Their own General always liked teasing the Supreme Diviner.
Every time they came to Shence Manor, whenever the two of them were together, either General Jing Yuan would use his intelligence to play a little trick on the Supreme Diviner before drawing her a grand promise, or the Supreme Diviner would come over to argue with General Jing Yuan.
But after the announcement was over and they entered Shence Manor, Tingyun realized that something seemed off again.
The Supreme Diviner was indeed there, but could someone tell her who the slightly childish-looking girl standing in front of the general's throne was?
Why did she look so much like General Jing Yuan?
"Speak up. Where did that General fellow run off to?"
"Supreme Diviner Fu, I am Jing Yuan."
"Heh. Never mind the General slacking off. Did he come up with a new trick today? He called me here and then ran off himself?"
"Even if you look seven-tenths like that fellow, that bastard isn't a woman. Do you take me for a three-year-old who can't tell men from women?"
Jing Yuan—or rather, Jing Yuan Yuan now—had no way to explain herself. She had just sent Yanqing away, and the strategists of Shence Manor had also gone out on business. There wasn't a single person present who could prove her identity.
"Speak up. Where did the General go? He called me here and then disappeared. Was the Supreme Diviner summoned just to increase my workload?"
"Supreme Diviner Fu, your abilities are extraordinary. Why not use divination to figure it out? I really am Jing Yuan."
"Heh."
Jing Yuan Yuan felt exhausted. Extremely exhausted.
There was nothing she could do. Fu Xuan had arrived several minutes ago, and Jing Yuan had spent several minutes explaining herself, but the Supreme Diviner simply refused to believe her.
Just then, seeing Tingyun arrive with her "surprise reinforcements," Jing Yuan was about to greet them when she noticed that Fu Xuan, who had been confronting her moments earlier, had reached them first.
"I am Fu Xuan of the Divination Department. The General is absent today, so you may treat me as the Acting General. You may report anything to me."
"Mm, actually..."
"No need to say more. I already know why you have come. The Stellaron Hunters are merely pieces on a chessboard. I need only make a small move to resolve this."
"Ahem."
Jing Yuan Yuan, sitting above them, really could not stand it anymore. How dare Supreme Diviner Fu say such things when she was right here?
Jing Yuan Yuan even wondered whether Fu Xuan had seen through her identity long ago and simply wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to replace her. After all, Fu Xuan had coveted her seat for who knew how long.
"Supreme Diviner, who is this young lady?"
Fu Xuan heard the question, swept her gaze over everyone, and glanced at the Jing Yuan Yuan behind them. Then, with a flash of inspiration, she delivered an explosive statement.
"Perhaps she is the General's daughter? He dragged her here to fill in for him while he went off to slack off?"
It was not that Fu Xuan wanted to slander Jing Yuan.
In fact, when she had just met Jing Yuan Yuan, she had learned from her some things known only to herself and the General, so she had already begun to suspect the identity of the person before her.
After performing a divination, she discovered that this girl, who claimed to be Jing Yuan and looked seven-tenths like the General, actually shared the General's fate star.
There were only two possibilities for such a situation. The first was that she was Jing Yuan himself.
But Fu Xuan had ruled out that possibility immediately. After all, there was a difference between men and women. Even without divination, one could tell at a glance that this fellow, who was wasting Luofu's fabric, was definitely not a man.
How could a man possess that pile of useless fat?
The second possibility was that she was Jing Yuan's illegitimate daughter. But because she was fated to be lonely and ill-starred, and because Jing Yuan was one of the generals of the Xianzhou Alliance, it was perfectly reasonable for him to use his own fate star to cover hers and alter her destiny.
Clearly, Fu Xuan had taken the second possibility as the truth.
"Ahem. Everyone, don't listen to Supreme Diviner Fu's nonsense. I am Jing Yuan, the General of the Xianzhou Luofu. You should have met me at the Palace of the Divination."
"Wait. We did meet him, but the General we saw was a man. We may not be smart, but if you say you're the General, then what was that projection just now?"
Facing March 7th's question, Jing Yuan also wanted to know what was going on. She had just sent Yanqing away, and then she had suddenly become like this. She was just as bewildered.
"Perhaps it was Heavenly Lord Chang Le acting on a whim?"
