Luofu Xianzhou — The General's Residence.
Jing Yuan pinched the letter Baiheng had left behind, his knuckles whitening from the force of his grip.
The handwriting was still the same familiar scrawl—lively, a little unruly—yet every line cut like a blade, carving his heart to ribbons.
"Jing Yuan, Yingxing, Jingliu, Dan Feng… By the time you read this, I'll probably have already left Luofu with A-Qing."
"I'm sorry I'm doing this without saying goodbye. I know it's selfish—and cruel—but I've made my choice."
"I want to see the road he's walked. I want to know what he sees in his eyes, what scenery he's been looking at, why he chose what he chose."
"Even if that road is all thorns, even if it leads into an unknown destruction… please forgive my selfishness. Don't look for me."
—Baiheng
"Heh… heh heh…"
A low laugh slipped out of Jing Yuan—pure bitterness and mockery, like something choking its way up from a wound.
Because now, looking back, he could see it clearly: how he'd thrown himself into matchmaking that "Dian Dao" and Baiheng, how he'd been pleased for his friend—convinced she'd finally fallen for someone.
And now all of it had become the most absurd joke imaginable.
It had been only two system-hours since the marshal, Wei Qing, and that Silent Lord had vanished together—only two.
But even two hours were enough for Luofu to confirm far too much.
The moment the incident broke out, Jing Yuan had ordered a full lockdown of Luofu.
And yet, in that same moment, the so-called "pure-beauty siblings," along with Baiheng, were already gone.
Then, at Ruan Mei's residence, they found two Genius Society members lying unconscious.
The surveillance was blunt: the girl called "Xing" had gone to Baiheng's home and led her out of Luofu.
And by Jing Yuan's eye, Baiheng hadn't resisted at all.
She had left willingly.
Every thread had tied itself into a single knot.
No matter how slow they were, no matter how much they wanted to deny it, by now the truth was screaming.
A brother and sister who would vanish at precisely this time—there was only one answer.
Stellaron Hunters. SAM.
And that damned Emanator—Qingzhou.
"Wei Qing… Qingzhou… You're good. You're really—" Jing Yuan slammed his fist down on the desk. The hard wood cracked, fissures spiderwebbing outward. "—good."
The eyes that usually held that lazy, amused warmth were now lit with a fire born of betrayal—betrayal layered on betrayal—rage and pain sunk so deep it had a taste.
Only now did he finally understand.
That late-night call from Baiheng… she had been trying to tell him about Qingzhou.
Regret flooded him so violently he could barely breathe.
He hated it.
He hated himself.
He hated that he'd made such a stupid, low-level mistake.
Now, replaying his conversations with Baiheng, he could hear every wrong assumption, every idiotic certainty.
He had actually believed Baiheng "liked Dian Dao."
He had even tried to help her—tried to push her forward.
Pain. Unbearable pain.
Regret—regret so sharp it felt like it could split bone.
Jing Yuan felt like he was about to step onto the Path of Elation right then and there, because he'd become a clown.
Maybe he didn't belong to the Hunt at all.
Maybe he really should go become a Masked Fool.
If the heavens gave him one more chance, he would not hesitate to beat his past self to death.
Bang!
The door to the residence blew open under brute force.
Yingxing and Dan Feng stormed in, eyes bloodshot, voices hoarse as broken metal.
"Where's Baiheng, Jing Yuan?"
"Tell me it isn't true!"
"Baiheng—how could she… how could she go with that traitor?!"
It was obvious: the moment they received the information, the two of them had rushed here without stopping to breathe.
Because neither of them could accept it.
Two friends who had once talked late into the night about dreams and craftsmanship—two companions—leaving Luofu in the most decisive, merciless way possible, abandoning everyone.
Jing Yuan didn't answer.
He simply handed the letter over.
Yingxing snatched it, scanned it—and his entire body began to shake.
At last he slumped against the doorframe, as if the bones inside him had turned to ash.
"…Why?" he rasped, voice shredded. "She knew… she knew what Qingzhou did. Why would she still—"
Yingxing was in agony.
Maybe worse than Jingliu ever had been.
