Gao Yang thought he had heard it wrong. After a pause, he said, “You go through all these troubles to befriend me?”
“Haha, there’s more to it, of course.” Liu Qingying stopped beating around the bush. “I have a proposal for you.”
Gao Yang didn’t respond. He was thinking.
“I’m not going to force you, of course. You’re free to reject me. If that’s your decision, I hope you’ll keep what happened tonight a secret. Telling others will do neither of us any good. It’ll be best for us to pretend that nothing happened.”
“I understand.” Gao Yang nodded. “But why me?”
“Because you caught my eyes in the crowd.” Liu Qingying winked at him. Strangely, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but he didn’t allow himself to get lost. He knew Liu Qingying was full of shit.
Liu Qingying had four options: Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun.
Qing Ling would be the first to be excluded. She was strong, and she was a girl. Liu Qingying’s Seduction wouldn’t be that effective on her, and the negotiation wouldn’t be that fruitful.
Officer Huang wasn’t a good choice either. He was also strong, and he was a police officer. With all his experience and his devotion to his wife, Liu Qingying wouldn’t have much sway on him.
Then there was Fat Jun. He was obviously timid and far from strong-willed. That would make it easier to steer him away from his companions, but he wouldn’t necessarily be the best mole.
And Wang Zikai was a monster, a not very intelligent one at that. Liu Qingying wouldn’t even take him into consideration.
“Yeah, it’s as you thought.” Liu Qingying smiled. fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
Can she read minds?!
“I can’t. I can only sense the signals going through your brain while you’re dreaming and infer your thoughts based on that. I can’t do the same in reality.” Liu Qingying sighed. “I wish I were a mind reader. That would make things easier.”
Mind reading?
It seemed that Liu Qingying wasn’t looking for anything tangible, but...information.
The corners of Liu Qingying’s tightened slightly. “You’re too smart. I regret picking you a little.”
Gao Yang smiled. “So, you want an exchange of intel?”
“Yes.”
“On Twelve Zodiac Signs?” Gao Yang knew that he himself held no value. Liu Qingying must be after the organization behind him.
“Correct.”
“What’s the offer?” Gao Yang crossed his legs, giving Liu Qingying his full attention.
“It’s simple. Let’s go into how things will work first. You’ll visit my restaurant once every month, and I’ll give you a complimentary drink. A sip, and we’ll be able to meet each other in dreams like we are now without leaving any trace. And rest assured, I cannot do you any actual harm even though I can invade your dream, and the duration of the dream will depend on how long you are asleep. Compared to other Talents, Sweet Dream is a harmless one.”
Gao Yang nodded, indicating Liu Qingying to continue.
“Every time we meet, I’ll ask you something about the Twelve Zodiac Signs. You may tell me what you know, and you may also withhold information from me. I’m not going to force you.” Liu Qingying extended a finger for emphasis. “However, I have one condition: you must not give me false information. If you do and I find out about it, that’ll be the end of our arrangement, and I can’t promise you that I won’t retaliate.”
“Got it.”
“Now let’s talk payment. I can give you information you seek in return. The rules will be the same. I can choose to tell or not tell you. You won’t force me to talk. An intel for an intel.” Liu Qingying’s lips curved upwards into a knowing and crafty smile. “If you give me a piece of information while I don’t have any intel you want, I’ll give you 5 jinwu to show my gratitude.”
“Jinwu? The Golden Crow in mythology?”
“No. It’s a currency awakeners use among ourselves. It’s made of an extremely rare metal, and at the moment, less than a hundred thousand coins are circulating in the market. We usually refer to the metal as ‘wujin’, Black Gold, but over time, the wujin currency somehow turns into jinwu.”
Liu Qingying smiled. “You may not be able to actually understand the value of it. Let me put it this way. Five jinwu is equivalent to about two million yuan. Of course, no awakeners would be stupid enough to exchange the coins for regular money. Considering the state your father’s in, however...”
“Enough.”
What a terrifying person he was dealing with.
“What does Black Gold do? Why are coins made of it used as currency between awakeners?” asked Gao Yang.
“Oh, it’s very useful. First, although we cannot create Rune Circuits ourselves, we know for certain that they are made of Black Gold. And weapons and items made of Black Gold contain a special energy that resonates with certain Talents, resulting in all sorts of amazing synergies.”
