Why Am I the One Being Pursued? Chapter 7

"You may not know me, but I know you, you know?"

Seeing this, Bai Jun suddenly revealed an amused smile and said in a sinister tone.

Perhaps Jing Fang himself did not realize it, but his glorious exploits had long spread throughout Shence Mansion. Rumors had already circulated among the people that the indolent, neglectful Closed-Eye General had indulged and sheltered his own younger brother, leaving the common folk in misery!

Once they heard of this, all of Shence Mansion erupted. Everyone began discussing it—General Jing Yuan had a younger brother!?

If he really did, how could those of them who had worked at Shence Mansion for centuries have never heard of him?

Just as everyone had shifted the topic to whether this man might be the general's illegitimate son, Jing Yuan himself came forward to clarify that there was no such thing and ordered a thorough investigation.

Shence Mansion's efficiency in official matters naturally needed no questioning. In less than an hour, they had dug up information on Jing Qi's family for eight generations.

Bai Jun had read his personal file. Though he was unlearned and idle, he was especially popular with children. Whenever he had spare money, he would buy them toys. It was clear that he was not bad at heart; he simply did not put his mind to proper matters. Still, it was worth mentioning that he had quite a knack for reviewing food. After freeloading meals at restaurants large and small, he could genuinely offer reliable feedback and suggestions for improvement.

With that in mind, Jing Yuan had tacitly permitted his behavior. Otherwise, did he really think Shence Mansion would tolerate a rat like him tarnishing and slandering the general's reputation?

Bai Jun's gaze made Jing Fang shiver all over. Cold sweat soaked his back without stop, and his legs trembled as though they might give out. "Y-you are such an important person. You must be busy with countless affairs every day, working from dawn to dusk. For you to spare the thought to remember a nobody like me... that truly is the greatest honor of my life!"

It had to be said, people capable of becoming seasoned deadbeats were no simple characters. Though he was shaking in fear, flattering words still rolled off his tongue, and his social awareness was remarkably high.

Bai Jun suddenly raised a hand to cut off Jing Fang's flattery. "Enough nonsense. From now on, I ask, you answer. Understood?"

"Y-yes..." Jing Fang's expression stiffened.

Bai Jun wiped away the faint smile at the corner of his lips and adopted the posture of interrogating a criminal. "This is not the first time you have used the excuse of being the general's younger brother to freeload meals, is it?"

"Yes..."

"How many times?"

"Five? Or six? I've lost count..." Jing Fang tried to count on his fingers, only to realize that he did not remember clearly. He could only offer a rough estimate.

"Fine. Go to those establishments and explain the situation. Wash dishes, work as a server, whatever it takes—pay back the money for those meals. Then bring me letters of forgiveness written by every proprietor."

"Huh?" Jing Fang let out a startled cry.

"What do you mean, 'huh'? Or you can choose to serve a sentence of three to five years or more in Prison of Deep Seclusion." As he spoke, Bai Jun somehow produced a thick law code. "Your actions have already violated Article Thirty-Five of Xianzhou Alliance law, infringement upon the general's personal honor; Article Sixty-Four, fraud; and possibly Article Thirty-Seven, provoking trouble..."

Each sentence struck like an avalanche, draining more color from Jing Fang's face. Terrified, he hurriedly begged in a tearful voice, "No, no, no! Sir! I'll do it! I'll do it, all right!"

Xianzhou people always preferred compromise. For example, if you said a room was too dark and needed a window opened, everyone would surely refuse. But if you proposed tearing off the roof, they would compromise and agree to open a window.

Bai Jun nodded, thinking that was exactly how it went. "Good that you understand. Go on."

"Right, right!"

At those words, Jing Fang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Ignoring his weak, trembling legs, he staggered toward the door in a rush to escape. Unfortunately, Bai Jun stopped him before he had taken more than a few steps.

"Come back. There is one more thing!"

"Y-you tell me..." Jing Fang forced out a smile uglier than crying.

"I'll cover the cost of this breakfast for you first. But don't think not eating means you have escaped. You will still have to come work here later." Bai Jun turned to the proprietor standing nearby. "Please bear witness. If he ever comes here again to scam food and drink, do not stand on ceremony. Just break the bastard's legs."

"Understood, understood!" Jing Fang did not dare refuse. He only wanted to flee as quickly as possible.

"One more thing." Bai Jun once again called after Jing Fang in a ghostly voice.

This time, he did not say much. He simply tossed the two untouched buns to him. "Consider them my treat. In the future, remember to put your mind toward the right path."

Jing Fang stared blankly at the buns in his hands for a long while, unable to say anything. In the end, he tucked them into his clothes and fled without looking back.

