"Baiheng…"
"Jingliu…"
"Heng…"
"Liu…"
"…Could you two stop being so nauseating?" Jingliu slowly released the hand of the Foxian girl she was holding, her gaze falling upon Chen Li and Vill-V, who were looking at each other with deep affection.
"We just felt that your reactions after your official reunion were far too dull, so we were merely demonstrating what you two should be doing right now," Chen Li shrugged, then draped his forearm over the shoulder of Kitsune Saiguu who was standing beside him.
"Indeed," Vill-V nodded, then draped her own forearm over Kitsune Saiguu's other shoulder.
"That may be so, but why am I in the middle?" Kitsune Saiguu was thoroughly confused.
Was it because neither of them were foxes, so they needed a third-party fox to liven things up?
"Jingliu, so this is your new disciple? He looks full of life," the equally vibrant Baiheng said, feeling very happy as she looked at the group accompanying Jingliu to welcome her.
This at least proved that Jingliu had some normal people around her.
To be honest, among all her friends, the one Baiheng worried about the most was Jingliu.
But now, it seemed she had a rather wonderful group of companions.
"Hello, my name is Chen Li." Chen Li greeted Baiheng and introduced himself.
Although Jingliu still believed that the bond between herself and Baiheng could solve everything, Chen Li didn't have a third Curio projection to give her.
To save the Fiction Value he might have to use in case of another failure, Chen Li had made a special trip to find Bailu and borrow a few strands of her hair.
And with Bailu's hair as a catalyst, Jingliu had successfully summoned Baiheng.
"I wonder how this new disciple of yours compares to Jing Yuan?" The thought of Chen Li being Jingliu's disciple reminded Baiheng of an old friend—Jing Yuan, who was also one of the High-Cloud Quintet and Jingliu's disciple.
"It's a 50/50 split," Chen Li said.
Chen Li could make Jing Yuan lose his composure five times in five minutes!
"That's very impressive," Baiheng gave Chen Li a thumbs-up.
"Alright, you lot can go out and play now," Jingliu couldn't help but say to the three third wheels: Chen Li, Vill-V, and Kitsune Saiguu.
"Alright. Let's go, Kitsune Saiguu." Chen Li was the first to walk out.
"Mhm."
"Speaking of which, isn't this my forge room? Why do I have to leave too?" Vill-V was a little confused but respected the request.
After the three third wheels had left, Jingliu looked at Baiheng again, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"Jingliu, let's talk. Tell me about your experiences over these past few hundred years. For example… the stars you've flown past, the wondrous sights you've journeyed through. I used to be the one telling you these stories, but now it's your turn." In the end, it was Baiheng who spoke first, revealing the familiar smile Jingliu knew so well.
"…Mhm."
---o---
"Ahhh~" Chen Li opened his mouth.
A small ball of lightning materialized at Kitsune Saiguu's fingertips, which she then tossed into Chen Li's mouth.
"Delicious!" Chen Li exhaled a puff of black smoke and gave a thumbs-up.
It was a pity Vill-V had run off to study the Furnace of Creation and the Suiyang within it, otherwise Chen Li would have definitely treated her to one as well.
"I say, Master, is it really right for me, the Heroic Spirit, to be supplying mana to you, the Master?" Kitsune Saiguu tilted her head.
"Don't you worry about that. In any case, you have an inexhaustible supply of mana now, right?"
When Chen Li realized that Jingliu didn't seem to want a third wheel named Kitsune Saiguu around to interrupt her conversation with Baiheng, he had directly used [Myriad Phenomena Severance] to cut the relationship between Master and Servant, then reattached that relationship to himself.
Of course, it wasn't to make Chen Li Jingliu's servant, but to make himself Kitsune Saiguu's Master.
The price he paid was… a Master originally possessed three Command Spells to control a Servant, but now Chen Li only had two and a half.
Unfortunately for Kitsune Saiguu, even with a new Master, she still had to generate her own power, and now she even had to make lightning dumplings for Chen Li.
However, before Chen Li gave the Gnosis to Kitsune Saiguu, he had Kaguya Houraisan work on it a bit. Now the Gnosis had a "perpetual" supply of mana!
Kaguya Houraisan is so useful!
"That's right. My mana supply is indeed inexhaustible now."
"And if you can't use it all, it's a waste not to use it, right?"
"Correct."
"And wasting things is shameful, right?"
"Correct."
"And since I'm helping you solve this waste problem, I'm your benefactor, right?"
"The logic is flawed, but the conclusion is correct, so yes." Kitsune Saiguu was clearly not so easily fooled.
But whether it was Chen Li forging the talisman that summoned her or giving her a chance at resurrection to prevent her from "returning" after seven days and continuing to pollute the fox summoning pool, the title "Benefactor" was definitely not wrong.
"Go on, call me Benefactor."
"Alright, Benefactor." Kitsune Saiguu accepted this setting quite readily.
"Emmm…"
"What is it, Benefactor?"
"You calling me 'Benefactor' so easily gives me no sense of satisfaction."
