---o---
Baiheng felt that perhaps Jingliu had been too soft on Chen Li during their one-on-one life-and-death combat training in that knight dimension.
Otherwise, Chen Li wouldn't be the type to remember the treat but forget the beating.
"Ying ying ying!" A super-cute, white-haired little girl stood before Chen Li, continuously pulling strange little snacks from her basket.
However, Chen Li, who had always prided himself on being able to eat anything, wasn't paying much attention to the snacks. Instead, he was playfully squishing the little girl's face.
"Teacher is so cute as a Yingying," Chen Li said, hugging the nearly 1.5-meter-tall Little Jingliu and rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Ying ying ying!" Jingliu didn't resist, continuing to make the adorable sound.
"Hey, Chen Li, are you sure this Curio of yours is proper?" Baiheng asked worriedly from the side.
To be honest, the moment Chen Li had taken out that pink, heart-shaped accessory, Baiheng had felt something was off. It didn't look like a proper Curio. After all, everyone knows what a pink heart implies.
And Jingliu's behavior after the Curio was used made Baiheng even more concerned.
Are you sure this is a Curio for treating the Mara-Struck, and not one you use to get a laugh out of the Xianzhou people?
"Don't worry, it's guaranteed. This Curio not only suppresses the Mara-Struck condition but has a powerful healing effect on all burdens and their related complications. It's the number one choice for any Xianzhou native on the verge of succumbing to Mara! It cures the sick and prevents the healthy from falling ill! Even with someone as severely Mara-Struck as my teacher Jingliu, one dose of this Curio guarantees a full recovery!" Chen Li promised while continuing to tease Little Jingliu.
"But you never said she would turn into… this… after using it," Baiheng sighed.
"This is all for Teacher's own good."
"But I'm very worried about what happens when Jingliu recovers…"
"Hah, what's the worst that could happen? My master gets angry from embarrassment and stabs me a few times? It's not like it hasn't happened before. Besides, you didn't exactly spare her either, Baiheng. There's an old Xianzhou saying, 'the one who ran fifty steps laughs at the one who ran a hundred.' And just so you know, you're the one who ran a hundred," Chen Li retorted.
"Ahaha… you can't blame me. Little Jingliu is just too cute. I've never seen her like this before, so it's not going too far to play with her a bit, right?" Baiheng scratched her head, embarrassed.
It was only human nature.
After Chen Li turned Jingliu into a Yingying, the first person she offered a snack to was Baiheng. This wasn't surprising; in fact, it was to be expected.
And Baiheng hadn't held back in the slightest.
She had been even more hands-on than Chen Li was now, with all his hugging, kissing, and lifting her high in the air.
"So when will Jingliu turn back to normal?" Baiheng asked, looking at Little Jingliu with a reluctant fondness.
The moment they saw Little Jingliu, Chen Li and Baiheng had a brief discussion and immediately planned out their respective holding times. Baiheng's time was already up; it was now Chen Li's turn.
"She'll change back once she's finished handing out all the snacks in her basket. After that, Jingliu will no longer be troubled by the Mara-Struck condition," Chen Li explained.
"Will we be able to see Little Jingliu again in the future? She's just too adorable."
"Theoretically, as long as there's a burden, this Mengyin virus will relapse. The easiest way is to have Jingliu eat back the snacks she distributed, essentially eating her burdens back…"
"That's definitely not happening," Baiheng stated firmly.
Although Baiheng really wanted to continue her friendly interactions with Little Jingliu, if it meant placing a substantial burden on her, then it was better to forget it.
"If the pressure from daily work and life becomes too great, it could also trigger the virus. But Jingliu is an unemployed wanderer, so she probably doesn't have that kind of stress…" As he said this, Chen Li glanced at Baiheng.
The main reason was that Jingliu now had Baiheng's company.
A Jingliu without Baiheng was a lonely old woman.
A Jingliu with Baiheng… Chen Li couldn't imagine what kind of pressure Jingliu could possibly have.
