Fu Lin didn't take it immediately. Instead, he eyed Stelle suspiciously from head to toe, "Why do I feel like you're up to something, Stelle? This isn't... awful, is it?"
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Stelle's face was filled with a wronged expression, yet she secretly winked at March and Dan Heng behind her, her tone coquettish but confident, "Dad, how could I possibly harm you? If you don't believe me, ask March, everyone from the Xianzhou loves this drink!"
March's gaze wavered, her voice weak, "Y-yeah… that's right."
Dan Heng also nodded in agreement, though the corner of his mouth secretly curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
Even the usually composed Dan Heng nodded in approval, which made most of Fu Lin's doubts fade, though he still remained cautious, "Alright then, but you have to take a sip first."
Stelle secretly swallowed her saliva, took the drink, pulled open the tab, and took a small sip. She even smacked her lips on purpose, showing a satisfied expression, "Ah~ so good! See, Dad, I wasn't lying to you!"
Indeed, only when doing bad things does a person stop fearing bitterness or exhaustion.
Seeing Stelle drink it so calmly, Fu Lin finally let his guard down and took the drink from her.
Beside them, Fu Shi had heard Stelle's every inner thought clearly. Her expression turned strange, but she didn't expose her, instead, she secretly sent a telepathic message, 'If you're going to trick Fu Lin, at least don't drag me into it~'
Stelle secretly made an "OK" gesture and quickly added while the iron was hot, "Dad, this stuff only tastes right if you chug it! If I wasn't afraid of finishing it and leaving none for you, I would've already gulped it down."
Fu Lin, tempted by the words, immediately tilted his head back and drank deeply.
The next second, his pupils shrank abruptly, an indescribably "wonderful" taste exploded in his mouth, shooting straight up to his skull.
And Stelle, who had been pretending all along, could no longer hold it in. She bent over, clutching her knees, retching violently. Between gags, she still managed to lift her head and shout unclearly, "Ugh~ Dad, see? I didn't lie! This stuff's super refreshing! Ugh~"
Meanwhile, an old Xianzhou glutton who had been quietly observing exclaimed in awe, "He actually finished a whole can of soda-bean juice without changing expression, amazing!"
Fu Shi then stepped forward, waved a hand in front of Fu Lin's face, and when he didn't react, pried open his eyelid to take a closer look. She gasped and muttered to herself, "Hiss, that's not a calm face at all, he's halfway dead! What kind of demon drink is this soda-bean juice?!"
Stelle, barely suppressing the chaos in her stomach, shakily pulled another can of soda-bean juice from her chest pocket. Her words were cut off by another dry heave, "Mom, if you wanna try… I still got one here… ugh~"
Fu Shi stared at the thing in silence for a long time, unable to utter a single word.
On the other side, Fu Lin finally recovered from the bizarre taste. The can slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a clang, and a single tear slid silently down his cheek.
"My tongue feels like it's been dipped in strong alkali!"
Fu Shi leaned closer, curiosity piqued, "Fu Lin, what does it taste like?"
Fu Lin's voice was cold with disbelief as he described, word by word, "That taste… is like on a scorching forty-degree summer day, you suddenly lick the armpit of a bearded man on the street, mixed with a PE student's stinky socks and an old grandma's dental tartar, all blended into a juice!"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present instantly lost their appetite, and the sound of retching filled the room.
Even Kiana☆ nearby frowned deeply, pressing her hand to her neck, clearly overcome with nausea from the description.
March retched as she complained, "Ugh~ Fu Lin! Stop talking already! We're still eating!"
Dan Heng said nothing, quietly setting down his chopsticks, a complicated look in his eyes.
Fu Lin looked at the scene before him and finally sighed in relief, speaking with a touch of "revenge",
"That's what you get for teaming up with Stelle to trick me… Dan Heng, even you've fallen in with them?"
Yanqing, who had just walked in, was stunned by the chaos, the room was filled with the sounds of retching. He frowned and asked in confusion, "What happened here? Why is everyone vomiting?"
March 7th waved a hand weakly while rubbing her tense stomach, "You're better off not knowing!"
Stelle wiped the remnants of discomfort from the corner of her mouth and looked up at him, "Yanqing, why are you here? Since when do masters come to pick up their disciples personally?"
Yanqing suppressed his curiosity and spoke seriously, "Since it was a request from General Huaiyan, I dare not neglect it. I came early this morning to teach Miss March swordsmanship."
"Teach March swordsmanship?" Fu Shi raised her brows in surprise. "What happened after we parted yesterday? Didn't you all go to the Alchemy Commission for tea?"
Stelle explained simply, "We didn't get to drink the tea, instead, we stumbled into a sparring match between Yanqing and Yunli, and met another general."
"After that, we went to the Divination Commission. Because of some conflict between Yanqing and Yunli, the old general decided that they should both take March as a student. She just needs to win her first match at the Luminary Wardance."
Hearing this, March 7th suddenly remembered last night's events. She perked up, stood straight, and politely bowed to Yanqing, "Oh right, Master Yanqing, good morning!"
As soon as she finished, she blinked curiously, "Huh? Master Yanqing, why are you blushing?"
Fu Shi clicked her tongue twice at the sight, "Blushing just because someone called you 'Master'?"
Yanqing's face flushed even deeper as he spoke shyly, "It's the first time someone has called me 'Master'... I just need a little… time to get used to it…"
Fu Shi grinned, "That's it? You're way too pure."
After that, March waved goodbye to everyone and quickly followed Yanqing, starting her first sword lesson…
Not long after March left, Stelle and Dan Heng received a message from Jing Yuan. They said goodbye to Fu Lin and the others and headed once again to the Divination Commission.
Since Luo (Mok Tok) had been caught right after appearing, and Hoolay hadn't shown up either, Stelle's next journey through the Shackling Prison turned out to be relatively peaceful.
Meanwhile, Fu Lin and his group, after finishing breakfast, continued exploring the scenery of Luofu, buying up anything tasty, fun, or pretty in sight with extravagant generosity.
As for the money? Naturally, the bill was sent straight to the Divination Commission!
Although Jing Yuan and Huaiyan, after contacting the Marshal, confirmed that Fu Lin was indeed not the Marshal, General Jing Yuan warmly assured them that they could still come to him for anything they needed!
Of course, Jing Yuan didn't come out empty-handed either.
Thanks to Fu Shi's mind-reading ability, they managed to uncover quite a few hidden Borisin in Luofu, relieving much of Jing Yuan's pressure.
They also met this world's version of Sushang.
After some casual conversation, Fu Lin managed to get some information out of her, her mother, as expected, was named Qin Suyi, and the Xuanyuan Sword she held was a treasured family heirloom.
She also practiced Taixuan Sword, though it was unclear how it differed from their Taixuan Sword.
However, ever since meeting Sushang, whenever they strolled together and Fu Lin listened to her way of speaking, he couldn't help but think privately, "The brilliant and versatile Li Sushang… and her counterpart here turns out to be both 'unskilled in literature and martial arts.'"
Of course, during March 7th's sword training, plenty of amusing incidents occurred as well…
And so, time quietly slipped by. Before long, the day of the Luminary Wardance arrived, fireworks boomed endlessly as everyone gathered aboard the Skysplitter.
"It's so lively, it's finally starting."
Fu Shi looked around at the bustling scene, sighing as her gaze swept across the crowd. Soon she noticed March 7th not far away, muttering to a bench, "That girl March… what's she mumbling to a bench for? Has she been possessed by Stelle?"