Chapter 204: Fu Xuan, Do You Know Why You Haven't Become General Yet?
"...And so, upon becoming the peerless strategist and the General of the Luofu, that youthful spirit of the past had long since faded away."
The lingering notes of the melody drifted into the salty breeze, bringing the long-buried narrative to a gentle close.
Silence descended upon the members of the High-Cloud Quintet. Their expressions shifted through a myriad of complex emotions, each lost in their own turbulent memories. A thousand years of relentless time, the cruel play of fate, the crushing weight of loss, and the surreal miracle of reunion—all of it had been lightly touched upon in this brief, quiet narration.
"So... this is the real story of the High-Cloud Quintet?" March 7th sniffled, aggressively wiping at her moist eyes. She didn't know the gruesome details of the Calamity of the Abominable Sound or the deep-seated grudges that had torn them apart, but the tragic outline of fate drawn by those few words was more than enough to tug at her heartstrings.
"It's touching. It's really just too touching..."
Stelle wrapped her arms around March 7th, sighing with deep emotion while naturally, and quite shamelessly, wiping her own tear-stained face all over the archer's sleeve.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're wiping your tears and snot on me!" March 7th snapped out of her melancholic daze, immediately struggling to push the Trailblazer away.
Kafka watched their antics from the sidelines, a gentle, amused smile curving her lips. According to Elio's script, she should have been hidden away in some dark, forgotten corner of the Luofu right now, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Unexpectedly, through a chaotic series of coincidences, she had participated directly in the unfolding events and even fought alongside the Express crew against Phantylia.
However... Elio had also explicitly stated that on the Luofu, she should "act as the situation dictates, and have fun."
Looking at the lively scene before her, Kafka decided this wasn't a bad deviation at all.
"It feels... wonderful," Serval sighed softly, brushing a stray blonde lock behind her ear. "It's like reading the most bizarre, fantastical novel, but actually seeing them standing here with my own eyes makes me feel... happy."
A thousand years of bitter separation, surviving countless tribulations, only for old friends to finally reunite at this exact moment. Serval hadn't encountered such a perfectly resolved plotline even in her favorite Belobog fiction, let alone witnessing it firsthand on her very first Trailblaze journey.
"Yeah, although I still don't completely understand how Leon actually pulled it off," March 7th nodded vigorously, finally managing to pry Stelle off her arm. "But getting to witness a scene like this makes this entire trip to the Luofu completely worth it!"
Leon stood nearby, a gentle curve resting on his lips as he observed the High-Cloud Quintet.
To be entirely fair, he hadn't scrutinized every single line of lore regarding their specific past back when he played the game. Instead, it was the fan-made stories created by passionate players—with their raw emotional intensity and heavy sense of tragic fate—that had left a far deeper impression on him than the original sparse text. Seeing it play out in reality, however, was an entirely different experience.
The wind sweeping through the Scalegorge Waterscape carried the slightly salty, ancient scent of the sea tide, rustling everyone's clothes and hair. Today, this sacred Vidyadhara holy land had not only sealed away the dangerous restlessness of the Ambrosial Arbor, but it had also silently witnessed a miraculous reunion spanning life, death, and centuries of time.
Having finally adapted to the sensation of her new body, Bai Heng immediately displayed her usual exuberant curiosity and boundless vitality. She launched into a relentless barrage of questions, demanding to know absolutely everything that had happened after she "went to sleep."
In response, Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Blade, and even Dan Heng began the arduous task of piecing together those long, heavy years without her. Each did so in their own distinct manner—some concise, some struggling with difficult words, and others maintaining a calm, quiet demeanor.
"General... is everyone alright?"
Outside the boundaries of the Scalegorge Waterscape, Fu Xuan, Yanqing, and a heavily armed group of Cloud Knights were waiting anxiously. Seeing the group walk out in one piece, Fu Xuan's tense shoulders dropped as she clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness... it appears the threat of Phantylia has been thoroughly resolved."
"Thank you for your concern, Minister Fu." The corners of Jing Yuan's eyes crinkled in a soft, weary smile. "I am afraid I will have to trouble you with the subsequent matters."
"Eh?" Fu Xuan blinked, her poised demeanor faltering for a split second.
"The battle with the Lord Ravager was quite exhausting, you see..."
Jing Yuan dramatically leaned his entire arm onto Dan Heng's shoulder, acting as if he were physically incapable of standing on his own. His tone grew noticeably "weak" and breathy. "It seems I desperately need to visit the Alchemy Commission for a good, long rest. As for drafting the subsequent public notices and stabilizing the hearts of the people... I shall leave all of that in the capable hands of Minister Fu."
