"Could it be?!"
Fu Xuan was no fool. Hearing Yun Fan's words, a realization seemed to dawn on her, and a glimmer of intrigue flashed in her eyes.
"Could it be that you were the one who told Qingque to let the Stellaron Hunters go?!"
"Yep. Qingque may love slacking off, but she's actually quite dutiful. Without my instructions, she'd never have let Kafka go."
Fu Xuan's expression flickered between cloudy and clear. The petite girl stood silently, her small fists clenched tightly. After a long moment, she stubbornly raised her head, mustering the courage to confront Yun Fan.
"May I, a humble Master Diviner, know the reason why? Great 'Lord of Samsara'!"
Yun Fan leaned down slightly, observing the girl's defiant and unwilling expression, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad, Master Diviner Fu Xuan. You're the first since I ascended to the position of Aeon to dare question me knowing my identity."
He patted Fu Xuan's head, ruffling her neatly combed hair into a messy nest before withdrawing his hand with a pleased look.
"Since you have such courage, I'll reward you by giving you the answer."
— — — —
"General! I'm here!" A young boy jogged toward Jing Yuan, his tone light and cheerful.
The boy had chestnut-yellow long hair and wore lightweight, agile Cloud Knight attire, with a blue longsword strapped to his back. His sharp yet gentle eyes brimmed with youthful vigor and vitality.
"Hm. Allow me to introduce: this is my disciple, and also the current Cloud Knight Lieutenant—Yanqing."
Jing Yuan introduced him to Welt and the others. Due to Luocha's situation, the Trailblazers and Jing Yuan, along with other high-ranking forces, had all stayed at the Cloud Knight prison. Originally, Jing Yuan had planned to send the Trailblazers to the Artisanship Commission.
After all, with the Ambrosial Arbor's roots reviving, there wasn't anyone at the Artisanship Commission capable of truly holding the situation together. However, after some hesitation, Welt declined. The poor old man seemed almost obsessed with Luocha's face.
As for Fu Xuan… Jing Yuan had considered sending her, but seeing her furious, almost abandoned demeanor, the General of the Seat of Divine Foresight ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask.
Notably, perhaps due to the butterfly effect, Luocha had been apprehended much earlier than in the original storyline.
In the original plot, Luocha only turned himself in to the Shackling Prison after his battle with Phantylia.
From the original timeline, Luocha had visited the Artisanship Commission twice: once to infuse Stellaron energy, and the second time when he encountered Dan Heng and Sushang.
This time, due to Welt's involvement, Luocha was caught earlier, missing the chance to meet Sushang and Dan Heng—a bit of a pity, really.
"Everyone, hello! I'm Yanqing, Cloud Knight Lieutenant. I've heard much about you!"
Yanqing politely greeted the Trailblazers before shifting his gaze to Luocha in the cell.
"General, is this the culprit behind the Xianzhou's unrest?" Closely studying Luocha's face, Yanqing instinctively rested his hand on his sword hilt, as if ready to strike at any moment.
"Yes, Yanqing. The task of escorting this major criminal to the Shackling Prison is entrusted to you and these two young ladies."
As Jing Yuan spoke, March 7th and Stelle waved at Yanqing, who nodded in return.
However…
"General, Yanqing believes I can handle this alone. There's no need to trouble these two…"
"Yanqing! Obey orders!" Before Yanqing could finish, Jing Yuan interrupted with a stern reprimand. The boy bit his lip slightly, and after a moment, responded.
"Yes, sir!" With that, Yanqing quickly walked away from the group, heading to wait at the prison entrance.
"Sigh~"
Watching the boy's reluctant retreating figure, Jing Yuan let out a helpless sigh. Yanqing was exceptional in both talent and aptitude among the Luofu's geniuses, but his temperament… it still needed tempering.
After the sigh, Jing Yuan apologized to March 7th and Stelle. "Miss March, Miss Stelle, I'm sorry you had to witness that. Yanqing means no harm toward you. It's just that his pride runs deep, and he's never faced any real setbacks."
At this, Jing Yuan's eyes lit up, as if struck by an idea. "Would you two be willing to take on a personal request from me?"
…
Standing at the prison entrance for a long time, Yanqing leaned against the wall with his beloved sword, nearly dozing off out of boredom. When he saw Stelle and March 7th finally emerge escorting Luocha, he perked up.
"You two ladies are a bit slow, aren't you?" Yanqing said, his tone tinged with slight dissatisfaction.
March 7th gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, sorry! We were just discussing some matters with General Jing Yuan, which delayed us a bit. My apologies, Yanqing."
"Discussing matters with the General? Can you tell me about it?" Yanqing's interest was piqued. These two were actually able to have a conversation with his master?
"Uh, well…" March 7th hesitated, struggling to respond. Just moments ago, Jing Yuan had given them a request: to teach Yanqing a lesson, to help him understand the principle of "there's always someone stronger, a sky beyond the sky."
When she first heard the request, March 7th was stunned. She might be a bit naive, but she wasn't foolish.
General, you said your beloved disciple is undefeated on the Xianzhou, becoming the Cloud Knight Lieutenant at such a young age, the strongest swordsman on the Luofu today. How could you think the two of us could beat him?!
When March 7th and Stelle were about to refuse, Jing Yuan spoke up, offering a reward too tempting to decline.
From now on, all expenses for the Astral Express in the Xianzhou Alliance would be covered by General Jing Yuan himself.
And Jing Yuan wasn't just talking about the Xianzhou Luofu—he meant the entire Xianzhou Alliance! This meant that whether the Express crew went to Zhuming, Fanghu, or Yaoqing in the future, all their expenses would be reimbursed by Jing Yuan.
So, in the end, the two slightly money-hungry girls accepted the request.
As for whether they'd succeed… that was still up in the air!
Seeing March 7th's reluctance to answer, Yanqing didn't want to be a bore, so he casually shrugged. "No need to feel troubled. If it's something you can't share, just pretend I didn't ask."