"Well, Yanqing, to be honest, I'm not even sure if I've ever taught anyone before, so I can't guarantee I'll be a good teacher. Besides, what made you think of taking me on as a master?" Baihong asked.
"Because I want to grow stronger. I want to protect the Xianzhou, protect the General, and in the future, I want to protect you well, too," Yanqing said without a moment's hesitation.
"..." Baihong acknowledged, "Well, thank you for your trust. But my swordsmanship—how should I put it?—personally, I feel it's quite grueling, and it's not very similar to the sword techniques you usually practice. Can you really stick with it?"
"Yanqing will certainly not let down my teacher's guidance, and I will definitely see it through," Yanqing vowed solemnly.
"Alright then. I think the Scalegorge Waterscape is rather suitable for practicing swordsmanship. We can go and practice there," Baihong suggested.
"Great, there's no time to lose. Let's go!" As Yanqing started to head off, Baihong pulled him back. "Wait, let's wait until this entire incident is completely over first."
"Ah, my apologies, I was being too rash," Yanqing said sheepishly.
Elsewhere, after retrieving Tingyun's belongings and organizing them, the Astral Express crew worked alongside Yukong to solemnly place the items inside a skiff, bidding them a sincere farewell.
"Miss Tingyun, I'm so sorry. Even though you met with such a tragedy, none of us will ever forget your contributions to the Xianzhou. We won't forget you. I hope you can live a happy life on the other side," March 7th said, paying her respects to the skiff carrying Tingyun's relics on behalf of the Astral Express crew.
"Tingyun..." Yukong couldn't bear to say any more, turning her head away with her eyes closed, silent.
"Sigh... we should go see Fu Xuan and find out what's going on. The Xianzhou has been through so much lately, they're barely managing. Let's go check in and offer our condolences," March 7th proposed. With that, the Astral Express crew arrived at the Divine Foresight to wait for Fu Xuan.
"You're here. Ah, things have been terribly busy lately. Though the matter is resolved, upon closer thought, there are still many loose ends that simply don't make sense. First of all, how did the Stellaron slip past the Xianzhou's surveillance and get brought aboard unnoticed? And secondly, after Phantylia possessed Tingyun, she abandoned the body, and that physical vessel vanished entirely after the battle. There hasn't been a single trace of it since. I suspect that the Tingyun you met when you first docked at the Stargazer Navalia may have been Phantylia in disguise all along," Fu Xuan answered.
"Oh, we are deeply saddened by what happened to Miss Tingyun. To think she was fake from the very beginning... Where on earth is the real Tingyun now?" March 7th asked.
"No one knows, but the Xianzhou will send people to search for her. You needn't worry too much," Fu Xuan briefed them on a few more crucial matters before leaving.
As the Astral Express crew walked further in, they found the General hard at work at his desk. Welt said softly, "Pardon the interruption, General."
Hearing this, the General looked up and stood up from his desk. "No trouble at all, I'm glad you're here. Have you been settling in well on the Xianzhou these past few days? If there is any inconvenience, please don't hesitate to let me know."
"You are too kind, General. Now that the affairs of the Xianzhou have been perfectly resolved, we Nameless will not linger overmuch. We will take a brief rest over the next few days and then set off once more," Welt adjusted his glasses and replied modestly.
"Haha, it seems the Astral Express crew is never content with the status quo and always looks toward the future. That is wonderful. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Nameless an eternally smooth and untroubled Trailblaze. During the days you spend resting on the Xianzhou, I will offer my full support to your endeavors." After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries with the Astral Express crew, Jing Yuan excused himself on the grounds of pressing official business.
After parting ways with Yanqing, Baihong had not forgotten his duties as a patrol officer. After all, he was still a newly appointed Luofu Cloud Knight!
"Now then, where should I go first?"
Baihong pondered. He had been here for a little while now; perhaps he should start by familiarizing himself with the culture and customs of the Xianzhou.
He arrived at a bookstore in Exalting Sanctum. The proprietress was a short, petite young girl who was quietly reading a book by the table.
Looking up and spotting Baihong, she spoke up, "Esteemed customer, are you here to buy books? I am Yinshu, the proprietress of the Three Flavors Bookstore. Just let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you, miss. I am a newcomer here and would like a few books to help me understand the Xianzhou. Might the proprietress have any recommendations?"
Seeing such a tiny girl running a bookstore, Baihong couldn't help but think of little Bailu, and wondered to himself: The Xianzhou is truly full of extraordinary talent; even children have their own specialized skills.
"Haha, easy enough. I'll go get them for you." Yinshu set down the book in her hands and went to fetch the items. Before long, she returned holding a bundle of books and introduced them: "These are the ones. The Xianzhou has a long history, and many of these books provide detailed accounts of our history, cultural traditions, and local customs... I've carefully selected every single one of these, and I hope they can be of some help to you."