"…" Kitsune Saiguu instantly understood Chen Li's twisted sense of humor, but she had no intention of playing along.
If you were wondering how she understood so quickly, it was because Kitsune Saiguu shared a similar twisted sense of humor.
"By the way, Master, if I manage to draw enough Revival Cards within these seven days, and they successfully resurrect me, will I be revived on the Xianzhou or at the place where I died?" A question occurred to Kitsune Saiguu.
"The effect of a Revival Card is usually an on-the-spot revival, but in a situation like yours… you might have two options. One is to compete in the tournament immediately after your summoning time ends. If you win, you'll be revived right where you disappeared, which is here on the Xianzhou. The other option is to be revived at the place you truly died, which would be Teyvat," Chen Li explained.
"If I have both options, which one should I choose?"
"Each has its own drawbacks. The advantage of reviving in Teyvat is that you can go home without having to find your way back. The advantage of reviving on the spot is that if you fail to win the tournament even with seven Revival Cards and don't get resurrected, I'll know you failed, and I can just summon you again," Chen Li said.
"Hiss…"
"Of course, there's a way to solve the latter issue. For example, you could leave behind an item that's very important to you. Ten minutes after you disappear, I'll try to summon you with the talisman. If it fails, it means you've been resurrected. If it succeeds, you can watch ads for another seven days. But the latter option has another fatal flaw," Chen Li continued.
"What fatal flaw?"
"If you revive on the Xianzhou, you can inherit this Friends Circle terminal and continue watching Revival Card ads. But if you revive in Teyvat, you can't take the terminal back with you," Chen Li reminded her.
"You have a point. Perhaps I can prepare some Revival Cards for my friends too. The dead can be revived, and the living can use them for later." Kitsune Saiguu's eyes lit up.
Kitsune Saiguu felt that meeting Chen Li was a fortuitous encounter for her, and she couldn't just let this opportunity slip by so easily.
"Whatever you want. I don't care. The world won't be destroyed just because a few people are resurrected," Chen Li said casually.
"In that case… Lord Benefactor, if I choose to revive on the Xianzhou, do you have a way to send me back to Teyvat?" Kitsune Saiguu leaned closer to Chen Li and asked.
"Well, there is a way…"
Poking her with the Longbow of Peace to trigger the 'Eradicate the Roots' effect and launch her out might work. With the protection of the Friends Circle, she probably wouldn't get hurt, just a little dizzy at most.
"Then, Lord Benefactor… I'll be counting on you."
"I can, but you should understand, Kitsune Saiguu, there's no such thing as a free lunch," Chen Li said, his eyes narrowing.
"I am prepared. Lord Benefactor, what kind of payment do you require?" Kitsune Saiguu said with a serious expression.
"You call me 'Benefactor' so readily that it gives me no sense of accomplishment. So, do you have any extremely embarrassing titles? Let me hear one," Chen Li said with great interest.
"…M-Master (主,主人)." Kitsune Saiguu bared her teeth at Chen Li, but still forced out the two words.
"Eh, is that it? Isn't that pretty much the same as 'Master'?" Chen Li was rather disappointed.
"It's different. 'Master' is a foreign word, so there's no sense of shame in saying it. But saying '主人 (Zhǔrén)' gives me a sense of guilt, like I'm betraying the Shogun," Kitsune Saiguu retorted.
"Is there really a difference?"
"There really is! According to the knowledge I was imbued with upon being summoned, I can put it another way. For example, if I say 'I love you,' you might not have much of a reaction, but if I were to say '我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ)'…"
Clatter! A crisp sound echoed behind Chen Li and Kitsune Saiguu.
The two of them subconsciously looked back and saw Jingliu standing behind them, her crimson pupils fixed tightly on them. At her feet was a wine bowl she had dropped and shattered.
The wine, however, was not wasted. It was gradually gathering in Jingliu's hand, forming a longsword made of solid ice.
"…" Kitsune Saiguu and Chen Li looked at each other, neither understanding what was happening.
"I seem to have underestimated you, little fox girl. You dare speak such nonsense after being out of my sight for a mere moment. To prevent my well-behaved disciple from being deceived by a wicked woman, it seems there is only one solution left." Jingliu stared thoughtfully at Kitsune Saiguu.
"Wait, although this is a misunderstanding, why is it that I must be the one seducing your disciple, and not your disciple seducing me first?" Kitsune Saiguu felt there was a serious problem with Jingliu's thinking.
This was such a stereotype!
"Still trying to argue? It seems I cannot let you live." Killing intent instantly filled Jingliu's eyes.
"Jingliu, did you sincerely thank your disciple? Like I told you, if you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep it bottled up. I even prepared the finest wine for you to help things along…" Baiheng walked out of the forge room, a smug look on her face.
A white fox's shadow flashed past Baiheng. The next moment, two streaks of icy sword qi grazed past her.
"Vixen! How dare you seduce my disciple?" At the same time, Jingliu's voice rang out.
"Eh?"
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