Chapter 125: Sleepwalking?

Business… actually got a little better than usual because of this?

Bai Hang was so busy she barely had her feet on the ground, collecting money, handing out goods, and explaining the "extraordinary origins" of these items.

(What kind of thing is this…)

Bai Hang mechanically completed the transaction while internally complaining, (the customer flow drawn by Jing Liu's erhu… if the master found out, who knows what they'd think. Besides, I need to deliver the items to the "key person" to collect data, not this ordinary high‑volume low‑margin selling!)

As she just finished a sale and was catching her breath, a familiar and lively female voice rang out in front of her stall, with a hint of surprise:

"B‑... Bai Xing Miss? Is it really you?"

Bai Hang looked up, and what met her eyes was a vivid head of red hair and a bright smiling face—none other than Gui Naifen!

"Gui Naifen, miss?"

Bai Hang was also a bit surprised, not expecting to run into this acquaintance, the performing‑arts girl, and said, "Long time no see."

Gui Naifen, seeing the white‑haired, round‑sunglass‑wearing Fox People girl before her, indeed froze for a moment.

When she first met "Bai Xing", the other party usually wore that black Eye Mask, giving off a mysterious air; now this fashionable sunglasses with ordinary clothes made her hesitant to confirm.

"Wow! It really is Miss Bai Xing! I saw from afar and thought it looked similar, but didn't dare to recognize!"

Gui Naifen said excitedly, and then her gaze was drawn to the dazzling array of Black Tower goods on the stall, "Are you… selling merchandise? What are these? They look so special!"

She picked up a Black Tower Doll with a "ferociously cute" expression and pinched it curiously.

At that moment, a girl standing beside Gui Naifen, looking rather dashing (?), dressed in Cloud Cavalry reserve attire, also came over, eyeing the stall curiously.

She was Su Shang.

"Little Gui, who is this?" Su Shang asked.

"This is Miss Bai Xing. I had an accident during a performance before; thanks to Miss Bai Xing's help!"

Gui Naifen introduced enthusiastically, then lifted the Black Tower Doll and pitched it to Su Shang, "Su, look at this! The craftsmanship is so unique, and the expression is so interesting! How about hanging it on your sword scabbard as decoration? It would definitely be stylish!"

Su Shang took the doll, turned it over and examined it, her face showing hesitation: "Um… it's quite special… but hanging it on a scabbard, would it be a bit… not serious enough?"

"Oh dear, that's called personality!"

Gui Naifen urged, "Look at the material, the feel—definitely not ordinary goods! Items from Miss Bai Xing must be refined! Buy one, come on, buy one!"

Just as the two girls were having a friendly debate over whether the doll suited weapon decoration—

Not far away at the street corner, the weeping erhu's tone paused briefly, then a few notes suddenly rose, carrying a sharpness like sword qi slicing the air.

This subtle shift might escape ordinary people, but for those with keen martial senses, it was like an icy needle in a breeze, lightly pricking their senses.

"Hm?"

Su Shang instinctively drew her neck back, turned her head in confusion toward Jing Liu's direction, "Little Gui, do you feel… suddenly a bit cold?"

Gui Naifen also restrained her smile, patting her arm: "It's a bit… oddly cool. Strange, it was fine just now…"

The two shivered simultaneously and exchanged a puzzled glance.

And the instigator Jing Liu still lowered his eyes, focusing on the erhu in his hands, as if the earlier breath change was merely the strings' natural vibration.

Perspective shift.

Walther stood outside the Party Carriage door, and through the observation window he could clearly see San Yue Qi conversing with a girl who had her back to the door.

The girl had a pink‑haired outline strikingly similar to San Yue Qi's, but her attire was an unfamiliar black‑red scheme—confirming Dan Heng's earlier report.

"So she's indeed here…"

Walther pushed up his glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses sharpened.

The seasoned and composed him decided not to linger any longer, preparing to go in and confront the "uninvited guest" face‑to‑face.

However, just as his hand reached for the door handle, a faint sound came from the corridor behind him.

