"I remember you saying you learned that trick from a hotpot-obsessed traditional doctor in Sichuan. But since you never quite mastered it, it only works on normal-sized adults, and the target's threat level can't exceed B-Rank."
"Ack! You really didn't need to remember the 'never quite mastered it' part so clearly!" Kiana pouted, crossing her arms in embarrassment.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to practice it later. The problem was that the Kaslana bloodline, blessed with an abundance of pure, raw instinct, was fundamentally incompatible with anything requiring precise anatomical finesse.
Kiana's interjection was an unexpected boon for Jiaoqiu. The foxian immediately seized the chance to close the distance. "I was on a business trip in Sichuan, studying the local culinary culture, when I stumbled upon this little girl wandering the streets looking for her father. Seeing her traveling all by her lonesome broke my heart, so I taught her a trick or two for self-defense."
He waved his feather fan, sighing nostalgically. "I thought our paths would never cross again. Who could have foreseen such a twist of fate?"
Though, Jiaoqiu thought to himself, I could've sworn this girl was a lot sharper back then. Did she get dumber? Did whoever raise her completely spoil her? Wait… why did I say 'again'?
"Hehe." The white-haired Tuna scratched the back of her head, flashing a delightfully dopey smile.
With the ice thoroughly broken, Fuli found it hard to refuse the dinner invitation. "Is it just for me?"
"You are more than welcome to bring your companions. A meal is always merrier with more guests at the table."
A blatant lie.
As a wingman tasked by the Heaven-Smiting General to orchestrate the perfect romantic setup, Jiaoqiu fundamentally believed that the fewer third wheels present, the better.
However, as a master strategist, the foxian also understood that haste makes waste. He vehemently opposed any doctrine of 'quick victory.' A meal must be eaten one bite at a time, and a romance must be kindled one step at a time.
"The dinner is set for six this evening. We will send someone to escort you."
"Sounds good," Fuli replied.
So this is the boy the General has set her sights on?
Listening to the clear, youthful voice coming through the phone, Jiaoqiu found himself experiencing a rare moment of regret over his blindness.
He was intensely, morbidly curious about what kind of bizarre fetishes that tomboy T-Rex of a General harbored—and even more curious to know what a boy who perfectly checked all of her absurd boxes actually looked like!
---||---
Back at the Hyperion encampment, Fuli ended the call and turned to Fu Hua. "Wanna come with me, cousin?"
Mei froze.
Crap! I forgot there was an outsider!
Based on Mei's prior arrangements, the core Hyperion crew was drowning in administrative paperwork today. None of them could spare the time to accompany Fuli to the banquet, which essentially gave this SSS-class, ultra-dangerous competitor—Fu Hua—a free pass!
Fortunately, the culprit in question politely declined. "I think I'll sit this one out." She paused, adding, "If the Celestial Phoenix is present, Jiaoqiu and the others will be so tense they won't even be able to taste the food."
Mama Hua is the best! Always so considerate of the younger generation!
"The food tastes better when you're around, cousin!" Fuli grabbed Hua's hand, his eyes wide and perfectly sincere.
Bronya looked up from her datapad. "Brother."
"Yeah?"
"Respect the Class Monitor's decision."
"Fine, fine."
Fuli knew he didn't have a leg to stand on, so he resorted to viciously rubbing Bronya's head, aggressively ruffling her silver-gray twin-turbo drill-tails in petty revenge. The little duckling cooperated, letting out a series of deadpan wu-wu-wu noises as her petite frame leaned into her older brother's chest.
Such a heartwarming atmosphere.
Reflecting this cozy scene in her teal eyes, Hua's lips curled into a faint smile. She was genuinely happy for Fuli.
However, in Mei's eyes, this was just the 28cm-craving pest trying to cozy up to her boyfriend again. She was long overdue for a lesson.
Just as Mei was about to intervene, Bronya shot her a sidelong glance. Her delicate lips parted, silently mouthing a single word:
Budget.
—This power-tripping little tyrant! Mei dropped her hand, her eyes turning frosty.
As it stood, the Hyperion operated on a wonderfully bizarre, interlocking food chain:
Fuli could keep Kiana in line; that went without saying.
Relying on their promise to date once he ascended to the Sequence Throne—plus the undeniable advantage of being his primary financial backer—Mei could firmly keep Fuli under her thumb.
