"General, stop taking your time! The [Ambrosial Arbor]..."
"No need to waste effort searching for it; that is the [Stellaron]. Traitors threw it into the delve where the Ambrosial Arbor is located, causing the Arbor to grow once again... Look, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus finally couldn't resist making their move."
"A crisis is also a turning point. Knowing where the problem lies makes everything easier to handle."
Just as Fu Xuan felt relieved, she saw Jing Yuan standing with one hand on his hip, staring at her without saying a word.
"Me... me coming up with a plan again?"
"Indeed. I knew Fu Qing would have a countermeasure."
Seeing this, Fu Xuan couldn't say much more. The road to becoming General was long and obstructed; she had to walk it one step at a time.
"In this Seat's opinion, the urgent task is to assemble the Cloud Knights, rush to the delve where the [Ambrosial Arbor] is rooted, exorcise the Stellaron evil, and halt its momentum of regrowth."
"Mmhmm, Fu Qing's foresight is indeed the fastest shortcut to solving the problem. But sometimes, the fastest isn't necessarily the best... Guess why I held back my troops despite knowing the Stellaron's location early on?"
"General." Fu Xuan's tone suddenly became calm, and if one listened carefully, somewhat icy.
After a long while, she finally squeezed a [curse word] out of her mouth: "...You villain."
Jing Yuan laughed heartily. "To cut weeds, one must dig up the roots. By waiting a bit longer, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus chose this moment to act, which means the Cloud Knights have already controlled the overall situation, and the traitors couldn't hold back. Now that we have a justifiable cause, it is perfect for catching them all in one net."
"Just sitting here idly... if any accident were to happen, how would the General bear the loss?!"
Even if the Luofu currently had an Aeon present, this was an internal affair after all. If word got out to outsiders, where would the face of the Xianzhou Alliance be? Besides, that Aeon wouldn't take action anyway.
"Fu Qing, oh Fu Qing, I still have a surprise force I haven't used yet." Jing Yuan pointed to the right, at the Astral Express crew who were rushing over.
"It is time to employ people. Since the Stellaron Hunters intend for the Express to form an alliance with us, Jing Yuan will not be polite."
Stelle stopped in her tracks. Why does it sound like the General is going to order us around as soon as we arrived?
"Sigh~ I knew it. As soon as the General smiles, we're going to be dispatched."
March 7th said helplessly, not forgetting to take a dig at Adrian:
"Does Teacher Adrian have the ability to foresee the future? Did he volunteer to take Miss Qingque back... just to avoid being ordered around by the General?"
"It seems so."
He left too fast; Stelle and the others didn't even have time to stop Adrian. [Eternity] is free!
"It is this Seat's fault; this Seat had extra expectations for the General." Fu Xuan admitted her mistake proactively. "Have some mercy! This surprise force is used too frequently. Is there no one available on our Luofu?!"
Jing Yuan stared at Fu Xuan without saying a word.
"You... why are you staring at me? Can't we count on the Church of Eternity? I also have to remind the General that the location of the [Ambrosial Arbor] is a top secret. Letting Outworlders access it..."
Jing Yuan answered before she could finish: "Violates regulations, right? I must also remind Fu Qing that the Xianzhou existed before the regulations. In times of crisis, if regulations are useful, use them; if not, cast them aside."
"So, next I will make a decision that violates regulations... Ah, perhaps more than one. Haha~ It feels truly refreshing just thinking about it."
Jing Yuan spoke solemnly. Stelle turned and asked Welt, "Does the Conductor not often say: 'Ancestral laws cannot be changed-pom'?"
"Customs differ in every region. Don't worry about that in a critical moment." Welt adjusted his glasses frames.
"Un! Rules are made to be broken!"
"Haha~ As expected of the guests from the Astral Express, your speech is so distinctive." Jing Yuan applauded in praise.
"Fu Qing, I hand the military tally to you. You will control the Cloud Knights and provide support outside the [Alchemy Commission] delve near the [Ambrosial Arbor]."
"Me? I will lead the troops?"
Jing Yuan nodded: "Haven't you always wanted to experience what it's like to be General?"
"Usually you don't let me, but this time suddenly... Understood. I will do as you say. Fu Qing will deploy the Cloud Knights, and I would like to ask you all to go ahead, take the shortcut through the [Artisanship Commission], and then rendezvous with Fu Qing."
Stelle made an 'OK' gesture. "Say no more. Being a General means he really has a way with ordering people around."
Having been free labor for so long, March 7th almost didn't react: "Free labor ends here!"
"I understand, I understand... Is Jing Yuan someone who doesn't know how to repay kindness? The Xianzhou has encountered drastic changes, yet you all have never abandoned us, going through fire and water. I admire that in my heart." Jing Yuan clasped his fists in thanks:
"However, the incident happened hastily. If I were to bargain with you while facing the enemy, wouldn't that diminish your grace and bring shame to the Luofu?"
He proposed: "Why don't we talk about the topic of [Reward] after the disaster is quelled?"
Credits were definitely out of consideration; the Astral Express didn't lack that.
Then came the familiar pre-battle briefing session. As the Luofu General, Jing Yuan certainly knew the most about the Ambrosial Arbor:
"What exactly is the Ambrosial Arbor?"
"That is an ancient artifact left on the Xianzhou Luofu by the Aeon of [Abundance], Yaoshi. It is a miracle capable of shaping life at will and conquering death."
"The ancestors of the Luofu people consumed the divine fruit produced by the Ambrosial Arbor, obtaining bodies of [Endless Lifespan] and transforming into long-life species."
"That's a powerful treasure!"
Immortal and imperishable. Why does that sound a bit familiar?
"Yes, and it is also the root of all future calamities."
"Hiss..." Stelle stroked her chin and asked the same question again. "This sounds about the same as [Eternity]."
"The longevity granted by the Celestial of Eternity is more comprehensive, but HE never actively sends down miracles. Perhaps the Church saw that the lifespan of the Xianzhou people is close to [Eternity], which is why they sent us a request for an alliance."
Yaoshi answers every prayer; Ite is not that kind-hearted. Why are there so few Pathstriders of [Eternity], and only the Church as a related faction? The reason is none other than...
There are already many similar organizations. If HE were truly that kind, the denizens of Abundance could just change their name to denizens of Eternity.
"It is possible, but I lean towards another possibility: the Antimatter Legion."
...
Starskiff Haven Central
"Aiyo, scared me to death! When the [Ambrosial Arbor] grew out, I was hiding in the library eating snacks. Suddenly, a huge tree branch cut through the sky! The Master Diviner didn't lie to me; there really are golden houses in books!"
Qingque patted her frightened little heart. She urgently needed a cup of milk tea to soothe her mood.
"The books didn't lie to you... Slacking off at work is a great taboo; it's easy to incur retribution?"
Qingque followed Adrian into the milk tea shop. "Sigh~ Life is like this, full of accidents~ You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident."
"So, if I can slack off and make myself comfortable for a while, I will. Who knows when troublesome work will come knocking."
Adrian felt this deeply. This was the reason HE chose to come to the Luofu. Compared to other Xianzhou ships, the Luofu was much more leisurely... except for these past few days.
The Yaoqing had nothing but great victories and more great victories. Fighting and killing didn't suit HIM. Maybe one day HE would be dragged to the battlefield by a certain fox-eared General and drop a royal flush directly.
"Such a big event, yet you aren't nervous at all."
"Aiya, it's fine~ Even if the sky falls, there's the Master Diviner... oh, and now we have to add the General, holding it up."