Chapter 11

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Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Shen Wu Xian Zhou, General's Mansion Core Hui Yi Shi.

Around the huge circular light table, only Xuan Ge was physically present.

On the other seven chairs, light and shadow fluctuated, remote projections of the other Heavenly Generals.

The atmosphere was somewhat... subtle.

General Huai Yan of Zhu Ming Xian Zhou had a solid projection, slowly stroking his snow-white long beard, meticulously maintained.

He had a smile on his face, but no matter how you looked at it, that smile was somewhat... piercing.

"Aiya~" Huai Yan spoke, his voice loud, carrying an elder's "sigh."

"I am old and my eyes are dim, I misjudged, I misjudged!"

He shook his head, his gaze "kindly" falling on Xuan Ge.

"General Shen Wei actually possesses such heaven-shaking means, I am truly... impressed, deeply impressed!"

"Had I known this day would come, when you were promoted to general back then, I should have taken the initiative to step down and yield to the worthy, handing over the burden of this Zhu Ming Xian Zhou onto your shoulders!"

"To let a great talent like you manage only a small Shen Wu Xian Zhou is truly a grievance, a grievance indeed!"

His tone was sincere, his expression earnest.

But the rich, over-fermented old vinegar sourness between the lines was almost drifting out through the projection.

Xuan Ge's mouth corner twitched uncontrollably.

Old Man Huai Yan's words sounded like praise, but were actually roasting him over a fire, pickled in old vinegar.

Those familiar with Huai Yan knew this old general was usually amiable, but once he started being sarcastic, his skill was profound, killing without blood.

The reason Huai Yan lectured Xuan Ge was because Xing Xiao was currently the only Destruction Envoy to have landed on a Xian Zhou.

Yao Qing, Zhu Ming, and Fang Hu Xian Zhou all had records of battling the legion soldiers led by Xing Xiao.

She had once demanded Zhu Ming Xian Zhou surrender resistance around Star Calendar 5700, change course to assist her in attacking the Wingweavers' world.

Now learning that Xuan Ge had not only done nothing to Xing Xiao, but had "held hands" and "worked together" in the mansion for seven days...

The Old Man not rushing over on the spot to yank his ears was already extreme restraint.

Xuan Ge immediately stood up, facing Huai Yan's projection, respectfully clasping his hands in a salute, piling on a junior's, slightly ingratiating smile:

"General Huai Yan flatters me. This subordinate is merely a junior, fortunate to receive the favor of the Divine Bow Star Lord, how dare I show off before the old general?"

"This time... this time was truly a helpless measure, a stopgap."

"You see, Shen Wu Xian Zhou was not harmed by this, but rather... uh, infrastructure progress has improved slightly..."

He tried to steer the topic toward "actual benefits."

"Hmph~!"

Huai Yan snorted heavily through his nose, his white beard twitching.

He glared at Xuan Ge, not continuing to press the attack, but his tone remained stiff:

"Kid, this matter ends here. Keep your soldiers' mouths shut! If I hear even a whisper of gossip reaching the ears of those old fossils in the Alliance..."

He didn't finish, but the threat was unmistakable.

Pausing, he pulled out that "amiable" smile that made Xuan Ge's scalp tingle:

"Of course, with General Shen Wei's fame shaking the Huan Yu today, even if those old coots knew, they probably wouldn't dare make a scene in front of you."

"After all, you can even invite the Extinction Monarch to your mansion as a guest, so what is there that General Shen Wei wouldn't dare do? Right?"

Xuan Ge could only force a dry laugh, nodding repeatedly: "Yes yes yes, Old Man's scolding is correct, this subordinate will remember, will remember."

Huai Yan gave him another sideways glance, his projection's light flickered once, and said no more, temporarily letting him off.

At this moment, Marshal Hua, seated at the head, chuckled lightly, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Her projection remained the clearest and most stable, her gaze calmly sweeping over Xuan Ge.

