Qingque placed both hands on Levi's shoulders, her eyes serious as she stared at him.
"Be honest, did you secretly take medicine just now to save me?"
In Luofu, where miracles were everywhere, there did exist certain pills that could temporarily boost one's strength.
But they all had one thing in common, when the effect wore off, the side effects that followed were far worse than those of ordinary elixirs.
Especially for a drug like the one Levi would have taken, one that brought such a huge surge in power.
The thought of its side effects made Qingque afraid to even imagine how severe they might be.
Her worried gaze turned toward Levi. "Don't talk. You must be in pain right now. I'll carry you to the Alchemy Division to find that little dragon girl."
"Lady Fu Xuan! I'll take Levi to the Alchemy Division for a check-up first, I'll be skipping the cleanup mission this time!"
After saying that, she grabbed one of Levi's arms, slung it over her shoulder, and began dragging him toward the Alchemy Division.
Fu Xuan's eyes flicked between the two, watching Qingque's struggling movements and Levi's barely-suppressed grin.
Then she spoke. "Qingque… I've already divined it. Your friend's body is fine. He doesn't need to go to the Alchemy Division."
Qingque froze mid-step and lifted her head to glance at Levi.
Seeing him trying hard not to laugh, and recalling Fu Xuan's words, she finally understood.
'So this guy didn't take any drug to become that strong.'
'He just recovered and is already this powerful?!'
'Is he from that planet? No wonder he's so amazing!'
After pausing to think, Qingque's eyes shifted slyly and she winked at Levi.
Levi caught on instantly.
He immediately dropped his head, pretending to look weak and sickly.
"Levi! Levi! How are you?! Hang in there! I'll take you to the Alchemy Division right now!" Qingque shouted "anxiously."
When it came to faking illness, Levi was a professional.
He'd been plagued by Honkai Disease for who knows how long, always looking frail and lifeless day and night.
His body had already developed muscle memory for it.
The moment he relaxed, his body naturally slipped into that weak, sickly posture.
From behind, he really did look like someone with one foot in the grave.
Of course, that illusion only worked from the back, his face, still full of color and vitality, gave him away instantly.
Fu Xuan, watching their little act, said coldly, "Qingque, are you doubting my divination?"
"Hahaha…" Qingque laughed awkwardly.
"How could I! I was just… worried about Levi, you know? Just to be safe, we should let the doctors at the Alchemy Division take a look."
Seeing how determined Qingque was to slack off, Fu Xuan gave her a look of deep disappointment and sighed.
"There's a saying in the Xianzhou Luofu, 'Beware of fire, thieves, and teammates.' Today, I deeply understand its meaning… Forget it. Qingque, you're excused from today's cleanup mission against the Abundance Aberrations."
"Yay!"
Fu Xuan's expression went blank as she stared at Qingque.
"Ahahaha, I mean, that's… not good?"
'Crap! Why did I just yell that out loud?!'
'Please don't change your mind, Lady Fu Xuan! I already planned how to squeeze every bit of Levi's credit points dry!'
Fu Xuan stared at her for a long time, until sweat was pouring down Qingque's forehead, soaking her clothes. Finally, she withdrew her gaze.
"Not good? I think it's wonderful, it saves the Divination Commission a diviner's salary."
Qingque froze. She had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Fu Xuan crossed her arms. "Qingque, your salary for this month…"
"Is gone!"
With that, Fu Xuan turned around without a trace of hesitation, leading the Cloud Knights to another area to continue purging the aberrations.
Originally, Fu Xuan had wanted to bring Qingque along, introduce her to the other departments, and after Fu Xuan herself moved on to become General of the Luofu, let Qingque inherit her position as High Diviner.
But now…
"Forget it!"
"Nooo! Lady Fu Xuan! Lady Fu Xuan, please don't!"
Qingque reached out desperately toward Fu Xuan's back, trying to get her to take it back.
Behind her, the "frail" Levi grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, walking back the way they came, toward Changletian.
"No point trying," Levi said. "Everyone in the Luofu knows, when the High Diviner of the Divination Commission speaks, her word is law. Especially when she says it in front of the Cloud Knights."
"If you want her to take it back, unless she gets possessed by demons, forget it."
"Then what do I do? Am I really gonna starve next month?"
Clinging to Levi's neck, Qingque groaned in despair.
Her current credits would only cover this month's expenses.
If the Divination Commission didn't pay her next month, she'd literally have to eat dirt to survive.
"Don't worry," Levi said with a smile. "Luofu's got plenty of trash bins. Dig through them, you'll last."
He smiled warmly as he said something absolutely horrifying.