After his figure completely vanished around the corner of the street, Bai Jun stuffed the last bite of fried dough stick into his mouth. Just as he was about to take out money to pay, the system sounded in his mind.

"Ding—"

Approval for Noble Morality +10

25/100

That could increase morality points too?

Bai Jun silently swallowed his food and placed three Xun Di on the table, considering it compensation for the extra money he had paid.

"Sir, you mustn't!" The proprietor refused to accept the money no matter what. He hurriedly and forcefully stuffed the Xun Di back into Bai Jun's pocket. Bai Jun did not struggle much and let him return them.

Only after stuffing the Xun Di back into Bai Jun's pocket did the proprietor finally sigh in relief. "If you hadn't exposed that swindler, these old bones of mine might have been tricked into giving him several more meals!"

Bai Jun suddenly asked, "By the way, proprietor, was Jing Fang telling the truth when he said the general had returned from his expedition?"

"It is true. He returned yesterday at the hour of Wu." Though the proprietor did not know why he was asking, he answered honestly.

Bai Jun did not respond. He merely nodded thoughtfully before turning and leaving the breakfast shop.

"Ah, what a good man."

The proprietor watched Bai Jun's retreating figure and instinctively compared him to his own useless son, filling him with countless emotions.

When he turned back to clear the table, a glint of reflected light caught the corner of his eye. Looking down closely, he saw three Xun Di lying quietly on the tabletop—the very ones he had just stuffed back into Bai Jun's pocket.

Jing Yuan Did It Too

The moment Bai Jun stepped out of the breakfast shop, he began regretting everything, wishing he could slap his earlier self twice.

"What the hell was I trying to show off for? My wallet clearly cannot afford me acting cool anymore..."

Bai Jun crouched in the corner beside a vending machine, utterly lacking the dashing air he had possessed when leaving earlier. Looking at his even flatter wallet, regret immediately welled up in his heart.

He should have at least kept one Xun Di for himself. Great, now even dinner might be out of reach!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it..." He casually picked up a stick and drew circles on the ground, muttering resentfully about the evil of money as he freely vented his dissatisfaction in a dark corner where no one would notice him.

As for why he had hidden in the corner beside a vending machine?

Because the only places one could cry were the restroom and one's father's embrace... my ass! He could not exactly hug his wallet and throw a tantrum in public, could he?

Afterward, Bai Jun let out a long sigh. He tossed aside the stick, stood, brushed the dust from his trousers, and restored his usual calm expression, one that revealed no emotional fluctuations. Then he walked out as if none of that had happened.

Though his money problem had not been solved, his mood was much better.

Wait. Jing Yuan had returned, hadn't he? That meant...

Bai Jun's eyes suddenly lit up as an idea came to him. There was still plenty of time before work began at the Earth-Balance Commission, so he immediately changed direction and headed toward Shence Mansion.

His relationship with Jing Yuan was somewhat subtle. They could be called friends, but if he had to put it plainly, it was more like employment.

When he had first arrived on the Luofu years ago, Jing Yuan had somehow set his sights on him. At first, the general had merely chatted with him from time to time. Later, it developed into exchanges between friends. Having a general as a friend sounded like a dream come true for countless people, but it held little appeal for Bai Jun. For some reason, he could always vaguely sense that Jing Yuan had ulterior motives toward him.

Sure enough, after Jing Yuan learned that he did not have a job, he finally bared his sharp fangs and used both carrot and stick to pressure him into working for him!

How could I bow and scrape before the powerful, only to lose my happy face?

Bai Jun naturally could not be intimidated by power. At worst, he could leave the Luofu and move to Fanghu. He did not have to hang himself from a single tree. Yet in the end, he still fell to Jing Yuan's methods.

There was no helping it. He simply paid far too much! The job mostly involved trivial tasks like making tea, pouring water, and massaging shoulders. The only thing requiring serious attention was helping Jing Yuan relieve some pressure whenever he had too many documents to review. But Bai Jun was quite experienced with that sort of thing, so it was not much trouble.

Not only was the work easy, but Bai Jun only needed to spend one or two days a week doing it. He could arrange the rest of his time as he pleased. It was practically the heavenly job every corporate slave dreamed of!

Yet everything came at a price. The price of happiness was pain, and the price of enjoying that high salary was that he also had to take a duty position at the Earth-Balance Commission. Still, Jing Yuan had assured him that work at the Earth-Balance Commission was so relaxed and pleasant that it felt as refreshing as putting on new underwear on New Year's morning.

Bai Jun actually believed him.

Only after working at the Earth-Balance Commission for a week did Bai Jun finally realize that Jing Yuan had played him like a fool!

