「 "Refusal?!" Stelle looked at her in disbelief.
"A mere Stellaron. The Alliance has long known about it and has its own ways to deal with it. The Xianzhou has soared for eight thousand years; we are accustomed to crises of survival."
Yukong said unhurriedly.
"Although the current disaster is fierce, Xianzhou still has the capacity to handle itself and does not need to borrow external forces to quell the misfortune."
"You are guests from afar; there is no reason for you to be involved in this matter—do you understand what I mean?" 」
「 .....」
〜Bleach World, Soul Society〜
〜Seireitei〜
In the Gotei 13's meeting room, Renji Abarai, the lieutenant of the 6th Division, "tsk-ed" with slight dissatisfaction.
"What she said… aren't the Xianzhou people a bit too arrogant?!"
Inside the meeting room were captains and lieutenants, separated by a door from the Shinigami below the third seat, who were all seated outside. Renji's words drew echoes of agreement from the squad members outside the door.
"Arrogant? That's not quite right."
Byakuya Kuchiki glanced sideways at Renji behind him and said calmly,
"Have you forgotten? The Xianzhou is a faction directly blessed by the Star God of The Hunt. There are five other Arbiter-Generals and one marshal, like Jing Yuan, who are Emanators."
"Belobog doesn't have an Emanator of The Preservation, so, understandably, they couldn't deal with the Stellaron. But the Xianzhou has seven Emanators yet can't handle a Stellaron; that's what's incomprehensible, isn't it?"
Byakuya Kuchiki's words were well-reasoned, immediately silencing the echoes of agreement outside the door.
"If it really is as the Fox women said, 'the Xianzhou has soared for eight thousand years'… if a single Stellaron could destroy them, then the Xianzhou Alliance wouldn't have made it this far."
Shunsui Kyoraku, now sitting in the Captain-Commander's seat, rested his chin on one hand. He affirmed Byakuya's statement but also had other concerns.
"The Xianzhou targets The Abundance, but now The Destruction has intervened—in other words, the current Xianzhou has become a battleground for three Star Gods' forces, and the situation is unpredictable."
"This is not like Belobog… on that ice planet, everyone just had to focus on Cocolia and the Stellaron. But now, in Xianzhou, the positions of friends and foes might change at any moment."
After Shunsui Kyoraku finished speaking, a slight cough suddenly came from among the captain's seats; it was Toshiro Hitsugaya of the 10th Division.
"Cough, Captain-Commander, I have a different view."
Toshiro cleared his throat and said solemnly,
"Whether it's the Star Gods' forces or the Trailblazers… those are, after all, affairs of another world. Although some of them can perceive our existence, they won't threaten the Soul Society, at least not in the short term, right?"
Toshiro's words immediately made everyone think of Sampo, and a chill ran down their spines—that man, whose intentions were so unclear, had caused a violent tremor in the Soul Society with just two casual remarks.
Shunsui Kyoraku had tried to guess that man's thoughts more than once, but each time he tried, he felt as if he was constantly falling into a spiderweb, which made him very uncomfortable.
He was both righteous and evil, like an enemy and a friend… Considering that he had not yet done anything that could further affect the Soul Society, the captains relaxed their guard against him.
"Most likely… yes."
Shunsui Kyoraku nodded.
Toshiro Hitsugaya picked up his teacup, watching the tender leaves in the tea slowly sink to the bottom of the cup, and slowly narrowed his eyes.
"You've all witnessed their 'swordsmanship,' haven't you? What do you think of it?"
Toshiro raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the captains present—they had all seen the battle between Jingliu and Jing Yuan, and even a simple recollection made them tremble with excitement.
Especially Kenpachi Zaraki, who slammed the table and laughed heartily,
"That was definitely thrilling!"
"Yes, that fight, at least in terms of 'swordsmanship'... it's beyond my reach."
Toshiro's eyes slightly lowered as he took out his Zanpakuto from behind him and gripped it tightly.
"Xianzhou's swordsmanship is extremely exquisite; it's a legacy of thousands of years. In my opinion, if there's an opportunity, we must master it. This is also the most important thing right now."
"If we can master such swordsmanship, in case that man named Sampo suddenly attacks and threatens the Soul Society in the future, we will have an additional means of response."
The other captains also agreed with Toshiro's statement, but they still had questions.
"But that woman named Jingliu seems to have died, and her swordsmanship was passed to Jing Yuan. If Jing Yuan doesn't make a move… it will be difficult for us to learn, right?"
"But Jing Yuan also passed his swordsmanship to Yanqing."
"In the coming days, we can focus on that young man."
Toshiro said.
"With such a legendary master, it's hard to teach an ordinary disciple. I have a hunch… this young man's attainments in swordsmanship are also quite extraordinary."
—
「 No matter how Welt explained, Yukong's attitude remained unchanged, and her meaning was Xianzhou's final decision, unalterable.
Since she had stated her position, March 7th, she no longer wanted to get involved in this muddy water. But as she wanted to leave, Yukong's expression hardened, stating that they could not leave.
"…Hey, you're going a bit too far now."
March 7th was starting to get angry.
"It has only been a few days since the Stellaron was discovered on the Luofu, and the Central Starskiff Haven has been completely sealed, with no one leaving—how did you foresee this, and how did you determine that all of this was related to the Stellaron?"
"I checked the entry and exit records of the Central Starskiff Haven, and not long ago, someone hacked into the system, opened the Jade Gate, and guided a ship into port. That was you, 'The Astral Express'…"
"The person who hacked the system was highly skilled and even left a mark, as if in provocation—'Silver Wolf,' a member of the Stellaron Hunters."
Yukong's voice was colder than deep winter snow,
"What is your explanation for this?"
"The Stellaron Hunters commissioned us to come!" Stelle hastily defended.
But Yukong didn't listen to any of it, only stating with a cold, serious face,
"Until the aforementioned doubts are cleared up, you are not allowed to leave the Palace of Astrum."
Before her words had even faded, Yukong's eyes glanced to the side, and then a hearty laugh came from not far away, making everyone involuntarily look over.
A blue projection slowly walked towards the group, and the identity of the projection… was none other than General Jing Yuan!
"Yukong, don't be so fierce. If word gets out, wouldn't the galaxy laugh at the Xianzhou Alliance for its lack of hospitality?" 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
"Hmm, a very familiar routine."
Inside the Jade Chamber, Ningguang lay on the couch, leaning against the soft silk cushions, a familiar smile on her lips.
"Routine?"
Her little secretary, Baiwen, was confused again.
"Lady Ningguang… what routine?"
"One plays the good cop, one plays the bad cop."
Ningguang explained unhurriedly,
"First, a minor leader plays the bad cop, denying and intimidating, then the main leader steps forward to play the good cop and de-escalate—in essence, it's just a tactic for the main leader to win trust and favor, quite common."
"Baiwen, think carefully, if you were the Trailblazers right now, would you be more willing to trust Yukong, or General Jing Yuan?"
—