Pressure to replenish her mana?
"Of course, there are other ways. Using this Curio can forcibly put Jingliu into her Yingying state, but it won't have any healing effects. It's purely for fun. I don't dare to do it, because I'm afraid of getting beaten up," Chen Li said honestly.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this Curio can treat the Mara-Struck. Never forget that [Mengyin Shen] is fundamentally a meme virus. And since it's a virus, it inherently carries the property of permanent infection.
Just like how a zombie bite turns a person into a zombie, it should be the norm for Jingliu to be unable to change back after becoming a Yingying.
This 1-star Curio possessed the power to contend with the world, capable of transforming an entire world into a fairytale-like realm in a short amount of time. And it wouldn't cost much—just a little bit of Curio power to activate its Overlimit state and infect one person was enough.
One person was all it would take to infect the entire world.
The most terrifying aspect of a meme virus was its subtle influence and its horrifyingly contagious nature.
"Excuses! Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up right now?"
"This is different. Turning Teacher into a Yingying for no reason and turning her into one for treatment are two completely different things."
"That's true…" Baiheng nodded subconsciously.
"Speaking of which, [Mengyin Shen] is transmissible from person to person…" Chen Li said suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you've been infected too, Baiheng."
"Huh?" Baiheng froze for a moment.
"You can go look in a mirror. See if there's a pink heart in your eyes. I've already lifted the cognitive impairment effect of the Mengyin virus on you, so you should be able to see it," Chen Li said.
"You're right… But why haven't I turned into a Yingying?"
"Because this Curio can be set to a 'Do Not Disturb' mode. If you have other things to do, you won't immediately transform. You'll only change when you're free. How about that? Very user-friendly, right?"
"Not user-friendly at all! I'm not Mara-Struck!"
"You can't say that. All living beings with burdens in their hearts will be infected. In other words, unless you're a rock without sentience, no living creature can be immune to the Mengyin virus. So, you can also see this as one of its weaknesses. If you don't want to become a Yingying, you can just keep working forever."
In other words, the Mengyin virus in 'Do Not Disturb' mode was actually ineffective against Aeons, because Aeons were always working.
Aha, the Aeon of Elation, watched the fun; that was Its job. Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, contemplated problems; that was Its job. IX, the Aeon of Nihility, rotted away in apathy; that was also Its job.
However… the 'Do Not Disturb' mode could be turned off.
Hopefully, no Aeon would be foolish enough to try it.
Otherwise, who knew just how many "burdens" an Aeon truly carried.
"Ying ying ying!" Jingliu, who had been docilely held in Chen Li's arms, suddenly let out a super-cute sound and tried to wiggle out of his embrace.
"What's wrong with Jingliu now?" Baiheng asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, she's detected another target she wants to give snacks to within her range, since her basket isn't empty yet," Chen Li said.
"Another target? Oh, little Jing Yuan!" Baiheng quickly realized.
Although the High-Cloud Quintet had "broken up," none of its members were on bad terms with Jing Yuan. They just didn't know how to face each other. So, it was perfectly reasonable for Jingliu to want to give him a snack.
"This is bad! If Jingliu walks through the streets of the Xianzhou like this, it'll cause a huge commotion! You just said the Mengyin virus is transmissible!" Baiheng exclaimed in alarm as Chen Li let go of Jingliu, allowing her to push open the door and run out.
"Don't panic. I just need to set the Curio to sleep mode," Chen Li said.
Although the [Mengyin Shen] looked like a simple pink heart accessory, touching it revealed an invisible panel that allowed for the adjustment of many parameters. This included, but was not limited to, sleep mode, wake mode, anti-interference mode, and overlimit mode.
Moreover, it could trigger selective or filtered outbreaks of the virus. For example, it could be programmed to make a specific gender or age group of a certain race break out with the virus simultaneously at a set time.
This was also why Chen Li wanted to establish a "Mengyin Day."
