Yanqing bowed respectfully to Lingchen, then hurried away, presumably to the Cloud Knights' Training Grounds.
After all, he had been going there often lately.
"Hey, Jing Yuan, what's wrong? Your face is so grim it's practically twisted into a knot."
The moment Lingchen entered, he saw Jing Yuan deep in thought with his eyes closed.
Raven paced while Jing Yuan kept his eyes shut.
"Ah, Mr. Lingchen."
By now, Jing Yuan trusted Lingchen much more. After all, with his ambiguous relationships with both Fu Xuan and Qingque, he certainly wouldn't do anything to harm the Luofu.
What left Jing Yuan speechless, however, was that after he had suggested drinking tea and taking a bird out for a stroll, this fellow had actually done it. He could often be found at the Tea Master's place, or listening to the storyteller. Only, instead of walking a bird, he walked Bailu. Jing Yuan had never seen Bailu so dependent on anyone before.
Although Bailu was tiny and sometimes childish, she had her pride. Besides, she was still the Vidyadhara High Elder. Jing Yuan had never seen anyone hold her-except Lingchen, who not only carried her around but fed her, too.
Jing Yuan suspected Lingchen was raising Bailu as a pet dragon girl.
"It's nothing particularly serious. The Minghuo Merchant Group sent word while away on a diplomatic mission. They encountered a small Borisin fleet and requested reinforcements. I've already contacted a nearby civilization to help hold them off, and the Cloud Knights are on their way. They should be arriving soon."
Diplomatic missions always traveled with some armed protection. A small Borisin fleet hardly required him to intervene personally. If he acted every time something like this happened, wouldn't that make him nothing more than hired muscle?
"You didn't send Yanqing?"
"Yanqing recently learned a new technique, but he seemed rather distracted, so I didn't send him. Speaking of which, you haven't been teaching him anything strange, have you?"
Jing Yuan gave Lingchen a thoughtful look.
Yanqing used to be so full of energy. Whatever technique he had learned lately, it had left him absentminded every day.
"How could I? You know me, Jing Yuan-yuan. I'm an upright man. Kindness and enthusiasm are practically my middle names. Do you know how many old ladies I've helped cross the road on the Xianzhou?"
First time I've heard an Emanator of Elation call himself upright. That's a good one.
Still, in the two months since Lingchen arrived on the Luofu, some people's entire outlook had changed. A few old fossils who had lived for years saw what Lingchen was after and tried to use Fu Xuan to threaten him into taking their side. In the end, they stripped naked and jumped into a livestock manure pit, declaring themselves little yellow fellows who loved eating yellow grub. Several Xianzhou residents were nearby at the time. Watching those people devour mouthful after mouthful nearly frightened them into becoming mara-struck.
Later, those old fossils became mara-struck and were taken to the Ten-Lords Commission. What disappointed Lingchen was that he hadn't met the Judge and Trainee Judge he had been longing to see. Clearly, in reality, there were more than just those few judges.
Chapter 29: That's Right, I'm Going to Rescue Them
After that, no one dared scheme against Lingchen, or anyone around him.
They had nearly forgotten that Lingchen was an Emanator of Elation, not a Xianzhou native. Push him too far, and he might unleash something devastating on the Xianzhou.
And just like that, several old fossils hailed as "pillars of society" had kicked the bucket.
The Marshal personally sent her regards and offered Lingchen a solemn apology. However, she was still on the battlefield and couldn't leave, so she could only apologize over a video call.
Lingchen himself didn't mind. After spending all this time on the Xianzhou, he had finally found something entertaining.
If possible, he hoped for more.
Besides, it wasn't the Marshal's fault in the first place. Every organization had internal power struggles, people abusing authority for personal gain, and fools who didn't know who they were dealing with. That was normal, especially somewhere like the Xianzhou, where people genuinely lived long enough to become undying old fossils.
It would have been stranger if there weren't anything disgusting going on.
Lingchen was only slightly dissatisfied that he couldn't perform a check-in over video.
What surprised him was that General Feixiao seemed to have obtained his contact information from Jing Yuan and added him.
The moment she spoke, she showered him with praise for what he had done.
Thinking about Feixiao's personality and background, Lingchen found that easy to understand.
Feixiao probably hadn't had an easy time all these years, either.
Likewise, he couldn't check in through phone communications.
Feixiao chatted with Lingchen for a while. After agreeing to spar the next time they met, she hurriedly went offline, saying she had found another bunch of Denizens of Abundance.
"Indeed. Thanks to some of your actions, the Xianzhou even has a Friendly Mutual Aid Association for the Elderly now. Nobody knows who founded it. Apparently, the founder ran off right after setting it up. It wasn't you, was it?"
