To avoid any misunderstanding, he quickly spoke through the gate.
"Jing Yuan here, troubling you again. Is now a convenient time?"
Although none of them were asleep and they were still in the courtyard, he still needed to observe the proper courtesies when visiting in the middle of the night.
"He really did come back."
Fu Xuan stood up and went to open the gate for Jing Yuan.
Ever since Lingchen had purified her, the Divine Eye no longer caused pain from rejection, allowing Fu Xuan to take her use of its abilities a step further.
She had already roughly divined that Jing Yuan would return a little while after leaving. She simply hadn't determined when, since divining an Emanator's actions consumed far too much mental energy.
And that was with someone on the same side. For Emanators of other Paths, obtaining a rough prediction was usually good enough. To divine their exact movements and intentions, she would need the Matrix of Prescience to greatly ease the strain.
Of course, Fu Xuan herself hadn't actually noticed that she was using divination far less often in her everyday life.
Just as Lingchen had said, a little uncertainty now and then made life more enjoyable.
Sparkle gave Fu Xuan a somewhat surprised look. This was actually her first time seeing a Xianzhou Diviner in person.
The Luofu's Diviner certainly lived up to her reputation.
If Aha hadn't sent her here, she might have been fine as long as no one discovered she had boarded the Luofu. But once she was discovered, Fu Xuan could probably use this kind of divination to pinpoint her location.
Her strength was certainly respectable among Pathstriders, but she couldn't withstand a specialist like Fu Xuan, especially when Fu Xuan also had a superb tool gifted by Nous.
"I haven't disturbed you, have I, Lingchen?"
Jing Yuan slowly approached the stone pavilion.
"Not at all. These two were curious about my abilities, and I was just about to demonstrate them in the middle of the courtyard."
Lingchen felt there was nothing wrong with satisfying his future wives' curiosity.
"Should I step away for a moment, then?"
"What's there to step away for?" This universe didn't have some strange rule where knowing someone's powers automatically gave you a way to counter them.
In battles between Emanators, once they knew their opponent's Path and prepared to fight, they already had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Why bother hiding anything?
Besides, it wasn't as though he had no other abilities.
He had plenty of tricks in reserve.
"Did the Xianzhou Marshal send you back here?"
"Indeed. Marshal Hua wanted to speak with you personally again. Her duties kept her busy, so I could only come over at this hour."
Jing Yuan felt rather helpless about that.
Who wanted to keep running back and forth, especially at his age?
"Is that all? Sure. You can start a video call with her directly. I wouldn't mind if you called the generals of the other Xianzhou ships, either."
"But you have to agree to one condition. I haven't thought of it yet, but don't worry, it definitely won't put you in a difficult position. You might even find yourself quite pleased with it when the time comes."
Jing Yuan felt somewhat helpless. Lingchen made it sound easy, but this was a condition he "hadn't thought of yet."
That was probably the hardest kind of condition in the world.
Still, thinking back on Lingchen's time here, although he could occasionally be a little... extraordinary, he hadn't actually done anything out of line.
Oh well. What harm was there in giving him a little more trust? Wasn't that precisely how deeper trust was gradually built?
With Fu Xuan and the other girls around, Jing Yuan actually felt quite reassured about Lingchen.
"All right. I agree."
"Nice and decisive. Start the video call."
"Mr. Lingchen, my apologies for disturbing you again."
Jing Yuan had brought a projection device specially used for Xianzhou communications.
As such, Lingchen could clearly see the blue projected figure, along with the armor she wore.
"Not at all. You're far too polite, Hua."
Even through a projection, Lingchen felt as though he were seeing an old acquaintance, a certain sense of familiarity rising within him. Perhaps Welt would feel it even more strongly.
Sure enough, even knowing she was a different person, he still couldn't help feeling something stir.
Perhaps he would only grow accustomed to it after seeing her more often.
"Was there something you wanted to contact me about?"
"As you know, there are always certain people aboard the Xianzhou... Well, given the Xianzhou's circumstances... I don't have the final say in everything."