And as the Chief Financial Officer holding the purse strings, Bronya could suppress Mei.
As for the final link in the chain...
A harmless, non-lethal electrical current zapped through Kiana's body. Taking the hint from her best friend, the white-haired Phoenix planted her hands on her hips and yelled, "Hey! Bronya! You're not a little kid anymore! Don't you know men and women need to keep a respectful distance?!"
"Tch. Idiot paramecium."
No matter how reluctant she was, the little duckling smoothly slid out of Fuli's embrace. The tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the crazy. That was the eternal truth.
Mostly, Bronya knew that if she got into a real fight with Kiana, her cheapskate older brother would act neutral but subconsciously take Kiana's side. Secondly, her only real use for her "budget" was secretly contacting Miss Sadako to buy imported snacks. Even if her funds got cut off entirely, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Kiana → Bronya → Mei → Fuli → Kiana.
The biological food chain was perfectly closed.
Wait, what about Kallen's ecological niche?
The world's most capable older sister remained entirely aloof, sitting peacefully upon her mountain to watch the clouds roll by.
Unbeknownst to them, the silver-haired eavesdropper had been listening to the youths' conversation the entire time, nursing her own private anxieties.
Oh dear, little brother isn't sleeping at home during the Wardance. But that's fine. As long as we're in the same universe, I can always connect with him in his dreams…
I should try a new look tonight. The Sixth Serenade outfit is getting a bit stale. How about a white-stocking shrine maiden outfit, just like Yae Sakura's? Or maybe an adult version of Theresa Apocalypse?
Since the Herrscher of the Void had fallen into a deep slumber after fusing with the fragments of the Holy Lance of the End, the burden of orchestrating these unspeakable nightly activities rested solely on the Holy Maiden's shoulders.
It really is quite troubling, she thought with a wicked smile.
Of course, I still need to wear a mask to hide my identity. I'll swap the Raven Feather mask for a Fox Spirit Noh mask! Embodying a succubus is strictly for dreamland; during the day, I must maintain my image as his gloriously perfect older sister!
Damn it, Celestial Phoenix, could you ever pull off being a cousin like this?!
The vinegar was flowing freely tonight. The competition for the title of "Best Adoptive Sister" was fiercely contested.
Hyperion was thriving!
---||---
During their earlier call, Jiaoqiu had promised to send someone to escort Fuli to the banquet. Thus, at precisely six o'clock, the boy appeared in the center of a bustling, noisy courtyard.
"Hell yeah! I pulled the Spicy one!"
"You dare, you beast?! Eat my spear!"
"How much for this Plasma Shotgun? Holy crap, that's expensive! Can I get a discount? I'll bring friends next time, I swear!"
"If you can't afford it, stop wasting my time! Miss Kallen, I'll take ten sets of the Hard-Light Barriers, plus a C-Rank Forcefield Shield!"
Even as the sun set, the frantic upgrading and shopping sprees continued unabated.
Thanks to his active Presence Concealment, over 95% of the crowd remained entirely oblivious to the impossibly young master of the Hyperion standing right in the middle of the plaza.
The few who did sense him were either absolute powerhouses or possessed unique perception skills. Such individuals usually had decent heads on their shoulders. Furthermore, the official Luofu broadcasts had already featured Fuli's simultaneous suppression of Yunli and Yanqing as a promotional highlight reel.
Combined with the terrifyingly infamous Azure Dragon Mecha parked ominously in the corner, absolutely no one was stupid enough to look for trouble.
That is, until a massive shadow blotted out the fading sunset, and a radiant, cyan-glowing warship materialized a thousand meters in the sky.
—The Skyship Moonseizer. The absolute trump card of the Yaoqing Xianzhou, and the personal dreadnought of the Heaven-Smiting General.
The vessel was over five thousand meters long. Beyond the standard barracks, logistical sectors, and the colossal reactor keeping it airborne, the ship boasted a composite star-gold hull, a multi-layered deflector shield, massive fighter hangars, and its core strategic weapon: the Yin-Yang Chaos Divine Beam. It was less a ship and more a floating fortress-city.
It spent its years patrolling the absolute frontiers of the war, defending against the invasions of the Extraterrestrial Demons. It was a strategic bastion second only to Schicksal's flagship, the Brilliant Covenant.
