"Those tourists are talking about you."
Qiong glanced at the tourists beside her and continued whispering to Yanqing.
But Yanqing's next words surprised him:
"Yes, I heard that too. But they'll be disappointed. I've already informed the general and we've given up defending the arena."
"What? You're not going to defend the title?"
Qiong's voice was filled with undisguised surprise. Given Yanqing's personality, he must have prepared for this for quite some time. But... why give up so easily?
"For me, the safety of Luofu is the priority right now. Before I can take on the honor of being the defending swordsman, I must first fulfill my duty as Cloud Knight Lieutenant."
Yanqing's voice was firm and unwavering, displaying an extraordinary maturity:
"Those tourists coming and going, all they want is a spectacular sword fight. Anyone can go for such a match, why does it have to be me?"
"The real battle isn't on the arena of the Skysplitter, it's here. If the fugitive isn't apprehended and brought to justice as soon as possible, given Hoolay's ruthless nature, he'll definitely cause chaos."
"Actually, there's no need to be so impatient. Mr. Hanxing and Ms. Firefly are already hunting them down, aren't they?"
Qiong tried her best to comfort her, but Yanqing's voice remained firm:
"This prison break is clearly the result of a meticulously planned scheme to create chaos. If these people succeed, what honor will the Cloud Knights have left?"
"Pat pat--"
A loud round of applause came from afar.
"Although he's not taller than a folding stool, this little kid from Luofu has a spirit that rivals that of the Yaoqing Warriors."
At the end of the sound, Feixiao's white-haired figure appeared before the two of them.
"This has nothing to do with height, right?"
Yanqing was a little sullen. After all, there is a saying that "heroes emerge from among the young," and one should not judge a book by its cover.
"General, what are you doing here?"
Qiong noticed the person who had arrived and seemed a little surprised.
"I asked Yanqing to pick a place where they could eat and drink their fill. Before a ' The Hunt,' even the hunters need to be fully prepared."
Feixiao spoke casually, as if he wasn't there to hunt down a fugitive, but simply to take a break.
"As expected of the ' Merlin's Claw,' even facing imminent disaster, he still has such a good appetite..."
Yanqing's voice carried a hint of helplessness, as if she couldn't quite understand Feixiao's relaxed attitude:
"We urge General Feixiao to finish this battle quickly."
"That's probably not up to me—"
Feixiao's gaze shifted from Yanqing's face to the cake on the table:
"Start eating. I brought you here to watch you finish it all."
"I?"
Yanqing's eyes showed a look of confusion and surprise:
"This is hardly the time for a leisurely meal... and there's just too much of this!"
"What? I can eat it, but you can't?"
Feixiao grinned mischievously, placing a clenched fist in front of his mouth, but his expression quickly turned serious.
"Ever since you met the spy Bu Li, you've been restless, running around non-stop and not eating or drinking. Hoolay isn't an opponent you can defeat on an empty stomach."
"Don't be too hasty. Give yourself a meal to calm down."
However, Yanqing couldn't calm down, nor could the current situation make him calm:
" Hoolay's whereabouts are still unknown. The longer we wait, the more unpredictable the situation becomes."
" Jiaoqiu always says I'm the most impatient person in the Cloud Knights, and his advice is always right, so you have no reason to be more anxious than me."
That ease and confidence that belonged to the strong reappeared on Feixiao's face:
"I have fought against the Bu Li monstrosities for many years, and I know their brutality well, as well as the cunning behind that brutality. In this prison break incident, the Borisin were clearly prepared. The enemy is in the shadows; there is no reason for them to rashly step into the limelight."
"The prey is cunning and ferocious, so the hunter must be patient and persistent. Just like drawing a bow to shoot an enemy, one must hold the string at full strength to kill with one blow. Once Hoolay loses patience and reveals his claws, that is the best time to finish him off."
Despite Feixiao's lengthy explanation, it couldn't quell Yanqing's inner panic.
When will this optimal opportunity arise?
"I already said, it only takes the time of one meal."
Feixiao spoke again with ease, his words brimming with undisguised confidence.
The search on Hanxing's side was still ongoing.
"By the way, what was the metal piece you handed Qiong for?"
As the Firefly searched, this question came to mind:
"It has some Tuning included; it's for erasing Remembrance."
Hanxing's voice was filled with indifference, as if everything was to be expected.
"Delete... Remembrance, whose?"
"I'm surprised," Firefly said, causing the mecha to involuntarily shudder.
"I prepared Yanqing and Yunli's [items] when you went to look for March 7th and the others."
"When facing Borisin, you can only fight with armor. But to lower their guard, you have to take off the armor, and then your identity will be exposed."
"Therefore, to prevent certain people who shouldn't know about this—like the generals of the Xianzhou —from finding out, I have no other choice but to do this."
"This small metal piece will automatically track their scents, lock onto the target, and erase their Remembrance. Nothing about Sam will be left. In their Remembrance, there will only be the image of Firefly saving them with a knife."
"Originally, I was worried that the power of ' Harmony ' would be lost, and that this backup plan would be useless. But it seems that it has played a necessary role."
For some reason, Firefly secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Sam's Complete Combustion State green tail flames continued to streak across the night sky. However, due to the Tuning, this flying armor was no different from a shooting star streaking across the night.
Everyone in the know is doing their part to capture Hoolay:
Dan Heng, Lingsha, and Jing Yuan descended into the Prison of Deep Seclusion to search for clues. On March 7th, Yan Qing took over the responsibility of defending the arena from Yanqing. Huaiyan, in place of Jing Yuan who went to the Prison of Deep Seclusion, acted as General Luofu...
General Huaiyan, who took over the important task, said that the stability of the Xianzhou's appearance must be guaranteed.
The event proceeded as planned, and the schedule remained the same. The personnel losses during the Wardance, coupled with the hidden task of searching for Hoolay, posed a significant challenge to Luofu's manpower reserves.
But luckily, the one thing the Xianzhou had in abundance was people.
Beneath the grand celebration, no outsider could detect the undercurrents swirling within Bu Li's powder keg.
Little did they know that the powder keg only needed a single spark to bury the top leaders of the three Xianzhou, Luofu, Zhuming, and Yaoqing, in a sea of public opinion fire.
This is a high-stakes gamble. Jing Yuan and his group can't afford to lose, but Hoolay can't afford to lose either. If his tracks are found, the combined attack of the five Emanator and the Astral Express Crew will definitely leave him in a terrible predicament.
One mistake could lead to utter ruin for both sides.