Even he himself, observing in secret, would have believed that was another real version of himself.
At this point, they were getting closer and closer to the Luofu. The remaining journey would take only about half a day.
And once they set foot on the Luofu, the real performance would begin.
During that time, he needed to wait for Tingyun's rescue.
Standing on the deck, Liuge took a deep breath and opened the Six-Ribbed Folding Fan, gently fanning himself. His posture and mannerisms flowed as naturally as if he truly were Tingyun herself.
He slowly walked to the railing and gazed into the distance, where the outline of a massive Xianzhou vessel was already faintly visible.
Though there was still half a day left, the Xianzhou was several times larger than Jarilo-VI even from this distance.
"How much longer until we reach the Luofu?"
Liuge fanned himself as he spoke softly.
Though his voice was quiet, someone still heard him.
"Lady Tingyun, it will only take another two and a half hours to return to the Luofu."
A subordinate instantly appeared beside Liuge and answered.
"Mm."
Liuge nodded faintly, staring at the Luofu Xianzhou in the distance as a trace of hope flashed through his eyes.
Only there could resolve the predicament he and Tingyun currently faced.
Buzz, buzz.
Suddenly, Liuge's terminal gave a notification.
He took out his terminal and discovered dozens of messages from March 7th.
The question she asked most often was where he had gone.
The second most common question was whether he had fallen asleep.
In short, her messages over the past few days had basically all been like that.
However, Liuge did not reply after reading them. Still, he learned that the Astral Express crew remained on Jarilo-VI.
Since Bronya had taken the Stellaron from Cocolia, Cocolia had not fused with it and shattered into fragments. On the day she returned to the Supreme Guardian's office, she announced that Land Duck would take over her position, while she herself declared her abdication.
But according to March 7th, Cocolia spent every day in Serval's mechanical repair shop, claiming to be researching something obscure.
However, when the clever March 7th happened to pass by one day and heard strange noises coming from inside, she suspected that Cocolia and Serval might be doing something novel.
But after asking Dan Heng, he immediately told March 7th not to go near that place again.
In short, she was complaining to him.
Reading the messages one after another, Liuge smiled faintly. He looked utterly seductive.
Yes, seductive.
After all, he was currently playing Tingyun, putting on a show for Phantylia.
What he did not know was that his performance over the past few days had left even Tingyun, who had been watching in secret, speechless. She had gone from initially suspecting that he was another version of herself to wondering whether she herself was still the real Tingyun.
Time passed bit by bit, and the Luofu Xianzhou gradually drew nearer.
Inside the helm room, they also connected to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs on the Luofu.
Welcome back to the Luofu, everyone from the Minghuo Merchant Guild!
There were no formalities, only familiar words.
That was the relationship between the Minghuo Merchant Guild and the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.
As the merchant ship entered port, not only were there Cloud Knights in silver-blue armor at the harbor, but there were also many Foxian members dressed in Minghuo Merchant Guild uniforms.
Rumble!
As the merchant ship docked, the gangplank was lowered.
And from that very moment onward, every member of the merchant ship except Liuge and Tingyun let out a long breath.
Because they knew that after returning to the Luofu, they could rest for a while.
This voyage had truly put them under immense pressure.
Nothing had happened on the way there, but on the return trip, they had encountered the Antimatter Legion aboard a star pirate ship. After that tense and thrilling battle, everyone had remained on edge.
Amid laughter and cheerful chatter, everyone disembarked from the merchant ship one by one.
As Tingyun watched them go down one after another to undergo the necessary inspections, she too stepped toward the gangplank.
Her steps were light, and the tail behind her swayed gently.
"Lady Tingyun!"
At that moment, a woman dressed as a Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs steward called out to Liuge.
"Hmm?"
Liuge stopped and looked at her.
He did not recognize her or know her name, but out of courtesy, he put on a curious expression.
"Is something the matter?"
The woman stepped forward and bowed to Liuge.
"Just now, Lady Yukong sent word that she wishes for this subordinate to bring Lady Tingyun to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs for a discussion."
"Lady Yukong? But this little lady is rather tired right now~ Could you give me a little time to freshen up first?"
Liuge's bearing and expression perfectly replicated Tingyun's playful yet seductive manner.
"But..."
"All right, all right. Lead the way~"
Liuge put on a helpless expression.
With graceful steps, he followed the woman toward the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.
