Jing Yuan's gaze drifted naturally to Yu Xian's new prosthetic arms. This in itself was unremarkable—prosthetic technology on the Xianzhou had long reached an exquisite level of sophistication. As a short-life species, Yu Xian faced no risk of rejection; in a few days' time, he would likely wield them with the same unconscious grace as his original limbs, leaving no hint of artifice.
Which was precisely why Jing Yuan reached so deliberately for Yu Xian's hand beneath the covers.
To be clear, Jing Yuan held no particular romantic interest in Yu Xian—both their orientations were conventionally aligned. This gesture, though seemingly casual, was in fact a carefully considered move.
He had pondered it deeply.
The gulf between the General of the Luofu and a common diviner was vast. Maintaining the full, unyielding dignity of his office would only build walls, hindering the rapport he needed to establish.
A little physical contact was necessary—even if it was just a prosthetic hand, offering no true sensation—to bridge the distance and foster a sense of ease between them.
"Ahem… Might you be General Jing Yuan?" Yu Xian finally stirred from his surprise, his new fingers moving with nascent precision as he returned the handshake. "It was only a minor accident—a few injuries, a few days unconscious. To think the General himself would visit… I am truly unworthy of such honor."
First Fu Xuan, now Jing Yuan… Yu Xian's thoughts raced. Since when have I become such a person of interest? This is… unexpected.
Absently, the grip of his mechanical hand tightened a fraction.
Across from him, an uncharacteristic bead of cold sweat formed on Jing Yuan's temple.
It wasn't from pain—
It was because the moment their hands met, it was as if the final, long-lost piece of a puzzle had clicked into place. A torrent of heavy, half-buried memories surged uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
A profound, unsettling déjà vu.
Jing Yuan's pupils contracted. He swallowed hard, the motion tight in his throat.
What is this… such an overwhelming, intimate sense of familiarity.
There was once another like this on the Luofu: a young man, a short-life species, whose skills commanded the genuine respect of even the long-lived species, who came within a breath of joining the highest echelons of the Six Charioteers.
A man of exceptional combat prowess, who could wage blood-soaked war against legions of the Abundance's Emanators.
Who, due to tragic circumstance, was gravely injured and brought to the very brink of death.
And who was later equipped with master-crafted mechanical constructs—rarities beyond price, born from the finest forges of the Artisanship Commission.
With the parallels laid so bare, the question echoed, unbidden and sharp, in Jing Yuan's mind:
Who does this remind me of?
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, golden irises flickering with unstable light. His breathing hitched, growing heavy with a weight he hadn't felt in years. A name, long sealed and forbidden within his heart, clawed its way to his lips, threatening to break free—
"Y...?"
"Huh?" Yu Xian looked at him, genuine confusion in his eyes.
Jing Yuan bit the tip of his tongue, the sharp, clean pain yanking him back to the stark present. He choked the name back at the last possible moment.
"Y… Yih!"
The name he had almost uttered was "Yingxing." Yingxing, his former comrade, the brilliant short-lived artisan, one of the illustrious High-Cloud Quintet… But Yingxing, along with another, had later unleashed a cataclysm upon their home. The Dan feng Incident had scorched the lives of countless Xianzhou souls, and Yingxing was now…
A fugitive with a galaxy-wide bounty on his head. He had gained nothing from the tragedy, instead being eroded and consumed by the Abundance's corrupting power. There had been no word of him for centuries; he was likely little more than a monster now.
To compare Yu Xian to him? If Yu Xian ever learned of such a comparison, the offense would be profound, unforgivable.
So Jing Yuan held the name back. He summoned the preternatural reflexes of an Emanator, derailing the syllable in the span of a heartbeat.
But the word was already in his mouth, a scalding coal he could neither spit out nor swallow. It twisted under his desperate mental control, the clear syllable warping into something entirely alien. For a moment, even he didn't recognize the sound that escaped his lips.
The frozen atmosphere in the room, however, and the synchronized expressions of Yu Xian and Fu Xuan—both struggling valiantly against a wave of incredulous laughter—told him everything he needed to know about the sheer absurdity of his utterance.
Ah. A slip of the tongue.
For a general to create such a farcical moment would humiliate most, but Jing Yuan was not most men. How could a little transient awkwardness trouble one who had weathered millennia?
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, the sound dry as autumn leaves. "Pay it no mind, you two... I'm getting up there in my years. A little slur in his speech is to be expected, is it not?"
"Oh, General!" Fu Xuan, who had drifted closer unnoticed, now seized her moment, her voice dripping with faux, honeyed concern. "To think you've already declined to such a state. It pains my heart to see it. So, General, when do you plan to formally step down and allow a more... vigorous successor to take the reins?"
"Pfft—! Ahem, ahem, cough!"
Jing Yuan, unshaken by his own blunder, felt his composure crack at her words. For a fleeting second, he felt dangerously close to a Marastruck episode.
This girl… truly ruthless, single-minded in her goals… Or should I say, she never forgets her original purpose?
Hmph.
"Diviner Fu," he turned his head, his gaze a fleeting, sharp blade aimed directly at her, though his tone remained languid. "Well said. But please, refrain from saying it again. I have my own considerations regarding the timing of my... departure."
Having delivered that retort, he swiveled back to face Yu Xian, the sharpness in his eyes melting away into a practiced, kindly smile.
He could only hope the smile looked more genuine and less weary than it felt.
"Now, where were we?" he continued, his voice softening back into its usual, easy cadence. "Let us continue..."
-------
A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober