Chapter 854: Star Sky Martial Arts Ceremony (17)

Fate / the Emiya family's meal.

"He actually refused the company's assistance; that kid is really stubborn…"

Archer watched Lu Ka refuse Tuopa face‑to‑face, and for a moment didn't know what to say. Ever since Pinokangni's return, Archer has retained the memory of cooperating with Shajin, and as someone who has worked directly with the "Stone Heart Ten", he knows how sharp their minds are.

If Lu Ka and Tuopa reach a cooperation, under Tuopa's good‑will tone, he would absolutely believe Tuopa could skyrocket Lu Ka's fame. Since the goal is to let other galactic civilizations learn about Beiluo Bo Ge, there's no faster way.

Even that Great Guardian would probably urge Lu Ka to agree without hesitation, right?

"Stubborn? Archer, I actually think Lu Ka's move is correct; it's not stubbornness, it's staying true to his own heart!" Yuanban Lin corrected.

"Heh… staying true to one's heart is just a flowery excuse; you just need to find the most direct road to the goal. Since Lu Ka's purpose in punching the universe is to promote his hometown, all you need is the most efficient publicity method— as for punching, once the goal is achieved, none of that matters." Archer said expressionlessly.

"Hmm… you guy, your mindset is still as terrible as ever." Yuanban Lin crossed her arms, gave a light hum, "I really can't get along with you."

"Terrible? I've always called this approach 'efficient.'" Archer shrugged, "Fine, I guess you won't endorse my view, but if it were Shajin, he'd definitely agree with me."

——

Back in the lounge room, Lu Ka began to seriously contemplate the reminder Tuopa had just given him.

"'Out‑of‑the‑play move?' In my former competition career, I did encounter those despicable boxers who love using out‑of‑the‑play tricks; there was a guy who would slip laxatives into opponents' drinks before a match."

Xing Ting, listening, felt it sounded familiar: "What a coincidence, hey, I also know such a swordsman…"

"Hahaha, coach, you really know everyone!"

While the two were chatting leisurely, Ka Mei Li suddenly rushed over, slapping a newspaper in front of them.

"You two still have the energy to joke! Lu Ka, a big incident just happened!"

"Huh? What big incident? Don't rush, take your time…"

Ka Mei Li spread the newspaper open; the front page of Luofu Sports Gazette featured a photo of him and Tuopa meeting privately, and the article was a baseless speculation that the company had thrown an olive branch to Lu Ka.

And the comments below were even more vicious: someone claimed Lu Ka was simultaneously crafting a 'anti‑company hero' persona while happily pocketing the company's rotten money, leaving a bunch of fools to treat him as a hero!

Even more, they dug up details of Tuopa's previous case handling, spreading rumors that Lu Ka was the core backbone and golden‑hand of the underground illegal organization Yalilo‑VI's 'Di Huo', and even suspected Lu Ka to be a corporate mole cultivated by Tuopa, nailing his character to a pillar of shame.

In an instant, terms like 'company lapdog' and 'shameless' kept popping up, practically flooding the entire report.

Ka Mei Li was practically frantic: "Check online; a crowd is now debating 'Lu Ka's collapse, turns out he's a company lapdog'— it's causing a huge uproar!"

Facing this kind of 'out‑of‑the‑play move' for the first time, Lu Ka was completely bewildered, not reacting at all: "This… putting aside that the content here is fabricated… I met Miss Tuopa only before a system was completed, right? How did this even make it into the newspaper?"

"These news reports and interview pieces were definitely not prepared on the spot. This is a long‑planned malicious report!"

——

Genshin Impact.

"I see, so that's Mr. Shuo Jin's 'out‑of‑the‑play move' after all." Zhongli nodded thoughtfully, "Shuo Jin, Shuo Jin… everyone talks about Shuo Jin… now I get it."

"But how could he spread rumors here, making things up on his own? He even claimed Lu Ka was the golden‑hand of the Di Huo organization; could it be… he also got poisoned by boiled black‑back perch?" Xiangling said, shaking her head, "…no, no, boiled black‑back perch is one of our Wanmin Hall's signature dishes; if he wants to eat it, I won't cook it for him!"

Xingqiu also couldn't help but frown: "So this person compiled these dirty materials to force Lu Ka to withdraw from the competition? Smear his reputation? That's quite underhanded; even if Lu Ka beats him on the field, this person could still raise a 'anti‑company lapdog' banner, rallying the crowd, and later be voted back to life by netizens."

"Guest Minister, if you encounter this kind of situation—no, you are Lu Ka right now—how do you plan to counter this person?" Hu Tao, pinching a crystal shrimp dumpling and popping it into her mouth, asked while eating.

"Me?" Zhongli set down his teacup, rested his chin and thought for a few seconds, "The immediate priority is to dispel the rumors. But the crux is that Lu Ka or Miss Tuopa cannot confront the rumor‑spreader directly, to argue face‑to‑face."

"Huh? Why is that?" Xiangling, fuming, wished she could make the rumor‑maker's butt burst into flames.

"They are at the center of the rumor; if they step in lightly, they'll easily fall into a pre‑set quagmire, tangled in minutiae, draining effort; moreover, speaking as the parties involved, even the most sincere words will be seen as excuses, greatly reducing effectiveness," Zhongli said calmly.

Hu Tao, thoughtful, nodded: "So Guest Minister means… we need to find someone else to clarify the rumors?"

"The master's words are correct," Zhongli slightly nodded, "The person must have two qualities: first, 'authority'—their statements carry credibility and cannot be from Lu Ka or the company; second, 'objectivity'—they must have no direct stake. In my view, those three generals are the most suitable."

——

"But they also don't know about me and Miss Tuopa, right? This… it can't be Miss Tuopa…"

Ka Mei Li shook her head decisively: "No, it has nothing to do with Miss Tuopa; the company has no need to do this. Likely the behind‑the‑scenes mastermind has prepared many versions of the report, just waiting for the right moment… If you didn't meet Miss Tuopa, they'd probably choose another report."

Ka Mei Li stared seriously at Lu Ka: "Lu Ka, have you offended someone? How could anyone specifically do this…"

"How could I have… ah! Bad…" Lu Ka suddenly realized, murmuring low, "Could this be the 'out‑of‑the‑play move'?"