Chapter 50: Honkai: Star Rail — The Xianzhou General Wouldn't Dream of a Yandere Chapter 55: Che Dian

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Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Ling Sha walked into the Shen Wei General's Mansion treading the evening glow; the last streak of golden-red light on the horizon slanted across the soaring eaves of the mansion gate, casting flickering shadows on her cool, pale side face.

Today, she must carry out her intelligence-gathering flawlessly.

Lure Xuan Ge without showing a trace, probe just how many threads of entanglement remain between him and Jing Liu, so as to pull out the hidden thorn pricking at her heart.

Although Jing Liu, who has fallen into the Mo Yin body, has long been designated a criminal by the Xianzhou Alliance, this warrant does not shine into the Shen Wu Xian Zhou.

Here, Xuan Ge's word is heavenly law.

Ling Sha gathered her thoughts, stepped into the grand hall, and at a glance saw her own General once again turning his back on the mountain of official documents to slack off.

He had secretly set up a small copper pot; red oil was bubbling and rolling with steam and spicy fragrance.

The corner of her mouth curled into a helpless yet understanding arc, and she walked over.

"Ah~ It's Ling Sha~"

Xuan Ge had just swallowed a slice of scalding meat roll, and casually fished out a clean set of bowl and chopsticks from the side.

He was about to hand them over when Ling Sha, with utter naturalness, picked up the bowl and chopsticks he had just used, plucked a tender green vegetable leaf from the pot, blew on it gently, and put it into her mouth.

Seeing this, Xuan Ge let out a light laugh, said nothing more, and instead used the new bowl and chopsticks to precisely scoop out from the pot the few dishes she usually favored, placing them lightly into her bowl.

For a moment the hall held only the "gurgle" of the boiling copper pot and the occasional faint clink of bowl and chopsticks between the two.

Under the warm yellow halo, steam curled upward, blurring each other's expressions.

Neither spoke, yet the air seemed stretched with two invisible strings.

Xuan Ge pondered in his heart:

Wrong!

Ling Sha is too quiet today, and her eyes carry a seductive charm.....

She must absolutely not learn from Xing Xiao and start flashing that deadly pink peach-blossom light in her eyes.....

Ling Sha calculated in her heart:

Steering the topic to Jing Liu isn't hard; the difficulty lies in making it seem perfectly natural.

How to keep this General Shen Wei — craftier than even General Shen Ce's fox — from sniffing out even a hint of deliberate intent.....

A meal finished amid this silent surging undercurrent.

Clearing bowls and chopsticks, wiping the table — movements tacit and smooth — yet still not a word.

In the end it was Xuan Ge who could hold back no longer.

He turned, looking at Ling Sha standing quietly to the side, gentle as a clear spring, and softened his voice:

"Shall we go for a walk?"

"Mhm~" Ling Sha lifted her eyelids, answered, the tail of her tone carrying a trace of coquettishness rarely seen in ordinary times, almost imperceptible.

Walking out of the General's Mansion, the night wind was slightly cool, dispersing the accumulated warmth and hot-pot smell inside the hall.

Xuan Ge tilted his head and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Ling Sha turned her head slightly, as if thinking quite seriously, then moved her steps lightly, drawing half a step closer to his side without leaving a trace, nearly able to feel the brush of their sleeves.

She raised her head, her eyes reflecting the faint starlight and moonlight: "Concubine..... has never ridden a Xuan horse. I wonder if the General today would be willing to take me for a ride?"

Xuan Ge's gaze lingered on her face for an instant, then he nodded: "Good."

The words barely fell, he already bent slightly, one arm passing under her knees, the other encircling her shoulders and back, lifting her horizontally in a posture that brooked no refusal yet was utterly steady.

Ling Sha only felt the scenery before her eyes suddenly blur and stretch, the wind roaring past her ears for an instant then ceasing.

The next second, the sensation of solid ground returned, and the surrounding scene had completely changed.

This is the Xuan Ma Dongtian.

Though it is night, the Dongtian simulates celestial phenomena with its own faint light; a bright moon hangs high, clear radiance like a silk ribbon, quietly sprinkling over the boundless vast grassland.

