"B–But Director Yukong! There's something strange about this star skiff requesting entry!"
"What's strange about it?"
"This request carries the General's authorization, but the applicant—"
Yukong shot a sharp glare at the Tianbo Commission clerk behind her.
Inwardly, she sighed.
Only thirty short years of peace, and already so many people had forgotten what war truly meant.
Whether Foxians, Vidyadhara, or Xianzhou natives—had they all grown too accustomed to calm skies?
"The applicant appears to be… Miss Tingyun."
"…What did you say?"
"Miss Tingyun."
Yukong moved instantly, striding straight to the Huangzhong System.
The Huangzhong was not only the central communication hub connecting all Xianzhou flagships—it also governed every inbound and outbound request.
Within seconds, she located a registration logged just three minutes earlier.
Star Skiff ID: ██████
Affiliation: Minghuo Commerce Guild
Request: Docking at the Xianzhou Luofu
Landing Point: Cloudford
Applicant: Tingyun
…It really was Tingyun?
Yukong stared at the data for a long moment before activating her private communicator.
A few seconds later, a familiar voice answered—lazy, sly, and unmistakably Foxian.
"Ah~ my dear Director Yukong. You finally decided to contact me?"
"My little star skiff has been waiting for approval for three whole minutes already, you know."
"What's going on in the Luofu? The Jade Gate is sealed, and no one's answering any calls."
That teasing lilt—half-playful, half-coquettish—was something only Foxians ever truly mastered.
Yukong fell silent.
Then she asked softly, carefully:
"…Are you really Tingyun?"
"As genuine as they come~ If I weren't Tingyun, then what—another Tingyun decided to visit the Luofu?"
"Oh my, Director Yukong. Has it really been so long that you've already forgotten me?"
"…I'd be heartbroken, you know~"
"..."
After a brief pause, Yukong spoke again.
"I understand."
"I'll authorize your entry through the Jade Gate. Report to the Sigong Palace immediately after docking."
"Heehee~ Then this little fox thanks the Director for her mercy."
The call ended.
Yukong finally exhaled the breath she'd been holding.
So she was safe.
Good. That was all that mattered.
As for what those Nameless had said earlier… Yukong believed them. After all, the Minghuo Commerce Guild never traveled with only a single skiff.
And Tingyun—clever as she was—would never willingly walk into danger.
As long as she was alive, that was enough.
And yet—
The unease returned almost instantly.
Not distrust.
Just… timing.
The Jade Gate had closed.
The Stellaron had erupted.
And Tingyun returned at that exact moment.
Too neat.
Too coincidental.
"Fetch the inspection report sent by the Divination Commission," Yukong ordered calmly.
"And once Tingyun arrives, quietly investigate her star skiff in full."
"But… Director, that's Miss Tingyun—"
"Even so," Yukong replied evenly, "I am still the Helm-Master of the Tianbo Commission."
Shortly afterward, a star skiff passed through the Jade Gate and docked at Cloudford.
A Foxian woman stepped onto the platform, fan in hand, smiling sweetly.
"Hehe~ I'm finally home…"
But then—
Her expression shifted.
"Rampaging automatons… soldiers consumed by Mara… and disciples of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"General Jing Yuan… how do you plan to handle all this?"
That voice—
Cold. Detached. Not her own.
Her gaze drifted toward the distance.
Toward Scalegorge Waterscape.
The ancient sea of the Vidyadhara.
The resting place of a divine remnant.
The Ambrosial Arbor.
Thousands of years ago, nine Xianzhou ships set out in search of immortality.
They encountered the Wingweavers… and other Denizens of Abundance.
And at last, they found Yaoshi, the Abundance.
Moved by their suffering, Yaoshi bestowed a miracle.
The Ambrosial Arbor was born.
Until the day Lan, the Reignbow Arbiter, ascended—and shattered that miracle with a divine arrow.
Ending the delusion of eternal life.
"Heeheehee…"
"The Luofu is about to fall into chaos~"
Her ears twitched as she covered her mouth, laughing softly.
Meanwhile—
The wreckage of the star skiff recovered by Evan and the others had finally been fully analyzed.
Inside the Sigong Palace, Yukong read the report carefully.
A fractured communication jade abacus had been recovered.
According to the remaining data, shortly before the attack by the Borisin, that star skiff had transmitted a message—to another skiff.
And that skiff belonged to Tingyun.
"So… the one ambushed wasn't Tingyun's vessel."
"…Seems I was overthinking it."
Yukong finally relaxed—just a little.
Yet suspicion still lingered.
Because coincidences happened once.
Maybe twice.
But not like this.
"General Jing Yuan has arrived!"
"As expected—the Dan Shu Division suffered the worst damage! Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have appeared everywhere!"
"Unbelievable… even the Dan Shu Division…"
Outside the Dan Shu Division, Dan Shu disciples whispered anxiously.
Evan and Jing Yuan approached together.
The General had remained silent the entire way.
Clearly, he understood the truth.
There was a traitor.
He just didn't know who.
"You Luofu folk really do produce talent in abundance," Evan said lightly.
Outside the sealed gates, many alchemists and outworlders protested the Cloud Knights' blockade.
Despite its decline, the Dan Shu Division remained sacred ground to outsiders.
Especially because of one person—
Bailu.
In the eyes of many, Bailu could cure even terminal illnesses.
A miracle incarnate.
"Who's that beside the General?"
"No idea… but if he walks with Jing Yuan, he must be important."
"I heard he saved Master Gongshu in the Artisanship Commission."
"That's him! The one who wiped out Abundance monstrosities on Xuanxiao Avenue!"
"A Nameless?"
"When was the last time the Nameless showed themselves…?"
Whispers followed Evan wherever he went.
Jing Yuan sighed, rubbing his temple.
Black miasma coiled above the Dan Shu Division.
Abominations had appeared almost immediately after the Stellaron's eruption.
Even worse—the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, silent for thirty years, had resurfaced.
"This is more complicated than I expected," Jing Yuan said quietly.
"Evan, accompany me inside."
"Of course."
At the same time—near Changletian, close to the Divination Commission.
March 7th and Stelle had just finished subduing a Mara-struck Cloud Knight.
A tiny figure crackling with electricity dashed over, tail flicking anxiously.
"H-Hurry! Give him the medicine and make him lie down!"
Before she could finish—
Two more Mara-struck soldiers roared as they struggled to their feet.
The little girl froze.
"I-I mean… make them lie down nicely…"
"Careful!"
March raised her bow. Stelle lifted her bat.
They pulled the girl behind them and knocked the soldiers flat in moments.
"Now they're definitely lying down," March said cheerfully.
The little girl puffed out her cheeks and turned around.
"Thanks for helping stabilize the patients! That heavy-impact anesthesia technique was impressive!"
"…Heavy-impact anesthesia?"
"…We did that?"
March and Stelle exchanged blank looks.
"Ugh… but now they're even more injured. I'll have to reset their bones again."
"This is way too much work…"
"You're treating them?" Stelle asked, peering down at the girl.
March crouched too.
"It's dangerous here. Where are your parents?"
"I don't have a father."
"…Oh."
"Then your mother?"
"I don't have one either."
March's soul left her body.
I am the worst person alive.
Fortunately, the girl was used to this reaction.
"I know, I know. You short-lifers see someone small and assume things."
She flicked her tail—
and only then did March and Stelle notice it was bound with a restraint.
"This is the Xianzhou, you know!"
"We Vidyadhara reincarnate naturally."
"No parents required!"
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