Watching Stella and her group rescue the Foxfolk Maiden Tingyun—who had been mistakenly called a "vixen"—and seeing both parties depart the dock area for more formal districts after a (slightly awkward) exchange, several figures hiding in the shadows of the containers quietly revealed themselves.
They were none other than Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Dan Feng, and Yingxing, who had split up to act separately.
Jingliu crossed her arms, the cold moonlight (though it was daytime, her aura matched it) spilling onto her:
"Where to now?"
Her words were concise, her goal clear.
The usual smile on Jing Yuan's face, tinged with a hint of laziness and calculation, deepened. He narrowed his eyes, like a fox eyeing its prey:
"Us? We're going to find some 'old friends' to chat with. Based on my understanding of the Luofu in this timeline, as well as the current situation with the Stellaron explosion and the frequent appearances of the Mara-Struck... there's a certain group that's definitely more active, and easier to 'find', than the authorities."
He paused, then uttered four words: "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
Jingliu's gaze sharpened, then she understood and nodded: "Understood."
She had never held any affection for these wicked cultists who were obsessed with immortality and would stop at nothing to create chaos.
"So, here's the problem, our dear General."
Yingxing brushed the dust off his hands and pointed to the empty, desolate cargo dock, which was littered only with the occasional remains of the Mara-Struck and unconscious Cloud Knights.
"How are we going to 'find' them? Walk? The Luofu isn't small. Besides, with us 'celebrities' walking down the street, we'd probably trigger a city-wide manhunt immediately."
Jing Yuan's smile remained unchanged as his gaze swept over the landing pads and control terminals for the small skiffs used for cargo dispatch at the edge of the dock.
"Naturally, we'll... borrow some of the Xianzhou's public transportation."
He said it as if it were only natural.
Yingxing raised an eyebrow, walked up to a control terminal, and pressed his palm against it.
A strange energy fluctuation (stemming from his artisan instincts and the unique nature of his summoned form) rippled out, and the runes on the terminal screen flashed rapidly before unlocking.
"Although the system encryption here is a bit different from what I remember, cracking a civilian cargo terminal like this is a piece of cake."
He said this with a hint of smugness, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.
Soon, a closed hangar door nearby slid open, and a streamlined, modestly painted skiff was slowly pushed out, landing steadily on the open ground in front of them.
Jingliu looked at the skiff, then at her companions, and walked forward naturally, pulling open the cockpit door and sitting in the pilot's seat.
Her movements were fluid and smooth, as if she were born to sit there.
Jing Yuan, Yingxing, and Dan Feng, who were following behind her, moved with surprising uniformity and speed—
The three of them dove into the back seats with near-military precision. Three "click" sounds rang out as their seatbelts were fastened with enough force to nearly choke them!
Immediately after, Jing Yuan gripped the overhead handle for dear life, Yingxing wrapped his arms tightly around the back of the front seat, and Dan Feng even channeled the power of the Vidyadhara High Elder, digging his fingers into the metal frame along the edge of the seat!
Their expressions were grave, as if facing a formidable enemy!
Jingliu, who was just about to start the skiff, saw this scene in the rearview mirror. A rare look of confusion appeared on her cold face, and she frowned slightly: "...Is it really that necessary?"
She paused, seemingly wanting to prove her reliability, and added: "I specifically practiced my piloting skills with Bai Heng. She said I learned very quickly."
As soon as these words were spoken, the complexions of the three in the back seat didn't just fail to relax; they went completely pale in an instant!
Yingxing whipped his head around, a look of complete breakdown on his face as if to say "Are you kidding me?", his voice hitting a high pitch: "It's precisely because you practiced with Bai Heng that we're like this!!!"
Jing Yuan nodded with a wry smile, his knuckles white from gripping the handle: "Master... surely you know Bai Heng's style of driving... no, of piloting a skiff? That's not 'piloting' at all; it's a mixed art of 'interstellar charges,' 'extreme drifting,' and 'ignoring all traffic laws'! Anyone who learned from her..."