(As a side note, "Extraterrestrial Demons" was just the Xianzhou Alliance's colloquial term for quantum creatures and hostile foreign civilizations. Honestly, it was pretty fitting.)
The appearance of the Moonseizer naturally caused an uproar in the plaza below. The crowd buzzed with speculation, completely baffled as to why this leviathan was here. Some even whispered that the Taixu Front was finally making a move against Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, seeing as their encampments were parked right next door.
A moment later, a tractor beam descended from the heavens, perfectly enveloping Fuli.
In that instant, no amount of Presence Concealment could hide him. Every eye in the plaza was irresistibly drawn to the black-haired youth slowly ascending into the sky.
Shock, adoration, curiosity, burning jealousy...
A chaotic cocktail of gazes locked onto him, instantly followed by an explosive wave of gossip.
Meanwhile, as the absolute center of attention, Fuli was internally cringing.
It's just dinner. Did we really need to make this big of a scene? he muttered under his breath, though his outward expression remained a picture of serene composure.
Over the past half-year, he had grown taller, his posture straight as a pine. His crimson eyes were half-lowered, his long eyelashes cutting a striking figure, exuding an elegant, refined charm.
His knuckles rested casually against the Plasma Kagehide strapped to his waist—a relaxed stance that nevertheless radiated a razor-sharp edge. Framed by the setting sun and the rising crescent moon, he looked bathed in an ethereal, unhurried aura.
Pose maintained.
Public flexing: successful.
Prometheus tilted her virtual head in his mind. [Does the Host not intend to capitalize on this for marketing? For example, manipulating the Projection swords to form a giant promotional banner in the sky?]
No need to get that abstract, Fuli replied. That'll just make the Hyperion look tacky.
Sensing several camera drones hovering just outside the tractor beam, Fuli offered a polite, mysterious smile. In moments like this, you have to maintain your aesthetic. Keep it classy, and the internet sleuths will do the marketing for us.
A few moments later, he had crossed hundreds of meters and arrived at the reception airlock.
The metal floor panels hissed closed beneath his boots. Before the boy could even take in his surroundings, the Luofu's young Sword Champion was already walking toward him.
"It's been a while, Mr. Fuli."
"We literally saw each other yesterday."
"Hence, not quite a while."
Yanqing met Fuli's good-natured teasing with a bright, easygoing laugh. Having grown up around Feixiao and the others, he was also an invited guest for tonight's banquet. He had actively volunteered to receive Fuli, showing absolutely zero lingering resentment over being publicly defeated by him the day before.
A true gentleman, Fuli praised internally. "Where's baby Li—ahem, Miss Yunli?"
"Her?" Yanqing shrugged. "She got an invite, but she didn't come. Sent a message saying she needs to cultivate overnight to forge a few reward swords for the Wardance."
Neither of them pointed out the obvious truth. They both knew the score.
That girl definitely felt she had poked Fuli's sore spot yesterday, assumed it would be too awkward to see him, and just made up an excuse to bail.
Stubborn mouth, soft heart. As always.
Well, her belly is definitely the softest part, Fuli thought, recalling the countless times he had poked it during their travels together.
But her mouth really was stubborn. Literally. After all, in the previous loop, when Shuhu had puppeted Yunli's body to forcefully kiss him, she had kissed him so aggressively their teeth clashed, and she had practically bled him dry.
"Did you have any questions about the swordplay insights I gave you as the victor's prize?" Yanqing asked.
"Actually, I do."
The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the corridor leading to the main hall, chatting as they went.
Yanqing was a literal prodigy—a generational sword genius of the Taixu Front who could control six flying swords before he even hit puberty. Fuli had only beaten him purely through an absolute monopoly on intel. When three walk together, one can be my teacher. When it was time to ask for advice, Fuli wasn't too proud to ask.
The funny thing was, Jingliu had once dominated the Alliance with her Flawless Swordplay. Her disciple, Jing Yuan, had picked up a glaive instead. And yet, Jing Yuan's disciple—Yanqing—had circled right back to the path of the Sword Champion, adopting a combat style nearly identical to his grandmaster's.
Given that Fuli had just finished a deeply intimate exchange of swordplay techniques with the Fragmentum clone of Jingliu, his questions frequently left Yanqing astounded.
The young Sword Champion's gaze grew increasingly suspicious, as if silently asking: Are you my grandmaster's secret illegitimate disciple or something?
