Shen Ni holds her plushie and tells Bian Jin she can wear gloves; left with no excuse, Bian Jin examines Shen Ni's back whilst introspecting about their relationship and their past. Tells Shen Ni to take off her clothes so Bian Jin can get a better look; Shen Ni panics and pretends to answer a call. Bian Jin sees through the ruse but eventually leaves. Shen Ni contemplates the effects of Ni's Heart, and is interrupted by a ping from the spybird she sent to Xuanzhou, then calls for snacks as she watches the projection of bounty hunters fleeing from broken bodies crawling out of graves. The spybird is struck down and a strange woman approaches, holding what seems very much like a whip. She picks up the bird and Shen Ni sees her face(lesness), before the bird is crushed and the signal drops.
Shen Ni checks the screen with the reconstruction and analysis of 'Qin Wushang', which showed human tissue but lots of nanotech and a biological reagent that is useful in cybernetics and the regeneration of the city's defenses but dangerous in large quantities and can lead to madness and death. She knows this isn't the real Qin Wushang, and may not even be human; she also intuitively feels that this 'Qin Wushang' is connected to the woman who smashed her spybird.
Meanwhile Bian Jin lies down in their bedroom but finds herself replaying that moment with Shen Ni and opens her eyes. We get a highkey mysterious passage about how Bian Jin will leave Chang'an when the time comes, how someone has a lock on her body and soul, and Chang'an was only ever a dream. She logs into the darkweb and sees the post Shen Ni made about a reward for Bian Jin's whip (and Qin Wushang's head), along with a reply just a few hours ago from Qin Wushang promising more 'gifts', as if to emphasise that she's still alive.
When Shen Ni comes in, Bian Jin tells her not to concern herself with the bone whip. Shen Ni says but it was left to you by your beloved shizun. Bian Jin asks about the jade disc her shizun made, and Shen Ni swears she kept it (setting a mental reminder to dig it out of the bin). Bian Jin sees through her and blames nominative determinism. Shen Ni says her back still hurts, asks to lean on Bian Jin whilst she sleeps, and the two end up in an embrace ('It doesn't hurt, like this') and fall asleep. A dream, awaiting the awakening.
Chapter 36
Shen Ni checks the screen with the reconstruction and analysis of 'Qin Wushang', which showed human tissue but lots of nanotech and a biological reagent that is useful in cybernetics and the regeneration of the city's defenses but dangerous in large quantities and can lead to madness and death. She knows this isn't the real Qin Wushang, and may not even be human; she also intuitively feels that this 'Qin Wushang' is connected to the woman who smashed her spybird.
Meanwhile Bian Jin lies down in their bedroom but finds herself replaying that moment with Shen Ni and opens her eyes. We get a highkey mysterious passage about how Bian Jin will leave Chang'an when the time comes, how someone has a lock on her body and soul, and Chang'an was only ever a dream. She logs into the darkweb and sees the post Shen Ni made about a reward for Bian Jin's whip (and Qin Wushang's head), along with a reply just a few hours ago from Qin Wushang promising more 'gifts', as if to emphasise that she's still alive.
When Shen Ni comes in, Bian Jin tells her not to concern herself with the bone whip. Shen Ni says but it was left to you by your beloved shizun. Bian Jin asks about the jade disc her shizun made, and Shen Ni swears she kept it (setting a mental reminder to dig it out of the bin). Bian Jin sees through her and blames nominative determinism. Shen Ni says her back still hurts, asks to lean on Bian Jin whilst she sleeps, and the two end up in an embrace ('It doesn't hurt, like this') and fall asleep. A dream, awaiting the awakening.