She had been constantly worried about what strange things that someone might do with her body. But now, after learning about [Qingque]'s actions, she wasn't flustered anymore. In fact, she felt a secret thrill.
After all... telling the famous Marshal Hua her real identity and everything—thinking about it carefully, wasn't this actually a great thing?
Setting aside the loyalty issue for now, at least after this confession, both the General and the Marshal would know that the real troublemaker, the bad guy causing all the chaos, wasn't her, Qingque, but that scoundrel!
Under these circumstances, would they still hold expectations for her or entrust her with important responsibilities? Definitely not—at least, that's what Qingque believed.
The thought of using this chance to clear her name of the wrongs caused by that someone, to finally have her "grievances redressed," made her eyes well up. Me, Qingque, finally getting cleared!?
Of course, amidst the excitement, Qingque also felt a pang of regret. After all, she probably could have done this herself earlier. If she had done it sooner, could she have avoided so much detestable work?
"I should have done this ages ago!" she muttered under her breath.
"Chow!"
While Miss Qingque was lost in thought and elation, Elysia, beaming, claimed her discarded tile. This instantly pulled Qingque's mind back from the cosmos to reality—or at least, back to the game table.
...Oh dear, really, thinking about that other stuff made me neglect my real business!
Qingque: Alright, alright, just do whatever you think is best. I'm busy here! Talk later!
Miss Qingque ended the conversation perfunctorily. As for whether this would cause any problems... hmm, she didn't think so. After all, that scoundrel Jiang Qiao had already revealed his true colors. The wise and powerful Marshal Hua surely wouldn't be deceived by him, right?
Besides, she didn't really have any room for promotion left anyway. Since that was the case, Miss Qingque, possessing the true spirit of going all-in, didn't mind taking a gamble and betting everything, even the shirt off her back.
There's an old Xianzhou saying: Even if there's only a one-tenth chance of hope, you should strive with nine-tenths of your effort. Qingque strongly agreed with this. After all, isn't that just how life rolls? Losing the gamble is terrible, but what if you win?
Win big, it's high life with fancy models; lose big, and you're the one serving drinks. Others fear, I get greedy. Others sell off, I go all-in. Others cut their losses, I buy the dip. Others take a small hit, I go bankrupt! This is a high-stakes gamble, my friend!
Miss Qingque nervously looked at the Celestial Jade tile in her hand, hesitating, slowly sliding her thumb over it like drawing a poker card. Upon seeing the pattern, her face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy. She slammed the tile onto the table with a radiant smile:
"Heh, Mahjong!"
See? A landslide victory, my friend! This was a good omen!
---||---
[Qingque] scratched his cheek as he read Qingque's message on the jade abacus.
"Well?" Hua inquired.
"She told me to decide for myself."
"Then, what is your answer?"
"[She] feels 'apprehensive'," [Qingque] relayed, carefully choosing his words, "but there is no 'rejection'."
At that moment, Hua smiled. Undoubtedly, the child had given her answer. This wasn't simply [Qingque] representing Qingque. In reality, Jiang Qiao, currently using [Qingque]'s body, was merely expressing the feelings and desires the child herself possessed.
It was Qingque's response—even if Qingque herself probably couldn't imagine making such a decision. But the feeling originating from [Qingque's] heart undoubtedly belonged to Qingque herself.
And while [Qingque]'s conveyed answer contained a young woman's uncertainty, the vastly experienced Hua was thoroughly satisfied. After all, in her view, it was perfectly natural for someone Qingque's age to feel apprehensive about the future. If she truly showed no fear of the future, like [Qingque] seemed to, that would be the most abnormal thing.
Hua had no intention of holding such 'unrealistic' expectations for the child.
Having settled the arrangements for Qingque, Hua departed. As Marshal, she wasn't nearly as idle as she appeared. Coming to the Luofu this time involved numerous matters requiring discussion with the Seven Arbiter-Generals, and even the Ten-Lords Commission.
[Qingque], meanwhile, followed Hanya to the Netherworld—the headquarters of the Luofu's Ten-Lords Commission—for questioning. This was a necessary procedure.
