The King of Black Fog

They looked at each other.

It was very secluded here, but precisely because it was secluded, there was a sensation of being spied upon. Li Changzhou even thought the banana leaves outside the corridor were alive, watching the two of them.

The light wasn't very abundant, dimly lit just right, hazy and indistinct.

Yang Qinglan wore wide-sleeved jackets and black floral gauze skirts, just like the advertisements from 1928, a bit like a female student from that era.

The short jacket sleeves revealed her fair little arms, and the collar wasn't high, exposing the swan-like neck of a fairy, with her pitch-black hair still coiled behind her head, held in place by the Emerald Bee Sword.

Plain yet beautiful, elegant, and ethereal.

Yang Qinglan was also sizing him up. The suit hadn't changed much compared to those a hundred years later, but Li Changzhou rarely wore suits.

She laughed first, an intimate smile, endearing.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Changzhou laughed too.

"Imitating a human, but looking like a dog." She nodded, smiling as she appraised his outfit.

Li Changzhou was overjoyed, "Do you agree to let me be your skirt-following dog then?"

"...Seeing me seems to excite you a lot."

"Aren't you excited to see me?"

"Not excited." Yang Qinglan smiled, denying it.

"Then why are you always smiling? You even used the idiom 'imitating a human, but looking like a dog,' which you never would've said before."

"Silly, it's because you're imitating a human, but looking like a dog that I laugh."

"Alright, alright," Li Changzhou said, "I've missed you like crazy, and all I get in return is being called 'silly'? My tears are about to come out."

"Really?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"Fake. I never cry. I want to be a strong man."

"Stop it," Yang Qinglan said, "Call Qian Xia over."

Li Changzhou watched her for a while longer, wanting to ask if he could hold her.

Now, like a virgin holding a girlfriend for the first time, even such a normal act made him react. Just being apart for two days, he couldn't bear it in his heart.

But in the end, he didn't ask.

He stowed his cane in his backpack.

The two of them waited quietly for Li Qianxia's arrival.

Yang Qinglan stood with her hands behind her back, looking down and kicking her shoe tips. They were a pair of narrow black velvet flats.

Li Changzhou leaned back against the pillar of the corridor, watching her, reminded of the vision of her bare feet dangling sandals on her toes—a scene from a hundred years in the future during summer.

"Haven't had enough of looking?" She asked with a smile as she raised her head.

Li Changzhou wanted to say he hadn't had enough, but what came out was, "I missed you a lot."

Yang Qinglan smiled silently and responded, "I missed you too."

"Really?" Li Changzhou expressed his doubt, "How much?"

"It feels like three autumns have passed in a single day without you."

"That's nothing compared to me. I feel like three years have passed in a single day, a full six years without seeing you!"

Li Changzhou questioned again, "Are you just missing me, or are you missing both me and your sister?"

"I saw Qian Xia just yesterday; why would I miss her?" Yang Qinglan twirled a strand of hair by her ear nonchalantly.

"That's why you don't miss her," Li Changzhou felt disheartened, his body seeming to collapse.

"..."

This time Yang Qinglan truly halted, feeling there wasn't much to talk to Li Changzhou about for the moment—direct words would only come when their relationship progressed further.

But seeing Li Changzhou again after two days gave her a sense of warmth, like riding alone on the train at night and seeing the distant village lights.

In the space of a few sentences, an owl descended from the night sky.

"Are you two having a secret affair? Hiding so well! How am I supposed to find you!" Snowy Owl landed on Li Changzhou's shoulder, voicing her complaints the moment she arrived.

Li Changzhou wanted to say something, but Yang Qinglan spoke first, "Let's wrap up the reminiscing, time is precious."

"Changzhou." She focused her gaze on Li Changzhou alone.

"Hmm?"

"Now that you have identity and status, you can think about opening pawnshops and banks. While you may not need to open a herbal shop, you need to keep an eye on such things."

"Pawnshops, herbal stores I can understand, but what do I need a bank for? I already have enough money, and I can't take any more back with me," Li Changzhou was puzzled.

This was the limitation of poverty, just like when he wanted to print a photograph on his business card at first.

"Banks offer services to safeguard valuable items," Yang Qinglan explained softly, "although there's a low chance, it's still possible to come across unexpectedly good items."

"Isn't that a deposit? Taking customers' items, wouldn't it be theft?" Li Qianxia was confused, and the owl cocked its head.

"It is theft," Yang Qinglan nodded, "that's the second thing I wanted to discuss."

She sensed the surroundings, confirming no one was approaching, then continued, "In the future, when we act, we shouldn't care too much about those around us. This place might be real, or it might be fake, but either way, it won't affect the actual history. Just go for it."

Contrary to what Li Changzhou thought, because it wouldn't affect the actual history, he didn't want to do anything.

All he wanted was to complete the task and, incidentally, collect various Visualization Techniques.

"Completing tasks can certainly increase your ability," Yang Qinglan went on, "but adopting identities different from the past, doing things you definitely wouldn't and couldn't have done before can also increase your ability."

Li Changzhou and Li Qianxia contemplated this thoughtfully.

Yang Qinglan paused for a moment as if intentionally giving the two some time to think.

"While doing my best to complete the tasks, I plan to seriously learn singing opera and perform on stage at least once before the task is accomplished, to experience the life of an actress," she said.

Her eyes flashed, and turning to Li Changzhou, she added, "In Sun Xiaoyun's troupe, all the actresses play every role, including the male ones."

"Hmm, I'm aware," Li Changzhou nodded.

"Bro, your smile is so creepy."

"Did I smile?" Li Changzhou's lips formed a "straight" line.

Yang Qinglan laughed. She said, "Changzhou, you can use your identity as a young master to try to consolidate a city. Just go ahead and do it, without worrying about the outcome of success or failure. There is no such thing as success or failure here."