"You're right, I am indeed a wanted criminal. That's why I have to use a projected pair of disguise glasses," Chen Li said, putting on another pair of glasses projected with Star Stones.
Besides, since he had just been put on the wanted list two days ago, the heat was still on. He was even more easily recognizable than Jingliu.
"Alright, let's find a quiet place to sit down and talk first. Two wanted criminals standing in the middle of the street is a bit too brazen," Chen Li said.
As the saying goes, a thief has a guilty conscience... In any case, Chen Li couldn't understand how Jingliu could stand so confidently on the main street of Starskiff Haven.
"It matters not. Hundreds of years have passed. Even if I were to walk right in front of the Cloud Knights, they would not recognize me as a wanted criminal." This was the reason Jingliu hadn't been caught yet.
The people of the Xianzhou had long lifespans, but they often risked succumbing to Mara-Struck after reaching a thousand years of age, at which point they would be taken away by the Ten-Lords Commission for processing. Hundreds of years had passed since the Sedition of the Imbibitor Lunae, which was half a lifetime for some Xianzhou natives.
---o---
"So, you came to the Xianzhou because of me, Master? I guess I could have guessed that." Sitting in a teahouse by the street, listening to the storyteller's performance nearby, Chen Li nodded in understanding.
"That's right. When I heard the name of the 'Curio Forger' resounding across the seas, I knew you had appeared. And when I saw your wanted poster on the Xianzhou through special channels, I knew you had arrived, so I came here ahead of time," Jingliu nodded.
"You came to the Xianzhou to find me without a single clue? Weren't you afraid of being spotted by a passing Cloud Knight, Master?" Chen Li quipped.
"I did not come to seek refuge. In fact, if I had been captured on this trip, it would have been to my liking. Unfortunately, this generation of the Luofu's Cloud Knights is truly disappointing. After smuggling myself onto the Xianzhou, I didn't know where to find you, but a clumsy Cloud Knight very enthusiastically brought me to Starskiff Haven. She said that if I wanted to find someone, I might have a chance of running into them in a bustling place like this," Jingliu said.
Jingliu had long since surpassed her limits, teetering on the edge of becoming Mara-Struck. Upon returning to the Xianzhou, rather than being consumed by flames of hatred upon seeing old sights, it was better to cover her eyes with a black veil and walk wherever her feet took her. In layman's terms, she was afraid that seeing the scenery of the Xianzhou would remind her of the brain-dead actions of the Imbibitor Lunae and Blade, causing her to snap.
But the black veil caused a slight problem for Jingliu: navigation. However, she had run into a very enthusiastic Cloud Knight... though from the way she spoke, she sounded a bit like an illiterate, she was genuinely kind-hearted. It's just that her ideas were rather strange, suggesting Jingliu stand in the busiest part of Starskiff Haven and rely on luck to find someone.
But thankfully, as Jingliu wandered the streets, she was spotted by Elysia, who then tailed her the entire way. Thus, she was able to "reunite" with Chen Li with extreme speed.
"That description sounds a bit like a Cloud Knight I know, but it couldn't be that much of a coincidence, right..."
"Let's get back to the topic at hand. Can you... forge a Curio now?" Although Jingliu's eyes were covered by a black veil, Chen Li could still feel her sharp gaze.
"Of course I can."
"These are items related to Heroic Spirits that I've collected over the years. See if any of them are usable." Jingliu casually took out several items and placed them on the tea table.
Chen Li looked closely. A faint glow emanated from each of the items. He touched them one by one, seeing the [Heroic Spirit] Entry on each, all with varying levels of brightness. Besides that Entry, there were all sorts of other strange ones, like [Death], [Knight], [Destiny], and so on. Who knew where Jingliu had found these things?
"They're usable, all of them. But... I've already created a universal resurrection-type Curio. You can watch ads, collect Revival Card fragments, and participate in the Revival Games to successfully revive someone. Do you want to give it a try, Master?" Chen Li asked, taking out a Friends Circle terminal that had the Revival Card link.
"..." Jingliu was silent, merely "staring" at Chen Li.
"Miss Jingliu doesn't seem to find it very convenient... How about this? Miss Jingliu, you take me as your disciple. Once we've established a master-student relationship, I can help you revive the person you want to bring back," Elysia suddenly offered a brilliant idea.
After Chen Li explained the underlying rules of the Revival Card to Robin, he had edited a message and pinned it in the Friends Circle, so now everyone knew the rules.
Are you trying to learn swordsmanship, Elysia? You're clearly just thirsty for her body!
But believe it or not, Elysia's idea was theoretically feasible. A master-student relationship was indeed a relationship, and Baiheng could be considered a master's wife in a sense. As for whether Elysia was sincere about reviving Baiheng? There was no need to worry about that. Although Elysia did have ulterior motives—like wanting to have a deep, personal exchange with Jingliu up close—her goal would be achieved once the master-student relationship was formed. Therefore, reviving Baiheng would be a purely benevolent act on her part.