Dewdrops condense on the tips of grass blades, flashing like crushed diamonds in the moonlight.

In the distance, the low snorts of Xuan horses drift faintly.

"Greetings, General! Greetings, Lady Ling Sha!"

A Shen Wu Corps soldier on guard stepped quickly out from the shadows, saluting with clasped fists, his face showing not the slightest surprise.

In all the world, besides the General Shen Wei himself, there is no second person who can appear here without notification and without triggering the Dongtian's barrier alarm.

"Hard work." Xuan Ge smiled and nodded to him.

The soldier understood, saluted once more, and his figure swiftly retreated into the darkness, leaving this tranquil heaven and earth entirely to them.

Before long, Ling Sha felt the earth beneath her feet begin to transmit regular, heavy tremors, from far to near, growing ever more urgent.

She looked up and saw, at the end of the moonlit sea of grass, a stream of black and gold intertwined light tearing through the night curtain, galloping straight toward them!

So fast that it even dragged a faint afterimage behind it.

Hoofbeats rolled like muffled thunder, arriving in an instant.

"Looks like this is the General's mount, Che Dian."

Ling Sha said softly, her eyes carefully examining this extraordinarily divine steed.

Its build is far taller and sturdier than ordinary horses; its entire coat is pitch-black like the deepest night.

From the joints down, its four limbs are covered with branch-like patterns that seem substantial, flowing with faint golden gleam, as if cast from molten gold.

At the center of its horse-head, a twisted, fierce golden lightning pattern extends from the forehead, adding several degrees of awe-inspiring majesty.

Most eye-catching are its pair of eyes, completely pure gold, without pupils, like two orbs of burning liquid sunlight, now quietly "gazing" at Xuan Ge.

Che Dian came to a steady halt a few steps in front of Xuan Ge, snorted loudly, and exhaled two streams of white vapor carrying a scorching Abundance aura.

It did not acknowledge Ling Sha, merely lowering its massive head to Xuan Ge in an extremely docile manner, proactively closing its dazzling golden eyes, awaiting its master's caress.

A smile appeared on Xuan Ge's face; he reached out and stroked the smooth, resilient side of its neck, slowly combing along the grain of its fur.

Che Dian shook its head in enjoyment, and the horse tail behind it, likewise entwined with golden branch-like patterns, began to sway leisurely.

Immediately after, Xuan Ge pressed a single hand on the saddle and nimbly vaulted onto the horse.

His feet precisely stepped on several slightly protruding golden lines; those "branches" instantly extended and curved as if alive, gently yet firmly wrapping around his ankles and calves, forming a perfectly natural pair of stirrups.

"Come." Xuan Ge bent at the waist, extending his hand.

Invisible Mingtu Power lifted Ling Sha steadily onto the horse's back, settling her in front of Xuan Ge.

The moment she was seated, Ling Sha felt something unusual.

It was not Che Dian's resistance, but a peculiar "sense of imbalance."

The life force rising from beneath her was vast and scorching, carrying a rhythm of near-tyrannical "growth" and "healing" that produced a subtle conflict and harmony with her own Mingtu Power.

She knew this was the Xuan Ma spontaneously adjusting its Abundance Power, attempting to achieve resonance with the new rider.

The Xuan Ma were "alienated products" ultimately created by the Abundance Path soldiers under Xuan Ge's command, using the Abundance Xuan Deer as a partial prototype, after expending countless efforts and trial and error.

On the interstellar battlefield, mentioning the concept of a "cavalry charge" would mostly draw sneers.

What era is this, still riding horses?

But the Shen Wu Army's enemies never dare to laugh.

When a heavy cavalry cluster clad in heavy armor, with both man and horse wrapped in alloy of the same material, advances at a terrifying speed of three to four hundred kilometers per hour....

Crashing forward like moving mountains, any conventional battle line would collapse the instant contact is made.

That is no longer a charge; it is a calamity-like crushing.

Xuan Ge's insistence on creating such an archaic troop type stemmed from suffering a major loss at the hands of the Hui Yuan clan in his early years.

The Hui Yuan clan is also a branch of the Abundance people; they are hexapods, retaining a robust torso similar to a horse's, with the rear four limbs on the ground, extremely skilled at running.

