Chapter 124: Qingque: Please Call Me the Shadow General, Little Xuanzi
The several Aeons seated around the table exchanged glances.
Then, Nous was the first to act. A mechanical finger lightly touched one of the jade tiles, and a faint blue stream of data flickered across its surface as if the Aeon of Erudition had completed a full analysis of the game's rules in a single instant.
Aha sat down with a gleeful grin, the smile on his mask seeming to stretch even wider. He radiated the pure, unadulterated excitement of a child who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
Nanook settled silently on the other side. His golden eyes, calm and devoid of ripples, quietly watched the set of tiles Qingque pushed over, scrutinizing them as if they were the formations of a miniature war.
"Zixuan, aren't you coming?" Aha turned, his masked face tilting toward Leon, who was still standing off to the side.
With a flick of his wrist, Leon produced a plain bamboo folding fan from seemingly nowhere. He snapped it open against his palm with a crisp clack and gestured with his chin toward a vacant storyteller's stage not far away.
"You guys play first," he said with a smile. "I see that spot happens to be empty... I'll go tell everyone a story about the 'Shadow General' to liven things up."
"The Shadow General?"
Qingque's ears perked up, her curiosity immediately piqued. "What story is that? I've never heard of it before."
'It's probably just some little tale Leon made up,' she thought to herself. After all, his previous video creations often featured original segments just like this. The Xianzhou Luofu held its General in the highest esteem, and folk tales about his exploits were common. She wondered if this "Shadow General" story would be any good.
"Come, come, let me teach you how to play Celestial Jade first. The rules are very simple!" Qingque temporarily suppressed her curiosity and enthusiastically began explaining the game to the three "novices."
A faint smile touched Leon's lips as he walked over to the storyteller's stage. He spoke a few words in a low voice to the man currently occupying it, handed over a small pouch of Strales, and then stepped onto the platform, adjusting the fall of his robes.
"Ahem..."
Leon cleared his throat, fanning himself gently. His voice, though not loud, carried with perfect clarity to every corner of the bustling teahouse.
"Today, I'm going to tell you all the story of the Shadow General."
Hearing the word "General," many of the tea drinkers and passersby instinctively slowed their steps, their ears perking up as they leaned in to listen.
"Almost everyone knows that the General of the Luofu is Jing Yuan."
The crowd below nodded in unison—this was common knowledge, a fact known to every soul on the Xianzhou.
"But only a very, very few people are aware..." Leon's tone shifted, dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "In reality, the one who truly governs the Luofu, the one who decides the fate of this world... is someone else entirely."
A collective, silent "…?" rippled through the audience.
'For real?' they all seemed to think.
"General Jing Yuan is merely the figurehead, the General on the surface," Leon declared. "That Shadow General, hidden deep within the darkness, is the true supreme leader who holds the very lifeblood of the Luofu in her hands."
A series of soft gasps rose from the crowd. That was a bold, almost treasonous claim.
"This person usually keeps an exceptionally low profile, hiding amongst the common people. Everyone thinks she is just an ordinary citizen, with no power or influence to her name."
"Of course, this is the safest way. Whether it's an Emanator of Abundance or a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion, it's highly unlikely they could ever pinpoint the existence of this Shadow General."
Leon spoke eloquently, his tone as certain and matter-of-fact as if he were reciting a passage from a history book.
"This Brother Zixuan… he's really got some guts," Qingque couldn't help but mutter under her breath while drawing a tile. The jade in her hand suddenly felt a little hot.
On stage, Leon's narration continued. "The Shadow General is an expert in divination, yet she never uses it to seek personal gain or avoid harm."
"In her eyes, seeking fortune and avoiding misfortune is a worry for mediocre people. If you want to win big, you must bet hard. To be fearless in the face of victory or defeat—that is the mark of a true hero."
