"Really?"
"Yep, truer than gold!"
Hearing March 7th's assurance, Stelle's eyes lit up. Without a hint of suspicion, she took the soda bean juice March handed her and gulped it down.
"Ugh—!"
The moment the bean juice touched her taste buds, an indescribable mix of salty, fishy, sour, and rancid flavors assaulted her senses, nearly making her spit it out.
"Don't waste food! This is Qingque's treat, so drink it down!" March 7th, quick as a flash, covered Stelle's mouth, cutting off her last escape route.
In the end, Stelle had no choice but to force the bean juice down. Seeing this, March 7th nodded in satisfaction, released her hand, and returned to her seat.
"Pfft—hahaha, you two have such a great relationship." Qingque, who had witnessed the entire scene, couldn't help but burst into laughter. These two Trailblazers are so close—it's almost enviable.
"Haha, sorry for making you laugh, Miss Qingque…" Hearing Qingque's comment, March 7th realized there was an outsider present and quickly straightened up, apologizing with a touch of embarrassment.
"No worries, I'm just a bit jealous of your bond. So, March 7th and Miss Stelle, what did you want to talk about?" Qingque took a sip of her own soda bean juice, speaking casually under the shocked gazes of the two girls.
Perhaps stunned that Qingque could drink this 'divine elixir' without flinching, March 7th and Stelle didn't react immediately.
It wasn't until a moment later that they snapped out of it and hurriedly said, "Oh, it's nothing big. We just wanted to get to know you better, Miss Qingque."
"Get to know me? I'm just a humble worker—what's there to know?" Qingque shook her head with a wry smile.
"Well, actually, we wanted to ask… are you an Emanator, Miss Qingque?" March 7th asked cautiously. To her surprise, Qingque didn't deny it but instead admitted it openly.
"Yep, I am."
…
"Master Diviner Fu Xuan, I never would've thought you'd already forged a connection with Causality. Allow me to congratulate you," Tingyun said with a smile, covering her face with her fan, her tone dripping with teasing and playful mockery.
"Tch, there's nothing worth congratulating about," Fu Xuan retorted. "But speaking of which, Tingyun, why are you here?"
At Fu Xuan's question, Miss Tingyun let out a helpless sigh. "Oh, it's a long story. Some time ago, I caught the attention of the Antimatter Legion. With no other choice, I've been staying at Miss Qingque's house for protection."
"You've been at Qingque's house this whole time? Why didn't I… wait! Did you say a Lord Ravager?!"
Fu Xuan's mind latched onto the critical point. If she remembered correctly, the Skyship Division hadn't conducted any special trade activities with the outside world recently, and as an Emanator of trade, Tingyun hadn't left the Xianzhou. That meant a Lord Ravager had appeared on the Xianzhou!
"Tingyun, when did this happen?" Fu Xuan's expression grew grave. If the Stellaron's revival was indeed tied to a Lord Ravager, the Xianzhou was in grave danger. Even with Qingque and Jing Yuan present, the potential losses could be catastrophic.
"Hm… about one or two months ago, I'd say. The Lord Ravager Phantylia targeted my body, intending to possess it. Thankfully, Miss Qingque intervened in time to save me… Oh? Master Diviner, you…!"
Before Tingyun could finish her story, Fu Xuan pushed open the window and, taking an unconventional route, leapt out.
"The Lord Ravager Phantylia, obsessed with orchestrating the self-destruction of civilizations—she's an extremely dangerous figure. I need to report this to the General immediately!"
Watching Fu Xuan's petite figure blend into the night, Tingyun rubbed her forehead and sighed. She then closed her fan and gracefully descended the stairs toward the living room.
"Hm? Fu Xuan still hasn't woken up?" Seeing Tingyun return alone, Yun Fan raised an eyebrow. That's odd. I checked with my senses earlier, and that girl should've woken up by now.
"Oh, Master Diviner did wake up. But after a brief chat with me, she rushed off in a hurry—and jumped out the window, no less," Tingyun said with a helpless shrug.
"Jumped out the window?" Yun Fan's mouth twitched at the thought. Fu Xuan leaping out a window… that mental image is something else.
"In that case, please have a seat, Miss Tingyun. I made some late-night snacks. Come try some."
"Late-night snacks? Shouldn't we wait for Miss Qingque?" Tingyun glanced at the tantalizingly fragrant dishes on the table, swallowing slightly before asking politely.
"Qingque? She already messaged me. That girl's out chatting with the Trailblazers from the Astral Express right now. She probably won't be back until late, so no need to wait."
When Yun Fan first heard Qingque say she was having a late-night snack with March 7th and Stelle, he'd broken out in a cold sweat. According to the message from his clone, he'd told the Trailblazers they'd meet again in Penacony.
If they found out he was on the Xianzhou Luofu right now—and pulling a 'hiding a beauty in a golden house' stunt—they'd probably flip the skies upside down!
Fortunately, Qingque didn't seem intent on diving too deep into conversation with them, and they hadn't pressed her on what kind of Emanator she was. If March 7th and Stelle learned Qingque was an Emanator of Causality… he'd definitely get dragged into the mess.
Still, this wasn't a long-term solution. If the storyline continued as expected, when the Xianzhou faced its crisis, Qingque wouldn't stand idly by. She'd inevitably clash with the Lord Ravager Phantylia, and her identity as an Emanator of Causality would be exposed.
Hm… I need to start thinking about how to handle this. Keeping the balance is no easy task, especially when the waters I need to balance might keep growing…