Aura isn't something all Xianzhou natives have.
Even outworlders who frequent the Luofu would struggle to stay calm in such a situation, right?
Unless Leon has roamed the galaxy for years, seen all kinds of storms.
That's all Yanqing could guess.
Besides that, there was something odd about Jingliu.
She and Leon walked their own paths, yet she effortlessly kept up with him.
There were plenty of creatures he'd taken down along the way, some lying across the path. A slight misstep could easily trip someone.
How did she manage?
"Stop!"
A sudden voice interrupted Yanqing's thoughts.
Spotting the figures blocking the way, Yanqing drew his blade immediately.
"A small problem to handle. Sister Jingliu, Brother Leon, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."
The young man strode forward decisively, no hesitation.
Leon raised an eyebrow.
Stay here and don't move?
Tch.
He'd been implicitly outranked by a kid.
He didn't mind, but he wondered what Jingliu, a fellow Xianzhou native, thought.
Maybe she wouldn't care—different cultures, after all.
Yanqing, holding his sword, carried the unique air of youth, coldly staring at the blockers.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Before his voice faded, the blockers' bodies sprouted eerie branches, their muscle color shifting abruptly.
Yanqing frowned.
Mara-struck?
No, not quite—
Their aura was slightly different.
"Heaven's path you ignore, hell's gate you barge into… kid, today your blood will nourish the divine trace!"
The low, suppressed words, squeezed through gritted teeth, sent chills down the spine.
Yanqing, unfazed, sharpened his gaze.
"Arrogant fools. Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."
After a swift clash, Yanqing easily gained the upper hand, his blade hovering by their neck, beginning his interrogation.
But they had no intention of talking, seizing a chance to counterattack.
Losing patience, Yanqing pierced their dantian, ending all signs of life.
"What's with these guys… ugh, the General said the Xianzhou has internal troubles, and he wasn't wrong."
"Little brother, nice swordsmanship."
Jingliu stepped forward.
Leon followed, his eyes narrowed into slits ᕕ(◠ڼ◠)ᕗ.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Yanqing's swordplay seemed faintly similar to Jingliu's.
As if they shared the same lineage.
Considering they might both stem from Luofu Cloud Knight swordsmanship, he didn't dwell deeper.
Just a slight suspicion.
"Huh?"
Yanqing froze.
"You… can see?"
"I can hear the hum of flying swords cutting through the air, the sound of sharp edges… these traces reveal the quality of sword intent."
Jingliu didn't answer directly, speaking eloquently.
"Like a musician hearing a zither, a poet catching rhythm, a skilled swordsman leaves no jarring notes in the flow of their moves."
"Controlling six flying swords in a single breath—such skill among Cloud Knights is rare."
"I sense your aura is still in the refining stage. You're likely just a youth, yet so accomplished."
Yanqing felt a bit smug on the surface but grew inwardly cautious, saying calmly, "Uh… haha, Sister Jingliu, you flatter me."
Jingliu's tone shifted—
"But you focus too much on aggressive strikes, neglecting restraint, so your sword's song ends somewhat chaotically."
Yanqing scratched his head.
"Seems swordsmanship and music do share something."
"The General said something similar—my strikes are too spirited, too sharp-edged."
"To claim the title of Sword Champion, I'm still… a bit short of maturity."
"Sword Champion?"
Jingliu's tone carried a hint of ambiguity.
"I recall that's the title for the Cloud Knight with peerless swordsmanship… so distant."
Yanqing: "Yeah, since the Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion, the Luofu's Sword Champion position has been vacant."
"But when the Luofu Cloud Knights return from their hunt and the martial ceremony resumes, I'm determined to claim that title."
Leon opened his eyes, a flicker of curiosity passing through.
He knew Jingliu was a master swordsman, her skill far surpassing Yanqing's by countless levels.
The Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion?
Luofu's Sword Champion?
Heh… could it be—
Leon glanced at Jingliu, then Yanqing, narrowing his eyes again.
The world's so vast, yet so coincidental.
Jingliu's "distant" remark might be a double entendre.
Leon wasn't in a hurry to leave.
Unfamiliar with the place, sticking with Jingliu—who clearly had a significant background or story—was already yielding intel.
Jingliu showed a trace of interest.
"The Cloud Knights have various martial traditions. Little brother, who taught you your swordsmanship?"
"Since you appreciate swordplay, I won't keep it secret—it was General Jing Yuan of the Luofu."
Mentioning the General, Yanqing's face lit up with pride and reverence.
"The General…"
Jingliu murmured softly.
Catching the nostalgia and complexity in her tone, Leon grinned inwardly.
Really that dramatic?
Even more coincidental than he imagined?
Yanqing: "Even if you haven't been to the Luofu in a while, you must've heard of General Jing Yuan's fame outside, right?"
"Though the General says he's not skilled with a sword and out of practice, he's always enthusiastic when teaching me."
"…Oh, sorry, I shouldn't talk so much now. Let's keep moving. It's safe for now."
As Leon passed the Mara-struck bodies, a subtle breeze lifted a letter from one.
[Huangqi:
Per the leader's orders, all gardeners must head to a cavern to guide the spread of the Mysterious Root.
But today, we learned the gardener Zhujin at Cloudford's Sunken Ruins Dock perished, killed by several outworlders.
With great tasks ahead, personal grudges wait. Take Zhujin's place to fulfill the mission. Do not disappoint the leader.
Lüluo.]
So this was a member of the Abundance Secret Teachings, the one Zigui mentioned to replace Zhujin.
Heh.
If the mysterious leader of the Abundance Secret Teachings learned their key operatives were dropping one by one, would they overheat?
Ten minutes later, the trio reached Cloudford's Sunken Ruins Dock, Wu-22.
Yanqing operated the navigation console, summoning an operational unmanned star skiff.
"All done. Time to take you both to a safe place."
Jingliu: "In times like these, even Cloud Knight posts aren't safe, are they?"
"True, so we're not going there."
Yanqing's expression turned cold, his six flying swords unsheathing, surrounding Leon and Jingliu.
"Straight to The Shackling Prison is better. Food and lodging included, heavily guarded—the safest place."