Chapter 143: Going Together

Jizi didn't even have time to react, only feeling a short, sharp, dull pain at the back of her head, stars suddenly flashing before her eyes, and all sounds and lights seeming to be rapidly pulled away!

"Uh…!"

She only managed a brief muffled hum, her body slumped forward, and with a "thud" she fell to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

In the darkness, the silhouette of the "assailant" appeared.

It was Xing.

Her eyes were tightly shut, breathing steady, even snoring softly, clearly still in deep sleep.

She tightly gripped the ever‑present bat in her hand; that precise, powerful thump earlier was evidently its "masterpiece."

At this moment, she seemed unaware of having "knocked down" the target, still eyes closed, swaying the bat in small unconscious motions, muttering vague dream‑talk:

"…again… hic… the bat… is… truth…"

In the room, only the sound of Xing's sleepwalking bat swing and steady snores remained, plus the unconscious "San Yue Qi" on the floor, injured by mistake.

Xianzhou Luofu·Street Corner

Night deepened, but the streetlights grew ever more brilliant.

Bai Hang felt herself falling apart, not physically but mentally.

Accompanying the energetic Bai Lu as she hopped around, they toured half the market, while constantly keeping an eye on the eccentric "landlord" Xi Tong, who could blurt out startling words at any moment.

This big‑and‑small pair—one naive and carefree, the other "deep and unfathomable"—exhausted her.

By contrast, Bai Lu's face flushed pink as she played, her dragon tail wagging joyfully, hands full of newly bought snacks and toys, eyes sparkling like stars: "Miss Bai Xing! Today is so fun! Much more interesting than at the Dan Ding Division!"

"Y‑yes…"

Bai Hang forced a weary smile, glanced at the sky, feeling it was time to end this "adventure": "Miss Bai Lu, it's getting late; shouldn't you… go back? Everyone at the Dan Ding Division must be getting worried."

More importantly, a Former Sword Leader was already seated at her home!

If they return late, who knows what that lord will think.

Upon hearing they had to go back, Bai Lu's excitement instantly deflated, her little mouth puckered high: "Ah… we have to go back so soon…"

She clung reluctantly to Bai Hang's hem, her big eyes flickering, full of "still want to play."

Suddenly, her eyes rolled as if a brilliant idea struck, she jerked her head up, tugged Bai Hang's clothes hard, her voice sweet and syrupy, with a hint of coquettishness:

"Miss Bai Xing! Um… may I go with you?"

"Go together?"

Bai Hang was momentarily speechless, "Where… where are we going?"

"To your house!"

Bai Lu argued confidently, as if it were the most natural suggestion, "Just for tonight! I promise to be obedient! I— I can help you entertain guests! I'll tell many Xianzhou stories! Take me back, okay~"

Bai Hang was instantly dumbfounded.

"Wait! Miss Bai Lu, you are a noble immortal Dragon Maiden!"

The thought of Jing Liu's cold face sharing a room with Bai Lu's flamboyant temperament made her vision go dark; the scene was too "beautiful" to imagine.

Bai Hang quickly waved her hand, trying to make her understand the impropriety, "This… this is inappropriate! Besides, my place… uh, it's small, nothing fun, really!"

She was already screaming inside:

(There's already Jing Liu at home! Adding a runaway Dragon Maiden? If the Cloud Cavalry or Dan Ding Division finds out, I could speak a hundred mouths and still not explain! And if these two meet… only heaven knows what would happen!)

Yet Bai Lu clearly knew how to deal with a soft‑hearted adult.

She instantly let go of the snacks, instead clasping Bai Hang's arm with both tiny hands, hanging on her like a koala, beginning to gently coax:

"Please, Miss Bai Xing~ you're the best!"

"I'll stay just a little while, then leave, I promise not to cause trouble!"

"The Dan Ding Division is so dull, the scent of those herbs makes my head dizzy…"

"Look how cute I am; can you bear to kick me out?"

She even tried hard to blink those watery big eyes, attempting to squeeze out two non‑existent tears, looking pitiful.

Bai Hang felt dizzy, watching Bai Lu's "if you don't agree, I'll cry for you to see" stance, her mind in turmoil.

Refuse, and her heart aches at the child's yearning eyes; agree, and the consequences are unimaginable… As she wrestled with herself, teeth clenched, ready to harshly refuse—

"Fine."

A flat, unruffled voice came from beside her.

Bai Hang and Bai Lu turned simultaneously, seeing the ever‑quiet background Xi Tong had somehow walked over.

Her face still bore that neutral expression, but her tone carried a certainty of "this is settled":

"This Dragon Maiden guest wishes to stay overnight; I approve. I am the landlord; I decide."

"Great! Thank you, Sister Xi Tong!"

Bai Lu's mood cleared like clouds parting, she cheered, let go of Bai Hang, and jumped in place with joy.

"Wait! Xi Tong Jie!"

Bai Hang, however, panicked, dragging the system a few steps to a corner, lowering her voice, her tone full of disbelief, "What are you doing?! There's already a 'big trouble' at home! Adding another, and a Dragon Maiden no less! If this gets exposed, or something goes wrong, how will we end this?!"

The system calmly met her anxious gaze, speaking in a volume only the two could hear, flatly uttering four words:

"The lady's will."

"…"

All of Bai Hang's words were choked in her throat.

She opened her mouth, stared at the system's unchanging gaze, and finally could only slump like a deflated ball, shoulders drooping, her face showing helplessness and a wry, tear‑less smile.

(The lady's will… fine, you decide.)

She silently lamented inside, feeling her "Luofu Hidden Record" difficulty coefficient soaring exponentially.

Living together with a Former Sword Leader and a runaway Dragon Maiden?

She didn't even dare to think about this Plot direction.

Unlike the bustling market, the living room was completely silent.

Jing Liu sat alone on a hard wooden chair, posture upright, not relaxing like ordinary guests.

She didn't light a lamp, just letting the sparse starlight outside the window and the distant market's faint glow illuminate, casting a pale shadow on her cold side face.

Suddenly, she tilted her head slightly, as if listening to a distant sound.

A moment later, she used that cold voice to whisper to the empty room:

"I know."

She paused briefly, as if responding to an unheard reminder.

"No need to worry."

A few seconds later, she slowly added the final sentence, her voice light as a sigh yet carrying an unshakable certainty:

"Time... hasn't come yet."