March 7th stood at the ferry crossing of Cloudford, hands on her hips, watching the people coming and going on the Luofu, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Revisiting old haunts, this young lady's heart is truly filled with a specific kind of sentiment!"
Xing glanced at her, mimicked her posture with hands on hips: "Sentiment!"
Then the two of them turned their heads in unison to look at the remaining Fu Zhu and Dan Heng. Fu Zhu and Dan Heng exchanged a look, somewhat between laughter and tears, but also silently put their hands on their hips and said in unison:
"Sentiment." x2
After completing this set of movements, Fu Zhu couldn't help but mutter to March 7th beside him: "What kind of strange, mysterious ritual is this?"
"Hehe! Just the literal meaning. Let's go, let's go. General Jing Yuan said Yanqing would come to pick us up; maybe Yanqing is already waiting for us."
March 7th linked her arm with Fu Zhu's, dragging him forward, with Xing and Dan Heng following behind.
"Don't go so fast, watch your step." Fu Zhu looked at March 7th's impatient appearance, laughed dumbly, gave a reminder, and then opened the [Minimap] to look for Yanqing's marker.
He searched a large area; he saw Intelligentsia mechanisms, Pippexi, Foxians, Borisin, but he didn't see Yanqing's marker.
Fu Zhu looked at the various races on the [Minimap] and couldn't help but roast: "This Wardance Ceremony is really lively, every race is here. These Borisin... this isn't right, is it? Aren't Borisin enemies of the Xianzhou? Why would they appear on the Xianzhou?"
Hearing Fu Zhu's complaint, Dan Heng leaned over, looked around, and then spotted several ships docked at the edge of the ferry crossing.
"The Wardance Ceremony is for the Luofu to transmit a signal of safety to the outside world, so it will attract people of all races. As for the Borisin you mentioned, Fu Zhu... they should be Borisin war criminals captured by the Xianzhou. I just saw several warships escorting prisoners."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Dan Heng say this, Fu Zhu didn't probe further. After all, they were currently on the Luofu, not Jarilo-VI or Penacony.
The former had relatively weaker strength, and the latter had just experienced the Family Head doing things on his own. The Luofu was different; not only was the Arbiter-General Jing Yuan sitting in command, but there were also the Six Commissions helping to manage matters big and small. It was much safer than Jarilo and Penacony.
Even if something really happened, there was no need for him to worry; he just needed to leisurely finish participating in the Wardance Ceremony.
Afterwards, Fu Zhu searched the [Minimap] again and finally spotted the long-overdue Yanqing. He immediately looked up in that direction, waved his hand, and called out to Yanqing, who was looking around searching for them.
"Yanqing."
Hearing this familiar voice, Yanqing immediately turned his head. Seeing Fu Zhu's group of four, he immediately revealed a smiling face and welcomed them.
"Master! And the three Teachers!"
As soon as Yanqing came over and finished greeting, he saw March 7th with a beaming smile, holding Fu Zhu's hand with one hand, and waving her other hand—which was wearing a ring—in front of Yanqing.
Yanqing was stunned for a moment. The eyesight he had trained from years of martial arts practice allowed him to notice the ring on March 7th's hand, and at the same time, he also saw Fu Zhu wearing a matching ring.
Although he was young, his little brain spun for a moment, and he immediately changed his address for March 7th, bowing respectfully.
"Yanqing pays respects to Mistress!"
"Hehe, so good!" Hearing Yanqing call her Mistress, March 7th nodded in satisfaction.
Behind her, Xing watched until her mouth twitched. Ever since March 7th and her Old Bro got together yesterday, these two stuck together like two plasters. March 7th even changed the nicknames in the 'Astral Express Loving Family' group chat: one to [@Fu Zhu, This is my Boyfriend], and the other to [@March 7th, This is my Girlfriend].
The two of them would occasionally pop up in the group chat with these nicknames to discuss what movie to watch at night, even though they were nestling together on the sofa, yet they still insisted on communicating via phone. This was clearly just wanting to announce it to the world!
Dan Heng, at the side, saw the change in Xing's expression and asked: "Didn't you often try to matchmake them before? Why is it that now that they are really together, you're unhappy instead?"
Xing crossed her arms and pouted: "Who knew these two would stick together like dog skin plasters? Every time I stand next to them, I feel like I'm extra! Clearly, this guy March 7th is the latecomer!"
