Chapter 392: Jing Yuan, the legendary master of resilience! A sinister new plot emerges from the shadows!
"This Yunli character preview is so Elation!"
"I need to save this and watch it on repeat!"
"Oh, right!"
Guinaifen leaned close to the livestream camera.
She said seriously, "I just got off the call with Sushang."
"No Sushangs were harmed in the making of this video, so please rest assured while watching!"
"Alright, let's head back to the main trailblaze mission now!"
…
It seemed the grievances between Yanqing and Yunli wouldn't be resolved anytime soon.
But there was a more critical matter at hand.
Trailblazer, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Yanqing were chatting outside the Palace of Astrum.
Yanqing was the first to express his confusion: "Speaking of which, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I can't help but feel that the General is a bit… well, a bit tense today? Is it because of the visit from Master Huaiyan?"
"Perhaps you are overthinking, Yanqing."
Dan Heng, however, was highly perceptive: "You aren't overthinking. Since entering the Palace of Astrum, I realized the envoy from the Xianzhou Zhuming you mentioned is actually the General of the Zhuming himself. In that case, the envoy from the Xianzhou Yaoqing must be that General Feixiao, the Merlin's Claw?"
"The Wardance is merely a minor festival. There must be another reason for two Generals of other Xianzhou ships to arrive here at the same time."
At this point, Dan Heng's eyes narrowed slightly.
As if suddenly realizing something, he blurted out: "They came to hold the Luofu accountable for the Ambrosial Arbor crisis, didn't they?"
…
"Ah?"
"Is his political intuition really that sharp?"
"It has to be Dan Heng, he knows the score!"
"Our little green dragon sounds so worried."
"Before getting off the Express, Dan Heng said he wanted to see his old friend this time. He finally acknowledged Jing Yuan! cries"
"He really is suited to be the High Elder."
"So there was this layer of meaning behind it. I wouldn't have known if he didn't point it out."
"So it's basically like the higher-ups sending an investigation team… They're clearly here to build a case!"
"Jing Yuan is in trouble again, I feel so bad for our bro!"
…
Upon hearing Dan Heng's words, March 7th still asked naively: "Hold them accountable? Surely not. The bad guys from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Antimatter Legion invaded the Luofu and caused so much destruction. Isn't the Luofu the victim here? Since when are victims held accountable?"
"The rebellion of Danshu, the plot of Phantylia… in the eyes of the Alliance's other Generals, these are just one-sided statements. Only one piece of ironclad evidence remains, leaving endless troubles behind."
"The Ambrosial Arbor," Yanqing realized.
Dan Heng continued: "It is an undeniable fact that the Abomination of Abundance, which the Luofu suppressed for so long, has been resurrected. But was it truly instigated by the Antimatter Legion's conspiracy, or did treachery brew within the Luofu, with even Jing Yuan himself involved?"
"Once the fire of suspicion is lit, it is very difficult to extinguish."
March 7th understood now.
Thinking about how they might get dragged into the power struggle between the Xianzhou factions, she couldn't help but sigh: "I'm so foolish, really. I thought this would be a spontaneous, happy vacation. Now it seems the Astral Express can't escape trouble no matter where we go."
Yanqing was deeply worried: "Hearing Mr. Dan Heng say this, I finally realize the undercurrents surging beneath the surface."
"The General is bearing immense pressure right now. Yet, I was completely oblivious to his troubles… How childish of me!"
"Don't think like that! Grown-up matters should be handled by grown-ups anyway. Besides, what could you possibly do for your General right now?" March 7th comforted him.
However, her words only made Yanqing blame himself even more!
[ March, just say less. ]
Fortunately, Yanqing had matured quite a bit.
He quickly cheered himself up and said, "Miss March is right. My skills are meager, and I cannot share the General's burdens right now."
"…But I can do my best to complete every task the General assigns me. Let's go. After arranging your accommodations, I still have to go to the Artisanship Commission to handle the IPC's protest."
Seeing this, Guinaifen couldn't help but sigh: "General Jing Yuan really has it rough!"
"With internal troubles and external threats piling up, now even his colleagues are coming to investigate and pressure him…"
"If it were anyone else, let alone keeping the Luofu so prosperous, they'd probably have their mara-struck condition triggered early from the stress!"
