Known as the Luofu's number one fist, Master Bailu—guess how much she earns in a day?
Even with an endless stream of apprentices coming to learn from her fame, even working over 300 days a year, and even with a holiday schedule akin to that of some high school students, Bailu's daily wage is a mere 100-something credits.
According to her indentured contract, the commission for recruiting apprentices is only 30 credits, and her fixed daily wage is just 100 credits.
Still, Bailu holds onto hope for her life. If she could earn 150 credits a day, that'd be 15,000 credits a month—a promising step toward her goal of saving a million credits. Though, for some reason, after all these years, she still hasn't reached that goal.
Hearing Stelle's offer of 8,000 credits, Bailu immediately patted her chest. "Stelle, don't worry! We're tight like that! Your business is my business. My title as 'Luofu's number one fist' isn't just for show. Watch this!"
With that, Bailu's demeanor shifted instantly, exuding the air of a transcendent master. She strode toward the center of the battlefield, hands clasped behind her back, and declared, "Who dares to make a ruckus in my Vidyadhara holy land?!"
Boom—
As her words fell, the waters around Scalegorge Waterscape roared as if struck by thunder. Majestic water tornadoes soared into the sky, taking the form of nine dragons, towering above the Dragonvista Rain Hall, glaring menacingly.
Stelle: …Talk about a dramatic shift.
"Cloudhymn Art, dragon horns, dragon tail…" Blade noticed the tall girl who had suddenly joined the fray. He squinted, studying her for a while. "…Another Imbibitor Lunae? Has Imbibitor Lunae started experimenting with cloning to solve the Vidyadhara's infertility issue? But what's with this Imbibitor Lunae's pecs? Heh, I get it—must've fallen off from not training for too long. You're done, Imbibitor Lunae, you're done…"
Blade rambled on, his aura seething with malice. With a sudden burst, he charged at Bailu, sword raised to strike!
Seeing this, Stelle, watching from the side, couldn't help but worry for Bailu. Blade's frenzied, reckless fighting style was something even those stronger than him had to avoid. Bailu's Cloudhymn Art was impressive, but could she really handle being rushed like that?
Facing the ferocious strike, Bailu stood her ground, neither dodging nor retreating. In the instant Blade attacked, her hand shot out like lightning, striking precisely at his elbow joint—
Clang—
Blade felt his arm go numb in an instant, his Fractured Sword clattering to the ground. In the next moment, Bailu landed an elbow to his side and followed with a palm strike to his jaw. With a fluid combo, she brought down Blade, who had been relentlessly pursuing Dan Heng and March 7th, flat onto the ground.
Boom—
Bailu leisurely stepped back, exiting the attack range just as the sky's water dragons roared down, completely engulfing Blade's figure.
Bailu's inner thoughts: Perfect! No, I can't laugh yet. I need to maintain my image in front of others…
March 7th and Dan Heng exchanged a glance. It was their first time seeing Bailu, and they didn't know the identity of this lavender-haired, mature-looking woman. But judging by her displayed strength, she was clearly a transcendent master.
March 7th's inner thoughts: If only she could always be like this. How did Stelle manage to connect with someone this powerful?
Dan Heng's inner thoughts: This scale of Cloudhymn Art… is she the one who inherited the other half of my past life's power?
Bailu stood with her hands behind her back, facing away from March 7th and Dan Heng. But toward Stelle, she frantically blinked: See that? See that? Your girl's skills aren't just talk, right? Pay up, pay up! Hurry and pay up!
"Netherworld—"
But at that moment, a low growl emerged from the misty white water vapor.
As Stelle started to step forward, she saw a blood-red aura faintly glowing through the mist behind Bailu. Her heart skipped a beat, her face turning pale. She ran toward Bailu, shouting, "Bailu! Watch out, he's going for a follow-up attack!"
Bailu: "Hm?"
"—Burial!"
A crimson sword energy erupted, aiming straight for Bailu's neck. At the most critical moment, Stelle tackled Bailu to the ground, narrowly dodging the sword energy.
Bang—
The two crashed heavily to the ground. Though Stelle was on top, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her, making her wince.
Plop.
A strand of gray hair floated down with the wind, accompanied by blood droplets from Stelle's shoulder.
"Stelle!"
Seeing this, March 7th was genuinely furious. Her face icy, she charged back into the fray alongside Dan Heng. But as time passed, they found Blade increasingly difficult to handle—this guy seemed practically unkillable.
"S-Stelle, you're bleeding…" Bailu was freaked out. She instinctively reached to cover Stelle's wound but hesitated, afraid of hurting her further. For a moment, her mind went blank, and she didn't know what to do.
"My gosh, I'm bleeding," Stelle said, swallowing hard. Though her voice trembled slightly, she kept her usual casual tone. "How about you carry me away? Be gentle, though—I'm scared of pain."
"D-Don't move! I'll get you to safety right now, then go beat him!" Bailu's clear eyes misted over. She carefully lifted Stelle onto her back and headed away from the battlefield.
…
At the same time, three more figures set foot on Scalegorge Waterscape's land: Jing Yuan, Qingque, and Boothill, who had politely disembarked.
"That's a danger zone up ahead. You should head back to the ship," Qingque said, noticing Boothill following them and assuming he was some auxiliary Cloud Knight personnel, offering a kind reminder.
"Heh, General Qingque, thank you for your kindness, but my companion is here as well. Please forgive my presumption in joining you," Boothill said, glancing over with a gentle voice.
"…? A Stellaron Hunter?"
Upon seeing his refined, courteous face, Qingque exclaimed in surprise, "The one called the most polite among the Stellaron Hunters, always acting with 'justice' and 'beauty,' with a bounty far lower than the others…"
"What's your purpose here?"
As someone familiar with the cosmos's notorious figures, Qingque stepped forward unflinchingly. "Given your decent reputation, if you leave now, I won't pursue you."
Boothill shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, General, this involves one of my companions. Please allow me to…"
"No way," Qingque cut him off firmly. "If you don't leave, I'll make you leave."
"…Qingque, he's a guest. No need to be so harsh."
As the tension thickened, Jing Yuan stepped forward, patting Qingque's shoulder with a smile. "After all, when it comes to fighting external enemies, even the Stellaron Hunters have helped us out quite a bit."