Chapter 205: New Tenant

Jing Liu holds an erhu, stands at the courtyard gate, posture upright like a solitary pine.

The black Eye Mask seems not to hinder their sight; that icy perception from the white frost clinging to Sai Fei Er sweeps over Bai Hang's face, which struggles to stay calm, then glides past Xi Tong, who sits quietly drinking tea, and finally returns to Sai Fei Er.

The courtyard air seems to have thickened; only the unfrozen ice crystals on Sai Fei Er's body catch the morning light faintly, and their occasional slight tremor from the cold.

Bai Hang's heart rose to their throat, their mind raced, yet it was all chaos.

How did Jing Liu suddenly show up?

Sai Fei Er's astonishingly swift speed just now must have been noticed!

They now only hope Sai Fei Er can be clever, not speak recklessly, not reveal any information.

At that moment, Sai Fei Er moved.

They no longer hugged their arms and shouted cold, but straightened their body, deliberately wore an annoyed expression, their blue cat eyes glared at Jing Liu, preemptively speaking.

"Of course I recognize you! You almost froze me into an ice sculpture just now!"

They pointed at the white frost on their hair and shoulders, then gestured at Jing Liu, "I was just standing at the gate, and you suddenly came like that! Why attack me?"

They slightly puffed their cheeks, appearing both indignant and innocent, fully taking the stance of a "victim" questioning the "offender".

Sai Fei Er knew clearly in their heart that they didn't know this cold woman at all.

But that ghostly speed was detected and precisely intercepted by the other, and that skill made them secretly startled.

Now the atmosphere was obviously off; Bai Hang was so nervous they could almost burst into smoke, this woman came with ill intent.

The best defense is offense, placing oneself in the "innocently attacked" position, then muddying the waters.

Jing Liu was silent for two seconds.

The other responded quickly, emotions full, the accusation was reasonable—if one ignores that nonhuman speed and the original intent of releasing cold was to intercept rather than attack.

"Sorry."

Jing Liu's voice was Calm, showing no hint of apology, more like stating a fact.

They gave no further explanation, eyes turning to the obvious host and their original target, Bai Hang: "Who is this?"

Pressure instantly hit Bai Hang.

"Um, this person is…"

Bai Hang froze.

They were busy being nervous and praying Sai Fei Er wouldn't slip up, and had no time to fabricate a plausible, Jing Liu‑scrutinizable "Sai Fei Er identity"!

At that critical moment, Xi Tong, who had been quietly drinking tea, set down their teacup, their violet pupils calmly looking at Jing Liu, and with that Calm voice naturally took over the conversation:

"New tenant."

Three words, concise and direct, blocked most of the subsequent questioning space—just a tenant

Bai Hang, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly nodded like a drum: "Yes, yes, yes! It's the new tenant! Sai, Miss Sai Fei Er! Just arrived today!"

They tried to make their smile look natural, though the corners of their mouth were a bit stiff.

"New tenant... Miss Sai Fei Er."

Jing Liu repeated it, eyes lingering a moment on Sai Fei Er's cat ears and attire, which clearly did not belong to any common Xianzhou race, "I was rude earlier, sorry."

They said sorry with their mouth, but stepped forward, closing the distance to Sai Fei Er.

That step made the already tense courtyard atmosphere even more stagnant.

They did not walk fully into the courtyard center, but stopped at a spot that allowed observation of the whole scene without seeming overly aggressive, yet the invisible pressure increased as they approached.

"Speaking of that,"

Jing Liu spoke again, this time the question directly targeting the core, "Miss Sai Fei Er, your speed just now… was fast."

They paused, as if weighing words; the face under the black veil was unreadable, but the inquisitive tone was clear, "May I ask where you learned your skills? From which cave heaven, or perhaps… another Xianzhou?"

It came! Bai Hang's heart tightened.

Jing Liu indeed didn't let that slip!

They were probing Sai Fei Er's origins!