"Alright, Shen Wei." She spoke, her voice calm, carrying her usual steadiness.

"General Huai Yan means well for you, and considers the Alliance's stability. This matter, handle it discreetly."

She paused, her gaze seeming to penetrate the projection, seeing into Xuan Ge's heart.

"Do not, for a moment of... passion, or playfulness, give others a handle, inviting unnecessary criticism."

"Within the Alliance, it is not a monolith; many are watching you."

Xuan Ge withdrew his smile and nodded seriously: "Yes, Marshal. This subordinate understands."

Marshal Hua nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with his attitude.

She then stood up, still with her back to everyone, her voice clearly coming through:

"You this time... also worked hard. I have ordered someone to transfer a batch of newly cellared clear wine from Xu Ling, it will be delivered to Shen Wu Xian Zhou in a few days."

Finishing speaking, her projection rippled like water, silently dissipating into the air.

Next, General Huai Yan's projection also snorted, pointed at Xuan Ge, shook his head, and his figure faded away.

The other generals' projections also laughed and teased a few words before extinguishing one by one.

Finally, only Luofu Xian Zhou's Jing Yuan's projection remained lit.

After the others' light and shadow completely disappeared, Jing Yuan's usual, slightly lazy smile finally could not be held back.

"Hahahahaha—!"

The hearty laughter instantly filled the spacious conference room.

Jing Yuan was laughing so hard he even had one hand on his hip, the other pointing vaguely at Xuan Ge, his shoulders shaking.

"You're something else, Xuan Ge! Incredible! Truly incredible!"

He barely managed to stop laughing, leaned in closer, lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with the light of gossip.

"Quick! Is there..... a recording? Did you take a photo? Show me!"

Xuan Ge rolled his eyes in exasperation, plopped back down into the chair, a face of utter weariness.

"A recording? A photo?" Xuan Ge spread his hands helplessly.

"She smashed three of my jade slips front and back!

Later there was no choice, I had Ling Sha write the reports that needed my review on ordinary paper, hand them to those laboring Xu Zu at the dock, have them carry them in.....

Those days at the General's Mansion, besides me and her, not even a flying insect could get in."

Jing Yuan imagined that scene:

Ferocious Xu Zu, carefully holding a document, passing through the Xian Zhou corridors, delivering it to the door of the General's study.....

He couldn't help it again, burst out laughing with a *pu-chi* sound.

He laughed for a good while before slowly collecting himself, returning to that usual Divine Strategy General look of steady composure mixed with shrewdness.

"Alright, enough fooling around." Jing Yuan's expression turned serious.

"Let's talk business. Recently, pressure to purge the Plenty abominations has increased on every front, fighting is frequent.

Those dissenting voices inside the Alliance have been temporarily suppressed by the frontline military intelligence and casualty reports.

At least on the surface, in the short term, no one will jump out and make an issue of your matter."

He paused, golden eyes looking at Xuan Ge, meaningful:

"But you know as well as I do, this is merely the calm before the storm.

Pressure has always been there. It's just that right now, someone is shouldering the biggest share for everyone."

He didn't say who this "someone" was, but Xuan Ge understood.

It was Yuan Shuai Hua.

Xuan Ge nodded, the weariness and joking air on his face also vanishing.

"I know." His voice lowered, "The Marshal..... has it hard."

Jing Yuan gave an "Mm," said no more. Some words, best left at a hint.

People in their position, all understand.

"Right, I should head back too. Over at the Luofu, a pile of stuff is waiting." Jing Yuan waved a hand carefreely, the projection beginning to fade.

"You..... take care. Next time you invite someone back as a guest, remember to give me advance notice, so I can have some mental preparation."

As the words fell, the projection completely dissipated.

In the meeting room, only Xuan Ge remained, sitting beside the empty light table.

He sat in silence for a while, suddenly raised a hand, rubbed his temples.

The corner of his mouth hooked into a smile.

"Clear wine....."

He murmured to himself.

"The Xianzhou Tablet is still good to me."