Although this power of Harmony wasn't as comprehensive as Jiang Qiao's own innate ability, there was no doubt that this strength, characteristic only of the highest-ranking walkers of the Path of Harmony, could still convey everything [Qingque] wished to impart to Hua.
Therefore, without the need for cumbersome, inefficient words, Hua understood everything in an instant.
She wouldn't say things like "[Qingque]—Jiang Qiao—cannot be trusted." After experiencing the sincerity transmitted through this 'Harmony', Hua understood clearly. From most perspectives, the '[Qingque]' before her was more trustworthy than the vast majority of people in the Alliance.
Worthy of trust.
Because this sincerity was no mere facade. The affection for the Xianzhou, the love for this land, wouldn't harbor even the slightest flaw—because its source originated from the owner of this body, Qingque herself.
Born in this land, deeply loving this land... this was the singular truth flowing through Qingque's heart, expressed in reality.
Since that was the case, setting aside the matter of the body's temporary occupant for a moment, the Qingque whom Hua and Jing Yuan saw as the one to entrust the future to—her feelings towards the Alliance were unquestionable.
As for ability...
Indeed, the original Qingque, in terms of both 'ability' and 'value', was undoubtedly far inferior to the '[Qingque]' currently possessed by a certain someone. After all, this person was an 'anomaly' in himself.
But from the moment their fates became intertwined, their destinies were, in effect, rendered equivalent by that connection. Just like the promise a certain someone made to Firefly. No matter the hardship, whenever he was needed, he would surely come to help.
This was the same promise made to Qingque.
It could be said that Jiang Qiao himself was a force that the child could call upon.
"I understand... but I still believe that you... no, that child will be an excellent choice." Hua spoke with great earnestness. "Now, I am absolutely certain."
"Qingque will become the future of the Xianzhou."
The Xianzhou Alliance, a power renowned throughout the cosmos. Most feared them due to their deeds, but Hua, as the Marshal of the Cloud Knights, understood one thing very clearly: The Alliance wasn't as strong as the world imagined.
On the contrary, from a certain perspective, it was incredibly fragile. So fragile that it struggled even to find its own future.
Unlike factions like the Family walking the Path of Harmony, or the Architects and the Interastral Peace Corporation on the Path of Preservation, who held unwavering faith in their chosen ways, the Xianzhou Alliance was different. Although they seemingly walked the Path of the Hunt and received the favor of the Reignbow Arbiter, the Alliance's essence was one of uncertainty.
This wasn't particularly strange. After all, the Path of the Hunt itself wasn't exactly a pleasant one. Responding to violence with violence, vengeance, enacting justice... the concepts behind the Hunt represented countless sacrifices and a seemingly endless road.
Perhaps the Galaxy Rangers could pursue this conviction relentlessly, following the Reignbow Arbiter's footsteps without counting the cost. However, the Xianzhou Alliance lacked such conviction.
This sounded unbelievable. The largest Hunt faction known throughout the cosmos, favored by the Hunt Aeon itself, did not truly uphold the conviction of the Hunt. If word got out, most would dismiss it as the fabrication of some imaginative historian.
Yet, Hua knew it was true.
Ultimately, the Alliance began as a 'compromise', a huddling together for warmth among the Xianzhou natives persecuted by the Denizens of Abundance, the similarly enslaved Foxians, and the Vidyadhara who could no longer survive in their homeland. It was formed simply to survive in the vast cosmos.
Since their initial wish was survival, how could they possibly embrace a path like the Hunt, constantly accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice? The desire for happiness and stability was actually the main theme of the Xianzhou Alliance. They just wanted to live peacefully in the universe.
The reason they currently walked the Path of the Hunt was largely due to 'helplessness' forced by circumstances. Having endured the Three Sufferings era and the resulting crisis of faith, the Xianzhou Alliance back then was internally fractured, not far from collapse. The three species had allied for survival, but if they couldn't achieve a stable life, why stay together?
That period marked the darkest hour for the Xianzhou's future. Fortunately... the Reignbow Arbiter appeared.
In that era when the Xianzhou Alliance was on the brink of disintegration, the Reignbow Arbiter's favor acted like a powerful stimulant, pointing the way forward for the crumbling Alliance—a path drenched in blood and sacrifice, with no end in sight.