As soon as she said this, the players in the chat room chimed in one after another, sharing deep empathy!
…
"Yeah, Jing Yuan really has it hard. Whenever it's a Xianzhou version, something always goes wrong, and our bro always has to clean up the mess!"
"Never won in gameplay, never lost in the lore."
"With Hoolay escaping this time, Jing Yuan will probably be blamed again, maybe even impeached cries."
"Jing Yuan can really handle pressure. With so much crap going on, he's still managed to stay in office for so long…"
"Let's count the Luofu's current internal troubles: the Ambrosial Arbor is alive, the Abundance remnants, the Vidyadhara Preceptors, and other stubborn old fools. External threats: the Antimatter Legion, the Denizens of Abundance. With this terrible situation, Jing Yuan should just reset his life doge."
"Our bro is truly the king of handling pressure. First, he cleaned up the mess from the Imbibitor Lunae rebellion, then the Stellaron crisis, the resurrection of the Ambrosial Arbor, the Antimatter Legion invasion. He barely survived all that and didn't even get to rest for two days before the Heliobi rebellion happened. Just a few months after suppressing that, the headquarters is holding him accountable, and Hoolay is escaping… What a legendary pressure-handling king!"
"Of the High-Cloud Quintet's party, two fell to mara, two reincarnated, and both have moved on to their brand-new Paths. Only Jing Yuan remains in place, guarding his responsibility as always."
"No matter how much we tease him, everyone sees how much he has sacrificed for the Xianzhou."
…
Inside the Shackling Prison.
Jing Yuan looked at the comments in the livestream.
His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes flickered for an instant.
Fortunately, this was the Shackling Prison, and the environment was dim. Neither Feixiao nor Yanqing noticed anything unusual about him.
So many years had passed. Jing Yuan had almost gotten used to it himself.
But in Honkai: Star Rail, his most painful experiences were often vividly recreated!
Seeing the players' comments now, memories suddenly rushed back, stirring up emotions he couldn't easily suppress.
Even someone as composed as Jing Yuan was somewhat moved!
Feixiao patted Jing Yuan's shoulder like an experienced comrade.
She spoke up, "Hey, we're both Generals, we know it's not easy!"
"Besides, now that we have Star Rail, many things don't need to be spelled out so clearly or go through so many formal procedures."
"The story made us look like strangers, talking about holding you accountable. In reality, who in the entire universe doesn't know that Jing Yuan works himself to the bone?"
"Your character is something I, Huaiyan, and even the Marshal see clearly!"
"Don't worry, better days are definitely ahead of you!"
Feixiao's casual and straightforward manner seemed to say just one thing—we're buddies!
This made Jing Yuan both laugh and cry.
Beside them, Huaiyan agreed, "General Feixiao's words are indeed down-to-earth."
"But I share the same sentiment."
"Rest assured, Jing Yuan. We are all on your side."
Jing Yuan took a soft breath. The slight melancholy that had been building up was completely dispelled.
"My thanks to you both."
"Once this matter is resolved, we must have a drink together to celebrate today's joy."
"Then say no more, we drink till we drop!" Feixiao smiled confidently, as if declaring she was invincible when it came to drinking.
The atmosphere became very harmonious for a moment.
However, a cold light flashed in Mok Tok's eyes nearby.
He muttered to himself: "Enjoy your laughter while you can. You'll be crying soon!"
Just now, he had thought of a desperate measure!
Currently, the Shackling Prison was heavily guarded by the Cloud Knights, with three Generals stationed on-site. Trying to break out under these circumstances was nigh impossible!
The only way was to stir up the situation here again and throw the Shackling Prison into utter chaos! Only then would there be a chance!
And to achieve this under the noses of the Generals, he could only rely on the power of the internet!
Just a moment ago, he had drafted a message.
He was going to pretend to be a Star Rail leaker!
He would claim that the Foxian's tail fire was inside the Shackling Prison, drawing various external forces here!
This would force Jing Yuan and the others to split their attention, thereby creating an opportunity for Lord Hoolay to escape!
Just as Mok Tok was about to send it, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"General, Jiaoqiu has arrived."
"Where is our injured Cloud Knight colleague? Let me take a look."