Chapter 876: Deliberate or Accidental

Jing Liu kicked off the ground, the stone slab beneath her boot cracking a fine fissure, her whole body like a white arrow released from a bow, streaking through the mist above the ancient sea's surface.

Sai Fei Er felt as if she were being dragged by a meteor, the wind so fast she couldn't even open her eyes, only squinting to a slit, seeing Jing Liu's chin motionless directly above her field of view.

The black Eye Mask, even at high speed, stayed firmly over Jing Liu's face, not a single edge lifted by the wind.

Sai Fei Er finally gave up controlling her teeth.

They kept clacking in her mouth nonstop.

She frantically scrolled through bullet comments in her mind.

"Is this endless—can you just put me down so I can walk—I'll promise not to run—really not run—if I run I'm a dog—no, I'm a cat—anyway I won't run—please put me down ahhh—"

Then the blurry color block before her eyes suddenly refocused.

Changletian.

The sky had shifted from afternoon gold to evening dark blue, the street lamps had just lit, warm yellow halos drawing soft circles in the dim air.

In the distance the Giant Tree still stood in the dusk, its massive trunks casting black silhouettes against the dark blue sky, yet the shops on the street remained open, the street food stalls exhaled white steam, and occasionally a few residents returning late walked out of alleys, hurrying but with Calm expressions.

Changletian hadn't descended into chaos yet; at least on the surface it still maintained the appearance of ordinary daily life.

The heart of a Luofu person has been that big since ancient times.

Jing Liu landed directly beneath a street lamp.

The boot sole struck the bluestone pavement, emitting a dull light thud.

Her knee bent only slightly, shedding all inertia of the high‑speed movement, as light as stepping on a fallen leaf from branch to ground.

Sai Fei Er jumped down from her embrace.

To be precise, she flipped down.

Her body performed an extremely inelegant yet highly efficient roll the instant she hit the ground: left hand planted, right shoulder touching, she rolled half a circle sideways, then sprang up in one motion.

The hem of her skirt twirled in the roll, the white underskirt's edge flashing out then retreating.

After standing, her first action wasn't brushing off dust nor fixing her clothes, but she clasped her own shoulders with both hands and gave three hard shakes from the soles of her feet up to the Heavenly Spirit Dome.

"Cold cold cold cold cold—!"

The Fox Tail behind her thrashed wildly, the white fur at the tip exploding like a feather duster struck by static.

She bent down to rub her calves, then straightened to rub her arms; the Fox Ears atop her head quivered wildly, shedding a few ice crystals that had formed on the tips.

After rubbing for a while she realized she still retained Jing Liu's chill, a cold that had seeped directly into her pores, impossible to rub away.

"Jing Liu, you. Next time could you at least give a heads‑up! I was standing still, and you just yanked me up; I thought it was an ambush! And you're way too cold, I felt like I was shoved into a refrigeration chamber for a lap!"

She shook and complained, her tone carrying the helpless "I'm angry but there's not much to be angry about" resignation.

While saying these words her tongue tangled, because her teeth still clacked uncontrollably, forcing her to pause after every two words to swallow a mouthful of frozen saliva.

Jing Liu stood a couple of steps away in front of her.

The black Eye Mask remained on her face, a few strands of white hair blown loose by the landing wind fell onto her shoulders.

Her stance remained upright, but compared to the one in the Scale Abyss Realm earlier, it was now much more relaxed.

Yet she still said nothing.

She resembled an Ice Sword planted beside the lamp post—cold to the core, but at least she wouldn't swing at anyone.

Sai Fei Er shook for a while and finally stopped shaking.

She muttered something, then lifted her head to look at Jing Liu again.

At that moment she keenly sensed a change.

The chill emanating from Jing Liu, capable of freezing a person into a popsicle, was gradually retracting.

Like the tide receding, each layer pulling back from the beach leaving a damp trace, but overall diminishing.

Watching this subtle shift on Jing Liu, Sai Fei Er's mouth twitched involuntarily, then she quickly covered it with a nose‑rubbing gesture.

Deliberate or accidental?

She turned the question over in her mind twice.

If it was deliberate, it meant Jing Liu was testing her, intentionally giving her a chill to see if her reaction matched what Bai Hang should have.

If it was unintentional, that was even more headache‑inducing, indicating this person's cold switch was automatic—cold when tense, receding when relaxed, the same logic as a cat's fur puffing.

Regardless of the case, the current result was the same:

Jing Liu had withdrawn the chill, at least for now not treating her as an enemy.

That was good news for Sai Fei Er.

On Xi Tong's Task list she already had an item to stabilize Jing Liu, just like she had dealt with Dan Heng earlier.

Dan Heng's side had already exploded, the Blade's sword had turned him into a Dragon Sovereign; that Task was over‑fulfilled.

If Jing Liu could be struck while hot, and taken down together, today's Task report could be written very beautifully.

So Sai Fei Er lifted her head and flashed a radiant smile at Jing Liu.

Light from the side illuminated her face, warming her fair skin, her eyelashes casting two shallow shadows on her cheeks.

"Alright, alright, I won't blame you. Since you at least pulled me out of that gloomy place, I forgive you."

She clapped her hands, the Fox Tail swayed behind her, then tilted her head, a mischievous grin curling at the corner of her mouth.

"But back to the point, Jing Liu, why were you in the Scale Abyss Realm? I thought you shouldn't be there, uh, basically you shouldn't be there."

She asked the question quite naturally.

Bai Hang, as Jing Liu's friend, being curious about her whereabouts was perfectly normal.

Sai Fei Er was indeed curious; the intel from Xi Tong hadn't mentioned Jing Liu appearing in the Scale Abyss Realm, the former Sword Leader's appearance was a complete Variable.

Jing Liu was silent for a few seconds.

Just as Sai Fei Er thought she would answer everything with silence again, she spoke.

"Chasing someone."

Two characters.

Dry and plain, with no embellishment.

Sai Fei Er's heart gave a sudden thump the instant she heard those two characters—chasing someone?

Chasing who?

Chasing the blade?

Chasing Dan Heng?

Or chasing me?

She quickly scanned Jing Liu's expression; there was nothing on his face, not even a hint of a micro‑expression to read.

She decided not to press further; pressing for answers isn't Bai Hang's style.

"Fine, if it's about chasing someone, then chase someone. Anyway, you've either finished the chase now, or haven't finished but can rest for a while."

Sai Fei Er placed her hands behind her back, tilted her body toward Jing Liu, leaned her Fox Ears forward, and made a "I've got a good idea" expression.

"Since everyone has arrived at Changletian, let's not waste time. Come on, come on, come on, accompany me on a stroll. I just got back a short while ago, and many things here have changed; I have a lot I want to see."

She finished speaking, turned around and walked forward, took two steps, then looked back at Jing Liu with eyes full of anticipation.

Jing Liu stood in place, the black Eye Mask aimed at Sai Fei Er's silhouette, and her hand slipped off the sword hilt.

The sound of her boot soles on the bluestone slabs was lighter than a cat's step, yet Sai Fei Er heard it.

Her Fox Ears twitched lightly atop her head, and the curve of her mouth lifted a few more degrees.