The ease Jing Yuan spoke of was in comparison to the position of General of Divine Strategy! And how heavy was a general's workload? Put simply, the Luofu's former Soaring General had once been an unparalleled warrior who fought the followers of Abundance alone for seven days and nights without sleep during the Abundance War. Yet after becoming general, his body was worn down in less than two or three years. From then on, he had to rely entirely on the Divine Monarch to keep up appearances in battle.

It was too late for regret now. Bai Jun shook his head, cast aside his tangled thoughts, and silently quickened his pace.

Shence Mansion stood in a corner of Exalting Sanctum. It had always been the place where Luofu Cloud Cavalry generals handled official affairs. Although the general himself did not often work there day to day, the political significance of having the mansion stand there clearly outweighed its practical value. Even from afar, Shence Mansion exuded a heavy majesty.

The glazed tiles atop its crimson walls glittered blindingly beneath the sun. Its exquisite upturned eaves resembled phoenixes spreading their wings to take flight, while stairs built from pure white marble wound upward toward the solemn, weighty gates.

The Cloud Cavalry guards seated beneath the mighty stone lions on both sides wore standard iron armor and held long spears. Their murderous presence was oppressive.

When the Cloud Cavalry guards at the entrance saw Bai Jun, they gave him a slight nod before allowing him through directly, letting him walk straight into Shence Mansion without any complicated procedures.

As he entered Shence Mansion's dark corridor, he found its interior no less dignified than its exterior. It possessed a restrained elegance unlike any other architectural style, grand in every detail without appearing extravagant or ostentatious.

Outside the magnificent main hall stood a pond meant purely for viewing. The reflections of birds occasionally gliding overhead shimmered upon its surface, delicate and elegant without seeming out of place. Beside the pond was a martial training ground that was by no means small. Rows of armor were tied to stakes, straw dummies stood ready as archery targets, and there were even quite a few dents in the walls left by arrows.

Even so, as a training ground, both its area and facilities seemed far too limited to support prolonged, large-scale troop drills. But as mentioned before, Shence Mansion's political significance far outweighed its practical use. Thus, the martial training ground's purpose was hardly so shallow as mere training.

If displaying military strength could be called a diplomatic tactic, then the magnificent sight of elite soldiers training could absolutely serve as a diplomatic trump card.

That said, in the usually vast and bustling Shence Mansion, only the corner containing the training ground remained empty. With the general having gone on an expedition of The Hunt recently, that emptiness had felt even more desolate.

But today was different.

The general, dressed in casual clothes, stood in the center of the empty training ground. With one hand, he gripped a Formation Blade heavier than a greatsword and held it in a high guard stance. As he exhaled, he slowly swung it. Just as the blade was about to touch the ground, it stopped dead. The air tore apart in a fierce gale. Then he inhaled and raised the Formation Blade back into its high guard stance. The usual lazy, carefree look had vanished from his eyes, replaced by a sharp gaze fixed ahead as he continued wielding the blade.

After repeating the motion hundreds of times, even Jing Yuan's face had gained a trace of color. His breathing was slightly disordered, and beads of sweat slid down his cheeks.

"Mm. The blade's momentum flowed like an unbroken stream, yet its force was razor-sharp and unmatched. You entered the heart of the technique, yet could still forcibly withdraw your strength."

A voice he had not heard in months rang out. Jing Yuan paused slightly before turning toward its source.

Bai Jun had somehow arrived beside the pond. As he commented on Jing Yuan's moves, he scribbled in the notebook he carried with him. Only after Jing Yuan lowered his Formation Blade did he stop writing. "I did not expect your martial skill to improve again after this expedition of The Hunt, General. Now, strength and softness complement one another, the inner and outer taking form together. I imagine your blade technique has reached another new realm."

"You came, Qing Yan. Should I say it has been a long time?" Jing Yuan put away his Formation Blade and retied his long white hair, which had been soaked with sweat. A lazy smile returned to his face.

"Mm, two months does not really count as a long time, does it? Though it works fine as a greeting after meeting again." After spinning the pen once around his fingertips, Bai Jun tucked it into his pocket, closed his notebook, and gave a very serious answer.

"Haha, as expected of Qing Yan. Even your answers differ from ordinary people's."

"Thanks for the compliment. By the way, did you know that thanks to someone, everyone who knows me is starting to call me Qing Yan now?"

Hearing "Qing Yan" again, Bai Jun could not help looking helplessly at the culprit before him—the chatterbox who loved giving people nicknames.

Jing Yuan, the culprit himself, pinched his chin with one hand. Not only did he feel not the slightest embarrassment over his mistake, he even nodded with a gloating smile. "I think that simply proves Qing Yan is a catchy name, and that it suits your personal traits."

"I do not know whether it is catchy, but where did you get the idea that it suits my personal traits?"

"Doesn't it?"

"Not at all!"