Gao Yang was reminded of Qing Ling’s Tang Dao. Perhaps it was made of Black Gold.
He pushed aside the thought as soon as it flashed through his head. Liu Qingying was able to read minds to a certain extent in dreams. He didn’t want to unintentionally reveal his companions’ secret.
“Anyway, the coins are very useful. Even if you don’t make them into special weapons, you can trade with other awakeners with the coins. I’m not going to go into the details. I’m sure you’ll get to know the world of awakeners soon with you joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”
Gao Yang nodded.
Liu Qingying put their hands back on their knees. “That’s the deal.”
“Fair.” Gao Yang couldn’t identify any problems with it.
“Moreover.” Liu Qingying stood up from the chair. Under the moonlight, they looked seductive with the crimson qipao wrapping around their body. Their silver hair gave them an air of mysteriousness and gracefulness, arousing the instinctual desires in men.
“You’re a man. Perhaps, in the dreams...” Liu Qingying didn’t spell it out, but instead made the suggestion with an alluring look. “Don’t worry. It’s not part of the deal. The night we spent together will be long, and I can’t leave before you wake up. We might as well do something to kill time while solidifying our bond and partnership.”
“Um, that won’t be necessary.”
What the heck.
You’re a man!
“Ha, I knew White Rabbit would tell you that.” Liu Qingying didn’t seem surprised by his reaction.
“Are you not a man?”
“To be precise, I’m both.”
“You’re intersex?”
Gao Yang was surprised. Intersex people were those with the sex characteristics of both male and female. Only one out of 7500 people were intersex[1], and there were only a little more than 400 humans in Li City. Yet there was an intersex person right before him! That further cemented Gao Yang’s belief that it was possible for his family to turn out to be humans.
“Although I’m intersex, I identify as a woman a hundred percent, and I can remove my male characteristics here. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Besides, this is just a dream.”
“So.” Liu Qingying walked up to him and reached out a hand gently. “Won’t you consider it?”
1. The percentage usually cited is 0.05% to 1.7%, so at the lowest it’s one out of 2000. While there’s debates about the definition of intersex, I’m not entirely sure where the author gets the figure from. Perhaps it’s a fictional ratio in the fictional world. ?
Gao Yang thought he had heard it wrong. After a pause, he said, “You go through all these troubles to befriend me?”
“Haha, there’s more to it, of course.” Liu Qingying stopped beating around the bush. “I have a proposal for you.”
Gao Yang didn’t respond. He was thinking.
“I’m not going to force you, of course. You’re free to reject me. If that’s your decision, I hope you’ll keep what happened tonight a secret. Telling others will do neither of us any good. It’ll be best for us to pretend that nothing happened.”
“I understand.” Gao Yang nodded. “But why me?”
“Because you caught my eyes in the crowd.” Liu Qingying winked at him. Strangely, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but he didn’t allow himself to get lost. He knew Liu Qingying was full of shit.
Liu Qingying had four options: Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun.
Qing Ling would be the first to be excluded. She was strong, and she was a girl. Liu Qingying’s Seduction wouldn’t be that effective on her, and the negotiation wouldn’t be that fruitful.
Officer Huang wasn’t a good choice either. He was also strong, and he was a police officer. With all his experience and his devotion to his wife, Liu Qingying wouldn’t have much sway on him.
Then there was Fat Jun. He was obviously timid and far from strong-willed. That would make it easier to steer him away from his companions, but he wouldn’t necessarily be the best mole.
And Wang Zikai was a monster, a not very intelligent one at that. Liu Qingying wouldn’t even take him into consideration.
“Yeah, it’s as you thought.” Liu Qingying smiled. fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
Can she read minds?!
“I can’t. I can only sense the signals going through your brain while you’re dreaming and infer your thoughts based on that. I can’t do the same in reality.” Liu Qingying sighed. “I wish I were a mind reader. That would make things easier.”
Mind reading?
It seemed that Liu Qingying wasn’t looking for anything tangible, but...information.
The corners of Liu Qingying’s tightened slightly. “You’re too smart. I regret picking you a little.”
Gao Yang smiled. “So, you want an exchange of intel?”
“Yes.”
“On Twelve Zodiac Signs?” Gao Yang knew that he himself held no value. Liu Qingying must be after the organization behind him.
“Correct.”
“What’s the offer?” Gao Yang crossed his legs, giving Liu Qingying his full attention.