Qingque blinked. 'This personality… sounds a bit like the Lord Diviner, doesn't it? But the Lord Diviner openly wants to be the General. That has nothing to do with being a 'shadow' anything.'
"Take that day, for instance, when the Xianzhou Alliance gathered its elites and cooperated with the Intelligentsia Guild to purge the Abominations of Abundance in a certain star sector. When the army advanced to a critical point, they encountered layers of blockades set up by Wingweaver mercenaries."
"At that time, the Luofu's Grand Diviner, Fu Xuan, suggested: We should concentrate our superior forces to strike the enemy's weakest point."
"But the 'Shadow General' simply waved a hand and said: No. We are going to attack precisely where they are most heavily defended."
"The high-ranking officials of the Six Charioteers all knew the Shadow General's iron-fisted methods. Not a single one dared to voice an objection."
Qingque was listening intently now, instinctively drawing another tile as she muttered to herself, "Who exactly is this 'Shadow General'? So overbearing…"
On stage, Leon paused, his gaze seemingly sweeping over the game table, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Only Grand Diviner Fu Xuan was trembling with fear, advising in a low voice: 'Lady Qingque, the enemy's defenses there are thorough! If we attack recklessly, I fear our army will be surrounded…'"
Qingque: "…?"
Her hand, poised to draw a tile, froze in mid-air.
'Wait… wait a minute?''Lady Qingque???''So the Shadow General he's talking about is… me?''Wait, that's not right! When did I become the Shadow General?!'
Qingque almost flung the tile she had just drawn across the table.
"Yet the Shadow General, while casually playing with the jade tiles in her hand, simply said with a smile: 'Little Xuanzi, let's make a bet. I bet there are no bullets in their guns!'"
Qingque: "…Xiao… Little Xuanzi?"
She couldn't help but imagine the scene: herself, calling the Lord Diviner that. Especially to her face. For some strange reason, a tiny, thrilling sense of secret satisfaction bubbled up inside her.
"As it turned out," Leon's voice boomed, "because of the internal strife between the Borisin and the Wingweavers, that mercenary legion's entire logistical chain had completely collapsed."
"The weakly defended area was actually where their last remaining effective forces were gathered."
"And the place that looked most heavily defended? It was just countless remnants and defeated soldiers putting up a front, a desperate bluff to deceive the Alliance army."
Leon snapped his folding fan shut, tapping it lightly against his palm.
"Unfortunately, General Qing has always disliked being in the spotlight. Such brilliant planning and divine wisdom can only become a vague legend whispered in the streets… It's truly a pity."
After the story ended, the audience was silent for a moment, followed by a few ambiguous chuckles and hushed discussions.
Beside the table, Qingque held the tile she hadn't played, her expression caught somewhere between 'Where am I, who am I?'and'This actually sounds kind of cool, what's going on?'. She was completely dazed.
However, an even more bewildering scene was about to unfold.
A familiar hand rested lightly on her shoulder.
Qingque's entire body went rigid. She even forgot to put down the tile she was holding.
'No, no, no, no, no!''I clearly performed a divination… The Lord Diviner should be swamped with work today! She shouldn't have any free time to come here at all!''Which step went wrong? There's no reason for this!'
Qingque was completely and utterly baffled.
This was, of course, perfectly normal. How could a mere diviner like Qingque possibly predict the actions of an Aeon? One must remember that Fu Xuan's most powerful divination tool, the Dharma Eye, was itself a gift from Nous.
Seeing Fu Xuan's arrival, the corners of Leon's mouth curled into a deeply satisfied arc. The classic scene of Qingque getting caught slacking off by Fu Xuan was an absolute must-see moment.
At the same time, Aha was frantically recording the material on the side, his own divine power capturing the perfect, hilarious memory.
[Aha's Elation System: Light Cone "Please Call Me the Shadow General, Little Xuanzi!" created.]
[Aha's Elation System: Light Cone "Lord Diviner, I Was Wrong!" created.]
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