Because in this catastrophe, he had been the last to learn anything.
While he'd been grinding himself into dust at the Divination Commission, working for free, chasing infiltrators—trying to catch Qingzhou before he could slip into Luofu—
That man had already taken the Stellaron.
And on the way out, he'd stolen Baiheng too.
"I'd rather she were forced," Yingxing said, his voice raw.
"She wasn't."
A cold voice arrived from the doorway.
Jingliu stood there, white as fresh snow, eyes colder than ten-thousand-year ice.
She had clearly already read the letter.
"The handwriting and tone aren't fake," she said flatly. "She left of her own will."
Wei Qing's betrayal had been a wound that never healed in Jingliu.
Now someone tore it open again—and poured salt into it.
He had come back.
And he had taken Baiheng with him.
A dead silence fell.
Jingliu's words were a final verdict, shattering the last shard of luck Yingxing had clung to.
He jerked his head up, bloodshot eyes twisting with fury and grief.
"…I don't believe it."
"That bastard Qingzhou betrayed Luofu. Betrayed all of us."
"Baiheng wouldn't forget."
"…Then I can't explain it," Jingliu said. Even she had no answer—her own heart was a wreck.
Beside them, Dan Feng only closed his eyes.
He said nothing from start to finish, yet even the Dragon Sovereign's composed dignity couldn't hide the ache beneath it.
A heavy, suffocating silence filled the General's Residence.
"…I'm sorry," Jing Yuan said at last.
He inhaled, forcing the surging turmoil down—locking the grief that threatened to burst his chest back into the deepest vault of his heart.
He couldn't fall apart.
Not now.
"It was me. I didn't catch Baiheng's abnormality in time. I even misunderstood what she meant."
"If I'd truly sensed something wrong with that 'pure-beauty knight,'" Jing Yuan's voice was low and rough, "maybe I could've stopped this."
"This isn't your fault, Jing Yuan," Dan Feng finally replied.
"In a sense, you did notice something was off—both with Baiheng and with him. We just didn't see his true face. If anyone is to blame, we share it."
"No."
Jingliu's voice cut through Dan Feng's attempt at comfort like a blade.
She stepped forward, her crimson eyes sweeping across every face.
"Now is not the time to argue about fault."
"Jing Yuan—do the two generals and the marshal have any news?"
Jing Yuan shook his head, grim. "None. General Teng Xiao and General Huaiyan are attempting to contact the marshal by special secret methods."
He paused, then continued, "As for the marshal, Qingzhou, and the Silent Lord—no one knows where they went. Their disappearance was too abrupt. Even the Sky-Piercer Mirror cannot track it."
Another stretch of suffocating silence.
They had assumed their reinforcement was only General Huaiyan.
When the marshal herself appeared, they had thought the hunt was ironclad.
Because she was the marshal.
The strongest existence in the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
And yet the result was…
In only a few decades, Qingzhou had grown to such terrifying heights.
Or perhaps… he had always been hiding.
Still—the final outcome wasn't fully confirmed.
From the last visible situation, the marshal seemed to have joined forces with the Silent Lord. It wasn't impossible that Qingzhou had been contained.
Just as the General's Residence drowned in pressure and gloom, an intense silver light erupted in the core hall.
A violent spatial fluctuation slammed through the air, making everyone flinch.
Jing Yuan reacted first, a spark of hope flashing in his eyes.
The silver light dispersed.
Marshal Hua appeared.
She looked as steady and authoritative as ever, but Jing Yuan—meticulous as he was—caught a faint fatigue buried in her eyes, and something more complicated than weariness.
Almost immediately, two immense presences surged closer.
Teng Xiao and Huaiyan had sensed Hua's return and arrived at once.
"Marshal!"
Everyone saluted, eyes locked on her, desperate.
Hua gave a small nod.
"No need for ceremony," she said evenly. "It's over—for now."
"Marshal, that traitor Qingzhou—" Teng Xiao's temper flared; he couldn't hold it back, rage vibrating in his voice.
Hua raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Wei Qing has left Luofu," she announced calmly. "With the Stellaron."
The words hit like magma poured into ice water.