Even with Jing Yuan's wisdom, when asked to think of a reason, that was the only possibility she could come up with.
"Who is Heavenly Lord Chang Le?"
Although Ouyang remained silent beside them, he could already mostly confirm that the person before them was the General himself, whom they had previously met in projection form.
As for why this had happened, there was no need to think too hard. It was almost certainly another one of Kiana's masterpieces.
However, Ouyang felt that there was no way he could control Kiana's mouth anymore. Once they returned, he really ought to give March 7th some supplementary lessons.
"Heavenly Lord Chang Le is the Aeon of Joy we all know. To the Xianzhou Alliance, Aeons are generally addressed as Lords, Heavenly Lords, or Scourges."
"Oh, Kiana, you know so much."
"By the way, who is the Scourge? It sounds like a bad guy."
"The Destruction Aeon, the Abundance Aeon, and the Aeon of Propagation, who is already gone. But in most cases, it refers to the Abundance Aeon, Yaoshi. After all, the Hunt and Abundance can be said to be mortal enemies."
"Oh, is that so? Then, Kiana, you're on the Abundance Path. Won't they target you?"
Watching the two of them chatting among themselves, especially since they showed no concern at all for the General's feelings, Jing Yuan suddenly felt terribly tired.
But after hearing their concern about whether the Abundance Path would be targeted, Jing Yuan Yuan spoke up and answered.
"They won't. We only target The Scourge of Abundance and those Abundance followers. Those who walk the Abundance Path heal the sick and save the world, spreading salvation to all. We hold such doctors in respect, not hostility."
As fate would have it, the people from the Alchemy Commission arrived at that very moment.
The reason the Alchemy Commission had come was the change in the Fox Clan just now. Since it concerned the entire Fox Clan, they needed to report it personally to the General.
The person who came was Bailu, known as the Dragon-Girl Bearing Medicine.
Chapter 59: Does the Xianzhou Luofu Have a Future?
After Bailu delivered the news, she noticed that the atmosphere at the scene had grown even stranger. Thinking that she could go play once her work was finished, Bailu immediately chose to make herself scarce.
March 7th then voiced the question in everyone's heart.
"Does this count as employing child labor?"
"Ahem. Everyone, let's discuss the serious matter first."
It had taken Jing Yuan Yuan a great deal of effort to prove her identity, and everything had finally been about to get back on track. But Bailu's appearance had once again saddled her with the accusation of employing child labor.
Then something happened at the Divination Department, and Fu Xuan had to leave.
Before departing, she stabbed Jing Yuan Yuan one more time.
"General, do you always cough because your work is too strenuous?"
Jing Yuan Yuan had just happily assumed that Fu Xuan was finally showing some concern for her and would stop criticizing her for slacking off. Then the next sentence delivered a vicious backstab.
"If you're feeling unwell, General, you can retire early. I will take over your position."
After Jing Yuan Yuan finished speaking with Ouyang, the leader of the Express crew this time, the meeting also drew to a close.
Although Jing Yuan Yuan said that the Xianzhou Luofu did not need the Express crew's help handling the Stellaron, and that there was no need to worry about the Stellaron Hunters, she still had some small favors she needed the Nameless to handle. However, she did not rush to mention those so-called small favors. Instead, she immediately arranged lodging for everyone. Seeing that Tingyun had not yet left, she planned to have Tingyun use her warrant to settle everyone in.
"Then, honored guests, this humble girl will first take you to your lodgings and arrange everything. Afterward, I can also serve as your guide and show you the sights of the Xianzhou Luofu."
"Hooray!"
Just as the group was about to leave, Jing Yuan Yuan spoke up.
"Miss Kiana, please wait a moment."
"What is it?"
"As I said before, according to Lord of the Bow's decree, I have something to discuss with you in private. Of course, if the Nameless are truly worried, they may stay. It is nothing that must be kept secret."
As Jing Yuan spoke, she was no longer standing straight. Instead, she lazily sat in the general's seat, propping up her cheek with her left hand while picking up the teapot with her right and pouring several cups of tea.
She gestured for Kiana to come closer.
Fortunately, the Xianzhou Alliance had an excellent reputation, and the Luofu was known throughout the Alliance for its benevolence and righteousness. There was no need to worry about Kiana being mistreated.