Random outbreaks were too disruptive to the normal functioning of the Xianzhou. It would be better to hold a three-day Mengyin Festival, allowing Xianzhou natives of different ages and professions to release their stress in batches over three days.
Chen Li was genuinely thinking about the Xianzhou's well-being.
It wasn't because he wanted to see a Xianzhou full of Yingyings running around.
On the day the Mara-Struck condition, which had plagued the Xianzhou for countless years, finally found a cure, on the day people could finally escape its shadow, Chen Li would press his ear to the wind and surely hear the entire Xianzhou whispering the same cheer: Ying ying ying!
"Speaking of which, is it really safe to let Little Jingliu go out alone?"
"It's perfectly safe. But it's time for us to go, too."
"Because you're worried about Little Jingliu?"
"No, because my boss is coming to catch me." Chen Li shook his Friends Circle terminal.
Qingque had notified him.
Chen Li had no idea why Fu Xuan was so free that she had time to come after him, but it was time for him to make a run for it. Before leaving, however, Chen Li made sure to leave a message for his boss.
"Master Diviner, I have already divined your intention to find me. Therefore, I boldly issue you a challenge. If you cannot catch me, then consider me on permanent leave. If you do catch me, I'll let you do… hehehe! Master Diviner, show me your limits!!!"
"…Chen Li, are you sure that's a message for your boss?" Baiheng looked at him, bewildered.
You're a rather bold subordinate.
"Don't worry about it. Bosses are meant to be played with. A boss's words are meant to be refuted. Besides, I'm just an intern, what do I have to fear?"
If I have to be afraid of my boss even as an intern, then what's the point of being an intern?
It wasn't like Chen Li needed Fu Xuan to sign off on his internship certificate. Besides, if Chen Li just revealed his true identity, he could take that Fu Xuan down in an instant!
Employing a minor under the age of 18 as an intern?
Fu Xuan, you're breaking the law, you know that!
"Right, I should also send a message to Jing Yuan and let him know what's going on here," Chen Li said, sending a message to Jing Yuan.
"The Curio that can suppress the Mara-Struck is finally forged? Wait, what do you mean the Curio is already running towards me?"
When Jing Yuan saw Chen Li's message, he held his phone at a distance, staring at the text in disbelief. He understood every single word on the screen, but why couldn't he understand them when they were put together?
---o---
"This is the Curio that can suppress the Mara-Struck condition?"
"Yes."
"This pink heart is actually 'Childlike Innocence'?"
"Yes."
"Was it intentional to make this Curio's name, 'Mengyin Shen,' a homophone for 'Moyin Shen'?"
"Yes… no, wait, it was an accident. I swear to the heavens, the name [Mengyin Shen] was decided by the system, not me," Chen Li shook his head.
"If Curio names could be customized, the names you'd see wouldn't be nearly this proper," Chen Li said seriously.
"…" Looking at the pink heart in Chen Li's hand, Jing Yuan was highly suspicious of the Curio's effectiveness. It wasn't that he was judging a book by its cover, but rather that everyone on the Xianzhou had become overly sensitive to the color pink.
The ultimate reason for this was that a goddamned Masked Fool had hung a pink sun in the sky.
Although this pink sun hadn't significantly impacted the daily lives of the Xianzhou people—other than making most of the businesses on the Xianzhou look a bit… unorthodox…
"So how does this Curio work? And can it be shared among all Xianzhou natives?" Jing Yuan continued to ask.
"Of course it can be shared. As for its specific effects… ah, she's almost here." Chen Li turned his head to look at the main gate of the General's residence.
Because Chen Li, the Curio Forger, had something to discuss with Jing Yuan, Jing Yuan had temporarily dismissed everyone from the residence out of respect for this distinguished guest.
Jing Yuan stared intently at the gate, and then a ghostly figure materialized right at the entrance.
"…Baiheng?"
Today's Jing Yuan was not the Jing Yuan of yesterday! He would no longer be startled by Baiheng suddenly appearing after using her Heroic Spirit dematerialization skill to phase through a wall.
