Honkai Star Rail: I Started as the Great Iron Tomb

Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Playing with Fire

"No matter."

Jingliu’s voice remained steady, yet it had grown a few degrees colder than before. "I am merely curious, how did the two of you meet? Miss Cipher is not a local of Xianzhou Luofu, after all."

"Well, about that~"

Cipher blinked her blue eyes, then suddenly reached out, picking up a pale green tea cake shaped like a lotus flower from the delicate tray of refreshments on the table.

Instead of eating it herself, she turned her wrist with practiced ease and held the tea cake to Baiheng’s lips.

"Ah-Bai, say ’ah’—" she said with a beaming smile, her voice cloyingly sweet. "Try this, it looks delicious!"

Baiheng: "!!!"

She froze completely.

Her eyes behind her sunglasses widened, staring at the tea cake that was practically poking her lips, then looking at Cipher’s blue eyes which were full of "mischief" and "play along with me," and finally feeling the sudden drop in air pressure from the direction of Jingliu opposite her...

(Cipher! You are playing with fire!!!)

Baiheng was screaming internally, but she had to maintain her smile on the outside.

She forced her mouth open, took a quick bite of the tea cake from Cipher’s hand, and immediately turned her head away, mumbling, "Mmm... the taste is acceptable. Miss Cipher, you should have some yourself."

This "forced" act of eating quickly and immediately distancing herself appeared, in Jingliu’s "eyes," more like shyness (?) and a reluctance to be too intimate.

Cipher, satisfied, withdrew her hand. She naturally ate the remainder of the tea cake that Baiheng had bitten, licked her fingertips, and flashed an innocent smile in Jingliu’s direction.

"How did we meet, you ask~"

After finishing the pastry, Cipher leisurely answered Jingliu’s previous question. "It was just a very ordinary meeting! I was strolling down the street, saw Ah-Bai setting up a stall selling some novel little trinkets, found it interesting, and went up to talk to her! We hit it off more and more as we chatted, and Ah-Bai even invited me to visit her small courtyard! And then we became good friends!"

With every sentence she spoke, she leaned a little closer to Baiheng, until eventually, half her body was practically resting against Baiheng, and her Tail "accidentally" brushed against the back of Baiheng’s hand.

Baiheng: "..."

(I did not! That’s not true! Don’t spout nonsense! You were the one who stuck to me like taffy!)

She felt her smile cracking.

Especially since she could clearly feel the chill radiating from Jingliu opposite her, which was on the verge of freezing into frost.

Jingliu did not speak.

She simply watched the two of them, almost snuggled against each other, listening to Cipher’s words—which seemed innocent but were actually emphasizing her intimate relationship with "Bai Xing" in every sentence—and sensing the reaction from "Bai Xing," who was trying to mask her discomfort but still revealed a hint of unnaturalness and tension.

(Coercion... it must be coercion.)

(This Cipher must have seized some leverage over Bai Xing, or used some devious means, to make Bai Xing so... tolerant of her, even cooperating with her in such affectionate displays.)

(And Bai Xing... perhaps she is protecting something, or perhaps she is helpless, forced to play along with this dangerous cat demon.)

The cold anger in Jingliu’s heart gradually began to burn.

It was not because of some unclear, indescribable personal emotion, but because of the Bai Xing before her—a suspected old friend who was trapped in "danger" without realizing it.

She set down her teacup, the porcelain making a light but clear "clack" against the wooden tabletop.

"I see."

Jingliu’s voice was devoid of emotion. "It seems the two of you share a deep bond."

She paused, then suddenly turned to Baiheng, her tone softening slightly, yet carrying an unquestionable concern: "Miss Baiheng, if you encounter any difficulties here in Xianzhou Luofu, or have any matters that are inconvenient to speak of... you may tell me. Although I have stepped down as Sword Master, I still have some small influence in Xianzhou Luofu."

This statement was practically a self-exposure.

Baiheng’s heart skipped a beat.

