Chapter 702

"Please, don't jinx it..."

San Yue Qi glared at Xing dissatisfiedly: "I'm giving a beautiful blessing, you're the one jinxing it!"

Just then, Yiqing sent Xing a message—he had already received the notice from the Heavenly Vessel Department and was now waiting at Star Dock Sea to greet them.

"Yiqing said the general sent him to pick us up, but where is he?" Xing looked around; today Star Dock Sea was crowded with people, and it was really hard to spot Yiqing, who was still growing taller, in the sea of people.

"Let's wait for him in front of the loom. That's the most conspicuous landmark on the dock."

The three arrived at an intersection when a Pipipi tourist kept waving at them, wanting to ask if the three of them were familiar with local conditions on the Astral Express.

"I know a little; may I ask what you need?"

The mechanical tourist beside them said: "We two come from Pinokangni; perhaps you've heard of this place? We came to the Astral Express to collect some interesting dream material."

Simply put, they wanted someone familiar with the Astral Express to recommend a few worthwhile places to visit.

"I know this star like the back of my hand," he said, pointing at the distant towering ancient tree: "Go climb to the top of the Fusang tree!"

"Hey! Don't go throwing out ideas that'll get us arrested!"

The mechanical guy chuckled: "Haha… you're interesting. How about giving us some more reliable advice instead?"

"... Wait a minute. This idea might not be a bad one. Fortune favors the bold! Let's go, we're climbing the tree!" Saying that, the Pipipi tourist's eyes lit up as he sprinted toward the distant ancient tree.

"Hey! Don't walk off so fast! Hey… at least if something happens, don't rat us out! Sigh, they probably won't cause any trouble… really unsettling."

——

One-Punch Man.

"Master, Shifu!... I just heard something!"

"What did you hear?"

Qiuwu Tai Dao's eyes flashed "swish" as he eagerly said: "Just now I heard two passersby beside Xing discussing that other generals will be coming to this Astral Express martial arts tournament!"

"Other generals?!" Iaian blinked, then said: "I recall that the Astral Express's few generals are all envoys of the Patrol Hunt? That would mean this Astral Express martial arts tournament has become a gathering of multiple envoys—so the Astral Express is quite safe now, and we needn't fear the Annihilation Archon causing trouble again."

"But the Annihilation Archon is only one of the Astral Express's many enemies." The Drill-bit Warrior crossed his arms and said lightly: "The real enemies are those endless, immortal Abundance fiends… we just fear those fiends coming to cause trouble."

"Fiends?" Qiuwu Tai Dao couldn't help but snicker: "Hey hey… this isn't the usual Luofu Astral Express, where only General Jingyuan holds the fort; this is Luofu with 'several' Patrol Hunt envoys stationed. Even if fiends wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn't pick this time, would they? That's practically asking for death."

"Indeed, even the Annihilation Archon probably wouldn't want to cause trouble for Luofu right now." Yuanzǐ Wushi wiped his sword: "I just don't know how the other generals compare to Jingyuan… come to think of it, Jingyuan should be among the strongest of the generals, right?"

"Shifu, I think he's the strongest; you could think differently—he's Jingyuan's disciple, one of the Cloud Stride Five Heroes, whose martial prowess we've witnessed. Plus he has the aid of a Divine Lord; unless another general also has a Divine Lord… or something even stronger than a Divine Lord."

Yuanzǐ Wushi nodded, not denying his disciples' words: "That makes sense… but we shouldn't underestimate the other generals; to be a general on the Astral Express, one must have some unique strength."

——

"Look, Yiqing seems to have arrived."

From afar, the group spotted Yiqing; his figure stood out in the crowd, and… he seemed a bit different.

After meeting up with him, San Yue Qi examined him from head to toe several times, finally realizing what was different.

"Although it doesn't feel like long since we last parted, Yiqing, aren't you…"

"What's up, San Yue Xiaojie?"

"They say if you're not careful, a kid can suddenly grow up so much you don't recognize them. Yiqing, have you… grown a bit taller?"

Danheng let out a quiet sigh: "We've only been gone a few months."

"(Really grown up? I don't believe it……)"

Xing took advantage of Yiqing's inattention, quickly reaching out and pinching his cheek.

"Mmm, feels nice—San Yue Qi wasn't lying."

Yiqing jumped back a few steps, startled: "Huh? Teacher, what are you doing?"

Xing's mind raced, and he quickly came up with a splendid excuse: "Sorry, the consecutive stops of our adventures have made me develop a habit of vigilance—I have to be wary of the first person who shows up to greet us at each location."

Yiqing immediately stood at attention, admiring Xing's alertness: "You're that vigilant with me too?"

"You know, the last time we came to the Astral Express, the first one to greet us was…"

Yiqing nodded: "Yiqing understands; being vigilant is good."

——

Demon Slayer.

"I I I I I…… I wanna touch too!!"

Gazing at Yiqing's fair cheek, Kanroji Mitsuri's heart blossomed—Yiqing was simply adorable!

"Boy, swordsman, genius… we happen to have a substitute right here." Sanemi glanced at the nearby Muichiro Tokitou, but the latter seemed to have anticipated something and had already disappeared somewhere unknown.

The Stone Hashira clasped his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks: "I heard those passersby say that other generals will attend this ceremony; I wonder if any of them are experts with swords, axes, hammers, or the like."

The Serpent Hashira, Iguro Obanai, said softly: "You also want to improve your breathing technique?"

"Exactly."

"But seriously, even if similar experts show up, the Astral Express's techniques might not suit us. Muichiro's mastered 'Ice Breathing' is already enough for us to practice; to this day, besides him, it seems no one else can fully learn those forms."

Muichiro's breathing technique, derived from Jingyuan's swordsmanship, naturally includes Jingyuan's sword techniques that are completely different from theirs; although Muichiro himself picked it up quickly, the other Hashira's talents fall short of his, and after trying, they all ended in failure.

Especially the Stone Hashira… his weapon has nothing to do with swords, so perhaps this time he's also hoping to see if anyone skilled with other weapons can enlighten him.

——

Yiqing said that the people coming and going here aren't just the cave-dwellers' residents; there are also visitors from other planets who have come from afar.

"The general said he wants Luofu to rise from the ashes after the disaster, and this martial arts ceremony is exactly what's needed—to display martial virtue, stabilize the people's hearts, boost morale, and also use the occasion to invite friendly nations' guests, fostering trade and peace."

"Come to think of it, the Alliance attaches great importance to this ceremony—the Astral Express vessels Zhu Ming and Yao Qing have both sent envoys to congratulate!"

"Zhu Ming Astral Express?"

"Yeah, I don't know if Teacher has heard of the Qianxing Forge; the Cloud Riders' military equipment tech is mostly supplied by it. Zhu Ming Astral Express is renowned for its skilled artisans, and it's said that General Huaiyan himself is a paragon among craftsmen. Ah… if I could be fortunate enough to receive a sword forged by his own hands, I'd probably laugh in my sleep."

San Yue Qi asked curiously: "By the way, Yiqing, where should we go next?"

Yiqing hastily patted his head, apologetic: "Ah, look at me just standing here rattling on about miscellaneous stuff. The general summoned me to escort you all to the Chen Palace for a brief sit; he hasn't seen you in a while and wants to hear your updates on the train."

Seeing Yan Qing's somewhat solemn appearance, Sanyueqi couldn't help but chuckle 'hehe': 'Whenever talking about something he's interested in, this little adult shows his childish side.'

""He's really cute.""

Sanyueqi nodded vigorously: 'Indeed.'