Qingque tapped her toes awkwardly on the ground, her eyes shifting evasively, fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
"Ah? Why did the General shrink? Well, about that..."
Involving her direct superior's little secret, she was really unsure whether she should say it out loud.
"Master Diviner Qingque."
Mei's voice drifted over coolly. "The current situation is that both our parties were conducting a transaction to return the Heirloom Seal of the Realm to its rightful owner based on the principles of mutual trust and mutual benefit. However, as your representative, General Fu Xuan, fell into a berserk state without any explanation. Not only did she raze our meticulously decorated reception room to the ground, but she also dealt a devastating blow to the environment of the Superstring Space within a radius of dozens of kilometers, and even nearly killed the leader of the Hyperion."
"And right now, our side merely wishes to understand the insignificant little condition that occurred with the General." She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the other party's increasingly embarrassed face. "But you—"
"Ahhh! I'll speak! I'll speak, okay?! T^T"
Qingque hugged her head, shouting in self-abandonment. "You know, have you heard of the Eight Desolations Six Directions Only I Am Supreme Art?"
"No!"
Kiana was self-righteous and confident in her ignorance!
"I've watched a few episodes of the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils TV series."
Fuli stroked his chin, deep in thought.
The Duck and the Tuna immediately acting like two curious kittens, gathered around Fuli, looking up with cute faces, begging for a lore drop.
Prisoner Fuli briefly explained the setting of the Eight Desolations Six Directions Only I Am Supreme Art to them.
Kallen, who had read related information through internet channels, looked thoughtful. "In other words, General Miao Jian is like that Tianshan Child Elder—she needs to revert to childhood once every thirty years?"
"Just the opposite."
Qingque sighed heavily. "The cultivation method the General practices keeps her permanently in the energetic appearance of a teenager; she only occasionally reverts to an adult. Therefore, Her Excellency uses a certain secret art to allow herself to maintain a mature and majestic appearance for long periods. The disguise is only lifted when she experiences severe emotional fluctuations or when her energy is depleted."
"Maintaining a majestic appearance in the eyes of outsiders, huh..."
The corners of Mei's mouth curled up, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping toward the distance.
There, the remains of the pads Fuli had sliced in two were being silently swept away by the cleaning Ruan Mei Creations (Cat-Cakes).
Obviously, even after growing into an adult, the size on Fu Xuan's chest remained quite modest, to the point where she had to rely on external forces to support the demeanor she believed a Luofu General should have.
Speaking of which, Fu Hua's resources are also barren. Could it be that people surnamed Fu in the Honkai series are all flat boards, cursed by the Will of the Great Universe?
Mei thought.
The young woman didn't know that, looking at it from another angle, this also indirectly proved just how well "Little Fuli" ate in the "If" route.
The youthful, beautiful, lazy, and tall First Wife Qingque, plus this General who could freely switch between a young girl and a mature woman depending on her mood and the "gameplay"...
Tsk tsk, anyway, I'm just very envious.
However, compared to the current route's development, only being able to eat the narrow route of Fu Xuan and Qingque seemed less enviable.
"Mmm..."
Lying on the soft hospital bed, Fu Xuan let out a low moan. Her immature yet delicate brows furrowed tightly, as if enduring some invisible pain.
In her dream, the young girl returned to the day she officially succeeded as the Luofu General.
A handsome man with white hair tied in a ponytail stood on the high platform, his bright yellow eyes carrying a gentle smile.
Below the platform, Fu Xuan's face was calm, but her slightly clenched fists fully revealed the waves surging in her heart.
"Minister Fu, this is probably the last time I will address you like this."
Jing Yuan on the platform chuckled softly, his voice carrying an imperceptible trace of exhaustion and full of gratification. "In the days to come, you must properly assist the newly appointed Luofu General. Rack your brains and protect the common people."
"Mm—hm? What? Assist?"
Fu Xuan's eyes suddenly widened. She looked up, staring at him in disbelief.
Before she could speak, Jing Yuan waved his hand grandly and announced loudly, "I announce! From this day forward, the position of Luofu General shall be passed to the diligent and widely anticipated Diviner of the Divination Commission—Qingque!"
In an instant, cheers like a tsunami surged in.
"Qingque! Qingque! Qingque!"
Yanqing, Bailu, Lingsha... countless familiar faces applauded vigorously on both sides of the road. Gaze after gaze filled with expectation uniformly focused on the bewildered girl in green below the platform.
"!!!"
Under the huge emotional roller coaster, Fu Xuan, lying on the bed, abruptly opened her eyes.
Seeing an unfamiliar ceiling, she subconsciously let out a long breath. "Holy crap, thank goodness it was a dream..."
"Holy crap! Thank goodness it was a dream!"
Almost identical words came from beside her.
Fu Xuan turned her head and saw Qingque lying on the edge of the bed, looking terrified and unsettled.
