Chapter 723: Midnight Martial Competition: Testing the Edge (23)

In Jinren Xiang, Feixiao and the others arrived, the comrade she hadn't seen for many years.

The newcomer turned out to be one of the Luofu Six Guardians, Yukong of Si Chen Palace.

"Having made the renowned General Tianji wait for me this long finally earns me enough face. It's been ages, General Feixiao."

Feixiao was unfazed, walking toward her: "Sister, since we last parted, it's been almost thirty years, hasn't it?"

Yukong's eyes dimmed, the past shimmering like rippling water in floating waves, continuously turning in her mind without pause.

"Indeed, thirty years ago, you were Yaoqing, the vanguard of the Qingqiu Army, and I was a flyer of Luofu's Chuihong Guard. I never expected that upon meeting again you'd already become a general, while I'd given up flying… Thinking back, it feels like a different world."

"But actually, it's not that we haven't seen each other for thirty years, since the Huangzhong Resonance System streams reports of your great victories daily, so I see your invincible bearing every day." Yukong paused, then couldn't help asking, "... Is your health alright?"

"The condition is still stable. I wonder if you remember the military doctor who rescued me in the battle formation back then?"

Yukong recalled faintly: "That doctor with the odd name and even odder temperament… what was it called? I only remember his name had something about scallion, ginger, garlic…"

"Jiaoqiu. Sent by Yaoqing's Xianzhou Dan Ding Si, he has become my staff officer and personal physician. Over the years he's been devising ways to manage my condition. After all these years I'm still alive and well; his contribution is indispensable. Given my background, I'm satisfied to have come this far."

——

Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Thirty years ago on Xianzhou, during the Fengrao Civil War, it seems that war served as the turning point: Feixiao was promoted to general, and Yukong became one of the Six Guardians…" Edward shifted his gaze from the heavens, "So Feixiao has been a general for less than thirty years; she's truly a young general."

"Indeed… that makes it all the more regrettable."

Feixiao's appearance poses no issue, but the lifespan of fox people is limited, and she doesn't seem the type to seek a peaceful death; perhaps enduring another thirty to fifty years with her illness is already the limit.

"If Feixiao had the immortal race's constitution, she might not die from illness, right?"

After all, the Xianzhou Cloud Cavalry can even stitch a severed head back on… their vitality is astonishing.

Edward nodded: "They can indeed live, but becoming a Xianzhou person isn't all that great. Fox people may lack the Xianzhou's longevity, yet at least they have a respectable end—not turning into a demonic shadow body, losing sanity, becoming a monster."

In his view, Feixiao is like an arrow shot by the Imperial Bow Si Ming, a meteor streaking across the sky—brief, yet undeniably brilliant, drawing admiration. Yet a meteor has its own lifespan; if forced to change by external forces, it can easily lead to a tragedy akin to the original Dan Feng's 'Dragon Transformation Method.'

——

"Knowing you're safe puts my mind at ease. So, this time you came with Old Sir Huaiyan, presumably on the Marshal's orders?" Yukong said bluntly, "Feixiao, as a favor to a friend, can you tell me how the Alliance intends to punish Luofu's generals?"

"Jianmu Rebirth has frightened those old guys who usually hide in the rear… they fear the spores resurfacing, like thirty years ago. Although Luofu submitted a report explaining the whole chain of events, there are many missing details regarding whether the Jinmiet Legion's invasion truly occurred, and how the Star Core Hunters and the Star Dome Train got involved."

"You must also know that the fugitive Jingliu, missing for years, has resurfaced. This time she brings an outsider and a coffin, claiming to present the Marshal with a 'method to contend with the gods.' Luofu's Dragon Masters also sued Jingyuan for disregarding the alliance, accusing him of allowing the wandering Yin Yue Dragon to return to Luofu, opening the Thus: Ancient Scale Abyss Sea, and interfering with the responsibility of guarding Jianmu."

"... These are why I had to step onto Luofu's Xianzhou today." Feixiao looked at Yukong, sighing lightly, "... Given my duty, I could have avoided explaining so much to outsiders. But we fought side by side; I don't intend to hide from you, and I hope you can forget these words after hearing them, okay?"

"I understand, sorry, that was improper of me. I also know I shouldn't be defending General Jingyuan now… but you know my nature. Since the Yin Yue Rebellion ended, Luofu has enjoyed centuries of stability, and General Jingyuan's scheming was indispensable to that."

——

Demon Slayer.

"Tsk… those Dragon Masters really have the nerve to sue Jingyuan, and the worms General Huaiyan mentioned are probably those Dragon Masters!"

Lian Zhu Ganlu Si Mi Li grew increasingly angry, her cheeks puffed, wishing she could wrap her sword around those Dragon Masters' throats to force them to apologize to Jingyuan.

"Besides that, I find it odd why the Alliance doubts the reality of the Jinmiet Legion's invasion," Hudie Ren lowered her head slightly, "During the whole incident, there indeed was a person whose disappearance or death was clearly caused by the Jinmiet Legion's attack."

"... Tingyun," She Zhu said slowly.

"Hmm," Hudie Ren nodded, "The crucial person is actually a commerce guild representative, handling Luofu's external trade, also an important figure of Si Chen Palace, later directly replaced by Huanlong—her existence is a direct and strong proof of the Jinmiet Legion's invasion, so why do the Alliance's higher-ups still question it?"

"It's possible the Marshal doesn't doubt Jingyuan, only those higher-ups have questions, but their positions are crucial; to appease them, the Marshal dispatched General Feixiao to interrogate."

"What a hassle! Can't we just hunt down all those annoying old things and slaughter them?" Feng Zhu Busi Chuan Shi Mi hammered the cushion beneath him, sounding irritated, "Damn… in my view, that Marshal might not be as capable as Jingyuan! A massive Alliance with so many parasites hindering it, the Marshal can't escape blame!"

"Busi Chuan… you're too arbitrary; you aren't in that position, so you can't feel the pressure on those above," Yan Zhu clasped his hands and said, "It's lamentable… I thought with Huanlong's disappearance the calamities were winding down, but the trial of the Xianzhou General has just begun."

——

Yukong gazed at the bustling Jinren Xiang, sighing, "It's a pity that for the immortal race, as long as one lives long enough, failure that destroys all past accumulation inevitably arrives—the enemy is waiting for that moment."