Chapter Fourteen: "Rolling, Rolling, Rolling" and "Thundering, Thundering, Thundering"

You haven’t written her a single letter, have you?

He truly did not want to answer that question.

“……”

Thus, Gongsun Ce kept silent, feigning ignorance.

The Lawmaster of Impermanence raised a finger, his words laced with such biting sarcasm that even plants might catch fire: “You really do bring honor to our nation of etiquette!”

I almost wish I could teach you a lesson with my fists.

But this time, the psychic couldn’t muster any anger at all.

He closed his eyes, chanting like a meditative monk: “I am unworthy, all right? I am unworthy, let’s leave it at that.”

Yan Qi tossed his coat onto the table.

“I’m not responsible for guiding little brats through their psychological issues. Go find whoever you want.” He grabbed a handful of nuts from the fruit bowl and chewed noisily. “Come to me when you get a reply, until then, get lost!”

If I come back to this wretched house again, I’d be a damned fool.

The psychic nearly said this aloud. He realized he would inevitably return, so he had to swallow his words. Instead, he offered a dry report: “Today I met a strange swordsman in blue, wielding two blades. He wanted to fight, but I refused.”

“He’s an idiot. There are plenty who go mad learning the Law of Impermanence, but only one who’s become a fool.”

Is speaking plainly enough to be called a fool?

He looked more respectable than you, at least.

Yan Qi instantly recognized who it was. Clearly, this fellow was indeed a Lawmaster of Impermanence, and apparently well known…

He pressed further, “Is that all?”

Yan Qi yawned: “That fool is a threat to the public, but not to someone like you. Let him be! He won’t kill you.”

This lazy sort seemed not to care about the swordsman in blue at all.

Could it be that the man truly was nothing more than a harmless swordsman?

The psychic stepped towards the door—

“Wait, Gongsun.”

He heard Yan Qi repeat his earlier question.

“Are you sure there have only ever been the two of us here? Did you see anyone else on your way here?”

“There are just two people in this hall. Aside from you, I haven’t encountered any strange folks. If you’re worried, open every door and let me check.”

He replied briefly, awaiting Yan Qi’s explanation.

“Fine, get lost. Go, go, go.”

Yet the Lawmaster said nothing more. It seemed he was merely confirming, out of caution, and upon receiving an answer, promptly issued his eviction.

“Nonsense!”

The young man with ash-gray hair spat a curse.

With thoughts swirling, he left Yan Qi’s temporary residence.

·

“Tsk tsk, afraid to get too close to me?”

After sending the gray-haired youth off, the middle-aged painter muttered to himself in his chair.

“Qiluo… a gorgeously dressed woman… a provocation? Could well be a distraction… Hey! Best not mention this to Fatty Liu.”

Yan Qi shut his eyes and pondered for a while, then his face twisted in impatience. He strode to the entryway and flung open the door.

“Good evening, Tienji.”

A swordsman in blue, carrying two blades, stood before the villa, bowing to the painter in greeting.

Yan Qi’s gaze lingered on the visitor’s right hand. The man in blue held a black object, square and somewhat large for a portable item—too big for an ordinary pocket.

He cocked an eyebrow, “What’s that?”

The Night Guest raised his right hand, exposing the object beneath the porch lights for the painter to see.

“This is a portable music player, for listening to music.” The swordsman explained earnestly, “I haven’t figured out how to use it yet.”

Tienji nodded, “Do you have headphones?”

The swordsman patted himself down and produced a pair of old-fashioned wired earphones.

“Plug the end of the cable into the small hole at the bottom of the box,” Yan Qi instructed, syllable by syllable, “Put those round pieces in your ears, and press the little round button on the box to turn it on.”

The man in blue followed the instructions. The player’s screen lit up, illuminating a childlike smile on his face.

“All done.” The Night Guest tried to play music, and luck was with him; after just a few presses, it worked.

He listened for a while, then frowned, “It’s awful.”

The middle-aged painter could no longer stand it and roared, “If you don’t like the songs, download your own! Am I supposed to sing you a ditty?! If you have no business, get out!!”

The Night Guest reluctantly took off the headphones, thinking for a moment, then said, “You—”

“Smelled something strange, but couldn’t find it.”

The man in blue nodded, and asked again, “I—”

“If you want to listen, figure it out yourself.”

The swordsman seemed a bit stifled by this barrage of replies. He put his headphones back on and tried a few more tracks—none seemed to please him, judging by his expression—then finally said, “Come—”

“I’m busy. After I’m done, I’ll fight you!”

The Night Guest endured for a long moment before sighing, “Ah! So many years have passed, yet your temper has only worsened. Let’s meet again next time, Yan Qi.”

“Get lost, get lost, get lost.”

The man in blue ambled away, and Yan Qi, determined not to waste words on a fool, slammed the door shut before the visitor had even left the grounds.

·

Students fret over youth and romance; adults worry about the past and the larger picture. Everyone has their own troubles, and even the free-spirited Night Guest is bothered by how to load good music onto his player.