In fact, after being "tormented" by Chen Li for some time, Jing Yuan felt there was nothing left to be afraid of. Just as he hadn't even bothered to ask Chen Li what he meant by "making the Xianzhou stand up" or "cultivating the Arbor into a Seed of Life."
In any case, if the companion brought by this conscientious Curio Forger caused any trouble, Chen Li, the Curio Forger, would be responsible for cleaning it up. He didn't need to worry about it.
So, no matter what happened next, Jing Yuan would not show even the slightest hint of surprise!
Snap! Chen Li snapped his fingers, removing the cognitive filter from Jing Yuan.
"What the fuck!" But when Jing Yuan saw the paper-thin person squeezing through the gate of the General's residence, he couldn't help but curse.
The gates were tightly shut, with a gap of less than half a millimeter. It was hard enough for light to pass through, so how could a person?
And when that paper-thin person squeezed into the residence and returned to their original form, the sight of their face left Jing Yuan profoundly shaken once again.
Baiheng had followed behind Jingliu because she was worried about her traveling alone and could turn invisible. Meanwhile, Chen Li had directly teleported to Jing Yuan's location via his Friends Circle terminal, waiting for them at the destination.
Chen Li stood up to greet the little Jingliu running towards him and swept her into his arms.
Jing Yuan looked at Chen Li, then at Little Jingliu, his expression complicated.
"Jing Yuan, you should realize what's going on now, right? Think boldly, and then say it out loud!" Chen Li said while kneading Little Jingliu's face.
"…Your and Teacher's child is already this big? When did this happen?" Jing Yuan sighed.
"…"
"Nice."
"I told you to think boldly, not to think about a capital offense! This is Jingliu, isn't it obvious?!"
You'd rather suspect me of getting it on with my teacher than suspect Jingliu could turn into a Yingying…
This made Chen Li wonder just what kind of image he had in Jing Yuan's mind.
"…" was Jing Yuan's reply.
To be honest, now that he knew the truth, Jing Yuan felt a strange sense of flat disappointment.
That's it?
"What's with that disappointed look in your eyes?"
"Apologies. Perhaps it's a matter of habit, but I always feel that the twists involving you should be more… surreal," Jing Yuan said, unsure how to describe the feeling.
"…" Chen Li fell silent, merely hugging Little Jingliu tighter and looking at Jing Yuan with disappointed eyes.
His heart grew cold!
True heartbreak isn't about shouting and making a scene!
"Jing Yuan, I never thought my image in your heart was so… absurd. You've disappointed me greatly," Chen Li sighed.
"My apologies. Let's talk about the Curio," Jing Yuan apologized subconsciously.
Perhaps he really had misjudged Chen Li. To measure the heart of a gentleman with his own petty standards—he had truly been out of line this time.
Therefore, Jing Yuan decided to be as accommodating as possible in the upcoming negotiations regarding the [Mengyin Shen]. Besides, he believed the high command of the Xianzhou Alliance wouldn't blame him. After all, if Chen Li could forge a Curio that suppressed the Mara-Struck, he could just as easily forge one that could detonate it in an instant.
"Alright, I forgive you. Perhaps the impression I left on you before was too strange. But you need to understand, Jing Yuan, that while I may enjoy watching the fun from time to time, it's not for myself. It's to charge this die. I don't watch the fun for my own sake; I watch the fun to save the world," Chen Li explained, taking out the Elation Die for Jing Yuan to see.
Chen Li truly felt that far too many people had unnecessary, biased, and highly subjective preconceived notions about him, the Curio Forger.
After listening to the introductions of the Elation Die and the [Mengyin Shen], Jing Yuan was filled with awe.
As expected of a Curio Forger.
Although, his first impression of both Curios was that they looked like mischievous little gadgets pulled straight from the Aeon of Elation's pocket.
"But I have one question," Jing Yuan suddenly asked.
"What is it? I'll answer it for you."
