Yaoqing.
After learning the specific procedures of the Martial Decree Ceremony from Yueyu and finding out that the next few days were just a warm-up before the official selection tournament began, Leon started his sparring journey with Feixiao.
Meanwhile, Rapa left with Yueyu to handle a pile of miscellaneous paperwork.
"So, what's the story with this girl by your side?" Feixiao asked curiously, looking at March 7th, who was following beside him, snapping pictures left and right.
"Found her. I figured nobody wanted her, so I picked her up," Leon said, as if it were nothing.
"Found her?"
Feixiao let out an "oh," then asked, "Have you thought about sending her back? Back to her hometown?"
"I have," Leon nodded. "But she's a genuine simpleton."
Feixiao couldn't quite follow his wavelength. You never knew which of his sentences would be normal and which would be completely off-the-wall. It was utterly unpredictable, like a battle of wits so intense it was on par with the peak of feigning death.
"Anyway, for various reasons," Leon continued, answering her question, "I have to raise March myself."
"We'll talk about what comes next after she's experienced enough to understand the weight of things."
March 7th's home was very likely the heart of Remembrance.
According to Changyeyue, the people of Remembrance were already eyeing March 7th. Sending her back to the lair of Remembrance now? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?
"Looks like we both met a good person, huh?"
Feixiao chuckled softly as she watched the curious, exploratory look on March 7th's face as she took in all the sights of Yaoqing.
She supposed she and March were kindred spirits, in a way. She too had nowhere to go, and as Leon would put it, was ultimately picked up by Yueyu.
Then, Yaoqing gave her the dignity of being a person, and the Xianzhou gave her the right to live as one.
Without Yueyu, she had no idea what her life would be like now. She felt it was the same for March 7th. Without Leon, who knew what path she might have ended up on.
"So..." Leon asked, puzzled, as he noticed they had walked into a residential area instead of some training ground. "What are we doing here?"
"Picking up medicine," Feixiao answered truthfully.
"You haven't recovered yet?"
Hearing this, Leon recalled their first meeting. Back then, Feixiao was covered in blood, not to mention grievously injured.
Her entire body had been twisted out of shape, making her look like a monster. It was a truly horrifying sight.
"Haha!"
Feixiao shook her head and laughed at his words, not minding at all as she began to disclose her condition.
"The injuries from back then are certainly healed, but this 'illness' of mine..."
Feixiao paused, deliberately drawing out her words.
"...I'm afraid it won't be so easy to cure."
With that, she turned to Leon and smiled again.
"But it's nothing to worry about."
From her tone, it sounded as if she had already come to terms with it.
"Everyone has to die eventually."
"Whether you're nobility or a slave, you can't escape it. It's the fairest thing in the world."
Feixiao met his eyes and said earnestly:
"But how you die, whether it's magnificent, should be for you to decide."
"A person's life can be lighter than a feather or heavier than a mountain. Life is short. I just want to be that sharp arrow of The Hunt, until the very last moment."
Feixiao smiled again, a smile of genuine acceptance.
"Rather than calling this 'Lunar Madness' a disease, it's better to say it's my yesterday and my tomorrow."
"One can let go of yesterday, but one must always face tomorrow."
After speaking, Feixiao let out a long breath, as if reaffirming her own path.
"If I have to be picky, my only regret is that I won't be able to see the day the Abundance is completely eradicated with my own eyes."
"What's there to regret? I think you'll be able to see that moment, with your own eyes," Leon said, taking the opposite stance. "Because I'm here."
"I have arrived in this world, so there is nothing I cannot do."
Whether it was the Abundance or the Lunar Madness.
"And if you ask me why..."
Leon would show Feixiao by simply crushing it with raw numbers.
"Because it's me, I can do it. No other reason is needed!"
Believe! A believing heart is your winning magic, and belief requires no reason!
"Mm."
Feixiao said nothing more, simply nodding at him.
"I believe you."
She grinned, her smile a little brighter than before.
Three short words, representing the girl's absolute trust in him.
Of course she believed him, even if his words sounded completely nonsensical.
She believed him. She believed he could turn a hopeless situation on its head, just like last time. She believed he could still do what no one else could.
Just as he said:
"Because it's him, he can do it."
It was his appearance that made Feixiao understand.
The arrow of the Reignbow Arbiter didn't just bring devastating salvation; it could also come purely for the sake of another's survival, bringing absolute rebirth.
He had never made an empty boast. Not to her.
Everything Leon said wasn't a multiple-choice question; it was a single-answer statement.
No matter how bizarre, Feixiao would trust him unconditionally. Because he was Leon!
If he could fight his way out of the third war against the Denizens of Abundance once, he could do it a second time!
Miracles have always been created by people! Man can conquer destiny, and those who believe in miracles are as incredible as the miracles themselves!