Is there truly anyone in this world without troubles?

Yes—at least, in this moment, there is. In a certain luxury apartment in the Dingyi District, someone without a care is lounging on a sofa.

“Glug, glug, glug, glug~ Ahh!”

Shi Yu Ling drained an entire can of beer in one go, set the empty on the table, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Currently active in Alice’s form, she wore a cool tank top and hot pants, watching the evening show on TV in a female college student’s home.

What about the pursuers from Zero Island? What are the authorities in Sky City planning? Where has that gray-haired psychic gone? Where should she go from here?

Who cares! Since things have come to this, she might as well curl up on the sofa and watch TV. Tonight’s show was rather entertaining!

…When a person has too many worries, all impossible to solve alone, it’s almost the same as having none at all. Traditionalists call this attitude optimism; the modern young call it “letting go.”

As the saying goes, the road will always appear before the mountain, and the boat will straighten itself at the bridge. Miss Shi Yu’s mindset was excellent at this moment.

Two weeks ago, her hastily devised plan was ruined by the sudden appearance of a Lawmaster of Creation. She fought with the intention of mutual destruction, only for Gongsun Ce to spare her. Not only was she rescued by a fellow she’d looked down upon, she was slashed a few times by a lunatic, and finally taken in by an ordinary student passing by. For someone of her pride, she could hardly imagine anything worse.

—How mortifying! It would have been better if someone had just finished her off.

So, half resigned and half defeated, Shi Yu Ling began a cohabitation life with the female college student. She paid rent with her savings, conscience clear, and the apartment was genuinely comfortable… aside from her roommate being a bit mentally off, everything else was quite fine.

“Those official experts really are patient.”

Shi Yu Ling muttered, watching the TV. At that moment, she heard the jingling of keys, and three seconds later, a blond woman in a top hat stepped through the door.

“I’m home, Alice dear~ You’re drinking beer again!”

“A bottle or two now and then doesn’t matter.” Shi Yu Ling crushed the can and tossed it in the trash. “Why so late today—hey, what’s that?!”

The blue-haired girl shrieked in horror.

Cardecia beamed and reached into her shopping bag, pulling out a black-and-white maid outfit with matching cute cat-ear headband.

She waggled the cat ears and declared loudly, “I brought you a gift~!”

Shi Yu Ling raised a sofa cushion as a shield, “No thanks, big sister, I don’t need this kind of gift! Keep it for yourself!!”

The mischievous blonde cackled and pounced, but Miss Shi Yu pointed to the other side of the sofa, “Sit.”

“Ah.”

Cardecia’s body froze, then she immediately turned and sat primly at the opposite end of the sofa.

The blue-haired girl’s commands weren’t finished—she grinned wickedly and pointed at her roommate’s head, “Put it on yourself.”

“No!”

“Oh, come now, since you bought it, you should be ready to wear it yourself.”

Under her roommate’s command, Cardecia wailed and donned the cat ears.

“Agh—! Alice’s powers are just too much!”

The blonde complained on the sofa, while Shi Yu Ling opened another beer.

“How many times have you been through this, and you still haven’t learned? I have no words left.”

Cardecia Spencer was an energetic, naïve university student. Like most locals, she had psychic abilities, but, like most, knew nothing of the Law of Impermanence… She had no idea of the true identity of the person she’d rescued.

As a kind-hearted civilian, she was precisely the sort of person Shi Yu Ling could easily build a sense of superiority over. She didn’t even need to formally use her Manifestation—she could control most of the girl’s actions.

If only she could maintain this good state of mind during a fight with a psychic, victory would surely be hers… She always felt bitter when she recalled this, but alas, one’s mindset isn’t something that can be changed at will.

Shi Yu Ling glanced sideways at her roommate.

“It’s been two weeks, and you really haven’t asked a single thing.”

The blonde girl hugged a sofa cushion and replied nonchalantly, “That’s the rule in this city~”

She added expectantly, “But if Alice dear wants to talk, I’ll listen! There’s never too many interesting stories!”

Shi Yu Ling shook her head, and the blonde flopped back onto the sofa in boredom.

The two watched TV in silence. The quiz show ended, and after three minutes of commercials, a tacky matchmaking program began. Shi Yu Ling picked up the remote, ready to change channels.

“Alice dear,” Cardecia said suddenly, watching the heavily made-up men and women in their thirties appear on screen, “have you ever been in love?”

Shi Yu Ling almost spat out her beer.

“W-why bring this up all of a sudden, romance talk?! No, no, big sister here may have plenty of experience, but I’m not interested in sharing with a little girl like you, besides, aren’t you a sworn singleton?”

The blonde, now wearing cat ears, gave her guest a strange look and discreetly edged twice towards the far end of the sofa.

“With that reaction… Could it be that, despite looking like a mature, strong woman, Alice dear is just as inexperienced as I am when it comes to romance…?”

Shi Yu Ling slammed her can on the table and shouted, flustered, “None of your business!”