"Baiheng didn't have white hair…"
"Do you really need to split hairs over details like that?"
Even if it was pale lavender like Bailu's, it still counted as close enough to white.
"Do you think Baiheng would call me 'Benefactor' after being resurrected?"
Su Ran suddenly looked rather expectant.
There were already two foxes in Inazuma.
One more and he could finally play Fight the Landlord.
If Tingyun counted too, then he'd have enough for a full mahjong table.
Add Yukong in and they could even queue for co-op games.
"She probably would."
Based on Jingliu's understanding of Baiheng, that really was possible.
…But was he planning to use that gratitude for personal gain?
"Now I'm really looking forward to it!"
Another fox girl calling him "Benefactor."
And each one more charming than the last.
Sure enough, he had already surpassed King Zhou.
That man only had one fox spirit by his side.
Meanwhile, Su Ran already had two, with two more on the way.
And another one about to log in.
"When foxians repay favors, is there a tradition of offering themselves in marriage?"
Jingliu: …
So after Baiheng got resurrected, she'd have to throw herself in too?
"You truly are a shameless rogue!"
"With a face this handsome, you should call me a playboy instead."
"No difference."
Kafka rested her hands atop the table, chin propped lazily against them as she watched the scene with great interest.
Sure enough, gossip really was a woman's natural instinct.
Even though she lacked fear as an emotion, she still possessed the same love for drama as ordinary girls.
And honestly—
Watching Su Ran interact with the former Sword Champion of the Luofu was rather entertaining.
After an entire night of treatment, Jingliu had finally been freed from mara.
Only someone who personally experienced it could truly understand just how terrifying Su Ran's methods were.
Even someone who had suffered under mara for centuries could be cured.
Did that mean his understanding of Abundance surpassed everyone else's?
"But I noticed the mara disappearing a long time ago."
"Did the treatment really require that much time?"
Su Ran shook his head.
"Nope. I solved it within an hour."
"Then the rest of the time…"
Jingliu frowned.
"Appreciation."
"…"
Fine.
She was too mentally exhausted to react anymore.
If they hadn't spent the whole night talking already, she genuinely would have wanted to slash him with a sword right now.
Kafka had long since fallen asleep atop the table, a blanket draped over her body.
Last night, Su Ran had worried she might catch cold.
So while "appreciating the scenery," he'd thoughtfully covered her with a blanket.
"I really am such a warm-hearted guy."
After dressing herself again, Jingliu looked down at the black veil blindfold lying on the floor.
After hesitating for a moment, she chose not to pick it up.
Now that her mara was gone, she no longer feared emotional triggers.
There was no longer any need for that item.
"I will never forget the grace of curing my mara."
"If there is ever anything you require, then say the word. I shall do everything within my power."
"Now that you mention it, there actually is something I need your help with."
Su Ran stared directly at Jingliu.
That burning gaze made her distinctly uncomfortable.
Even if she claimed not to care about this body anymore—
That stare was simply too intense.
"Do you think I have talent for swordsmanship?"
Jingliu, who had been mentally preparing herself to take off her clothes again, froze upon hearing that.
She'd expected something entirely different…
And this was all he wanted?
"That hardly counts as a request."
"If you wish to learn, then I shall teach you."
She taught swordsmanship without regard for talent or status.
If this alone erased the debt she owed him, she would never accept it.
Because in Jingliu's eyes—
That would basically mean she got cured for free.
The favor of curing mara could never be compared to simply teaching someone swordsmanship.
—
On a shallow shoreline somewhere on the Luofu—
Yanqing followed the sound of clashing blades.
Then he witnessed heaven and earth lose color as countless moonlike sword arcs descended from the sky.
Upon the frost-covered shallows, two people seemed to be sparring with swords.
Yanqing's eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
He hurried forward.
As a Cloud Knight lieutenant determined to become the next Sword Champion of the Luofu, Yanqing possessed an obsession with swordsmanship beyond ordinary comprehension.
Stopping at a distance close enough to observe but far enough not to interrupt—
He watched the duel with shining eyes.
The male swordsman wielded his blade like the moon itself.
Every casual swing unleashed overwhelming waves of sword qi.
Sharp.
Decisive.
Ruthless.
And tinged with an almost icy elegance.
Meanwhile, the woman continuously attempted to dismantle his techniques.
The longer Yanqing watched, the more thrilled he became.
Such breathtaking swordsmanship—
And he had stumbled upon it by sheer luck?
He almost shouted "Amazing!" aloud.
But he forcibly restrained himself.
Watching Su Ran swing his sword, Yanqing's heart filled with admiration.
At one point, he even felt the urge to immediately run over and beg for apprenticeship.
But it was better to wait until the duel concluded first.
Yet the longer he watched, the more profound the swordplay seemed.
Without realizing it, he had already grasped fragments of two techniques himself.
"…Wait."
"This isn't sparring. This is instruction, isn't it?"
Then he really shouldn't keep watching.
Yanqing suddenly felt conflicted and anxious.
He wanted desperately to continue watching—
Yet secretly learning another master's teachings without permission was taboo.
This was someone else teaching their disciple swordsmanship.
How could he shamelessly steal it from the sidelines?
Roughly two hours later—
Jingliu knelt on one knee upon the frozen surface, sword planted into the ice, staring at Su Ran in utter disbelief as he sheathed his blade.
She taught swordsmanship without judging talent.
But Su Ran's talent was simply absurd.
Within the first minute, he merely imitated her sword style.
By the second minute, he had already mastered it.
By the third minute, he had begun adding his own bizarre interpretations.
Eventually, the roles completely reversed.
The one originally feeding him techniques had somehow become the one being pressured and instructed by him.
The sheer whiplash shattered Jingliu's worldview.
Who exactly was the teacher here?
And who was teaching whom?
"Not bad."
Holding an ice sword, Su Ran descended gracefully onto the frozen sea like a peerless sword immortal.
Jingliu: …
He really managed to make himself look cool there, huh?
Seeing that the instruction seemed to have ended, Yanqing finally dashed across the frozen surface toward them.
Waving excitedly, he shouted:
"Senior! Can I learn swordsmanship from you too?!"
Both Jingliu and Su Ran turned toward the unexpected newcomer.
—------------------------------
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