Huaiyan's eyes were almost narrowed into slits as he stared at Qingque, muttering to himself: "Speaking of which, Jing Yuan, kid, where did your pecs go? They wouldn't have atrophied too, would they? Listen to this old man's advice—necessary muscles still need to be kept. Look at me, old man..."
Qingque waved her small hand in front of Huaiyan: "Old Huai, I'm not Jing Yuan. I'm Qingque—Qingque, remember? I sent you a bunch of texts before."
Huaiyan squinted and said: "Qingque? Don't bully this old man thinking my eyesight's bad. Though your voice, height, and looks are all different from Jing Yuan, kid, you're clearly the strongest Erudition character on the Xianzhou..."
"Old Huai, the fourth wall's broken, hey!"
"..."
"Old Huai, please sit."
Jing Yuan helplessly helped Huaiyan sit down (though he wasn't sure what there was to support about Huaiyan's build) and said: "Old Huai, stop teasing this girl. I heard that though you're advanced in age, you're not muddled to this extent."
Huaiyan snorted coldly. "Who told you, kid, to step down just like that? Where's your general's spirit?"
"It's been gone for eight hundred years already..." Jing Yuan muttered under his breath.
Huaiyan crossed his arms: "Anyway, you stepped down not long ago, and the Luofu had the Destruction Lord invasion incident. The Alliance higher-ups have deep doubts about your choice. Be mentally prepared to resume your post at any time."
Hearing this, Jing Yuan hurriedly said: "No need for that. This incident isn't Qingque's fault. That Destruction Lord was more patient than I imagined this time—lurking on the Luofu for a full three years. Even if it had been me in office, I might not have detected it."
"And in the end, Phantylia was directly crushed by us, so it won't be that easy for them to sneak in again later."
"That's not for me to manage."
Huaiyan: "Anyway, from the intel I've gotten, the Marshal is still backing you for now. As long as the Wardance Ceremony goes off successfully next, there'll be fewer doubting voices within the Alliance about you Luofu folks. Of course, the premise is that it goes off extremely successfully."
Jing Yuan shrugged: "That matter's not under my purview anymore. Let's see what General Qingque says... Speaking of which, Old Huai, in your Zhuming delegation this time, is there a girl carrying a greatsword, dressed a lot like Yingxing?"
"Oh? You mean Yunli?" Huaiyan asked in surprise. "Did she cause trouble?"
Jing Yuan waved his hands hurriedly: "No no, a Borisin lost control earlier, and it was her who stepped in to suppress it. Otherwise, if the scene had gotten chaotic, there'd be no small damage to our reputation. Also, she left behind a treasured sword at the time—I'd like to return it to her in person."
"Sigh, that girl... Just like Yingxing back in the day, she can't be controlled the moment she leaves Zhuming. Unlucky for the sect..."
Huaiyan lowered his head sadly: "Sigh, one after another, how come none of them are willing to get along with this old man? Could it be there's something wrong with my teaching methods?"
Jing Yuan's inner thoughts: With your jeep training method, anyone who doesn't run at the sight of you is something else!
Jing Yuan smiled and said: "That's normal. Aren't all young people like that? Once they grow up later, they'll understand your good intentions, old timer."
Huaiyan: "Sigh, you're still the one who speaks nicely. If only the disciple I took back then had been you..."
— "Report—!"
At that moment, the Cloud Knight in charge of messages ran over again: "The Yaoqing delegation has arrived at the Seat of Divine Foresight entrance and requests entry."
Qingque nodded slightly: "Approved."
The door-guarding Cloud Knights opened the doors once more, standing respectfully to the sides. A pink-furred Foxian in a suit stood at the entrance, calmly walking toward them. "Yaoqing Xianzhou representative, Jiaoqiu, greets the esteemed generals."
Seeing that a pink-furred Foxian had entered, Qingque asked somewhat curiously: "Oh? I heard the Yaoqing's Sky-Faring Commission General should have arrived on the Luofu by now. Why hasn't she come?"
Jiaoqiu said unhurriedly: "The general is not skilled at handling clerical work, so she dispatched me as proxy. Please forgive us."
"To express our apologies, I bring a grand gift on behalf of my general to you all."
Qingque: "What grand gift?"
Jiaoqiu smiled faintly: "Everyone must be busy discussing important matters and haven't eaten yet, I assume? I'm nothing special, but I'm a renowned chef from Yaoqing. If you don't mind, you can come taste my latest developed Borisin feast."
Qingque: ???
Jiaoqiu explained to himself: "The so-called Borisin feast is a banquet where every dish is made from parts of the Borisin body: Borisin ribs, Borisin heart, Borisin liver, braised Borisin, Borisin sashimi..."
"Oh right, there shouldn't be any vegetarians among you all, right?"
Qingque's little face twitched: "...Is this legal?"
Jiaoqiu: "If General Qingque is worried about whether the meat quality passes muster, my answer is affirmative. Because every Borisin is freshly slaughtered and prepared in the kitchen... Oh, rest assured, everyone—the Borisin we slaughter are artificially bred ones that haven't yet developed self-awareness. It's absolutely impossible for us to engage in any illegal acts under galactic law."
Qingque took a deep breath: "Alright, I get it... But since the Sky-Faring Commission General hasn't arrived yet, go ahead and prepare first. We can talk business over the meal when the time comes."
She could tell that whether it was the frank and straightforward Old Huai or the smiling yet scheming Jiaoqiu, both held doubtful attitudes toward Jing Yuan passing the position to her. Whether deliberately mistaking her identity or the Borisin feast, they were all means of assessment.
To gain their recognition, she had to show the bearing befitting a general.
Jiaoqiu bowed slightly: "Understood. Then I shall take my leave first."
...
Meanwhile, in the Exalting Sanctum.
"Yo, esteemed guest, long time no see. This little lady thought she'd never see you again~"
At the entrance to the restaurant, as soon as Stelle and the others entered, a familiar voice came from the side. Looking toward it, Tingyun had her fan covering her face, smiling sweetly at everyone: "All well, I hope?"
As she said this, Tingyun even winked flirtatiously at Stelle.
"Hmph..."
March 7th let out a light hum and turned her head away.
Stelle awkwardly scratched her head: "Miss Tingyun, trouble you to arrange four guest rooms for us—the highest specs. Credit points are no issue."
Tingyun chuckled lightly: "The guest is so generous. Follow this little lady, and it'll be done in a minute~"
March 7th crossed her arms: "Three rooms will do. I can share with Stelle."
Tingyun's gaze switched back and forth between Stelle and March 7th a few times, a hint of teasing in her eyes: "Of course. This little lady will go handle it right away."
Sunday, on the side, scratched his head: "Actually, I could share with Miss Stelle too... Ah haha, I'm joking. Miss March 7th, don't mind me."
March 7th put away her Strike of Cloud, which she had somehow already drawn, and snorted coldly: "Don't dream the impossible."
A few minutes later.
Ding dong—
Just as everyone had finally settled in, Stelle's phone suddenly received a text from an unknown sender. She glanced at the sender's name and immediately froze.
Skott: How am I so unlucky? Coming to the Xianzhou on a business trip and running into you again?!
Skott: Sigh... Is this fate?
Skott: Pay up, pay back our director's money! Hurry to the Artisanship Commission to pay!