The Xianzhou Alliance's system was essentially a mix of dualistic opposition. The Ten-Lords Commission, handling the political and judicial aspects, governed the Alliance's fundamental logic. Consequently, even Hua, the Marshal, was subject to the Ten-Lords' constraints.
However, these constraints were riddled with contradictions due to various factors. For example, the Seven Arbiter-Generals should logically be part of the Cloud Knights' forces, theoretically equal to the other Six Charioteers designed by the Ten-Lords Commission—and indeed, this was the case in non-wartime, a division created by the Commission to curb the Generals' power.
Unfortunately... although the Six Charioteers and the Xianzhou General commanding the Cloud Knights were meant to be equals, no amount of suppression could change the fact that in a loosely structured power like the Xianzhou Alliance, the Xianzhou General holding the highest military authority would inevitably possess far greater influence than the Six Charioteers.
This contradiction made the Ten-Lords' attitude towards Hua and the Cloud Knights she represented quite delicate. And this, precisely, was one of the problems concerning the Xianzhou Alliance that had been troubling Hua before meeting [Qingque].
Certain high-ranking members within the Ten-Lords Commission constantly plotted to subordinate the parallel Cloud Knights, making them subservient to the Commission. They disliked seeing the Cloud Knights on equal footing with the Ten-Lords.
Of course, this was actually a legacy issue from the Xianzhou's past. In the early days, the Cloud Knights didn't hold such a special status. During the Three Sufferings era, the Cloud Knights were merely weapons in the hands of the Xianzhou elite, the long-life species. They had to do whatever their superiors commanded.
It wasn't until after the Three Sufferings era, due to successive wars, that the Cloud Knights' status gradually rose, slipping from the elite's control. The emergence of the Seven Arbiter-Generals brought both joy and anger.
Joy, naturally, came from the Aeon's favor. Anger stemmed from the fact that the Arbiter-Generals' appearance meant the old guard had almost completely lost control over the Xianzhou's military might.
The Cloud Knights, acting according to the tenets of the Hunt, even inspired fear in those Xianzhou elites because this force had, to some extent, become a sword hanging over their heads. Anyone who strayed from the Hunt or betrayed the Alliance would face the sharp edge of pursuit. The sword they once wielded was now pointed at them—a change naturally difficult to accept.
But they had no choice. They couldn't exactly fight the Cloud Knights, could they? They wouldn't win!
So, the Xianzhou elite reluctantly accepted the situation, and the Ten-Lords Commission emerged. Its creation was a remedial measure after losing control of the Cloud Knights.
By controlling the Ten-Lords Commission, the former Xianzhou elite, now the Ten-Lords, regained partial control over the Xianzhou's forces. Having learned their lesson, they didn't want a repeat of the Cloud Knights situation.
Thus, the Commission's soldiers were mostly Aurumatons. These could never slip from the Ten-Lords' grasp like the Cloud Knights, because this time, the Ten-Lords held their 'souls'.
However, the Ten-Lords Commission could never truly compare to the Cloud Knights. To weaken the latter... 'Mara-Struck' became their cudgel.
Jiang Qiao learned this secret from Hua: while being Mara-Struck was indeed a great calamity for Xianzhou natives, its current state was largely the result of deliberate maneuvering by the Ten-Lords.
Waving the banner of 'Anti-Abundance', the Ten-Lords used strict control over the Mara-Struck phenomenon to take away Xianzhou natives and Cloud Knight soldiers nearing Mara, even Xianzhou Generals.
As for what happened after entering the Hall of Karma... Hua clearly didn't want to comment extensively. Considering Xueyi and Hanya, one could understand: extracting every last drop of value was the final mercy the Ten-Lords offered them.
Her conflict with the Ten-Lords stemmed from this. Hua knew very well that the Ten-Lords had no real desire to follow the Path of the Hunt; they just wanted to control the entire Xianzhou, top to bottom, just like in the old days. This naturally included the Cloud Knights. For instance, among the Seven Arbiter-Generals, one was a heretic leaning towards the Ten-Lords.
And then there were the current attacks against Jing Yuan. This was another move by the Ten-Lords to further control the Cloud Knights. One must know, the Luofu, home to the Ambrosial Arbor, was the flagship of the Xianzhou fleet. It was the economic and trade hub of the Xianzhou Alliance, bearing the crucial responsibility of connecting the fleet and providing economic support.
