Polka: I Really Am a Good Person

Another morning has passed. Although the Jidu Mirage could descend at any moment, the Starskiff remains quiet. The people on the other Starskiff that were moored here have long since evacuated, leaving only Fu Xuan and Jingxing behind.

"My Lord Diviner, I've done the math, and I've used up enough energy during this time to go from having Priva II to not having it a hundred times over," Jingxing complained while enjoying a lap pillow from the Lord Diviner.

Fu Xuan closed the booklet, stared at him for a long time, then rolled her eyes and didn't say anything.

Jingxing wanted to tease Diviner again to elicit a response, but Fu Xuan Jade Abacus rang first.

The message came again from Yaoguang: [Yaoguang: The Denizens of Abundance Allied Forces has intensified its offensive, but their main attack direction has shifted to the southeast of Fanghu. The Pearl-Bearers at the front have received a retreat order from Huyuan-Jun.]

[Yaoguang: The Jidu Mirage may descend within the next two days; the plan has already begun.]

"Speaking of which, wasn't the plan just to wait for the Jidu Mirage to appear before I made my move?" Jingxing retorted. "Did you guys do something else behind my back?"

"I don't know what my Senior Sister's plan is either." Fu Xuan turned his head and glanced at the sky, "But I guess she won't place all her hopes on you and me."

"After all, he's a general; he has to be responsible for the Cloud Knights." Jingxing shifted into a more comfortable position. "But since the Jidu Mirage is about to descend, we should take a proper rest."

"So I didn't ask you to do it today," Fu Xuan flicked his forehead. "If nothing unexpected happens, Senior Sister will probably have Yaoqing and Luofu's Cloud Knights take that ambush Jidu Mirage we made."

"Us?" Jingxing raised an eyebrow, noticing Fu Xuan's choice of words.

"Yes," Fu Xuan said calmly, "Aren't you going to be with me?"

Jingxing twitched the corner of his mouth, wondering if this pink-haired Diviner was deliberately saying something that could be easily misunderstood.

A while later, Yaoguang sent Fu Xuan a video recording.

Fu Xuan placed the Jade Abacus on the table, and the light screen unfolded, displaying a scorched mudflat in front of the two of them. It looked like it was filmed at an outpost; the image was shaky, and the video was filled with the sound of wind.

A Cloud Knights crouched behind a reef, holding a small piece wrapped in talisman paper in his palm— Jingxing recognized it at a glance as his own creation.

Cloud Knights unwrapped the talisman with one hand, and the ink block landed in his palm. He didn't perform any additional rituals or shout any commands; after assuming a throwing posture, he simply flung the "ink block" out.

"That's really powerful," Jingxing complained.

The next second, a thin layer of ink spread out from the "ink blot" and spread along the mudflats. The wind tried to blow it away, but could only watch helplessly as it continued to expand its territory.

Borisin was charging at the front, seemed completely unconcerned and crashed into them.

The next second, Borisin had crashed in, vanished without a trace. There were no cries of pain, no struggles; it was as if he had stepped into a black hole, disappearing without a trace in the video recording.

"Is this truly the power of Beauty?" For the first time, Jingxing began to doubt the nature of his own power. "Wouldn't it be alright to call it nothingness?"

"Some say that everything ultimately returns to nothingness." Fu Xuan stared at the light screen. "This is the fate that the Abominations of Abundance who recklessly started wars deserve."

Inside the light screen, the Cloud Knights stood up and shouted something to the people behind him. Then the other Cloud Knights surged out from behind the reefs. They did not disappear when they stepped into the dark area, but Jingxing keenly noticed that their extremely strong self-healing ability disappeared when they were hit by arrows thrown by the Borisin in the distance.

"This power doesn't really distinguish between friend and foe," Jingxing thought. "Or perhaps, the self-healing power of the Celestial Beings on the Xianzhou is something that should Temperance?"

Jingxing was lost in thought, his mind wandering.

"How much did you use?" he asked after a while.

"Just one box," Fu Xuan had already written in the booklet. "Senior Sister said this was just a trial. It seems our work meets her tactical expectations."

The light screen went out, Jingxing rubbed his forehead. "With just one month of preparation, it's simply impossible to cover Fanghu."

"So I guess Senior Sister will use all the rest on the Jidu Mirage." Fu Xuan put the pen down on the booklet.

"Hopefully, this can be resolved quickly." Jingxing shrugged. "When we get back to the 'present,' I still have a lot to do."

"Back to the 'present'... By then, I'll probably be back in Luofu." Fu Xuan tucked the booklet under his arm, as if mentioning it casually.

"Speaking of which, you've been in the Ten-Direction Light-Reflecting Dharma Realm with me for so long, won't the position of Diviner of Luofu be transferred to someone else?"

"If that's what the general wants, then so be it." Fu Xuan flattened the talisman he had just drawn. "At worst..."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Jingxing asked, seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak.

"At worst, I'll just go back to Yuque and brag to Master that you and I changed history together." Fu Xuan curled his lip. "What else could it be? Do you think I'd abandon everything on the Xianzhou to travel with you?"

"It's not impossible," Jingxing replied without hesitation.

Fu Xuan turned his head away and stopped talking.

That evening, Fu Xuan went to the inner city to deliver the box, leaving Jingxing alone in the pavilion.

He took the Fu Xuan that Jade Abacus had left behind for emergency communication and sent a message to Yaoguang: [I want to ask you about something.]

[Yaoguang: May I ask...?]

[About you and Fu Xuan's master.]

There was silence on the other end for a long time, so long that he thought Yaoguang was refusing to answer the question.

After a long pause, Yaoguang replied with only five words: [What do you want to do?]

[Jingxing: In your plan, if things don't go smoothly on my side, the Cloud-Gazing Mirror will definitely be activated, right? Fu Xuan has already explained your plan to me, but are you really confident you can stop him from using the Cloud-Gazing Mirror? I've heard that the Jingtian Diviner hasn't left Fanghu.]

[Yaoguang: Indeed, it's very difficult to stop Master.]

[Jingxing: It seems you already have a plan to "lure the tiger away from the mountain," but please give me a definite answer: when she uses the Cloud-Gazing Mirror, will she really be unaffected by the Aeon of the Hunt?]

[Yaoguang: Of course not. It's been so long, and apart from that Silent Lord, who has bothered you? Can't anyone else see you? When my junior sister entered the Ten-Direction Light-Reflecting Dharma Realm, she was entirely connected to you, so naturally she was affected as well.]

"Pfft." Jingxing heard Polka Kakamond's laughter.

"What are you doing?" Because she hadn't appeared for a long time, Jingxing was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

"If this were before, I definitely would have held back." Polka Kakamond appeared before Jingxing with a leisurely expression, "But seeing how close you and that pink-haired dwarf have become lately, I'll mercifully remind you."

"When you can see yourself in a mirror, the mirror can also observe you."

After speaking, Polka Kakamond disappeared.