Qin Shaoqing, who finally let go, put down Bai Ming's body.
'System… store her.'
[Understood...]
After heeding his command, Bai Ming's body began to evaporate until nothing was left.
All he could do now was give her a proper burial, he told himself, and turned his attention to the system.
[Ghostly Flames: (This ability still bears all previous abilities.) A flame that reacts to strong emotions, the stronger the emotion, the larger and colder the flames. This system strongly recommends avoiding this ability at all cost.]
[Note: Detecting a large amount of fluctuation in emotional levels. It is recommended to find a quiet place for self-reflection or seek a doctor.]
Qin Shaoqing raised an eyebrow at the system, which was acting oddly, but he didn't have the energy to banter with it.
Pushing his emotions aside, he walked on again, maybe to find somewhere quiet, just as the system recommended.
......
Sushang, who was panting heavily, looked at the streets littered with Denizens of Abundance before wiping the sweat from her forehead.
'I think I might have overdone it,' Sushang quietly admitted. Though her kill count was large, every encounter she faced, she used all of her strength for every one of them, even when it wasn't necessary.
Sushang, who was used to always swinging her heavy family sword, couldn't adjust to the sudden lightness, so much so that her stamina drained faster than she expected.
Looking around, Sushang noticed the other Cloud Knights were almost done on their side, so she decided to rest for a minute to regain some lost strength.
"That was impressive," one senior Cloud Knight who was done with his bunch commented to Sushang.
"T-thank you, but I still have a long way to go, hehe." Sushang, who was not used to flattery, scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
"Nonetheless, it was quite a stunning sight, Junior Sushang."
"Oh, you know me?" Sushang closely inspected the old gentleman but failed to recognize him.
"Of course. The Xuanyuan family is quite a prominent sword family in Yaoqing, it's hard not to recognize such heroic figures." The senior Cloud Knight shifted his eyes to the Xuanyuan Sword on her back. "Even more so with the Xuanyuan Sword on your back. When I was a child, I was always fascinated by the stories that sword told."
"Oh… right." Sushang remembered that the Xuanyuan Sword was a legendary blade of Yaoqing. Her mother would sometimes tell her stories about the origins of that sword.
It was said that one of their ancestors, who had mastered three different elements forged the Xuanyuan Sword and infused each of those elements into its core. If one could truly master all three, the spiritual essences within the sword would awaken and aid its wielder in battle.
With this sword, the Xuanyuan family once rose to great prominence, becoming a legendary household across all of Xianzhou. But those were long-lost days of glory. Without a wielder like their ancestor, the sword's true power could no longer be fully unleashed.
Now, they were merely a sword-bearing family, standing among the second-rate clans, yet still waiting for the day another prodigy would be born to restore their name.
"It's an old relic at this point. I don't think those stories were ever true," Sushang said, patting the Xuanyuan Sword on her back.
"Haha, you never know. Smoke doesn't rise without fire, so one cannot truly claim it to be false. I, for one, believe such stories hold truth. After all, the current standing of the Xuanyuan family is proof enough that there's some merit to them."
The two continued chatting as they watched the other Cloud Knights fight.
Though their idleness might have seemed unhelpful, both the senior Cloud Knight and Sushang kept a constant watch on their comrades. If any of them were to make a mistake, their legs would move on instinct, ready to intervene in an instant.
And as the captain of the unit, he could rest a bit and push work onto his subordinates. If anyone were to raise a complaint, he could file a disciplinary action for speaking back to a superior.
As for Sushang, she was not in his unit, so he wasn't responsible for her actions, though she had piqued his interest with the unfamiliar swordsmanship she displayed.
'Absolute speed over strength.' That was the best description for her swordsmanship, similar to the legend of the Xuanyuan Sword's original wielder, who could slash as fast as lightning.
He guessed this might be a hidden Xuanyuan sword style, but that was just conjecture without any evidence.
As they chatted and saw that all of the Cloud Knights had finished their battle, the senior Cloud Knight excused himself and stepped forward.
"UNIT, LISTEN UP!" His once gentle demeanor morphed into a stern one, and his shout startled Sushang a little. "Search the area for hidden citizens! Once we clear the area, we are evacuating to Starskiff Haven!"
"Yes, sir!" all of them responded and quickly scattered, searching every home to see if there were any hidden survivors.
As for Sushang, she decided to help as well.