"How… how could this be? I… I actually lost…" Yanqing's eyes were filled with disbelief. As the dust settled, the once-spirited boy was now kneeling awkwardly on the ground, his several immortal swords scattered around him. These divine weapons, forged by the Artisanship Commission, had completely lost their spiritual essence.
Fortunately, before their sparring match, the three had cleared the area around the training ground. If the Cloud Knights had witnessed this scene, their jaws would likely have dropped. They could hardly imagine their near-invincible, undefeated Cloud Knight Lieutenant losing to two unknown girls.
"I actually lost…"
Yanqing seemed unable to accept his defeat. The prodigious boy wobbled to his feet, muttering repeatedly about his loss.
March 7th and Stelle weren't faring much better. Overexerting their Path powers had left them physically and mentally exhausted.
"Stelle, did we go too hard on him?" Seeing the Cloud Knight Lieutenant's dejected state, a sweaty March 7th whispered to Stelle.
"Uh…" Stelle, too, began to worry about Yanqing.
Of course, her concern wasn't for the boy himself but rather for the fear that if they'd dealt too heavy a blow, causing the General's beloved disciple to lose all confidence, General Jing Yuan might not honor the promised reward for their commission.
At a loss, March 7th and Stelle stood there awkwardly. It wasn't that they were cold or unfeeling, but from their perspective, they didn't think it was appropriate for them to comfort Yanqing.
If they spoke up, it would feel less like consolation and more like the victors mocking the defeated.
Time passed slowly. Their duel had already taken place at dusk, and now, after some time, night had fallen. Both girls were starving.
"How about we grab something to eat and let him cool off alone?"
"Sounds good!"
March 7th and Stelle were in perfect agreement. They quietly slipped away from the training ground, leaving Yanqing to his thoughts.
— — — —
"Mmm~ That was such a refreshing nap~"
At Qingque's house, Fu Xuan, who had slept for a solid five or six hours, finally stirred from her slumber. Pushing off the blanket, the girl sat up in a duck-like posture, rubbing her still-slightly-drowsy eyes. Gradually, her mind cleared.
"Huh? This isn't my house… Where am I…?"
Realizing this wasn't her own residence, our dear Master Diviner immediately grew alert.
"Qingque's house… That's right, I remember now. I was receiving a blessing from the Lord of Samsara, and then… I fell asleep?"
Piecing together the events, Fu Xuan, still sitting on the bed, blushed furiously. To think I just fell asleep like that in front of a guy, completely defenseless! While I was sleeping, did that guy… did he do anything…
As Fu Xuan spiraled into her own thoughts, a slightly charming voice suddenly came from the doorway, interrupting the Master Diviner's wild imagination.
"Oh! Master Diviner Fu Xuan, you're awake!"
Hearing the voice, Fu Xuan looked toward the source. There, at the bedroom door, a Foxian woman was smiling brightly at her. Noticing Fu Xuan's gaze, the Foxian woman lightly covered her face with a folding fan, a sly glint in her eyes.
"M-Miss Tingyun?!"
…
Burp! "When it comes to street food, nothing beats Aurum Alley. The flavors here are even better than Conductor Pom-Pom's cooking!"
Burp! "…Agreed."
March 7th and Stelle, their bellies bulging, walked out of Aurum Alley, occasionally letting out satisfied burps.
As the two strolled along, passersby cast curious glances their way. Some older Xianzhou residents even sighed and shook their heads.
These two girls look so young, yet their bellies are so big. The world's morals are truly declining.
Feeling the prickling, judgmental stares from the crowd, March 7th and Stelle swallowed hard.
"Stelle, let's get out of here quick. The vibe's getting a bit awkward."
Under the residents' 'death stares,' March 7th and Stelle fled Aurum Alley as if escaping, heading toward the livelier Exalting Sanctum.
Burp! "Finally digested a bit. Phew, we can't eat like that again. If we keep this up, our wallets won't survive either." March 7th patted her belly, then pulled out her phone to check her credit point balance, letting out a sigh.
Seeing this, Stelle also took out her phone to check her Interastral Peace Corporation credit point balance. Curious, March 7th leaned over to peek. But when she saw Stelle's actual balance, her eyes widened in shock.
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions… Fifty million?!"
"Where did you get that much money?!"
At March 7th's outburst, Stelle gave an awkward smile. That sum was an advance payment from Asta when she tasked Stelle with investigating Yun Fan's identity back at Herta Space Station. Embarrassingly, Stelle hadn't made any progress on that front.
"You didn't…" March 7th scrutinized Stelle, who seemed a bit guilty, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You didn't actually find some priceless treasure in a trash can, did you?"
Stelle: ???
— — — —
"Let's see this girl's luck… Eat!"
"By the Reignbow Arbiter, Qingque, you haven't shown up in ages, and now you're winning six rounds in a row? That's just unfair… Pong!"
"Hahaha, you're right! But, Qingque, I heard you haven't been to the Divination Commission lately. Did Master Diviner Fu Xuan fire you?"
"Hmph, no way! I'm an honest, hardworking employee. How could Master Diviner bear to fire me… Kong! Hehe, listen!"
"What? You're listening again? That's too fast! Then I'll… Six Bamboo!"
"Then I'll… Tsk, guess I'll do this. Point General, Five Bamboo!"
"Hehe, sorry about that." Qingque let out a delighted laugh, pushing her jade tiles forward.
"Four of a Kind—Hu!"
Meanwhile, outside the gaming parlor…
"Huh? Stelle, didn't that voice just now sound familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."
March 7th suddenly stopped in her tracks as they passed the gaming parlor, her gaze turning toward the seemingly ordinary establishment.
"That voice… it sounds like that Miss Qingque from the other day?" Stelle rubbed her chin, speaking uncertainly after a moment.
"Yes, yes, it's Miss Qingque! Stelle, should we go in and check it out?"
"Well…" Stelle hesitated. She wasn't fond of entertainment venues like gaming parlors—not because she thought they were unsavory, but because she felt that stepping inside would spell doom for her wallet.