Fuli just laughed it off and changed the subject.
He was currently hiding a Jingliu in his house. Even if she was just a Fragmentum creation, she looked identical to the real deal. Looking at the completely oblivious Yanqing, Fuli felt a bizarre sense of "keeping a mistress in a golden mansion"—and keeping the boy's pure, peerless, beautiful grandmaster, no less. If you spun it right, this was peak Xianxia-drama NTR material.
Speaking of which, Fuli pondered, is the internal anatomy of a Fragmentum clone identical to the original?
Curiosity piqued, Fuli decided he'd conduct some hands-on research the moment he got home. He had that High-Cloud Quintet fusion-monster ready to serve as the perfect test subject.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Fuli," Yanqing said, remembering something. "I need to give you a quick heads-up."
"Go ahead."
"You're about to see a very familiar, shocking face. Please don't do anything rash."
The young man reached the end of the corridor and pushed the double doors open.
The reception hall had soaring, vaulted ceilings. Carved mahogany sofas sat across from cloud-veined marble tables, bathed in the warm, ambient light of palace-style chandeliers. The pale wood-paneled walls gave the room an understated, luxurious atmosphere.
To someone who had weathered as many storms as Fuli, the room was nothing special. That is, until he saw the figure sitting in the chair.
Cascading purplish-white hair, delicate features, and a petite figure wrapped in a cyan-grey robe. A gourd swayed at her waist. Her sapphire eyes were crystal clear, shimmering like starlight, and they curved into playful, mischievous little crescents when she smiled.
Shuhu?
No. It wasn't.
The boy took a deep breath, his gaze shifting to the majestic dragon horns sprouting from her head and the imposing, scaly dragon tail resting behind her.
Yanqing introduced her with utter seriousness. "Even though she looks exactly like that bastard Shuhu, Lady Bailu truly has zero connection to her."
"That's right, that's right!"
The current High Elder of the Luofu Vidyadhara—also an invited guest—Bailu was sprawled across the table. Her pale, slender legs swung idly in the air, looking so adorable someone might be tempted to scoop her up and cuddle her for three to five years.
But if anyone actually tried, they would quickly learn exactly what the "kick" in the Vidyadhara's legendary Look, Listen, Ask, and Kick medical technique really meant. Even if her inheritance was flawed and she only possessed the previous High Elder's healing-based Cloudhymn magic, her near-S-Rank physical stats were nothing to scoff at.
"Speaking of which, Fuli, my boy! This isn't our first meeting!"
The Dragon Lady hopped down from the chair with a grunt, trotting up to him in three quick steps. "Back in Sapphire City... heh, remember?"
Fuli thought back. During his battle with the City Gods, there had been a few borderline-Critical powerhouses holding the perimeter. The issue was that, at the time, he hadn't been unreasonable enough to actively ID the bystanders while simultaneously beating the local Board of Education to death.
He shook his head. "Don't remember."
"Ha! That just proves my stealth techniques are top-notch! I managed to hide from the great King of the Hyperion!" Bailu's eyes crinkled into happy little moons. "But you didn't hide from me, kid! That draconic pressure you unleashed really opened my eyes. I almost thought you were a pureblood dragon in disguise!"
Fuli knew exactly what she was talking about.
Pureblood Dragon Aura. A technique that used sheer willpower to simulate the natural, cosmic dread of facing a true pureblood dragon. Without even lifting a finger, it inflicted absolute psychological terror on everything in the vicinity, capable of intimidating, paralyzing, or literally scaring enemies to death purely through majestic presence.
During the Sapphire City battle, he had used that exact move to instantly knock out the conventional military forces surrounding the graveyard, before clashing evenly with the physicalized killing intent of the City Gods.
"So that's why you insisted on coming tonight, Lady Bailu," Yanqing realized.
"Yup." Bailu swished her tail.
Unlike other dragonborn or draconic species, the Vidyadhara suffered from a genetic flaw that prevented them from reproducing. When they died, they underwent a molting rebirth, losing all memories and personality of their past life. It was a literal case of "You lost your memories, but hey, you get a new life!"
This meant their population could never grow, and only shrank whenever a Vidyadhara died an unnatural death.
