Tingyun: Will Jiyuan Hate Me Because My Feet Are Dirty? / Qingque: You're Famous, So Play a Few More Rounds!

Ji Yuan happily opened it.

You successfully rescued a corpse from the Buli Ren Remnant Legion. Corpse examination experience +1.

What!?

Tingyun was still a corpse!?

Ji Yuan thought to himself.

Before he could think any further, he saw Tingyun getting to her feet, preparing to head back to the Star Skiff while glaring at him with furious hatred. She gripped her fan tightly in her hand.

The owner of the Star Skiff Ji Yuan had escaped onto also came out.

Ji Yuan quickly took a step back to avoid being hit by Tingyun, then pointed at the unmanned Star Skiff flying wildly nearby. "Miss Tingyun, that ship is full of Buli Ren soldiers."

"Buli Ren soldiers?"

Tingyun could not help but freeze upon hearing Ji Yuan's words.

Among the Abundance Followers, the people the Fox Folk hated most were undoubtedly the Buli Ren. Back then, the Buli Ren had enslaved the Fox Folk for a long time. If the Xianzhou had not arrived, the Fox Folk would still have been Buli Ren slaves. Therefore, whenever it came to attacking the Buli Ren, the Fox Folk never cared about the cost.

Yet even as she looked at that Star Skiff, Tingyun did not believe him at all.

"I inspected every Star Skiff before coming here. How could there possibly be Buli Ren..."

Before she could finish, the ship's cargo containers exploded. A group of bizarre "people" with dog heads emerged from within. Their bodies twisted, and they all transformed into tall, muscular dog-headed humanoids. They held all kinds of weapons in their hands.

Fortunately, because the two Star Skiffs were flying at different speeds and altitudes, there was a considerable distance between them. Ordinary Buli Ren could not easily cross over.

They really were Buli Ren!?

Tingyun's eyes widened as she watched them appear.

Everything Ji Yuan had said was true.

There really had been Buli Ren aboard her ship just now.

If she had still been on it...

Tingyun broke out in a cold sweat.

Ji Yuan had just saved her.

And he had followed her here to help her.

He could have waited until she left before reporting it. Neither the Cloud Knights nor the Sky-Faring Commission would have blamed him. Yet he had still followed her, and at the critical moment, he had pulled her out of danger.

Remembering how she had acted just now, even trying to hit Ji Yuan, the hand clutching her fan went limp.

Looking at Ji Yuan, whose expression no longer held that earlier fervor, remorse instantly filled Tingyun's heart.

She had always prided herself on being able to see through other people.

Yet at such a dangerous moment, she had seen nothing at all.

She had actually needed a young man younger than herself to save her.

He had not understood his intentions. Ji Yuan had to be angry, right?

I'm awful!

While she was still lost in thought, the ship owner on their Star Skiff shakily pointed at the Buli Ren staring at them and said,

"L-Let's stop talking. Aren't those Buli Ren about to come over!?"

The Buli Ren raised their weapons and began firing at Ji Yuan's side.

Ji Yuan grabbed Tingyun with one hand and dragged the ship owner with the other, rushing into the cargo hold.

"Don't worry. They can't get over here."

Once they were relatively safe, Ji Yuan spoke to the two of them.

"W-Why?"

the ship owner asked.

"Because I already notified the Cloud Knights."

Ji Yuan answered.

At that moment, more than a dozen Star Skiffs sped over and surrounded Tingyun's vessel. A large number of Cloud Knight soldiers stood aboard them.

The moment they saw the Buli Ren, the Cloud Knights charged without hesitation.

A fierce battle immediately erupted.

The leading Buli Ren knocked two Cloud Knight soldiers flying with his weapon, then turned an enraged gaze toward Ji Yuan and Tingyun on the other Star Skiff.

They had failed.