"Why don't you let Jingliu give me the snack she wants to give me so she can change back? According to you, she just has to give away all her snacks to return to normal, right?"
"Because I want to play a little longer. Little Jingliu is just so cute." Chen Li nuzzled his face against Little Jingliu's again.
"…"
"Why are you looking at me like that? You don't understand anything. I'm doing this with the resolve to face death!"
"…Alright." Since Chen Li had put it that way, what else could Jing Yuan say?
"I can't make the decision for the entire Xianzhou Alliance on my own, but I'm certain the Alliance will pay a hefty price for this Curio. However, if possible, it would be best to verify its effects for the Alliance's high command," Jing Yuan said after a moment.
There might be some shady characters among the Alliance's upper echelons, but they were definitely not stupid. In fact, it was precisely those shady characters who would covet this Curio the most, because their time might already be running out.
"I understand," Chen Li nodded.
"For example, creating a festival for this Curio—I personally agree, and it's worth creating a festival for. But we need to discuss a suitable date and when to announce it to the entire Xianzhou Alliance. Can you understand that?" Jing Yuan continued.
"I can. Jing Yuan, don't see me as some unreasonable person. If you have something to say, just say it," Chen Li nodded.
"So I hope we can demonstrate the Curio's effect to the Xianzhou Alliance. For instance, by sending it to the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance for her to use once," Jing Yuan said.
"No," Chen Li shook his head immediately.
"Understandable. You're afraid the Curio might fall into the wrong hands and cause a disaster, right?" Jing Yuan said thoughtfully.
"If the Xianzhou Marshal or the other generals use it beforehand, doesn't that mean I won't get to see them in their [Mengyin Shen] state? That would be such a shame, wouldn't it?"
"???" Jing Yuan felt he had been too quick to judge.
What measuring a gentleman with his own petty heart?
This person right in front of him clearly just enjoyed watching the fun!
He should have known all along!
"Of course, I'm not watching the fun for myself. I'm forced to watch the fun to save the world. I hope you can understand," Chen Li added.
"…Understood, understood." Although Jing Yuan didn't understand at all, he could only nod.
I'll believe you when pigs fly!
"But words alone are not proof…" Jing Yuan was in a difficult position.
"That's simple. We just randomly select one Mara-Struck patient and one patient on the verge of becoming Mara-Struck, conduct an experiment to verify the therapeutic effects, and then record the process to make a video, right? If anyone questions the results, let them come to the Luofu themselves to witness it," Chen Li said.
"That's a good idea. Finding a Mara-Struck patient is easy, but where do we find a patient on the verge? Could it be…" Jing Yuan subconsciously cast his gaze upon Jingliu.
"Jingliu is almost recovered now. You wouldn't have the heart to make her eat back the snacks she gave out and return to the brink of Mara, would you?" Chen Li said.
"Mm," Jing Yuan nodded. It was too late to film now anyway, as he didn't have the initial footage of Jingliu being affected by the Curio and turning into a Yingying.
"Then where can we find a person with a strong will who is walking on the edge of the meme?" Jing Yuan fell into deep thought.
"Did you know, Jing Yuan? You've fallen into a misconception," Chen Li reminded him.
"What misconception?"
"Finding someone who is genuinely on the verge of succumbing to Mara might not be convincing. You need to find someone who everyone thinks is on the verge of succumbing to Mara for the experiment to work."
"That makes sense, but where can we find such a person…" Jing Yuan pondered if there was a suitable candidate on the Luofu.
Chen Li was right. Convincing people was the key. Sometimes, the "facts" weren't important.
After a long moment of thought, Jing Yuan looked up, intending to ask Chen Li for his opinion, only to see Chen Li's gaze fixed upon him, unmoving.
Completely unmoving…
"…"
Jing Yuan froze for a second, a bad feeling rising in his heart. He subconsciously reached out to grab the Curio sitting on the table.
"Ying ying ying!"
But clearly, Jing Yuan's hands were no match for Chen Li's mouth.
A pink light instantly flooded Jing Yuan's vision.
