Chapter 211: Tingyun: Wait, Where's My Home?
"...Regarding the formal written report submitted to the Alliance, I have already made my decision. Your immense contributions to the Luofu will certainly not be overlooked. However, for General Jing Yuan's sake, I must omit the Astral Express's names from the sections detailing the Xianzhou's internal affairs. I hope you can understand."
Fu Xuan stood near the center of the Seat of Divine Foresight, her petite frame carrying the heavy exhaustion of the past few days. She pinched the bridge of her nose, the ambient holographic projections of the commission casting a soft, blue glow over her features.
As for the delicate matter of the Aeons... that was a secret only Jing Yuan himself could safely handle when he eventually convened with the Xianzhou General Council.
Hearing the Master Diviner's words, Leon nodded in quiet understanding. His mind, however, was already flipping through his knowledge of the timeline. If his memory served him right, General Feixiao of the Yaoqing and General Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming would be arriving at the Luofu very soon., the Vidyadhara named Lingsha—who had been studying abroad in the Zhuming—would soon return to take up the mantle as the new Master of the Alchemy Commission.
"I was just about to request that of the Master Diviner," Welt replied, adjusting his glasses with a calm, measured motion. "The sudden rebirth of the Ambrosial Arbor is not an incident the Alliance's higher-ups will take lightly. They will undoubtedly scrutinize every single detail."
He paused, his seasoned gaze sweeping over the room. "The less trouble, the better. If the Astral Express becomes officially entangled in the political fallout, it might be difficult for us to leave this ship for quite some time."
"Indeed." Fu Xuan let out a long, weary sigh, her shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch. "Jing Yuan committed quite a few severe protocol violations this time around, and I am the one left to clean up his mess and handle the paperwork one by one. Sigh... the generals of the Cloud Knights are all incredibly troublesome."
This entire crisis had drained her completely. But as long as those unpredictable Aeons didn't decide to cause any more sudden chaos, the Xianzhou Luofu had officially weathered the storm.
"Please, return to your quarters and rest well before you depart. You are free to visit any safe zones on the Luofu as you wish," Fu Xuan offered, her tone softening slightly. "I have a mountain of Cloud Knight affairs to attend to, so I cannot accompany you."
Just as she turned to leave, a thought seemed to strike her. She paused, her golden eyes dimming. "By the way... if your path takes you through Starskiff Haven, I have something I would like you to deliver to Yukong."
Fu Xuan reached into her sleeve and produced a beautifully crafted, slightly singed folding fan.
"The scene at the Scalegorge Waterscape was utter chaos. After Phantylia revealed her true form, Tingyun's body seemed to simply evaporate into thin air. When the Cloud Knights swept the area, this fan—the one she always carried—was the only trace of her they could find."
The Master Diviner stared at the fan, her expression complex. "Was the Tingyun who traveled alongside you merely a puppet controlled by Phantylia? Or was it some kind of elaborate, blinding illusion? It is impossible to investigate the truth for now, so I have already prepared myself for the worst."
She sighed again, the sound heavy with unspoken grief. The good news was that Tingyun probably hadn't willingly defected to the Lord Ravager. The bad news was that Tingyun might have been replaced by Phantylia from the very beginning. Given the Antimatter Legion's brutal methods, the real Tingyun might have been dead for a long time.
"Given the Legion's style, the Sky-Faring Commission's Amicassador is likely in grave danger, if not already gone. However, how to handle Tingyun's final rites and belongings should ultimately be decided by her fellow Foxians," Fu Xuan explained softly, offering the fan to Welt. "I have already informed the Sky-Faring Commission of the general situation. I think it is most appropriate for the Express to deliver this item to Helm Master Yukong."
Leon stood off to the side, listening to Fu Xuan's somber words while fighting the absolute hardest battle of his life to keep a straight face.
Dead? Leon smiled inwardly, his amusement bubbling beneath his calm exterior. Tingyun is naturally not dead. She's currently enjoying a very deep, very comfortable nap over at Ruan Mei's place.
But the current situation on the Luofu was hilariously tragic—literally everyone genuinely believed the Foxian girl had heroically, or tragically, sacrificed herself.
According to the original game's timeline, by the time Tingyun finally woke up, the Borisin Packleader Hoolay would have already broken out of the Shackling Prison and caused a massive wave of bloody destruction. But things were different now. Ruan Mei was currently rushing toward the Luofu at maximum warp speed.
Tingyun would likely wake up very soon. However, judging by the current timing, by the time Tingyun actually set foot back on the Luofu, Yukong would have almost certainly held a funeral and burned all of Tingyun's worldly possessions as an offering.
Leon's mind immediately conjured up a highly entertaining little theater skit.
Tingyun: (Cheerfully waving her tail) "Sister Yukong, I'm back!"
Yukong: (Freezes, sweating profusely, looking incredibly awkward)
Tingyun: (Tilts her head, puzzled) "What's wrong, Sister? Aren't you happy I'm back alive?"
Yukong: (Stammering) "N-No, of course you're welcome back..."
Tingyun: "Great! Then I'll just head home and take a hot bath—"
Tingyun: (Stops dead in her tracks, staring at an empty, scorched plot of land) "Wait... where's my home?!" (Slowly turns to glare at Yukong)
Yukong: (Whistling loudly, staring intensely at the ceiling at a perfect 45-degree angle)
Thinking of this inevitable, glorious trainwreck, the corners of Leon's mouth curled up into a distinct smirk. He was absolutely going to prepare a giant bag of sunseeds and a comfortable folding stool just to watch that scene play out in real-time.
