Lubuti-VIII.
The small-scale campaign against five tribes of Abominations had just concluded after half a month of fighting.
The Cloud Knights were clearing the battlefield. Smoke from the Fire Crossbows still lingered in the air, and the scent of blood and scorched earth hung heavy all around.
"Don't you think Jingliu has changed a lot during this expedition?"
A young Cloud Knight holding an Array Blade asked in a low voice as he chopped the remains of an Abomination at his feet into pieces. His movements were practiced and efficient.
"She's changed quite a bit… in many ways. What aspect are you referring to exactly?" Qianzhi replied, giving her weapon a quick flick to shake off the bloodstains.
Even as they talked, neither of them stopped working. They continued processing the piles of Abomination corpses scattered across the battlefield.
Even in death, the remains of those beasts and the constructs they controlled still gave off a foul, unpleasant odor.
Chen Dong brought his blade down on the corpse beneath his feet once more.
"In every way, really. Especially her combat strength. It's on a completely different level compared to the last expedition. You could almost say it's doubled."
"It's not just higher. Her rate of improvement is downright unbelievable," Qianzhi said. "Remember what she did when the captain gave the order for a free pursuit?"
Both of them recalled the scene from earlier at the same time.
The enemy lines had broken, and the captain had ordered a pursuit to press the advantage, temporarily allowing the troops to break formation and chase independently.
The moment the order came down, Jingliu—who had been fighting in tight coordination with the unit—seemed to cast off every restraint. In the blink of an eye, she was a hundred meters ahead.
Her figure flickered among the fleeing Abominations as several flying swords orbited around her, providing support.
Wherever her sword light passed, the desperate Abominations were cut into fragments.
Not long ago, even while holding the front line in coordinated combat, Jingliu had frequently sliced enemies into multiple pieces.
The pressure on the front line was always the heaviest. They could not allow any breach in the defensive line, nor could they let enemy attacks reach the rear support troops responsible for long-range fire.
Every strike from the front-line soldiers had to be precise and decisive.
The most efficient way to conserve stamina and move on to the next target was to kill each charging enemy with a single, clean blow.
Jingliu had no trouble instantly killing those that came at her… yet she always followed up with several extra slashes on the spot.
It seemed somewhat excessive.
However, since her actions did not disrupt her comrades or break formation, no one had commented on it.
Jingliu was simply too fast.
In the time it took others to make one attack, she had already swung her sword three or four times. And she was wielding one of the Cloud Knights' standard heavy swords.
The blade was imbued with Lihuo, allowing it to slice cleanly through the tough outer armor of the constructs on contact.
The heavy sword that most knights needed both hands to wield, she could swing effortlessly with one hand, cutting Abominations clean in half at the waist.
Thinking back on it, Qianzhi chopped off the head of the Abomination at her feet to ensure it would not revive. A thoughtful look crossed her eyes.
"I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like she's in a bad mood."
"Is she? She always has that cold, unapproachable expression… like she's radiating a 'stay away' aura. Still, fighting alongside her does ease the pressure a lot, and her coordination is excellent."
"That may be true, but a woman's intuition can be surprisingly accurate at times."
"Uh… bringing intuition into this? Then what do you think is causing it?" Chen Dong asked.
"From my years of experience, it has to be romantic disappointment," Qianzhi said seriously. "With nowhere to vent her frustration back on the Xianzhou, the battlefield provides an endless supply of targets."
"Huh? You're only eighteen this year. 'Years of experience'?"
"You wouldn't understand. Every time my father goes to be with my second mother, my other two mothers give off… an aura very similar to the one Jingliu has right now."
"…" Chen Dong fell silent for a moment. "Your family situation really isn't simple."
Although the Xianzhou did not practice monogamy and only regulated the propagation of offspring, this was still…
"Don't get distracted," Qianzhi said as she pondered the situation.
"This kind of 'aura' is hard to explain, but it definitely exists. Wasn't the recent news about Jingliu's Coming-of-Age Ceremony the perfect example?"
"That's true… When her master, Kanzaki, arrived as the Vanguard, just one look from him was enough to make people's hearts tremble. His presence was overwhelming. I can't imagine how many Abominations one would have to slay on the battlefield to develop an aura like that."
"The Vanguard lords are all powerhouses who can fight like entire armies on their own. Don't overthink it. Back to Jingliu… I really didn't expect her to have someone she likes. Who do you think it is?"
"I couldn't guess even if my life depended on it. You're the one with the sharp intuition. Don't you have any ideas?" Chen Dong looked helpless.
Qianzhi glanced around to make sure no nearby comrades could overhear, then lowered her voice.
"I don't have solid proof… but I have a bold guess: Jingliu likes her master, Kanzaki."
"…You're really going all out with that theory." Chen Dong nearly choked.
"Is it that surprising? The master-disciple dynamic can be quite compelling."
"If this gets out—"
Before he could finish, both of them felt a chill run down their spines.
They turned their heads stiffly and saw a familiar figure standing quietly not far away.
Jingliu had appeared there at some unknown point. Her heavy sword rested on the ground, dark red blood still coating its blade.
No emotion showed in the crimson eyes visible through her helmet, yet her gaze made both Qianzhi and Chen Dong's skin crawl.
The two immediately fell silent, lowered their heads, and resumed cleaning the battlefield. Their movements were now several times faster than before.
The only sound left in the air was the dull thud of blades cutting through flesh.
Jingliu watched them for a moment but ultimately said nothing. She turned and walked toward the other side of the battlefield.
Watching her departing figure from the corner of her eye, Qianzhi let out a quiet breath and whispered almost inaudibly.
"See? There's definitely something off about that aura."
"I told you gossiping about others would end badly. We got caught red-handed. Let's just focus on our work!"
Chen Dong didn't dare say another word and simply buried himself in the task at hand.
Being stared down by Jingliu's seemingly calm eyes earlier felt like being targeted by hundreds of ravenous Abominations that couldn't stop drooling.
No… that wasn't quite right.
It was even more terrifying than that.
===
On the other side of the battlefield.
Jingliu came to a stop. Her gaze swept across her comrades diligently clearing the field in the distance as her grip on her sword tightened unconsciously.
Unwanted images flooded her mind… scenes of her master, Kanzaki, engaged in intimate acts with her senior.
She quickly suppressed those thoughts and forced herself to focus on the present.
The ground beneath her feet was soaked a deep brown with blood, and Abomination remains lay scattered all around.
No matter how many she cut down, the irritation in her heart refused to subside.
Jingliu raised the heavy sword in her hand. The blood-stained blade reflected her own eyes.
Something stirred deep within those crimson eyes… an emotion she was unwilling to examine too closely.
Qianzhi had said she liked her master?
The word "like" was not unfamiliar to her.
Back at the Cloud Knights training camp, many boys and girls had confessed that they liked her.
Yet most of them withdrew the moment they saw her expressionless, silent face.
Those few who persisted were all defeated by her in spars she had framed as mere training sessions, and they never dared approach her again.
She could still recall the various expressions and looks in their eyes when they had said they liked her.
But she had no idea what her own eyes looked like when she gazed at her master.
What exactly did "liking" someone mean?
And what was it supposed to feel like?