Furthermore, Jing Yuan had been personally vouched for by Hua. Due to the disastrous fallout from the Sedition of the Vidyadhara involving the High-Cloud Quintet, the affected Jing Yuan was originally unqualified for the position. He only ascended because Hua used her political capital to forcefully push him up. If he failed, Hua would suffer too.
Using Jing Yuan to attack Hua while simultaneously scheming to seize control of the Luofu, the lead ship, and thereby influence other Xianzhou ships—regarding this plot by the Ten-Lords, Jiang Qiao could only say: those old fossils, true gods of civil war left over from the Three Sufferings era, were indeed masters of infighting.
Even though Hua had already detected their scheme, she was still largely powerless. Within the Xianzhou Alliance system, as long as they played by the rules, she struggled to compete against these masters of infighting who controlled the narrative, acting as both players and referees.
Fortunately, Jing Yuan hadn't disappointed her. And the appearance of [Qingque] was an unexpected blessing. Hua saw a glimmer of hope in the latter.
Without [Qingque], although Jing Yuan might still have escaped the Ten-Lords' plot according to the original trajectory, that would have been the extent of it. Because the successor he had groomed for the Luofu, Fu Xuan, wasn't actually well-suited for the position.
Though a genius, holding the post of Master Diviner, and possessing outstanding merits, Miss Type-C was indeed an excellent candidate in many ways.
But for the Luofu, she was a rather poor choice.
Her fiery, strict temperament made Fu Xuan terrible at the crucial role of mediation required of a Luofu General. Furthermore, this personality made it difficult for her to practice 'forbearance for the nation's sake'—Fu Xuan would only choose a more aggressive approach towards those she disliked. Yet, she lacked the capability to back it up.
Choosing Fu Xuan was largely because, at that time, the Luofu Xianzhou simply had no better candidates. Zhu Lun and Huifu were average. Yukong was capable, but she was a Foxian, and given Foxian lifespans, Yukong was already practically halfway into her grave.
Of course, Jing Yuan could also have requested the Alliance dispatch a successor General.
But doing so would have played right into the Ten-Lords' hands, effectively handing over the Luofu. Huaiyan likely saw through this, which was why he had to grit his teeth and hold onto the General position of the Zhuming Xianzhou, preventing the Ten-Lords from getting their hands on that vital Alliance supply hub.
Inside the Netherworld.
[Qingque] smiled at the unfamiliar judge before him, who seemed fierce on the outside but brittle within. It was clear the Ten-Lords' people were anxious. Having found some minor issues, they immediately tried to find a breakthrough via him.
To this end, the Ten-Lords Commission had even bypassed Hanya, the Luofu's usual Interrogation Judge, and temporarily demoted someone from the Void Annihilation division to serve as [Qingque]'s interrogator.
Unfortunately for them, no matter how much trouble they went to, they were unlikely to gain much. After all, things like the Mind-Inquiry Mirror were less than toys to Jiang Qiao.
Just...
As if suddenly sensing something, a look of helplessness flickered across the young woman's face. The next moment, her expression became dazed, vacant. She looked around at her surroundings in confusion.
...Wait, where are my tiles? Where's my winning hand? Where did they send me?!
Looking at this cold, gloomy, eerie place, Qingque instinctively hugged her arms, a chill running down her spine.
However, it seemed someone had anticipated this situation and prepared countermeasures right before the swap. A gentle warmth flowed through her body, making her feel much more comfortable. Qingque finally understood where she was.
Netherworld. The three words were clearly etched in her mind.
For the knowledgeable Miss Qingque, it was impossible not to know what the Netherworld was. Although the facility was a top secret within the Xianzhou, its existence was widely rumored, even sparking an 'adventure to find the Netherworld' craze at one point.
Of course, the result was that the few 'Reckless Adventurers' who accidentally stumbled into the Shackling Prison got to experience government-provided meals firsthand, later turning their experience into a best-selling novel.
Right now, however, Miss Qingque clearly didn't want to think about such things.
Staring at the frigid Netherworld and the menacing-looking judge, Qingque, who had been happily playing mahjong (i know) moments ago, was utterly stunned.