Chapter 91

"You already handed the Star Core Hunter to me, so now you wouldn't have this trouble. What on earth are you thinking?" Saying this, Fu Xuan suddenly froze, then realized: "Jing Yuan! Could it be... could it be that you deliberately let them escape?!"

"Me? How could I be like Fu Qing, knowing things in advance? The Cloud Riders' guard was lax; I bear responsibility."

Just from that tone and expression, Fu Xuan could already be certain in his heart that this person called Blade was the one Jing Yuan deliberately let go.

But she didn't expose it; instead, she went along with it and climbed up the pole.

"Hmph, I understand. The affairs of the Astral Express are myriad; you're bound to be stretched thin. If it weren't for me supporting you from below... Speaking of which, at the next Six Sovereigns' council, you ought to fulfill your promise to nominate me as successor general, right?"

"Mm-hmm, okay, okay, I got it. I still have business to attend to. After this, I'll leave everything to the 'gifted' Fu Qing."

Feeling the other party's almost overflowing perfunctoriness, Fu Xuan puffed his cheeks in slight displeasure and, with a "pa" sound, hung up the communication.

"Foreknowing..." Yui Itto precisely caught those four words from Jing Yuan's words, repeating them incredulously: "Foreknowing, could this also be the power of the Hunt Star God?"

"Not likely." Mingming pushed aside the white braid blocking her face, opened one eye: "If the Astral Express people could truly achieve foreknowledge, they should have been able to avoid the Star Core disaster in advance."

... Since they didn't avoid it, that shows 'foreknowing' is conditional—and the conditions are quite stringent.

Mingming paused, then continued: "Moreover, I don't know if you've noticed, but that pink-haired girl is somewhat different from the other Astral Express people."

"Not the same? Uh... could it be her figure?" An Geji thought for a moment; the girl was short in stature, and a certain prominent part was painfully flat, forming a poignant contrast with the already appeared Yu Kong and Ting Yun.

「」

Hixubu Atsuya rolled his eyes speechlessly, he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, extended his index finger and tapped his own forehead: "You mean the eyes here, right?"

"Quite meticulous." Mingming gave a smile of praise toward Hixubu.

Jing Yuan said she was gifted…… possibly not just praise, but also stating a fact. If she truly possesses the ability of foreknowledge, it's likely related to the eye on her forehead.

"That thing probably also relates to the Star God, right?" Hixubu Atsuya showed an envious expression: "If we had that eye, we wouldn't need to fear Sukuna anymore."

"Not necessarily." Yui Itto shook his head: "Gojo Sensei's Six Eyes can precisely sense the flow of cursed energy; although it's not direct 'precognition of the future', it can predict the opponent's next move by analyzing changes in cursed energy, which counts as a simple precognition effect."

In fighting Sukuna, the difficulty isn't in 'predicting' his movements and actions, but in the fact that even if you know what he's going to do, it's still hard to respond.

Rather than envying Miss Fu's foreknowledge ability, I feel that General Jing Yuan's divine lord is more reliable.

Yui Itto smiled wryly: "That blade, even Mirror Flow can't dodge it; if we could land a direct hit on Sukuna... we wouldn't need to devise plans here, would we?"

——

"General, Fu Tai Bu wants to take your position, everyone knows." Yan Qing said from the side.

"She's quite capable, but her mind still needs polishing; once she gets rid of her blunt temperament, I might consider retiring." Jing Yuan's words carried a hint of helplessness.

Seeing his master's heart troubled and unable to be eased, Yan Qing stepped forward and voluntarily offered himself: "The person escaped; we'll just catch them back. At the General's order, I, Yan Qing, will immediately relieve your worries."

"I know you're eager, but now isn't the time; if you want to earn the title of Sword Chief, you must not act rashly, especially not brawl with major criminals." Jing Yuan knew Yan Qing was gifted, high-spirited and arrogant, so he shook his head and refused.

But this only further aroused Yan Qing's competitive spirit: "General, do you think I'd lose to that Blade?"

"I want you to be patient, Yan Qing. The Astral Express's governance differs from swordsmanship; only by gradual planning can one achieve prominence. There's a doubt…… the Star Core, how does it conceal itself from people's eyes and ears, bypass the Heavenly Transport Bureau's inspection and the Divination Bureau's deductions, and where is it placed?"

"I think, capturing the two Star Core Hunters and sending them to Fu Tai Bu for interrogation is the quickest method."

"I've already entrusted this matter to the guests on the train; it's not urgent. Yan Qing, you are the person I trust most; for some matters, I only feel at ease entrusting them to you. Yan Qing, there's an assignment……"

Jing Yuan kept talking, then noticed there was no movement beside him; turning his head, he saw Yan Qing had already disappeared.

"Ah, this child…… it's my fault; a youngster staying at home too long is bound to stir up some trouble. I'm afraid the setback he'll face this time will outweigh his carefree arrogance."

I like this child's temperament.

Sai Liai's gaze lingered long on the direction Yan Qing had gone; as a fellow teacher, a disciple like Yan Qing is simply precious.

To her, talent might be important—but whether a person can reach a higher realm entirely depends on his mindset and nature.

What slightly displeased her was that few of her disciples dared to raise a hand against her; even someone as skilled as Lai En, a first-class mage, had never entertained the thought of fighting her despite decades of following her.

She likes people with desire. Desire determines a person's upper limit…… without desire, in Sai Liai's eyes, it's like a stagnant pool.

This is also why she appreciates Deng Ken and made him a first-class mage. His eyes still hold desire; even though he's no longer young, he still has an upper limit yet to be reached.

And Yan Qing wanting to prove his desire made her quite satisfied.

"Truly a perfect disciple, and moreover a long-lived species…… perhaps he has a lifespan of over a thousand years?" Sai Liai sighed regretfully; if she could open a passage between the two worlds, she truly wanted to bring Yan Qing over to teach him magic.

"Lady Sai Liai, I have a question." The quiet Jian Ze beside her suddenly spoke: "That Blade looks like he's killed countless people…… isn't Jing Yuan afraid his disciple might be harmed by him?"

"Harmed?" Sai Liai seemed to have heard an unfunny joke, a hint of strangeness in her eyes.

"If he would die at the Blade's hand, then he's absolutely not a genius, nor would he earn Jing Yuan's esteem to become his close attendant."

"Just like you…… Jian Ze, if you're merely a dabbler in magic, an ordinary spellcaster, then you fundamentally lack the qualifications to enter this hall, understand?"