Chapter 319: Complete Strangers

Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Complete Strangers

Just a few streets away, in front of a sugar painting stall located in the bustling area of Exalting Sanctum.

A young girl wearing simple yet elegant white and blue modified clothing, her long brown hair tied in a neat ponytail at the back of her head, with clear brown eyes and an ancient, sheathed longsword at her waist, was slightly open-mouthed, watching curiously as the stall owner used syrup to paint a lifelike phoenix.

Li Sushang.

On the orders of Madam Herta, she had temporarily left the Elysian Realm to "travel and gain experience" on the Xianzhou Luofu.

Her Grand Master was originally worried, but Madam Herta said that a guide on the Xianzhou Luofu had already been arranged to take care of her, and since the work of the Golden Descendants in the Paradise truly required Fu Hua’s full attention, she had reluctantly agreed.

She felt curious about everything here.

The towering pavilions, the weaving starships, the various snacks she had never seen before, people’s bizarre costumes...

Everything was vastly different from the world she knew.

"Young lady, would you like a sugar painting? I can draw whatever style you like!" the stall owner greeted enthusiastically.

Just as Li Sushang was about to ask for the price, suddenly, a warm hand reached out from the side and grabbed her wrist!

"Shang Shang! I finally found you! Where did you run off to in the blink of an eye? Didn’t we agree to meet at the entrance after I finished buying skewers!"

A vibrant, slightly reproachful female voice rang out.

Li Sushang turned her head in surprise and saw a girl with orange hair tied in a side ponytail, a bright smile, and street-style clothing, holding her hand with an expression that said, "I’ve finally caught you."

In her other hand, the girl was holding several glistening, fragrant skewers.

Guinaifen.

"Uh... young lady," Li Sushang said, feeling somewhat bewildered, trying to gently pull her hand back while maintaining a polite tone. "I think you have the wrong person. I am Li Sushang, and we... seem to be complete strangers."

"Complete strangers?"

Guinaifen blinked her large eyes, leaned in closer, and carefully looked Li Sushang up and down, especially at her face. "Shang Shang, what kind of joke is this? We just finished the live stream ’Challenge to Drink Ten Bowls of soda douzhier in One Go’ this morning, have you forgotten? Although you ran off to throw up three times midway..."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh herself.

But as she laughed, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Her gaze slowly moved down from Li Sushang’s face and finally stopped at a certain spot.

"Wait..."

The smile on Guinaifen’s face was gradually replaced by surprise. She let go of Li Sushang’s wrist, gestured at her own chest, then pointed at Li Sushang’s, her eyes wide. "Shang Shang... you, how did you... suddenly ’grow up’ so much?! It wasn’t like this when we met this morning! What secret elixir did you secretly eat?! Tell me quickly! Is it a secret recipe from your hometown, Sushang?! We are good sisters, you can’t keep such good things to yourself!"

Li Sushang: "..."

She looked down at herself following Guinaifen’s gaze, then looked up at the other girl’s bright, inquisitive eyes, and her mouth couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

(Grow, grow up? Does she mean...)

(What is this girl talking about!)

(Also, the ’Shang Shang’ she mentioned... could it be someone in this world who looks similar to me, or even has the same name?)

Li Sushang felt a wave of confusion.

She tried to explain: "Young lady, you really have the wrong person. I am not the ’Shang Shang’ you know. I am... a traveler from a foreign land, having just arrived at the Xianzhou Luofu today, and this is my first meeting with you."

"First meeting? A traveler from a foreign land?"

Guinaifen tilted her head with an expression that said, "As if I believe you." She circled around Li Sushang, her gaze lingering on the sword at her waist for a moment. "And carrying a sword? Is your roleplay that immersive? Even your speech has become so archaic? Shang Shang, although you have always wanted to build a ’heroine persona,’ this is trying too hard! However..."

She looked again at Li Sushang’s posture, which was noticeably more upright and vigorous than the friend in her memory, and at the ancient sword that clearly didn’t look like a prop. Her confusion deepened. "Your temperament... seems to be a bit different? And this sword, it looks quite real... Which antique stall did you get this from?"

Li Sushang felt a sense of helplessness.

This girl’s enthusiasm and preconceived notions made it especially difficult for her to explain.

"This sword is not a toy, it was passed down by my master’s sect."

She helplessly patted the hilt of the sword. "Young lady, it is not impossible for people in the world to look alike. Perhaps the ’Shang Shang’ you know just happens to look similar to me. But I am definitely not her."

Guinaifen stroked her chin, looking at Li Sushang’s serious face, then thinking of her own lively, bouncy, and occasionally goofy friend, she finally began to waver.

"Really... not Shang Shang?"

She asked tentatively, "Then why do you look so much like her? It’s like you were carved from the same mold... Well, except for this part that ’grew up,’ and the temperament has changed a bit..."

"I do not know," Li Sushang answered honestly. "Perhaps it is a coincidence."

"A coincidence..."

Guinaifen scratched her head, then suddenly clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up again. "Never mind! Even if you aren’t the Shang Shang I know, it’s fate that we look so much alike! My name is Guinaifen, I’m also an outsider, and I work part-time as a street performer and streamer! Meeting is fate, and since you look like you’re new here, do you want me to show you around? I know all the delicious and fun places on the Xianzhou Luofu! And..."

She leaned in closer, lowered her voice, and winked mischievously. "I’m still very curious about how you suddenly grew up~ Maybe it could be a hit topic for my next stream! ’The Secret of the Mysterious Heroine’s Overnight Growth’!"

Looking at the overly enthusiastic, quirky orange-haired girl in front of her, Li Sushang didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Refusing seemed impolite, and she was indeed unfamiliar with the Xianzhou Luofu.

The "guide" Madam Herta spoke of hadn’t appeared yet...

She hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and cupped her hands. "Then... I will have to trouble you, Miss Gui. I am Li Sushang, having just arrived in this precious place, please treat me well."

"No trouble at all!"

Guinaifen laughed happily and naturally stuffed a skewer into Li Sushang’s hand. "Come, try this first! Let’s eat while we walk! By the way, where are you from? This outfit is quite special..."

Baiheng stood by a relatively quiet covered bridge in Exalting Sanctum, somewhat absent-mindedly organizing the information on the Jade Abacus in her hand.

Following her master’s instructions, she had come to meet a young girl who had arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu to see the world via a "special channel." She was said to be surnamed Li, named Sushang, and in any case, needed to be properly settled.

(Brown hair, brown eyes, height about five feet (150cm), clean temperament, perhaps a bit... airheaded?)

Baiheng recalled the basic characteristics provided by the System and searched through the passing crowd.

This description wasn’t particularly unique; the Xianzhou Luofu had billions of inhabitants, and there were at least eight hundred girls like that, if not a thousand.

Just as she was looking around, a figure turned out from a pastry shop nearby and almost bumped right into her.

"Oops, sorry!" the girl apologized quickly and looked up.

Their eyes met.

Baiheng was stunned.

------------------------

I’ve posted 70+ Chapters in advance on Patreon.

Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.

It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?

[email protected]/SolyuraMT

"And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"