The next day, Li Luo realized that someone had glued his eyelids shut.
Ah, no, it was just that they were extremely heavy. He opened them and stared at the familiar ceiling above his bed. His tongue had been cut.
Ah, no, it was just cleaved to the roof of his mouth. He pried it off and groaned. His throat was dry as a desert, and his head was throbbing with a marvelous hangover.
Memories of the previous night came flooding back to him.
An unrestrained celebration, a mad run straight into drunkenness.
How on earth had he made it back?
He did the hardest sit-up of his life, and was shocked to see himself in his usual pajamas. His body looked thoroughly clean, and his clothes even had a nice fragrance lingering on them.
After scrambling up to his feet, he washed up and changed into clean working clothes. As his resonant power healing started to kick in, the throbbing in his head subsided.
His mind was clearing as well.
He pushed the door open.
He immediately spotted Xin Fu, bent over a canvas and drawing furiously. Li Luo hesitated, then he decided to ask, “Who changed my clothes yesterday?”
Xin Fu barely spared him a glance. “That depends if you’re talking about outer wear or underwear.”
“Huh????”
“At first it was Lu Qing’er who helped you take off your outer clothes,” Xin Fu said patiently, still drawing as though he had all the time in the world. “But later, she was chased out by Senior Jiang, and then everything else was her.
“She helped you clean your body and get you into pajamas. Oh, she also spent the night here, in Mengmeng’s room.”
Li Luo was extremely confused. He felt very touched but also very… touched all over. She had seen everything and touched everything?!
That sucked! She had taken advantage of him!
Xin Fu looked up at his confused expression. “Leader, best keep such things to yourself,” he advised. “If you tell anyone else, I’m afraid you’ll be beaten to death before the day is over.”
Li Luo stared at him loftily. “What’s wrong with a fiancee cleaning her fiance’s body?”
And then he whirled around haughtily and headed down the stairs.
Xin Fu noted the spring in Li Luo’s step as he headed down the stairs. “Tsk, lying man.” The first thing Li Luo saw in the hall was Jiang Qing’e sitting near the window. She was not in her customary light armor and battle skirt. Today she was in a form-fitting blouse and trousers that softened her entire look.
The morning sun streaming in wreathed her curvy figure in long shadows and bathed her in a mellow, golden hue. She was a stirring sight.
Li Luo was about to greet her when he spotted another person. This one was in black, and she had a dry but cla.s.sy manner about her. Mentor Chi Chan.
The two were sitting opposite each other at the table, steam rising in small wisps from their cups of hot tea.
Hearing his footsteps, they turned to him as one.
Li Luo smiled at them, then sat down at the table. “Good morning, both of you.”
“Your heroics yesterday even had Dean Ling’s attention.” Chi Chan laughed.
“And so she’s declared that she’s dying to have me enroll in Resonance Artificers Hall?”
Chi Chan’s smile faded away. “Still drunk? Is your ego inflated with booze or something?”
“You mean I still can’t compete with Sister Qing’e’s ninth-grade light resonance?” he asked forlornly.
Chi Chan shook her head. “Looks like it’s not just your ego inflated with booze. Your whole brain is slos.h.i.+ng with swill too, apparently. A true ninth-grade light resonance is far more terrifying than you can imagine.”
Li Luo’s face fell. “d.a.m.n, Mentor. Did you have to crush your student’s spirit so early in the day? Am I your student, or is the plump swan?!”
Jiang Qing’e was smiling quietly to herself as she beckoned towards the kitchen. Bai Mengmeng came bustling out with a piping hot cup.
“Leader, this is hangover soup. Have some, it will make you feel better,” Bai Mengmeng said pleasantly.
Jiang Qing’e reached out for it. “Thanks, Mengmeng,” she said with a smile.
Li Luo quickly added his thanks as well.
While Li Luo was nursing his hangover cure, Chi Chan changed the topic. “As for your Umbra Cave reward, the Gilded Palace has agreed to give you 100,000 school points as a reward.”
Although he had already heard the news from the First Princess, Li Luo still whooped. He was on the verge of smiling, then he stopped himself instinctively. Some remnant trauma from the grinning demon.
“Thank you, Mentor. I’m sure you fought hard for me to get it,” he said gratefully.
“I’ll take those thanks because I did indeed fight hard for you. Shen Jinxiao was particularly vehement in his objections. He said that the reward was excessive, that it would set a dangerous precedent in the future.”
“That old dog, I’ll beat him to death sooner or later!” Li Luo cursed.
Chi Chan pretended not to hear that. She reached into her clothing and pulled out a black crystal card. “The points are all inside. Take it.”
Li Luo reached out eagerly and carefully. 100,000 points. If not for the Umbra Cave, he would have taken forever to earn such a sum.
Plus, he had earned this himself, completely without Jiang Qing’e’s help. That was the best outcome. After all, Jiang Qing’e was going to challenge the Seven Astral Pillars at the end of the year. She would need all the resources she could get too.
Jiang Qing’e was smiling widely as well. She was in a good mood. After all, Li Luo’s hollow foundation was one of her biggest worries. With these 100,000 points, he would have enough Royal Sap to solve that problem.
One big problem off the table.
Chi Chan chatted briefly with the pair, then she took her leave.
Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e tidied up, then they said bye to Bai Mengmeng before heading out to the Bank of Points together.
The two walked along a leafy boulevard, dappled light paving the way under their feet.
Jiang Qing’e had her hands in her pockets, taking leggy, casual strides forward.
Along the way, many turned to watch them.
“Ahem.
“I heard you changed my clothes last night?
“How could you? If you didn’t get my permission, you’re violating my modesty, you know?”
Jiang Qing’e stretched lazily, yawning as she walked on. “Your modesty is an imaginary creature. People hear of it, but no one’s actually seen it before. My sword, on the other hand, is a very real thing. Want to see?”
Li Luo trembled.
Jiang Qing’e c.o.c.ked her head and stared at him from head to toe with a slight smile.
“Besides…
“There’s nothing on that body I haven’t seen when we were young. What is there to hide?”
Li Luo burned with embarra.s.sment. “Jiang Qing’e, you’re a real slimeball!”