"And if that doesn't work, you could always fight the cute little dogs for food. Want help? I can even look up their feeding spots for you, what they eat, what flavors they like, all of it."
"…Thanks so much," Qingque gritted out through her teeth.
'Dig through trash bins? That's just asking to get arrested by the Cloud Knights and end up eating government rations!'
'And fight animals for food? What, get bitten, land in the Alchemy Division's critical ward, and then rely on the Divination Commission's "humanitarian aid"?'
'No thanks!'
She, Qingque, was at least a known figure in the Luofu, doing something like that would be worse than death.
'Ugh, just kill me now!'
Hearing her grinding her teeth behind him, Levi smiled faintly.
"You're welcome. It's what friends do."
"You really think I was thanking you?!"
Qingque punched him in the back and fell silent again.
Just as Levi thought she'd gone full emo and was about to comfort her, Qingque suddenly shouted, "Alright! I've decided!"
"I'm going to make enough money for this month, next month, and the month after that, starting right now!"
'So this is what they call a gambling addict, huh?'
Levi had finally seen one in person.
If her luck suddenly turned, she'd probably end up eating dirt this month instead.
But clearly, Qingque hadn't thought that far.
Or maybe she had, but between starving this month and starving next month, she chose… never to starve again.
"What do you think of my plan?"
"It's… great?"
"Louder!"
Levi rolled his eyes. "Good luck."
———
When the two arrived, they didn't even have to wait, two open seats were waiting for them.
Qingque drew a tile, glanced at it, and smiled faintly.
"Today…"
"Won!"
Clack!
Qingque's words froze midair. She looked up at Levi sitting across from her.
Levi spread his hands. "My hands feel great today!"
That punch from the "Monkey God" must have opened up all his energy channels, every time he drew a tile, it was exactly what he wanted.
So his victory was pure luck, not skill.
Qingque handed over her credit points in pain, glaring at the smug Levi.
"Again!"
Failure was just temporary, now she'd win back next month's, the month after's, and even the month after that's meal money.
[Ding! -100 credit points!]
"Again!"
[Ding! -100 credit points!]
"Again! You're just lucky, that's all!"
[Ding!]
"Don't get cocky! I was one tile away! Again!"
[Ding ding ding ding ding…]
"Again, again, again, again, again!"
———
After a while, Levi looked toward the setting sun and asked, "Still want to play?"
By now, the players around them had changed several times, but the two of them hadn't moved, determined not to leave until one of them either lost or won everything.
"No more…"
Qingque slumped over the table, her eyes empty, staring at the shop across the street.
In just half a day, she had managed to lose not only this month's, but the next three months' living expenses.
Levi shrugged and collected the IOUs in front of him.
They had Qingque's handwriting, and even her fingerprint seal.
"I told you, 'A small bet is entertainment, a big bet ruins your life.'"
"Then give me back my credits and the IOUs."
Qingque held out her hand. Levi smiled sweetly. "No."
Smack!
Qingque's face hit the table again, her empty stare returning as she gazed blankly at the shop beside her.
'So hungry…'
Sniff sniff!
Qingque's nose twitched. "What smells so good?!"
Judging from the scent, it was nearby. She jerked her head up, and saw Levi sitting across from her, stuffing his mouth with freshly bought buns.
Grrr~
Her stomach growled. She swallowed hard and leaned forward, eyes full of hope. "Friend, you won so many of my credits, share a little with me~"
Levi gave her a sidelong glance. "What do you call me?"
Her lips twitched. "…M-Master, see, I'm calling you that, so please share some~"
"You've got so much, you can't eat it all anyway."
Levi licked his lips. "No."
"Then don't blame me! Heh heh heh!"
Qingque suddenly snatched the bun right from his hand and stuffed it straight into her mouth.
Levi's expression was blank as he watched her chipmunk cheeks bulge.
There were plenty of buns on the table, yet she had to grab the one he was eating.
How uncivilized.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Qingque started choking. Levi handed her a cup of "Happy Tea."
"Phew~ Saved!"
After setting the cup down, she immediately started wolfing down the rest again.
"Eat slower, no one's stealing from you. You'll choke again," Levi said.
And as soon as he finished speaking, Qingque froze mid-bite, then grabbed the tea again and gulped furiously.
"Phew~ Saved again!"
Watching her entire performance, Levi didn't even know how to react anymore.
"Take your time eating. I'm heading home. Message me online if you need something."
"Mmm-hmm-hmm!"
He grabbed two more buns and walked away, munching as he went.
Levi's home was not far, so he arrived quickly.
"Looks like General Jing Yuan really does keep his word."
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