After going to enormous lengths—bribing, sabotaging, and using every method possible to make various shipments arrive at the Xianzhou at the same time and throw it into chaos—they had even undergone biological modification, turning themselves into forms that could fit inside crates, all so they could infiltrate the Xianzhou and cause destruction. Yet before they could even begin, they had been discovered and surrounded by the Cloud Knights.

Their entire force was doomed to be wiped out.

But before dying, they could still take someone down with them.

Naturally, that someone would be Ji Yuan and Tingyun.

If not for those two, their infiltration would not have failed.

He stomped heavily on the Star Skiff, sent another two Cloud Knight soldiers flying, then leaped toward Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan instinctively pulled Tingyun back a few steps.

Seriously? He could still charge over here?

Just as Ji Yuan was about to look for a weapon to fight back with, seven or eight streaks of sword light flashed past the Buli Ren leader. His body froze in midair.

"The General had already learned that the Buli Ren intended to infiltrate the Luofu Starfaring Vessel, so he ordered me to patrol the area."

A clear young voice rang out not far from Ji Yuan and Tingyun.

Ji Yuan turned and saw Yanqing standing at the bow of another Star Skiff, his sword clutched tightly in hand. The moment he spotted Ji Yuan, delight lit up his face, and he swiftly jumped over to Ji Yuan and Tingyun.

Tingyun: Ji Yuan Won't Dislike Me Because My Feet Are Dirty, Right?

After being pierced through by that barrage of sword light, the Buli Ren leader was not quite dead. He gathered the last of his strength and tried to attack Ji Yuan. But Yanqing reacted quickly. The instant he saw the Buli Ren raise his hand, he formed a sword gesture with his right hand, and a flying sword shot out from behind him, pinning the creature down for good.

Yanqing smoothly recalled his sword, closed his eyes halfway, and said with an air of calm indifference, "The Buli Ren legion is nothing special."

After saying that, he realized Ji Yuan and Tingyun were both looking at him curiously. The pose he had been putting on instantly fell apart, and his handsome face turned scarlet.

He quickly scratched his head, then said to Ji Yuan,

"I never expected the person who reported the Buli Ren hiding here to be you, Brother Ji Yuan. Our Cloud Knights have already dealt with all of them."

Because his friend had caught him acting embarrassingly dramatic, Yanqing had even started calling Ji Yuan "Brother."

Seeing him like this, Tingyun covered part of her face with her fan. Ji Yuan, standing beside her, could clearly see the corners of her lips curling upward.

Ji Yuan patted Yanqing on the shoulder. "You finally made it. Otherwise, Miss Tingyun and I were completely defenseless. Wouldn't the Buli Ren legion have slaughtered us?"

Ji Yuan also wanted to laugh, but as his friend's embarrassed face had nearly turned the color of blood, he could not bring himself to tease him any further.

The system's cheerful notification sounded in his ears.

You witnessed the Luofu Sword Champion slay the leader of the Buli Ren Remnant Legion. Luofu Sword Champion's Secret Sword Techniques +1.

An image instantly appeared in Ji Yuan's mind. A figure holding a longsword soared through the air, then swung downward. Everything hundreds of meters ahead was frozen into ice by the sword technique unleashed by that figure.

After watching it once, Ji Yuan had memorized the sword technique and could wield it as naturally as moving his fingers. However, due to insufficient stamina and energy, he estimated that he could only use it over a distance of around ten meters.

Even so, Ji Yuan felt that his strength had increased considerably compared to before.

Looking at Yanqing, Ji Yuan almost wished he could drag him around the entire Xianzhou to challenge everyone to duels. Ji Yuan felt that if he really could take Yanqing around and fight everyone on the Xianzhou once, he might even be able to challenge General Jing Yuan.

"It looks like I haven't squeezed enough out of Yanqing yet. I'll have to find more ways to get close to him in the future."

Ji Yuan thought to himself.

Yanqing suddenly felt an extremely dangerous aura emanating from Ji Yuan nearby.

He shuddered and walked over to the Star Skiff that had previously been transporting the goods.

