between them.
"Yes, yes—we finished! It was extremely exciting!"
Seeing the situation defused, Xingqiu looked at Han Feng with deep gratitude.
The boss really was a great person.
Han Feng simply smiled.
He hadn't intervened to rescue Xingqiu.
He had done it for himself.
If Keqing found out that Xingqiu and Chongyun had witnessed what just happened,
given how shy she currently was in her cat-girl state, he might not get another chance to pet her later.
The Question About Xiao Longnü
"By the way, Boss—why did The Return of the Condor Heroes include that scene where Xiao Longnü was violated? Wouldn't it have been better without it?"
Xingqiu asked, puzzled.
Just thinking about that scene made her heart ache.
Why couldn't the two lovers simply be together peacefully?
Even if hardship was necessary, why treat Xiao Longnü that way?
"Perhaps… it's a kind of imperfect beauty."
Han Feng considered for a moment before answering.
After all, in most stories, the male lead is charming and heroic, and the female lead is pure and flawless.
Going against that pattern naturally attracts attention.
It's like in web novels—some authors deliberately create painful situations, making readers suffer emotionally.
Back then, those stories made certain audiences miserable.
But that belonged to another era.
Today, any author who wrote something like that would probably be criticized heavily.
Of course, there were also other factors—
such as historical context, and the idea that tragic love feels more profound.
But there was no need to explain everything in detail.
"I see…"
After hearing the explanation, Xingqiu fell into thoughtful silence.
Yang Guo lost an arm. Xiao Longnü lost her purity.
Their love was imperfect— flawed.
And flaws create beauty.
That was why their relationship left such a deep impression.
If Xingqiu herself had written the story,
she would have had Yang Guo appear at the critical moment, defeat the villain, and carry the heroine off into a happy ending.
But that—
would be too cliché.
"No wonder that publishing house rejected my manuscript."
At that moment, Xingqiu had an epiphany.
She finally understood her mistake.
Her stories lacked flaws.
When she returned home, she planned to try imitating The Return of the Condor Heroes.
Maybe she'd create a few female leads and give them tragic twists.
Perhaps readers would like that.
"But at least the ending is good. They reunite in the end."
After a pause, Xingqiu sighed in relief.
She could accept a difficult journey as long as the outcome was happy.
A Cruel Possibility
"Not necessarily. It's possible that the person Yang Guo meets sixteen years later isn't Xiao Longnü at all— but the daughter she had with that Taoist priest.
And the real Xiao Longnü had already died."
Han Feng said with a mischievous smile.
Of course, this theory came from internet speculation in another world.
But that didn't stop him from teasing people with it.
"W-wait… what?"
Xingqiu froze.
Wasn't that way too cruel?
That idea hurt even more than the earlier tragedy.
"Think about it—sixteen years passed. Yang Guo's hair turned white. But Xiao Longnü? She remained just as young and beautiful. Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Han Feng continued, keeping a straight face.
He enjoyed watching newcomers question their entire worldview.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't entirely making things up.
Back then, the original author had actually considered killing Xiao Longnü off when she jumped from the cliff.
Only because readers refused to accept it did he eventually write a reunion ending.
"H-how could that be…?"
Xingqiu stood there in shock.
Her body staggered backward, almost losing balance.
Fortunately, Chongyun quickly caught her.
"Careful."
He spoke softly.
He had heard the theory as well.
What kind of ending was that?
They had expected a joyful reunion after sixteen years—but instead, the beloved person was dead?
And the one who appeared was the beloved person's daughter?
No wonder Xingqiu looked devastated.
If it were him, he might feel the urge to punch someone.
That was just too cruel.
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