"Additionally, March 7th," Fu Xuan said, turning her attention to the pink-haired girl, snapping Leon out of his comedic daydream. "Go find Qingque and instruct her to prepare the necessary materials for activating the Matrix of Prescience. Once I finally have a moment of free time, I will personally activate the formation so you can look into your lost past."
"That's great! Thank you so much, Lady Master Diviner!" March 7th beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She immediately whipped out her phone, her thumbs flying across the screen to contact her slacker friend.
[March 7th: Qingque, are you there? Are you there?!]
[Qingque: I'm here, I'm here. Keep your voice down, my tiles are going to fall! Let's meet up at Exalting Sanctum. I'll take you to gather the materials for the Matrix of Prescience in a bit.]
[Qingque: Then we just slack off and wait for Lady Fu Xuan to come over.]
March 7th pocketed her phone with a satisfied nod, already preparing to run off to find the Divination Commission's most notorious slacker.
"I want to go see Bailu," Dan Heng spoke up, his voice calm and steady as he glanced at a new message on his own screen. "I need to ask her about the past, to see if I can make some amends for the sins of my previous life. General Jing Yuan has already arranged for me to meet her at the Ruomu Pavilion."
It seemed the General was wasting no time in handling the complicated internal politics of the Vidyadhara.
"Then we'll head over to the Sky-Faring Commission first to see Yukong," Leon said with a light, breezy laugh, stretching his arms over his head.
"Leon, you have to be super careful," March 7th warned, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. "That Helm Master Yukong is not easy to talk to at all! She's super old-fashioned, overly serious, and really mean!"
"Is that so? I don't believe it," Leon replied, his grin widening.
"What's there not to believe?!" March 7th huffed, clearly still holding a massive grudge about their first encounter. "Just ask Stelle, Caelus, Serval, and the others! Yukong's attitude toward us when we first arrived was terrible! She practically tried to arrest us!"
She was definitely the type to hold a grudge.
"Then I really must see this for myself," Leon chuckled, highly amused by her pouting. He gestured toward the exit. "Let's go. Let's go meet this 'hard-to-talk-to' Helm Master."
The group departed from the Seat of Divine Foresight, stepping out into the bustling, recovering streets of the Luofu. They crossed through the long avenues that were still heavily under reconstruction, making their way toward Starskiff Haven.
Along the way, the sheer scale of the recent disaster was evident. The massive, twisted roots of the Ambrosial Arbor had torn through the pavement in several districts. Above them, flocks of IPC Engineering Department Cycranes buzzed through the air, working in tandem with the Cloud Knights to haul away massive chunks of debris. The air itself was a strange, lingering mixture of fresh, blooming wood and scorched earth.
As they finally arrived at the grand headquarters of the Sky-Faring Commission, they barely stepped foot into the main hall before a sharp, echoing voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Why won't you just listen to me?!"
It was Yukong's voice. It was tight, trembling slightly, and heavily suppressed with a desperate kind of anger.
"Because this is my life!" a younger, incredibly stubborn voice fired back immediately.
Leon and Welt exchanged a glance, pausing near the entrance. Standing in the center of the hall was Yukong, her Foxian ears pinned back in distress, glaring down at a young Foxian girl.
"You clearly know I have the talent for this!" the girl—Qingni—shouted, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. "I can become the best pilot on the Luofu! Just like you were back in your prime!"
"If the Cloud Knights hadn't arrived in time, you would be dead right now!" Yukong's voice suddenly cracked, rising in volume as her strict facade slipped, revealing sheer terror. "When you stole that starship and flew into the sky... it was really fun, wasn't it?! You felt so free!"
Yukong took a step forward, her breathing ragged. "But what about the moment you were completely surrounded by those Abominations of Abundance? Did you ever stop to think about how I would feel if you were really gone?!"
The Helm Master's tone bled with deep, bone-weary exhaustion and a lingering, suffocating fear. "Do you have any idea how many people would kill for a stable, safe clerical job in the Sky-Faring Commission? You promised me... you promised me you would do the job well and stay safe."
Yukong closed her eyes, her hands trembling slightly. "Now, you have not only violated the highest regulations of the Sky-Faring Commission, but you have shattered the agreement between us as mother and daughter."
"Mom, I've told you a hundred times, my hand was forced by the situation!" Qingni's voice cracked, the anger giving way to a desperate plea. "I want to help you! I want to actually do something meaningful for the Sky-Faring Commission! I don't want to sit at a cramped desk all day, staring at endless stacks of boring documents! That life is not for me!"
Qingni took a step toward her mother, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "When I took the qualification exam for the warship pilots, my score was the absolute highest in the entire batch! Everyone praised me as a genius pilot, saying I was no less talented than you were! They said I'm truly your daughter... but they didn't know I had to take the exam in secret. Because if you had found out, you would have never, ever allowed it!"
"Took the exam in secret?" Yukong's voice instantly dropped, turning terrifyingly cold. Her eyes snapped open, glaring at her daughter. "If I had firmly opposed it back then, do you honestly think you could have even walked into that exam hall, let alone boarded a military warship?"
Yukong turned away, her posture rigid. "As for being a 'genius'... don't you dare mention that word in front of me."
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