Hua seemed somewhat resigned. Some of the Xianzhou Alliance's higher-ups were still secretly considering taking action against Lingchen. After all, he had disposed of some old fossils, and those old fossils had entire families behind them.
"So, after receiving General Jing Yuan's report, I wanted to meet with you again and assure you that, even if certain elements harboring ill intentions toward you emerge, the Xianzhou will deal with them thoroughly. Should any problems arise, please contact us first."
"Unfortunately, between the long journey, my official duties, and the appearance of abominations, I had no way to meet you in person. We can only speak over video."
Lingchen's extraordinary nature and power left Marshal Hua deeply concerned about the consequences of offending him.
After all, the Xianzhou wasn't as simple as a single person like Lingchen.
She had far more than hundreds of billions of people to consider.
Thus, she was already thinking of joining forces with other senior officials to impeach those few higher-ups who had no idea how far out of their depth they were, and placing everyone who might still intend to act against Lingchen under surveillance.
"I see. Having you watching over them really is a blessing they must have earned in past lives, Marshal Hua."
[Chapter 46: What a Blessing Indeed]
Lingchen immediately understood what Hua wanted to say.
He had to admit that, compared with the Hua of another world, the Xianzhou Marshal possessed far more independent judgment and decisiveness. It made him see her in a new light.
The Hua here was truly a decision-maker.
When danger hadn't reached their own doorstep, there were always people who refused to read the situation and wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall.
That was why, after learning from Jing Yuan that Lingchen had met Fuli and Aha, and that the laughter had originated here, Hua had contacted Jing Yuan again. She wanted to reiterate the Xianzhou's position to Lingchen and avoid any future conflict.
"You're too kind, Mr. Lingchen. I'm merely doing my duty. Then, regarding your position..."
"I have no problem with that, provided they haven't come after me or those around me yet. I'm sure you understand, Marshal Hua."
If they had already come right up to him and he still had to notify Jing Yuan and let them handle it, where would his fun go?
Lingchen smiled at Marshal Hua's projection. Deep within his eyes, the reddish-brown mask likewise let out a shrill, piercing laugh.
Even through the projection, Hua could feel waves of pressure.
Clearly, Lingchen was telling them where he drew the line.
"Of course I understand. If such a situation truly occurs, please act as you see fit, Mr. Lingchen. The Xianzhou will not interfere."
Even she couldn't tolerate someone walking all over her, much less an Emanator of [Elation]. His willingness to refrain from having his fun and disposing of those people before they acted was already an enormous courtesy.
Hua knew very well that this courtesy was probably thanks to Fu Xuan and the others.
Who else could persuade an Emanator of [Elation] to show them consideration?
Not making them the subject of some enormous joke was already consideration enough.
"Speaking of which, I noticed this last time as well. You seem quite familiar with me, Mr. Lingchen?"
Hua had noticed Lingchen's gaze during their previous conversation. There had been a sense of nostalgia in it.
Their conversation this time had also gone unexpectedly smoothly.
After all, out in the wider universe, an Emanator of [Elation] was synonymous with trouble and lunacy.
"Yes. Have you heard of counterparts in different worlds?"
"You mean you've met someone in another world who resembles me?"
Hua was slightly surprised. This was her first encounter with such a situation.
"Exactly. She looks almost identical to you, and even her voice is extremely similar. Apart from the differences in bearing and strength, if I closed my eyes and only listened, I might have trouble telling you apart."
"To think such a thing exists."
Hua genuinely found it a little unbelievable.
It was also the first time Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan had heard of such a thing.
Still, none of them were ordinary people. The universe was so vast that someone resembling them wasn't particularly strange.
Sparkle, on the other hand, looked thrilled. Judging by her expression, she probably wanted to search for a counterpart of her own. Even if there wasn't one, someone with a similar interpretation of [Elation] would be nice.
Surely that would lead to even more entertaining fun.
"Of course. Her name used to be Hua, then Chi Yuan, and later Fu Hua. She also practices Taixu Swordsmanship. If the opportunity arises, perhaps you two might meet someday."
