Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Jingliu: Don't Corrupt the Past Me

"Jingliu, want to go eat at the cafeteria together? I heard they've got fresh mushroom stew shipped in from the Golden Lane today!"

Near noon, an enthusiastic classmate extended the invitation.

Dragging someone along for lunch was routine. Best case — the cool, lone-wolf Jingliu. If she said no, find someone else.

Jingliu was about to agree when she suddenly thought of Wangshu. She shook her head, her tone wistful. "I can't — I'm not eating at the academy today. There's someone at home waiting for me."

Aren't you an orphan?

Her classmate wanted to say something but held back. A question like that would be rather rude.

"You..."

Are you staying with relatives recently?

No, that wasn't right either. Didn't Jingliu not have a single relative or close friend left? She was always at the academy like some kind of boss figure — tough, cool, a bit chuuni, yet somehow dependable.

"You didn't get scammed, did you?"

Jingliu's crimson eyes arched upward at the remark. Far from offended, she lifted her chin, adopting a coolly exasperated tone — the kind that said you wouldn't understand:

"No. I got a boyfriend."

She dropped the line, then braced one hand on the corridor railing and vaulted cleanly off the upper floor, leaving behind a cluster of utterly stunned classmates at the classroom door.

The wind whipping past sent her gradient blue-and-white hair into disarray. On landing, her pale calves bent slightly to absorb the impact, and then she straightened up as if nothing had happened, casually smoothing her hair back into place.

This height was child's play for a long-life physique. According to incomplete statistics, a mature long-life body could survive an orbital drop from outer space without serious injury.

"When did Jingliu pass the coming-of-age certification?"

After about ten seconds, someone — it was unclear who — voiced what everyone was thinking.

The Xianzhou placed no restrictions on romance. During wartime, even less so. But for Xianzhou people, whose average pre-mara lifespan reached 800 years, eighteen was simply too young.

Outside the academy, Jingliu hummed lightly to herself, eyes scanning the distance.

Her stall at the academy intersection wasn't particularly conspicuous — Cangcheng's thriving commerce meant countless Outworlders, and competition among food stalls near the school gate was fierce.

"Looks like this morning's sales weren't great."

Jingliu rose on her tiptoes, but her height really wasn't working in her favor. She could make out the distant stall, but couldn't see the familiar little Wangshu.

By the time she trotted over, she discovered the batter in the large barrel was down to the dregs and the ingredients were nearly depleted. Business seemed to have been considerably better than she'd expected.

But the little Wangshu who should have been standing here waiting for her was instead in the nearby shadows, chatting with a luminous-skinned, elegantly poised "woman."

"How indecent."

Jingliu muttered under her breath, unable to pinpoint the subtle prickle of displeasure she felt.

She took a deep breath, her face instantly switching to a radiant smile. She hurried over from behind and warmly latched onto Wangshu's arm, all smiles and dimples.

"Who's this pretty lady, little Wangshu?"

Up close, the stranger was even more beautiful. Especially when they noticed her little maneuver and let out a light laugh — like spring peach blossoms, yet somehow carrying a faint distance.

"Uh, actually this might be a... guy..."

Wangshu was still nursing a headache. The Alluring Swarm Lord? Was this really the kind of enemy Cangcheng was supposed to be facing?

A Propagation Swarm Lord appearing on an Abundance battlefield — even if it was the weakest in direct combat, the Alluring Swarm Lord — was completely illogical!

"A guy?"

Jingliu tilted her head, crimson eyes narrowing.

"I don't think so. Little Wangshu, you need to stay on guard around strangers."

Good-looking women were the best deceivers — just like her future self. Although future-her looked cold and aloof with that black silk blindfold, red light flickering at the corner of her eyes, radiating freezing menace — she was obviously a bad woman at first glance!

Wangshu sighed but maintained his smile. "Thank you for the help, sir. If you ever need to repay—"

"No need. I'm not from Cangcheng either. I simply don't want Propagation's offspring to spoil Cangcheng's scenery."

Chana gave a slight nod, paying no attention to Jingliu.

Another non-local. Didn't Cangcheng have any strong people of its own?

Oh — it really didn't. Otherwise, once encircled, the city wouldn't have fallen before allied reinforcements could arrive.

Chana added one more thing: "The IPC values profit. Restless wanderers found their golden opportunity here. Everyone has their own aims, their own needs."

Cangcheng was doing well right now. It didn't need a Swarm Lord to disrupt things.

With that, they turned and melted into the bustling crowd. From far away, Wangshu could just make out Chana taking a bite of jianbing guozi.

Only after the figure with the peach-pink-tipped hair had completely disappeared from view did little Jingliu release Wangshu's arm and give a tentative sniff — though she detected nothing.

"What were you two whispering about? All secretive."

"They taught me an extremely practical technique for concealing my presence."

Not giving Jingliu time to press further, Wangshu shrugged. "I don't know why they'd teach me something like that for free either."

It seemed like getting the Alluring Swarm Lord to leave Cangcheng was important to Chana.

Sounded like the start of a mystery arc?

No no no!

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Wangshu: "Chana_and_Wangshu_chatting.jpg"

Wangshu: "@Jingliu, Senior — the Propagation offspring found me, just as you said. But a mysterious expert suddenly appeared in Cangcheng and taught me a method to conceal my presence. Do you recognize them?"

He had a cheat.

The future Senior Jingliu, as a long-life species who'd lived nearly 2,000 years, had probably consumed more salt than Wangshu had eaten rice.

Jingliu: "Hoolay..."

Wangshu: "..."

Asta: "Isn't that the current-arc final boss of Cangcheng?"

Asta had already gone through the history of Cangcheng by this point. She felt the puzzle wasn't hard to crack, but Hoolay was definitely a danger that couldn't be overlooked.

Jingliu: "Hoolay takes countless forms. Outside of large-scale warfare involving the Xianzhou, nothing they do is surprising. BUT!"

Jingliu: "Is someone in this picture hugging your arm?"

Jingliu: "Don't corrupt the past me."

She felt another chest pang. Men really did go bad once they had money. Who knew how much funding Asta had given him — Wangshu had been in Cangcheng for only three days and already had girls clinging to him.

Absolutely outrageous.

Wangshu: "..."

Wangshu: "Mm, I won't corrupt little Jingliu."

Asta: "Shouldn't the real issue right now be why the current-arc final boss is teaching Wangshu skills?"

Wangshu: "...Exactly. Senior Jingliu, your priorities are way off. You should be focusing on the important stuff."

Jingliu was silent for a moment. Another chest pang. In her view, Cangcheng surviving and her past self growing up happy and carefree — those were very important things.

Jingliu: "Has the Propagation offspring caused any trouble?"

Wangshu: "Not yet. The Swarm Lord that showed up seems pretty easygoing."

Jingliu: "A Swarm Lord?! There are still active Swarm Lords in that era?"