His last thought before losing consciousness flashed through his mind—@#¥%&!
---o---
"We're sorry, we were wrong."
"…It's good that you know your mistake." Looking at Chen Li and Baiheng sitting before her, Jingliu couldn't bring herself to strike them.
One was the companion she had yearned for and finally awakened after 700 years; the other was the disciple who had given her the means to awaken that long-missed companion. What could Jingliu do?
Although the form this Mara-Struck treatment took was somewhat unexpected, Jingliu was not an inflexible person. As long as the goal was achieved, a slightly winding path was not a big problem.
Besides, if Jingliu remembered correctly, Chen Li's initial desire to forge a Curio to suppress the Mara-Struck was because of her. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, she naturally had no grounds to be picky.
The process might have been different from what she imagined, but at least the outcome was good.
"Then this little thing next to me is Jing Yuan?" Jingliu turned her head to look at the little thing holding out snacks to her with open hands.
The moment Jingliu had regained her senses and finished processing her memories, she had started to see red. Chen Li, however, had swiftly pulled Baiheng and Little Jing Yuan in front of him as shields.
As it turned out, the move was very effective.
Especially when Jingliu saw that Jing Yuan had suffered the same misfortune, she felt a strange sense of comfort. She wasn't the only unlucky one; there was someone even unluckier.
At least she had willingly accepted this treatment, and even though she didn't know she would turn into a Yingying, it was her choice.
Jing Yuan, on the other hand, had been forcibly treated even after knowing it would turn him into a Yingying.
"Apparently so. Little Jing Yuan is quite cute. Looks like a little Shih Tzu."
"Ying ying ying!"
"Alright, a Yingying," Chen Li corrected himself.
"Are all Yingyings this short?" Jingliu asked casually.
"It varies. A Yingying's height is determined by the burden of the person being treated. If the burden is extremely light, if the person is quite carefree, or if they've just been treated once and are treated again after accumulating a little more stress, their height would be around one meter. The heavier the psychological burden, the taller the Yingying becomes, but the maximum height is 1.6 meters, otherwise it wouldn't be cute…" Zhenli explained.
"Why does it have to be linked to cuteness?"
"Because I forged it with a Childlike Innocence Entry. This Curio possesses a childlike heart, so of course it has to be cute," Chen Li said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
However, Chen Li didn't know why the standard for cuteness was 1.6 meters… it couldn't be because the Captain was 1.6 meters tall, could it?
"Jing Yuan's height… is almost 1.5 meters, isn't it?" Jingliu frowned.
"To be precise, it's 1.46 meters. And when you became a Yingying, Teacher, your height was about 1.45 meters. This data was measured by my own hands, with almost no error!"
"…" Veins bulged on Jingliu's forehead.
Could you not mention personally measuring my height in front of me?
Jingliu felt that she had been far too lenient back in the knight training dimension.
"For Jing Yuan's height to reach 1.46 meters, it proves his stress is quite significant," Chen Li remarked with a sigh.
Just because Jingliu was Mara-Struck and Jing Yuan wasn't didn't mean Jing Yuan's stress was less than Jingliu's.
Jingliu succumbed to Mara mainly because of Baiheng's death and Dan Feng and Blade's attempt to resurrect her with the Transmutation Arcanum, which resulted in a malevolent dragon that rampaged across the Xianzhou. Under this series of blows, she instantly saw red.
Jing Yuan didn't succumb to Mara during that incident because he was young enough. However, in the 700 years following the Sedition of the Imbibitor Lunae, Jing Yuan single-handedly shouldered the pressure on the Luofu for 700 years, earning him the title of legendary stress-resistance king. The pressure he bore was truly no less than Jingliu's.
What was that saying again?
Dying isn't courage; living is.
One shouldn't use the Mara-Struck condition as the sole standard; it would distort one's perception of the Xianzhou people's resilience. You couldn't just say Jingliu was the MVP for slaying the malevolent dragon while Jing Yuan was a dog who got carried to victory, could you?