He looked down at the Master Diviner, his golden eyes brimming with heavy expectation. "Consider this your very first official test for taking over the position of General."
Seeing his disheveled state and hearing the exhaustion in his voice, Fu Xuan, Yanqing, and the surrounding knights didn't doubt his act for a second.
"Hmph, fine. This seat will handle everything properly." Fu Xuan crossed her arms, slightly raising her chin in her usual, prideful tsundere fashion. "When the time comes, you had better remember to fulfill your promise and officially pass the position of General to me."
"Actually, Fu Xuan," Leon suddenly cut in, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes as he strolled forward. "There is a very specific reason why you haven't become General yet."
"Ha? What reason?" Fu Xuan turned her head, her brow furrowing in astonishment.
Jing Yuan also cast a curious, sidelong glance at the young man. He highly doubted Leon was about to seriously analyze official bureaucratic platitudes like "insufficient political ability" or "lacking smoothness in handling internal affairs."
"It's quite simple, really."
Leon leisurely reached into his pocket, pulling out a stack of photographs and fanning them out like a deck of cards. "Look closely. Here we have Jing Yuan of the Luofu, Feixiao of the Yaoqing, Jianqiu of the Yuque, and Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming..."
He tapped the glossy surface of the photos. "Do these four Generals share any obvious, glaring commonality?"
Hearing this, everyone in the vicinity curiously leaned in to inspect the images.
The four Arbiter-Generals depicted—two men and two women—differed wildly in age, height, and race, ranging from long-lived Xianzhou natives to Foxians. If there was any genuine commonality, it was that they were all fiercely devoted followers of the Path of The Hunt. But that certainly wasn't a physical feature one could see in a photograph.
"I know!" Stelle, Caelus, and Bai Heng shot their hands into the air almost simultaneously, shouting in perfect, chaotic unison: "White hair! They all have white hair!"
After shouting, the three of them looked at each other, bursting into immediate laughter.
"Ha! I definitely thought I was the fastest!" Stelle declared with a cheeky grin, crossing her arms.
"Just so-so! In the past, I would have absolutely been the first one to spot that!" Bai Heng countered, refusing to be outdone, her face radiating pure pride.
The surrounding bystanders felt their mouths twitch slightly.
White hair? Did that seriously count as a legitimate commonality for military promotion?
"Bingo! Correct!"
Leon snapped his fingers sharply, pointing at Fu Xuan with a 'you get it now' expression. "The four active Generals all possess white hair. That is a ratio of exactly one hundred percent. This statistical anomaly is more than enough to prove one critical, underlying issue—"
He paused for dramatic effect, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute certainty.
"Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, is a massive 'white-hair lover'!"
"So, Fu Xuan," Leon stepped forward, earnestly patting the Master Diviner on the shoulder. "If you truly want to sit in the General's seat, your very first step is to go dye your hair white."
Everyone: "..."
A visible vein throbbed on Fu Xuan's forehead, her eyes twitching violently. "White hair? Your meaning is... I have to dye my hair just to become General?!"
If absolutely anyone else had spouted such ridiculous nonsense, she would have immediately ordered the Cloud Knights to punish them for "disturbing military morale." But the one saying this was Leon—the enigmatic existence heavily suspected to be the reincarnation of Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze.
Before anyone could process the sheer absurdity of the claim, Leon's phone buzzed.
[Chat Group - Lan]:...
[Chat Group - Aha]: Yes, yes, yes! Aha can testify! Lan is a total white-hair lover! (Aha-running.jpg)
[Chat Group - Aha]: Want to know why Lan keeps chasing Yaoshi across the cosmos? Legend has it that in ancient times, Yaoshi's hair was originally pristine white! Later, because of the overwhelming infiltration of the power of Abundance, it gradually faded into that current light yellow!
[Chat Group - Aha]: Lan simply couldn't accept it! The Hunt vowed to 'chase' Yaoshi until that hair turned back to white! And that is exactly how this millions-of-years-long pursuit began!
Noticing the rapid influx of information in the cosmic chat group, the curve on Leon's lips deepened into a full smirk. "See? Even the higher-ups agree. Fu Xuan, this matter of dyeing your hair should definitely be done sooner rather than later!"
Fu Xuan pressed her fingers hard against her forehead, massaging her temples. For a long moment, she simply didn't know how to respond to the sheer magnitude of the stupidity unfolding before her.
Off to the side, Caelus quietly pulled out his trusty notebook, uncapped his pen, and solemnly wrote down: Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, is a white-hair lover.
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