The Star Skiff had been almost completely destroyed. Those valuable goods had either been blown to pieces or thrown from the ship. Yanqing turned to Tingyun, who stood beside Ji Yuan, and said somewhat apologetically, "Um, miss, these goods... We arrived too late..."

"Please don't worry. It would already be a blessing if the Cloud Knights do not pursue the matter of this little lady allowing the Buli Ren onto the ship. As for compensation..." Tingyun initially spoke in her usual gentle tone, but then a sharp glint flashed through her eyes.

The Orion Trading Company was definitely involved in turning Buli Ren into crates. Since they dared to use such tactics in a commercial war, did they really think the Resonant Flame Trading Company was made up of saints?

Throughout trade across the stars, even the Interastral Peace Corporation did not wish to casually make enemies of Xianzhou trading companies. After all, there was only one kind of merchant group in the universe that valued revenge above profit. Now that the Orion Trading Company had set up Resonant Flame, Tingyun would not deserve to be called an Xianzhou merchant if she did not retaliate.

Just as she was about to say something ruthless, Tingyun noticed Ji Yuan standing beside her. Her eyes shifted again, taking on a look of seeking support.

"This little lady has no real ability. I'll have to rely on Lord Ji Yuan to seek justice for me."

As she spoke, she leaned slightly closer to Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan shifted away.

Are you kidding me? I'm not sure what counts as a corpse right now, and you're not sure when you'll become one. If we stick together and a meteor suddenly falls on us someday, wouldn't we both be done for?

Better play it safe.

We can talk after you escape your fate of dying.

He said seriously, "I'll report this matter to Lady Yukong. If Lady Yukong assigns the Sky-Faring Commission to handle it, we will definitely help you seek justice. And if Lady Yukong sends me to carry out the task, I will do it."

Tingyun's smile stiffened.

After saying that, Ji Yuan turned to Yanqing with a brilliant smile. "Say, Brother Yanqing, thanks for coming to save me today. Are you free later? I'll treat you to a meal."

"Mm... alright."

Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The General's meals were always rather plain. As a teenager, Yanqing found them somewhat monotonous. He was looking forward to Ji Yuan improving his meals for him. Besides, Yanqing felt that he had not fought enough today, and after eating, he wanted to have another proper match with Ji Yuan.

Off to the side, Tingyun watched them, her fox-like teeth beginning to grind together.

Why?

Why had Ji Yuan returned to his former cold attitude toward her as soon as the matter was over?

Just now, after experiencing Ji Yuan risking his life and braving danger to save her, Tingyun had been deeply moved. She wanted to get closer to Ji Yuan and learn more about him, but he seemed so resistant.

What did I do wrong again?

Tingyun wondered to herself.

At that moment, she lowered her head and looked at her feet. They were covered in dirt and dust, no longer as clear and pristine as before. Earlier, when she and Ji Yuan had been rolling around on the ground together, her feet had gotten dirty. Tingyun hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her waist and wiped her feet clean, restoring them to their snow-white, soft appearance.

That guy had liked looking at her feet so much before. Could his attitude have changed because they got dirty!?

Only after doing that did she secretly glance at Ji Yuan.

Unfortunately, Ji Yuan was already walking together with Yanqing. Tingyun watched as Yanqing and Ji Yuan said something to each other, then quickly left with the other Cloud Knights.

Disappointment flashed through Tingyun's eyes.

"Hmph. It's no good trying to run away like that. This little lady and you both belong to the Sky-Faring Commission. Seeing you will be very easy."

She muttered to herself.

Tingyun was determined to find out why Ji Yuan's attitude toward her kept changing.

To show her resolve, Tingyun even kicked the ground twice. But after kicking it, she remembered something and hurriedly looked down. Only when she saw that no grime had gotten on her feet did she finally relax.

Qingque: You're Famous, So Play a Few More Rounds of Cards!

"Name?"

"Ji Yuan."

"Age?"

"O-One hundred and seventy."

"Place of origin?"