"…Left?" Huaiyan's eyes widened. "Marshal—you and Polka… together… couldn't keep him?"
Hua didn't answer immediately, but Jing Yuan's heart sank all the same.
Still, he forced himself to remain steady and wait.
He believed—he had to believe—there was more.
Hua's gaze swept over them, taking in every reaction.
"The process was complicated. Polka Kakamond was not a fully reliable ally. Her objectives are not aligned with the Xianzhou."
"And Wei Qing's strength…" Hua's voice remained calm, "exceeded our prior estimates."
She omitted the details of the battle, the negotiations, the exchanges—leaving only the conclusion.
"In a one-on-one, I am not his match. If we had tried to forcefully detain him, the cost would have been beyond what Luofu could bear."
"Wider damage would have followed."
That explanation did not satisfy everyone—least of all Teng Xiao and Huaiyan.
Qingzhou had become so strong the marshal would openly admit inferiority?
Luofu had prepared for this for a long time—mobilized hidden assets, laid down layers of contingency, even summoned the marshal.
And yet the target had still left with the Stellaron?
"Are we just going to let him go?" Huaiyan said, voice heavy with grief. "A Stellaron in an Emanator's hands… the aftermath is endless!"
He didn't know Wei Qing the way the others did; his words were the most direct.
Hua's expression remained flat, but her tone carried unquestionable finality.
"I have considered this. The Stellaron matter ends here—for now."
She paused, then turned her eyes to Jing Yuan, meaning threaded into the calm.
"Some losses are already fixed. What matters is stabilizing Luofu internally, repairing the damage, and calming public sentiment."
"Jing Yuan—follow-up handling is yours. Full authority."
"Yes, Marshal." Jing Yuan lowered his head and accepted the order, his thoughts a sheet of ice.
Hua's words confirmed what he already knew.
Baiheng's departure was no longer something he could undo.
Hua then looked toward Teng Xiao and Huaiyan.
"Two generals—Luofu must strengthen its guard after this. Prevent further incidents. Patrol and reconstruction will require your efforts."
"…Understood." Teng Xiao and Huaiyan exchanged a glance, swallowing doubt, answering in a low voice.
The marshal's decision could not be argued with.
Then Hua spoke again.
"Teng Xiao."
"Yes, Marshal."
"I've heard you are grooming Jing Yuan as Luofu's next general."
Teng Xiao froze for a beat, then nodded solemnly. "Yes."
"Jing Yuan is young, but he is careful, and he understands the larger picture. He is good material. This incident… the results were not ideal, but his command and coordination showed responsibility."
Hua's eyes settled on Jing Yuan—an unblinking gaze that felt as though it could pierce skin and stare directly into the soul.
Jing Yuan felt a pressure like an invisible mountain, but he straightened his spine and accepted the scrutiny.
"Good," Hua said. "Luofu's future will ultimately pass to the young."
"Jing Yuan—today's pain should become whetstone and fuel, not a shackle that binds your mind."
Her voice was plain, yet it struck directly at the heart.
Jing Yuan's chest tightened.
He bowed deeply. "Jing Yuan… will remember the marshal's instruction."
Hua nodded, and said no more.
She lifted her hand.
A golden sphere appeared—warm, vast—radiating the same profound energy all Xianzhou warriors recognized.
Shenjun's power.
"This belongs to Luofu," Hua said. Her eyes shifted to Jing Yuan. "Now, it returns."
With a gentle motion of her fingertip, the golden sphere drifted toward Jing Yuan.
He instinctively raised both hands.
The sphere settled into his palms.
A strange warmth poured up through his arms, resonating fiercely with the Hunt already within him.
Shenjun did not reject him.
Instead, like a wanderer finally returning home, it flowed obediently into his Path—beginning a slow fusion with his foundation.
Jing Yuan felt something inside him break.
His vision expanded. His awareness sharpened.
The tide of power within him surged faster—an unmistakable leap in level.
Teng Xiao watched, eyes complicated.
He could feel Jing Yuan's aura rising, sense the old familiar Shenjun power now finding a new master.
Everyone else watched in silence.
Join here to read ahead.
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