Walther instantly turned alertly, only to see Star standing somewhere in the middle of the corridor, motionless and facing his direction.

Her eyes were tightly shut, gray hair a bit disheveled, breathing steady and long; it looked… as if she were standing while asleep?

(Sleepwalking?)

Walther slightly furrowed his brow, surprised inside.

He remembered clearly that not long ago he had confirmed Star sleeping in San Yue Qi's room.

He immediately changed his priority, temporarily setting aside the "San Yue Qi" inside the carriage, turned and walked lightly toward Star.

"Star?"

"Why are you here? Can't sleep?"

Star gave no response, still maintaining the sleeping posture, only her chest rising and falling gently with each breath.

Just as Walther was weighing whether to wake her or find a way to guide her back to the room, an anomaly suddenly erupted!

Star's right fist, without warning, shot forward swiftly and forcefully, generating a brief gust of wind!

If that punch landed solidly, it would definitely hurt.

Walther was startled, but his extensive combat experience made him instinctively sidestep, narrowly evading the straight punch.

He tried to reach out and press Star's arm, while lowly shouting, "Star! Wake up!"

However, Star's attack did not cease.

After Walther held her right arm, its joints seemed limitless, twisting in an extremely fluid—almost bizarre—arc, the elbow like a heavy hammer, smashing toward Walther's face again!

(!)

Walther had to release his grip, taking a step back to widen the distance again.

His gaze grew solemn; was some unconscious combat instinct being triggered?

He had just steadied his stance, yet Star's attacks kept coming in succession.

The blindfolded girl seemed to become a warrior from a dream, using both fists and feet; although her techniques lacked clear form, the power and speed were no pretense, creating considerable trouble in the narrow corridor.

Walther, drawing on his rich combat experience, flickered his form and repeatedly dodged.

He watched Star, eyes tightly shut yet delivering each strike fiercely, and quickly formed a judgment in his mind:

(We can't go on like this. Xing's condition is extremely abnormal; we must act swiftly and decisively to calm her down.)

Spotting a flaw, Walther darted again, precisely slipping into Xing's blind spot of attack, his palm like a blade, pressing lightly yet firmly on the back of her neck.

Xing's forward thrust suddenly stalled, and her body sagged and fell down.

Walther promptly reached out to support her, preventing her from hitting the ground directly.

Seeing Xing still asleep in his arms yet finally calmed, Walther let out a sigh.

He gently cradled Xing sideways, hurried to San Yue Qi's room, and placed her back onto the bed.

Even after lying down, Xing's arms still waved unconsciously a few times before gradually settling.

(The oddities tonight, one after another…)

Having settled Xing, Walther returned once more to the Party Carriage doorway.

He inhaled deeply, tidied the slightly disheveled collar and scarf from the earlier "engagement," and looked inside again through the observation window—

!

This time, the carriage was empty.

The figure resembling San Yue Qi vanished, leaving only the untouched drink on the table.

As he focused his gaze, the carriage door swooshed open from the inside.

San Yue Qi, holding a cup of pink‑blue special drink, collided head‑on with him.

The pink‑haired girl clearly hadn't expected anyone at the doorway, startled, and upon seeing Walther, a flash of panic crossed her face.

"Yang—Yang Shu?!"

San Yue Qi subconsciously glanced back into the carriage, then turned again, her tone tinged with the guilt of being caught in mischief, "You… how are you here?"

Walther, who had weathered countless storms, instantly regained his usual composure; he pushed up his glasses and said naturally, "Nothing much, just can't sleep, thought I'd have a drink. And you, Xiaosanyue, why are you still up so late without rest?"

"I was chatting with 'Shut Up (Cocktail Technique)' for a while, just about to go back to sleep."

San Yue Qi blinked, seeming to accept the explanation, "Then Yang Shu, take your time drinking, I'll head back now!"

"Mm, good night, Xiaosanyue."

Walther watched San Yue Qi's figure disappear down the corridor leading to the sleeping carriage, only then stepping into the now empty Party Carriage.