Moreover, the age at which Xianzhou natives typically became Mara-Struck was around a thousand years or so. Jing Yuan had lived a bit too long…
So long that some within the Xianzhou Alliance's high command felt that the Divine Foresight had become senile and was no longer fit to be a general. They just hadn't found a suitable reason to remove him yet.
For the people of the Xianzhou, sometimes, a long life was also a curse.
"I can understand Jing Yuan. If I had to be a general for 700 years… oh, I'm a Foxian, I can't live for 700 years. Never mind then." Baiheng, next to Chen Li, nodded sagely before realizing her mistake.
"If you're interested, I have some blessings from the Aeon of Abundance here, enough to extend your life by ten thousand years. Or you could just appear in your Heroic Spirit form all the time. The lifespan of a Heroic Spirit is infinite," Chen Li said, turning his head.
"Blessings of Abundance, no thanks… Speaking of which, if I die of old age, can I be revived with a Revival Card?"
"Absolutely no problem. The Revival Card is not so inconvenient a thing. As long as you can win the Revival Games, you're good. Speaking of which, have you really not considered appearing as a Heroic Spirit permanently?"
"I don't find it inconvenient, but Jingliu said she has some important things to do in a while and can't bring me along."
"No problem. If my teacher doesn't want you anymore, she can pass you to me. An elder in the house is a treasure in the house," Chen Li gave a thumbs-up.
Smack! Unsurprisingly, Chen Li was hit by Jingliu.
"Serves you right. What do you mean, 'an elder in the house is a treasure in the house'? Am I that old? I'm only…"
"I'm only 17," Chen Li reminded her.
"Never mind then."
"Where were we?" Jingliu didn't want to continue this topic. She was over 1,000 years old this year.
However, the suggestion of passing Baiheng to Chen Li was worth considering… After all, hanging around Chen Li meant laughing nine times in three days. Although Chen Li's usual behavior seemed a bit too joyous, he always insisted it was to accumulate Elation points to save the world.
And occasionally, his words could make people feel a sense of sincerity… because he really was saving the world. For example, using the Elation Die to escort Haruhi Suzumiya.
Thanks to Jing Yuan and Jingliu, Chen Li's Elation points had now reached 6. He just needed to find one more piece of fun before he could get back to serious business.
"I chose Jing Yuan as the first Xianzhou native besides you, Teacher, to use [Mengyin Shen] precisely to help him relieve some stress. Moreover, his Friends Circle terminal is recording him in a single, uncut shot to serve as material for the Xianzhou Alliance high command. All in all, this is all for Jing Yuan's own good."
"…"
Jingliu felt that Chen Li's words sounded strangely familiar.
Hadn't he said the same thing before turning her into a Yingying?
"An uncut shot? Doesn't that mean we've been filmed too?"
"Don't worry, there's post-production editing! So Teacher, you can treat Little Jing Yuan however you like. No one will find out," Chen Li said.
Just because Chen Li said there would be no editing didn't mean there wouldn't be. Just like how some people claim 996 is a blessing, does that really make it a blessing?
"There's nothing to treat however I like. I'm not interested in things like Yingyings." Jingliu shook her head, sheathed her longsword, and took the snack Jing Yuan wanted to give her.
However, looking at the tiny Jing Yuan before her did remind her of the old days.
"If you're not interested, Teacher, then I'll change you back." Seeing that Jingliu's expression wasn't one of stubbornness but genuine disinterest in playing with Little Jing Yuan, Chen Li nodded.
"Good… wait, what do you mean, change me back? Doesn't the Yingying state get canceled after handing out all the snacks?" Jingliu paused.
"The problem is, you never finished handing out your snacks, Jingliu. You never gave Jing Yuan his share. The reason you seem normal now is because I used a fictional state to project your pre-[Mengyin Shen] self onto the present. I'm not done playing with Little Jingliu yet, so of course I can't let her go so easily," Chen Li explained.
