Lunch time, at the Xianzhou Yaoqing Delegation Quarters.
Yesterday, Feixiao and several of her subordinates had been busy until late into the night, yet still hadn't mastered the art of taking care for a baby.
Although Jingliu retained her memories, the development of an infant's brain still didn't allow her reason to remain at an adult level. As for bedwetting and the like…
Helpless, they finally hired a few professional and reliable wet nurses, while Feixiao and the others took turns keeping watch. At last, Feixiao finally had a chance to free up some time and rest.
"Hoo~ hoo~" Feixiao lifted a slice of freshly cooked meat from the hotpot, blew it cool, dipped it into a delicate sauce, and laid it upon her tongue.
Mm, tender and savory upon entry—truly exquisite.
That fellow Jiaoqiu, though a physician, was also a remarkable cook.
The only problem was his single-mindedness. All these days, it had been hotpot, and he never skipped the spice.
Still, it hadn't yet reached the point of becoming monotonous, so it was tolerable.
She picked up a slice of fish from another dish and swallowed it. The taste was even more satisfying.
"General Feixiao, I heard yesterday you went with my mentor in search of a Curio. I imagine the harvest must have been plentiful."
The voice approached directly toward the general's personal table.
"Finished your negotiations with the IPC? Sit down. The attendants are all busy—if you want to eat, you'll need to fetch your own bowls and chopsticks."
Feixiao spoke without formality, and the visitor was no stranger either.
"It just ended. After such a drawn-out battle of wits, my stomach is empty. I've come here to mooch off a meal."
Jing Yuan carried two sets of tableware, handing one to Fu Xuan, who followed close behind.
"My apologies for disturbing you, Arbiter-General." Fu Xuan received it and gave Feixiao a polite salute.
"Master Diviner, it's me you should be thanking, isn't it?" Jing Yuan complained with a smiling squint.
"General Jing Yuan, I am utterly exhausted. I have no energy to bicker with you." Days of relentless verbal sparring had drained Fu Xuan's spirit to the brink. Her head throbbed like it would explode. She rubbed her forehead, but it brought no relief—only deepened her fatigue.
Watching the two banter without respect for rank, Feixiao found it amusing, though she didn't intervene. "As it happens, this hotpot is Jiaoqiu's medicinal recipe. It replenishes essence and boosts qi—quite the perfect remedy."
"My thanks, General Feixiao."
After her thanks, Fu Xuan ignored Jing Yuan entirely, eating on her own. These last two days had nearly broken her—not only clashing with IPC representatives, but also coping with her general's constant "unplanned surprises."
Feixiao asked, "If you have the leisure to visit me here, I assume the negotiations went quite well?"
"Indeed. The Luofu—" Jing Yuan had barely begun when he was interrupted.
"This time, in negotiations with the IPC, both sides engaged in a frank exchange. On the matter of Trash Can acquisition and distribution, opinions were thoroughly shared, enhancing mutual understanding. The talks were beneficial, but regarding the conditions proposed by the IPC, we remain cautious." Fu Xuan's low, steady voice cut him off.
She ate another bite of vegetables, at last feeling some relief from her headache, and continued. "That's about the long and short of it."
"So, in other words, nothing was agreed upon?" Feixiao's brows furrowed slightly. She knew this diplomatic jargon all too well.
'Frank exchange' meant the differences were vast, with no bridge in sight.
'Opinions were thoroughly shared, enhancing understanding' meant each side only talked past the other.
'The talks were beneficial'—what else could that mean but idle chatter?
'We remain cautious'… that needed no explaining. It meant not a single consensus had been reached.
A truly miserable outcome.
But glancing at Jing Yuan's ever-smiling face, Feixiao thought perhaps it wasn't quite so bleak.
"Of course we returned victorious." Jing Yuan declared with certainty.
"Then why does our Master Diviner looks like this…" Feixiao was even more confused. If this had been Yaoqing, news of such a triumph would already be resonating across every Xianzhou ship via the Yellowbell System. Even if the process had been arduous, Fu Xuan shouldn't look this defeated.
"Because the final reversal came when General Jing Yuan had Qingque gamble against Aventurine of the IPC!" Fu Xuan snapped bitterly, her face practically etched with the word complaint. "To entrust such a matter of grave importance to sheer luck—and against the famed lucky star of Sigonia at that! General, you really dare to gamble!"
"The battle had deadlocked. Only an unexpected move could break it. And in the end, did we not still win?" Jing Yuan's smile never faltered, radiating confidence.
But to others' ears, that confidence carried a different weight.
Especially to Feixiao. She knew well that battlefield intelligence was never complete, and decisions always contained an element of risk. Yet to hinge victory on a wager against the enemy's strength—that was nothing less than playing to their advantage. Surely unwise.