"Trusting me is the right choice. When you're pulling, always go for the super-premium banner."
Leon smiled as well. He never refused any praise or slander.
Praise and slander were both normal for someone of his strength.
High-skill players always look down on easy-mode characters.
But he'd used those easy-mode characters his whole gaming life. How could he not know if they were good?
If you only pull one easy-mode character, your strength comes from that character's strength.
But if you pull all of them, that's completely different.
I thought it was the character's strength, but it turns out it was my own. I truly am a genius. Only I know the hardships of this journey.
"The character is Jiao! Jiao!"
From inside the house that was their destination, came a man's voice, unable to let something go.
"I'm your Uncle Jiao, not some Uncle Mu!"
Leon and the others stepped inside to see a red-haired, fox-like man with long hair and squinted eyes tutoring a little girl sitting at a table. He looked about to faint from anger.
Helping a child with homework? Then this situation is perfectly normal.
Leon thought to himself as he observed the scene.
"Now, now... Uncle Mu, don't be angry."
Sushang scratched her head, looking helpless.
"My mom says a doctor can't heal themself. If you get sick from anger, you won't be able to recover."
She had a nickname at school: Li the Great Pillow.
Because she trained in martial arts from a young age, she was already exhausted by the time her morning classes started. She always had to force herself to stay awake in the classroom. One look at a book and she'd feel sleepy.
The fact that she was still listening now, and even writing a few characters, could be considered giving Uncle Jiao a great deal of face.
"I..." Jiaoqiu's eyes widened.
She called him Uncle Mu again! Did the half-hour he spent teaching her mean nothing? This child hadn't listened to a single thing!
Jiaoqiu opened his mouth as if to say more, but in the end, nothing came out. He just looked up at the ceiling, a resigned smile suddenly appearing on his despairing face.
"Yo, Dr. Jiao," Feixiao greeted with a wave.
Hearing the sudden voice, Jiaoqiu immediately turned his gaze toward the source.
"Ah, it's Feixiao..." he said, his tone suggesting he wasn't surprised at all.
"I've come to get my medicine," Feixiao said with a nod.
"Is this that eighth Arbiter-General?"
Jiaoqiu didn't respond, instead half-closing his eyes to look at the other person accompanying her.
"So that's why when Yueyu was custom-making your clothes, you had to mention adding a matching men's version. So this is what you were waiting for."
He looked at the handsome pair and could easily see that their outfits matched.
He knew about Feixiao's outfit.
Shortly after the third war against the Denizens of Abundance, General Yueyu had already informed them about the Martial Decree Ceremony and the inheritance of the Arbiter-General's position.
As the accompanying physician, he had been with them the whole time.
Yueyu had said she wanted to have a new outfit custom-made for her disciple, so she could compete in style, adding a sense of ceremony even if she lost in the end.
Feixiao didn't refuse. She just randomly mentioned if they could add one more piece. Yueyu, as if she knew everything, immediately agreed.
He was the only one left out of the loop. Jiaoqiu had been quite puzzled at the time, but now everything was clear.
This was a deliberate plan.
"Ahem!"
Feixiao coughed a few times, putting on an expression that said, 'What are you talking about? I don't understand.'
Jiaoqiu didn't press the matter.
"Jiaoqiu, a physician."
He stood up from his chair and walked over, extending his hand as he introduced himself.
"Leon, the Miracle God."
Leon politely shook his hand.
Seems like a lightweight. That was the immediate judgment from his gut feeling.
Yep, a lightweight has arrived. (pinches nose)
"I've always wanted to thank you in person, General Leon."
Jiaoqiu spoke from the heart. "The cruelest hatred in the world is a connection fated but unfulfilled. Today, I finally have the chance to continue that connection."
"You saved many lives."
Jiaoqiu opened his eyes, looking at him seriously.
"I must thank you. It was your appearance that allowed me, in my dispirited state, to pull myself together, giving me the chance to save even more lives."
At that time, Jiaoqiu was just one step away from Nihility.
Back then, he thought:
If healing these patients just means they can go back to their deaths more effectively, then what meaning is there in anything I'm doing?
Leon's appearance gave him the answer.
Saving one person is as easy as flipping one's hand; saving the world is harder than ascending to the heavens.
Jiaoqiu actually knew. He had always known.
It was never the fault of the people who chose to return to the battlefield after being healed, but the world and the state of the war that forced them to go to their deaths.
What was wrong... was the war.
But even if he knew the cause of the disease, what could he do?
Jiaoqiu had healed many people.
But he knew clearly that this time, he couldn't win. He didn't have the ability to heal the war, to heal the world.
It was because he knew this. That Jiaoqiu had subconsciously blamed the soldiers for not cherishing their lives, hoping to evade his own weakness and even find a convenient excuse.
