Chapter 270

She looked at Heimu, her voice steady yet with a barely perceptible tension: "Black Curtain Lady…… what 'surprise' is this again?"

Heimu looked at Kafuka's expression that said "I'm in a bad mood, you better have a good reason," and felt helpless as well.

She maintained a Calm tone and got straight to the point:

"To make a long story short, Huan Long's absence is an accident. The reason is not convenient to elaborate, but it does not directly conflict with our core objective."

Kafuka frowned even tighter: "An accident? An accident that could make an Extinction Great Lord 'disappear' from the script?"

"It involves a higher order of… entertainment."

Heimu vaguely brushed off Aha's pot, directly giving a solution: "But the Xianzhou's script needs to advance. So, I'll provide an alternative plan."

"An alternative plan?" Kafuka raised an eyebrow.

"I will temporarily stand in for Huan Long's position."

Heimu calmly stated this somewhat outrageous plan: "Trigger the necessary crisis, guide the predetermined conflict, and at the appropriate moment… withdraw."

Kafuka fell silent.

She carefully sized up Heimu, seemingly evaluating the feasibility and risk of this proposal.

Let this mysterious, purpose-unknown "Black Curtain Lady" stand in for the Extinction Great Lord Huan Long?

(Can she keep the Villain Boss's scale in check, not actually tear apart Luofu?)

(Or will she take the opportunity to smuggle in her own agenda, disrupting other parts of the script?)

The risk is high.

But for now… there seems to be no better option.

Ailiou's script cannot be cut off here; the Astral Express has already arrived, and Luofu's undercurrents are already surging.

"……Can you handle it perfectly?"

Kafuka finally asked, her voice revealing no emotion.

"Naturally." Heimu replied, after all, she herself could be considered an Extinction Great Lord.

Kafuka fell silent again for a few seconds.

Finally, she lightly nodded.

"……Okay."

Her voice regained some of its laziness, but still carried seriousness: "But we need to agree on some 'bottom lines.' Your scope of action, degree of intervention, and the manner and timing of your eventual 'withdrawal' must fit within the script's broad framework. I will provide the necessary 'lines' and 'scene hints.'"

"Reasonable."

Heimu agreed, "The cooperation details can be worked out later. For now, I need to first get familiar with the role, and… Luofu's current stage setting."

Kafuka gave Heimu a deep look: "Hope this time… the cooperation is pleasant, Black Curtain Lady."

"Likewise." Heimu gave a slight nod, her figure again slowly merging into the shadows and disappearing.

Only then did Silver Wolf fully emerge from behind Kafuka, patting his chest: "Scared me to death… suddenly popping out. Kafuka, do you really trust her? Let her stand in for Huan Long?"

Kafuka gazed toward the direction where Heimu vanished, her dark-red eyes profound: "I don't believe it, but I have to. The script must continue. And…"

She curled the corner of her mouth with an inscrutable arc: "Having her stand in for 'Huan Long'…… might actually be more interesting than the original, and… more controllable."

Xianzhou Luofu·Bai Hang's small courtyard

The wind was slightly cool, brushing past the somewhat aged qiong flower tree in the courtyard, bringing a soft rustling.

On the stone table, a cup of clear tea rose with delicate steam.

Bai Hang sat on the stone bench, the round-lensed black sunglasses she used for disguise already removed and placed beside her.

She lowered her head, her azure eyes focused on the faintly glowing jade omen screen in her hand, fingertips tapping swiftly yet gently upon it.

On the screen was her chat interface with Jing Liu.

Their conversation had already been going on for a while.

From Jing Liu's initially stiff greeting ("You there?"), to Bai Hang's cautious reply, then to Jing Liu seemingly casually bringing up some past trifles, swordsmanship discussion, and even opinions on Luofu's current state……

Bai Hang strove to play the role of "a chance acquaintance, a junior merchant who holds respect for the former Sword Leader," answering cautiously and humbly, occasionally showing just the right amount of "admiration" and "curiosity."

She couldn't help but admire Jing Liu; even through the jade omen, that former Sword Leader's questions always cut to the core, carrying a kind of insight that directly hits the heart, forcing her to summon all her focus to respond.

However, Jing Liu's words, buried within seemingly plain casual chatter, quietly set a trap.

She mentioned a detail about a private sword practice spot known to only a very few, belonging to "Bai Hang."

She mentioned an incident during a certain battle that only occurred when "Bai Hang" was present—a minor but deeply memorable aside.

She even, in a flat tone, described an improved archery force technique that only "Bai Hang" would use, and "asked for advice" from Bai Hang on her opinion of it.

Each detail was like a soft yet tenacious thread, winding around her.

Bai Hang's answers initially could keep distance, but gradually, faced with those overly familiar details bearing too many shared memories, her defenses showed a crack.

Especially when Jing Liu, in a tone calm to the point of near sorrow, mentioned certain habits, certain smiles, certain unfulfilled promises of an "old friend"……

Guilt.

Guilt buried deep in the heart, accumulated over years and never dissipated, flooded Bai Hang like a tide.

Guilt toward Jing Liu, guilt for failing to prevent the tragedy, guilt for being alive yet unable to meet face-to-face in one's true self……

In another instance, after Jing Liu's seemingly trivial question stirred Bai Hang's surging memories and emotional fluctuations, Jing Liu suddenly typed a line on the jade omen:

【Jing Liu: So, you actually saw that green meteor back then, but deliberately said you didn't, wanting me to gaze at the night sky a bit longer, right?】

Bai Hang's fingers froze above the screen.

(That green meteor…… only I and she know……)

(I really was……)

Her heart clenched sharply.

Reason String told her this might be a trap.

But emotionally, amid the surging guilt and complex old sentiments, her finger, uncontrollably, pressed the send key:

【Bai Xing: Um... yes.】

The moment the message was sent, Bai Hang regretted it.

But it was already too late.

The Jade Omen screen fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, Jing Liu's new message popped up, only a few brief words, yet like a thunderclap, it exploded in Bai Hang's mind:

【Jing Liu: So, you are Bai Hang, right?】

Bai Hang stared blankly at the line of text, and in her azure eyes, all the pretenses, all the caution, all the struggles, at that moment, shattered like broken glass, flaking off piece by piece.

She weakly let the hand of Jade Omen she was holding hang down, a faint, extremely bitter smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

(Got tricked.)

(From start to finish... she has been waiting for this moment.)

(And I... indeed still cannot perfectly keep up the disguise in front of her.)

She leaned against the cold stone chair back, tilted her head upward to gaze at the patch of sky cut out by the eaves, and sighed silently.

Having avoided for so long, having disguised for so long... in the end, the time to face it has finally arrived.