“It’s simple. Let’s go into how things will work first. You’ll visit my restaurant once every month, and I’ll give you a complimentary drink. A sip, and we’ll be able to meet each other in dreams like we are now without leaving any trace. And rest assured, I cannot do you any actual harm even though I can invade your dream, and the duration of the dream will depend on how long you are asleep. Compared to other Talents, Sweet Dream is a harmless one.”
Gao Yang nodded, indicating Liu Qingying to continue.
“Every time we meet, I’ll ask you something about the Twelve Zodiac Signs. You may tell me what you know, and you may also withhold information from me. I’m not going to force you.” Liu Qingying extended a finger for emphasis. “However, I have one condition: you must not give me false information. If you do and I find out about it, that’ll be the end of our arrangement, and I can’t promise you that I won’t retaliate.”
“Got it.”
“Now let’s talk payment. I can give you information you seek in return. The rules will be the same. I can choose to tell or not tell you. You won’t force me to talk. An intel for an intel.” Liu Qingying’s lips curved upwards into a knowing and crafty smile. “If you give me a piece of information while I don’t have any intel you want, I’ll give you 5 jinwu to show my gratitude.”
“Jinwu? The Golden Crow in mythology?”
“No. It’s a currency awakeners use among ourselves. It’s made of an extremely rare metal, and at the moment, less than a hundred thousand coins are circulating in the market. We usually refer to the metal as ‘wujin’, Black Gold, but over time, the wujin currency somehow turns into jinwu.”
Liu Qingying smiled. “You may not be able to actually understand the value of it. Let me put it this way. Five jinwu is equivalent to about two million yuan. Of course, no awakeners would be stupid enough to exchange the coins for regular money. Considering the state your father’s in, however...”
“Enough.”
What a terrifying person he was dealing with.
“What does Black Gold do? Why are coins made of it used as currency between awakeners?” asked Gao Yang.
“Oh, it’s very useful. First, although we cannot create Rune Circuits ourselves, we know for certain that they are made of Black Gold. And weapons and items made of Black Gold contain a special energy that resonates with certain Talents, resulting in all sorts of amazing synergies.”
Gao Yang was reminded of Qing Ling’s Tang Dao. Perhaps it was made of Black Gold.
He pushed aside the thought as soon as it flashed through his head. Liu Qingying was able to read minds to a certain extent in dreams. He didn’t want to unintentionally reveal his companions’ secret.
“Anyway, the coins are very useful. Even if you don’t make them into special weapons, you can trade with other awakeners with the coins. I’m not going to go into the details. I’m sure you’ll get to know the world of awakeners soon with you joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”
Gao Yang nodded.
Liu Qingying put their hands back on their knees. “That’s the deal.”
“Fair.” Gao Yang couldn’t identify any problems with it.
“Moreover.” Liu Qingying stood up from the chair. Under the moonlight, they looked seductive with the crimson qipao wrapping around their body. Their silver hair gave them an air of mysteriousness and gracefulness, arousing the instinctual desires in men.
“You’re a man. Perhaps, in the dreams...” Liu Qingying didn’t spell it out, but instead made the suggestion with an alluring look. “Don’t worry. It’s not part of the deal. The night we spent together will be long, and I can’t leave before you wake up. We might as well do something to kill time while solidifying our bond and partnership.”
“Um, that won’t be necessary.”
What the heck.
You’re a man!
“Ha, I knew White Rabbit would tell you that.” Liu Qingying didn’t seem surprised by his reaction.
“Are you not a man?”
“To be precise, I’m both.”
“You’re intersex?”
Gao Yang was surprised. Intersex people were those with the sex characteristics of both male and female. Only one out of 7500 people were intersex[1], and there were only a little more than 400 humans in Li City. Yet there was an intersex person right before him! That further cemented Gao Yang’s belief that it was possible for his family to turn out to be humans.
“Although I’m intersex, I identify as a woman a hundred percent, and I can remove my male characteristics here. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Besides, this is just a dream.”
“So.” Liu Qingying walked up to him and reached out a hand gently. “Won’t you consider it?”
1. The percentage usually cited is 0.05% to 1.7%, so at the lowest it’s one out of 2000. While there’s debates about the definition of intersex, I’m not entirely sure where the author gets the figure from. Perhaps it’s a fictional ratio in the fictional world. ?
