"What Dan Feng could do, I may not be able to." Dan Heng shook his head.
"You must do it."
Jing Yuan spoke in a tone that brooked no argument:
"Otherwise, all promises are void."
"Blame your previous life. If he hadn't done that damnable thing back then—if the power of dragon transformation could have been fully inherited—"
"I wouldn't need to force you now."
"Huh?"
"Teacher Dan Heng really made the mistake himself?"
Ah Xian was quite surprised; she had thought there was some unknown hidden circumstance.
Stating the facts, the three male characters in the Express Crew were actually all quite steady and reliable.
The difference was that Dan Heng and Welt were consistent inside and out, while Leon had two sides.
In her preconceived notion, Dan Heng didn't seem like the type to do something utterly outrageous.
"What exactly did he do... Mass murder, arson, or personal vendettas out of nowhere should be impossible, yet guilty of heinous crimes... Masaka—"
She thought of classic tropes that only appear in movies and TV dramas.
Either for love or for friendship.
But well, these tropes in gacha games carry a bit of sensitivity.
After hesitating for a moment, she decided not to say it.
This really frustrated the live stream audience waiting for her follow-up.
People who say half a sentence really deserve to be pricked with needles by Rong Mama.
"As I said just now, you and I standing here today are each different. Dan Feng is no more; there is only Dan Heng, and I..."
Jing Yuan paused; his voice grew low.
"I am no longer the Cloud Knight of yore but the General of Luofu. Some things, even if unwilling, must still be done."
"This unwillingness—does it refer to exiling Dan Heng back then, or forcing Dan Heng now to do what he says?"
[Probably a double meaning; both.]
[Jing Yuan's micro-expressions in this segment are done so well; inside and out written with stories.]
[My dad often tells me that people in high positions must learn to compromise much of the time; even if against their heart, there's no room to resist.]
[May I ask where your esteemed father holds office? Could you be the legendary red...]
[Just a client manager in a small private company. If red, would I be here watching Ah Xian's stream?]
Seeing Dan Heng's low mood, Jing Yuan changed the topic.
"Let's talk about something happier. The friends you made on the Express—right now, they probably can't Trailblaze further ahead."
"I think you need to meet them and help them out."
"Helping them is helping yourself and also helping Luofu—that's the thing I want you to promise to do."
Dan Heng didn't feel happy; instead, his face sank.
He thought of a certain possibility; amid worry, his voice turned two degrees colder.
"Did you bring them here?"
Jing Yuan smiled noncommittally.
"The Nameless act for good, braving fire and water for Luofu without fear of hardship."
"Though I feel unworthy of the Nameless' enthusiasm and righteousness, I can only thicken my face and accept their aid."
"For Luofu to become like this now, Dan Heng, your previous life must bear some responsibility."
Dan Heng was silent.
Cycle of cause and effect—he understood.
Some things cannot be escaped.
He is not Dan Feng, yet he cannot sever the connection with Dan Feng.
Such is fate.
"Where are they?"
"Right ahead on the Dragonvista Rain Hall. Let's go; they're all waiting for you."
The two walked slowly forward.
Along the way, Dan Heng's gaze kept sweeping the surroundings.
He could see the remains of many Antimatter Legion grunts; unknown if killed by Cloud Knights or companions.
No traces of the fighters' aura left.
If Welt acted, these pawns wouldn't be worth mentioning and wouldn't leave his aura.
"I was guarding against Abundance enemies, Stellaron Hunters, Disciples of Sanctus Medicus..."
"But no matter how I calculated, I never expected the Antimatter Legion's appearance."
"Perhaps even he didn't expect it, or perhaps he guessed but couldn't confirm due to insufficient clues."
Dan Heng: "He? Who?"
"The one who helped Luofu suppress the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus rebels inside the Alchemy Commission—he's currently at the Dragonvista Rain Hall too. Rest assured; he's also your old friend."
Hearing this, Dan Heng suppressed his guesses about the Stellaron Hunters.
They were not his old friends.
"The person General Yuan is talking about is Leon; Teacher Dan Heng still didn't think he would get off."
"The Hunt continues, and now battle evil again, heh..."
"After this battle, regardless of whether Luofu exists or not, the Alliance will be at endless war with the Legion."
"In the past, the Legion never truly struck the Alliance. In intelligence, they were mad destruction war machines."
"Careless. The seven Lords' legions each have distinct styles; really troublesome."
Jing Yuan rubbed his temples wearily.
"Lord Ravager Phantylia loves internal collapse of things themselves, so she orchestrated the Stellaron chaos and incited the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus to the forefront."
"Now that the plot is exposed, she has to take the field herself."
"No, this doesn't fit her aesthetics of destruction; there must be a follow-up..."
Jing Yuan fell into thought, exhaustively listing possible hidden dangers.
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are truly unfit for the grand stage. If not for deep involvement with the Six Commissions and no evidence in short time, they would have been uprooted long ago."
"Now, with that odd soldier's help, not one registered Disciples of Sanctus Medicus can escape."
"Then—if Phantylia doesn't act personally, besides touching the Ambrosial Arbor, what means remain to shake Luofu's foundation?"
[Another expert?]
[This Luofu Xianzhou werewolf game is terrifying; Phantylia has already jumped out, and now saying there's a follow-up?]
[Maybe just Jing Yuan being extra cautious; actually none?]
[Mark it first; perhaps a foreshadow for future version big event.]
The plot auto-advanced.
Dan Heng didn't speak; Jing Yuan didn't stop his monologue, still saying things to give players information.
"You know, Dan Heng, when Dan Feng committed the grave crime, the Ten-Lords Commission strongly advocated destroying you."
"The Vidyadhara—half agreed, half opposed."
"Ha ha, because the dragon transformation inheritance was only half complete, the Vidyadhara Elders hated you extremely but didn't dare let the Ten-Lords Commission destroy you."
"Hmm?"
Ah Xian and countless players immediately perked up.
"To give an account to the Ten-Lords Commission and the Sky-Faring Commission, under pressure, they still executed the forced molting on Dan Feng."
"However, they deliberately left a flaw..."
"Explaining: the heinous crime Teacher Dan Heng committed is like a death penalty clause in Xianzhou Alliance law."
"Not particularly major crimes are usually handled by the Earthbalance Commission; involving Ten-Lords Commission means severity many times greater."
"Anyway, everyone think of the most serious one among our country's three prohibitions; you'll understand."
"Giving account to Ten-Lords Commission aside for now—why does Jing Yuan also mention the Sky-Faring Commission?"
Ah Xian was full of confusion.
"Does Teacher Dan Heng's crime also involve the Sky-Faring Commission? But never heard Yukong or Tingyun mention it."
"The Vidyadhara Elders thought these little actions could fool the Ten-Lords Commission; hmph, what a wishful calculation, but paper can't wrap fire."
Dan Heng hesitated a moment but still asked the doubt in his heart.
"So, what damnable thing did Dan Feng do exactly?"