Everyone's gaze focused on Cyrene again.
This time, the gazes were no longer just filled with curiosity, but more so with the sincerity of listening.
Cyrene took a deep breath and nodded.
She held the cool drink cup in her hands tightly, as if drawing a bit of courage to tell her story from it.
The complex and heavy past began to unfold slowly in her soft voice.
Meanwhile, on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Baiheng was worrying over the dazzling array of goods on her small stall cart.
The Herta dolls were still cute, the small mechanical toys shone with an alluring light, and business couldn't be considered bad, with scattered Xianzhou residents or travelers visiting.
But the key point was—not a single target person had appeared.
The data for Guinaifen and Sushang had already been collected. She had made contact with Jingliu and Bailu, but the trouble they brought was more than the data.
As for the remaining ones—Jing Yuan, Qingque, Fu Xuan, and others—none of them were ordinary characters who could be "encountered" by setting up a stall.
Jing Yuan lived deep within the Seat of Divine Foresight, Fu Xuan oversaw the Divination Commission, Qingque was said to be either slacking off or on her way to slack off, yet she was elusive, and several others were even people from the Ten Kings Court; how could one see them in an ordinary market?
(This won't do...)
The little abacus in Baiheng's heart was clattering, while she still had to maintain a friendly business smile on her face, feeling the corners of her mouth growing stiff.
(Do I have to take the initiative? Set up a stall in front of the Seat of Divine Foresight? I'm afraid I'd be arrested as a suspicious person by the Cloud Knights immediately...)
She rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling that this "undercover" mission was truly draining.
"Boss, how much for this?"
A male voice with a hint of lazy amusement sounded in front of the stall.
Baiheng looked up reflexively, an instant bright smile spreading across her face: "Guest, you have a good eye! This Herta bobblehead is a limited edition, it only costs..."
Her voice, along with the perfect smile on her face, came to an abrupt halt the moment she saw who it was.
Standing in front of her stall was a tall man.
He was not wearing military attire, but was dressed in an exquisite moon-white casual outfit. His long white hair was tied back with a simple hairband, and a few loose strands fell casually across his forehead.
His face wore a relaxed smile as if everything was under control, and his golden eyes landed on her face as if they could see through everything.
The Luofu General, Jing Yuan.
Baiheng felt as if her blood had stopped flowing for a fraction of a second; her muscles tightened subconsciously, and her heart gave an unruly, violent thump in her chest.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Why is he here? An undercover visit? A coincidence? Or... is he here for me?
Can my disguise fool him? Does he know about the Jingliu matter? What about the Bailu matter?
All the turbulent waves were forcibly suppressed under that mask of a smile, though the smile inevitably stiffened for a moment.
She rapidly lowered her eyelids, using the act of tidying up goods to hide her lapse. When she looked up again, she had adjusted her state, though her tone was even more "flattered" than before:
"Oh my! T-this distinguished Guest... w-would you like to look at something else? This doll is a toy for children, it doesn't match your stature! We have newly arrived interstellar paperweights here, would you like to take a look?"
She tried to divert his attention away from her face.
Jing Yuan seemed not to notice her momentary stiffness, still smiling in a light and airy manner.
He even followed Baiheng's words, picking up the Herta bobblehead that Baiheng had disparaged as a "toy for children," and looked at its arrogant yet comical expression with great interest.
"It's fine, it looks interesting."
Jing Yuan's tone was unhurried, but his gaze shifted from the doll and landed back on Baiheng's face, especially on the peculiar round-rimmed sunglasses on her face, "Is the boss a Foxian? How long have you been setting up a stall here? Is business going alright?"
His questions sounded ordinary, just like casual small talk.
But Baiheng felt as if every word was striking her heart.
She tried hard to keep her voice steady: "Y-yes, it's a small business, just scraping by. I've been... setting up here for some time. Thanks to the care of the neighbors, it's going alright, it's going alright! General, you are busy with a thousand tasks, how do you have time to stroll through this small market?"
Her last sentence carried just the right amount of surprise, and was also a probe.
Jing Yuan smiled lightly, putting the doll back in its place, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually over the uniquely styled goods on her stall.
"I happened to be passing by, and seeing that the boss's goods were unique, I came to take a look."
He paused, the smile in his golden eyes deepening, his tone still gentle, yet it made Baiheng's spine feel faintly cold, "The boss seems... somewhat familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Baiheng's breath hitched.
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