"Thank you for my master's esteem, and the Marshal's trust." Wei Qing lifted his gaze, voice steady and without much emotion. "If the Alliance and the Luofu have need of me, then Wei Qing is willing to bear this responsibility."
He'd long anticipated this outcome.
Hua studied him. After a moment, she nodded slowly.
"Good. Since you have agreed, and Teng Xiao recommends you with full conviction, then per procedure, your succession ceremony will be held on the Luofu. When that happens, the Alliance will announce it to the cosmos."
She added, "The position of Luofu General carries immense responsibility—over the lives of an entire realm, and over the Alliance's borders as well. Remember what you've said today. Do not betray Teng Xiao's trust, and do not betray the Alliance's expectations."
"Wei Qing will do everything in his power," he replied.
Hua nodded, then turned her eyes to Teng Xiao.
"Teng Xiao—after you step down, what are your plans?"
Teng Xiao's face relaxed into a relieved grin. With his usual boldness, he said, "I've fought wars most of my life. It's about time I rested."
"I've still got a while before mara, so maybe I'll find a quiet courtyard—go fishing, do some smithing."
"Of course, if the Alliance calls again, these old bones will be like Huaiyan's—ready to report at any time."
As he spoke, Teng Xiao even showed off his muscles in a slightly childish way.
At that, Hua—rarely—let a hint of a smile appear. "Good. The Alliance won't forget your achievements. Rest easy."
…
The brief meeting ended quickly. There were no formal documents, no seals.
But in truth, the handover of the Luofu General's position had been confirmed in just a few lines.
In the Xianzhou Alliance, aside from the Reignbow themself, no one's authority exceeded the Marshal's.
After that, Wei Qing and Teng Xiao didn't linger on Yaoqing. The Luofu still had a mountain of work waiting.
Once they'd met Marshal Hua and finalized the succession, they only informed Yaoqing's general—then boarded a star skiff straight back to the Luofu.
The skiff cut through the luminous star-lanes. The cabin was quiet.
Teng Xiao stared out the window at the stars flashing past, then spoke—his voice carrying a faint, hard-to-notice emotion.
"…Brat. From here on, the Luofu is yours."
Wei Qing turned to look at his master's weathered profile.
"Don't worry, Master. I'll make sure the Luofu… stays the way it's meant to be."
Teng Xiao paused, slightly startled. For some reason, a vague feeling rose in him:
His disciple felt… different today.
How exactly? He couldn't quite say.
"What's with that face?" Teng Xiao asked. "You look like you're carrying a blood feud."
"You think the seat's a hot potato—take it and you're a workhorse forever, no more slacking off?"
"Hah, Master." Wei Qing chuckled and shook his head. "I just need a moment to adjust."
"Before, if the sky fell, you were the one holding it up. I only had to follow orders. Now I have to carry it myself—of course I need to get used to it."
Teng Xiao snorted, taking it as nothing more than nerves at suddenly stepping into the general's role.
He slapped Wei Qing on the shoulder with enough force that the skiff seemed to wobble.
"Cut it out. Don't think I don't know how much you've been hiding. Entrusting the Luofu's future to you? I'm completely at ease."
Then he withdrew his hand. His tone quieted, tempered by years and wear.
"This seat… calling it a hot potato isn't wrong. Once you sit there, what you see is no longer a single soldier, a single city, a single patch of territory."
"What you'll be watching is the operation of an entire Xianzhou, the fortunes of millions of lives, the stability of one corner of the Alliance's domain. Most of the time, choices are damned hard—every step forward or back has a price."
He paused, then looked over.
"But I trust you—not only because you're strong enough, and your merits shine. I trust you because I know you have a measure in your heart, and restraint in your conduct."
"These three hundred years—you've always talked about slacking off. But when have you ever made a mistake in the tasks given to you? Handing the Luofu to you… I have no worries."
Wei Qing froze slightly. He hadn't expected such direct, heavy words from his master.
The habitual easy smile faded from his face. He straightened, serious.
"Master…"
But Teng Xiao waved him off, cutting off any vow or humble reply he might offer. His voice lightened again—easy, unburdened, with the openness of someone who'd finally set down a massive weight.
"Enough of the grand principles. When you truly sit in that seat, you'll understand. For now…"
Somehow, he produced two small jade-porcelain cups and a white-jade flask that looked old.
He poured both cups with practiced ease. A clean, crisp fragrance filled the cabin.
"For now, drink with your master. To celebrate my glorious retirement—and to wish you well as you take office."
He handed one cup to Wei Qing, lifted the other himself, and smiled in a way that was rare for him.
"I've been saving this Star-Han Radiance for years. I've been waiting for today."
Wei Qing took the cup, then looked up at his master's broad, satisfied grin.
He raised it and clinked lightly against Teng Xiao's cup, a clear chime ringing out.
"Then… to Master's life ahead—free as drifting clouds and wild cranes. Fishing and forging, at ease."
Teng Xiao laughed loudly and drained the cup in one go.
…
Not long after, the two returned to the Luofu, and the general's residence went into high-efficiency overdrive.
A change of general was a major affair for the Xianzhou Alliance. The succession ceremony had to follow ancient rites, notify all Alliance parties, and be prepared with tedious formality and grandeur.
The news spread quickly.
The Luofu's reaction was strangely calm—almost relieved, as if everyone was thinking: Finally.
Clearly, the future candidate for Luofu General had been an open secret for a long time.
Wei Qing's strength and merits were beyond dispute. Even if his daily style was lax, his reliability in critical moments had long since carved itself into people's minds.
More than that—he now held the unprecedented status of being an Emanator of both the Hunt and Abundance, a one-and-only existence in cosmic history, his prestige soaring.
Soon after, the Alliance's official notice of Teng Xiao stepping down and Wei Qing taking office was issued, spreading across the six Xianzhou ships and many allied worlds.
For a time, Wei Qing's name rang out across the cosmos once again.
Inside the Luofu, the reaction was more complicated.
Some were excited, believing Wei Qing's terrifying strength would lead the Luofu to even greater heights.
A very small minority—led by certain conservative Vidyadhara elders—harbored private unease, mainly because of his identity as an Emanator of Abundance. Publicly they dared not object, but in the shadows they couldn't help muttering.
Still, those faint noises were quickly drowned by the flood of preparations.
The Luofu's new general's succession ceremony…
was about to begin.
Join here to read ahead.
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
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Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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