After nearly everyone had left, quite a few members of the Construction Commission boarded the merchant ship with their tools to carry out routine maintenance.
But to their surprise, another Tingyun emerged from the cabin. This Tingyun wore an extremely complicated expression.
She hurried past everyone and swiftly left the area.
At the same time, Tingyun took out a Jade Amulet with functions similar to a phone and sent a message to Yukong.
"Lady Yukong, this is Tingyun. I have something to report..."
Urgent
Within the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs, Yukong was the chief overseer seated in the highest position.
She was a mature and intellectual Foxian woman dressed in blue and white.
On her composed face was the steadiness of someone who had seen the vicissitudes of the world.
At that moment, a subordinate approached her.
"Lady Yukong, the Minghuo Merchant Guild's ship has returned to port. Lady Tingyun has also received your summons and is on her way to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs."
"Tingyun, that girl?"
The image of the red-and-white Foxian girl flashed through Yukong's mind, and the corners of her lips rose slightly.
Buzz, buzz!
Suddenly, the Jade Amulet Yukong had set aside gave a notification sound.
That surprised Yukong somewhat.
Generally speaking, she would not handle anything unrelated to work while she was working, but there were a few exceptions.
And those exceptions would usually contact her through the Jade Amulet she kept aside.
She reached out and picked up the Jade Amulet. After dismissing the subordinate beside her, she opened the message that had been sent to it.
"Lady Yukong, this is Tingyun. I have something to report..."
Tingyun's voice came from the Jade Amulet, which surprised Yukong.
She had already sent someone to summon Tingyun here, so why was Tingyun contacting her through the Jade Amulet as well?
Curious, Yukong continued listening to what Tingyun had to report.
But the more she listened, the more serious her expression became.
In the end, she nearly crushed the Jade Amulet in her hand.
"Lord of Ruin!"
Disbelief filled Yukong's eyes. Then she understood the severity of the situation, as well as that the Tingyun her subordinate had summoned was not the real Tingyun, but a young man named Liuge.
"To be able to transform into Tingyun and take her place in this act... this young man is extraordinary!"
Muttering this, Yukong immediately summoned a subordinate from nearby.
"I'm going to the General of the Xianzhou Mansion now. If Tingyun arrives later, tell her to return home first..."
"Understood, Lady Yukong!"
As she spoke, the subordinate watched Yukong leave behind rows of afterimages as she gradually vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Liuge, who had followed the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs steward to the entrance of the Ministry, steadied himself as he looked at the imposing gates.
Even though he was extremely shocked right now, he could not show it. He even had to keep his state of mind calm.
After all, one could never be too careful when dealing with someone on the level of a Lord of Ruin like Phantylia.
Just as the two were about to enter, a subordinate who had long served at Yukong's side happened to come out.
When she saw Liuge arrive, she bowed to him and said, "Lady Tingyun, Lady Yukong has just gone out."
"She went out?"
Liuge frowned slightly, making the little expression Tingyun would have made.
"Yes. Lady Yukong had urgent business just now, so she instructed this subordinate to tell Lady Tingyun to return and rest first."
"I see. Then there's nothing to be done about it~"
Liuge opened the Six-Ribbed Folding Fan and gently fanned himself.
Then he put on a thoughtful expression.
A moment later, she turned to the steward beside her and spoke.
"Madam Steward, could you take this little lady somewhere to freshen up?"
"Y-Yes! Lady Tingyun!"
After Liuge followed the steward away, the person who had come out of the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs turned around and went back to continue working.
After all, no matter where they were, working people had working spirits!
Ahem, a certain Xiao Que'er was not included in that.
Elsewhere, after notifying Yukong so she could inform General Jing Yuan, Tingyun hurried toward the Divination Commission without slowing her pace.
Although Jing Yuan's presence meant there was little to worry about, would it not be better to have more safeguards?
With that thought, she did not pause for even a moment.
Besides helping the Luofu overcome the Lord of Ruin crisis, Liuge's image also flashed through Tingyun's mind.
The more she thought about it, the more Tingyun realized something was wrong with her.
Why was her heart pounding so hard? Why were her cheeks burning?
No, that could not be it!
Thinking of all the times the young man had helped her, and how he had risked himself for her sake.
Tingyun gritted her teeth and arrived outside the Divination Commission.
At that moment, a woman in green robes stood quietly outside the Divination Commission.
Before you continue