"Alright, thank you, miss," Baihong said, cupping his hands in gratitude. He paid the required sum and carried the books back to his residence.
Ever since defeating Phantylia, and at Yanqing's suggestion, the Xianzhou had provided Baihong with a residence of his own, sparing him from having to wander the streets.
That evening, after Yanqing returned, Baihong asked him, "I was reading some history about the Xianzhou today and had a few questions I was hoping to ask you."
"Oh? Go right ahead, Baihong."
"What kind of people were the High-Cloud Quintet that you mentioned before? Why have I never heard anyone on the Xianzhou mention them now? I remember you saying the General was one of them, right?"
Yanqing wasn't at all surprised by Baihong's question; in truth, his own knowledge of the High-Cloud Quintet was mostly gathered from hearsay. Lowering his gaze in thought, he said, "I don't know much about them either. Simply put, the High-Cloud Quintet were the five most renowned figures on the Xianzhou back in the day. Each of them possessed extraordinary skills and rendered monumental service to the Xianzhou. One of them was General Jing Yuan, who is also an exceptional master whom I deeply respect. You've actually met some of the others: Dan Heng, Blade, and Jingliu. There was also another member whom I don't know much about—a Foxian pilot named Baiheng.
In any case, as I explained to you last time, because Dan Feng failed when attempting the dragon-transformation secret rite and summoned a monster, he was killed by Jingliu. Shortly afterward, Jingliu succumbed to the Mara-Struck and was banished by the Xianzhou. Meanwhile, Blade, whom we fought earlier, became an immortal abomination due to the influence of the Abundance Aeon; no matter how severe his injuries, he heals rapidly.
Do you remember when we were pursuing Blade earlier? Actually, right before that, I encountered Jingliu. She asked me who had taught me my swordsmanship and demanded a spar. I was wary of this sudden, mysterious woman. In the end, my skills fell short, and I was defeated by her. She even criticized my swordplay as withered and feeble. I couldn't even block a single strike of hers..."
Yanqing looked thoroughly discouraged, and it was clear he needed some comforting.
"It's alright, Yanqing. Although I only exchanged blows with Jingliu once, and briefly at that, I could sense that her strength is unfathomable. And it seems she has lived for a very long time, doesn't it? That's likely due to the effects of the Mara-Struck. You're still very young; becoming a hero requires not only formidable strength, but also the constant tempering of one's state of mind—dusting yourself off after repeated failures and using those experiences to enrich your swordsmanship. It's just like a piece of unrefined iron; only through endless quenching can it be forged into steel."
Encouraged by Baihong's pep talk, Yanqing quickly recovered his spirits. He nodded and said, "You're right. I shouldn't let a minor setback like this crush my morale. How about this? Let's practice right now and spar with each other. What do you say?"
"Oh? You want to spar with me? Very well then, you'd better watch out."
As Baihong exerted his inner force, the sword at his back automatically unholstered and flew into his hand.
"Autumn wind sweeps fallen leaves!"
Baihong channeled his inner energy into the blade and swung toward Yanqing. Not daring to be careless, Yanqing unleashed a wave of sword qi to shatter the incoming attack while directing two swords to charge at Baihong. With a wave of Baihong's sword, the opposing sword qi was instantly dispersed.
Leaping into the air, Baihong executed his sword technique, sending frigid, razor-sharp bolts of sword qi straight at Yanqing. Yanqing gave it his all, searching for an opening while launching his own counterattack.
"Watch out, Yanqing! A rainbow pierces the sun!"
"Ah?"
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Yanqing gritted his teeth, thinking to himself: *I cannot give up, I can do this!*
He took a deep breath to steady his rhythm, then unleashed a plummeting sword technique from above. The two streams of sword qi collided, erupting into a blinding flash of light as both of them leaped backward to avoid the shockwave.
"Not bad at all, Yanqing! I never expected your cultivation to be so profound. At this rate, before long, I might not even be able to beat you."
"Haha, Teacher, you don't need to be so modest. I still have a long way to go!" Yanqing said bashfully.
"Is that so? Ah, what a pity. You are a long-life species, while I am merely short-lived. Someday I will leave this world before you do—will you still remember me then?" Baihong suddenly dropped those words.
"Ah! I'm sorry, Teacher, I... I didn't think..." It was true—Baihong was merely a short-life species, and the time he had to accompany him would inevitably be short. It suddenly struck him that his own General, Jing Yuan, had also lived through immense spans of time. What should he do if the General eventually fell to the Mara-Struck, too?
At that thought, Yanqing, who had just regained his spirit a moment ago, plunged right back into despair.