The Alliance certainly didn't desire such a future, but without making a choice, they wouldn't even have that future. And so, gritting their teeth, the Alliance forced itself onto the Path of the Hunt.
The results seemed positive. The Xianzhou grew powerful, becoming renowned throughout the cosmos.
But... as someone who bridged that era to the present, Hua knew very well that this had merely suppressed the underlying problems temporarily. An alliance born from the desire for survival ultimately walked a path of bloodshed and sacrifice—this inevitably created significant hidden dangers.
The betrayal by the Vidyadhara Dragon Masters on the Luofu was actually a microcosm of those latent issues. The Vidyadhara had joined the Alliance because they couldn't survive back home. Yet, after joining, they nearly went extinct fighting several wars against the Denizens of Abundance. Why exactly had they joined the Alliance in the first place?
Those who betrayed the Xianzhou represented the most intense backlash from being forced onto an opposing path. The various other faiths currently existing within the Alliance were also largely divergences born from dissatisfaction with the Xianzhou treading the Path of the Hunt.
The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus pursuing a return to the ways of the Denizens of Abundance, the Preservation followers believing in the Forge Master, the Erudition adherents revering Nous—the existence of these faiths couldn't simply be explained away by 'the Xianzhou practices freedom of belief'. Their ability to spread within the Xianzhou was mostly because the Xianzhou itself still harbored fantasies and experimented with these alternatives.
Now, the Alliance seemed stable. But Hua knew this was still superficial; the fundamental problems of the Xianzhou Alliance remained unresolved. As long as they continued aimlessly walking the Path of the Hunt like this, the Alliance, like the many Xianzhou ships drifting through the cosmos, would one day turn to dust, just like those ships that had already crashed.
Why was the Yuque exploring the path back to the ancient homeworld? The answer was simple: to 'go home', and also to prevent the Alliance from continuing its rootless 'wandering'.
But honestly, even if they found the way back, so what? Hua never truly believed that finding the path home could change the Xianzhou's current situation. The effort was more about giving everyone something to hold onto, a direction and future to hope for, even if it was endless.
As Marshal, Hua was deeply anxious about the Xianzhou's future, yet helpless. She could only maintain a pessimistic outlook, hoping for a turning point someday.
And now... she had seen the 'turning point' emerge.
Since that was the case, for Hua, still serving as the Xianzhou Marshal, she had to do everything possible...
To 'secure' this future belonging to the Xianzhou!
"The future, huh... sounds like quite a heavy burden," [Qingque] remarked with a sigh, feeling Hua's intense gaze fixed upon her.
He pondered for a moment, then decided to consult the owner of this body, Qingque. Jiang Qiao sent a message to Qingque via her Xianzhou jade abacus.
Jiang Qiao: You there?
Quickly, a reply came from Qingque's end:
Qingque: Huh? What is it? I'm busy right now!
At that moment, in the Exalting Sanctum, Miss Qingque was happily playing Celestial Jade with Elysia and the others. Seeing the message, she felt puzzled, tinged with annoyance and resentment. Seriously, can't you see I'm in the middle of a fierce battle?! Get back to work, you lazy bum!
Immersed in the joy of Celestial Jade, Qingque suddenly remembered something and quickly questioned him via the jade abacus.
Qingque: Wait, you didn't get me into some kind of trouble, did you?
Jiang Qiao: How could I? Do I look like the type to cause trouble?
Qingque: Stare.jpg
Qingque: You totally are!
Qingque: Spill it, quickly. Did you do something bad? I'm busy waiting for my turn here!
Jiang Qiao shook his head, amused and exasperated.
Jiang Qiao: No, I'm currently with Marshal Hua. How could I possibly do anything bad?
Qingque: Oh...
Miss Qingque absentmindedly discarded a Dots tile, then suddenly realized what he'd said, jolting upright.
Qingque: What? Mar... Marshal Hua?!
Although Miss Qingque was far removed from Marshal Hua's circle, she was obviously knowledgeable enough to know about the head of the Seven Arbiter-Generals, the commander of the Cloud Knights.
Qingque: Why are you with her?!