"How could it be? I enjoy helping people, sure, but that sounds exhausting. I'd be more comfortable spending that time listening to a storyteller."
There was no way Lingchen would admit to something like that. The association was already on the verge of developing from a grassroots group into an official charity.
He had originally thought the organization would do more harm than good. After all, its guiding principle was to make oneself happy. Instead, it had gone in the opposite direction, so he left.
Its members were elderly Xianzhou natives who helped other elderly natives find a new direction in life after their families became mara-struck, leaving them entirely alone.
Although some of them still looked seven or eight years old.
"Fair enough."
Seeing Lingchen's perfectly earnest expression, Jing Yuan finally nodded. It had only been two months, but that was enough to get a basic understanding of someone. In Jing Yuan's opinion, Lingchen probably didn't have that much time on his hands. Even if he did, he would likely spend it drinking tea and walking a bird.
"Tell me where they are."
"You mean the Minghuo Merchant Group?"
"That's right. I'm going to rescue them."
Lingchen kept it brief.
"Why? I haven't promised to pay you."
Although Lingchen was a fairly decent person, he rarely did anything without something to gain. The few times Jing Yuan had asked for his help had cost him quite a few Credits.
"If I remember correctly, the Minghuo Merchant Group's chief representative is a Foxian girl called Tingyun."
At that, Jing Yuan understood. Just as he'd thought-the fellow had his eye on Miss Tingyun.
Tingyun had followed Yukong since childhood and had practically been raised by her, so Jing Yuan had met her several times. Aside from her lovely looks, the girl possessed a naturally quick mind and silver tongue. Whenever she spoke, people couldn't help wanting to hear more. Even Jing Yuan admired her eloquence.
It was hardly surprising that a Foxian girl like her would attract Lingchen.
Well, so be it. Tingyun often traveled for trade, and even Helmsman Yukong couldn't stop her. During a discussion about work, Yukong had once complained about the dangers involved. If Tingyun really ended up with Lingchen, at least her future safety would be assured.
Since the group in trouble was Tingyun's, he had also consulted Fu Xuan. She had fallen silent for a moment before declaring the outcome highly auspicious. Presumably, that was because Lingchen would intervene. Jing Yuan understood now.
Of course, things probably would have been fine even without Lingchen's intervention. After all, Fu Xuan had first called the outcome auspicious, then changed it to highly auspicious.
Fu Xuan indeed couldn't divine Lingchen directly. Even setting aside his status as an Emanator, his identity as someone from another world meant she couldn't divine a single thing about him.
But as Lingchen had said, she could still glimpse fragments of information by divining others. She had seen Lingchen's hands reflected in Tingyun's eyes, which was why she called it highly auspicious.
Those hands often passed her milk tea. By now, she didn't even need to look; a touch would tell her they belonged to Lingchen.
But why did Fu Xuan fall silent and then immediately go offline? Could it be...
Jing Yuan decided it would be best to observe a little longer. Jumping to conclusions too early could cause problems.
"Everyone, hold on a little longer! The Xianzhou reinforcements will be here soon!"
"Hah... hah..."
Tingyun panted heavily, encouraging everyone as she swung her fan and sent a Borisin flying.
Earlier that day, she had been humming with her eyes half closed, thinking about the large order she was about to secure. Who could have expected to encounter a small Borisin fleet along the way?
Minghuo was a merchant group, after all. It had armed protection, but it wasn't a force dedicated to warfare.
Fortunately, a nearby civilization had sent troops to help.
Unfortunately, that civilization's forces were clearly no match for the Borisin.
Though Tingyun continued encouraging everyone, she was already frantic inside. In another three minutes, they might not be able to hold out.
If only she had brought more troops. She had already decided to tell the civilization's forces to retreat rather than suffer devastating losses.
"Miss Tingyun, the Xianzhou Cloud Knights are here! We're saved!"
Just as Tingyun brought down another Borisin and paused to catch her breath, one of her female Foxian subordinates ran over excitedly, communicator in hand.
"Really? Come on, everyone! Keep pushing!"
The instant the Xianzhou Cloud Knights entered the battlefield, the one-sided fighting swung the other way.
Everyone from the Minghuo Merchant Guild was encouraged, too.
With victory almost within reach, Tingyun's eyes filled with hope.
But it didn't last. Several more Borisin fleets appeared, and the hope in her eyes swiftly plummeted.
"Miss Tingyun, the Cloud Knights have sent orders for you to leave in an escape vessel immediately. They'll stay behind to cover your retreat."