Hearing her words, Dan Heng couldn't help but shake his head.
"Master, Mistress, and Teachers Dan Heng and Xing, please follow me to the Seat of Divine Foresight. The General is already waiting there."
After Yanqing finished greeting, he planned to lead the four to the Seat of Divine Foresight. Just as the group of five planned to leave Cloudford, the street on the other side suddenly fell into commotion, mixed with the screams of quite a few people.
Yanqing, Fu Zhu, and Dan Heng immediately sensed something was wrong. Yanqing and Dan Heng drew their weapons in unison. Just as they planned to go over and investigate, Fu Zhu's figure had already disappeared from in front of them one step ahead.
March 7th also realized with hindsight that the boyfriend she had been holding onto was gone.
"Fu Zhu?"
March 7th immediately turned her head to look in the direction of the turmoil. Through the gaps in the crowd, she could see Fu Zhu seeming to be confronting something.
"Mistress and the two Teachers, be careful, I'll go help Master!"
Yanqing carried his long sword and rushed towards Fu Zhu. However, March 7th and the other two naturally couldn't really stay put and watch the show, so they also took out their weapons and rushed over.
...
When the four of them passed through the crowd and arrived at Fu Zhu's side, they found that Fu Zhu was currently stepping with one foot on each of two Borisin who were wearing broken shackles. And in front of him, there were several Borisin who were already thoroughly dead.
Seeing his companions rush over, Fu Zhu gave them a look that counted as a greeting. Then he couldn't help but look at the empty space beside the few Borisin who were already dead, and complained:
"Not a single drop? At least drop some [Leather] or something? Worse than Mara-struck..."
After complaining about this point, Fu Zhu turned his head and said apologetically to Yanqing: "Yanqing, sorry for being a bit heavy-handed. But I was worried they would hurt the commoners, so I acted first. However, I left two alive. The Luofu shouldn't mind, right?"
Hearing this, Yanqing waved his hands repeatedly: "Master, what are you saying! You've helped a great deal, how could we blame you? It's just, why would Borisin appear on this street?"
Dan Heng leaned in, wanting to examine the Borisin stepped on under Fu Zhu's feet, but as soon as he got close, those two Borisin bared their teeth and growled fiercely at him.
Fu Zhu immediately increased the force, his feet stepping down until they whimpered, not daring to bare their teeth at Dan Heng anymore.
Only then did Dan Heng have the chance to step forward and size up the shackles worn by these two Borisin. "They are clearly the shackles used specially by the Xianzhou to escort prisoners, but theoretically speaking, the quality shouldn't be this poor, to actually be broken free by these ordinary Borisin."
"These are imprisoned Borisin, but for some reason, they actually broke free from the shackles."
March 7th stood to the side, looking at Fu Zhu with some worry and asked: "There wouldn't be some conspiracy hidden here, right!"
"Then let's just ask them."
Fu Zhu lowered his body and asked the two Borisin: "Speak, how did you break free from the shackles? And what is your objective?"
However, the two Borisin under Fu Zhu's feet gritted their teeth and growled in a low voice: "You'll know when you're dead!"
"Heh, temper's quite fierce. Hope your mouths can still be this hard later."
Fu Zhu immediately opened his [Inventory] and started rummaging inside. Xing, listening to Fu Zhu's words from the side, instantly understood.
"Old Bro, you wouldn't be wanting to use that so-called 'Red-Rock' (Chishi) Tech of yours, right?"
"'Red-Rock' Tech?" Yanqing was stunned hearing this. He had heard from General Jing Yuan that Master Fu Zhu grasped a technique called "Redstone" (Hongshi) Technology, but he had never heard of any "Red-Rock" Technology.
But he still couldn't help but remind Fu Zhu: "Master, I'm afraid it won't be too easy to get clues out of these Borisin."
Fu Zhu, however, cast a reassuring look at Yanqing, then turned his head to Xing with a smile and raised an eyebrow.
"Old Sis, do you still remember the [Bone] I gave you the first time we came to the Xianzhou?"
Xing was stunned. She scratched her head and recalled on the spot: "I remember. At that time, I even thought Old Bro, you were stingy! I asked you for fun props, and in the end, you just gave me a bone to let me play with... Oh right, at that time, Old Bro, you also said this bone could tame all dogs. I even used that bone to tame Diting!"
