"Envoy Xu?"
"Was that really Envoy Xu?"
"The boat was right, but who knew if the person was?"
Whenever Xu Changqing rode Shattered Moon, Falling Frost into the Spirit Field Core, he drew attention anywhere people were gathered.
And without exception, every one of them looked utterly shocked.
Seeing this, Xu Changqing frowned. "Just how long was I gone?"
At that moment, the Spirit-Nurturer Envoy Token hanging at his waist began to vibrate.
Then Flower Elder's voice sounded from within.
"Xu Changqing?"
"It's me!"
"You... came back?"
"Yes."
"Come to the administration office first."
"Alright."
The exchange was brief, but it was the first time Xu Changqing had heard urgency in Flower Elder's voice.
Before long, Shattered Moon, Falling Frost docked beneath Flat-Top Mountain. Familiar with the route, he stepped onto the stairs and made his way toward the summit.
Everyone along the way looked him up and down as if they had seen a ghost. They did not even dare approach, carefully avoiding him instead.
By the time he reached the mountaintop, this "phenomenon" had spread from a few people to the majority. Every pair of eyes fixed on him was strange to the extreme.
At last, Xu Changqing entered the hall with a crowd trailing behind him and saw Flower Elder.
To his surprise, Flower Elder had been staring at the entrance all along, anticipation in his eyes.
Only when he truly saw Xu Changqing appear, completely uninjured from head to toe, did he finally relax.
Xu Changqing stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute. "Steward."
Flower Elder looked him over, then asked, "Where did you go this past month?"
Xu Changqing froze, then asked as though confirming it, "A month?"
Flower Elder nodded lightly. "The Return-to-Ruins Secret Realm ended, and you still hadn't returned."
Xu Changqing