Moreover, purely in terms of background, Kiana's backing and strength had never been inferior to anyone's.
Watching Tingyun lead the members of the Express away, Jing Yuan Yuan also indicated that the Cloud-to-Guard soldiers in the manor should leave as well.
Although the two of them were not discussing anything secret, having fewer people know could do no harm.
"Miss Kiana, please sit. Have some tea first."
Jing Yuan Yuan did not realize that her current movements were rather cute.
If Jing Yuan's original body had possessed the lazy bearing and heroic air of a young general as he leaned against the general's seat, then Jing Yuan Yuan now looked like a kitten that had not fully woken up, appearing rather adorable.
The seat had originally been custom-made to fit Jing Yuan Yuan's original body and was made from fine Yellow peach wood.
But now that Jing Yuan Yuan's body had shrunk, her feet, which had originally rested perfectly on the floor, could only dangle in the air. As she poured tea, her little feet swayed back and forth, making her unbearably cute.
"Please."
"Thank you."
Kiana felt moved. As expected of the Xianzhou, which had been modeled after the divine ship, even the tea was so delicious that Kiana was almost full from drinking it. Yet they still had not gotten to the actual matter.
Fortunately, Jing Yuan Yuan did not continue pouring tea. Perhaps she also felt that they had drunk too much, and it was time to get down to business.
"Miss Kiana, do you know why I asked you here?"
"Could it be..."
Jing Yuan Yuan narrowed her eyes, thinking that Kiana had guessed the truth. Her adorable little canine teeth even showed.
Unfortunately, Kiana's next words nearly caused Jing Yuan Yuan to choke. She almost lost control and fell straight into mara-struck madness.
"Could it be that you feel unequal to the task, so Lord of the Bow agreed to your request to resign and wants to invite me to become the General of the Luofu?"
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I refuse to take on the Luofu's mess. If it were Yaoguang, I might reluctantly accept."
Jing Yuan Yuan: ...
At that moment, Jing Yuan Yuan felt so mentally exhausted. Supreme Diviner Fu thought about her position all day long, and now even this person favored by Lord of the Bow had first assumed that she was about to retire.
Do I really look like I'm about to retire?
And Yaoguang too? The Xianzhou Alliance was practically becoming the Yaoguang Alliance. Those people acted as if they were constantly pumped full of stimulants. They were either fighting and scoring great victories, or preparing their next objective and deciding whom to fight next.
May 1: Great victory.
May 2: Great victory with the company's assistance.
May 3: Great victory.
May 4: Yaoguang, oh Yaoguang, how could you be so violent? Have you forgotten the development plan we set earlier? The Helmsman said, "Rest and rebuild at the appropriate time." This cannot continue!
May 5: Great victory.
Yaoguang: Fight! Keep fighting! What is rest? Until every Abundance remnant is wiped out, the fighting will never stop! Great victory, great victory, and more damn great victories!
"Miss Kiana, you're joking. I feel I can still remain in the General's position for some time. But the Luofu is, after all, part of the Xianzhou Alliance. Why do you seem to dislike it?"
"It seems that way. Just think about the Luofu's future. It's practically pitch-black."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
Jing Yuan Yuan had become interested. She wanted to hear what insight Kiana had come up with. In her eyes, the Luofu was flourishing and full of promise. Although the people of the future were still somewhat immature, there was no shortage of capable individuals.
As for Lord of the Bow's orders, Jing Yuan Yuan felt that there was probably nothing to them. The girl before her did not seem like someone who cared about power or authority.
"First, look at the future General."
"What about her? Although Fu Qing can be a little rash at times, she is still young."
"Immortal's Happy Tea, extra sugar, less ice. Oh, and bring five servings! Ahem. This Supreme Diviner is not indulging in pleasure. Sugar merely helps with thinking. I learned this through my work."
Jing Yuan Yuan wondered whether Kiana had visited the Luofu before. Otherwise, why did she sound so much like Fu Qing? She could not say it was exactly the same—only that Fu Qing herself had shown up.
"Ahem. Those are merely some of Fu Qing's little hobbies. It's only human nature."
"You're right. So, do you want to take a look at the future Supreme Diviner?"
Before you continue