"What thing?" Fu Zhu paused. When he gave the bone, he was busy with other things. Later, when Xing used the bone to tame Diting, he didn't follow along, so he wasn't clear. But if he remembered correctly, Diting is a man-made 'dog', right?
This [Bone] can even tame mechanical tech dogs?
He had originally thought that since Borisin are a type of wolf, the [Bone] might work. He didn't expect Xing to give him a big surprise.
"Hearing you say that, it seems this [Bone] is even more powerful than I believed. It can tame anything related to dogs."
Fu Zhu chuckled and took out a [Bone] from his backpack, dangling it in front of the two Borisin. The gazes of those two Borisin also followed the [Bone] inseparable, swaying left and right.
"Want to eat?"
The two Borisin whimpered, refusing to speak, but saliva uncompetitively flowed down from the corners of their mouths. Those four vertical pupils were filled with thirst for the bone before them.
Xing saw Fu Zhu suddenly pull out a bone, and looked at the bone in Fu Zhu's hand with eyes shining just the same.
March 7th aside witnessed this scene and couldn't help but poke her with her finger, roasting: "This bone is that magical? It can even attract single dogs?"
Originally looking excited, Xing heard this and couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. She turned her head and said grumpily: "You know you have a boyfriend and aren't a single dog anymore! Do you have to roast me with that!"
March 7th giggled and didn't interrupt again.
Only then did Xing extend her hand to Fu Zhu asking for the bone: "Old Bro, give me one too? This bone wouldn't happen to be able to tame Borisin too, right?"
"Here."
Fu Zhu tossed the bone in his hand to Xing. The two Borisin he was stepping on immediately became restless. If not for being stomped on firmly by Fu Zhu, they probably would have already pounced towards that bone.
Xing caught the bone, walked to the front of the two Borisin, squatted down, and waved the bone in front of them: "Here, here, here, does the little doggy want to eat?"
The two Borisin had faces of steel. They had never suffered such humiliation. They were noble Borisin! But now they were being called little doggies by a human!
But, why did the saliva still flow uncompetitively from their mouths?
Seeing them being teased to the limit, Xing laughed slyly and stuffed the bone into the mouth of one of the Borisin. That Borisin was first startled, then immediately began chewing the bone in its mouth with large mouthfuls, while the other Borisin could only watch it with a face full of envy.
After the Borisin ate that bone, Xing planned to take this opportunity to try and see if she could ask anything out of their mouths. But then she saw that a circle of fur on that Borisin's neck suddenly turned red.
The change on the Borisin's body made Xing nervous. She looked up at Fu Zhu and asked: "Old Bro, did you dope the bone?"
"No."
Fu Zhu answered very decisively. Looking at that Borisin which produced the mutation, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. This was clearly the effect that appears in MC when a wolf is tamed by a player into a dog!
"This is the effect of being tamed. It is now already your dog, Old Sis."
Saying this, Fu Zhu released the foot stepping on that Borisin. Yanqing was startled by Fu Zhu's sudden movement and was just about to raise his sword to hold it against this Borisin when he discovered that, even after breaking free from the restraint, it still lay obediently on the ground. It even stuck out its tongue and leaned close to Xing's feet, whining twice, looking like it wanted to lick her shoes.
Xing's eyes lit up. She put one hand on her hip and pointed at it with the other hand, issuing an order: "Sit down!"
That Borisin immediately sat upright on the ground obediently, its eyes staring straight at Xing, waiting for the next command.
"Shake hands!"
The Borisin obediently extended a hand and placed it on Xing's extended hand. Xing grabbed its giant beast paw with a face full of surprise and shook it up and down.
"So obedient! Old Bro, this bone of yours is too magical, right?"
Fu Zhu also crossed his arms and said cheerfully: "Small trifle. Since it can even tame Diting, let alone Borisin who fit the concept of wolves even more."
And at this moment, the other Borisin, who was still being stepped on by Fu Zhu, looked at its companion who suddenly betrayed them. It glared at it with some shock and some anger: "What are you doing! You actually submitted to a damn human! You betrayed the Borisin!"
However, that Borisin tamed by Xing just turned its head and glanced at it with a face full of disdain.
"Who is the same race as you?"
The angry Borisin was instantly stunned, asking blankly: "What do you mean by that?"
That Borisin didn't answer. Instead, it was Fu Zhu who bent down and patted its head, explaining 'friendly-like':
"Guess what a wolf becomes after being tamed? It's a dog. It no longer counts as a Borisin, understood?"