And just as he despaired, an unprecedented arrow from the Reignbow Arbiter appeared.
Leon stood up. He healed the war and changed the world.
In that moment, Jiaoqiu finally understood that his actions had meaning. They were definitely not 'Nihil.'
Those with ability must always bear more responsibility.
If not for their desperate, successive efforts to hold the line, if not for his healing, then when Leon arrived, the Alliance's losses would have been even greater.
If they didn't step up, were they supposed to let the children, the elderly, and the common folk step up instead?
Yes, even their passing had 'value'.
The fallen soldiers pressed the weight of their departure onto the living soldiers, onto their hearts, giving them more strength.
They used the coin of death to buy back so much more.
Countless 'individual lives' became 'salvation for all'!
What Jiaoqiu couldn't do didn't mean others couldn't either.
And his duty was to create more opportunities for those who could.
"It was nothing."
Leon raised his hand, not to refuse, but to say no more words were needed.
"Dr. Jiao, what about my medicine?"
Seeing that the two had finished talking, Feixiao brought the topic back on track.
Jiaoqiu sighed upon hearing this.
"Honestly."
He turned to retrieve it, while at the same time offering his professional advice to the patient.
"I actually don't recommend you participate in this Martial Decree Ceremony. Even with recuperation, the after-effects of 'Lunar Madness' aren't so easily erased."
"I've told you before, under conditions of extreme physical exhaustion, there's a very high risk of your 'Lunar Madness' relapsing."
"Your usual doubled training load is already a burden on your body. The Martial Decree Ceremony will be full of powerful opponents. If you encounter a difficult one, it will be easy to push yourself past your limits."
"Your last bout of 'Lunar Madness' basically cost you your life. If you get agitated again before you're fully recovered, it's very likely to cost you the other half."
Jiaoqiu said sternly.
"If it happens again, you might really be left with just a single breath."
He hoped she would take his advice and not participate in this ceremony.
"Isn't that why I came to you for medicine?"
Feixiao told him to relax, that there are always more solutions than problems.
"This medicine isn't a cure-all, you know."
Jiaoqiu said, a bit of a headache coming on, as he handed over a cloth pouch.
Inside was a week's worth of medicine he had prepared.
"These after-effects require careful recuperation just to recover to about seventy or eighty percent. I don't understand why you insist on participating in this Martial Decree Ceremony."
In Jiaoqiu's eyes, this was undoubtedly a further mortgage on her own life.
"Is the position of Arbiter-General really that important to you?"
He had also talked to Yueyu about this issue.
But Yueyu had remained silent on the matter. She showed no intention of dissuading her, clearly meaning to let her do as she pleased.
If Feixiao was to rest properly, he would have to convince her to withdraw from the competition herself.
"Relax, relax, I know my own body. Nothing will happen."
Feixiao just told him to rest assured, without answering any of his questions.
Was the position of Arbiter-General important to her?
Important. Very important. Critically important.
Compared to the other two long-life species of the Xianzhou, the lifespan of a Foxian was much shorter.
They didn't have ample time to wait for anything.
The future was too long; they could only seize the day!
To catch up to Leon's footsteps faster.
The position of Arbiter-General, that is, the power of an 'Emanator', was an absolute necessity.
And that was even the most basic requirement.
Feixiao had no intention of stopping her pursuit just because her life was in danger.
She would race against the shooting stars!
In that case, she just had to run wildly until she rotted away. Everything else could be thrown to the wind!
Besides, quietly recuperating to squeeze out a dozen more years of life was meaningless.
The beginning of 'Feixiao' was the battlefield, so her final resting place could only ever be the battlefield.
She might not even live to that age anyway. She would live her life as she always had.
Just as she had said before, everyone dies sooner or later.
But a death can be lighter than a feather, or heavier than a mountain.
She ought to decide the manner of her own death.
She didn't have that much time to wait, so she had to take this gamble!
A gamble to use every moment she had to catch up to Leon's footsteps!
As long as she could see the same scenery as him, it wouldn't matter if she died young along the way.
At least...
She would have earned the right to stand beside him!
"Sigh."
Jiaoqiu wanted to say more, but it turned into a helpless sigh.
"Forget it, I can't win an argument with you."
Seeing her determined expression, Jiaoqiu finally shook his head.
Feixiao just laughed heartily, offering no rebuttal to his words.
"Eighth Arbiter-General?"
Sushang counted on her fingers. Excluding the Marshal, she found that there were only six Xianzhou ships, and thus only six Arbiter-Generals. Where did this seventh one come from?
"I feel like I've heard someone mention this person before..."
Did her mom mention it a few times before?
Sushang scratched her head. This Eighth Arbiter-General felt a little familiar, but not really.
In short, famili-ish.
"Is that Lady Suyi's little girl?"
Feixiao also noticed the mumbling girl over there and found her quite familiar.
"Yes."
Jiaoqiu nodded, then added, "Lady Suyi will also be participating in this Martial Decree Ceremony. She's a tough one. You'll have a hard time winning this time."
Qin Suyi, if one had to describe her, was the Sword Champion of the Yaoqing.
While not as stunningly brilliant as the Sword Champion of the Luofu, her strength was certainly worthy of the title.
She had achieved countless legendary victories for the Yaoqing.
It was only after getting married that she chose to retire from the world, and those achievements gradually faded from public view along with her.
She usually didn't venture out.
For instance, she didn't participate in the recent third war against the Denizens of Abundance, staying to defend Yaoqing itself.
It's no exaggeration to say that when Yueyu was away, if Yaoqing were ever to face a truly desperate situation, Qin Suyi would be its strongest and final line of defense.
"It's fine. The more strong opponents, the better."
Feixiao didn't mind at all.
"Only by stepping over strong opponents to claim victory can one truly embody the word 'worthy', right? What's the point without some strong competition?"
"You're all 'live to fight, fight to the death,' without any thought for what will happen to your body."
Jiaoqiu sighed.
They say every cigarette you smoke shortens your life by ten years. If that were true, he felt he would probably die soon after today ended.
"Don't worry, I have a sparring partner."
Feixiao said, putting her arm around his shoulder.
"There are still a few days until the selection tournament begins."
She tightened her arm around his neck, indicating that the path to heaven lay right there.
"It's not impossible for me to surpass Lady Suyi in these few days. Then there wouldn't be any talk of a tough battle, right?"
"Sigh." Jiaoqiu shook his head.
If nothing unexpected happened, Qin Suyi would likely be Feixiao's biggest obstacle in this Martial Decree Ceremony.
How many people in all of Yaoqing could say they could definitively defeat Lady Suyi? Probably no more than you could count on one hand.
Of course, Qin Suyi most likely wasn't here for the position of Arbiter-General.
With her experience and strength, she could have the position if she wanted it.
This Sword Champion certainly didn't care for fame or fortune, which was evident from her retirement right after getting married.
The reason she was participating in the ceremony... was probably to gauge for herself whether her current workload should increase or decrease after the new Arbiter-General took office.
And while she was at it, to see how the new generation was shaping up.
In other words, once Feixiao fought her way through all the rounds, and faced Qin Suyi in the finals, even a narrow defeat wouldn't prevent her from inheriting the position of Arbiter-General afterward.
After all, rather than an opponent in the ceremony, Qin Suyi was more like a benchmark the contestants set for themselves.
Defeat her, and it meant you had a bright future.
Fail to defeat her, and it didn't matter, because that was understandable.
"Let's go, time for special training!"
Feixiao's fighting spirit was ignited, and she immediately wanted to drag him to the training room to begin their official sparring.
"I want to go too! I want to go too!"
After hearing their conversation, Sushang immediately ran over to join the fun.
"What do you mean, you want to go?"
Jiaoqiu grabbed the back of her collar, thinking this was ridiculous.
"Aiyah, Uncle Jiao, just let me go!"
Sushang struggled, hoping to escape from his clutches.
"I want to learn how to defeat Mom too."
"She chases me around trading blows every day, like I'm a sandbag. I want to surprise her for once and trade blows with her!"
The young Sushang had an ambitious heart.
"You're about eighteen years too early to be talking about trading blows with her."
Sushang might not know how formidable her mother was, but how could Jiaoqiu not know?
A master whose swordsmanship reached the heavens.
In the path of the sword, who could possibly trade blows with Qin Suyi?
If one had to name someone, it would probably only be the missing Sword Champion of the Luofu.
"Uncle Jiao!"
Sushang stared at him with her big, sincere eyes, the words 'let me go' written all over them.
Jiaoqiu's eyebrow twitched. He held out against this assault for a long time.
"Alright, you win."
But in the end, his heart softened and he relented.
"But even if you want to go, you have to see if they'll have you, right?"
Jiaoqiu let go of her collar, sounding rather weary.
"Sister Feixiao!"
Sushang immediately launched her second wave of attack.
"Haha, come on, let's go together."
Feixiao agreed instantly, without any hesitation. "It's just spectating, what's the big deal?"
"Yay!"
Sushang raised her arms in victory, jumping up and down joyfully.
"To be honest, I don't get many chances to see him fight in person either."
Feixiao remarked that she was really lucky. "You really hit the jackpot this time."
"Mhm, mhm!"
Sushang nodded repeatedly and said seriously.
"I will definitely study hard!"
"Just like that saying, I'll make Mom understand what it means to be gone for three days and come back a new person!"
"It's 'after a three-day separation, one should be viewed with new eyes.'"
Jiaoqiu was filled with concern for her future.
____
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