"Hahaha! She probably didn't do it on purpose!" March 7th burst into laughter. "Doesn't seem like it," Hanxing said calmly. "She clearly inspected Yanqing's sword carefully before taking it."
"Let's report it to the police, the scene will be quite interesting..." Qiong teased. "Please stop, it was my oversight," Yanqing pleaded. "Let's go, we shouldn't keep the general waiting."
"Don't worry, girls with such skills are rare, so it shouldn't be that hard to find one," Dan Heng reassured them. The group turned around and followed Yanqing's directions toward the Seat of Divine Foresight.
"Quite a few troublemakers indeed..." Lujun muttered to himself behind the group, completely oblivious to the impending doom. Hanxing, on the other side, tightened his grip on his knife; the mark he'd left made him hear Lujun's words clearly. "Fool..."
" Old Yan, you must be tired from your journey." A lazy and amiable voice echoed throughout the Seat of Divine Foresight, indistinguishable from the voices used for communication on trains. "This must be General Jing Yuan," Hanxing thought to himself. "Ah, it's no trouble at all, but it's kind of you to take the time to greet me," an aged voice replied.
Hearing the commotion, the six men continued forward to the two men. "General, I have brought the passengers from the train. I did not know that the General was receiving guests; Yanqing's timing is inappropriate," Yanqing apologized.
"It's alright, you've come at just the right time. It's been a long time, everyone on the Astral Express!" Jing Yuan smiled, then changed the subject, his gaze fixed on Hanxing and Firefly: "By the way, who are these two beside you?"
"My name is Hanxing, and this is Firefly. We are the newest members of the train," Hanxing replied simply. "Hello, General Jing Yuan, I've long admired your name," Firefly said respectfully from the side. "Since we are both distinguished guests on the train, there's no need to be so formal. It's always nice to have friends from afar," Jing Yuan replied with a smile.
"Allow me to introduce you all, this is Arbiter-Generals Zhuming, the Flaming Forge General,' Huaiyan." Jing Yuan made way for him, revealing a somewhat short old man. "Haha. No need for such formality. I am traveling in plain clothes, no different from the tourists who have come to observe the ceremony." Huaiyan smiled, his words carrying an air of nonchalance.
" Old Yan is not only a general of the Reignbow Arbiter, but also the Flameheart of the Artisanship Commission's Office; besides his busy military life, he is also skilled in all kinds of crafts. Such a remarkable person is unique among the Arbiter-Generals," Jing Yuan continued to introduce.
"General or Flameheart, these are merely titles bestowed upon me in response to the times. I have already resigned several times, but now the situation has changed, and the Marshal has summoned me again, so I have no choice but to take up the post." Huaiyan said modestly, "In the end, it's also my fault; I've lived far too long. It's inevitable that I'll attract criticism."
"Greetings, General Huaiyan." Hanxing, Dan Heng, and Yanqing said in unison. "Greetings, General Huaiyan." March 7th and Firefly were a beat slower, but still answered immediately. "Greetings, old general." Qiong spoke last, paying his respects.
"Please, everyone, don't stand on ceremony. Today, I am a guest of Luofu, just like you." Huaiyan said kindly, "I already know about your self-introductions. Jing Yuan, are these three the saviors you mentioned earlier who helped you quell the Ambrosial Arbor disaster?"
"Indeed, Dan Heng, March 7th, and Qiong... without these friends turning the tide, Luofu might not have been able to easily overcome this calamity," Jing Yuan said objectively. Huaiyan's gaze was fixed on Dan Heng: "If there's an opportunity, I'd like to have a drink with you when the descendants of Imbibitor Lunae return to Luofu to witness the Wardance."
" Dan Heng is always ready," Dan Heng said, lowering his arms from his chest. "And who is this little friend over there...?" Huaiyan's gaze then turned to Yanqing. Yanqing looked a little embarrassed, glancing at Jing Yuan for help.
"My disciple, Yanqing, is still young, so I have kept him by my side as a guard, hoping to give him more experience. In this martial arts ceremony, he will represent the Luofu Cloud Cavalry in the arena and accept challenges from all sides." Jingyuan saw Yanqing's predicament and answered on his behalf.
"Good, good, good! It's truly worthwhile for this old man to meet so many outstanding young talents today." Huaiyan laughed, "Oh right, as one gets older, one tends to forget things... This lady next to me is my grand-disciple, Yunli..." Hanxing turned her head and saw the girl who had taken Yanqing's flying sword.
"It's you!" Yanqing noticed them too and exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, it's you. Hello," Yunli replied simply. "Hehe, you two know each other? Looks like we don't need an introduction!" Huaiyan said happily.
"It's like finding a needle in a haystack! I thought it would take a lot of effort to find this young lady," Yanqing said with a smile. "Oh, my curiosity has been piqued... Tell me, how did you two recognize each other?" Huaiyan asked excitedly.
"This young lady helped subdue the escaped prisoners of the Bu Li Borisin in the Starskiff Haven, and Yanqing thanks her in advance. But when you left... you also took my flying sword with you." Yanqing clearly suppressed his anger and tried his best to speak fairly about Yunli's actions.
"A flying sword?... Oh, I was wondering how a short sword suddenly appeared in my bag. It's yours." Yunli recalled for a moment, remembering the matter. "Indeed, since we've met again, I hope you can..." Yanqing was about to speak when Yunli interrupted him, "That's probably not a good idea."
"Not good?" Yanqing's voice carried a hint of anger. "You want this sword back, don't you? Fine, but not this way. Our Zhuming rules dictate that a sword lost on the battlefield must be retrieved on the battlefield." Yunli's voice was slightly provocative.
"That's what happened with this little sword. It flew through the air, meant to shoot at the fleeing Borisin. Unfortunately, the sword's wielder was troubled, making it like a kite with broken wings, losing its aim. Besides, if I hadn't reached out and caught the sword, helping it hit its target, that Borisin would have already escaped."
"General Huaiyan, please forgive me." Hanxing bowed to Huaiyan, then turned to Yunli: "Miss Yunli, aren't these words a bit biased? You took someone else's sword, so why do you refuse to return it to its rightful owner as if nothing happened?"
Hanxing's face showed a hint of anger. Yunli's words just now not only belittled Yanqing but also him. What did she mean by "that Borisin had already escaped"? He only let one go to give Yanqing and the others a sense of participation. It was as if he was the one who let that Borisin escape because he was not strong enough.
"... It seems the Train Swordsmen are no different from the Luofu Swordsmen, nothing special." Yunli suddenly blurted out these words.