The two equipment effects were equipped on Jingliu. To Jingliu herself, there was no noticeable change—her Frosty Blade still felt and looked exactly the same.
But to those around her, everything changed.
Especially Yanqing: when he saw the massive salted fish Jingliu was holding, which occasionally rolled its eyes, and even gave off a faint ocean scent, his expression turned grave.
And that was just the weapon. When he looked up and saw Jingliu's face, his heart suddenly began to race.
Cute. Incredibly cute.
At this moment, Jingliu looked like an innocent and pure-hearted young girl, her eyes sparkling with hope for the future.
Her appearance had changed with her heart. Where once there had been a faint madness in her expression, now there was none. In its place was a pure and youthful aura.
Jingliu herself didn't feel anything strange—what others saw was all filtered by the equipment's effect. So she was confused: why were so many people looking at her with… concern?
Come on, she was nearly two thousand years old. Why were these young people looking at her like she needed care?
"Is there something unusual?" she asked.
An ice mirror appeared in front of her, and through it, she saw her reflection—those ruby eyes now full of warmth and anticipation. They looked so adorable, so full of life.
"Are those… my eyes?"
Pei Guang answered from the side, "Obviously, yes. This equipment doesn't fabricate cute expressions out of nowhere—it enhances what's already there. Ahem… and yes, they're very cute.
Don't underestimate how helpful a cute expression can be. It helps restore your mental energy, boost your resistance, and even if you lose consciousness, the effect will prevent you from attacking others or becoming a target yourself."
This effect was absurdly strong—so much so that Pei Guang planned to make a full set to keep in reserve. Unfortunately, the crafting cost was sky-high. He had burned through most of his stockpile of basic effects just to make one with such ridiculous attribute bonuses.
Still, now that he'd unlocked the recipe, crafting more wouldn't be too difficult in the future.
Jingliu wasn't paying much attention to Pei Guang's explanation. She just kept staring at her reflection in the ice. It was her face, yes, but this innocent, adorable expression… she hadn't seen it since she was very, very young.
What would she have become if there had been no Abomination of Abundance, no sinner? Would she have made friends like them? Lived like a normal person, died a normal death, and been remembered for a while before fading into history?
Instinctively, Jingliu raised her hand and touched her own cheek. She blinked and smiled—a smile she hadn't shown in ages.
\(≧∇≦)/
Seeing her own cute face reflected in the ice… it made Jingliu feel like her heart was melting.
And she wasn't the only one who thought so. Yanqing, who had been secretly observing her the whole time, felt his heart race.
"So cute… wait, no! I shouldn't be thinking that!"
Even though he tried his best to stop himself from having such thoughts, Yanqing couldn't help it. He glanced sideways at her again—and just then, Jingliu looked right at him.
(≥▽≤)
It was an expression no normal person could make, something straight out of a 2D anime. Normally, such an expression would feel out of place in the real world. But when Yanqing saw it on her, it didn't feel weird at all.
In fact, it was adorable.
"So cute~"
In that moment, Yanqing felt completely healed, down to his soul. And Jingliu too—she could feel a deep comfort welling up from the core of her being.
Seeing Yanqing's reaction, Jingliu finally understood just how lethal her current appearance was to ordinary people. After thinking for a moment, she quietly put her blindfold back on.
This time, it wasn't to avoid familiar sights that might trigger her Mara—this time, it was to prevent people like Yanqing, who had low resistance, from being affected by her "cute" appearance.
She didn't actually mind making cute expressions. She was a practical person: if it helped resist the Mara, then who cared about looking cute? As long as it let her cut down Abominations of Abundance, everything else was irrelevant.
Besides, the cuteness was mostly in the eyes—if she covered them, ninety percent of the effect would be neutralized, and outsiders wouldn't find anything odd.
Feeling the power that now let her resist the erosion, Jingliu looked to Pei Guang.
"Thank you for your help. I can feel the change in both body and spirit. It's been so many years… this is the first time I've felt this light. You've completed your task. From now on, should you need me—so long as I am free—I will be your sword, cutting down any enemy I am capable of defeating. And… thank you..."
After nearly a thousand years of torment, Jingliu understood just how significant this help was. Gaining the power to resist the curse of the Plagues Author… that alone meant everything.
It meant her mind could be freed. It meant she could personally fulfill long-held regrets. She no longer had to rely on hatred just to maintain her existence. Compared to that, what did it matter if she made some cute expressions?
Jingliu wasn't a fool: she could tell there was more going on beneath the surface of Pei Guang's actions, even if the Xianzhou Luofu or the Alliance themselves couldn't.
He had helped her, and maybe, in the future… they would stand on the same side.
Hearing her words, Pei Guang nodded. "Mission complete, then~ Sis, if you ever need something, just find me, alright? As long as I can do it, I'll take on any quest."
Jingliu: "I'll remember that."
After a brief exchange, she turned to Dan Heng. "Didn't expect all this to happen here. We don't have much time left today—let's head straight to the Scalegorge Waterscape."
Her original plan had been to wander around with Dan Heng, reminisce about the past, and eventually go find Bailu at the Alchemy Commission to see how she was doing.
But just by looking at Bailu happily bouncing around with the Cloud Knights, she could tell—Bailu was living a joyful and peaceful life. Especially after learning that she'd come to see her, Jingliu had finally let go of some lingering obsessions.