Xuan Ge watched his subordinates have their armor shattered by berserk Hui Yuan, vomiting blood as they were flung dozens of meters away.

After painful reflection, cavalry was a must!

And they had to be stronger, more ferocious, more inconceivable!

Thus the Xuan Ma came to be.

Non-Shen Wu Army direct subordinates would have their minds affected merely by approaching the dissipated Abundance Power — mildly causing mental trance, severely accelerating a fall into depravity.

Even Shen Wu Army soldiers must personally tame and bind a Xuan Ma, a process arduous and dangerous.

But once successful, the returns are astonishing: Xuan Ma know almost no fatigue, possess infinite stamina, can continuously feed back the rider, and provide powerful battlefield recovery capabilities.

The cost is that the rider's body must be sufficiently tough to endure the Abundance Power's constant "permeation" and "stimulation of growth."

The most helpless limitation is that, after countless attempts, it was ultimately confirmed that only those of the Xian Zhou Celestial bloodline can safely ride and bind a Xuan Ma.

This counts as a racial talent barrier those researchers "stumbled upon by accident" back then.

Xuan Ge's left hand made a loose grip, and the golden branches on Che Dian's head automatically extended and intertwined with spirituality, forming a reins of flowing light in his hand.

Simultaneously, his right arm reached around from behind Ling Sha, steadily and unquestionably pulling her into his embrace, his broad chest pressing tightly against her back.

In that instant, the "sense of imbalance" and slight rejection surrounding Ling Sha vanished.

A gentle yet vast power transmitted from Xuan Ge's body, like the most precise regulator, instantly smoothing all the restlessness of Che Dian's Abundance Power, allowing her to achieve perfect harmony with the mount and with this world.

Xuan Ge's body temperature passed through the fabric, pressing warmly against her slightly cool spine.

Ling Sha's heart completely lost its rhythm.

"General... General~~" She couldn't help but call out softly, her voice softer than usual, as if soaked in honey.

The firm, warm touch behind her, the faint green plum scent unique to Xuan Ge lingering at her nose tip, made her almost want to sink into it just like this.

"Actually, you have something you want to ask me, right?"

Xuan Ge chuckled lightly, his voice right by her ear, his breath brushing past her sensitive pointed ear.

He gave the reins a light shake; Che Dian understood and began moving its four hooves, heading toward the depths of the moonlit grassland with a leisurely gait.

"Being so hesitant today... is somewhat unlike you."

That warm breath drilled into her ear canal, bringing a faint yet distinct tingling numbness that traveled down along her spine.

Ling Sha's body trembled lightly beyond her control, her legs subconsciously clamping tight.

Che Dian beneath her seemed to pause for a beat; a flicker of what looked remarkably like confusion flashed in its large golden eyes:????

Ling Sha took a deep breath of air scented with green grass and night dew, forcibly pressing the surging, dangerous thoughts in her mind....

The urge right now to turn and kiss him, possess him, thoroughly mark him as her own property — she ruthlessly shoved it back into the deepest depths of her heart.

Her nails quietly dug into her palm; the pain brought her clarity.

She strove to return her voice to its usual gentle calm, even adding a touch of just-right bashfulness:

"General~ Concubine today... is wearing a short qipao. Riding like this, I'm afraid... it might be somewhat improper."

Xuan Ge almost instinctively, his gaze beyond his control, glanced downward for an instant, activating the "auto-aim" program etched in a man's DNA.

However, the moment his gaze moved, a slightly cool, soft hand had already risen, lightly blocking his line of sight.

Xuan Ge chuckled lowly, obediently shifting his gaze away while his arm loosened slightly.

He supported Ling Sha's waist with one hand, Mingtu Power gently lifting, helping her turn her body to sit sideways on the horse's back, facing him.

Then he pulled her into his embrace once more; this time, an even closer, more intimate embrace posture, almost letting her entire person nestle against his chest.

His Path of the Hunt Power and Che Dian's Abundance Power circulated faintly at the same time, perfectly harmonizing and resonating the auras and power fluctuations of the two people and one horse together.

Che Dian's steps were steady and rhythmic, carrying the two of them, slowly merging into this silent, vast world illuminated by moonlight.