Season 5, Part 1, aired early.
This brought temporary comfort to the audience who had just finished their final lesson.
And this time, there was a grand gift—The Chronicles of the Sword's First Bloom.
Thus, the story began directly.
Of course, this time it centered on Stelle, as she better captured that abstract vibe.
— —
The Astral Express crew returned to the train, where Pom-Pom received an invitation from the Xianzhou Luofu to attend the Stellar Martial Exhibition ceremony.
To repay a favor to Ruan Mei, Himeko and Welt Yang decided to head to the Aurum Deep Realm to retrieve the remains of an ancient beast.
The moment Himeko appeared, the barrage exploded:
[Teacher Himeko!]
[Waaah, Himeko is so beautiful!]
[Holy crap, Himeko!]
[Himeko…]
— —
Following the principle that wherever there's excitement, March 7th is sure to be, she naturally dragged Stelle along to the Xianzhou for some fun.
At this moment, March 7th looked at Dan Heng. "By the way… Dan Heng, you'll be getting off with us to explore the Luofu this time, right?"
Dan Heng gave a helpless smile. "Let you and Stelle wander around the Luofu unchecked? I'm not that reckless."
[Dan Heng's subtext: Someone's gotta hold the leash.]
[Hahaha, the comment above cracked me up!]
[Damn, the imagery is too vivid!]
…
After the warp jump, the trio arrived once more at the Xianzhou Luofu.
March 7th surveyed her surroundings. "Revisiting old haunts, this lady's heart is filled with all sorts of emotions…"
Stelle glanced at her. "And now, please enjoy March 7th's poetry recital…"
"It's not like I'm about to compose a poem for the occasion! It's just that thinking back to the twists and thrills of our last visit to the Xianzhou…
This time, we weren't half-coerced or lured, we're not chasing wanted criminals, and we didn't land at the cargo docks. Everything's gone so smoothly…
It's truly rare!"
With that, March 7th instinctively put her hands on her hips.
Stelle echoed, "Truly rare!"
Even Dan Heng was infected, mimicking her by placing his hands on his hips. "Truly rare."
[Hahaha, I'm dying, why is Teacher Dan Heng acting like this too?]
[Star Rail's still the best to watch. I'm done with Honkai Impact 3rd.]
[Yeah, I'm out too. Star Rail's just more chill.]
[I hope you guys mean it, don't go quietly watching it later.]
— —
Soon after, Yanqing sent a message, stating that as honored guests, the Astral Express was invited by General Jing Yuan to be received.
While waiting, a stranger's shout came from behind the trio.
The three turned to see tourists from Penacony, asking again about must-visit attractions.
Stelle, without hesitation, gave her definitive answer: "Climb to the top of the Ambrosial Arbor!"
March 7th pinched Stelle's arm. "Hey! Don't give people terrible ideas that'll get them arrested!"
Yet, fortune favors the bold, and the two tourists didn't take it to heart, dashing off in a flash.
At that moment, Yanqing successfully rendezvoused with the trio.
"Everyone, it's been a while!"
March 7th studied Yanqing's appearance, a bit puzzled. "It doesn't feel like it's been that long since we left, but Yanqing, have you…"
"What's up, Miss March?"
"They say if you're not paying attention, a kid can suddenly grow up into someone unrecognizable. Yanqing, have you… gotten a bit taller?"
Her words snapped Stelle out of her thoughts. She stepped up to Yanqing and pinched his cheeks.
"Huh? Teacher, what are you doing?"
Stelle sighed helplessly. "Sorry, all these adventures have made me cautious. The first person to greet us at every stop? Gotta be on guard."
"Even with me?"
"You know, the last time we came to the Xianzhou, the first one to greet us was…"
"Yanqing gets it. Caution is good."
As the three chatted, a fierce roar erupted from the other side of the plaza.
As a Cloud Knight, Yanqing immediately rushed to the scene.
At the bustling dock, a wolf-like creature had appeared.
Yanqing drew his sword and instructed the nearby Cloud Knights, "Protect the crowd. I'll handle this."
Six flying swords danced behind him, and in just two exchanges, he felled the beast.
Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed, "Borisin? Why are Borisin here? You won't get away with this!"
Seeing its companion fall, another Borisin charged headlong into the crowd.
"Not good!" Yanqing sensed danger and urged his flying swords to attack.
At this critical moment, a barefoot girl wielding a greatsword appeared, resolving the crisis in one swift move.
Yanqing let out a breath. "Thank you, miss, for your help."
The girl ignored him. "Tch, no time to chat…"
However, she seemed particularly interested in Yanqing's sword, yet appeared to have other pressing matters. She took his sword and left.
"Can you return my sword?"
Before Yanqing could finish, the girl had vanished from sight.
"?????"
"Wait, my sword!" Yanqing didn't immediately give chase. "Business comes first."
At this point, the trio caught up to Yanqing.
With a hint of apology, Yanqing said, "Something unexpected came up, so we'll be delayed a bit. Let me investigate what just happened."
The trio then accompanied Yanqing to question the Cloud Knights present.
From the conversation, the incident was complex, involving the Interastral Peace Corporation, Cloud Knights, and even envoys from the Xianzhou Zhuming.
Among them was a figure whose style starkly contrasted with the other Cloud Knights.
His speech was impeccable, naturally sparking discussion among the audience:
[Why does this Lu Ming guy's vibe feel so different from everyone else?]
[Did you notice? His words don't have a single flaw.]
[Isn't that a good thing?]
[Normally, yes, but right after a prisoner escape, for someone to speak so flawlessly? That's not simple.]
— —
After the questioning yielded no results, Yanqing thought, "Perhaps we should hear how the parties involved plan to handle the aftermath. It'll help the Seat of Divine Foresight understand the situation."
The Cloud Knights calmed the crowd, and the street returned to peace.
March 7th gave Yanqing a thumbs-up. "Yanqing, you're really starting to look like an adult."
Compared to his debut, Yanqing had indeed gained a touch of maturity and lost some of his childishness.
After all, surviving the thrashing from four of the High-Cloud Quintet was quite the life experience.
"Let's not dwell on idle talk. Time for business. The general asked me to escort you all to the Palace of Astrum." Yanqing scratched his head. "I wanted to chat more with you all, but some things just keep weighing on my mind…"
March 7th: "'Weighing on your mind'? Is it about chasing the Borisin… Need our help?"
"No, no, it's a small matter. That… the girl who appeared just now… she took my sword. I'm planning to file a lost item report with the Realm-Keeping Commission to see if I can get it back…"
"She probably didn't mean to!"
Stelle nodded thoughtfully. "File the report. It'll be quite the spectacle…"
"Please, stop. It was my mistake. Let's go, don't keep the general waiting."
— —