What is Jingliu doing...?

She hurriedly waved her hands, her smile becoming even more strained. "Lord Jingliu, you are too kind! I am doing perfectly well and have no difficulties. Miss Cipher... she just has a lively personality, she likes to play around, there is no malice."

The more she explained, the more it sounded to Jingliu like the cover-up of someone "being coerced" who dared not speak out.

Cipher, however, seemed to completely miss the subtext of Jingliu’s words. She remained grinning, even going so far as to reach out and wrap her arm around Baiheng’s, leaning her head over and rubbing against Baiheng’s shoulder.

"Exactly~ Ah-Bai and I are doing just fine! What kind of difficulties could we possibly have?"

She smiled with her eyes curved into crescents in Jingliu’s direction, but deep within those blue eyes, a flash of sly and mischievous light flickered, as if saying: See, she is mine~ Don’t you think about meddling~

Jingliu’s hand resting on her knee curled slightly, her knuckles turning faintly white.

(This... bad cat.)

She was almost certain that Cipher was doing this on purpose.

Baiheng looked at Jingliu’s clearly restrained, icy aura, and Cipher’s sly "I’m just here to stir up trouble" smile, and felt a massive headache coming on.

She took a deep breath, attempting to speak again to ease the near-frozen atmosphere:

"Lord Jingliu, actually, Cipher is really just..."

"Do not call me Lord."

Jingliu’s cold, clear voice cut her off directly, with an unquestionable decisiveness.

Baiheng was taken aback by the sudden interruption and subconsciously changed her address: "Then... Miss Jingliu?"

"Tsk."

Jingliu uttered a very light syllable and frowned, seemingly still unsatisfied with this form of address.

Baiheng: "..."

(This reaction... why does it feel strangely familiar?)

Madam Herta’s expression flashed through her mind instantly.

(How is it that even this aspect is...)

The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, and a sense of absurd déjà vu rose in her heart.

But now was not the time for snark; she had no choice but to go with the flow, tentatively switching to a simpler address:

"Jingliu?"

"Hmm."

Jingliu responded almost immediately. Although her voice remained flat, the tense chill around her seemed to soften subtly.

She even nodded, as if she were... satisfied with this form of address?

Baiheng felt the pressure on her shoulders (physically from Cipher’s leaning, and psychologically from Jingliu’s aura) become even heavier.

She quickly seized the moment while the atmosphere seemed to have loosened, attempting to steer the conversation in a safer direction:

"That said, Jingliu, you... were you really that Sword Master of Xianzhou Luofu from the rumors? My apologies for the disrespect."

Jingliu picked up her teacup and took a sip of the now slightly cool tea, her tone flat and waveless, as if stating a fact unrelated to herself: "Only a former one."

Baiheng: "..."

(...What is up with this sudden shift to such concise dialogue at a time like this?!)

She tried hard to maintain the perfect amount of surprise on her face, nodding in agreement: "Even so, the position of Sword Master represents the pinnacle of Xianzhou Luofu’s swordsmanship and the extraordinary achievements in protecting the Xianzhou, which is still worthy of admiration."

She said this sincerely; even though the person before her had a mysterious identity, she knew better than anyone the weight carried by the name "Jingliu."

Jingliu did not respond to the compliment; she merely looked in Baiheng’s direction. The black blindfold obscured her vision, yet it made that focused gaze even more pronounced.

She seemed to be examining something through this layer of disguise.

Just then, Cipher, who had been leaning against Baiheng and seemingly playing with the tip of her Tail, suddenly lifted her blue eyes, blinked in a seemingly innocent way, and her cat ears twitched with curiosity:

"Oh? The former Sword Master of Xianzhou Luofu? I think I’ve heard of that~"

Her voice was crisp, with just the right amount of confusion. "But... I remember in the rumors, wasn’t that very powerful Sword Master... supposedly wanted? Why are you able to drink tea here so leisurely, Miss Jingliu?"

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

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?

/SolyuraMT

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

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!