"She practices Taixu Swordsmanship as well?"
Never mind the other names. Hua had focused entirely on the words "Taixu Swordsmanship."
According to Lingchen, she was far stronger than her counterpart. But if they were simply comparing martial arts...
Even Hua found herself looking forward to it.
"So you use Taixu Swordsmanship too." Lingchen was surprised, yet not entirely surprised. Then he made a rather abrupt request. "Could you teach me?"
Though they were counterparts, their personal experiences were bound to differ considerably. After all, they had grown up in different environments: one looked toward the sea of stars, while the other looked toward a single planet. That also meant the Taixu Swordsmanship they ultimately developed would differ.
Perhaps he could combine their versions into a more complete form of Taixu Swordsmanship.
Of course, he was merely making the request in passing.
After all, Lingchen would have plenty of opportunities to check in in the future. Obtaining character cards for both of them was entirely possible, and he could learn it directly then.
Wanting the swordsmanship now was partly the excitement of discovering something that interested him, and partly a desire to see how talented he was with a sword.
With his body's extraordinary adaptability, perhaps he really could master it.
Jing Yuan said nothing about Lingchen's request. It was the Marshal's swordsmanship; she could share it however she wished.
Fu Xuan, however, grew somewhat anxious. The Taixu Swordsmanship passed down to others consisted of only individual branches. After all, the complete art, encompassing the culmination of everything, was practically a comprehensive master framework of swordsmanship.
Even the Marshal's personal disciples couldn't claim to have mastered Taixu Swordsmanship. They could only say they wielded it far better than others.
And even so, they ranked among the strongest in the universe.
That was why the Marshal wouldn't readily pass on this swordsmanship.
Fu Xuan worried that Lingchen's bluntness might displease the Marshal and prompt a refusal. After all, he was an Emanator of [Elation]. The Xianzhou's willingness to extend him greater trust was already a sign of considerable open-mindedness.
Lingchen and the Xianzhou were still in the process of building trust. If Marshal Hua overthought things and concluded that everything he had done so far was for the sake of obtaining her swordsmanship, then...
If he wanted it, Fu Xuan could simply speak to her family. She happened to be going home tomorrow anyway. Though she might owe someone a favor, having her family slowly work on the matter would be better than offending the Marshal here and ending up with nothing.
The Marshal's strength was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. So, even though Fu Xuan had realized that Lingchen was stronger than Jing Yuan, she couldn't be certain whether he surpassed the Marshal.
"Marshal, that isn't what Lingchen meant. He mentioned wanting to learn swordsmanship before, and he's very fond of it. Seeing how much you resemble an old acquaintance made him feel close to you, which is why he spoke that way. You..."
At that thought, Fu Xuan could no longer concern herself with rank or propriety. At the very least, she had to smooth things over with the Marshal first.
"Hahaha!" But Marshal Hua's hearty laughter interrupted her.
"You really are a fortunate man, Mr. Lingchen."
"I hope you'll treat Fu Xuan well in the days to come."
[Chapter 47: Its Name Is Humor]
Hua looked at Lingchen with a smile.
Fu Xuan's behavior had indeed surprised her, but more than that, it had put her at ease.
Ever since Fu Xuan's mentor had operated the Cloudwatcher Mirror, drawn an arrow from the Reignbow, and died, Fu Xuan had seemed to fall into some kind of whirlpool, sinking ever deeper.
Before discussing official matters with the general, she could perform forty or fifty divinations. Even going outside required numerous readings, all to ensure that everything she did that day occurred at precisely the right time and place.
She had obtained a Divine Eye gifted by Nous, yet had also "closed" her own eyes, no longer making judgments based on what she saw.
"Of course. My precious Xuan cares about me."
A trace of smugness appeared on Lingchen's face as he gave Fu Xuan a tender look.
Fu Xuan's concern had clouded her judgment. She didn't know his strength, and she had also forgotten that Marshal Hua had attained her position not merely through judgment and power, but through her temperament and character as well.