"No. I can't leave everyone behind."
The Cloud Knights had come to save them. How could she abandon them and flee for her own life?
"A fine answer. I like it."
P.S. Please boost my stats, waaah.
Pictured: Yanqing
Chapter 30: For... Little Old Me?
Along with a young man's voice came a scythe that abruptly sliced the void in two.
"You're... Mr. Lingchen?!"
Seeing the newcomer, Tingyun instantly relaxed.
This man was an Emanator. In a universe where the Aeons didn't intervene, Emanators represented the very pinnacle of combat power.
By now, all the senior officials knew of Lingchen's existence.
Tingyun had followed Yukong since childhood and was practically another daughter to her. Naturally, she knew about Lingchen, too.
"So you know me."
Lingchen smiled and twirled the Path of Life-Reaping in his hand. Every Borisin within several kilometers was cut into chunks of flesh that could not heal.
System, check in.
[Ding! Checked in before Tingyun, chief representative of the Sky-Faring Commission's Minghuo Merchant Group. Reward obtained: Phantom Night Star Abyss character card.]
Nice. Seele really does love me best. When I finally meet her, I'm definitely giving her a huge hug and a big kiss.
"Your name is renowned, Mr. Lingchen. Even the Alliance's highest-ranking officials hold you in great esteem."
"Heh. That's because they're smart. They know they brought it upon themselves, understand when to give ground, and realize what it means for everyone to get along."
Lingchen sneered. Some old fossils really did need a beating to understand just how little they amounted to.
In fact, the mara-struck deaths of several old Alliance officials, along with the photos of them eating shit pinned atop the Xianzhou Forum for days with no one able to remove them, had shown every senior Xianzhou official how ruthless this Emanator of Elation was. He didn't just kill people; he crushed their spirits, too.
Fortunately, only the senior officials of each Xianzhou could see those photos, which at least gave the Alliance a way to save face.
At first, however, some senior officials still wanted to stir up trouble. They proposed that the generals join forces to arrest Lingchen for daring to attack them. After occupying their positions for so long and witnessing so many successions of the Xianzhou's Emanators, perhaps they had begun to think Emanators were nothing special, forgetting their power and standing.
After all, some of them practically lived to impeach Emanators, look down on them, and verbally attack the Xianzhou's own Emanators. Arrogance and smugness had long since taken root within them.
The generals alone didn't have the final say on the Xianzhou.
Not a single general paid them any attention, though.
Moreover, after those old fossils were brought to the Ten-Lords Commission, it became apparent that even secretly using a Forbidden Method to extract living marrow for treatment couldn't restore so much as a moment of consciousness. Black energy even emerged from their bodies, instantly draining several people administering the Forbidden Method into desiccated corpses.
Alchemy Commission personnel analyzed the dried corpses and concluded that this was the effect of another unknown Emanator authority, one that did not belong to Elation.
The moment they reached that conclusion, the dried corpses suddenly stood and rasped, "Stop here, and we can coexist in peace. Keep going, and I'll see this through to the end."
"After all, this is rather entertaining, too."
Then, with piercing, shrill laughter, the corpses spontaneously burst into flames and turned to ash.
At the same instant, the instruments containing energy extracted from the corpses also emitted shrill laughter like scraping metal, then turned to ash from the inside out.
The laughter shattered every glass object within half a kilometer and made everyone "see" a reddish-brown smiling mask in their minds.
The bizarre scene nearly scared the researcher senseless.
The same went for several senior officials observing the research.
They drew the mask they had seen in their minds and searched the Xianzhou's records. Finally, they discovered to their horror that it was a mask observed throughout the universe beside Aha, the Aeon of Elation-a mask belonging to the Aeon's true form.
The possibility that Lingchen was a Multi-Path Emanator, Elation's favor, the photos posted online for other senior Xianzhou officials to scrutinize like some viral curiosity, and the ruthlessness, strangeness, and final threat conveyed through the corpses all thoroughly silenced the Alliance's leadership. They even jointly requested that the Marshal apologize to Lingchen.
After all, only a handful of officials who had lived long enough had become mara-struck. The others could consolidate a little more power. Why wouldn't they welcome that?
Most of the senior officials were clearheaded. They might occasionally make foolish mistakes, but they weren't foolish enough to get themselves written into history as criminals of the Xianzhou.
Clearly, Lingchen's strength had to surpass that of an ordinary Emanator.
Only those few officials, blinded by greed and ambition and addled by their long lives, had forgotten what Emanators represented within any faction. They had forgotten why the Xianzhou first took flight and harbored malicious intentions, leading to this whole affair.