"W-what?" Yanqing exclaimed in surprise, looking at Lingsha in disbelief.
"You heard me right. The situation at the Alchemy Commission has deteriorated to this point, and those responsible, besides the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, also include Divine General."
Lingsha sighed softly, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of her sleeve as her gaze swept over the somewhat weathered courtyard of the Alchemy Commission.
Seeing Yanqing suddenly lower his head, his lips tightly pressed together, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white, Lingsha's tone suddenly changed. "Oh dear, why has Lord Yanqing's expression changed?"
"Rest assured, I understand the principle that 'one in a position is not free to do as one pleases,' and I would never harbor any resentment towards the General." She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling.
"After all, for adults like us, so-called 'personal grudges' are a luxury."
"Sister Lingsha, you're finally back! I've been waiting for so long!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a bright, clear voice, full of energy and as crisp as a bell, came from beside them, filled with undisguised joy.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yunli running over excitedly, holding several strings of freshly made Qiongshi Bird Skewer in one hand.
Her gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Ye Yan. She tilted her head slightly, tapped her bare feet on the ground, and said with pure confusion, "Huh... I thought you were having tea with Grandpa."
Yunli clearly hadn't expected that Ye Yan would follow her out of the milk tea shop so soon after she left, and that they would be heading to the same destination.
" Yunli, why aren't you staying by Grandpa's side? Why are you wandering around the Alchemy Commission instead..." Lingsha affectionately reached out and gently rubbed Yunli's head, her voice gentle.
She paused, then turned her gaze to Yanqing and the others. "Taking this opportunity, let me introduce you. This Lord Yanqing is..."
"It's you!" Yanqing stared at Yunli's familiar little face, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, as if fate had played a cruel joke on him, making him sigh at the small size of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Not long ago, he was worried about losing his flying sword, but the next second he unexpectedly ran into Yunli here.
"Oh, it's you. Hello."
Yunli blinked her bright eyes, her expression calm and composed, as if she had only met a nodding acquaintance. She even generously offered a string of extra Qiongshi Bird Skewer to Yanqing.
"Wow, this child is quite sensible, but why isn't she wearing shoes?"
Seeing this scene, March 7th couldn't help but smile with a contented, aunt-like expression.
But then she noticed Yunli's bare feet, and Curiosity turned to Ye Yan, who was leisurely sipping his milk tea, and asked in a low voice, " Teacher Ye Yan, could you introduce me to him?"
" Yunli, the grand-disciple of General Huaiyan," Ye Yan introduced succinctly.
"Huh? She... she's that old general's granddaughter?"
March 7th excitedly lowered his voice and said to Xing beside him, "Xing, did you see that? The future leaders of the younger generation from both the Luofu and Zhuming Xianzhou are gathered here!"
"Speaking of which... where did the representative of [ Yaoqing ] go?" She subconsciously stood on tiptoe and peered around curiously.
"It's like searching high and low without finding it; I thought it would take a lot of effort to find this young lady."
"Oh, so you two know each other?" Lingsha raised an eyebrow with interest.
Yanqing nodded, looking directly at Yunli: "This young lady helped subdue the escaped Borisin prisoners at Starskiff Haven, Yanqing thank you in advance."
"But when you left... you also took my flying sword with you."
"A flying sword... Ah, I was wondering how a short sword suddenly appeared in my baggage, it turns out it was yours."
"Indeed. Since we've met again, I hope you can..."
"That's probably not a good idea." Yunli suddenly crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face tense. Before Yanqing could finish speaking, she decisively interrupted him, raising her chin slightly.
"Not good?"
Yanqing Yanqing froze, as if nailed to the spot by those words. Did Miss Yunli mean she wasn't going to return the flying sword to him?
"Yes, because the sword is with me." Ye Yan finally put down his milk tea cup, making a soft sound.
He slowly pulled a short sword with a cold, gleaming hilt and exquisite design from his sleeve, casually weighed it in his hand, and remained expressionless.
Yanqing:...
I never knew my teacher had such a humorous side... haha~
"An unexpected turn of events: the flying sword stolen from the genius boy... has somehow ended up in the hands of his most trusted mentor. Is this a sign of the distortion of human nature, or...?"
Before she could finish speaking, March 7th leaned close to Xing's ear, her eyes sparkling as she stared intently at Yanqing and Yunli, who were facing off in the arena.
"Xing, who do you think is more skilled between these two? Don't blame me, I'm genuinely Curiosity."
Seeing the "eager for knowledge" expression on March 7th's face, Xing sighed helplessly and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Okay, she admits... she's actually quite Curiosity too.
Xing's gaze involuntarily lingered between Yanqing and Yunli, and it was precisely March 7th's unintentional remark that, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a thousand waves in the hearts of the two young people.
Yanqing's eyes sharpened, his back straightened instinctively, and an invisible sword aura quietly flowed around him; Yunli, on the other hand, snorted defiantly, put her hands on her hips, and her eyes blazed with a fighting spirit.
"Uh... did I say something wrong again?" Seeing the sudden surge of fighting spirit between the two, March 7th belatedly shrank back and looked at Hoshi guiltily.
"It seems so."
"Ugh~ At least say a few good words for me, this is so heartless."
March 7th lowered her shoulders, and the reason for her Curiosity was, of course Teacher Ye Yan had remained completely detached and leisurely sipped his milk tea throughout.
She had heard Dan Heng mention that Yanqing possessed a milk tea flying sword that had been enlightened by Teacher Ye Yan, and wondered if Miss Yunli had a similar weapon.
Ye Yan continued to sip the pearls in his cup at a leisurely pace, as if the tense atmosphere around him had nothing to do with him, and even squinted his eyes contentedly.
Interpreting March 7th in this way is practically a silent tacit agreement!
"Hehe~ Today is my first day in office at the Alchemy Commission, and it's not a good day to start with swords drawn. But since you've both drawn your swords, neither of you will be happy if we don't have a contest, right?"
"I heard from the department's report that evil spirits are still appearing around the Alchemy Commission's grotto. It seems my predecessors left behind a lot of mess in the Alchemy Commission. If you want to settle things with a contest of skill, why do you have to draw your swords against each other?"
"Eliminate the evil creatures?" Yunli shook her head. "That's really pointless."
"Slaying these wicked creatures is the duty of the Cloud Knights. Miss Lingsha need not speak; Yanqing will wipe them out."
"As long as Sister Lingsha needs it, Yunli is of course happy to lend a hand." Yunli was not to be outdone, and brought out her [ Old Iron ], who was even taller than her.
"Wow... Do kids these days like playing with contrasts?" March 7th thought of an old friend of Belobog's.
"Both children have become such sweet little darlings, I'm so happy! Shall we go?"
"Ever since the destruction of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, the abominations they nurtured and researched have been left behind here, where they have taken root and multiplied."
"If you two wish to compete, I will act as the judge: the time limit is one quarter of an hour, and whoever eliminates the most evil spirits within that time will be the winner."
"Sister Lingsha is still the same as always, making it sound so high-sounding when she teaches people to do unpaid work..." Yunli glanced at Ye Yan behind her.
Lingsha patiently explained, " Yunli, this is for your own good. You two are eager to compete, but swords have no eyes, and it wouldn't be good if anyone got hurt."
" Cauldron Master's considerations are indeed thorough."