This was nothing like the Jing Yuan she had known.
Before, while his moves might shock, hindsight usually revealed they had been nine parts secure. "Deep schemer" was his byword. Why had he grown so reckless today?
Seeing Feixiao's doubtful gaze, Jing Yuan chuckled mysteriously. "Before the wager began, I had Qingni shake Aventurine's hand."
"I see!" Feixiao shook her head with a smile.
Too underhanded. Simply too underhanded.
So that was why. He'd never fight unprepared.
She could picture the scene clearly: "Aventurine's reputation as a lucky man preceded him. Upon hearing the match would be settled by gambling, the IPC must have been overjoyed. Add to that the matter of the [Imagine Breaker], which we never once revealed, and his loss was well-deserved."
Since merging with the [Imagine Breaker], Qingni had suffered frequent misfortunes. Repeated trials proved even luck itself could be temporarily dispelled.
But luck was ever-renewing, unpredictable—like how some people were sometimes blessed, sometimes cursed. It couldn't be erased forever, only suppressed for a while.
At that moment, though, Aventurine's luck failing was far too costly.
Not long ago, Aventurine had already lost a stroke of fortune in Sylvester's little shop. If not for Sylvester's intervention, that would have been the permanent end of his luck.
This time, though briefer, the IPC's losses far outweighed the few Trash Cans Aventurine himself has opened.
"With all this, I fear Sigonia's lucky star may soon turn into its unluckiest soul."
The thought made Feixiao grin uncontrollably. Though misfortune was always a pity, when a so-called European Emperor met the fate of a Drowned Fish, that was a different story altogether.
"The negotiations may be won, but that Qingque is now unbearably smug. From now on, she'll slack off until the end of her days." Fu Xuan pinched her brow again.
Though the deal was secured, the future of the Divination Commission seemed ever dimmer.
"Young people need training. Good things take time." Jing Yuan offered comfort.
"I fear even if she grinds me to death, she'll still be the same." Fu Xuan shook her head, her eyes dark. "Before, her card-playing was dismissed as slacking. But now, with her victory at the gambling table securing merit for the Luofu, even if she plays cards until she faints, she can parade it as preparation for the Luofu's Battle for the Trash Can."
The very thought was despairing. Truly, the Divination Commission was beyond governance.
"And you, General Feixiao? What harvest did you reap yesterday?" Jing Yuan turned away from such trivialities. Subordinates of subordinates weren't his concern—only his direct subordinates mattered.
Master Diviner, if you wish to become a general, this too is your burden to solve.
"It went well enough." Feixiao replied modestly. "We solved a small problem. But…"
"G-General! Something's happened! The child—" A soldier rushed up in panic, breathless. "I-I only stepped away for a moment, and when I turned back, the child had changed!"
"No need to make a fuss." Feixiao waved her hand indifferently. She counted the time—Jingliu had taken the [Samsara Elixir] at noon yesterday. Now it had been a full day. It must be the next stage of reincarnation.
"Jing Yuan, you're still the same as ever." A little girl of five or six walked toward them, crimson eyes glimmering. Long silver hair spilled to her calves. Her tender, round-cheeked face held a trace of baby fat—utterly adorable.
Her childish voice spoke with the weight of age, yet only made her look like a precocious little adult.
"Hm. This child's features truly resemble my mentor." Jing Yuan approached, intrigued, eager to tease her. "Come, let Uncle hold you."
He lifted the girl beneath her arms and raised her high, gazing up into those red eyes.
A pang of emotion struck Jing Yuan. His heart softened with sorrow as he carefully studied her tiny face.
Yes… she really did resemble her.
Feixiao swallowed another slice of meat and realized too late that Jing Yuan had already stepped to Jingliu's side. She couldn't stop him.
At that moment, she stared in shock at Jing Yuan's outrageous action.
Was this… betrayal of master and ancestor?
"Jing Yuan, after all these years, your eyes have truly worsened." Jingliu's eyes narrowed. Normally, her killing intent would have erupted, but now her Path power was that of a mere six-year-old. There was no intimidation to speak of.
"Perhaps my longing for the past has grown too heavy. I almost feel as if my master truly stood before me again." Jing Yuan shook his head, sighing at his inevitable aging.
But how could his master ever appear like this? When has my teacher ever been this cute?
"Jing Yuan, I am Jingliu." Jingliu slowly uttered the words.
"Wha—?"
Jing Yuan felt as though his ears rang deafeningly, his brain spinning, petrified on the spot.
Anyone seeing him now would never believe this dazed fool was the Arbiter-General of the Luofu.
"H-h-how can this be?"
The little girl's voice was unmistakably his master's.
Feixiao burst into laughter. "Jing Yuan, this is the greatest prize from yesterday's Trash Can."