You never had to doubt whether Elysia wanted to revive someone; as long as they weren't a bad person, she wanted to revive them. Or, there was an even simpler method: just show Elysia a picture of Baiheng and tell her a bit about her, and Elysia would immediately want to revive her.
["My, what a cute girl!"] — something like that.
"My eyes can still see. I am merely concerned whether the ads will show old scenes of the Xianzhou," Jingliu voiced her worry.
"You can rest assured on that point. The ads are all Herta's ads now. You won't see a single old scene of the Xianzhou," Chen Li guaranteed.
"I have one more question. If you use the materials I gave you to forge a Curio that can revive Baiheng, what would it ultimately be like?"
"It would probably create something that can use relics—items left behind by a hero in life—to summon a Heroic Spirit blessed with legendary power. The drawback, however, is that you might need to help her recharge, Master. Which means Baiheng probably couldn't be too far from you," Chen Li explained.
"She can't be too far from me?"
"Yes, she can't be too far from you."
"And what does 'recharging' mean?"
"For example, you might need to provide her with something like magical energy. If her mana runs low, you might even need to perform a bodily fluid exchange to replenish it. All in all, it's very troublesome," Chen Li said.
"...This is the one!" Jingliu slammed her hand on the table, leaving a deep palm print on its surface.
"Huh?"
The commotion attracted the attention of the surrounding people, including the storyteller.
"Esteemed guest..."
"I'll go explain. You two continue your chat," Elysia said, getting up to meet the shopkeeper. She felt it would be impolite to listen any further.
"Master?" Chen Li whispered to Jingliu, who had fallen into a strange silence after slamming the table.
"This is the one... Call it my selfish desire, call it my possessiveness, I just want Baiheng to stay by my side for a little longer. I know she will eventually soar into the sky, because she's a person who can't stay idle, but even just for a few days would be enough. After Baiheng gets tired of being by my side, I will use the Revival Card to resurrect her for real," Jingliu murmured softly, her head bowed.
"Although it may be a waste of some of your resources to have you forge a special Curio for me for such a selfish reason, as long as you can create it, I will give you anything you want," Jingliu said, suddenly raising her head to look at Chen Li.
[Resurrection]: Help Jingliu use the [Heroic Spirit] Entry to forge a Curio capable of summoning Baiheng. Issuer: Jingliu Reward: 30-40 Crystals Risk: Low
Resurrection was, of course, a miracle—the most classic miracle of all. Although the [The Revival Games] Curio he forged had yet to bring him any extra profit from others, Chen Li still believed it was saving up for a massive reward.
Emmm... it was also possible that, aside from Chen Li himself, no one else had actually won a match yet.
"Alright." After glancing at the reward, Chen Li didn't hesitate.
Reviving countless people required a 1-Star Curio like The Revival Games, but just summoning an individual Heroic Spirit was something a novice Curio could handle. Even at the minimum reward of 30 Crystals, he wouldn't be losing out. And Chen Li certainly hadn't forgotten the help Jingliu had given him in the early stages.
Besides, the Revival Games really wasn't a good fit for Jingliu. Normally, it was a universal solution. At worst, you'd watch ads for a few more days; it was just a waste of time. But for Jingliu, that wasn't the case.
First, the 25 hours of ad-watching would be a "rollercoaster" for her. After all, anyone's mentality would crumble upon discovering that the final fragment simply refuses to drop, let alone a patient like Jingliu who was walking on the edge of becoming Mara-Struck.
Second, there was no guarantee of winning the Revival Games. Jingliu was already an elder. After seeing Baiheng again, her emotions would surely be in turmoil. If she then witnessed Baiheng lose the match and die a second time in front of her, her mind would probably snap on the spot!
Again, that's just how it was with mental patients.
"What do you want? I can give you anything," Jingliu said after calming herself.
[I'm not a professional romance guide system, but I still want to say...]
Get lost!
[Roger that!]
"As long as you're happy, there's nothing I want," Chen Li answered.
He had been brewing up many highly dramatic lines, but the sprite's interruption had instantly calmed him down, and he simply said what he had originally thought. He really didn't want anything... though if Jingliu could perform the erhu on the street for him, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
"...Thank you." Jingliu "gazed" at Chen Li for a long while before slowly lowering her head and taking a sip of the already cool tea.
Though the tea was a bit cool, indicating the drinker was late, the flavor was still pleasant and was enough to "warm" the body. It's just that the tea leaves were a bit young... But no matter, a flaw couldn't hide its jade-like quality.
It was good tea.
[I really am not a professional romance guide system. All my painstaking efforts are no match for your flash of insight... Chen Li, you are truly a prodigy in the world of conquest!]
"???"