Any person of unknown background and possessing extraordinary skills appearing in Luofu would be enough to alert them, let alone appearing in the already suspicious Bai Xing household.

Sai Fei Er's reaction was unexpectedly smooth.

They blinked their blue eyes, a hint of helplessness on their face, and spread their hands:

"Master? No. I'm just… wandering everywhere, making the four seas my home."

Their tone carried a laid‑back, go‑with‑the‑flow vibe, "I don't even know what happened; the Star Chariot I was riding had a small problem, and I drifted here to Luofu in a daze. My travel funds are almost spent, and I happened to see Miss Xi Tong's rental notice—she's beautiful and kind‑hearted, so she took me in temporarily."

She said that while casting a grateful smile toward Xi Tong, the performance seemed utterly natural.

Jing Liu tilted their head slightly, looking at Xi Tong beside the stone table.

Xi Tong, facing the direction Jing Liu looked, nodded, as if confirming Sai Fei Er's story, their face still bearing that Calm expression, as if taking in an unknown cat‑ear girl was a trivial matter.

"... I see."

Jing Liu's voice gave no clue whether they believed it or not.

They were silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information, also evaluating the truth behind Sai Fei Er's words.

Bai Hang seized the brief silence, hurriedly trying to change the subject, breaking the suffocating interrogation atmosphere: "Um… Miss Jing Liu, why did you suddenly have time to come to my humble abode today? Is there something you need from me?"

Jing Liu turned, looking at Bai Hang, tone returning to the previous flatness: "Today I did not see Miss Bai Xing at the stall; I feared you might have some inconvenience, so I stopped by on the way."

(Convenient? What a lie! Your residence and the stall are in three different directions from here!)

Bai Hang internally scoffed, but could only muster a grateful smile on their face: "Thank you for your concern! There's nothing, just… a bit tired, wanting to rest for a couple of days."

"Oh?"

Jing Liu's tone rose slightly, "Why suddenly cease operations? Did you encounter any difficulty?"

Their follow‑up seemed caring, but still carried probing.

"There aren't really any difficulties…"

Bai Hang's mind raced, trying to make the excuse sound reasonable: "It's just… business hasn't been easy lately, I'm a bit troubled, thinking of just taking a few days off to recuperate, and also…"

Bai Hang glanced at Sai Fei Er, "Arrange the new tenant."

Jing Liu listened quietly, offering no immediate reply.

The small courtyard fell silent again, only the faint rustle of wind through the leaves.

After a few seconds, Bai Hang finally spoke slowly: "I see."

Her tone revealed no emotion.

Bai Hang seemed to temporarily accept the explanation, or at least did not intend to probe further openly.

Bai Hang's gaze swept over the three people in the courtyard once more, finally lingering on Sai Fei Er.

"Since I was abrupt and frightened Miss Sai Fei Er,"

Jing Liu's voice came evenly, "There should be compensation. Tomorrow afternoon at Chang Le Tian Tea House, I will prepare a light tea to soothe Miss Sai Fei Er, as atonement. May I have the honor of your presence, Miss Sai Fei Er?"

Her invitation sounded courteous, but combined with her earlier probing, the compensation felt more like a pretext for close contact.

Bai Hang felt a sudden thump in her chest, thinking internally, "This isn't good."

Jing Liu still wasn't at ease, wanting to meet Sai Fei Er alone!

Given Sai Fei Er's impulsive nature and lack of Cognition, wouldn't a one‑on‑one encounter instantly betray the truth?

Bai Hang was just about to politely decline for Sai Fei Er when Sai Fei Er's cheerful voice rang out:

"Tea? Sure!"

Sai Fei Er seemed completely oblivious to the risk, her eyes lighting up with interest, the earlier grievance vanished, "It's perfect—I'm still unfamiliar with Luofu! Having a local guide me for tea and a stroll would be wonderful! So it's settled, tomorrow afternoon I'll definitely be there!"

Jing Liu gave a slight nod: "I'll await you."