Never mind Jingliu's reaction, Baiheng, who was kneeling on the ground in repentance alongside Chen Li, looked at him in astonishment. Clearly, she hadn't known about this.
A warrior! A true warrior is one who dares to charge at their own master!
Using his ultimate right in her face! As expected of you!
"You rebellious disciple!!!"
Snap! Chen Li snapped his fingers, dispelling the fictional state.
"Rebellious disciple it is, then," Chen Li muttered under his breath as he pinched the cheek of the "reverted" Little Jingliu beside him.
"Ying ying ying!" Little Jingliu didn't resist Chen Li's manhandling.
"Ying ying ying!" Jing Yuan ran up to Chen Li and offered his snacks.
"Ah, I get some too? Thanks." Chen Li patted Jing Yuan's head and, after decisively taking a photo with him, finally let Little Jing Yuan go.
After distributing snacks to the three people present, Little Jing Yuan squeezed through the crack in the General's residence gate, just as Little Jingliu had done, clearly off to find others he was close to.
A Yingying wouldn't attract the attention of others while transformed, so there was no need to worry about anything happening to Jing Yuan during his snack delivery run.
Theoretically, Little Jing Yuan was currently a bit stronger than Jing Yuan, the Emanator of the Hunt. At the very least, the Emanator Jing Yuan couldn't harm Little Jing Yuan, but Little Jing Yuan could pull out a pink hammer and give the Emanator a good whack.
[That's just how we Jing Yuan players are. Never won a fight, never lost in the plot.]
Beep beep!
Chen Li's Friends Circle terminal started vibrating. He opened it to find a private message from Qingque.
[Qingque]: My dear Li, what on earth did you do to the Master Diviner?
[Chen Li]: What happened?
[Qingque]: The Master Diviner said she's going to use the Matrix of Prescience to arrest you! To show you what true divination is!
[Chen Li]: Huh? I just issued Fu Xuan a challenge regarding divination, didn't I? Isn't her using the Matrix of Prescience kind of cheating?
[Qingque]: The Master Diviner is determined to teach you a "little" lesson this time. You know, the Matrix of Prescience is a treasure of the Divination Commission. As long as there's enough information, it can answer any question. Its talismans and principles were a gift from Nous. Are you sure you can evade it? Just make sure your blood doesn't splash onto me!
Qingque said this because, within the entire Divination Commission, she was the closest to Chen Li. If Chen Li failed and was arrested by Fu Xuan, Fu Xuan would definitely say that Qingque was a bad influence who kept him from studying divination seriously.
However… Qingque suddenly realized that if Chen Li wasn't arrested, she would probably still be the unlucky one. The reason would likely be: "He had such immense talent for divination, yet you corrupted him into using it to slack off!"
Why was it that Chen Li was the one who skipped work and issued the challenge, but she was the one who ended up in trouble?
Qingque fell into deep thought.
[Chen Li]: No problem at all! I'm immune to all fate-based divination. But isn't doing it that way a bit lacking in skill?
[Qingque]: What do you mean? What are you planning to do?
[Chen Li]: I think I might need to use my world-shaking connections to teach Fu Xuan a lesson!
[Qingque]: What are you going to do?
[Chen Li]: Instead of making it so she can't divine me at all, it's better to make her believe her correct divinations are wrong. That's the only way to truly show how strong my anti-divination skills are!
[Qingque]: For example?
[Chen Li]: How about competing in wisdom with Nous, the Aeon of Erudition; seeing who can fill up the other first with IX, the Aeon of Nihility; and having an eating contest with Ouroboros, the Aeon of Voracity?
[Qingque]: ???
[Chen Li]: In short, this time, I'm definitely going to give Fu Xuan a little divinatory shock! But speaking of which, can the Matrix of Prescience handle divining things like that? Or can it even observe them?
[Qingque]: Wait a minute, is your anti-divination even proper?
[Chen Li]: Don't you worry about that. Just remember to keep me updated on Fu Xuan's movements. Thanks.
---o---