Hearing Bai Jun's disgusted complaint, Jing Yuan did not rush. He patiently counted on his fingers as he explained, "Listen as I elaborate. Qing refers to the color of the east. Wood gives rise to fire, which gives rise to cinnabar. The faith of blue and vermilion speaks of forms..."

Bai Jun's head immediately began to ache. He crossed his arms in front of his chest in an X and cut off Jing Yuan's hardcore etymological explanation. "Stop, stop, stop! Let's talk business instead."

"Business? Are you saying you did not come to chat with me this time?"

Bai Jun's expressionless response was an immediate rejection. "No."

"How heartbreaking. Qing Yan, how could you be so cold and heartless? I even remembered to bring you a gift while I was out on an expedition of The Hunt." As he spoke, Jing Yuan pretended to wipe away tears, earning an even more disgusted look from Bai Jun.

"If your gifts were more normal, maybe I would actually be touched."

"Were you dissatisfied with the Noxious Star Class Giant Octopus last time? I even had the Divine Monarch repair its tentacles for you."

"No normal person could possibly like that!" It would have been better if he had not mentioned it. Thinking of the fact that he had eaten giant octopus for three whole months, Bai Jun immediately felt waves of nausea in his stomach, and his complaining grew louder.

Watching Bai Jun bristle in annoyance, Jing Yuan laughed softly in satisfaction. The two were like old friends who had known each other for years, reunited and casually teasing one another.

"By the way, where is Yan Qing?" Bai Jun sighed as he pressed down his sticking-up hair. He looked around but did not see the blond brat who usually clung to Jing Yuan and constantly called him General.

"Yan Qing's fleet has other tasks to handle. It will probably take some time before he returns."

The generals commanding the Xianzhou's various ships safeguarded the Xianzhou people and bore the responsibility of exterminating the abominations of Abundance. They often followed the residual light-arrows of the Reignbow Arbiter, commanding Cloud Cavalry fleets to end the immortal corruption spread throughout the sea of stars.

The names and configurations of the Xianzhou Alliance's Cloud Cavalry fleets varied. For example, the Yaoqing Cloud Cavalry Fleet had the "Crane Feather Guard" and "Dan Song Guard"; the Fanghu Cloud Cavalry Fleet had the "Mystic Pearl Guard"; while the Luofu Cloud Cavalry Fleet had the "Chuihong Guard," "Chunting Guard," "Bi Fang Guard," and "Chuan Qiang Guard."

Even so, their functions were largely similar. The fleets generally surrounded the primary assault ship carrying the commanding general, each serving in roles such as defense, surveying, supporting attacks, and logistics.

As Shence Mansion's youngest Cloud Cavalry Vanguard, a genius with the greatest chance on the entire Luofu to inherit the title of Sword Master, perhaps even become the Sword Champion of the entire Alliance, Yan Qing's capabilities needed no questioning. Naturally, he took on the role of an auxiliary firepower point for expeditionary fleets, sharing the general's flagship's firepower burden and handling subsequent cleanup operations.

Yan Qing's follow-up task this time was to cover the fleet's retreat and clean up the remaining Remnants of Abundance from this expedition of The Hunt. There was nothing particularly dangerous about it for him, so there was no need to worry.

Still, it was rare to see Bai Jun concerned about someone else, and that set Jing Yuan's thoughts turning. Teasing Bai Jun was an important seasoning that kept his dull, tedious office life from becoming unbearable. "By the way, Qing Yan, don't you usually avoid Yan Qing like the plague? Why the sudden change in attitude today?"

Jing Yuan leaned close to Bai Jun with a wicked smile. "Could it be that you are worried about him?"

"Compared to worrying about him, I am more worried about this."

Bai Jun sighed faintly. After pushing away Jing Yuan's approaching face, he silently took out his flattened little frog. The thin green fabric fluttered slightly in the air. It said nothing, yet spoke louder than a thousand words.

"This is?"

Jing Yuan froze for a moment before finally recognizing that the shriveled little frog was actually a wallet. Then he could no longer hold back his laughter.

"What are you laughing at? Do you think I would be this broke if it were not for someone? That brat Yan Qing owes me a mountain of debt." As he spoke, Bai Jun took a long string of IOUs from his pocket. The bright, glaring white slips hung straight down to the ground, each recording Yan Qing's expenses for borrowing money to buy all sorts of swords.

They included, but were not limited to, one-handed swords, greatswords, massive swords, short swords, daggers, double small curved blades...

Buying them was one thing, but a single sword was never enough. He often bought two of the same sword. According to Yan Qing, one would be unboxed and used, while the other would be kept indoors as a collectible. Sword clothes, sword tassels, and the like required even more effort. Sometimes, when he bought a new sword and liked several different scabbards, all of them would seem like a perfect match.