Dan Feng was concise, but his tone carried a rare tremor: "Bai Heng navigates by instinct, slows down by hitting mountains, and accelerates... without limits. You learned from her..."
Jingliu: "..."
She slowly turned her head, a clear vein pulsing on her forehead.
Her face, usually as cold as the moon, was now shrouded in a visible black aura.
She said nothing, just silently and forcefully pressed the skiff's ignition button.
"Vroom—!!!"
The skiff's engine emitted an unusual roar, as if a wild beast were awakening.
A grin slowly crept onto Jingliu's lips—a ferocious smile, wild and dangerous, completely different from her usual cold demeanor. Her red eyes flashed with a light that seemed to say, "Let me show you what it means for the student to surpass the master."
"Hold on tight."
She spat out the three words coldly.
The next second—
"Whoosh————!!!"
It wasn't a start; it was a launch!
The entire skiff seemed to have been kicked hard by the foot of an invisible giant, transforming into a blurred streak of light as it rocketed away!
The intense G-force pressed the three in the back seat firmly against their chairs, their faces contorting from the sheer air pressure!
"Holy sh*t!!! I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have had such a big mouth!! Lady Jingliu! Big Sister Sword Champion! Slow down! I beg you!!"
Yingxing's screams were instantly swallowed by the gale and the engine's roar, leaving only a cracked, high-pitched trail.
"Master! There's a turn ahead! A turn! Slow down! Slow down! We're going to hit the container—ahhh, we made it?! How did we make it through that?!!"
Jing Yuan's voice had also lost its usual composure. The General's grace was completely gone, leaving only a desperate desire for survival and the terror of seeing the laws of physics subverted.
"Let me out!! Jingliu! Let me out! I'll fly myself! Even flying with my water arts would be safer than this!!"
Even the usually cold and self-possessed Dan Feng had completely lost his cool. The dignity of the High Elder was shattered, and after failing to gather enough power to break free from his seatbelt, he could only let out a terrified scream.
Meanwhile, in the pilot's seat, Jingliu gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her pupils constricted slightly from the high speed and excitement, and the ferocious smile on her lips became even more pronounced. She didn't speak, but from deep within her throat, she let out a low, exhilarated: "Ha—ha—ha—ha—!"
This laughter, mixed with the wild howling of the engine, the whistling of the airflow, and the piercing screams of the three in the back, sounded exceptionally jarring and... terrifying.
Above the dock, several other cargo skiffs traveling normally or preparing to land only felt a blurred afterimage, accompanied by a terrifying sonic boom and a series of noises mixing wild laughter and screams, "whoosh" past them. The turbulence created made their skiffs shake violently.
Passing Skiff Driver A (scared out of his wits): "What was that just now?! A new type of Mara-Struck?!"
Passing Skiff Driver B (rubbing eyes): "I think I saw... a white-haired woman with a terrifying smile driving? With three men with twisted expressions sitting in the back?"
Passing Skiff Driver C: "Must be some department's secret operation, or some young master or miss racing their ship. Whatever, just report it to the Seat of Divine Foresight. At this speed, they'll crash sooner or later... wait? They turned into that small channel? That's some good piloting! (Realization dawning, shocked)"
As for that insane streak of light, it had already carried a gleeful "killer" driver and three "lambs to the slaughter" toward a remote area where Jing Yuan said there might be traces of the "Disciples of Sanctus Medicus," in a manner that completely violated all Xianzhou traffic laws.
Inside the skiff, the navigation system kept emitting cold warnings: "Overspeed! Severe overspeed! Please decelerate immediately!"
"Course deviation! You have entered a restricted area!"
"Building obstruction ahead! Collision warning! Collision warn— (manually disabled)"
Jingliu focused on her driving, ignoring all warnings, thinking to herself: Bai Heng was right; speed... really can make one forget many troubles.
She glanced at the rearview mirror at the three guys who had completely lost all dignity.
Especially other people's troubles.
The three in the back seat collectively swore: Never again will we let Jingliu touch the steering wheel of any vehicle! Never! If there is a next time... retch...