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Qingque landed on the sofa—but not on her butt.
She first planted her calves on the cushion, then stacked her thighs and upper body layer by layer, ending up kneeling upright on the sofa.
Then she raised both hands and performed an unmistakably formal, full ceremonial bow toward the Fu Xuan in her imagination.
The movement was so exaggerated that both of her twin ponytails flew into the air, then drooped straight down along the sofa legs to the floor.
Bailu stared at Qingque kowtowing toward her, completely at a loss, frozen in place as she blinked innocently.
For a moment, she even forgot to turn off the Curio, letting its blinding light and piercing buzzing continue to rampage.
D-do I need to give her a red envelope or something?
"Hiss—ha."
Seeing this, Sylvester sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, then nodded repeatedly with an expression full of admiration.
As expected of the God of Slacking. Her skills in ensuring she never gets fired were truly top-tier.
Such a smooth combo—this was clearly something she'd practiced before.
Imagining Qingque prostrating herself at Fu Xuan's feet in a full dogeza (orz), it was honestly pretty hilarious.
However, Qingque's kneeling posture didn't last long, and she quickly came back to her senses.
After all, the sofa was too narrow. That head-first bow had sent her forehead straight into the gap between the sofa and the tea table.
Her forehead failing to meet solid ground left her feeling oddly empty inside.
She straightened up in realization, looked around, and finally understood that she had made a massive blunder.
This is so embarrassing! Qingque screamed silently in her heart.
Especially when she saw Sylvester's amused gaze and Bailu standing there with her mouth slightly open and hands at a loss, overwhelming embarrassment flooded her mind, and her face flushed bright red in an instant.
In a place no one could see, her toes curled and struggled desperately, almost digging through the soles of her shoes.
Quick, think of something—now!
Summoning the formidable mental fortitude, she had cultivated over years of being caught in the act.
Qingque forced an awkward yet polite smile and stammered, "Uh… th-thank you, Esteemed Imbibed Medicus Dragon Lady, for the profound merit you've accumulated in treating the patients of the Xianzhou."
"Ah… ah, it's fine, I guess."
Faced with such unprovoked praise, Bailu casually accepted it.
In all her years, she had never experienced someone bowing to her like this. With something so sudden, there wasn't even the slightest sense of gaining an advantage—her embarrassment wasn't much less than Qingque's.
So, she was more than happy to just go along with Qingque's words.
"Oh! Lady Bailu!" Seeing her accept it, Qingque felt as if she had been granted amnesty and hurriedly shifted the topic with an exaggerated tone.
She said, "Is that the latest medical device you're holding?"
"Ah, this thing? This…" Bailu finally remembered to turn off the strange lamp that was still causing a ruckus in her hands.
As for what it actually was, Bailu scratched her head in confusion and turned to Sylvester. "Shopkeeper Sylvester, what exactly is this thing?"
Faced with the two of them playing off each other, Sylvester grew even more impressed by Qingque's ironclad heart—and her skin as thick as his own.
It really has to be you. Anyone else in this situation would've had their brain crash on the spot.
Aside from a Stellaron spirit brute-forcing through it with zero psychological burden, the fact that Qingque's brain was still functioning was already remarkable.
"Ahem." Sylvester cleared his throat and said, "As you can see, this is a blue Curio called the [Crowd-Clearing Warning Light]. It has the ability to affect people's minds. Once activated, anyone who hears its sound or sees its light will develop the urge to retreat, ensuring the user has an unobstructed path forward."
Qingque nodded in sudden realization and said, "Oh, what an impressive medical device."
After saying that, she sat bolt upright on the sofa with a blank expression, as if Fu Xuan were watching her from outside the window, and didn't make another sound.
Looking at Qingque sitting there like a stone statue, Sylvester couldn't help but wonder if she had already escaped reality so hard that she'd started hallucinating.
That level of conviction was a bit too strong.
Turning back, he smiled lightly at Bailu. "So? Are you satisfied with this Curio?"
"It's pretty good, I think." Bailu looked at the lamp in her hand and nodded her little head up and down with a smile.
It might not have much combat power, but just imagining herself turning it on and shouting "Lady Bailu has arrived, everyone make way!" and watching people retreat at the sound—it felt pretty cool.
Putting the Curio away, she walked back to the shelves, not forgetting to ask Aventurine, "Um… Mister with the golden hair, do you know which trash can still has good stuff?"
After remaining silent for a moment, Aventurine suddenly opened his eyes. One hand pinched his chin, the other pressed against the armrest, and he spoke with solemn seriousness. "The first one on the right. Perhaps… it might even be a top-tier Curio."
"?"
Bailu's eyes widened instantly.
A top-tier Curio? That meant at least a purple Curio, didn't it?
To think she could get such a big payoff with only her second opening!
After Aventurine's previous advice had been proven correct, Bailu didn't doubt him at all. She ran over to the trash can he pointed out, then turned back to look at him.
Aventurine watched Bailu intently, also eager to see just how far his perception of luck could really go.
Seeing his unwavering gaze, Bailu felt reassured. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and pulled open the lid.
Hehe, let me see what kind of medicine you're selling in this gourd!
Clatter—! With a loud crash, a lush green light instantly enveloped Bailu's head.
The calm, placid expression Aventurine had maintained finally rippled, his eyelids twitching several times despite himself.
He then reached up and rubbed his nose.
Ahem… looks like compared to the trash can's ironclad rules, the Mother Goddess's luck is still slightly weaker.
As the light faded, Bailu stared at the pill that had appeared in her hand, utterly speechless.
She knew this thing all too well—it was just a [Lesser Restoration Pill].
Someone had been selling these next to the Dragon Tree in the Alchemy Commission for ages. The effect was… passable. Better than nothing, at least. It had positive effects and wouldn't interfere with wound healing.
You could even eat it like candy—it was kind of sweet… just a bit bitter.
"Sigh." Bailu let out a soft sigh. That one million Credits had basically gone down the drain.
She glanced at Aventurine in the lounge area but didn't say anything.
After all, he had meant well, and she was the one who asked for his advice. Even if it was wrong, there was nothing to complain about.
Looking at the shelves in front of her, Bailu silently encouraged herself.
It's fine. Even relying on myself, I can still open something good!
She picked a trash can she liked, ran circles around it a few times, rubbing her small hands together while chanting under her breath.
"Reignbow Arbiter bless me, Lord of Exalting Sanctum bless me, Trash Can God bless me, Goddess of Luck bless me—whoever it is, just bless me!"
After praying to every deity she could think of—aside from the Plague Ancestor—Bailu suddenly came to a halt, then leapt up and yanked open the lid.
Before seeing the color of the light, she covered her eyes.
She began praying again in her heart to every god and immortal she knew.
Whether the gods heard her or not, no one knew—but Aventurine and Qingque clearly saw it.
A dazzling beam of golden light shot straight into the sky!
Along with it, echoing in everyone's ears, was a loud yet violent dragon's roar!
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