Chapter 168: Jing Yuan: What Do You Mean Four Other Aeons Broke Aha Out of Prison?
"I knew it. Whenever the General smiles like that, nothing good follows—we're about to be put to work again." March 7th crossed her arms, a look of utter helplessness on her face.
"It is my fault," Fu Xuan sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead as if to stave off a headache. "I actually harbored unnecessary expectations for the General."
She lifted her head, her sharp gaze pinning Jing Yuan in place.
"Wake up! You're using this 'surprise force' far too frequently. Does our Luofu truly have no one else available?"
Jing Yuan simply smiled and continued to stare at Fu Xuan, his expression placid.
"Why… why are you staring at me?" Fu Xuan faltered, then quickly regained her composure. "I must also remind the General that the location of the Ambrosial Arbor is a secret among secrets. Allowing outworlders to approach it violates regulations."
"And I must remind Master Diviner Fu that the Xianzhou came first, then the regulations," Jing Yuan countered, his voice smooth and unhurried. "In times of crisis, if the rules are suitable, we use them. If not, we cast them aside."
He chuckled softly. "Therefore, I am about to make a decision that goes against the rules." A glint of mischief appeared in his eyes. "Oh, perhaps more than one."
"The thought alone is quite refreshing," he continued, his tone becoming more formal. "Master Diviner Fu, I shall entrust the command tally to you. You will lead the Cloud Knights and provide support outside the Alchemy Commission's explore, near the Ambrosial Arbor."
At the mere thought of finally going to the Shackling Prison to see Aha, a strange sense of relief washed over Jing Yuan.
"Me? I'm to lead the troops?" Fu Xuan was stunned, her eyes wide.
"Haven't you always wanted to know what it feels like to be the General?" Jing Yuan chuckled, his smile widening.
"Hmph. You usually never let me, and it's only under these circumstances… Fine. This Grand Diviner is magnanimous and will do as you say," Fu Xuan declared, unable to completely hide the pleased, tsundere tilt of her chin.
"As for the members of the Express crew," Jing Yuan said, turning his attention to them, "I now officially invite you all to join the operation to seal the Stellaron."
"Master Diviner Fu will deploy the Cloud Knights. I would like to ask you all to go on ahead, take the shortcut through the IPC Engineering Department, and then regroup with her."
Seeing how quickly Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan regained their composure despite the chaos of several Aeon-level entities running loose on the Xianzhou Luofu, the Astral Express crew couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. As expected of a Xianzhou General, his command was absolute.
"He's the General, all right," Stelle remarked dryly. "Quite skilled at ordering people around."
"Unpaid labor ends here!" Caelus added, making a universal gesture of rubbing his fingers together for money.
"I wouldn't dare command such honored guests," Jing Yuan replied with an unruffled smile. "I am simply being open and honest with you. As for the reward… once this is over, I will give you a satisfying compensation."
"Say no more. For the Luofu!" Hearing there was a reward, Stelle and Caelus immediately snapped to attention, mimicking the Cloud Knights' salute with practiced precision.
"I can see that. From start to finish, you really don't treat us as outsiders," March 7th grumbled, though her complaint lacked any real heat.
Jing Yuan simply smiled, then with a final nod, turned off the projection. He wasted no time, immediately setting a course for the Shackling Prison.
The top priority now was to release Aha. Ideally, it had to be done discreetly, without letting the Aeon of Elation know they had figured out his identity. Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of cosmic-scale prank Aha might decide to pull next.
When Jing Yuan arrived at the Shackling Prison, he was greeted by a scene of controlled chaos. Judges and Cloud Knights moved with hurried, purposeful strides, and the very air felt heavy with tension.
"What happened?" Jing Yuan stopped a passing Cloud Knight, his brow furrowing.
"Reporting to the General! Someone just broke into the Shackling Prison, and a prisoner has escaped!" the intercepted knight reported, his voice tight with urgency.
"A prison break… an escaped prisoner."
Jing Yuan's eyebrows twitched. A terrible premonition bloomed in his chest, cold and sharp.
What in the world was going on? Aha was still inside, yet someone had chosen this exact moment to stage a jailbreak? Wasn't that a colossal slap in the face to the Xianzhou? Aha would mock them relentlessly for this, turning it into a hilarious anecdote to be spread across the cosmos.
Sigh… But at this critical juncture, which faction could have possibly orchestrated this?
The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus? Jing Yuan couldn't help but suspect them. After all, their obsession with immortality had driven them to madness. He originally lacked the evidence to move against them decisively, but now…
Now, he didn't care. If they had done something to upset an Aeon, he would personally wipe them from existence first and deal with the consequences later.
"So, what is the situation now?" Jing Yuan continued to ask, his long strides carrying him deeper into the prison.
"No one was injured, General. The prison has already prepared wanted posters for the perpetrators." As the Cloud Knight spoke, he produced a stack of five freshly printed posters.
Jing Yuan took them, and the moment his eyes fell upon the first one, his vision went dark.
On the poster was a familiar figure in a gaudy yellow suit. It was Aha.
"Wait, this is wrong," Jing Yuan asked, his voice strained. "He's the one who escaped?"
How could it be him? This made no sense. Did Aha even need someone else to break him out? Surely not. The Aeon of Elation could likely stroll out of the Shackling Prison without a single soul noticing.
And now, someone had supposedly broken him out? And caused such a huge commotion in the process?
A film of cold sweat broke out on Jing Yuan's forehead. Clearly, Aha hadn't had enough fun yet and was actively seeking more amusement. These wanted posters… they had to be the Aeon's idea of a joke.
"Yes, General. This minor leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus escaped. Truly audacious," the Cloud Knight said, oblivious to the storm raging within his General. His voice was filled with righteous condemnation.
Jing Yuan felt another wave of cold sweat pour down his back. He had only one question. "These wanted posters… have they been distributed?"
"They've already been sent out," the Cloud Knight confirmed with conviction. "After Lady Herta and Lady Hanya learned of the escape, they were furious. They personally drew up the wanted posters and had them distributed immediately."
Hearing this, Jing Yuan's vision swam, and the world went dark for a second time.
The Luofu was doomed.
His Xianzhou Luofu, a bastion of order, had actually put out a warrant for an Aeon. Luckily, it was only Aha. Jing Yuan could only hope that the Masked Fools would understand; after all, this wasn't the first time their patron deity had sought amusement in such a chaotic fashion.
His hand trembled slightly as he held the posters. In that moment, he wished with all his being that the Shackling Prison wasn't quite so efficient.
Jing Yuan forced himself to flip to the second wanted poster.
And then… he saw Fuli.
Jing Yuan:?
His mind blanked. He numbly, mechanically, flipped through the remaining posters.
Good heavens.
Fuli, Nanook, Qlipoth the Amber Lord, Nous… and Aha. All five of them?
So that's how it is.
Four Aeons broke into the Shackling Prison to rescue Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
That's just so logical.
Logical my foot!
Jing Yuan's composure finally shattered, his mind teetering on the brink of collapse.
Somewhere in the cosmos, a certain Aeon was laughing.
Aha: Ahahahaha, now this is truly entertaining!
Fuli: Light Cone get! 'Jing Yuan: Mental Breakdown'.
The background art of the imaginary light cone was none other than the General himself, hands trembling as he stared at the stack of wanted posters.
"General…"
Hanya and Herta, seeing Jing Yuan arrive, stepped forward to salute.
"Quickly," Jing Yuan managed, closing his eyes. His voice was a dry, desperate rasp. "Revoke these wanted posters… all of them. Immediately."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]