[Their paths intersect at the courtyard, where he grinds to a halt upon noticing Nonon. He approaches, carrying a small plate of strawberry shortcake in front of him; it looks pretty good! He was practicing.]
There you are, young miss. With all that happened last week, I wasn't able to get this to you earlier.
[ He pauses in the middle of extending the plate. His lips turn down into a slight frown as he considers this. ]
If it does, you'll have to compensate me. Since this was asked of me in the previous week, though, it would be wrong to take anything that's of value to you.
[ His gaze drifts to their surroundings. This timing is quite bad! And then— ]
[ At the very least, is it a good-looking rock? Shang Qinghua doesn't say anything, so his silence will speak for him: a rock is fine. ]
Ah, it's what I am. In my world, I belong to a sect of those who cultivate their spiritual energy in order to thwart the demons that cross into our realm.
[ A rock like this isn't easy to find! Shang Qinghua is more than happy to exchange the plate of strawberry shortcake for this rock.
It does sound boring, doesn't it? ]
At my current stage, I would go into seclusion and meditate. Unfortunately, that's time I don't have these days . . . But it's important to cultivate correctly lest a cultivator enter qi deviation, which can result in bloodshed.
[ Clutching the rock gently in one hand and waving away the gruesome thought with his other hand, he smiles with a pinch in his brow. ]
That concern, however, is neither here nor there. You don't have to worry about that happening in this temple, young miss.
That's quite the drawback. Have you seen it happen?
[ It sounds like he has, but he could've just heard about it, too. ]
Me? [ Well, she doesn't technically have her own power, just the ability to utilize a certain kind of power. ] My uniform could transform into something more powerful, and I could fly with it.
[ For Nonon, that's both a good and a bad thing. Pay attention to clothes, Shang Qinghua, but also don't remember what her secret weapon looks like even though it's nerfed. ]
... Aliens are a foreign concept to you? Yeah, they settled on my planet a long time ago.
It sounds like a number of us come from worlds where aliens have settled. The closest thing my world has is the demon realm, but even that's just a separate dimension within the same plane of existence . . . These aliens, what do they look like?
Does that mean Newt and Hector's respective worlds were invaded by . . . clothes? ]
Um, their appearances and abilities vary. The nu yuan chan, for instance, is comprised of a thick growth of hair. Those strands are inserted into the pores to feast on human flesh, blood, and energy, leaving behind only skin and bones . . .
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Week 5 - Monday
There you are, young miss. With all that happened last week, I wasn't able to get this to you earlier.
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[ Her eyes home in on the prize. Her expression visibly brightens. ]
Last week really sucked, but— [ Wait. ] Does this count as a favor?
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If it does, you'll have to compensate me. Since this was asked of me in the previous week, though, it would be wrong to take anything that's of value to you.
[ His gaze drifts to their surroundings. This timing is quite bad! And then— ]
Anything from this courtyard will do.
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She stares at him blankly for as second. ]
Anything? You would be fine with a rock?
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Nothing in the world is insignificant. That includes a rock.
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That's quite the philosophy. It makes you sound enlightened.
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You could say that. As a cultivator, I've achieved a certain level of spiritual enlightenment.
Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to wait any longer for this cake. Are you really going to give me a rock?
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If you want something else, say so. But you keen on saying something about being a cultivator. What does that even mean?
[ She finds a rock and picks it up. ]
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Ah, it's what I am. In my world, I belong to a sect of those who cultivate their spiritual energy in order to thwart the demons that cross into our realm.
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Exchanging cake for rock is a go. ]
How do you cultivate your spiritual energy? That sounds kind of.... boring.
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It does sound boring, doesn't it? ]
At my current stage, I would go into seclusion and meditate. Unfortunately, that's time I don't have these days . . . But it's important to cultivate correctly lest a cultivator enter qi deviation, which can result in bloodshed.
[ Clutching the rock gently in one hand and waving away the gruesome thought with his other hand, he smiles with a pinch in his brow. ]
That concern, however, is neither here nor there. You don't have to worry about that happening in this temple, young miss.
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The bloodshed makes it interesting, though. ]
Because we're cut off from all our home powers. [ She gets it. ] But that would be some way to go. "I died because I didn't meditate enough."
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[ And that's part of the reason why they turn into hermits for this.
But now that she's mentioned home powers, he's curious. ]
Young miss, what sort of power did you have before coming here?
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[ It sounds like he has, but he could've just heard about it, too. ]
Me? [ Well, she doesn't technically have her own power, just the ability to utilize a certain kind of power. ] My uniform could transform into something more powerful, and I could fly with it.
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Your . . . uniform? I see. [ He looks at her clothes. ] Does it utilize a certain type of energy?
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Sort of, yeah. It's alien energy.
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I've heard that term before. Did foreigners from another world invade yours, too?
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... Aliens are a foreign concept to you? Yeah, they settled on my planet a long time ago.
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They look like clothes. They are clothes.
[ Yeah. ]
What are your demons like?
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Does that mean Newt and Hector's respective worlds were invaded by . . . clothes? ]
Um, their appearances and abilities vary. The nu yuan chan, for instance, is comprised of a thick growth of hair. Those strands are inserted into the pores to feast on human flesh, blood, and energy, leaving behind only skin and bones . . .
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Nonon scrunches her face up. ]
The end result sounds cool, but the method is disgusting.
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[ He sounds lost, as well as a little mournful as he continues. ]
The last time a demon like that surfaced, it came from the river. The corpses of the young disciples it released were certainly cold . . .
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She's just going to let him think that. ]
All corpses go cold eventually.
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I don't mean to keep you here. I'm sure you've been wanting that cake, so let's break from this topic.
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Thanks for the cake.
[ She will eat it with gusto. ]