"Of course. My word is my bond; I would never go back on a promise."
With that, the trio began their collaboration. Guinaifen summoned Diting, Baihong occasionally unleashed his inner energy to add flair, and Sushang took charge of providing props—all while being forced to play along.
At one point, a spark from one of Baihong’s sword strikes accidentally landed on the hem of Sushang’s garment. Terrified, she frantically scrambled to pat it out. Their spectacular performance drew praise and cheers from the passing crowds.
It just so happened that Yanqing was patrolling nearby. Seeing the bustling, crowded scene, he wandered over to take a look. As he watched Baihong’s nimble and elegant swordsmanship, his heart swelled with excitement. *Although I knew Baihong was no ordinary person, his sword skills are truly divine. What on earth has he been through? I’m so curious! I must ask Lady Fu Xuan to divine his future later. But if I could get him to join the Cloud Knights, I might see him every day, and I could learn swordsmanship from him naturally.*
With this thought, he immediately took action, walking up to the trio. "Baihong, so this is where you are!"
"Oh? Yanqing, the day is still early—have you finished your patrol duties already?" Baihong felt a twinge of guilt upon seeing him, as he had failed to meet at the designated spot and had instead ended up being found by Yanqing.
Yanqing smiled. "Haha, it's nothing. I just saw your skills—they’re quite impressive! Have you considered joining the Cloud Knights?"
Baihong scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Would you just let someone of unknown origin join the Cloud Knights? It sounds like a very formal organization."
Sushang spoke up. "Don't worry. The Xianzhou is a very inclusive place. Little Guizi—that’s Guinaifen—she’s an outworlder too, and my best friend. She makes a living as a street performer, or what she calls a 'net streamer.' She attracts viewers and gets tips through daily broadcasts, and sometimes she drags me along to suffer through it with her. As for me, although my skills are merely average, I’ve joined the Cloud Knights. I believe that one day, I will become a great Cloud Knight whose name goes down in history, so that future generations will remember that such a heroine existed on the Xianzhou!"
Guinaifen pouted. "Net streaming is a respectable profession! Sigh, Baihong, you’re so skilled. If you join the Cloud Knights, the General might hold you in high regard!"
Baihong was completely bewildered; he didn't recognize any of the terms Sushang had just used. What was a net streamer? What was a broadcast?
Yanqing said, "Sushang is right. Let me add: the Cloud Knights serve as the Xianzhou’s armed forces, managed directly by General Jing Yuan, with a Marshal above him. Our primary duty is to eradicate the abominations of the Abundance. These creatures possess long life but have mostly lost their sanity. They are synonyms for Destruction; we strike them down on sight. They have distinct features: deer-like bodies, powerful self-healing abilities, and dark markings covering their forms. If you ever encounter one, do not fight it alone—call for the Cloud Knights immediately." He looked at Baihong. "Whether you join or not is up to your own will. Although I haven’t asked the General, I’m sure he would agree."
Baihong considered this. Since he had no other options at the moment, the idea sounded good, so he nodded in agreement.
Yanqing laughed. "That’s fantastic! I’ll go report to the General and contact you later. By the way, do you have a phone?"
Baihong shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I do not possess this... 'phone' of which you speak."
"That’s fine. Sushang will take you to the Artisanship Commission later, and she can explain everything to you then."
"Ah! It’s rare to find someone these days who doesn't know what a phone is. And looking at your attire and your sword skills, you couldn't be a time-traveler from the ancient past, could you?" Guinaifen’s imagination ran wild.
Sushang thought Guinaifen’s reasoning actually held some water. It wouldn't be strange for an ancient person to possess martial arts, not recognize a phone, or be exceptionally polite. When she thought about it, an ancient person traveling to the Xianzhou by some twist of fate actually made a bit of sense.
Yanqing rubbed his forehead. "Can you two please distinguish between fantasy and reality? Watch fewer of those brainless time-travel novels." With that, he took his leave. Once he was gone, the crowd, seeing no more excitement to be had, scattered like birds and beasts.
Guinaifen propped her hands against her forehead. "It’s getting late. We’re done for the day—thanks again, you two! We had a great haul today." She put the Strale into a bag. "I’ll convert these Strale into Credits; it’s more convenient. You helped us, so I’ll give you half."
Baihong waved his hand, declining the offer. "Miss Guinaifen, please don't trouble yourself. It was merely a small effort."
Guinaifen put one hand on her hip. "Sigh, Baihong, don't decline. I may not understand the rules of the martial world, but I understand right from wrong. It is impolite not to return a kindness! You helped me, and I naturally cannot accept this with a clear conscience. Besides, we’ll be collaborating in the future. This is a matter of principle—I’m very clear on that! Most importantly, you and I are both outworlders; we must help each other out."
"Haha—very well, I shall yield to your kindness."
After packing up, Guinaifen picked up the phone from the corner, retracted the stand, and swiped across the screen. "Alright, I’ve finished editing the video. I’ll title it—" She cleared her throat twice—"'Shocking! The time I met an ancient hero while street performing.' What do you think?" She held the phone out to Sushang.
"Ah, typical of your style!" Sushang was beyond speechless.
Baihong blinked in surprise. "What mysterious mechanism is inside this little object? Why does it look like I’m seeing myself in there? It’s exactly the same as the scene from earlier."
"Ah? That’s very complicated to explain. It’s too difficult to explain this to an ancient person. This will have to be left to the professionals. You’ll just have to adapt slowly; we’re all used to it." Sushang shrugged helplessly. "I can only say it’s a tool for recording—it can capture events that have happened and allows for editing, meaning it can be modified according to one's own wishes. Not only that, phones have many functions: sending messages, making calls, watching videos, playing games, video calls, and so on. My mother told me there’s a chip inside that makes it work. You could say a phone is a modern person’s lifeline!"
"Good heavens? This little thing is that magical?" Baihong remained dazed for a long time.
*Heh, giving an ancient person a little technological shock!* For some reason, Sushang felt secretly pleased. "Baihong, come with me to the Artisanship Commission!"
"I am in your debt, Miss Sushang."
As Baihong followed Sushang out of the alley on their way to the Commission, she advised him, "Even though you’re from the past, I believe you’ll adapt to life here very quickly. Guinaifen, Yanqing, and I will all help you. Actually, if you become a Cloud Knight, you’ll be my colleague. Feel free to ask me anything in the future."
Baihong couldn't remember if he was truly an "ancient person," since he had lost his memories, so he asked, "Sushang, do you know the history of the Xianzhou? Or rather, what do you know about it?"
Sushang replied, "Well, the Xianzhou is a world unto itself. From the outside, it looks like a huge, drifting ship, but the Xianzhou utilizes advanced technology called 'spatial folding' that allows it to contain countless people. It’s very convenient. Also, my mother told me that the Xianzhou Alliance was originally composed of nine ships, but now only six remain. Besides the Luofu, there are the Yaoqing, the Zhuming, the Fanghu, the Xuling, and the Yuque. I come from the Yaoqing, and I’ve been assigned to the Luofu for training."
*No wonder,* Baihong thought. *It really is a miraculous giant ship, just as the name suggests.* It was a mysterious place, possessing not only such wonders but also these omnipotent little pieces of metal.
Upon arriving at the Artisanship Commission, Sushang explained the situation to the staff. An employee in uniform brought out a freshly minted phone, registered it, and handed it to Sushang.
Sushang gave him a brief explanation of how to use the device. "Haha, I never thought I’d be a teacher to someone one day! I’m so happy."
Then, she gave Baihong her, Yanqing’s, and Guinaifen’s contact information before heading off happily—she still had a patrol to finish!