A suspicious trail of drool hung from the corner of the girl's mouth, obviously having accidentally fallen asleep while nursing her General.
Seeing her patient wake up, she hurriedly wiped the drool clean with her sleeve and piled a fawning smile on her delicate face. "Hehe, General, you're awake!"
"Mm."
Fu Xuan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Clean and tidy walls, a soft and comfortable bed and bedding. A refreshing sea breeze blew in through the open window, and a basket of fresh fruits was placed on the nightstand.
"I am..."
She tried hard to recall what had happened earlier. Her face turned from white to red, from red to green, and finally turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Mei's words were completely correct. The Luofu duo had come to visit with apologies and to ask for a favor. As a result, she went berserk on the spot, raised her hand, and smashed the other party's territory to pieces. A perfect opening hand forcefully played into ruin.
"No! This Seat must go apologize!"
Thinking of this, Fu Xuan could no longer lie still.
She sat up and threw off the bedding. Her feet had barely touched the ground and taken two steps before her breathing became noticeably rapid and heavy.
"Um, Lord General."
Qingque cautiously reminded her from the side. "That Miss Raiden Mei said that considering you might be emotionally unstable again after waking up, she took some measures to slightly restrict your combat power while you were unconscious."
"Understandable."
Fu Xuan wasn't angry. If it were her encountering a similar situation, she would definitely take the same precautionary measures.
"Qingque, help This Seat over."
Obviously, saying this also indicated she didn't blame her subordinate for not stopping the Hyperion crew from laying hands on her unconscious self.
"Got it!"
The initially apprehensive Little Sparrow cheered up. She was about to bend down for a princess carry when she met Fu Xuan's warning look.
She smiled awkwardly, hurriedly changing the carry to a supporting grasp, and led her tiny General out the door.
They hadn't walked far when they heard a commotion from the corridor ahead.
Kiana, hugging a large bag of freshly baked bread, mumbled angrily as she walked, "Some people just take good intentions for a donkey's liver and lungs! Back when the Titanic set sail, to stop them from going to sea, This Lady shouted until my throat was hoarse! But not only did they not listen, they actually kicked me out of the movie theater!"
Bronya replied expressionlessly, "The cruise ship is too big. You needed a megaphone."
"Don't spout serious nonsense!"
Kallen, floating in mid-air, rubbed her forehead helplessly. Glancing from the corner of her eye, she happened to see the Luofu duo approaching from the corner.
She immediately waved enthusiastically in greeting. "Good evening, you two! The raw redtail fish and tripe-stewed howling meat you love have already been prepared in the kitchen. You can go to the cafeteria anytime you're hungry!"
Raw redtail fish? Tripe-stewed howling meat?
Fu Xuan paused in her steps. Realizing what this meant, she immediately glared at Qingque beside her.
What do you mean 'we' love to eat? It's clearly you, this slacking monster, who is greedy!
"Hehe..."
The Little Sparrow cutely stuck out her tongue, pretending not to see her superior's death stare.
Anyway, the travel expenses will be reimbursed when we get back, so why not treat myself well!
Speaking of which, why is the food on the Hyperion so top-tier? And those delicious fruits containing various strange energies... Damn it, I kinda don't want to go back to the Luofu!
Fu Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing her helplessness toward her subordinate.
She turned to Kiana and the others, bowing and apologizing with a sincere tone. "Thank you all for your magnanimity."
"It's fine—Ouch!"
Kiana waved her hand carelessly, but before she could finish, Bronya gave her a precise elbow strike to the waist, making her bare her teeth in pain.
"It is not fine. Magnanimity is premised on adequate compensation."
As the Chief Financial Officer of the Hyperion, the Great Bronya's words were very straightforward.
"Please rest assured," Fu Xuan promised solemnly. "After the formal talks conclude, I will further discuss the compensation for this loss with everyone."
After the talks conclude?
Bronya and Kallen exchanged a glance.
Obviously, this General Miao Jian didn't plan to mix the damages she caused into the transaction between the Hyperion and the Taixuan Front. Instead, she intended to settle it separately afterward.
This sense of responsibility increased their favorable impression of her quite a bit.
Immediately after, the girls saw two red clouds quietly rise on Fu Xuan's fair cheeks.
"Also," she turned her face slightly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible embarrassment, "if possible, please do not let a third party outside of us know about the scene that occurred earlier..."
Berserk? Destruction?
No!
Relying on their female sixth sense, the group immediately realized that the "thing not to be known by outsiders" Fu Xuan spoke of absolutely referred to the Pad Fraud Incident!
They looked at each other.
"Please rest assured." Bronya stuck out her magnificent chest as if nothing happened, her tone serious. "We never joke around about other people's figures."
True Damage!
"Right, right, right!" Kiana put her hands on her hips, highlighting her figure, the smile on her face increasingly sunny. "We will absolutely not tell anyone that Lord Fu Xuan's breasts are padded!"
Critical Hit!