Qingque felt nervous, sensing something bad was about to happen. This guy, he wouldn't drop some huge bombshell on me, would he?
Jiang Qiao: Just discussing some things.
Qingque: You'd better be just discussing things!
Qingque: Wait, if you're talking to her, why are you messaging me?
Qingque grew suspicious, sniffing out trouble.
Jiang Qiao: Well, normally that's how it would be, but... I'm not you, after all. For important matters, I definitely need to ask for your opinion, the actual owner of this body, before making a decision.
Qingque: How considerate of you!
Jiang Qiao: Look at you saying that. I rarely force anyone to do anything.
Hearing this, Qingque instinctively wanted to retort, 'Bullshit! If you don't force people, how did I end up suffering like this?' But thinking back carefully, it seemed most of her suffering was due to her own carelessness...
Realizing this, Miss Qingque instantly felt frustrated with her past, naive self. Damn it, how could you fall into that scoundrel's trap!
But it doesn't matter! I won't fall into the same trap twice!
With that thought, looking at the tiles on the table, Qingque felt a surge of excitement, her cheeks flushing slightly as she slammed down a tile:
"Pong!"
Qingque: What is it?
Having learned her lesson, Miss Qingque felt she needed to examine the question carefully, lest she be tricked into another pitfall by a certain someone.
Jiang Qiao: Marshal Hua wants me to become the future of the Xianzhou.
"Chow!"
Qingque: Oh...
Focusing intently on her game, Qingque glanced at the message, feeling a bit dazed. Future...? What does that mean...?
After brief consideration, Qingque decided it was probably just some fancy corporate jargon, the kind used to paint pretty pictures. Miss Qingque, a veteran of the workplace and deeply familiar with the art of empty promises, made her judgment.
Seriously, that doesn't sound like a big deal at all. Bothering me with such trivial matters!
Qingque felt she might have been overly worried. However, recalling past lessons, she decided she still needed to be more cautious.
Qingque: Why would Marshal Hua say something like that to you? Fess up, what did you tell the Marshal!
Hmph, don't underestimate my intuition! You're trying to trick me again, aren't you!
Jiang Qiao: Nothing much... Oh, right, I told her about us.
Seeing the intimate term 'us', Qingque blushed slightly, but the next moment, she understood what he meant.
Qingque: ...You told Marshal Hua?
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Jiang Qiao: Yeah, it's not exactly something worth hiding.
Jiang Qiao: Speaking of which, you never mentioned it to them at all.
Reading Jiang Qiao's message, Qingque scratched her cheek, looking slightly awkward.
Would she admit she kept it secret because she was afraid of getting caught slacking off and chatting in groups while supposedly working?
The only solace during tedious work was clearly the friends in the group chat. While the group chat held little significance for a certain Mr. Jiang, for Qingque, it was spiritual sustenance during work breaks!
Jiang Qiao: Honestly, this is quite troublesome.
Qingque: What's wrong?
Jiang Qiao: While it doesn't really matter, excessive concealment can easily make people 'suspicious', right?`
Jiang Qiao: As the saying goes, imperfect loyalty is absolute disloyalty.
Drawing a tile, Qingque pouted. I'm not aiming for promotion anyway, why bother with loyalty!
...Wait!
Suddenly, a thought struck Qingque, and she froze.
...Imperfect loyalty is absolute disloyalty...
As the phrase echoed in her mind, Miss Qingque suddenly realized: if he said this to Marshal Hua, wouldn't it become reality? Her deliberate concealment of this matter would definitely be seen as 'disloyalty to the Xianzhou'.
And then... [Qingque], who had informed Hua about this—meaning Jiang Qiao using her body—would seem fine, while the real Qingque, herself, would become a suspicious, untrustworthy individual.
Of course, for someone seeking advancement, this would be career suicide. After all, there's the saying: "Disloyal once, never trusted again."
However... Miss Qingque wasn't seeking advancement!
If the Marshal thought she was unreliable... then...
Wouldn't she be rightfully liberated?!
At this thought, Miss Qingque's face instantly bloomed into a wide grin.
You did good! You did really good, Jiang Qiao!
I'm finally escaping this sea of suffering!