"My reasons for coming here are twofold. First, to seek medicine. Second, to demand answers!"
Fortunately, the person before her was not someone from her past, so Jingliu's mara-struck state had not been triggered.
The fact that she could still converse calmly with Kafka right now was largely thanks to Spirit Whisper having a decent suppressive effect on mara.
"You came to seek medicine, yet you also want to question him? Question your benefactor?"
Kafka found Jingliu's logic absurdly amusing.
If Su Ran really gave her medicine—
Then afterward she still intended to interrogate him?
"These matters do not conflict. If he grants me medicine, then I will naturally repay him to the best of my ability. But my question still deserves an answer."
To Jingliu, repaying a favor and seeking answers were entirely separate matters.
"And what exactly do you want to ask?"
Kafka was surprisingly patient with the former Sword Champion.
No matter what, Jingliu still had plenty of history with Blade.
Kafka herself was curious.
"That has nothing to do with you."
Jingliu looked toward Kafka.
Even with her blindfold on, those icy eyes still felt capable of freezing someone solid.
"It may have nothing to do with me, but perhaps if I know your reason, I might help persuade him for you."
"After all, my relationship with him is much closer, isn't it?"
Because of Elio's script, Kafka knew the truth behind Bailu's identity.
The reincarnation of Baiheng.
"Why does he insist on taking Bailu with him?"
When Jingliu passed through the Alchemy Commission hoping to see Bailu, she discovered the place was already in uproar over the matter.
Nearly everyone hoped Bailu could learn something from Su Ran.
Yet not a single person had asked Bailu herself what she wanted.
"That's all?"
Thanks to Elio's script, Kafka already knew the answer.
"Nothing more."
Aside from this, Jingliu had no other business with Su Ran.
She simply wanted to know why.
"He once said it was for the sake of a white-haired foxian girl."
Kafka directly gave Su Ran's stated reason.
Whether true or not, the important thing was that Su Ran had indeed said it before.
In the next instant, killing intent surged from Jingliu once more.
"Hmph. Another one… Must she be denied peace even in death?"
Jingliu's murderous aura nearly overflowed.
Even Kafka became highly alert.
If the two of them fought here—
Tomorrow's headlines would probably read:
Starhunter Kafka Executed.
At that point, would the IPC pay the bounty to the Luofu?
To Jingliu?
Or to Su Ran, the one who caused the whole mess?
"Leave now and nothing will happen to you."
"Otherwise… you'll die alongside him."
"Oh? You sound very confident."
Kafka glanced at Jingliu.
"If you doubt me, then try—"
Just as Jingliu was about to swing her sword, an indescribable sensation flooded her entire body.
She instantly clutched her head.
"This white-haired swordswoman…"
"Did no one ever teach you that barging into someone else's home is incredibly rude?"
At some point, Su Ran had already returned to the residence.
He wasn't the sort of man who would spend an entire night chatting alone with a woman while doing absolutely nothing.
But since nothing was going to happen—
There was naturally no reason to stay that long.
First, Yukong simply couldn't relax.
Second, if her daughter overheard anything through the wall—
Yukong would probably never be able to hold her head up again.
So Su Ran returned.
Only to find a white-haired swordswoman radiating killing intent toward the future mother of his child.
"You use Harmony?"
"Aren't you an Emanator of Erudition?"
Feeling the force pressing down upon her, Jingliu gritted her teeth and glared at Su Ran.
The power of Harmony lacked the direct destructive force of Hunt or Destruction—
But its influence over the mind was terrifyingly potent.
Within moments, the mentally vulnerable former Sword Champion had already been subdued.
To the point where even raising her sword had become difficult.
Su Ran removed Jingliu's blindfold and looked directly into those eyes filled with murderous intent.
"What beautiful eyes…"
"Tch—"
Cold.
Her face was freezing cold.
Su Ran walked over to the table and casually drank the tea sitting there in one gulp.
Ice-cold.
Jingliu had been drinking from this?
"So instead of hunting Abominations of Abundance…"
"You broke into my house to kill a Stellaron Hunter?"
"Are you that desperate for money?"
"You want to resurrect Baiheng?"
Under the influence of Harmony, Jingliu's mara no longer felt uncontrollable.
At the very least, she wouldn't immediately lose herself and unleash Transcendent Flash.
And even if she wanted to right now—
She physically couldn't.
"Problem?"
"She's a white-haired foxian. Same species as Kitsune Saiguu."
"And even their personalities are practically identical."
"So what if I want to revive her?"
"The dead person herself hasn't objected."
"Who are you to interfere?"
In Jingliu's eyes, Su Ran's intentions were no different from Dan Feng and Yingxing's in the past.
And those actions had led to catastrophe.
Even if Su Ran's methods wouldn't create another draconic abomination—
Jingliu still refused to let her friend's life be toyed with a second time.
"I've revived three dead people already. All of them gave positive reviews."
"May I ask if you're her relative?"
Su Ran immediately turned the question back on Jingliu.
"…I am her close friend!"
She was Xianzhou native.
How could she possibly be biologically related to a foxian?
"Oh. So you're not family."
"Then why are you deciding whether she lives or dies?"
"Trying to divide up her inheritance or something?"
"…"
Jingliu finally snapped.
Enduring the suppressive effects of Harmony, she staggered toward Su Ran and swung her sword.
Unfortunately, her sluggish movements were so slow that even a child could have dodged them.
Jingliu collapsed onto the floor.
Lying there, she coldly demanded:
"What gives you the right to decide whether she lives or dies?"
"Yes. Then what gives you the right to decide whether she wants to live?"
Su Ran first acknowledged his own questionable logic—
Then immediately turned the same reasoning back against Jingliu.
The response he received was silence.
"How about this?"
"I revive her first."
"Then we ask her whether she wants to live."
"If she does, I'll take her away."
"If she doesn't, I'll give her a painless death and then arrange a grand funeral."
In the end, Su Ran took a step back.
…But was that really a compromise at all?
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