The old Bailu wouldn't have cared. But since Fu Xuan had secretly helped her overthrow the corrupt Dragon Counselors who wanted to use her as a puppet, she was now the actual leader of her people. It was her job to worry about this stuff.
And true purebloods—the originators of the dragon species—were the Vidyadhara's only hope. Even though Fuli's background check had been thoroughly vetted, what if? Just what if?
Unfortunately...
Thankfully, Bailu had been disappointed too many times to let it ruin her mood. When Qingque came scurrying into the room, the Dragon Lady was already back to her cheerful self.
"Phew! That—that was close!"
The little sparrow leaned on her knees, panting heavily, her flushed cheeks looking incredibly endearing.
"Off the clock?" Fuli asked, amused. "Didn't you say you had to work mandatory overtime until the festival ended?"
"The General covered my shift!" Qingque proudly declared before her eyes locked onto the centerpiece of the room.
Behold! The massive, boiling altar, perfectly divided by a Tai Chi curve, radiating scorching heat!
On one side, an array of sacrificial herbs tumbled through a rolling, milky-white elixir; on the other, a bubbling pool of magma-red blood hissed, releasing a miasma that stung the throat.
Surrounding the altar were dozens of plates holding the sacrifices! Slabs of congealed blood! The corpses of mutilated flora! Animal viscera chopped to pieces, muscles expertly sliced into paper-thin layers using the ancient executioner's technique of death by a thousand cuts! Good heavens, over there, they even had the raw brains of the fallen beasts!
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"It's just a normal hotpot! Stop making it sound like a dark ritual!"
Fuli retracted the hand he had just used to karate-chop Qingque on the head.
They had only formally met once, but for some reason, he found this little sparrow incredibly delightful. He hadn't seen her in just a few days, yet he had actually missed her.
Probably because her performance on the Hyperion was so staggeringly embarrassing. Or maybe just because her mom used to take care of me, the boy theorized.
"Still... a Sichuan-Chongqing hotpot, huh?" Fuli sniffed the rich, spicy aroma filling the air, scratching his cheek. "Before I got here, I thought we'd be eating some extravagant imperial banquet or mountain delicacies."
"Eating that kind of stuff is no fun at all!" Bailu waved her little fists. "Besides, kid, haven't you heard the rhyme? Shrimp in the South, crabs in the North, Guangdong eats everything the earth puts forth! Northwest mutton tears the sky, Northeast dips the world in soy, Shandong rolls it in a wrap, but Sichuan hotpot boils the map! And Yunnan mushrooms take you high!"
"Spitting rhymes like that, are you auditioning for a rap battle?" Fuli deadpanned.
Qingque immediately chimed in, displaying a flawless 'husband-and-wife' comedic timing. "You're just listing regional stereotypes! Anyway, do you guys wanna play a few rounds of Mahjong later?"
"Didn't your Celestial Jade set shatter into +12 pieces in the upgrade furnace?" Fuli asked.
"We'll just play with normal tiles! I even brought an automatic Mahjong table with me this time!" The little sparrow patted her chest, looking immensely proud of herself.
When it came to slacking off, the human spirit was truly capable of boundless, tireless innovation.
On the other side of the wall, a pair of fox ears twitched, listening to Fuli and the girls laughing.
"The mood is perfect," Jiaoqiu chuckled softly, turning and walking deeper into the ship.
A moment later, he arrived at a heavy door.
He knocked gently. "General. The atmosphere is primed. It's time for the star of the show to make her entrance."
He waited. No response.
"General Feixiao?" He raised his voice, repeating himself several times.
Just as he was starting to lose his patience, a slurred, stuttering voice drifted from behind the door.
"I-is that Jiaoqiu? Yeah... I'm... hic... I'm coming right out, hic!"
Oh shit. Wait a minute.
That reaction. Could it be—
The foxian's face drained of color.
Before he could fully process the horror, the door cracked open. Instantly, the thick, overwhelming stench of alcohol—previously contained by the nanomaterial walls—slammed into his nose.
She's been drinking in secret again!!!
Realizing the absolute catastrophe at hand, Jiaoqiu scrambled backward and violently slammed the hidden button on the base of his feather fan.
Condition Red! All units, attention! Immediately report to battle stations!
This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill! Execute the highest-level combat contingency protocol immediately!
Piercing sirens instantly erupted, echoing through every single corridor of the Skyship Moonseizer.