"You! You!"
Their wicked, punchable appearance rapidly ignited the anger in Fu Xuan's heart.
Kallen chimed in timely. "Hey, hey, hey! A General of the Taixuan Front cannot spout dirty words!"
"Ugh!"
The Luofu profanity in her throat was choked back. The General's small face turned completely red with anger, her perfectly flat chest heaving violently.
Taking advantage of this gap, the trio—whose baseline size was a C-cup—tacitly oiled their soles and slipped away without a trace.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Fu Xuan stamped her small, white-stocking-clad feet fiercely. Her force was so great that, even in a weakened state, it still made the floor protest slightly.
"Pfft!"
She turned her head, her gaze shooting like a torch at Qingque, who was trying hard to hold back her laughter beside her.
The latter immediately straightened her back, trying hard to suppress the upward corners of her mouth.
"You, hmph!"
Looking at those two mounds of this fellow—not magnificent, but certainly enough so a baby wouldn't go hungry—the General ground her teeth for a long time, ultimately only able to swallow her anger.
Grumble...
Just then, a clear and embarrassing sound abruptly came from Fu Xuan's flat lower abdomen.
"Um, General." Qingque probed tentatively. "How about we go to the cafeteria first?"
"Do I look like This Seat can walk by myself?"
The subtext was: Take me there.
The Little Sparrow laughed inwardly, but on the surface, she immediately gave a standard military salute, her voice loud and clear:
"Loyalty!"
After eating and drinking their fill, the two followed the guidance of the Cat-Cakes and arrived on the spacious deck of the Hyperion.
Looking up, the ink-blue sky was like spread-out velvet, scattered with diamond-like stars stretching all the way to the end of the horizon.
And by the railing at the edge of the deck, a familiar figure was sitting.
It was Fuli.
With his back to them, his legs dangled over the side of the deck. In his hand, he held a long fishing rod modeled after the Projection Sword. (i call them that now)
The other end of the rod extended into the deep night sky, the thin fishing line dropping into the dark, deep sea below, rising and falling silently with the ocean currents.
Qingque was just about to call out a greeting when the hem of her clothes was gently tugged by Fu Xuan.
Puzzled, she then heard laughter mixed in the sea breeze.
"Hey family, watch me catch a big one for you today!"
"Don't talk nonsense, who's the Air Force (empty-handed)? Didn't I fish up a coffin engraved with the word 'DIO' last time?"
"Ah-Ying, never mind what was inside it, just tell me if I caught it or not!"
"Eh, thanks to Dr. ME and Miss Pink Elf for the superchats! As expected, my Mei-Yii and my Little Grand-Aunt treat me the best."
Listening to this tone, which was clearly interacting with an audience, Qingque tilted her head. "Is Little Brother Fuli livestreaming?"
That's right. Not only livestreaming, but as a Vtuber, and even using a female virtual avatar.
After the Kanas Incident, Fuli, who had fallen in love with fishing, liked to fish in the ocean when he had nothing else to do. But staying alone was indeed a bit boring.
This was great; he could have people chat and relieve boredom, and also frequently co-op and interact with his precious disciple Ah-Ying (Raiden Ei) to maintain their bond.
The co-op partners weren't limited to Ah-Ying, but also included the super streamer with tens of millions of fans, Miss Pink Elf (Elysia), and Robin, who streamed incognito with a voice changer but whose personality still attracted tons of fans.
After a few collabs, Fuli's subscriber count rapidly broke through the 100,000 mark, even attracting the attention of big streamers like Little Gui (Guinaifen).
As for the audience's evaluation?
A beautiful girl V-Tuber model with a magnetic male voice? I absolutely love it, okay!
What's more, it was genuine ocean fishing. Although many people questioned, "Fuli, your background is too fake, it's all synthesized to trick people," there were obviously more viewers just here for the fun.
Happy times always pass quickly. After safely releasing the last accidentally hooked little killer whale back into the sea, Fuli snapped his fingers crisply, and the streaming equipment vanished instantly.
Then, he patted the empty space beside him and said without turning his head, "Sit."
Hearing this, Qingque and Fu Xuan almost subconsciously walked over and sat down next to him, one on the left and one on the right.
The small feet wearing white socks and the slender legs in white pantyhose also dangled over the deck, swaying gently with the sea breeze.
The sea breeze blew gently, and starlight scattered down. The three sat side-by-side on the edge of the deck, the bottomless ocean beneath their feet. The atmosphere was momentarily subtle and quiet, even a bit...
Ambiguous?
Wait! This scene looks super similar to the prelude of a certain threesome I saw during divination!
Qingque's expression changed slightly. Without a second thought, she was about to speak up to remind Fu Xuan, who was more deeply immersed in those visions.
If she felt the atmosphere was right, went crazy, and staged a forced-pushing drama... setting aside whether she could get pregnant with a daughter, the two of them really wouldn't be able to walk off the Hyperion!