The next day, the sky was clear.
Jing Yuan didn't bring any general's escort or ceremony. In plain clothes, he strolled into Changle Tian.
Before he even reached the shop, laughter spilled out from inside—children's laughter.
He paused outside the open door and looked in.
Yichen wasn't alone. Several children clustered around him.
Some had weak legs and leaned on small crutches. Some had missing or disabled arms. Some had thick bandages over their eyes.
A small gathering of children with bodies the world had been unkind to.
Yet there was no gloom on them. They laughed freely, chattering around Yichen like sparrows.
Even more striking was the mechanical dog—Bruce-1—the report's centerpiece.
It wasn't looming in its terrifying form. It wasn't standing rigidly on guard either.
Instead, it displayed an almost absurd agility: its tail balanced a tray piled with pastries, and it moved through the children with precise little steps, delivering treats one by one. It even nudged a child who'd forgotten to take one, as if reminding them.
The scene was strange—yet perfectly harmonious.
Seeing that, Jing Yuan decided not to step in immediately. He leaned casually against the doorframe, arms folded, content to observe.
A boy with a weak, breathy aura looked up at Yichen.
"Yichen big brother… your shop hasn't had customers for so many days. What do you even sell here?"
Yichen smiled and ruffled his hair.
"I sell help."
"Help?"
The children echoed, eyes bright.
"Yes. Help."
Yichen nodded.
"Like how I helped Xiaoyu meet Bruce."
At the mention of Xiaoyu, the children burst into excited chatter.
"Yeah! Yichen big brother, can you sell more help to Xiaoyu-jiejie?"
"We want to help her!"
The weak boy carefully pulled out several warm strales from his clothes—coins he'd been holding close to his body. He stood on tiptoe and tried to place them on the table in front of Yichen.
"Big brother, here! This is what we saved—it's all of it!
"Help Xiaoyu-jiejie… help her see again, okay?
"We want her to see Bruce, see you, see us…"
Yichen looked at the scattered coins—small, but likely everything the boy had.
He crouched down and met the child's eyes, asking gently:
"Little one… you're not very healthy yourself. Why is the first thing you think of helping Xiaoyu?"
The boy didn't hesitate at all. A pure smile bloomed on his face, as if the answer was obvious.
"Because I want Xiaoyu-jiejie to see us! To see how good Yichen big brother is, to see how awesome Bruce is! If she can see it, she'll be happier!"
A child's simple words hit the softest place in the heart.
Yichen froze for a beat—then took the strales, carefully pocketed them, and patted the boy's head.
"Alright," he promised warmly. "Then I'll take your job."
He straightened and, as if by accident, glanced toward the doorway—meeting Jing Yuan's faintly amused gaze.
"But for now," Yichen told the children with a smile, "go play in the back courtyard with Bruce. I have a special guest here. There are things we need to talk about."
The children obediently agreed. Under Bruce-1's guidance, they giggled their way into the back rooms.
Only then did Yichen tidy his robe, turn to Jing Yuan, and offer a refined salute—clean and graceful, neither servile nor arrogant.
"A distinguished guest honors my humble shop. General—please come in."
Jing Yuan stepped inside. His eyes swept casually over the "ordinary" displays before settling on Yichen. His lips held that lazy, effortless smile.
"My apologies for intruding, Mr. Yichen."
Yichen seated him and served tea, composed as if the man before him weren't the Luofu's highest commander, but a simple visitor.
Jing Yuan accepted it naturally, smelling the tea and chatting about recent Luofu happenings, street life, and small amusements.
Yichen responded with calm competence. His understanding of Luofu's culture was clearly deep.
After a few rounds of relaxed conversation, Jing Yuan set his cup down and glanced—seemingly offhand—toward the back.
Children's laughter and Bruce-1's gentle electronic tones filtered faintly into the front room, making the sudden seriousness here feel sharper.
Jing Yuan's tone shifted slightly.
"The children's wish just now was pure, and moving. Your willingness to accept the job speaks to your chivalry."
His voice stayed even, neither praising nor criticizing. Then he added, as if remembering something important:
"However, there is a basic piece of Luofu common sense I should inform you of in advance."
"Xianzhou physiology differs greatly from that of ordinary offworlders.
"We… tend to have extremely intense rejection reactions to invasive mechanical implants—especially those involving senses, meridians, and the like.
"Forceful implantation will not only fail to produce the intended effect—in a matter of days, the recipient may suffer unbearable pain. In severe cases… it may even directly trigger Mara-struck transformation."
The shop fell quiet.
Only the distant playfulness from the back made the front room feel more solemn.
Yichen listened, and—contrary to what Jing Yuan expected—didn't look shocked or troubled.
Instead, his expression turned into the look of someone hearing a particularly amusing misunderstanding.
He let out a small "Ah," propped his chin with one hand, and looked half amused, half helpless.
"I see…"
"General—after all that, are you imagining I'm one of those 'flesh is weak' cyber-ascension types?"
He shook his head, as if the idea genuinely entertained him.
"You think I'm going to install an electronic eye into Xiaoyu's head, or swap her optic nerves for cold sensors?"
Jing Yuan's brows moved, but he didn't deny it. He simply waited.
It was a reasonable suspicion—given what Bruce-1 had shown.
Yichen's smile faded slightly, replaced by earnestness. His fingertip tapped the tabletop—crisp and clear.
"General, you worry too much.
"Leaving aside whether such crude tech could ever truly recreate something as complex as seeing… asking a child to endure that kind of pain and risk—possibly even falling into Mara…"
He lifted his gaze, steady.
"That would run against my path entirely."