Chapter 775

"This has nothing to do with my age. Anyone who practices swords will naturally understand my feelings."

"Ah… I understand, the children of Luofu truly suffer. What do you want to say, Miss Yunli?" Jiaoqiu looked toward the girl beside him.

Miss Yunli, Jiaoqiu

Yunli crossed her arms: "No matter which celestial vessel you're on, asking a girl's age is impolite."

—— (just a separator line, we need to output 【4】 with translation? The line is just "——". We need to translate it? It's a dash line, likely meaning a scene break. We should output the same? Probably we should output "——" as is? But we need to translate; there's no meaning. We'll output "——". Keep same.

Original God.

Original God

In the afternoon at Liyue Harbor, Tea Scholar Liu Su'nar was bustling with people.

"In my opinion, Yunli's manner of speaking is similar to that of my daughter; she's probably around fourteen or fifteen, just like Yan Qing," a dock worker guessed, stroking his chin.

"Nonsense! Haven't you heard her say? Over three hundred demonic swords! These demonic swords are scattered across the Star Sea; even if Yunli hunts one every three months, it would take nearly a century! She couldn't possibly hunt one a day, could she?"

"Then tell me! How old is Yunli?"

"She's definitely over a hundred years old. Besides, she still needs to learn swordsmanship and forging, after learning she must go hunt demonic swords, recover… continue hunting. When Jingyuan was severely wounded by the Illusory Phantasm, he lay in the Dan Ding Si for several months. That little girl has over a hundred fatal wounds; estimating her recovery time, she'd need twenty to thirty years of rest."

"... You're talking nonsense!"

Everyone chattered, their faces flushed with anger. Seated below, Yunjin listened to the arguments, her brows slightly furrowed, unable to judge for a moment. Previously, she had been moved by Yunli's story of hunting demonic swords and planned to stage a new play about Yunli. But upon hearing everyone discuss her, she realized Yunli's age was also worth discussing.

She glanced sideways instinctively.

Zhongli was still sipping tea, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding arguments. But Yunjin knew that this guest officer of the Hall of the Afterlife possessed the most profound knowledge and might have a different view.

"Mr. Zhongli." Yunjin asked softly, "What do you think about Yunli's age?"

"Hmm… I think Mr. Yun doesn't need to overly concern himself with Yunli's true age." Zhongli set down his tea cup, pondering slightly.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"A person's true age isn't shown by inflated years, but by her actions. According to common reason, Yunli Miss's behavior is no different from that of a girl in her early teens. Moreover, the definition of 'young' among celestial vessel people differs from our understanding, so…"

"I understand, Mr. Zhongli." Yunjin nodded with a smile, "I also think Yunli and Yan Qing are about the same age, but I never imagined she could accomplish so much in her teens—truly admirable."

—— (separator)

"I'm not asking about age! I'm asking… do you have aspirations like Brother Yan Qing?"

"You're not like a cook; you're more like a host." Yunli spoke bluntly.

"Jiaoqiu's veins bulged on his forehead, he could barely contain himself: 'Remember this—I am a medic.'"

Yunli shrugged: "I… don't have aspirations like Little Brother Yan Qing. I only want to challenge the Arena Champion because I promised my grandfather to win the precious sword he gifted for the Martial Exhibition."

Yan Qing couldn't help but tease: "You're nothing but swords on the brain."

"Don't you have anything else in your head!" After rebutting Yan Qing, Yunli also lowered her head, recounting the past: "My father was an artisan on the Zhuming Celestial Vessel; because of his foolish notion, many died from the demonic swords he forged. Since childhood, I've understood that many people are unworthy to wield any weapon. Allowing them to hold swords is cruelty toward the innocent."

Saying that, Yunli glanced meaningfully at Yan Qing, and the atmosphere instantly turned subtle.

"Whenever I encounter someone whose virtue doesn't match their sword, I inevitably feel an itch in my palms, wanting to take their weapon. This isn't… Little Brother Yan Qing serving as the Arena Champion for this Martial Exhibition, right? I'll step in willingly to ensure the precious sword isn't entrusted to the unworthy."

"What does 'entrusted to the unworthy' mean? Explain it clearly to me!"

"Ah, I see, the children of Zhuming also suffer." Jiaoqiu sighed softly, "Having a reason to wield a sword is better than being clueless. In my life I've treated many cloud cavalry, and among them were not lacking two such outstanding warriors like you."

——

Concave-Convex World.

"This Mr. Jiaoqiu sure has quite a story..."

Jin gazed at Mr. Jiaoqiu's thoughtful expression, guessing he too had an extremely painful past.

"Of course, Jin, in this world, those who have witnessed the most human suffering are doctors. And medics like Jiaoqiu, who followed generals on campaigns everywhere, have witnessed even more." Zitang Huan sighed lightly, "I fear Jiaoqiu is imagining these two lively, well-behaved youths one day lying in hospital beds..."

"Can the celestial vessel gather forces to directly destroy the lair of these Abundance folk?" Jin clenched his fists, swung twice in the air, adopting a posture ready to fight the Abundance folk to the death, making Kaili burst out laughing with a "pfft."

"Jin, you idiot, how do you know the celestial vessel doesn't want to fight the Abundance folk? Besides, even if they did, what would it change? As long as the 【Abundance】 Star God isn't eradicated, he can effortlessly summon countless Abundance folk armies, so the so-called battle would only weaken the celestial vessel side."

Kaili pointed at the sky with her lollipop: "Do you still remember what the rakshasa said about 'contending with gods'? I believe his coffin likely holds the key to turning the tide, though I don't know where in the universe the power comes from that could completely slay Abundance."

"Could it be related to the 【Void】?" Zitang Huan wondered, "Given the current situation, it seems only Miss Huangquan's void power capable of swallowing the entire Pinokangni could restrain Abundance, though Miss Huangquan, while strong, seems unlikely to actually kill a Star God..."

"My view is that only a Star God can kill a Star God." Ge Rui crossed his arms, spoke lightly, "... Although envoys wield extraordinary power, before a true Star God they are merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot. No matter how the rakshasa uses tricks, the most crucial piece on this board must still be played by the Hunter Star God."

——

"How come the conversation stopped halfway, Mr. Jiaoqiu?"

"... Just thinking of a few departed old friends, some past events." Jiaoqiu raised his head, smiled faintly: "From my professional perspective as a medic, both of you have vigorous vitality, your breath flowing like a raging fire and fierce wind. This duel… will surely be wonderful to watch."

"Alright, after circling Return Star Harbor and checking out the Champion Vessel, it's time to temporarily bid farewell to everyone."

San Yueqi hummed discontentedly: "How come, you're leaving? You haven't even asked if I have a dream! I've been training hard too!"